WORDS OF THE COOK AND THE HOST. 163 Lo! swich it is a millere to be fals;

And therfore this proverbe is seyd ful sooth, "Hym thar nat wene wel that yvele dooth," 1 A gylour shal hym self bigyled be,

And God, that sitteth heighe in Trinitee, 4322 Save al this compaignye, grete and smale. Thus have I quyt the Millere in my tale. (4322 T.)

Words of Roger, the Cook, and Harry Bailly, the Host.

The Cook of Londoun, whil that the Reve (4323 T.) For joye him thoughte he clawed him on the

spak,

bak;

"Ha, ha!" quod he, "for Cristes passioun
This millere hadde a sharpe conclusioun
Upon his argument of herbergage;2
Wel seyde Salomon, in his langage,

4330

'Ne brynge nat every man in-to thyn hous,'
For herberwynge by nyghte is perilous.

Wel oghte a man avysed for to be
Whom that he broghte in-to his pryvetee.

8

I pray to God, so geve me sorwe and care,
If evere sitthe I highte Hogge of Ware,
Herde I a millere bettre yset a werk.
He hadde a jape of malice in the derk ;
But God forbede that we stynte heere,

3

1 He must not expect good who doeth evil. 2 Lodging. Roger, Hodge.

And therfore if ye vouche-sauf to heere 4340
A tale of me, that am a povre man,

I wol yow telle as wel as evere I kan
A litel jape that fil in oure citee."

Oure Hoost answerde and seide, "I graunte it thee;

Now telle on, Roger, looke that it be good;
For many a pastee hastow laten blood,1
And many a jakke of Dovere 2 hastow soold,
That hath been twies hoot and twies coold;
Of many a pilgrym hastow Cristes curs,
For of thy percely yet they fare the wors, 4350
That they han eten with thy stubbel goos,
For in thy shoppe is many a flye loos. (4350 T.)
Now telle on, gentil Roger by thy name,
But yet I pray thee be nat wroth for game,3
A man may seye ful sooth in game and pley."
"Thou seist ful sooth," quod Roger, “by my

fey! But sooth pley quaad pley,' as the Flemyng

seith;

4

4361

And ther-fore, Herry Bailly, by thy feith,
Be thou nat wrooth, er we departen heer
Though that my tale be of an hostileer: 5
But nathelees I wol nat telle it yit ;
But er we parte, ywis, thou shalt be quit ;"
And ther with al he lough and made cheere,
And seyde his tale as ye shul after heere.

1 That is, of the hart. 2 A sea fish. 3 Pleasantry. + Earnest pleasantry, bad pleasantry. 5 Host.

PERKYN REVELOUR.

Heere bigynneth The Cookes Tale.

165

4370

A prentys whilom dwelled in oure citee, And of a craft of vitailliers was hee. (4364 T.) Gaillard1 he was as goldfynch in the shawe; 2 Broun as a berye, a propre short felawe, With lokkes blake ykempd ful fetisly; 8 Dauncen he koude so wel and jolily, That he was cleped Perkyn Revelour. He was as ful of love and paramour As is the hyve ful of hony sweete. Wel was the wenche with hym myghte meete ; At every bridale wolde he synge and hoppe, He loved bet the taverne than the shoppe. For whan ther any ridyng was in Chepe, Out of the shoppe thider wolde he lepe; Til that he hadde al the sighte yseyn, And daunced wel, he wolde nat come ageyn; And gadered hym a meynee 5 of his sort To hoppe and synge and maken swich disport; And ther they setten stevene for to meete To pleyen at the dys in swich a streete ; For in the toune nas ther no prentys That fairer koude caste a paire of dys Than Perkyn koude, and ther-to he was free Of his dispense, in place of pryvetee. That fond his maister wel in his chaffare ;"

1 Gay Time.

4379

7

2 Shade. 3 Neatly. 4 Cheapside. 5 Following. 7 Traffic,

For often tyme he foond his box ful bare, 4390 For sikerly a prentys revelour,

3

That haunteth dys, riot, or paramour,
His maister shal it in his shoppe abye,1
Al have he no part of the mynstralcye;
For thefte and riot they been convertible,
Al konne he pleye on gyterne 3 or ribible.*
Revel and trouthe,. as in a lowe degree,
They been ful wrothe 5 al day, as men may see.
This joly prentys with his maister bood,
Til he were ny out of his prentishood;
Al were he snybbed bothe erly and late,
And somtyme lad with revel to Newegate;
But atte laste his maister hym bithoghte,
Up-on a day whan he his papir soghte,
Of a proverbe that seith this same word,
"Wel bet is roten appul out of hoord,
Than that it rotie al the remenaunt." (4405 T.)
So fareth it by a riotous servaunt,

7

It is wel lasse harm to lete hym pace 9

4400

And thus this joly prentys hadde his leve.
Now lat him riote al the nyght or leve;

And for ther is no theef with-oute a lowke,11

1 Suffer. 2 Although. 8 Guitar. 4 Rebec. 5 At enmity. Snubbed, rebuked. 7 Accounts. 8 Better. 9 Pass. 10 Ruin

11 Receiver.

THE SECOND DAY.

That helpeth hym to wasten and to sowke,
Of that he brybe kan or borwe may,
Anon hè sente his bed and his array
Un-to a compier of his owene sort

167

(4417 T.)

That lovede dys, and revel and disport,

4420

And hadde a wyf that heeld for contenance1
A shoppe, and swyved for hir sustenance 2

End of the Tales of the First Day.

TALES OF THE SECOND DAY.

The wordes of the Hoost to the compaignye.

Oure Hoost saugh wel that the brighte sonne The ark of his artificial day hath ronne (4422 T.) The ferthe part, and half an houre and moore, And though he were nat depe ystert in loore,3 He wiste it was the eightetethe day

4

Of Aprill that is messager to May,

And saugh wel that the shadwe of every tree_
Was, as in lengthe, the same quantitee

4430

That was the body erect that caused it ;
And ther-fore by the shadwe he took his wit
That Phebus, which that shoon so clere and

brighte,

Degrees was fyve and fourty clombe on highte;

For appearances. 2 This tale ends thus abruptly. 8 Advanced in knowledge. Elles. MS. reads "eighte and twentithe."