"YE MAISTY SWYNE!"

"Fy on yow," quod she, "everychoon!

Ye maisty1 swyne, ye ydel wrechhes,

Ful of roten slowe techches! 2

What? false theves! or ye wolde

65

Be famous good, and nothing nolde
Deserve why, ne never ye roughte!
Men rather yow bangen oughte!
For ye be lyke the swynte catte,
That wolde have fissh; but wastow whatte?

8

He wolde nothinge wete his clowes.
Yvel thrifte come to your jowes,
And eke to myn gif I hit graunte,
Or do yow favour yow to avaunte!
Thou Eolus, thou kynge of Trace!
Goo, blowe this folke a sory grace,"
Quod she, "anoon; and wostow how
As I shal telle ryghte now.

Sey, 'These ben that wolden honour
Have, and do noskynnes labour,
Ne doo no good, and yet han lawde ;
And that men wende that bele Isawde
Ne could hem noght of love werne ;*
And yet she that grynt at a querne
Ys alle to good to ese her herte.'

This Eolus anoon up sterte,

999

7

As lowde as beloweth wynde in helle.

2 Blotches.

690

700

710

Squeam

1 Fat (Ger. mast, fattened with mast). ish. No sort of. That is, she of the romance of Tristrem. Cf Parlement of Foules, 1. 290. • Refuse. 7 Hand-mill.

And eke therwith, sothe to telle,
This soune was so ful of japes,

1

As ever mowes were in apes.

And that went al the worlde aboute,
That every wight gan on hem shoute,
And for to lawgh as they were wode;
Such game fonde they in her hode."

Tho come another companye,
That had ydoon the trayterye,
The harme, the grete wikkednesse,
That any herte kouthe gesse;
And prayed her to han good fame,

And that she nolde doon hem no shame,
But geve hem loos and good renoun,
And do hyt blowe in a clarioun.

"Nay, wis!" quod she, "hyt were a vice;

Al be ther in me no justice,

Me ne lyste not doo hyt nowe,

Ne this nyl I graunte yowe."

Tho come ther lepynge in a route, And gunne choppen al aboute Every man upon the crowne,

720

730

That alle the halle gan to sowne,

And seyden, "Lady, leefe and dere,

We ben suche folkes as ye mowe here.
To telle al the tale aryght,

We ben shrewes* every wyght,

And han delyte in wikkednes,

740

1 Mouths, i. e., contortions. So were they deluded. Cf. Can terbury Tales, l. 586, 3143, 6052, 7984; and Troylus and Cryseyde .469.Strike. 4 Rascals.

66 WE BEN SHREWES."

As goode folke han in godenes;
And joye to be knowen shrewes,
And ful of vices and wikked thewes ;'
Wherefore we prayen yow a rowe,
That oure fame suche be knowe,
In alle thing ryght as hit ys."

"I graunte hyt yow," quod she, "ywis.
But what art thow that seyst this tale,
That werest on thy hose a pale,"
And on thy tipet suche a belle?"
"Madame," quod he, "sothe to telle,
I am that ylke shrewe, ywis,

That brende the temple of Ysidis
In Athenes, loo, that citee."

"And wherfor didest thou so?" quod she.
"By my thrift," quod he, "madame,

I wolde fayn han hadde a fame,
As other folke hadde in the toune,
Alle-though they were of grete renoune
For her vertue and her thewes,1
Thought I, as gret fame han shrewes
Though hit be noght

for shrewdenesse

As goode folke han for godenesse ;
And sith I may not have that oon,
That other nyl I noght forgoon.
And for to gette of fames hire,
The temple set I alle a-fire.

67

750

760

1 Moral qualities. Stripe. * Chaucer seems to refer to the Jurning of the temple of Diana at Ephesus by Herostratus on the night of the birth of Alexander the Great. Diana was the goddess af the moon. Iis was the same in Egypt. Naughty.

Now doon our loos be blowed swithe,
As wisly be thou ever blythe."

66

Gladly," quod she. "Thow Eolus,

Herestow not what this folke prayen us?"

66

Madame, yis, ful wel,” quod he, "And I wil trumpen hit, parde!" And toke his blake trumpe faste, And gan to puffen and to blaste, Til hyt was at the worldes ende.

With that I gan aboute wende,1

For oon that stoode ryght at my bake,
Me thoughte goodely to me spake,
And seyde, "Frende, what is thy name?
Artow come hider to han fame?"
"Nay, forsothe, frende!" quod I;
"I cam noght hyder, graunt mercy!
For no suche cause, by my hede!
Sufficeth me, as I were dede,

That no wight have my name in honde.2
I wote my-self best how I stonde,

8

For what I drye or what I thynke,

I wil my selfe alle hyt drynke,
Certeyn for the more parte,

4

As ferforthe as I kan myn arte."

"But what doost thou here?" quod he.
Quod I, "That wyl I tellen the,
The cause why I stonde here.
Somme newe tydyngis for to lere,
Somme newe thinge, I not what,

1 Turn

Б

Traduce me. * Suffer. Know. 5 Know not

770

780

79c

WHERE THAT FAME DUELLED." 69

Tydynges other this or that,

Of love, or suche hinges glade.
For, certeynly, he that me made
To come hyder, seyde me

I shulde bothe here and se,
In this place, wonder thynges;
But these be no suche tydynges
As I mene of."

"Noo?" quod he.

And I answerede, "Noo, parde!

For wel I wote ever yit,

Sith that first I hadde wit,

That somme folke han desired fame

Diversly, and loos and name;

But certeynly I nyste howe,

Ne where that Fame duelled, er nowe;

And eke of her descripcioun,

Ne also her condicioun,

Ne the ordre of her dome,1

Unto the tyme I thidder come."

"Why than, loo, be these tydynges,

That thou hast herde?" quod he to me;

That thou now hider brynges,

"But now, no fors; for wel I se

800

810

820

What thou desirest for to lere.2

Come forth, and stonde no lenger here,

And I wil the, withouten drede,

In suche another place lede,

Ther thou shalt here many oon."

Tho gan I forthe with hym to goon,

1 Judgment. Learn.