Thy neighebor thou wytest sinfully, Herkne what is the sentence of the wyse :- If thou be poure, thy brother hateth thee, But with sis cink, that renneth for your chaunce; 125 Ye seken lond and see for your winninges, As wyse folk ye knowen al thestaat Of regnes; ye ben fadres of tydinges And tales, both of pees and of debat. I were ryght now of tales desolat, Nere that a marchaunt, goon is many a yere, 1 E. Hn. lite; the rest litel. 2 E. Cm. omit the; the rest have it. 3 E. Hn. Hl. to; Cm. Cp. Pt. Ln. in. 130 [Here follows the Man of Lawes Tale, ll. 134-1162. See a long extract from it in Specimens of Early English, 1298-1393, ed. Morris and Skeat (Clarendon Press Series); p. 249.] Here endith the man of lawe his tale. And next folwith the Shipman his prolog1. Our hoste vpon his stiropes stood anon, 1163 And seyde, 'good men, herkeneth euerich on; This was a thrifty tale for the nones! 1165 Sir parish prest,' quod he, 'for goddes bones, Tel vs a tale, as was thy forward yore. I se wel that ye lerned men in lore What eyleth the man so sinfully to swere?' 1170 Our hoste answerde, 'O Iankyn, be ye there? I smelle a loller in the wynd,' quod he. 'Hoo! good men,' quod our hoste, 'herkneth me, Abydeth, for goddes digne passioun, 1175 For we shal han a predicacioun ; This loller heer wil prechen vs som-what.' 'Nay, by my fader soule! that shal he nat,' Seyde the Shipman', 'heer shal he nat preche, 1180 He shal no gospel glosen heer ne teche. We leue alle in the grete god,' quod' he, 'He wolde sowen som difficultee, 1 This rubric is from MS. Arch. Seld. B. 14. In some MSS. it is called The prolog of the squyers tale. The text of the prologue itself is founded on the Corpus MS. E. Hn. Cm. omit this Prologue; see note. 2 MS. Arch. Seld. has Shipman; Cp. Pt. Ln. þe squier. 3 MS. Arch. Seld. We leuen; Cp. Pt. Ln. He leueb. Or springen cokkel in our clene corn, 1185 And I shal clinken yow so mery a belle, That I shal waken al this companye; But it shal not ben of philosophye, Ne of phisyk1, ne termes queinte of lawe; 1190 Here endeth the Shipman his prolog. And next folwyng he bigynneth his tale, &c.2 [Here follows The Shipman's Tale, ll. 1191-1624. After which-] Bihoold the murie wordes of the Hoost to the 'Wel seyd, by corpus dominus,' quod our hoste, 1625 'Now longe mot thou sayle by the coste, Sir gentil maister, gentil marineer, God yeue this monk a thousand last quad yeer! A ha! felawes! beth war of swich a Iape, The monk putte in the mannes hode an ape, 1630 And in his wyues eek, by seint Austin; Draweth no monkes more in-to your in. But now passe ouer, and lat vs seke aboute, Who shal now telle first of al this route Another tale?' and with that word he sayde, 1635 As curteisly as it had been a mayde, 1 Tyrwhitt reads of phisike; the MSS. have the unmeaning word phislyas ; Sloane MS. phillyas. 2 Rubric from MS. Arch. Seld. 3 From E.; here again made the basis of the text. My lady Prioresse, by your leue, So that I wiste I shulde you nat greue, I wolde demen that ye tellen sholde A tale next, if so were that ye wolde. Now wol ye vouche sauf, my lady dere?' 6 'Gladly,' quod she, and seyde as ye shal here. Explicit. 1640 GROUP B. THE PRIORESSES TALE. The prologe of the Prioresses tale. Domine, dominus noster. O lord our lord, thy name how merueillous Is in this large worlde ysprad-quod she :- 1645 But by the mouth of children thy bountee Wherfor in laude, as I best can or may, 1650 Of thee, and of the whyte1 lily flour Which that thee bar, and is a mayde alway, To telle a storie I wol doon my labour; Not that I may encresen hir honour; For she hir-self is honour, and the rote 1655 Of bountee, next hir sone, and soules bote. O mooder mayde! o mayde mooder free! O bush vnbrent, brenning in Moyses syghte, Thurgh thyn humblesse, the goost that in thalyghte, 1660 Conceyued was the fadres sapience, Help me to telle it in thy reuerence! 1 E. omits whyte, found in the rest. |