GROUP E. § 5. MERCHANT'S END-LINK. Harleian 7334. 335

E

y goddes mercy sayd our hoste po

Now such a wyf I pray god keep me fro
lo whiche sleightes and subtilitees

In wommen ben for ay as busy as bees
Ben þay vs seely men for to desceyue
And from a soth.. euer wol pay weyue
By this marchaundes tale it proueth wel
But douteles as trewe as eny steel

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2424

I haue a wyf þough pat' sche pore be

But of hir tonge a labbyng schrewe is sche

2428

And it' sche hath an heep of vices mo
Ther-of no fors let' alle such pinges go

But wite ze what' in counseil be it seyd
Me rewith sore I am vnto hir teyd

2432

And if I scholde reken euery vice

which pat' sche hath I-wis I were to nyce

And cause why. it schuld reported be

And told to hir of sum of þis meyne

2436

Of whom it needith not' for to declare
Syn wommen connen oute such chaffare
And eek' my witte suffisith nought' perto
To tellen al wherfor my tale is do

2440

[No gap in the MS.]

336 GROUP F. § 1. SQUIRE'S HEAD-LINK. Harleian 7334.

GROUP F. FRAGMENT VII.

§ 1. THE SQUIRE'S HEAD-LINK.

HARLEIAN MS. 7334 (British Museum).

Sir Squier com forp. if pat' 3our wille be And say vs a tale for certes ze

Connen þer-on as moche as ony man

¶ Nay sire quod he. but I wil say as I can

wip herty wil. for I wil not rebelle

Against 3our wille. a tale wil I telle

4

Haue me excused if þat I speke amys

My wil is good. and perto my tale is this.

8

Her endith pe prologe

[No break in the MS.]

GROUP F. § 2. SQUIRE'S TALE.

Harleian 7334. 337

And her bygynneth þe Squyeres tale

A

T Sarray in pe lond of Tartary

[leaf 149]

Ther dwelled a kyng þat werryed russy
Thurgh which per deyed many a doughty man
This nobil kyng' was cleped Cambynskan 12
which in his tyme was of so gret' renoun

That' per nas nowher in no regioun
So excellent a lord in alle ping/
Him lakked nought þat longed to a kyng
As of pe secte of which pat he was born
he kept his lawe. to which he was sworn
And perto he was hardy wys and riche/
And pitous and Iust' alway yliche
Soth of his word benign and honurable

16

20

hadde tuo sones by Elcheta his wyf
Of which pe eldest/ highte Algaryf
That' oper was I-cleped Samballo
A doughter had þis worthi king' also
That' 3ongest was and highte Canace
But for to telle 3ou al hir beaute

It' lith not' on my tong ne my connyng
I dar nouzt vndertake so heigh a þing'

CANT. TALES.--HARL.

Z

336

32

Harleian 7334.

40

44

[leaf 119, back]

48

338 GROUP F. § 2. SQUIRE'S TALE.

Myn englissh eek' is insufficient

he moste be a Rethor excellent'

That coup his colours longyng for pat art
If he schold hir discryue in eny part

I am non such I mot' speke as I can
And so bifel it pat pis Cambynskan
hap twenty wynter born his dyademe
As he was wont fro 3er to 3er I deme
he leet' pe fest' of his natiuite:
Don cryen þurgh Sarray his Cite
The last Idus of march after þe zeer
Phebus pe sonne was Ioly and cleer
For he was neigħ his exaltacioun
In marcz face and in his mansioun
In aries pe colerik' pe hote signe

Ful lusty was the wedir and benigne
For which pe foules azein þe sonne scheene
what for pe sesoun & for pe 3onge greene
Ful lowde song in here affecciouns
hem semed haue geten hem protecciouns
Azens pe swerd of wynter kene and cold.
This Cambynskan of which I haue told

In royal vesture sittyng on his deys
with dyadem ful heigh in his paleys
And held his fest'. solempne and so riche
That' in pis worlde was þer noon it' liche
Of which if I schal tellen al parray
Than wold it occupie a someres day
And eek' it' needip nouzt for to deuyse
At euery cours pe ordre and pe seruyse

I wol nat' tellen of her straunge sewes
Ne of her swannes ne here heroun-sewes
Ek' in pat lond as tellen knightes olde
Ther is som mete pat is ful deynte holde
That in pis lond men recch of it but smal
Ther is no man it may reporten al

GROUP F. § 2. SQUIRE'S TALE.

Harleian 7334. 339

I wol not tarien 3ou for it is pryme
And for it is no fruyt but' los of tyme
vnto my purpos. I wol haue my recours
That' so bifelle after pe pridde cours
whil þat þe kyng sit pus in his nobleye
herkyng his mynstrales her pinges pleye
Byforn him atte boord deliciously
In atte halle dore al sodeynly

Ther com a knight vpon a steed of bras
And in his hond a brod myrour of glas
Vpon his thomb he had of gold a ryng
And by his side a naked swerd hangyng
And vp he rideth to pe heyghe bord
In al þe halle ne was per spoke a word
For meruayl of þis knight him to byholde
Ful besily þey wayten 3ong and olde
This straunge knight' pat cam pus sodeynly
Al armed sauf his heed ful richely?
Salued the kyng' and queen and lordes alle
By ordre as þey seten in to halle /
with so heigħ reuerens and obseruaunce
As wel in speche as in contynaunce/
That Ewen with his olde curtesye

They he come azein out' of fayrye

96

Ne coupe him nouzt amende wip no word

And after pis biforn þe highe bord

he with a manly vois sayd his message
After þe forme vsed in his langage
wipouten vice of sillabil or letter

And for his tale schulde seme pe better
Accordaunt to his wordes was his cheere
As techeth art of speche hem þat it leere
Al be it þat I can nat' sowne his style
Ne can nat' clymben ouer so heigħ a style /
3it say I pis as to comun entent

Thus moche amounteth al þat euer' he ment

100

104

108