GROUP B. MAN OF LAW HEAD-LINK. [Introduction to the Man of Law's Prologue.] The wordes of the Hoost to the compaignye. Our hoste sey wel that the bryghte sonne The fourthe part, and half an houre, and more; Of April, that is messager to May; And sey wel that the shadwe of euery tree 5 That was the body erect that caused it. And therfor by the shadwe he took his wit That Phebus, which that shoon so clere and bryghte, 3 It was ten of the clokke, he gan conclude, And sodeynly he plyghte his hors aboute. 'Lordinges,' quod he, 'I warne yow, al this route, 1 Cm. wanting; Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. expert; E. Hn. ystert. IO 15 2 Hn. xviijthe; Cp. xviije; Cm. Pt. Ln. xviij; E. eighte and twentithe; Hl. threttenthe.' 3 Cm. Pt. Hl. of the; E. Hn. at the; Cp. atte; Ln. att. The fourthe party of this day is goon; 1 Sir man of lawe,' quod he, so haue ye blis, 20 25 33 35 40 Thus wol our text, but natheles certeyn For swich lawe as man2 yeueth another wyghte, 45 I can ryght now no thrifty tale seyn, 3 But Chaucer, though he can but lewedly On metres and on ryming craftily, Hl. and holdeth; the rest of (badly). 2 Cm. man; the rest a man. 3 MS. Camb. Dd. 4. 24 has But; the rest That; see note. Hath seyd hem in swich english as he can 50 In his Epistolis, that ben ful olde. 55 What sholde I tellen hem, sin they ben tolde? And sithen hath he spoke of euerichoon, Thise noble wyues and thise loueres eek. Who so that wol his large volume seek 60 Cleped the seintes legende of Cupyde, Ther may he seen the large woundes wyde 3 The bareyne yle stonding in the see; 65 70 For thy Iason, that was of loue so fals! O Ypermistra, Penelope, Alceste, 75 Your wyfhood he comendeth with the beste! 1 Hl. sorwe; but the rest swerd. E. Cm. Hl. Diane; but Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln. Dianire, or Dyanyre. 3 Hl. fayre, which the rest omit. 4 E, omits eek, which is in the rest. 5 E. omits of, but it is in the rest. 6 E. Cm. in; the rest of. But certeinly no word ne wryteth he Of thilke wikke ensample of Canacee; And therfor he, of ful auysement, Nolde neuer wryte in none of his sermouns Of swiche vnkynde abhominaciouns, 86 But of my tale how shal I doon this day? To Muses that men clepen Pierides— The prologe of the mannes tale of lawe. O hateful harm! condicion of pouerte! 90 95 With thurst, with cold, with hunger so confounded! 100 If thou noon aske, with nede artow so wounded 2, Thou blamest Crist, and seyst ful bitterly, 105 1 Hn. Cp. Pt. Hl. hawe bake; E. hawebake; Cm. aw bake; Ln. halve bake. 2 So Hn.; Cm. Cp. with nede art bou so wounded; Ln. with nede bou art so wounded; HI, with neede so art thou woundyd; but E. so soore artow ywoundid. Thy neighebor thou wytest sinfully, And seist thou hast to lite1, and he hath al. Parfay,' seistow, 'somtyme he rekne shal, Whan that his [cors] shal brennen in the glede, Herkne what is the sentence of the wyse :— 2 'Alle the dayes of poure men ben wikke;' Bẹ war therfor, er thou come in3 that prikke! If thou be poure, thy brother hateth thee, Your bagges ben nat filled with ambes as, 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. E. Hn. Hl. to; Cm. Cp. Pt. Ln. in. 130 |