66

66

66

To go to melle and see here corn i-grounde;
And hardily they dursten ley here nekke,
The meller schuld nat stel hem half a pekke
Of corn by sleighte, ne by force hem reve.
And atte last the wardeyn gaf hem leve. 4010
Johan hight that oon, and Alayn hight that other;
Of o toun were they born that highte Strothir,
Fer in the North, I can nat telle where.
This Aleyn maketh redy al his gere,
And on an hors the sak he cast anoon:
Forth goth Aleyn the clerk, and also Jon,
With good swerd and with bocler by her side.
Johan knew the way, that hem needith no gyde;
And at the mylle the sak adoun he layth. 4019
Alayn spak first: "Al heil! Symond, in faith
How fares thy faire doughter and thy wyf?"
Alayn, welcome," quod Symond, by my lyf!
And Johan also; how now! what do ye here?"
"By God!" quod Johan, "Symond, neede has na
Him falles serve himself that has na swayn, [peere.
Or elles he is a fon, as clerkes sayn.
Oure mancyple, as I hope, wil be deed,
Swa werkes ay the wanges in his heed:
And therfore I is come, and eek Alayn,
To grynde oure corn, and carie it ham ageyn.
prey you speed us in al that ye may."
4031
"It schal be doon," quod Symkyn, "by my fay!
What wol ye do whil that it is in hande?""
"By God! right by the hoper wol I stande,"
Quod Johan, "and se how that the corn gas inne.
Yet sawh I never, by my fader kynne!
How that the hoper waggis to and fra."
Aleyn answerde, "Johan, and wiltow swa?
Than wol I be bynethe, by my croun!
And se how that the mele fallys doun
Into the trough, that schal be my desport;
For, Jon, in faith, I may be of your sort,
I is as ille a meller as ere ye."
This mellere smyleth for here nyceté,
And thought, "Al this is doon but for a wyle;
They wenen that no man may hem bigile.
But, by my thrift, yet schal I blere here ye,
For al here sleight and al here philosophie;
The more queynte knakkes that they make,
The more wol I stele whan I take.

I

Of al her art ne counte I nat a tare." Out at the dore he goth ful pryvyly, Whan that he saugh his tyme sotyly; He loketh up and doun, til he hath founde The clerkes hors, ther as it stood i-bounde Behynde the mylle, under a levesel; And to the hors he goth him faire and wel. 4060 He strepeth of the bridel right anoon. And whan the hors was loos, he gan to goon Toward the fen there wilde mares renne, [thenne. Forth with "wi-he!" thurgh thikke and eek thurgh This meller goth agayn, and no word seyde, But doth his note, and with the clerkes pleyde, Til that her corn was fair and wel i-grounde. And whan the mele was sakked and i-bounde, This Johan goth out, and fynt his hors away, And gan to crye, "Harrow and weylaway! 4070 Oure hors is lost! Aleyn, for Goddes banes, Step on thy feet, cum on, man, al at anes. Allas! our wardeyn hath his palfray lorn!" This Aleyn al forgeteth mele and corn, Al was out of his mynd his housbondrye; "What wikked way is he gan?" gan he crye. The wyf cam lepyng in-ward with a ren, Sche seyde, "Allas! your hors goth to the fen With wylde mares, as fast as he may go; 4079 Unthank come on his heed that band him so, And he that bettir schuld han knyt the reyne!" "Allas!" quod Johan, " Aleyn, for Cristes peyne! Leg doun thi swerd, and I sal myn alswa; I is ful wight, God wat, as is a ra; By Goddes hart! he sal nat scape us bathe. Why nad thou put the capil in the lathe? Il hail, Aleyn, by God! thou is a fon!" This sely clerkes speeden hem anoon Toward the fen, bothe Aleyn and eek Jon. And whan the myller sawh that they were gon, He half a busshel of the flour hath take, And bad his wyf go knede it in a cake. He seyde, "I trowe the clerkes ben aferd! Yet can a miller make a clerkes berd, For al his art; ye, lat hem go here way! Lo wher they goon! ye, lat the children play; They get hym nat so lightly, by my croun!" This seely clerkes ronnen up and doun, [derere! With " Keep! keep! stand! stand! jossa, ware Ga wightly thou, and I sal keep him heere." 4100 But schortly, til that it was verray night, Here capil cacche, it ran away so fast, They cowde nat, though they did al here might, Til in a diche they caught him atte last. Wery and wete as bestys in the reyn, Comth sely Johan, and with him comth Aleyn. "Allas!" quod Johan, "that day that I was born! Now are we dryve til hethyng and to scorn. Oure corn is stole, men woln us foles calle, Bathe the wardeyn and eek our felaws alle, 4110 And namely the myller, weyloway!" Thus pleyneth Johan, as he goth by the way 4053. the wolf. The fable of the Wolf and the Mare is Toward the mylle, and Bayard in his hand. found in the Latin Esopean collections, and in the early The myller sittyng by the fyr he fand, French poem of Renard le Contrefait, from whence it appears to have been taken into the English Reynard the Fox. For it was night, and forther might they nought, In Renard le Contrefait the wolf utters a similar senti- But for the love of God they him bisought ment (though differently expressed) to that in Chaucer,Of herberwh and of ese, as for her peny.

In stede of mele, yet wol I geve hem bren.
The grettest clerks beth not the wisest men,
As whilom to the wolf thus spak the mare;

4040

4050

4011. Johan. This is the correct form of the name, the a being generally indicated by a dash on the upper limb of the h. In the manuscript from which our text is taken, the contraction is sometimes written Johan. John, as Tyrwhitt prints it, is a much more modern orthography. Where the name is required to be a monosyllable, it is here spelt Jon, probably an abbreviation of familiarity, as Tom and the like.

4012. Strothir. This was the valley of Langstroth, or Langstrothdale, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, as pointed out by Dr. Whitaker, Ilist. of Craven, p. 493. I am informed that the dialect of this district may be recognised in the phraseology of Chaucer's "scoleres tuo."

Or voi-ge bien tout en apert
Que clergie bien sa saison pert;
Aucunes foiz vilain queaignent

Es leus où le clerc se mehaignent.

Ge ne fis mie grant savoir,

Quant ge vouloie clers devenir.

The myller sayd agayn, "If ther be eny,
Swich as it is, yit schul ye have your part.

4091

4094. make a clerkes berd. A proverbial phrase taken from the French, faire la barbe à quelqu'un. It occurs again further on, 1. 5943.

Myn hous is streyt, but ye han lerned art; 4120 Agayn my los, I wol have esement.

I am thin owen clerk, so have I seel!"
"Now, deere lemman," quod sche, "go, farwel!
But or thou go, o thing I wol the telle:
Whan that thou wendist hom-ward by the melle,
Right at the entré of the de re by hynde
Thou schalt a cake of half a busshel fynde,
That was i-maked of thyn owen mele,
Which that I hilp myn owen self to stele.
4180 And, goode lemman, God the save and kepe !"
And with that word almost sche gan to weepe.
Aleyn uprist, and thought, "Er that it dawe
I wol go crepen in by my felawe;"
And fand the cradil with his hand anon.
"By God!" thought he, "al wrong I have i-goon;
My heed is toty of my swynk to nyght,
That makes me that I ga nought aright.

165

4370

Dauncen he cowde wel and prately,
That he was cleped Perkyn Revellour.
He was as ful of love and paramour
As is the honycombe of hony swete;
Wel were the wenche that mighte him meete.
[At every bridale wold he synge and hoppe;
He loved bet the taverne than the schoppe.]

For whan ther eny rydyng was in Cheepe,
Out of the schoppe thider wolde he lepe,
And tyl he hadde al that sight i-seyn,
And daunced wel, he nold nat come ageyn;
And gadred him a meyné of his sort,

4390

To hoppe and synge, and make such disport. 4380
And ther they setten stevene for to meete,
To pleyen atte dys in such a strete.
For in the toun ne was ther no prentys
That fairer cowde caste a peyre dys
Than Perkyn couthe, and therto he was free
Of his dispence, in place of pryvyté.
That fand his mayster wel in his chaffare,
For often tyme he fond his box ful bare.
For such a joly prentys revelour,
That haunteth dys, revel, or paramour,
His maister schal it in his schoppe abye,
Al have he no part of the mynstralcye.
For thefte and ryot be convertyble,
Al can they pley on giterne or rubible.
Revel and trouthe, as in a lowe degré,
They ben ful wroth al day, as ye may see.
This joly prentys with his mayster bood,
Til he was oute neygh of his prentyshood,
Al were he snybbyd bothe erly and late,
And som tyme lad with revel into Newgate.
But atte laste his mayster him bythought
Upon a day, whan he his papyr sought,
Of a proverbe, that saith this same word,
Wel bette is roten appul out of hord,
Than that it rote al the remenaunt.
So fareth it by a ryotous servaunt;
It is ful lasse harm to late him pace,
Than he schend al the servauntes in the place.
Therfore his mayster gaf him acquitaunce,
And bad him go, with sorwe and with meschaunce.
And thus the joly prentys had his leve. 4411
Now let hym ryot al the night or leve.
And for ther is no thef withowten a lowke,
That helpeth him to wasten and to sowke
Of that he bribe can, or borwe may,
Anon he sent his bedde and his aray
Unto a compere of his owen sort,
That loved dis, and revel, and disport;
And had a wyf, that held for contenaunce

4400

A schoppe, and swyved for hire sustenaunce. 4420

agast,

Sire Johan of Boundys was his right name,
He cowde of norture ynough and mochil of game.
Thre sones the knight had, that with his body he wan;
The eldest was a moche schrewe, and sone he bygan.
His bretheren loved wel here fader, and of him were
[the last.
The eldest deserved his fadres curs, and had it at
The goode knight his fader lyvede so yore, [sore.
That deth was comen him to, and handled him ful
The goode knight cared sore, sik ther he lay, 11
How his children scholde lyven after his day.
He hadde ben wyde wher, but non housbond he was,
Al the lond that he had, it was verrey purchas.
Fayn he wold it were dressed amonges hem alle,
That ech of hem had his part, as it mighte falle.
Tho sent he into cuntré after wise knightes,

To helpe delen his londes and dressen hem to rightes.
He sent hem word by lettres they schulden hye bly ve,
Yf they wolde speke with him whil he was on lyve. 20
Tho the knyghtes herden sik ther he lay,
Hadde they no reste nother night ne day,
Til they comen to him ther he lay stille
On his deth bedde, to abyde Goddes wille.
Than seyde the goode knight, syk ther he lay,
"Lordes, I you warne for soth, withoute nay,
I may no lengere lyven heer in this stounde;
For thurgh Goddes wille deth draweth me to
grounde."

30

Ther nas non of hem alle that herd him aright,
That they hadden reuthe of that ilke knight,
And seyde, "Sir, for Goddes love, ne dismay you
nought;

God may do bote of bale that is now i-wrought."
Than spak the goode knight, sik ther he lay,
"Boote of bale God may sende, I wot it is no nay;
But I byseke you, knightes, for the love of me,
Goth and dresseth my lond among my sones thre.
And, sires, for the love of God, deleth hem nat amys,
And forgetith nat Gamelyn, my yonge sone that is.
Taketh heed to that on, as wel as to that other;
Selde ye see ony eyr helpen his brother."

40

Tho leete they the knight lyen that was nought
in hele,

And wenten in to counseil his londes for to dele;
For to delen hem all to oon, that was her thought,
And for Gamelyn was yongest, he schuld have
nought.

Al the lond that ther was they dalten it in two,
And leeten Gamelyn the yonge withoute lond go,
And ech of hem seyde to other ful lowde, [cowde.
His bretheren might geve him lond whan he good
Whan they hadde deled the lond at here wille,
They come agein to the knight ther he lay fulstille,
And tolden him anon right how they hadden
wrought;
51

And the knight there he lay liked it right nought.
Than seyde the knight, "I sware by seynt Martyn,
For al that ye have y-doon yit is the lond myn;

being certainly not Chaucer's; in which judgment he is [Fye theron, it is so foule, I wil nowe telle no probably right. It is, however, found in the Ms. Harl. and forther,

For schame of the harlotrie that seweth after;
A velany it were thare of more to spelle, [telle.]
Bot of a knyht and his sonnes my tale I wil forthe

THE COKES TALE OF GAMELYN.

Litheth, and lestneth, and herkneth aright,
And ye schul heere a talkyng of a doughty knight;
4373. This and the following line are omitted in Ms.
Harl.

4375. in Cheepe. Cheapside was the grand scene of city festivals and processions.

4409. acquitaunce. The Ms. Harl. reads acqueyntaunce. 4413. The lines from 4413 to 4420 are omitted in Ms. Harl., but they are evidently genuine.

The Cokes Tale of Gamelyn. Tyrwhitt omits this tale, as

all the Mss. I have collated. Tyrwhitt ends abruptly with 1.4420. In Ms. Harl. the tale of Gamelyn begins without any introduction; I have added the introductory lines from the Lansdowne Ms. Other MSS., instead of them, have only two,

But herof I wille passe as nowe,

And of yonge Gamelyn I wille telle yowe. and is curious as a picture of the times. It will be at The tale of Gamelyn belongs to the Robin Hood cycle, once recognised as the foundation of Shakespeare's As you like it, though the dramatist appears to have taken it through the intermediance of Lodge's Euphues Golden Legacy, which is clearly built on the poem of Gamelyn, even the name of Adam Spencer being retained. In some мSS. Gamelyn's father is called Johan of Burdeux, an additional link with Lodge's novel. See further remarks on this tale in the Introduction.

60

For Goddes love, neyhebours, stondeth alle stille, Tho Gamelyn seyh hem come, he loked over al,
And I wil dele my lond after my wille.
And was war of a pestel stood under a wal;
Johan, myn eldeste sone, schal have plowes fyve, Gamelyn was light of foot and thider gan he lepe,
That was my fadres heritage whil he was on lyve; And drof alle his brotheres men right on an hepe.
And my myddeleste sone fyf plowes of lond, He loked as a wilde lyoun, and leyde on good woon;
That I halp for to gete with my right hond; Tho his brother say that, he bigan to goon;
And al myn other purchas of londes and leedes
He fley up intil a loft, and schette the dore fast.
That I byquethe Gamelyn, and alle my goode steedes. Thus Gamelyn with the pestel made hem alle agast.
And I byseke yow, goode men, that lawe conne of Some for Gamelynes love and some for his eyghe,
For Gamelynes love, that my queste stonde." [londe, Alle they drowe by halves, tho he gan to pleyghe. 130
Thus dalte the knight his lond by his day,
What! how now?" seyde Gamelyn, "evel mot ye
Right on his deth bed sik ther he lay;
Wil ye bygynne contek, and so sone flee?" [thee!
And sone aftirward he lay stoon stille,
Gamelyn sought his brother, whider he was flowe,
And deyde whan tyme com, as it was Cristes wille. And saugh wher he loked out at a wyndowe.
And anon as he was deed, and under gras i-grave," Brother," sayde Gamelyn, "com a litel ner,
Sone the elder brother gyled the yonge knave; 70
He took into his hond his lond and his leede,
And Gamelyn himselfe to clothen and to feede.
He clothed him and fed him yvel and eek wrothe,
And leet his londes for-fare and his houses bothe,
His parkes and his woodes, and dede nothing wel,
And seththen he it abought on his faire fel.
So longe was Gamelyn in his brotheres halle,
For the strengest of good wil they doutiden him alle;
Ther was non therinne nowther yong ne olde
That wolde wraththe Gamelyn, were he never so
bolde.
80

Gamelyn stood on a day in his brotheres yerde,
And bygan with his hond to handlen his berde;
He thought on his londes that layen unsawe,
And his faire okes that doun were i-drawe;
His parkes were i-broken, and his deer byreeved;
Of alle his goode steedes noon was him byleved;
His howses were unhilid and ful yvel dight.
Tho thoughte Gamelyn it wente nought aright.
Afterward cam his brother walkynge thare,
And seyde to Gamelyn, "Is our mete yare?"
Tho wraththed him Gamelyn, and swor by Goddes
book,
[cook."
"Thou schalt go bake thiself, I wil nought be thy
"How? brother Gamelyn, how answerest thou now?
Thou spake never such a word as thou dost now.'
"By my faith," seyde Gamelyn, "now me thinketh
neede,

90

Of alle the harmes that I have I tok never ar heede.
My parkes ben to-broken, and my deer byreved,
Of myn armure and my steedes nought is me bileved;
Al that my fader me byquath al goth to schame,
And therfor have thou Goddes curs, brother, by thy

name.

100

Than byspak his brother, that rape was of rees,
"Stond stille, gadelyng, and hold right thy pees;
Thow schalt be fayn for to have thy mete and thy
wede;

What spekest thou, Gamelyn, oflond other ofleede?"
Thanne seyde Gamelyn, the child that was ying,
"Cristes curs mot he have that clepeth me gadelyng!
I am no worse gadelyng, ne no worse wight,
But born of a lady, and geten of a knight."
Ne durst he nat to Gamelyn ner a foote go,
But clepide to him his men, and seyde to hem tho, 110
"Goth and beteth this boy, and reveth him his wyt,
And lat him leren another tyme to answere me bet.'
Thanne seyde the child, yonge Gamelyn,
"Cristes curs mot thou have, brother art thou myn;
And if I schal algate be beten anon,
Cristes curs mot thou have, but thou be that oon."
And anon his brother in that grete hete
Made his men to fette staves Gamelyn to bete.
Whan that everich of hem a staf had i-nome,
Gamelyn was war anon tho he seigh hem come; 120

57. plowes fyve. A plough of land was as much as could be ploughed with one plough. It was in the middle ages

a common mode of estimating landed property.

61. and leedes. i.e. and bondmen; the portion of the population which was bought and sold with the land.

And I wil teche the a play atte bokeler."
His brother him answerde, and swor by seynt Rycher,
"Whil the pestel is in thin hond, I wil come no neer:
Brother, I wil make thy pees, I swere by Cristes ore;
Cast away the pestel, and wraththe the nomore." 140
"I mot neede," sayde Gamelyn, "wraththe me at

oones,

For thou wolde make thy men to breke myne boones,
Ne had I hadde mayn and might in myn armes,
To have i-put hem fro me, he wolde have do me
harmes."
[wroth,

Gamelyn," sayde his brother, "be thou nought
For to seen the have harm it were me right loth;
I ne dide it nought, brother, but for a fondyng,
For to loken or thou were strong and art so ying."
"Com adoun than to me, and graunte me my bone,
Of thing I wil the aske, and we schul saught sone." 150
Doun than cam his brother, that fykil was and felle,
And was swithe sore agast of the pestelle.
He seyde, "Brother Gamelyn, aske me thy boone,
And loke thou me blame but I graunte sone.'
Thanne seyde Gamelyn, "Brother, i-wys, [this,
And we schulle ben at oon, thou most me graunte
Al that my fader me byquath whil he was on lyve,
Thou most do me it have, gif we schul nat stryve."
"That schalt thou have, Gamelyn, I swere by
Cristes ore!

160

Al that thi fader the byquath, though thou woldest
have more;

Thy lond, that lyth laye, ful wel it schal be sowe,
And thyn howses reysed up, that ben leyd so low."
Thus seyde the knight to Gamelyn with mowthe,
And thought eek of falsnes, as he wel couthe.
The knight thought on tresoun, and Gamelyn on
noon,
[at oon.
And went and kist his brother, and than they were
Allas! yonge Gamelyn, nothing he ne wiste
With which a false tresoun his brother him kiste.

171

[stalle

Litheth, and lestneth, and holdeth your tonge,
And ye schul heere talkyng of Gamelyn the yonge.
Ther was ther bysiden cryed a wrastlyng,
And therfor ther was sette up a ram and a ryng;
And Gamelyn was in good wil to wende therto,
For to preven his might what he cowthe do.
"Brother," seyde Gamelyn, "by seynt Richer,
Thou most lene me to nyght a litel courser
That is freisch to the spore, on for to ryde;
I most on an erande, a litel her byside."
"By God!" seyd his brother, "of steedes in my
Go and chese the the best, and spare non of alle, 180
Of steedes or of coursers that stonden hem bisyde;
And tel me, goode brother, whider thou wolt ryde.'
Her byside, brother, is cryed a wrastlyng,
And therfor schal be set up a ram and a ryng;
Moche worschip it were, brother, to us alle, [halle."
Might I the ram and the ryng bryng home to this
A steede ther was sadeled smertely and skeet;
Gamelyn did a paire spores fast on his feet,
He set his foot in the styrop, the steede he bystrood,

66

172. a ram. See before, the general prologue, 1. 550.