Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 28

HERE IS ENDED THE REVES TALE.

4320. E. Hn. yuele; Cm. euele. 4322. E. Trinitee; _rest_ magestee (mageste). COLOPHON. Hn. Hl. Here endeth the Reves tale.

[126: T. 4323-4347.]

THE COOK'S PROLOGUE.

THE PROLOGE OF THE c.o.kES TALE.

The Cook of London, whyl the Reve spak, 4325 For Ioye, him thoughte, he clawed him on the bak, 'Ha! ha!' quod he, 'for Cristes pa.s.sioun, This miller hadde a sharp conclusioun Upon his argument of herbergage!

Wel seyde Salomon in his langage, 4330 "Ne bringe nat every man in-to thyn hous;"

For herberwing by nighte is perilous.

Wel oghte a man avysed for to be Whom that he broghte in-to his privetee. (10) I pray to G.o.d, so yeve me sorwe and care, 4335 If ever, sith I highte Hogge of Ware, Herde I a miller bettre y-set a-werk.

He hadde a Iape of malice in the derk.

But G.o.d forbede that we stinten here; And therfore, if ye vouche-sauf to here 4340 A tale of me, that am a povre man, I wol yow telle as wel as ever I can A litel Iape that fil in our citee.'

4325. E. whil that the. 4332. Hl. herburgage. 4336. Hn. sith; E.

sitthe; Hl. sie; Cp. Pt. Ln. sithen. 4339. Hn. Hl. stynten; E.

stynte. 4339, 4340. _Last two words glossed_ hic _and_ audire _in_ E.

Hn.

Our host answerde, and seide, 'I graunte it thee; (20) Now telle on, Roger, loke that it be good; 4345 For many a pastee hastow laten blood, And many a Iakke of Dover hastow sold That hath been twyes hoot and twyes cold.

Of many a pilgrim hastow Cristes curs, [127: T. 4348-4362.]

For of thy persly yet they fare the wors, 4350 That they han eten with thy stubbel-goos; For in thy shoppe is many a flye loos.

Now telle on, gentil Roger, by thy name.

But yet I pray thee, be nat wrooth for game, (30) A man may seye ful sooth in game and pley.' 4355

4347. E. Hn. Cm. Ln. Douere. E. Hn. soold. 4348. E. Hn. coold.

4350. Hl. persly; Hn. p_er_sle; E. p_er_cely. 4355. Hl. _omits_.

'Thou seist ful sooth,' quod Roger, 'by my fey, But "sooth pley, quaad pley," as the Fleming seith; And ther-fore, Herry Bailly, by thy feith, Be thou nat wrooth, er we departen heer, Though that my tale be of an hostileer. 4360 But nathelees I wol nat telle it yit, But er we parte, y-wis, thou shalt be quit.'

And ther-with-al he lough and made chere, And seyde his tale, as ye shul after here. (40)

THUS ENDETH THE PROLOGE OF THE c.o.kES TALE.

4357. E. Cm. quaad; Cp. Hl. quad; _rest_ quade. 4359. E. na (_for_ nat). COLOPHON. _In_ Pt.; Ln. Explicit prologus.

[128: T. 4363-4390.]

THE c.o.kES TALE.

HEER BIGYNNETH THE c.o.kES TALE.

A prentis whylom dwelled in our citee, 4365 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.

Dauncen he coude so wel and Iolily, 4370 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, 4375 He loved bet the taverne than the shoppe.

4366. E. vitailliers. 4369. E. ykempd; Hn. ykembd; _rest_ ykempt.

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, And daunced wel, he wolde nat come ageyn. 4380 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, 4385 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; For often tyme he fond his box ful bare. 4390 For sikerly a prentis revelour, That haunteth dys, riot, or paramour, [129: T. 4391-4420.]

His maister shal it in his shoppe abye, Al have he no part of the minstralcye; (30) For thefte and riot, they ben convertible, 4395 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.

4380. E. ayeyn. 4383. Pt. Ln. steuen; _rest_ steuene. 4385. Pt. Ln.

toune; _rest_ toun. 4396. E. Ln. ribible; _rest_ rubible. 4397. E.

lowe.

This Ioly prentis with his maister bood, Til he were ny out of his prentishood, 4400 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, 4405 '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 la.s.se harm to lete him pace, Than he shende alle the servants in the place. 4410 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)

4402. E. Newegate. 4404. E. Hn. Hl. papir. 4406. E. Hn. Cp. Hl.

Appul. 4410. E. seruantz.

And for ther is no theef with-oute a louke, 4415 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, That lovede dys and revel and disport, 4420 And hadde a wyf that heeld for countenance A shoppe, and swyved for hir sustenance. 4422

OF THIS c.o.kES TALE MAKED CHAUCER NA MORE.

[_For_ The Tale of Gamelin, _see the_ Appendix.]

4415-22. Hl. _omits._ 4415. E. Hn. Cp. Ln. lowke; Pt. louke; Cm.

loke. 4416. Pt. souke; _rest_ sowke. 4419. E. compier; Hn. compeer; Cp. Pt. Ln. conpere. COLOPHON. _In_ Hn. _only. Blank s.p.a.ce in_ E.

[130: T. 4421-4446.]

GROUP B.

INTRODUCTION TO THE MAN OF LAW'S PROLOGUE.

THE WORDES OF THE HOOST TO THE COMPANYE.

Our Hoste sey wel that the brighte sonne The ark of his artificial day had ronne The fourthe part, and half an houre, and more; And though he were not depe expert in lore, He wiste it was the eightetethe day 5 Of April, that is messager to May; And sey wel that the shadwe of every tree Was as in lengthe the same quant.i.tee That was the body erect that caused it.

And therfor by the shadwe he took his wit 10 That Phebus, which that shoon so clere and brighte, Degrees was fyve and fourty clombe on highte; And for that day, as in that lat.i.tude, It was ten of the clokke, he gan conclude, And sodeynly he plighte his hors aboute. 15