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 YEOMAN'S TALE. I8
Than that ye shoulde fall in such mischief." Withdraw the fire, lest it too fastB brenn;13
"For your good will, Sir, have ye right good Meddle no more with that art, I mean;
prefe," 1 For if ye do, your thrift 19 is gone full clean.
Quoth the can6n; "and farewell, grand And right as swithe 20 I will you tellb here
merc~." 2 What philos6phers say in this mattere.
He went his way, and never the priest him Lo, thus saith Arnold of the new8 town,2
sey 3 As his Rosary maketh mentioin,
After that day; and when that this priest He saith right thus, withouten any lie;
should " There may no man mercfiry mortify,
Maken assay, at such time as he would, But22 it be with his brother's knowledging."
Of this receipt, farewell! it would not be. Lo, how that he, which firste said this thing,
Lo, thus bejaped 4 and beguil'd was he; Of philos6phers father was, Hermes; 23
Thus made he 5 his introducti6n He saith, how that the dragon doubt~less
To bringe folk to their destruction. He dieth not, but if that he be slain
Consider, Sirs, how that in each estate With his brother. And this is for to sayn,
Betwixte men and gold there is debate, By the drag6n, Mercury, and none other,
So farforth that unnethis is there none.6 He understood, and Brimstone by his brother,
This multiplying blint 7 so many a one, That out of Sol and Luna were y-draw.24
That in good faith I trow6 that it be "And therefore," said he, " take heed to my
The cause greatest of such scarcity. saw.25
These philos6phers speak so mistily Let no man busy him this art to seech,26
In this craft, that men cannot come thereby, But if 22 that he th' intenti6n and speech
For any wit that men have now-a-days. Of philos6phers understands can;
They may well chatter, as do thes6 jays, And if he do, he is a lewd 27 man.
And in their termes set their lust and pain,8 For this science and this conning," 28 quoth he,
But to their purpose shall they ne'er attain. "Is of the secret of secrets 29 pardie."
A man may lightly 9 learn, if he have aught, Also there was a disciple of Plat6,
To multiply, and bring his good to naught. That on a time said his master to,
Lo, such a lucre 10 is in this lusty l game; As his book, Senior,30 will bear witness,
A manne's mirth it will turn all to grame,2 And this was his demand in soothfastness:
And empty also great and heavy purses, "Tell me the name of thilk a3 privy stone."
And make folke for to purchase curses And Plato answer'd unto him anon;
Of them that have thereto their good y-lent. "Taki the stone that Titanos men name."
Oh, fy for shami! they that have been brent,13 "Which is that?" quoth he. "Magnesia is
Alas! can they not flee the fire's heat? the same,"
Ye that it use, I rede 14 that ye it lete,l5 Saidd Plat6. " Yea, Sir, and is it thus?
Lest ye lose all; for better than never is late; This is ignotum per ignotius.32
Never to thrive, were too long a date. What is Magnesia, good Sir, I pray?"
Though ye prowl aye, ye shall it never find; "It is a water that is made, I say,
Ye be as bold as is Bayard the blind, Of th' elementes fourS," quoth Plat6.
That blunders forth, and peril casteth none; 6 " Tell me the rootS, good Sir," quoth he tho,"
He is as bold to run against a stone, " Of that wat6r, if that it be your will."
As for to go beside it in the way: "Nay, nay," quoth Plato, "certain that I n'ill.34
So fare ye that multiply, I say. The philos6phers sworn were every one,
If that your eyen cannot see aright, That they should not discover it to none,
Look that your minde lacke not his sight. Nor in no book it write in no mann6re;
For though you look never so broad, and stare, For unto God it is so lefe 3 and dear,
Ye shall not win a mite on that chaffare,l7 That he will not that it discover'd be,
But wasten all that ye may rape and renn.l8 But where it liketh to his deity
1 Good result of your experiments. mystic learning which it amplified; and the scholars
2 Great thanks. 3 Saw. of the Middle Ages regarded with enthusiasm and
4 Befooled. s The false Canon. reverence the works attributed to him-notably a
6 Scarcely is there any (gold). 7 Blinds, deceives, treatise on the philosopher's stone.
8 Pleasure and exertion. 9 Easily. 24 Drawn, derived. 25 Saying.
10 Gain, profit. 1 Pleasant. 26 Study, explore. 27 Ignorant, foolish.
12 Sorrow; Anglo-Saxon, "gram;" German, "Gram." 28 Knowledge.
13 Burnt. 14 Advise. 29 "Secreta Secretorum;" a treatise, very popular
15 Leave it-that is, the alchemist's art, in the Middle Ages, supposed to contain the sum of
16 Perceives no danger. 17 Traffic, commerce. Aristotle's instructions to Alexander. Lydgate trans18 Seize and plunder; acquire by hook or by crook. lated, about halt of the work, when his labour was
19 Prosperity. 20 Quickly. interrupted by his death about 1460; and from the
21 Arnaldus Villanovanus, or Arnold de Villeneuve, same treatise had been taken most of the seventh
was a distinguished French chemist and physician of book of Gower's "Confessio Amantis."
the fourteenth century; his "Rosarium Philosopho- 30 Tyrwhitt says that this book was printed in the
rum" was a favourite text-book with the alchemists of "Theatrum Chemicum," under the title, "Senioris
the generations that succeeded. 22 Except. Zadith fil. Hamuelis tabula chymict;" and the story
23 Hermes Trismegistus, counsellor of Osiris, King of here told of Plato and his disciple was there related of
Egypt, was credited with the invention of writing and Solomon, but with some variations. 31 That.
hieroglyphics, the drawing up of the laws of the 32 To explain the unknown by the more unknown.
Egyptians, and the origination of many sciences and 33 Then. 34 Will not.
arts. The Alexandrian school ascribed to him the 25 Precious.