The Canterbury tales and Faerie queene &c., &c., &c., ed. for popular perusal with current illustrations and explanatory notes, by D. Laing Purves.

52 THE CANTERBURY TALES.
No more in looking than there shall in deed. Fell on this carpenter, right as I guess,
This ordinance is said: go, God thee speed. About the curfew-time,l4 or little more,
To-morrow night, when men be all asleep, For travail of his ghost 15 he groaned sore,
Into our kneading tubbes will we creep, And eft he routed, for his head mislay.16
And sitte there, abiding Godds's grace. Adown the ladder stalked Nicholay;
Go now thy way, I have no longer space And Alison full soft adown she sped.
To make of this no longer sermoning: Withoute wordes more they went to bed,
Men say thus: Send the wise, and say nothing: There as 17 the carpenter was wont to lie:
Thou art so wise, it needeth thee nought teach. There was the revel, and the melody.
Go, save our lives, and that I thee beseech." And thus lay Alison and Nicholas,
This silly carpenter went forth his way, In business of mirth and in solace,
Full oft he said, "Alas! and Well-a-day! " Until the bell of laudesl8 gan to ring,
And to his wife he told his privity, And friars in the chancel went to sing.
And she was ware, and better knew than he This parish clerk, this amorous Absolon,
What all this quainte cast was for to say.' That is for love alway so woebegone,
But natheless she fear'd as she would dey,2 Upon the Monday was at Oseney
And said: " Alas! go forth thy way anon. With company, him to disport and play;
Help us to scape, or we be dead each one. And asked upon cas 19 a cloisterer 20
I am thy true and very wedded wife; Full privily after John the carpenter;
Go, deari spouse, and help to save our life." And he drew him apart out of the church,
Lo, what a great thing is affectin! And said, "I n'ot;21 I saw him not here
Men may die of imagination, wirch 22
So deeply may impressi6n be take. Since Saturday; I trow that he be went
This silly carpenter begins to quake: For timber, where our abbot hath him sent.
He thinketh verily that he may see For he is wont for timber for to go,
This newe flood come weltering as the sea And dwellen at the Grange a day or two:
To drenchen3 Alison, his honey dear. Or else he is at his own house certain.
Hie weepeth, waileth, maketh sorry cheer; 4 Where that he be, I cannot soothly sayn." 23
He sigheth, with full many a sorry sough. This Absolon full jolly was and light,
He go'th, and getteth him a kneading trough, And thought, "Now is the time to wake all
And after that a tub, and a kemelin, night,
And privily he sent them to his inn: For sickerly 24 I saw him not stirring
And hung them in the roof full privily. About his door, since day began to spring.
With his own hand then made he ladders three, So may I thrive, but I shall at cock crow
To climbe by the ranges and the stalks 6 Full privily go knock at his wind6w,
Unto the tubbis hanging in the balks; That stands full low upon his bower wall: 25
And victualed them, kemelin, trough, and tub, To Alison then will I tellen all
With bread and cheese, and good ale in a jub,8 My love-longing; for I shall not miss
Sufficing right enough as for a day. That at the leaste way I shall her kiss.
But ere that he had made all this array, Some manner comfort shall I have, parfay, 26
He sent his knave, and eke his wench 9 also, My mouth hath itched all this livelong day:
Upon his need 10 to London for to go. That is a sign of kissing at the least.
And on the Monday, when it drew to night, All night I mette 27 eke I was at a feast.
He shut his door withoute candle light, Therefore I will go sleep an hour or tway,
And dressed" every thing as it should be. And all the night then will I wake and play."
And shortly up they climbed all the three. When that the first cock crowed had, anon
They satte stille well a furlong way.l2 Up rose this jolly lover Absolon,
"Now, Pater noster, clum," 13 said Nicholay, And him arrayed gay, at point devise.28
And " clum," quoth John; and " clum," said But first he chewed grains 29 and liquorice,
Alison: To smelle sweet, ere he had combed his hair.
This carpenter said his devoti6n, Under his tongue a true love 30 he bare
And still he sat and bidded his prayere, For thereby thought he to be gracious.
Awaiting on the rain, if he it hear. Then came he to the carpentre's house,
The deade sleep, for weary business, And still he stood under the shot window;
1 What all the strange contrivance meant. extinguish fire and candle, and go to rest; hence the
2 Pretended to fear that she would die. word curfew, from French, "couvre-feu," cover-fire.
3 Drown. 4 A dismalcountenance. 15 Spirit. 16 Then he snored, for his head lay awry.
5 Groaning. 17 Where.
6 Rungs and uprights, or sides. 18 Matins, or morning song, at three in the morning.
7 Beams, joists. 8 Jug, bottle. 19 Occasion. 20 Cloistered monk.
9 His servant and serving-maid. 10 Business. 21 Know not. 22 Work.
11 Prepared. 23 Say certainly. 24 Sure enough.
12 As long as it might take to walk a furlong. 25 Chamber wall; the window, it has been said, pro13 "Clum," like "mum," a note of silence; but jected over the door. 26 By my faith.
otherwise explained as the humming sound made in 27 Dreamt. 28 With exact care.
repeating prayers; from the Anglo-Saxon, " clumian," 29 Grains of Paris, or Paradise; a favourite spice.
to mutter, speak in an under-tone, keep silence. 30 Some sweet herb: another reading, however, is " a
14 Eight in the evening, when, by the law of William true love-knot," which may have been of the nature of
the Conqueror, all people were, on ringing of a bell, to a charm.