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

THE CANON'S YEOM1AN'S TALE. 183
Quoth this can6n, " thine owen handis two Bring eke with you a bowl, or else a pan,
Shall work all thing that here shall be do'." Full of water, and ye shall well see than 15
"Grand mercy,"2 quoth the priest, and was full How that our business shall hap and preve.l6
glad, And yet, for ye shall have no misbelieve 17
And couch'd the coalis as the canon bade. Nor wrong conceit of me, in your absence,
And while he busy was, this fiendly wretch, I willi not be out of your presence,
This false can6n (the foulS fiend him fetch), But go with you, and come with you again."
Out of his bosom took a beechen coal, The chamber-doorS, shortly for to sayn,
In which full subtilly was made a hole, They opened and shut, and went their way,
And therein put was of silver limfile s And forth with them they carried the key;
An ounce, and stopped was withoute fail And came again without any delay.
The hole with wax, to keep the limaile in. Why should I tarry all the longd day?
And understandS, that this fals5 gin 4 He took the chalk, and shap'd it in the wise
Was not made there, but it was made before; Of an ingot, as I shall you devise; 1
And other thinges I shall tell you more, I say, he took out of his owen sleeve
Hereafterward, which that he with him brought; A teine 19 of silver (evil may he cheve! 20)
Ere he came there, him to beguile he thought, Which that ne was but a just ounce of weight.
And so he did, ere that they went atwin; 5 And take heed now of his cursed sleight;
Till he had turned him, could he not blin.6 He shap'd his ingot, in length and in brede 21
It doleth 7 me, when that I of him speak; Of this teine, withouten any drede,22
On his falsehood fain would I me awreak,8 So slily, that the priest it not espied;
If I wist how, but he is here and there; And in his sleeve again he gan it hide;
He is so variant, he abides nowhere. And from the fire he took up his matt6re,
But take heed, Sirs, now for Goddi's love. And in th' ingot put it with merry cheer; 23
He took his coal, of which I spake above, And in the water-vessel he it cast,
And in his hand he bare it privily, When that him list, and bade the priest as fast
And while the priesti couched busily Look what there is; "Put in thine hand and
The coales, as I toldi you ere this, grope; 24
This canon saidi, "'Friend, ye do amiss; There shalt thou finde silver, as I hope."
This is not couched as it ought to be, What, devil of helle! should it elles be?
But soon I shall amenden it," quoth he. Shaving of silver, silver is, pardie.
" Now let me meddle therewith but a while, He put his hand in, and took up a teine 19
For of you have I pity, by Saint Gile. Of silver fine; and glad in every vein
Ye be right hot, I see well how ye sweat; Was this priest, when he saw that it was so.
Have here a cloth, and wipe away the wet." " Goddi's blessing, and his mother's also,
And while that the priesti wip'd his face, And alle hallows',25 have ye, Sir Can6n! "
This canon took his coal,-with sorry grace, — Saide this priest, " and I their malison 26
And layed it above on the midward But, an' 27 ye vouchesafe to teache me
Of the croslet, and blew well afterward, This noble craft and this subtility,
Till that the coals begann5 fast to brenn.l I will be yours in all that ever I may."
" Now give us drinkS," quoth this canon then, Quoth the can6n, " Yet will I make assay 28
" And swithe 2 all shall be well, I undertake. The second time, that ye may take heed,
Sitte we down, and let us merry make." And be expert of this, and, in your need,
And whenni that this canon's beechen coal Another day assay in mine absence
Was burnt, all the limaile out of the hole This discipline, and this crafty science.
Into the crosselet anon fell down; Let take another ounce," quoth he tho,29
And so it muste needes, by reasofn, "Of quicksilver, withoute word's mo',
Since it above so even couched 13 was; And do therewith as ye have done ere this
But thereof wist the priest no thing, alas! With that other, which that now silver is."
He deemed all the coals alik5 good, The priest him busied, all that e'er he can,
For of the sleight he nothing understood. To do as this can6n, this cursed man,
And when this alchemister saw his time, Commanded him, and fast he blew the fire
" Rise up, Sir Priest," quoth he, " and stand by For to come to th' effect of his desire.
me; And this can6n right in the meanewhile
And, for I wot well ingot 4 have ye none, All ready was this priest eft30 to beguile,
Go, walke forth, and bring me a chalk stone; And, for a countenance,s in his handi bare
For I will make it of the same shape An hollow sticke (take keep 82 and beware),
That is an ingot, if I may have hap. In th' end of,which an ounce and no more
I Done. 2 Great thanks. 16 Turn out, succeed. 17 Mistrust.
3 Filings or dust of silver. 18 Describe.
4 Contrivance, stratagem. 19 Little piece; the adjective "tiny" is connected
5 Before they separated. with the word.
6 Cease; from Anglo-Saxon, "blinnan," to desist. 20 Prosper; achieve, end; French, "achever."
7 Grieveth. 8 Revenge myself. 21 Breadth. 22 Doubt. 23 Countenance.
9 Changeable, unsettled. 24 Search. 25 That of all the saints.
10 Evil fortune attend him! U1 Burn. 26 Curse. 27 Unless, if.
12 Quickly. 13 Evenly or exactly laid. 28 Trial, experiment. 29 Then.
14 Mould. Seenote 34, page 179. 15 Then. 30 Again. 31 Stratagem. 3a Heed.