Cam lepinge in, and chaced out the frere;
And forth he gooth, with a ful angry chere,
And fette his felawe, ther-as lay his stoor.
He looked as it were a wilde boor;

He grinte with his teeth, so was he wrooth.
A sturdy pas doun to the court he gooth,
Wher-as ther woned a man of greet honour,
To whom that he was alwey confessour;
This worthy man was lord of that village.
This frere cam, as he were in a rage,
Wher-as this lord sat eting at his bord.
Unnethes mighte the frere speke a word,
Til atte laste he seyde: 'god yow see!'

This lord gan loke, and seide, 'benedicite!
What, frere Iohn, what maner world is this?
I see wel that som thing ther is amis.
Ye loken as the wode were ful of thevis,
Sit doun anon, and tel me what your greef is,
And it shal been amended, if I may.'

'I have,' quod he, 'had a despyt this day,
God yelde yow! adoun in your village,
That in this world is noon so povre a page,
That he nolde have abhominacioun
Of that I have receyved in your toun.
And yet ne greveth me no-thing so sore,
As that this olde cherl, with lokkes hore,
Blasphemed hath our holy covent eke.'

'Now, maister,' quod this lord, 'I yow biseke.'
'No maister, sire,' quod he, 'but servitour,

Thogh I have had in scole swich honour.
God lyketh nat that "Raby" men us calle,
Neither in market ne in your large halle.'

'No fors,' quod he, 'but tel me al your grief.' 'Sire,' quod this frere, 'an odious meschief This day bitid is to myn ordre and me,

(450)

2160

2165

(460)

2170

2175

(470)

2180

2185

(480)

2190

2162. E. Hn. Cp.

2161. Hn. Cm. Pt. grynt; Cp. grynded; Ln. grenteth. Hl. paas. E. lordes court; rest om. lordes. 2163. E. om. ther. 2170. E. bigan to; Cm. gan to; rest gan. 2172. So Hn. Cm.; E. I trowe som maner thing. 2174. Cp. greef; Cm. Hl. gref; E. Hn. grief. 2175. E. Cp. Ln. HI. if that; rest om. that. 2181. E. Cp. Ln. om. ne. 2185. E. Cp. Pt. Ln. om. sire. Hl. such; rest that. 2190. E. he (for this frere).

2186. E. swich;

C C

And so per consequens to ech degree

Of holy chirche, god amende it sone!'

'Sir,' quod the lord, 'ye woot what is to done.
Distempre yow noght, ye be my confessour;
Ye been the salt of the erthe and the savour.
For goddes love your pacience ye holde;
Tel me your grief:' and he anon him tolde,
As ye han herd biforn, ye woot wel what.
The lady of the hous ay stille sat,
Til she had herd al what the frere sayde:
'Ey, goddes moder,' quod she, 'blisful mayde!
Is ther oght elles? telle me feithfully.'

'Madame,' quod he, 'how thinketh yow her-by?'

2195

(+90)

2200

'How that me thinketh?' quod she; 'so god me speede,

I seye, a cherl hath doon a cherles dede.

What shold I seye? god lat him never thee!

His syke heed is ful of vanitee,

I hold him in a maner frenesye.'

'Madame,' quod he, 'by god I shal nat lye;

But I on other weyes may be wreke,

I shal diffame him over-al ther I speke,
This false blasphemour, that charged me
To parte that wol nat departed be,
To every man y-liche, with meschaunce!'

The lord sat stille as he were in a traunce,
And in his herte he rolled up and doun,
'How hadde this cherl imaginacioun
To shewe swich a probleme to the frere?
Never erst er now herde I of swich matere ;
I trowe the devel putte it in his minde.
In ars-metryke shal ther no man finde,
Biforn this day, of swich a questioun.
Who sholde make a demonstracioun,

That every man sholde have y-liche his part
As of the soun or savour of a fart?

2192. E. Pt. in; rest to. 2200. E. al; rest ay. all; rest om.

(500)

2210

2215

(510)

2220

2225

2201. MS. Add. 5140

2204. Hn. thynketh yow; Cp. thenke you; Hl. Ln. thynke
Hn. Cp. Ln. Hl. ther-by. 2205. thinketh = think'th.
2212. Hn. Cp.

yow; E. thynke ye.
2211. E. ins. hym after on (wrongly). E. om. may.

diffame; Cm. Hl. defame; E. disclaundre. 2218. E. the (for this). E. Cm.

insert this after cherl.

2222. Ln. metrike; rest metrik,

rest; E. Certes it was a shrewed conclusioun.

2224. So the

O nyce proude cherl, I shrewe his face!
Lo, sires,' quod the lord, with harde grace,
'Who ever herde of swich a thing er now?
To every man y-lyke? tel me how?
It is an inpossible, it may nat be!
Ey, nyce cherl, god lete him never thee!
The rumblinge of a fart, and every soun,
Nis but of eir reverberacioun,

And ever it wasteth lyte and lyte awey.
Ther is no man can demen, by my fey,
If that it were departed equally.

What, lo, my cherl, lo, yet how shrewedly
Un-to my confessour to-day he spak!

I holde him certeyn a demoniak !

Now ete your mete, and lat the cherl go pleye,
Lat him go honge himself a devel weye!'

Now stood the lordes squyer at the bord,
That carf his mete, and herde, word by word,
Of alle thinges of which I have yow sayd.
'My lord,' quod he, 'be ye nat yvel apayd;
I coude telle, for a goune-clooth,

To yow, sir frere, so ye be nat wrooth,
How that this fart sholde even deled be

Among your covent, if it lyked me.'.

(520)

2230

2235

(530)

2240

2245

(540)

2250

'Tel,' quod the lord, 'and thou shalt have anon

A goune-cloth, by god and by Seint Iohn!'

'My lord,' quod he, 'whan that the weder is fair, With-outen wind or perturbinge of air,

Lat bringe a cartwheel here in-to this halle,
But loke that it have his spokes alle.
Twelf spokes hath a cartwheel comunly.
And bring me than twelf freres, woot ye why?
For thrittene is a covent, as I gesse.
The confessour heer, for his worthinesse,
Shal parfourne up the nombre of his covent.

2255

(550)

2260

2227. E. vile; rest nyce.

euere.

be ye.

2229. E. herd; rest herde. E. Cm. Cp. herd 2232. him] E. thee. 2235. E. Cp. Pt. Hl. litel and litel.

2245. So Hn. Cp. Ln.; E. which that I haue. 2246. E. Cp. beth; Ln. be; rest 2249. E. euene delt shal; Hl. euen departed schuld; rest as above. 2257. Hn. Hl. Twelf; E. 2259. E. Ln. twelue (for thrittene).

2255. E. HI. om. here. Hl. a large wheel.

Cm. Twelue. 2258. E. thanne. xij.

Than shal they knele doun, by oon assent,
And to every spokes ende, in this manere,
Ful sadly leye his nose shal a frere.
Your noble confessour, ther god him save,
Shal holde his nose upright, under the nave.
Than shal this cherl, with bely stif and toght
As any tabour, hider been y-broght;
And sette him on the wheel right of this cart,
Upon the nave, and make him lete a fart.
And ye shul seen, up peril of my lyf,
By preve which that is demonstratif,
That equally the soun of it wol wende,
And eek the stink, un-to the spokes ende;
Save that this worthy man, your confessour,
By-cause he is a man of greet honour,
Shal have the firste fruit, as reson is;
The noble usage of freres yet is this,
The worthy men of hem shul first be served;
And certeinly, he hath it weel deserved.
He hath to day taught us so muchel good
With preching in the pulpit ther he stood,
That I may vouche-sauf, I sey for me,

He hadde the firste smel of fartes three,

2265

(560)

2270

2275

(570)

2280

And so wolde al his covent hardily;

2285

He bereth him so faire and holily.'

The lord, the lady, and ech man, save the frere,

Seyde that Iankin spak, in this matere,

(580)

As wel as Euclide or [as] Ptholomee.

Touchinge this cherl, they seyde, subtiltee

2290

And heigh wit made him speken as he spak;

He nis no fool, ne no demoniak.

And Iankin hath y-wonne a newe goune.——

My tale is doon; we been almost at toune.

2294

Here endeth the Somnours Tale.

2262,7. E. Thanne. 2268. E. Cm. been hyder. 2272. Hl. By verray proef. 2274. E. eke; Hn. eek. 2278. So Hn. Cp. Ln.; Pt. it (for yet); Hl. om. yet; E. As yet the noble vsage of freres is. 2280. E. Hn. Cp. disserued. 2281. Hn. muchel; Hl. Cp. mochil; E. Ln. muche. 2285. E. the (for his). 2287. E. alle men. 2289. E. Euclude. I supply and as (Hl. supplies elles); E. Hn. Protholomee; Cp. Hl. protholome.

Ln. has ptholome;
Hl. speken; rest speke.

2291.

COLOPHON. So E. Hn. Cp. HI.; E. Somonours.

GROUP E.

THE CLERK'S PROLOGUE.

(T. 7877-7898.)

Here folweth the Prologe of the Clerkes Tale of

Oxenford.

IR clerk of Oxenford,' our hoste sayde,

'STR

'Ye ryde as coy and stille as dooth a mayde,

Were newe spoused, sitting at the bord;

This day ne herde I of your tonge a word.

I trowe ye studie aboute som sophyme,

But Salomon seith, "every thing hath tyme."
For goddes sake, as beth of bettre chere,

It is no tyme for to studien here.
Telle us som mery tale, by your fey;
For what man that is entred in a pley,
He nedes moot unto the pley assente.
But precheth nat, as freres doon in Lente,
To make us for our olde sinnes wepe,
Ne that thy tale make us nat to slepe.

Telle us som mery thing of aventures ;-
Your termes, your colours, and your figures,
Kepe hem in stoor til so be ye endyte

Heigh style, as whan that men to kinges wryte.
Speketh so pleyn at this tyme, I yow preye,
That we may understonde what ye seye.'
This worthy clerk benignely answerde,
'Hoste,' quod he, 'I am under your yerde;

.5

10

15

20

1. Hl. hoste; Cp. Ln. oste; E. Hn. hoost. 17. E. Hl. that ye; rest omit 19. E. Hn. we; rest I.

that.

Sir host.

22. Ln. Oste; E. Hn. Pt. Hoost; Hl.