'As swythe al shal be wel, I undertake; Sitte we doun, and lat us mery make.' 1195 And whan that this chanounes bechen cole

Was brent, al the lymaille, out of the hole,
Into the croslet fil anon adoun;
And so it moste nedes, by resoun,
Sin it so even aboven couched was; 1200
But ther-of wiste the preest no-thing, alas!
He demed alle the coles y-liche good,
For of the sleighte he no-thing under-
stood.
(650)

And whan this alkamistre saugh his tyme, 'Rys up,'quod he, 'sir preest, and stondeth by me;

1205

And taketh heed now of his cursed sleighte!

He shoop his ingot, in lengthe and eek in brede,

Of this teyne, with-outen any drede,
So slyly, that the preest it nat espyde; 1230
And in his sleve agayn he gan it hyde;
And fro the fyr he took up his matere,
And in th'ingot putte it with mery chere,
And in the water-vessel he it caste (681)
Whan that him luste, and bad the preest
as faste,
1235

'Look what ther is, put in thyn hand and

grope,

Thow finde shalt ther silver, as I hope;
What, devel of helle! sholde it elles be?
Shaving of silver silver is, pardee!'
He putte his hond in, and took up a teyne
Of silver fyn, and glad in every veyne 1241
Was this preest, whan he saugh that it

was so.

'Goddes blessing, and his modres also, (690) And alle halwes have ye, sir chanoun,' Seyde this preest, 'and I hir malisoun, 1245 But, and ye vouche-sauf to techen me This noble craft and this subtilitee,

I wol be youre, in al that ever I may!'

1252

Quod the chanoun, 'yet wol I make assay The second tyme, that ye may taken hede And been expert of this, and in your nede Another day assaye in myn absence This disciplyne and this crafty science. Lat take another ounce,' quod he tho, (701) 'Of quik-silver, with-outen wordes mo, 1255 And do ther-with as ye han doon er this With that other, which that now silver is.'

This preest him bisieth in al that he can To doon as this chanoun, this cursed man, Comanded him, and faste he blew the fyr, For to come to th'effect of his desyr. 1261 And this chanoun, right in the mene whyle,

Al redy was, the preest eft to bigyle, (710) And, for a countenance, in his hande he bar An holwe stikke (tak keep and be war !) In the ende of which an ounce, and na-more, 1266

Of silver lymail put was, as bifore Was in his cole, and stopped with wex weel

For to kepe in his lymail every deel.

And whyl this preest was in his bisinesse, This chanoun with his stikke gan him dresse 1271

To him anon, and his pouder caste in (719)
As he did or; (the devel out of his skin
Him terve, I pray to god, for his falshede;
For he was ever fals in thoght and dede);
And with this stikke, above the croslet,
That was ordeyned with that false get,
He stired the coles, til relente gan
The wex agayn the fyr, as every man,
But it a fool be, woot wel it mot nede, 1280
And al that in the stikke was out yede,
And in the croslet hastily it fel. (729)
Now gode sirs, what wol ye bet than wel?
Whan that this preest thus was bigyled
ageyn,
1284
Supposing noght but trouthe, soth to seyn,
He was so glad, that I can nat expresse
In no manere his mirthe and his glad-

1310

And caste in poudre, and made the preest
to blowe,
And in his werking for to stoupe lowe,
As he dide er, and al nas but a jape;
Right as him liste, the preest he made
his ape;
(760)
And afterward in th'ingot he it caste,
And in the panne putte it at the laste 1315
Of water, and in he putte his owene hond.
And in his sleve (as ye biforn-hond
Herde me telle) he hadde a silver teyne.
He slyly took it out, this cursed heyne-
Unwiting this preest of his false craft-
And in the pannes botme he hath it laft;
And in the water rombled to and fro,
And wonder prively took up also (770)
The coper teyne, noght knowing this
preest,

And hidde it, and him hente by the breest, And to him spak, and thus seyde in his game, 1326 'Stoupeth adoun, by god, ye be to blame, Helpeth me now, as I dide yow whyl-er, Putte in your hand, and loketh what is ther.' 1329

This preest took up this silver teyne anon, And thanne seyde the chanoun, 'lat us gon

With thise three teynes, which that we han wroght,

To som goldsmith, and wite if they been oght. (780) For, by my feith, I nolde, for myn hood, But-if that they were silver, fyn and good, 1335 And that as swythe preved shal it be.' Un-to the goldsmith with thise teynes three

1357

I warne yow wel; for, save I and a frere, In Engelond ther can no man it make.' No fors,' quod he, now, sir, for goddes sake, What shal I paye? telleth me, I preye.' 'Y-wis,' quod he, 'it is ful dere, I seye; Sir, at o word, if that thee list it have, Ye shul paye fourty pound, so god me save! 1361 And, nere the freendship that ye dide er this

To me, ye sholde paye more, y-wis.' (810) i This preest the somme of fourty pound

anon

Of nobles fette, and took hem everichon To this chanoun, for this ilke receit; 1366 Al his werking nas but fraude and deceit.

'Sir preest,' he seyde, 'I kepe han no loos Of my craft, for I wolde it kept were cloos; And as ye love me, kepeth it secree; 1370 For, and men knewe al my subtilitee, By god, they wolden han so greet envye To me, by-cause of my philosophye, (820) I sholde be deed, ther were non other weye.'

'God it forbede!' quod the preest, 'what sey ye?'

1375

Considereth, sirs, how that, in ech
estaat,

Bitwixe men and gold ther is debaat
So ferforth, that unnethes is ther noon.
This multiplying blent so many oon, 1391
That in good feith I trowe that it be
The cause grettest of swich scarsetee. (840)
Philosophres speken so mistily

In this craft, that men can nat come therby, 1395

For any wit that men han now a-dayes. They mowe wel chiteren, as doon thise jayes,

And in her termes sette hir lust and peyne, But to hir purpos shul they never atteyne. A man may lightly lerne, if he have aught, To multiplye, and bringe his good to naught! (848) 1401

Lo! swich a lucre is in this lusty game, A mannes mirthe it wol torne un-to grame, And empten also grete and hevy purses, And maken folk for to purchasen curses Of hem, that han hir good therto y-lent. O fy for shame! they that han been brent, 1407 Allas! can they nat flee the fyres hete? Ye that it use, I rede ye it lete, Lest ye lese al; for bet than never is 1410

late. Never to thryve were to long a date. Though ye prolle ay, ye shul it never (859)

finde ;

Ye been as bolde as is Bayard the blinde, That blundreth forth, and peril casteth

Lo, thus seith Arnold of the Newe Toun, As his Rosarie maketh mencioun ;

He seith right thus, with-outen any lye,
Ther may no man Mercurie mortifye, 1431
But it be with his brother knowleching.
How that he, which that first seyde this
thing,
(880)

Of philosophres fader was, Hermes;
He seith, how that the dragoun, doutelees,
Ne deyeth nat, but-if that he be slayn 1436
With his brother; and that is for to sayn,
By the dragoun, Mercurie and noon other
He understood; and brimstoon by his

'Tel me the rote, good sir,' quod he tho, 'Of that water, if that it be your wille?' 'Nay, nay,' quod Plato, 'certein, that

I nille. (910) The philosophres sworn were everichoon, That they sholden discovere it un-to noon, 1465

Ne in no book it wryte in no manere ;
For un-to Crist it is so leef and dere
That he wol nat that it discovered be,
But wher it lyketh to his deitee
Man for t'enspyre, and eek for to defende
Whom that him lyketh; lo, this is the
ende.'
1471

Thanne conclude I thus; sith god of hevene

Ne wol nat that the philosophres nevene How that a man shal come un-to this