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45. Another manere to knowe the mene mote.

Whan thou wolt make the mene mote of eny planete to be by Arsechieles tables, take thy rote, the whiche is for the yere of oure lord 1397; and if so be that thy 5 yere be passid the date, wryte that date, and than wryte the nombere of the yeres. Than with-drawe the yeres out of the yeres that ben passed that rote. Ensampul as thus: the yere of oure lord 10 1400, +I wolde witen, precise, my rote; than wroot I furst 1400. And under that nombere I wrote a 1397; than withdrow I the laste nombere out of that, and than fond I the residue was 3 yere; I wiste that 3 yere was passed fro the rote, the whiche was writen in my tables. Than after-ward soghte I in my tables the annis collectis et expansis, and amonge myn expanse yeres fond I 3 yeer. Than tok 20 I alle the signes, degrees, and minutes, that I fond directe under the same planete that I wroghte for, and wroot so many signes, degrees, and minutes in my slate, and after-ward added I to signes, 25 degrees, minutes, and secoundes, the whiche I fond in my rote the yere of oure lord 1397; and kepte the residue; and than had I the mene mote for the laste day of Decembere. And if thou woldest 30 wete the mene mote of any planete in March, Aprile, or May, other in any other tyme or moneth of the yere, loke how many monethes and dayes ben passed from the laste day of Decembere, the yere 35 of oure lord 1400; and so with monethes and dayes entere in-to thy table ther thou findest thy mene mote y-writen in monethes and dayes, and take alle the signes, degrees, minutes, and secoundes 40 that thou findest y-write in directe of thy monethes, and adde to signes, degrees, minutes, and secoundes that thou findest with thy rote the yere of oure lord 1400, and the residue that leveth is the mene 45 mote for that same day. And note, if hit so be that thou woldest wete the mene mote in any yere that is lasse than thy

And

rote, with-drawe the nombere of so many yeres as hit is lasse than the yere of oure lord a 1397, and kepe the residue; and so 50 many yeres, monethes, and dayes entere in-to thy tabelis of thy mene mote. take alle the signes, degrees, and minutes, and secoundes, that thou findest in directe of alle the yeres, monethes, and 55 dayes, and wryte hem in thy slate; and above thilke nombere wryte the signes, degrees, minutes, and secoundes, the whiche thou findest with thy rote the yere of oure lord a 1397; and with-drawe 60 alle the nethere signes and degrees fro the signes and degrees, minutes, and secoundes of other signes with thy rote; and thy residue that leveth is thy mene mote for that day.

46. For to knowe at what houre of the day, or of the night, shal be flode or ebbe *.

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First wite thou certeinly, how that haven stondeth, that thou list to werke for; that is to say in whiche place of the firmament the mone being, maketh fulle see. Than awayte thou redily in what 5 degree of the zodiak that the mone at that tyme is inne. Bringe furth than the labelle, and set the point therof in that same cost that the mone maketh flode, and set thou there the degree of 10 the mone according with the egge of the label. Than afterward awayte where is than the degree of the sonne, at that tyme. Remeve thou than the label fro the mone, and bringe and sette it justly 15 upon the degree of the sonne. And the point of the label shal than declare to thee, at what houre of the day or of the night shal be flode. And there also maist thou wite by the same point of the 20 label, whether it be, at that same tyme, flode or ebbe, or half flode, or quarter flode, or ebbe, or half or quarter ebbe; or ellis at what houre it was last, or shal be next by night or by day, thou than 25 shalt esely knowe, &c. Furthermore, if it so be that thou happe to worke for this matere aboute the tyme of the conjunccioun, bringe furthe the degree of the

30 mone with the labelle to that coste as it is before seyd. But than thou shalt understonde that thou may not bringe furthe the label fro the degree of the mone as thou dide before; for-why the 35 sonne is than in the same degree with the mone. And so thou may at that tyme by the point of the labelle unremeved knowe the houre of the flode or of the ebbe, as it is before seyd, &c. And 40 evermore as thou findest the mone passe

fro the sonne, so remeve thou the labelle than fro the degree of the mone, and bringe it to the degree of the sonne. And worke thou than as thou dide before, &c. Or elles knowe thou what houre it 45 is that thou art inne, by thyn instrument. Than bringe thou furth fro thennes the labelle and ley it upon the degree of the mone, and therby may thou wite also whan it was flode, or whan 50 it wol be next, be it night or day; &c.

WHAN that Aprille with his shoures sote The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote,

And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth 5
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,
And smale fowles maken melodye,
That slepen al the night with open yë, 10
So priketh hem nature in hir corages):
Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
(And palmers for to seken straunge
strondes)

To ferne halwes, couthe in sondry londes;
And specially, from every shires ende 15
Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,
The holy blisful martir for to seke,
That hem hath holpen, whan that they
were seke.

Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre, And therto hadde he riden (no man ferre)

As wel in Cristendom as hethenesse,
And ever honoured for his worthinesse. 50
At Alisaundre he was, whan it was

wonne;

Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bigonne Aboven alle naciouns in Pruce.

In Lettow hadde he reysed and in Ruce, No Cristen man so ofte of his degree. 55 In Gernade at the sege eek hadde he be

70

And of his port as meke as is a mayde.
He never yet no vileinye ne sayde
In al his lyf, un-to no maner wight.
He was a verray parfit gentil knight.
But for to tellen yow of his array,
His hors were gode, but he was nat gay.
Of fustian he wered a gipoun
Al bismotered with his habergeoun;
For he was late y-come from his viage,
And wente for to doon his pilgrimage.
With him ther was his sone, a yong
SQUYER,
Squyer.

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80

A lovyere, and a lusty bacheler,
With lokkes crulle, as they were leyd in
presse.

Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse.
Of his stature he was of evene lengthe,
And wonderly deliver, and greet of
strengthe.

And he had been somtyme in chivachye, 85
In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Picardye,
And born him wel, as of so litel space,
In hope to stonden in his lady grace.
Embrouded was he, as it were a mede
Al ful of fresshe floures, whyte and rede. 90
Singinge he was, or floytinge, al the day;
He was as fresh as is the month of May.
Short was his goune, with sleves longe
and wyde.

Wel coude he sitte on hors, and faire ryde.
He coude songes make and wel endyte, 95
Juste and eek daunce, and wel purtreye

and wryte.

So hote he lovede, that by nightertale
He sleep namore than dooth a nightingale.
Curteys he was, lowly, and servisable,
And carf biforn his fader at the table. 100

coy;

120

Ther was also a Nonne, a PRIORESSE, That of hir smyling was ful simple and Prioresse. Hir gretteste ooth was but by sẽynt Loy; And she was cleped madame Eglentyne. Ful wel she song the service divyne, Entuned in hir nose ful semely; And Frensh she spak ful faire and fetisly, After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe, 125 For Frensh of Paris was to hir unknowe. At mete wel y-taught was she with-alle; She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle, Ne wette hir fingres in hir sauce depe. Wel coude she carie a morsel, and wel kepe,

130

That no drope ne fille up-on hir brest.
In curteisye was set ful muche hir lest.
Hir over lippe wyped she so clene,
That in hir coppe was no ferthing sene
Of grece, whan she dronken hadde hir
draughte.
135

Ful semely after hir mete she raughte,
And sikerly she was of greet disport,
And ful plesaunt, and amiable of port,
And peyned hir to countrefete chere
Of court, and been estatlich of manere, 140
And to ben holden digne of reverence.
But, for to speken of hir conscience,

She was so charitable and so pitous,
She wolde wepe, if that she sawe a mous
Caught in a trappe, if it were deed or
bledde.

145 Of smale houndes had she, that she fedde With rosted flesh, or milk and wastelbreed.

But sore weep she if oon of hem were deed,

Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte:
And al was conscience and tendre herte.
Ful semely hir wimpel pinched was; 151
Hir nose tretys; hir eyen greye as glas ;
Hir mouth ful smal, and ther-to softe and
reed;

But sikerly she hadde a fair forheed;
It was almost a spanne brood, I trowe; 155
For, hardily, she was nat undergrowe.
Ful fetis was hir cloke, as I was war.
Of smal coral aboute hir arm she bar
A peire of bedes, gauded al with grene;
And ther-on heng a broche of gold ful
shene,

160

A MONK ther was, a fair for the maistrye, An out-rydere, that lovede venerye ; 166 A manly man, to been an abbot able. Ful many a deyntee hors hadde he in stable: Monk.

And, whan he rood, men mighte his brydel here

Ginglen in a whistling wind as clere, 170 And eek as loude as dooth the chapelbelle

Ther as this lord was keper of the celle. The reule of seint Maure or of seint Beneit,

By-cause that it was old and som-del streit,

This ilke monk leet olde thinges pace, 175 And held after the newe world the space.

He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen, That seith, that hunters been nat holy

men;

Ne that a monk, whan he is cloisterlees, Is lykned til a fish that is waterlees; 180

He hadde of gold y-wroght a curious pin:
A love-knotte in the gretter ende ther was.
His heed was balled, that shoon as any
glas,

And eek his face, as he had been anoint.
He was a lord ful fat and in good point; 200
His eyen stepe, and rollinge in his heed,
That stemed as a forneys of a leed;
His botes souple, his hors in greet estat.
Now certeinly he was a fair prelat ;
He was nat pale as a for-pyned goost. 205
A fat swan loved he best of any roost.
His palfrey was as broun as is a berye.
A FRERE ther was, a wantown and a
merye,

Frere. 209

A limitour, a ful solempne man.
In alle the ordres foure is noon that can
So muche of daliaunce and fair langage.
He hadde maad ful many a mariage
Of yonge wommen, at his owne cost.
Un-to his ordre he was a noble post.
Ful wel biloved and famulier was he 215
With frankeleyns over-al in his contree,
And eek with worthy wommen of the
toun:

For he had power of confessioun,
As seyde him-self, more than a curat,
For of his ordre he was licentiat.
Ful swetely herde he confessioun,
And plesaunt was his absolucioun ;

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