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Heer bigynneth the Cokes tale.
A PRENTIS whylom dwelled in our citee, | |
| And of a craft of vitaillers was he; | |
| Gaillard he was as goldfinch in the shawe, | |
| Broun as a berie, a propre short felawe, | |
| With lokkes blake, y-kempt ful fetisly. | 5 |
| Dauncen he coude so wel and Iolily, | |
| That he was cleped Perkin Revelour. | |
| He was as ful of love and paramour | |
| As is the hyve ful of hony swete; | |
| Wel was the wenche with him mighte mete. | 10 |
| At every brydale wolde he singe and hoppe, | |
| He loved bet the taverne than the shoppe. | |
| For whan ther any ryding was in Chepe, | |
| Out of the shoppe thider wolde he lepe. | |
| Til that he hadde al the sighte y-seyn, | 15 |
| And daunced wel, he wolde nat come ageyn. | |
| And gadered him a meinee of his sort | |
| To hoppe and singe, and maken swich disport. | |
| And ther they setten steven for to mete | |
| To pleyen at the dys in swich a strete. | 20 |
| For in the toune nas ther no prentys, | |
| That fairer coude caste a paire of dys | |
| Than Perkin coude, and ther-to he was free | |
| Of his dispense, in place of privetee. | |
| That fond his maister wel in his chaffare; | 25 |
| For often tyme he fond his box ful bare. | |
| For sikerly a prentis revelour, | |
| That haunteth dys, riot, or paramour, | |
| His maister shal it in his shoppe abye, | |
| Al have he no part of the minstralcye; | 30 |
| For thefte and riot, they ben convertible, | |
| Al conne he pleye on giterne or ribible. | |
| Revel and trouthe, as in a low degree, | |
| They been ful wrothe al day, as men may see. | |
| This Ioly prentis with his maister bood, | 35 |
| Til he were ny out of his prentishood, | |
| Al were he snibbed bothe erly and late, | |
| And somtyme lad with revel to Newgate; | |
| But atte laste his maister him bithoghte, | |
| Up-on a day, whan he his paper soghte, | 40 |
| Of a proverbe that seith this same word, | |
| ‘Wel bet is roten appel out of hord | |
| Than that it rotie al the remenaunt.’ | |
| So fareth it by a riotous servaunt; | |
| It is wel lasse harm to lete him pace, | 45 |
| Than he shende alle the servants in the place. | |
| Therfore his maister yaf him acquitance, | |
| And bad him go with sorwe and with meschance; | |
| And thus this Ioly prentis hadde his leve. | |
| Now lat him riote al the night or leve. | 50 |
| And for ther is no theef with-oute a louke, | |
| That helpeth him to wasten and to souke | |
| Of that he brybe can or borwe may, | |
| Anon he sente his bed and his array | |
| Un-to a compeer of his owne sort, | 55 |
| That lovede dys and revel and disport, | |
| And hadde a wyf that heeld for countenance | |
| A shoppe, and swyved for hir sustenance. . . . . . .
Of this Cokes tale maked Chaucer na more.
[For The Tale of Gamelin, see the Appendix.] | |
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