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

54 THE CANTERBCURY TALES.
This Alison answered; "Who is there For whatsoe'er this carpenter answdr'd,
That knocketh so? I warrant him a thief." It was for nought, no man his reason heard.
"Nay, nay," quoth he, " God wot, my sweete With oathes great he was so sworn adown,
lefe, That he was holden wood in all the town.
I am thine Absolon, my own darling. For every clerk anon right held with other;
Of gold," quoth he, "I have thee brought a They said, "The man was wood, my leve16'
ring, brother;"
tly mother gave it me, so God me save! And every wight gan laughen at his strife.
Full fine it is, and thereto well y-grave: 2 Thus swived 7 was the carpent6re's wife,
This will I give to thee, if thou me kiss." For all his keeping 18 and his jealousy;
Now Nicholas was risen up to piss, And Absolon hath kiss'd her nether eye;
And thought he would amenden all the jape; 3 And Nicholas is scalded in the tout.
He shoulde kiss his erse ere that he scape: This tale is done, and God save all the rout.l9
And up the window did he hastily,
And out his erse he put full privily
Over the buttock, to the haunche bone.
And therewith spake this clerk, this Absolon, E RE S TA
"Speak, sweete bird, I know not where thouEEVE'S TAE.
art.",THE PROLOGUE.
This Nicholas anon let fly a fart,
As great as it had been a thunder dent,4 WHEN folk had laughed all at this nice case
That with the stroke he was well nigh y-blent; Of Absolon and Hendy Nicholas,
But he was ready with his iron hot, Diverse folk diversely they said,
And Nicholas amid the erse he smote. But for the more part they laugh'd and play'd;20
Off went the skin an handbreadth all about. And at this tale I saw no man him grieve,
The hote culter burned so his tout,6 But it were only Osewold the Reeve.
That for the smart he weened 7 he would die; Because he was of carpent6re's craft,
As he were wood,8 for woe he gan to cry, A little ire is in his hearte laft; 21
" Help! water, water, help for Godde's heart! " He gan to grudge 22 and blamed it a lite.23
- This carpenter out of his slumber start, "So th6 I," 24 quoth he, "full well could I him
And heard one cry " Water," as he were wood,8 quite 2
And thought, " Alas! now cometh Noe's flood." With blearing 26 of a proude miller's eye,
He sat him up without6 wordes mo', If that me list to speak of ribaldry.
And with his axe he smote the cord in two; But I am old; me list not play for age; 27
And down went all; he found neither to sell Grass time is done, my fodder is now forage.
Nor bread nor ale,9 till he came to the sell,l This white top28 writeth mine olde years;
Upon the floor, and there in swoon he lay. Mine heart is also moulded 29 as mine hairs;
Up started Alison and Nicholay, And I do fare as doth an open-erse; 30
And cried out an " harow! " l in the street. That ilk 31 fruit is ever longer werse,
The neighbours a1, bothe small and great Till it be rotten in mullok or in stre.32
In rann6, for to gauren12 on this man, We old6 men, I dread, so fare we;
That yet in swoone lay, both pale and wan: Till we be rotten, can we not be ripe;
For with the fall he broken had his arm. We hop 33 alway, while that the world will pipe;
But stand he must unto his owen harm, For in our will there sticketh aye a nail,
For when he spake, he was anon borne down To have an hoary head and a green tail,
With Hendy Nicholas and Alisofin. As hath a leek; for though our might be gone,
They told to every man that he was wood; Our will desireth folly ever-in-one:34
He was ahast 13 so of Noe's flood, For when we may not do, then will we speak,
Through phantasy, that of his vanity Yet in our ashes cold does fir6 reek.35
He had y-bought him kneading-tubbSs three, Four gledes 36 have we, which I shall devise,37
And had them hanged in the roof above; Vaunting, and lying, anger, covetise.38
And that he prayed them for Godde's love These fourS sparks belongen unto eld.
To sitten in the roof for company. Our olde limbes well may be unweld)39
The folk gan laughen at his phantasy. But will shall never fail us, that is sooth.
Into the roof they kyken,14 and they gape, And yet have I alway a colte's tooth,40
And turned all his harm into a jape.15 As many a year as it is passed and gone
1 Dear, love. 2 Engraved. 3 Improve the jest. 24 Or "so the ik," so may I thrive.
4 Peal, clap. 5 Blinded. 6 Breech. 25 Match, recompense.
7 Thought. 8 Mad. 26 Dimming his eye; playing off a joke on him.
9 Found nothing to stop hifn. 27 Age takes away my zest for drollery. 28 Head.
1o Sill of the door, threshold; French, "seull," 29 Grown mouldy. 30 Medlar. 31 Same.
Latin, " solum," the ground. 32 On the ground or in the straw. 33 Dance.
11 See note 3, page 49. 34 Continually.
[12 Stare. 13 Terrified. 35 Smoke. "Ev'n in our ashes live their wonted
14 Peep, look. 15 Jest. 16 Dear. fires."
17 Enjoyed. 18 Care. 19 Company. 36 Glowing coals (of passion). 37 Relate, describe.
20 Were diverted. 21 Left. 22 Murmur. 38 Covetousness. 39 Unwieldy.
23 Little. 40 A wanton humour, a relish for pleasure.