260 GROUP D. § 6. SUMMONER'S TALE. Harleian 7334.

Now etith 3our mete and let' pe cherl go play /

Let him go honge himself on deuel way /

[The Solution of the "Probleme" by the Lord's Squire. No break in the MS.]

Now stood pe lordes squier at pe bord

That carf his mete and herde word by word

2244

Of al pis ping which pat I of haue sayd

My lord quod he be ze nouzt euel payd
I coupe telle for a gowne cloth

To 30w sir frere so þat ze be not' wroth
How pat pis fart' euen / departed schuld be
Among 3our couent if I comaunded be
Tel quod pe lord and pou schalt' haue anoon
A goune clop by god and by seint Iohn
My lord quod he whan pat þe wedir is fair
wipoute wynd or pertourbyng of ayr
let bring a large whel in to pis halle
But þat it' haue his spokes alle
Twelf spokes hath a cart whel comunly
And bring me. xij. freres wit' ze why
For prettene is a couent' as I gesse /
3our noble confessour her god him blesse
Schal parfourn vp þe nombre of his couent
Thanne schal pay knele doun by oon assent'

[leaf 116]

2248

2252

2256

2260

And to euery spokes ende in pis manere

Ful sadly lay his nose schal a frere

2264

3our noble confessour per god him saue

Schal hold his nose vpright vnder þe naue

Than schal pis churl with bely stif' and tought'

As eny tabor hider ben y-brought

2268

And sette him on þe whele of pis cart'

зе schul seen vp peril of my lif By verray proef þat is demonstratif

vpon þe naue and make him lete a fart And

2272

GROUP D. § 6. SUMMONER'S TALE. Harleian 7334. 261

That' equally be soun of it wol wende /
And eek pe stynk' vnto pe spokes ende
Saue pat pis worpy man 3our confessour
By cause he is a man of gret honour

2276

Schal haue pe firste fruyt as resoun is

The noble vsage of freres is pis

The worthy men of hem first' schal be serued

As certeynly he hap it wel deserued

2280

he hath to day taught vs so mochil good

with preching in þe pulpit per he stood That I may vouche sauf I say for me

He hadde pe firste smel of fartes pre
And so wold al his couent hardily
he berith him so fair and holily

The lord pe lady and ech man sauf þe frere
Sayde pan Iankyn spak' in pis matiere.
As wel as euclide or elles protholome
Touchand þe clerk pay sayd pat' subtilte
An high wyt made him speken as he spak
he nas no fool ne no demoniak' /

And Iankyn hap I-wonne a newe goune
My tale is don. we ben almost' at' toune.
¶ Here endith the sompnours tale

[No break in the MS.]

262 GROUP E. § 1. CLERK'S HEAD-LINK. Harleian 7334.

GROUP E. FRAGMENT VI.

§ 1. THE CLERK'S HEAD-LINK, HARLEIAN MS. 7334 (British Museum).

¶ And here bygynneth þe Clerk of Oxenford prologe Ir clerk of Oxenford our hoste sayde

S

3e ryde as stille and coy as dop a mayde /
were newe spoused sittyng at a bord
This day ne herd I of 3our mouth a word
I trowe 3e study aboute som sophime
But Salomon saith euery þing hath tyme
For goddis sake as beth of better cheere
It is no tyme for to stody hiere
Tel vs som mery tale by 3our fay
For what man is entred vnto play

he moot' nedes vnto pat play assent
But' prechith not as freres doon in lent'
To make vs for our olde synnes wepe
Ne pat by tale [1] tale make vs for to slepe
Tel vs som mery ping of aduentures
3oure termes 3our colours and 3our figures
keep hem in stoor til so be pat' ze endite

high style as whan pat' men to kynges write
Spekith so playn at þis tyme we 30w pray
That we may vnderstonde þat ze say /
This worpy clerk benignely answerde/
Sir host' quod he I am vnder 3our zerde
3e haue of vs as now be gouernaunce/
And perfor wol I do 30W

obeissaunce

8

12

1 by scratcht out

GROUP E. § 1. CLERK'S HEAD-LINK. Harleian 7334. 263

Als fer as resoun askith hardily

I wil 30w telle a tale which pat I
lerned at Padowe of a worpy clerk'
As prouyd by his wordes and his werk'
he is now deed and nayled in his chest
Now god ziue his soule wel good rest'
Fraunces petrark' pe laureat' poete
highte pis clerk/. whos rethorique swete
Enlumynd al ytail of poetrie

28

[leaf 117]

32

As linian did of philosophie

Or lawue or other art' particulere

But' deth pat' wol not suffre vs duellen heere

36

But' as it' were a twyncling of an ye

hem bope hap slayn and alle schul dye

But forth to telle of this worþy man

That' taughte me pis tale as I first bigan
I say þat he first with heigh stile enditith

40

Er he be body of his tale writith

A proheme in the which descriuith he

The mounde and of Saluces pe contre

44

And spekith of appenyne þe hulles hye
That' ben þe boundes of al west lombardye
And of mount vesulus in special
wher as pe poo out of a welle smal

48

Takith his firste springyng' and his sours

That' estward ay encresceth in his cours

To Emyl-ward to ferard and to venise
The which a long ping were to deuyse
And trewely as to my Iuggement

Me thinkith it a ping Impertinent'

52

Saue þat he wold conueyen his matiere

But pis is pe tale which pat ze schuln heere

56

Explicit prohemium

[No break in the MS. here, or between the Stanzas following.]

CLERK'S TALE. Harleian 7334.

¶ Incipit narrare

her is at þe west / ende of ytaile
Doun at pe root of vesulus þe colde

T

A lusty playn abundaunt of vitaile

wher many a tour and toun pou maist byholde. That' foundid were in tyme of fadres olde.

And many anothir delitable sigħt

And Saluces pis noble contray hight

A marquys whilom duellid in þat' lond

As were his worþy eldris him bifore
And obeisaunt' ay redy to his hond
were alle his liegis bothe lesse and more
Thus in delyt he lyueth and hath don 3ore
Biloued and drad þurgh fauour and fortune
Bope of his lordes and of his comune

Ther with he was as to speke of lynage

The gentileste born of lumbardye

A fair persone. and strong and 30ng of age
And ful of honour and of curtesie

Discret' ynough his contre for to gye
Sauynge in som þing he was to blame
And wautier was pis 3onge lordes name

I blame him thus that he considered nought
In tyme comyng what mighte bityde.
But' on his lust' present' was al his pought

As for to hauke and hunte on euery syde

wel neigh al opir cures let he slyde

57

61

63

64

[leaf 117, back]

And eek he nolde pat' was [1] be worst of al 1 pe was erased wedde no wyf for no þing þat might' bifal

84