Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 104

Lo! swich a lucre is in this l.u.s.ty game, A mannes mirthe it wol torne un-to grame, (850) [552: T. 16872-16907.]

And empten also grete and hevy purses, And maken folk for to purchasen curses 1405 Of hem, that han hir good therto y-lent.

O! fy! for shame! they that han been brent, Allas! can they nat flee the fyres hete?

Ye that it use, I rede ye it lete, Lest ye lese al; for bet than never is late. 1410 Never to thryve were to long a date.

Though ye prolle ay, ye shul it never finde; Ye been as bolde as is Bayard the blinde, (860) That blundreth forth, and peril casteth noon; He is as bold to renne agayn a stoon 1415 As for to goon besydes in the weye.

So faren ye that multiplye, I seye.

If that your yen can nat seen aright, Loke that your minde lakke nought his sight.

For, though ye loke never so brode, and stare, 1420 Ye shul nat winne a myte on that chaffare, But wasten al that ye may rape and renne.

Withdrawe the fyr, lest it to faste brenne; (870) Medleth na-more with that art, I mene, For, if ye doon, your thrift is goon ful clene. 1425 And right as swythe I wol yow tellen here, What philosophres seyn in this matere.

1404. E. Cp. heuye; _rest_ hevy. 1407. E. _omits_ O. 1414. E.

blondreth. 1421. E. Cm. no thyng wynne; Hl. nought Wynne (upon); _rest_ nat wynne a myte. 1427. Cm. What that [gh]e; _rest_ What that the (_badly_). 1434. E. fader first was; _rest omit_ first.

Lo, thus seith Arnold of the Newe Toun, As his Rosarie maketh mencioun; He seith right thus, with-outen any lye, 1430 'Ther may no man Mercurie mortifye, But it be with his brother knowleching.

How that he, which that first seyde this thing, (880) Of philosophres fader was, Hermes; He seith, how that the dragoun, doutelees, 1435 Ne deyeth nat, but-if that he be slayn With his brother; and that is for to sayn, By the dragoun, Mercurie and noon other He understood; and brimstoon by his brother, [553: T. 16908-16942.]

That out of _sol_ and _luna_ were y-drawe. 1440 And therfor,' seyde he, 'tak heed to my sawe, Let no man bisy him this art for to seche, But-if that he thentencioun and speche (890) Of philosophres understonde can; And if he do, he is a lewed man. 1445 For this science and this conning,' quod he, 'Is of the secree of secrees, parde.'

1441. Cm. Cp. Hl. heed; _rest_ heede, hede. 1447. E. Cm. of the secretes; Cp. Pt. of secrees; Hl. of secretz; Ln. of secretees.

Also ther was a disciple of Plato, That on a tyme seyde his maister to, As his book Senior wol bere witnesse, 1450 And this was his demande in soothfastnesse: 'Tel me the name of the privy stoon?'

And Plato answerde unto him anoon, (900) 'Tak the stoon that t.i.tanos men name.'

'Which is that?' quod he. 'Magnesia is the same,' 1455 Seyde Plato. 'Ye, sir, and is it thus?

This is _ignotum per ignotius_.

What is Magnesia, good sir, I yow preye?'

1455, 8. Lichf. Ln. magnesia; _rest_ magnasia.

'It is a water that is maad, I seye, Of elementes foure,' quod Plato. 1460

'Tel me the rote, good sir,' quod he tho, 'Of that water, if that it be your wille?'

1461. E. roote; _rest_ roche, rooche, roches. 1462. Cm. that it; _rest omit_ that.

'Nay, nay,' quod Plato, 'certein, that I nille. (910) The philosophres sworn were everichoon, That they sholden discovere it un-to noon, 1465 Ne in no book it wryte in no manere; For un-to Crist it is so leef and dere That he wol nat that it discovered be, But wher it lyketh to his deitee Man for tenspyre, and eek for to defende 1470 Whom that him lyketh; lo, this is the ende.'

1467. E. lief; Lichf. Cp. Pt. Hl. leef; Cm. lef.

Thanne conclude I thus; sith G.o.d of hevene Ne wol nat that the philosophres nevene (920) How that a man shal come un-to this stoon, [554: T. 16943-9.]

I rede, as for the beste, lete it goon. 1475 For who-so maketh G.o.d his adversarie, As for to werken any thing in contrarie Of his wil, certes, never shal he thryve, Thogh that he multiplye terme of his lyve.

And ther a poynt; for ended is my tale; 1480 G.o.d sende every trewe man bote of his bale!--Amen. (928)

HERE IS ENDED THE CHANOUNS YEMANNES TALE.

1472. Hl. syn; Lichf. Cm. syn that; E. sith that; Cp. Pt. sithens that; _rest_ sith that, sithens that. 1475. E. _vs_; _the rest_ as. 1477.

E. werken; Cm. werkyn; Hl. werke; _rest_ worche. 1479. E. Cm. _omit_ his. COLOPHON. _So in_ E. Cm.; Hl. has--Here endeth the chanouns yeman his tale.

[555: T. 16950-16968.]

GROUP H

THE MANCIPLE'S PROLOGUE.

HERE FOLWETH THE PROLOGE OF THE MAUNCIPLES TALE.

Wite ye nat wher ther stant a litel toun Which that y-cleped is Bob-up-and-doun, Under the Blee, in Caunterbury weye?

Ther gan our hoste for to Iape and pleye, And seyde, 'sirs, what! Dun is in the myre!

Is ther no man, for preyere ne for hyre, That wol awake our felawe heer bihinde?

A theef mighte him ful lightly robbe and binde.

See how he nappeth! see, for c.o.kkes bones, As he wol falle from his hors at ones.

Is that a cook of Londoun, with meschaunce?

Do him come forth, he knoweth his penaunce, For he shal telle a tale, by my fey!

Al-though it be nat worth a botel hey.

Awake, thou cook,' quod he, 'G.o.d yeve thee sorwe, What eyleth thee to slepe by the morwe?

Hastow had fleen al night, or artow dronke, Or hastow with som quene al night y-swonke, So that thou mayst nat holden up thyn heed?'

HEADING: _from_ E. Cp.; Cm. _has_--Heryth the merye wordys of the Host to the c.o.k of Lundene. 1. E. Hn. Woot; Cp. Hl. Wot; Cm. Wote; Pt. Ln.

Wete; Wite _is better, as in_ l. 82. 7. Cm. here; E. Hn. Hl. al; _rest omit_. 9. _So_ Cp. Hl.; E. see how for; Hn. se how for; Cm. so how for.

[556: T. 16969-17003.]

This cook, that was ful pale and no-thing reed, 20 Seyde to our host, 'so G.o.d my soule blesse, As ther is falle on me swich hevinesse, Noot I nat why, that me were lever slepe Than the beste galoun wyn in Chepe.'

'Wel,' quod the maunciple, 'if it may doon ese 25 To thee, sir cook, and to no wight displese Which that heer rydeth in this companye, And that our host wol, of his curteisye, I wol as now excuse thee of thy tale; For, in good feith, thy visage is ful pale, 30 Thyn yen daswen eek, as that me thinketh, And wel I woot, thy breeth ful soure stinketh, That sheweth wel thou art not wel disposed; Of me, certein, thou shalt nat been y-glosed.

Se how he ganeth, lo, this dronken wight, 35 As though he wolde us swolwe anon-right.

Hold cloos thy mouth, man, by thy fader kin!

The devel of h.e.l.le sette his foot ther-in!

Thy cursed breeth infecte wol us alle; Fy, stinking swyn, fy! foule moot thee falle! 40 A! taketh heed, sirs, of this l.u.s.ty man.

Now, swete sir, wol ye Iusten atte fan?

Ther-to me thinketh ye been wel y-shape!

I trowe that ye dronken han wyn ape, And that is whan men pleyen with a straw.' 45 And with this speche the cook wex wrooth and wraw, And on the maunciple he gan nodde faste For lakke of speche, and doun the hors him caste, Wher as he lay, til that men up him took; This was a fayr chivachee of a cook! 50 Allas! he nadde holde him by his ladel!

And, er that he agayn were in his sadel, Ther was greet showving bothe to and fro, To lifte him up, and muchel care and wo, [557: T. 17004-17038.]

So unweldy was this sory palled gost. 55 And to the maunciple thanne spak our host, 'By-cause drink hath dominacioun Upon this man, by my savacioun I trowe he lewedly wolde telle his tale.

For, were it wyn, or old or moysty ale, 60 That he hath dronke, he speketh in his nose, And fneseth faste, and eek he hath the pose.

He hath also to do more than y-nough To kepe him and his capel out of slough; And, if he falle from his capel eft-sone, 65 Than shul we alle have y-nough to done, In lifting up his hevy dronken cors.

Telle on thy tale, of him make I no fors.

29. E. _omits_ as. 31. E. Hn. Hl. daswen; Cm. daswe; Cp. dasewen; Pt.

dasen; Ln. dasowee. 36. Cp. Ln. vs swolwe; _rest_ swolwe vs. 40.

E. thou; _rest_ thee _or_ the. 46. Cm. Pt, Ln. wex; _rest_ wax. 49.

E. Hn. vp hym; _rest_ him vp. 55. E. vnweeldy. 59. E. Cm. Ln. _put_ lewedly _before_ he. 62. _So_ E. Hn. Cp. Ln. Hl.; Cm. sneseth; Pt.

galpeth. 64. E. of; _rest_ of the.

But yet, maunciple, in feith thou art to nyce, Thus openly repreve him of his vyce. 70 Another day he wol, peraventure, Reclayme thee, and bringe thee to lure; I mene, he speke wol of smale thinges, As for to pinchen at thy rekeninges, That wer not honeste, if it cam to preef.' 75