And eek this hous hath of entrees As fele as leves been on trees In somer, whan they grene been; And on the roof men may yit seen A thousand holes, and wel mo, To leten wel the soun out go. And by day, in every tyde, Ben al the dores open wyde, And by night, echoon, unshette; Ne porter ther is non to lette No maner tydings in to pace; Ne never reste is in that place, That hit nis fild ful of tydinges, Other loude, or of whispringes; And, over alle the houses angles, Is ful of rouninges and of Iangles Of werre, of pees, of mariages, Of reste, of labour of viages, Of abood, of deeth, of lyfe, Of love, of hate, acorde, of stryfe, Of loos, of lore, and of winninges,
1946. Cx. Th. as; F. of; B. as of. Th. on; F. B. in; Cx. of. roof; Th. rofe; F. B. roue. 1955. Cx. out (for in).
1952. Cx. Th. open; F. opened; B. I-opened. 1957. F. silde; B. fylde; Cx. Th. fylled. 1961. 1962. All restes (pl.). Cx. of labour; F. 1967. All insert and eek before of; see 1. 1968. 1975. All write mis governement as one word. 1976. All and of; omit and.
All werres (pl.); read werre. Th. B. and of labour.
For hit was sixty myle of lengthe; Al was the timber of no strengthe, Yet hit is founded to endure Why that hit list to Aventure, That is the moder of tydinges, As the see of welles and springes,— And hit was shapen lyk a cage.
'Certes,' quod I, 'in al myn age, Ne saugh I swich a hous as this.' And as I wondred me, y-wis, Upon this hous, tho war was I How that myn egle, faste by, Was perched hye upon a stoon; And I gan streighte to him goon And seyde thus: 'I preye thee That thou a whyl abyde me For goddes love, and let me seen What wondres in this place been; For yit, paraventure, I may lere Som good ther-on, or sumwhat here That leef me were, or that I wente.' 'Peter! that is myn entente,' Quod he to me; 'therfor I dwelle; But certein, oon thing I thee telle, That, but I bringe thee ther-inne, Ne shalt thou never cunne ginne To come in-to hit, out of doute, So faste hit whirleth, lo, aboute. But sith that Ioves, of his grace, As I have seyd, wol thee solace Fynally with [swiche] thinges, Uncouthe sightes and tydinges, To passe with thyn hevinesse ;
Suche routhe hath he of thy distresse, That thou suffrest debonairly-
That in this hous was, as me thoghte- (940) 2030
And ther-withal, me thoghte hit stente,
And no-thing hit aboute wente- And me sette in the flore adoun.
2017. F. The frot; B. The foot; Cx. Th. The swote. (Koch).
2018. Cx. Th. Languysshe; F. B. Laugh.
(for thee); Cx. the an; F. than (perhaps=the an). after yaf.
2020. Th. B. the 2021. All insert in
2026. F. B. insert anoon (anon) after here, which Cx. Th. omit. 2028. F. B. omit this line.
For here anoon read anoon heer. F. B. omit this line; it is probably corrupt. (Koch). 2042. Cx. one; F. Th. B. a. yn; Cx. Th. Rowned euerych in.
Read Many a thousand in a route 2044. F. Rovned in; B. Rownyd 2048. F. has only―That ys betydde;
B. That is betyd late or now; Cx. Th. That ys betyd lo ryght now.
'No,' quod [the other], 'tel me what ;'And than he tolde him this and that, (960) 2050
And swoor ther-to that hit was sooth- 'Thus hath he seyd' and 'Thus he dooth '- 'Thus shal hit be ''Thus herde I seye'— 'That shal be found'-'That dar I leye: '— That al the folk that is a-lyve Ne han the cunning to discryve The thinges that I herde there, What aloude, and what in ere. But al the wonder-most was this: Whan oon had herd a thing, y-wis, He com forth to another wight, And gan him tellen, anoon-right, The same that to him was told, Or hit a furlong-way was old, But gan somwhat for to eche To this tyding in this speche More than hit ever was. And nat so sone departed nas That he fro him, that he ne mette With the thridde; and, or he lette Any stounde, he tolde him als;
Were the tyding sooth or fals,
Yit wolde he telle hit nathelees,
And evermo with more encrees
Than hit was erst. Thus north and southe 2075
Went every [word] fro mouth to mouthe,
And that encresing ever-mo,
As fyr is wont to quikke and go From a sparke spronge amis, Til al a citee brent up is.
And, whan that was ful y-spronge,
And woxen more on every tonge
2049. All he; read the other (Willert).
before thus; but compare the next line.
2053. All insert And (twice) 2059. All wonder most (moste). Th. streyght to. 2063. Cx. 2069. F. B. That he; Cx. 2076. F. B. Went every mouthe; Cx. Th. vp spronge.
2061. F. B. forth ryght to; Cx. forth vnto; to; rest om. 2066. F. Tho; rest To. Th. Tho. F. thoo; B. tho; Cx. Th. that. Cx. Th. Wente euery tydyng. 2081.
Than ever hit was, [hit] wente anoon Up to a windowe, out to goon; Or, but hit mighte out ther pace, Hit gan out crepe at som crevace, And fleigh forth faste for the nones. And somtyme saugh I tho, at ones, A lesing and a sad soth-sawe, That gonne of aventure drawe Out at a windowe for to pace; And, when they metten in that place, They were a-chekked bothe two, And neither of hem moste out go; For other so they gonne croude, Til eche of hem gan cryen loude, 'Lat me go first!' 'Nay, but lat me! And here I wol ensuren thee
With the nones that thou wolt do so, That I shal never fro thee go,
But be thyn owne sworen brother! We wil medle us ech with other,
That no man, be he never so wrothe, Shal han that oon [of] two, but bothe At ones, al beside his leve,
Come we a-morwe or on eve,
2087. F. flygh; B. fligh; Cx. Th. flewe.
2103. Th. he; F. B. they. 2104.
2093. F. B. a cheked; Cx. Th. a chekked. 2095-2158.
F. han on two (sic); B. haue that oon (om. of two); Th. haue one two.
supply that from B.; and also of.
2106. Th. amorowe; F. B. morwe.
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