THE SOMNOUR'S PROLOGUE.

(T. 7247-7270.)

The prologe of the Somnours Tale.

HIS Somnour in his stiropes hye stood;

TH

Up-on this Frere his herte was so wood, That lyk an aspen leef he quook for yre.

1665

'Lordinges,' quod he, 'but o thing I desyre;

1670

I yow biseke that, of your curteisye,
Sin ye han herd this false Frere lye,
As suffereth me I may my tale telle!
This Frere bosteth that he knoweth helle,
And god it woot, that it is litel wonder;
Freres and feendes been but lyte a-sonder.
For pardee, ye han ofte tyme herd telle,
How that a frere ravisshed was to helle
In spirit ones by a visioun;

And as an angel ladde him up and doun,
To shewen him the peynes that ther were,
In al the place saugh he nat a frere;

Of other folk he saugh y-nowe in wo.

Un-to this angel spak the frere tho:

"Now, sir," quod he, "han freres swich a grace That noon of hem shal come to this place?"

(10) 1675

1680

(20)

1685

"Yis," quod this angel, "many a millioun!"

And un-to Sathanas he ladde him doun.

Brodder than of a carrik is the sayl.

"And now hath Sathanas," seith he, "a tayl

HEADING. So E. Hn.; E. Somonours. 1665. E. Somonour; Hl. somp. nour; rest Somnour. 1676. E. vanysshed (!); rest rauysshed.

Hold up thy tayl, thou Sathanas!" quod he,
"Shewe forth thyn ers, and lat the frere see
Wher is the nest of freres in this place!"
And, er that half a furlong-wey of space,
Right so as bees out swarmen from an hyve,
Out of the develes ers ther gonne dryve
Twenty thousand freres in a route,
And thurgh-out helle swarmeden aboute;
And comen agayn, as faste as they may gon,
And in his ers they crepten everichon.

He clapte his tayl agayn, and lay ful stille.
This frere, whan he loked hadde his fille
Upon the torments of this sory place,
His spirit god restored of his grace
Un-to his body agayn, and he awook;
But natheles, for fere yet he quook,

So was the develes ers ay in his minde,

That is his heritage of verray kinde.

God save yow alle, save this cursed Frere;

My prologe wol I ende in this manere.'

Here endeth the Prologe of the Somnours Tale.

1690

(35) 1695

1700

(40)

1705

1692. Pt. Hl. than; rest that. 1693. E. Hn. swarmeden; Hl. swarmed al. 1700. Cp. Hn. loked hadde; Pt. Ln. Hl. loked had; E. hadde looke al (sic). COLOPHON. From Hn.

THE SOMNOURS TALE.

L

Here biginneth the Somonour his Tale.

ORDINGES, ther is in Yorkshire, as I gesse,

1710

A mersshy contree called Holdernesse,

In which ther wente a limitour aboute,

To preche, and eek to begge, it is no doute.

And so bifel, that on a day this frere
Had preched at a chirche in his manere,
And specially, aboven every thing,
Excited he the peple in his preching,

To trentals, and to yeve, for goddes sake,
Wher-with men mighten holy houses make,
Ther as divyne service is honoured,
Nat ther as it is wasted and devoured,
Ne ther it nedeth nat for to be yive,
As to possessioners, that mowen live,
Thanked be god, in wele and habundaunce.
'Trentals,' seyde he, 'deliveren fro penaunce
Hir freendes soules, as wel olde as yonge,
Ye, whan that they been hastily y-songe;
Nat for to holde a preest Ioly and gay,
He singeth nat but o masse in a day;
Delivereth out,' quod he, 'anon the soules;
Ful hard it is with fleshhook or with oules
To been y-clawed, or to brenne or bake;
Now spede yow hastily, for Cristes sake.'

1715

(10)

1720

1725

(20)

1730

HEADING. So E.; Hn. Somnours (for Somonour his). 1710. Cp. Pt. Ln. mersshy; Hl. mersschly; E. Hn. merssh.

myghte. 1721. Cp. Hl. yiue; rest yeue.

1718. Cp. Hl. mighten; E. Hn.

And whan this frere had seyd al his entente,
With qui cum patre forth his wey he wente.

Whan folk in chirche had yeve him what hem leste,
He wente his wey, no lenger wolde he reste,
With scrippe and tipped staf, y-tukked hye;
In every hous he gan to poure and prye,
And beggeth mele, and chese, or elles corn.
His felawe hadde a staf tipped with horn,
A peyre of tables al of yvory,
And a poyntel polisshed fetisly,

And wroot the names alwey, as he stood,
Of alle folk that yaf him any good,
Ascaunces that he wolde for hem preye.
'Yeve us a busshel whete, malt, or reye,
A goddes kechil, or a trip of chese,
Or elles what yow list, we may nat chese;
A goddes halfpeny or a masse-peny,
Or yeve us of your brawn, if ye have eny;
A dagon of your blanket, leve dame,

Our suster dere, lo! here I write your name;
Bacon or beef, or swich thing as ye finde.'
A sturdy harlot wente ay hem bihinde,
That was hir hostes man, and bar a sak,

And what men yaf hem, leyde it on his bak.
And whan that he was out at dore anon,

1735

(30)

1740

1745

(40)

1750

1755

He planed awey the names everichon.
That he biforn had writen in his tables;

(50)

He served hem with nyfles and with fables.

1760

'Nay, ther thou lixt, thou Somnour,' quod the Frere. 'Pees,' quod our Host, 'for Cristes moder dere;

Tel forth thy tale and spare it nat at al.'

So thryve I, quod this Somnour, so I shal.-
So longe he wente hous by hous, til he
Cam til an hous ther he was wont to be
Refresshed more than in an hundred placis.

1765

1735. E.lest. 1736. E. Pt. Ln. Hl. went. 1738. E. Hn. Ln. poure; rest pore. 1743. E. wroote. 1745. Hn. Ascaunces; E. Asaunces; Hl. Pt. Ln. Ascaunce; Cp. Ascance. E. prey. 1746. Ln. Yeue; Cp. Yiue; rest Yif (see 1750). E. him; rest vs. 1747. Ln. kechel; Hl. kichil. Cp. Pt. trippe; Ln. trep. 1750. E. Hn. Hl. yif; rest yeue (yiue). 1751. Cm. Cp. Hl. dagoun.

Sik lay the gode man, whos that the place is;
Bedrede up-on a couche lowe he lay.

(50)

'Deus hic,' quod he, 'O Thomas, freend, good day,' Seyde this frere curteisly and softe.

1770

'Thomas,' quod he, 'god yelde yow! ful ofte Have I up-on this bench faren ful weel.

Here have I eten many a mery meel';

And fro the bench he droof awey the cat,

1775

And leyde adoun his potente and his hat,

And eek his scrippe, and sette him softe adoun.
His felawe was go walked in-to toun,

(70)

Forth with his knave, in-to that hostelrye Wher-as he shoop him thilke night to lye. 'O dere maister,' quod this syke man,

1780

'How han ye fare sith that March bigan?

I saugh yow noght this fourtenight or more.'

'God woot,' quod he, 'laboured have I ful sore; And specially, for thy savacioun

1785

Have I seyd many a precious orisoun,

And for our othere frendes, god hem blesse !

I have to-day been at your chirche at messe,
And seyd a sermon after my simple wit,
Nat al after the text of holy writ;
For it is hard to yow, as I suppose,
And therfore wol I teche yow al the glose.
Glosinge is a glorious thing, certeyn,
For lettre sleeth, so as we clerkes seyn.
Ther have I taught hem to be charitable,
And spende hir good ther it is resonable,
And ther I saugh our dame; a! wher is she?'
'Yond in the yerd I trowe that she be,'

Seyde this man, and she wol come anon.'

'Ey, maister! wel-come be ye, by seint Iohn!' Seyde this wyf, 'how fare ye hertely?' The frere aryseth up ful curteisly,

(80)

1790

1795

(90)

1800

And hir embraceth in his armes narwe,

1783.

1772. Hl. yeld it. E. Hn. fourtnyght; 1792. Hl. ay (for

1768. Hl. that; rest om. 1769. Pt. Hl. Bedred. 1774. E. myrie; Hn. Cm. murye; rest mery. rest fourtenight. 1784. E. Hn. I haue; rest haue I. al). 1793. Hl. a ful glorious. 1794. E. thise; Hn. Cm. Pt. Hl. we.