Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 101

820. E. seuene; _rest_ foure.

This cursed craft who-so wol exercyse, 830 He shal no good han that him may suffyse; For al the good he spendeth ther-aboute, He lese shal, ther-of have I no doute. (280) Who-so that listeth outen his folye, Lat him come forth, and lerne multiplye; 835 And every man that oght hath in his cofre, Lat him appere, and wexe a philosofre.

Ascaunce that craft is so light to lere?

Nay, nay, G.o.d woot, al be he monk or frere, Preest or chanoun, or any other wight, 840 Though he sitte at his book bothe day and night, In lernyng of this elvish nyce lore, Al is in veyn, and parde, mochel more! (290) To lerne a lewed man this subtiltee, Fy! spek nat ther-of, for it wol nat be; 845 Al conne he letterure, or conne he noon, As in effect, he shal finde it al oon.

For bothe two, by my savacioun, Concluden, in multiplicacioun, [536: T. 16318-16352.]

Y-lyke wel, whan they han al y-do; 850 This is to seyn, they faylen bothe two.

834. E. _omits_ so. 836. E. oght hath; _rest_ hath oght (ought).

838. E. Cm. Hl. Askauns; Ln. Ascance; _rest_ Ascaunce. 846. E. Cm.

And; _rest_ Al.

Yet forgat I to maken rehersaille Of watres corosif and of limaille, (300) And of bodyes mollificacioun, And also of hir induracioun, 855 Oiles, ablucions, and metal fusible, To tellen al wolde pa.s.sen any bible That o-wher is; wherfor, as for the beste, Of alle thise names now wol I me reste.

For, as I trowe, I have yow told y-nowe 860 To reyse a feend, al loke he never so rowe.

860, 861. E. Pt. Hl. ynowe, rowe; Li. ynogh, rogh; Cm. I-nogh, rogh; Cp. ynough, rough.

A! nay! lat be; the philosophres stoon, Elixir clept, we sechen faste echoon; (310) For hadde we him, than were we siker y-now.

But, unto G.o.d of heven I make avow, 865 For al our craft, whan we han al y-do, And al our sleighte, he wol nat come us to.

He hath y-maad us spenden mochel good, For sorwe of which almost we wexen wood, But that good hope crepeth in our herte, 870 Supposinge ever, though we sore smerte, To be releved by him afterward; Swich supposing and hope is sharp and hard; (320) I warne yow wel, it is to seken ever; That futur temps hath maad men to dissever, 875 In trust ther-of, from al that ever they hadde.

Yet of that art they can nat wexen sadde, For unto hem it is a bitter swete; So semeth it; for nadde they but a shete Which that they mighte wrappe hem inne a-night, 880 And a bak to walken inne by day-light, They wolde hem selle and spenden on this craft; They can nat stinte til no-thing be laft. (330) And evermore, wher that ever they goon, [537: T. 16353-16387.]

Men may hem knowe by smel of brimstoon; 885 For al the world, they stinken as a goot; Her savour is so rammish and so hoot, That, though a man from hem a myle be, The savour wol infecte him, trusteth me; Lo, thus by smelling and threedbare array, 890 If that men liste, this folk they knowe may.

And if a man wol aske hem prively, Why they been clothed so unthriftily, (340) They right anon wol rownen in his ere, And seyn, that if that they espyed were, 895 Men wolde hem slee, by-cause of hir science; Lo, thus this folk bitrayen innocence!

864. we (2)] E. it. 867. E. With; _rest_ And. 868. Cm. I-mad vs; Hl. I-made vs; E. maad vs; _rest_ vs made. 871. E. _omits_ euer.

875. Cm. to; _rest omit_. 880. E. Inne at; _rest_ in a. 881. E.

brat; _rest_ bak. 882. E. Li. the; _rest_ this. 888. E. a Mile from hem; _rest_ from hem a myle. 889. E. truste; _rest_ trusteth. 890.

E. And; _rest_ Lo. E. smel; _rest_ smellyng.

Pa.s.se over this; I go my tale un-to.

Er than the pot be on the fyr y-do, Of metals with a certein quant.i.te, 900 My lord hem tempreth, and no man but he-- Now he is goon, I dar seyn boldely-- For, as men seyn, he can don craftily; (350) Algate I wool wel he hath swich a name, And yet ful ofte he renneth in a blame; 905 And wite ye how? ful ofte it happeth so, The pot to-breketh, and farewel! al is go!

Thise metals been of so greet violence, Our walles mowe nat make hem resistence, But if they weren wroght of lym and stoon; 910 They percen so, and thurgh the wal they goon, And somme of hem sinken in-to the ground-- Thus han we lost by tymes many a pound-- (360) And somme are scatered al the floor aboute, Somme lepe in-to the roof; with-outen doute, 915 Though that the feend noght in our sighte him shewe, I trowe he with us be, that ilke shrewe!

In h.e.l.le wher that he is lord and sire, Nis ther more wo, ne more rancour ne ire.

[538: T. 16388-16423.]

Whan that our pot is broke, as I have sayd, 920 Every man chit, and halt him yvel apayd.

899. E. Ln. Lich. that; _rest_ than. 902. dar] E. Ln. dare. 905. E.

oft. 912. E. Cm. synke; _rest_ sinken. 915. E. lepte; _rest_ lepe, lepen. 918. E. lord is; _rest_ is lord. 919. _So_ E. Cm.; _rest_ Nis ther no more wo ne anger ne ire.

Som seyde, it was long on the fyr-making, Som seyde, nay! it was on the blowing; (370) (Than was I fered, for that was myn office); 'Straw!' quod the thridde, 'ye been lewed and nyce, 925 It was nat tempred as it oghte be.'

'Nay!' quod the ferthe, 'stint, and herkne me; By-cause our fyr ne was nat maad of beech, That is the cause, and other noon, so theech!'

I can nat telle wher-on it was long, 930 But wel I wot greet stryf is us among.

922. E. Cm. along; _rest_ long. 927. E. fourthe; _see_ l. 824. 930.

Cm. Hl. long; _rest_ along; see l. 922. 931. E. vs is; _rest_ is vs.

'What!' quod my lord, 'ther is na-more to done, Of thise perils I wol be war eft-sone; (380) I am right siker that the pot was crased.

Be as be may, be ye no-thing amased; 935 As usage is, lat swepe the floor as swythe, Plukke up your hertes, and beth gladde and blythe.'

The mullok on an hepe y-sweped was, And on the floor y-cast a canevas, And al this mullok in a sive y-throwe, 940 And sifted, and y-piked many a throwe.

938. Cm. I-swepid; Ln. yswepped; E. sweped; Cp. Pt. Hl. yswoped.

'Pardee,' quod oon, 'somwhat of our metal Yet is ther heer, though that we han nat al. (390) Al-though this thing mishapped have as now, Another tyme it may be wel y-now, 945 Us moste putte our good in aventure; A marchant, parde! may nat ay endure, Trusteth me wel, in his prosperitee; Somtyme his good is drenched in the see, And somtym comth it sauf un-to the londe.' 950

'Pees!' quod my lord, 'the next tyme I wol fonde To bringe our craft al in another plyte; And but I do, sirs, lat me han the wyte; (400) Ther was defaute in som-what, wel I woot.'

951. E. shal; _rest_ wol, wil, wele. 952. E. bryngen; _rest_ bringe. 953. E. _omits_ sirs.

Another seyde, the fyr was over hoot:-- 955 [539: T. 16424-16454.]

But, be it hoot or cold, I dar seye this, That we concluden evermore amis.

We fayle of that which that we wolden have, And in our madnesse evermore we rave.

And whan we been togidres everichoon, 960 Every man semeth a Salomon.

But al thing which that shyneth as the gold Nis nat gold, as that I have herd it told; (410) Ne every appel that is fair at ye Ne is nat good, what-so men clappe or crye. 965 Right so, lo! fareth it amonges us; He that semeth the wysest, by Iesus!

Is most fool, whan it cometh to the preef; And he that semeth trewest is a theef; That shul ye knowe, er that I fro yow wende, 970 By that I of my tale have maad an ende.

_Explicit prima pars. Et sequitur pars secunda_.

956. E. And; _rest_ But. 962. E. eu_er_y; _rest_ al, alle. Cm.

schynyth; Ln. schyneth; Hl. schineth; E. seineth; Cp. semeth. 963.

Cp. Pt. Ln. it; E. Cm. Hl. _omit_ it. 964. E. to; _rest_ at. 965.

E. Nis; _rest_ Ne is. 966. E. _omits_ lo. 967. E. Cm. wiseste; _rest_ wisest. 972. E. was; _rest_ is. Cf. l. 987.

Ther is a chanoun of religioun Amonges us, wolde infecte al a toun, (420) Though it as greet were as was Ninivee, Rome, Alisaundre, Troye, and othere three. 975 His sleightes and his infinit falsnesse Ther coude no man wryten, as I gesse, Thogh that he mighte liven a thousand yeer.

In al this world of falshede nis his peer; For in his termes so he wolde him winde, 980 And speke his wordes in so sly a kinde, Whan he commune shal with any wight, That he wol make him doten anon right, (430) But it a feend be, as him-selven is.

Ful many a man hath he bigyled er this, 985 And wol, if that he live may a whyle; [540: T. 16455-16488.]

And yet men ryde and goon ful many a myle Him for to seke and have his aqueyntaunce, Noght knowinge of his false governaunce.

And if yow list to yeve me audience, 990 I wol it tellen heer in your presence.

976. E. sleighte; Hl. sleight; _rest_ sleightes. 978. E. lyne myghte; _rest_ myghte lyuen. 979. E. nas; Ln. ne is; _rest_ nis, nys. 991.

Cp. Pt. Ln. tellen; _rest_ telle.

But worshipful chanouns religious, Ne demeth nat that I sclaundre your hous, (440) Al-though my tale of a chanoun be.

Of every ordre som shrewe is, parde, 995 And G.o.d forbede that al a companye Sholde rewe a singuler mannes folye.

To sclaundre yow is no-thing myn entente, But to correcten that is mis I mente.

This tale was nat only told for yow, 1000 But eek for othere mo; ye woot wel how That, among Cristes apostelles twelve, Ther nas no traytour but Iudas him-selve. (450) Than why sholde al the remenant have blame That giltlees were? by yow I seye the same. 1005 Save only this, if ye wol herkne me, If any Iudas in your covent be, Remeveth him bitymes, I yow rede, If shame or los may causen any drede.

And beth no-thing displesed, I yow preye, 1010 But in this cas herkneth what I shal seye.

993. E. desclaundre; _rest_ sclaundre; see l. 998. 994. E. Al-though that; _rest omit_ that. 997. E. o; _rest_ a. 1002. Cm. apostellis; Li. aposteles; E. apostles. 1004. E. Hl. a blame; _rest omit_ a.

1008. Cm. Remeuyth; E. Remoeueth. 1011. E. herketh.

In London was a preest, an annueleer, That therin dwelled hadde many a yeer, (460) Which was so plesaunt and so servisable Unto the wyf, wher-as he was at table, 1015 That she wolde suffre him no-thing for to paye For bord ne clothing, wente he never so gaye; And spending-silver hadde he right y-now.

Therof no fors; I wol precede as now, And telle forth my tale of the chanoun, 1020 [541: T. 16489-16524.]

That broghte this preest to confusioun.

1012. E. _omits_ an. 1013. E. had dwelled; _rest_ dwelled hadde (or had).

This false chanoun cam up-on a day Unto this preestes chambre, wher he lay, (470) Biseching him to lene him a certeyn Of gold, and he wolde quyte it him ageyn. 1025 'Lene me a mark,' quod he, 'but dayes three, And at my day I wol it quyten thee.

And if so be that thou me finde fals, Another day do hange me by the hals!'