Imatges de pàgina
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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,

1945

(860) 1950

1955

(870) 1960

1965

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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).

1975

1948. Cx.

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-

(890) 1980

1985

(900) 1990

1995

(910) 2000

2005

(920) 2010

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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.

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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.

2045

Read The fruit

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.

2036.

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

2055

(970) 2060

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

2065

(980) 2070

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.

(990) 2080

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,

2085

(1000) 2090

2095

(1010) 2100

2105

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at; F. B. to.

Cx. omits.

2099. B. om. the.

2087. F. flygh; B. fligh; Cx. Th. flewe.

2091. Cx. Th.

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.

I

supply that from B.; and also of.

2112. All yeue.

2106. Th. amorowe; F. B. morwe.

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