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The prologe of the Chanons Yemannes Tale.
WHAN ended was the lyf of seint Cecyle, | |
| Er we had riden fully fyve myle, | |
| At Boghton under Blee us gan atake | |
| A man, that clothed was in clothes blake, | |
| And undernethe he hadde a whyt surplys. | 5 |
| His hakeney, that was al pomely grys, | |
| So swatte, that it wonder was to see; | |
| It semed he had priked myles three. | |
| The hors eek that his yeman rood upon | |
| So swatte, that unnethe mighte it gon. | 10 |
| Aboute the peytrel stood the foom ful hye, | |
| He was of fome al flekked as a pye. | |
| A male tweyfold on his croper lay, | |
| It semed that he caried lyte array. | |
| Al light for somer rood this worthy man, | 15 |
| And in myn herte wondren I bigan | |
| What that he was, til that I understood | |
| How that his cloke was sowed to his hood; | |
| For which, when I had longe avysed me, | |
| I demed him som chanon for to be. | 20 |
| His hat heng at his bak doun by a laas, | |
| For he had riden more than trot or paas; | |
| He had ay priked lyk as he were wood. | |
| A clote-leef he hadde under his hood | |
| For swoot, and for to kepe his heed from hete. | 25 |
| But it was Ioye for to seen him swete! | |
| His forheed dropped as a stillatorie, | |
| Were ful of plantain and of paritorie. | |
| And whan that he was come, he gan to crye, | |
| ‘God save,’ quod he, ‘this Ioly companye! | 30 |
| Faste have I priked,’ quod he, ‘for your sake, | |
| By-cause that I wolde yow atake, | |
| To ryden in this mery companye.’ | |
| His yeman eek was ful of curteisye, | |
| And seyde, ‘sires, now in the morwe-tyde | 35 |
| Out of your hostelrye I saugh you ryde, | |
| And warned heer my lord and my soverayn, | |
| Which that to ryden with yow is ful fayn, | |
| For his desport; he loveth daliaunce.’ | |
| ‘Freend, for thy warning god yeve thee good chaunce,’ | 40 |
| Than seyde our host, ‘for certes, it wolde seme | |
| Thy lord were wys, and so I may wel deme; | |
| He is ful Iocund also, dar I leye. | |
| Can he oght telle a mery tale or tweye, | |
| With which he glade may this companye?’ | 45 |
| ‘Who, sire? my lord? ye, ye, withouten lye, | |
| He can of murthe, and eek of Iolitee | |
| Nat but ynough; also sir, trusteth me, | |
| And ye him knewe as wel as do I, | |
| Ye wolde wondre how wel and craftily | 50 |
| He coude werke, and that in sondry wyse. | |
| He hath take on him many a greet empryse, | |
| Which were ful hard for any that is here | |
| To bringe aboute, but they of him it lere. | |
| As homely as he rit amonges yow, | 55 |
| If ye him knewe, it wolde be for your prow; | |
| Ye wolde nat forgoon his aqueyntaunce | |
| For mochel good, I dar leye in balaunce | |
| Al that I have in my possessioun. | |
| He is a man of heigh discrecioun, | 60 |
| I warne you wel, he is a passing man.’ | |
| ‘Wel,’ quod our host, ‘I pray thee, tel me than, | |
| Is he a clerk, or noon? tel what he is.’ | |
| ‘Nay, he is gretter than a clerk, y-wis,’ | |
| Seyde this yeman, ‘and in wordes fewe, | 65 |
| Host, of his craft som-what I wol yow shewe. | |
| I seye, my lord can swich subtilitee— | |
| (But al his craft ye may nat wite at me; | |
| And som-what helpe I yet to his werking)— | |
| That al this ground on which we been ryding, | 70 |
| Til that we come to Caunterbury toun, | |
| He coude al clene turne it up-so-doun, | |
| And pave it al of silver and of gold.’ | |
| And whan this yeman hadde thus y-told | |
| Unto our host, he seyde, ‘benedicite! | 75 |
| This thing is wonder merveillous to me, | |
| Sin that thy lord is of so heigh prudence, | |
| By-cause of which men sholde him reverence, | |
| That of his worship rekketh he so lyte; | |
| His oversloppe nis nat worth a myte, | 80 |
| As in effect, to him, so mote I go! | |
| It is al baudy and to-tore also. | |
| Why is thy lord so sluttish, I thee preye, | |
| And is of power better cloth to beye, | |
| If that his dede accorde with thy speche? | 85 |
| Telle me that, and that I thee biseche.’ | |
| ‘Why?’ quod this yeman, ‘wherto axe ye me? | |
| God help me so, for he shal never thee! | |
| (But I wol nat avowe that I seye, | |
| And therfor kepe it secree, I yow preye). | 90 |
| He is to wys, in feith, as I bileve; | |
| That that is overdoon, it wol nat preve | |
| Aright, as clerkes seyn, it is a vyce. | |
| Wherfor in that I holde him lewed and nyce. | |
| For whan a man hath over-greet a wit, | 95 |
| Ful oft him happeth to misusen it; | |
| So dooth my lord, and that me greveth sore. | |
| God it amende, I can sey yow na-more.’ | |
| ‘Ther-of no fors, good yeman,’ quod our host; | |
| ‘Sin of the conning of thy lord thou wost, | 100 |
| Tel how he dooth, I pray thee hertely, | |
| Sin that he is so crafty and so sly. | |
| Wher dwellen ye, if it to telle be?’ | |
| ‘In the suburbes of a toun,’ quod he, | |
| ‘Lurkinge in hernes and in lanes blinde, | 105 |
| Wher-as thise robbours and thise theves by kinde | |
| Holden hir privee fereful residence, | |
| As they that dar nat shewen hir presence; | |
| So faren we, if I shal seye the sothe.’ | |
| ‘Now,’ quod our host, ‘yit lat me talke to the; | 110 |
| Why artow so discoloured of thy face?’ | |
| ‘Peter!’ quod he, ‘god yeve it harde grace, | |
| I am so used in the fyr to blowe, | |
| That it hath chaunged my colour, I trowe. | |
| I am nat wont in no mirour to prye, | 115 |
| But swinke sore and lerne multiplye. | |
| We blondren ever and pouren in the fyr, | |
| And for al that we fayle of our desyr, | |
| For ever we lakken our conclusioun. | |
| To mochel folk we doon illusioun, | 120 |
| And borwe gold, be it a pound or two, | |
| Or ten, or twelve, or many sommes mo, | |
| And make hem wenen, at the leeste weye, | |
| That of a pound we coude make tweye! | |
| Yet is it fals, but ay we han good hope | 125 |
| It for to doon, and after it we grope. | |
| But that science is so fer us biforn, | |
| We mowen nat, al-though we hadde it sworn, | |
| It overtake, it slit awey so faste; | |
| It wol us maken beggers atte laste.’ | 130 |
| Whyl this yeman was thus in his talking, | |
| This chanoun drough him neer, and herde al thing | |
| Which this yeman spak, for suspecioun | |
| Of mennes speche ever hadde this chanoun. | |
| For Catoun seith, that he that gilty is | 135 |
| Demeth al thing be spoke of him, y-wis. | |
| That was the cause he gan so ny him drawe | |
| To his yeman, to herknen al his sawe. | |
| And thus he seyde un-to his yeman tho, | |
| ‘Hold thou thy pees, and spek no wordes mo, | 140 |
| For if thou do, thou shalt it dere abye; | |
| Thou sclaundrest me heer in this companye, | |
| And eek discoverest that thou sholdest hyde.’ | |
| ‘Ye,’ quod our host, ‘telle on, what so bityde; | |
| Of al his threting rekke nat a myte!’ | 145 |
| ‘In feith,’ quod he, ‘namore I do but lyte.’ | |
| And whan this chanon saugh it wolde nat be, | |
| But his yeman wolde his privetee, | |
| He fledde awey for verray sorwe and shame. | |
| ‘A!’ quod the yeman, ‘heer shal aryse game, | 150 |
| Al that I can anon now wol I telle. | |
| Sin he is goon, the foule feend him quelle! | |
| For never her-after wol I with him mete | |
| For peny ne for pound, I yow bihete! | |
| He that me broghte first unto that game, | 155 |
| Er that he dye, sorwe have he and shame! | |
| For it is ernest to me, by my feith; | |
| That fele I wel, what so any man seith. | |
| And yet, for al my smert and al my grief, | |
| For al my sorwe, labour, and meschief, | 160 |
| I coude never leve it in no wyse. | |
| Now wolde god my wit mighte suffyse | |
| To tellen al that longeth to that art! | |
| But natheles yow wol I tellen part; | |
| Sin that my lord is gon, I wol nat spare; | 165 |
Swich thing as that I knowe, I wol declare.—
Here endeth the Prologe of the Chanouns Yemannes Tale. | |
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