'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

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 1266

na-more,

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

For to kepe in his lymail every deel.

To him anon, and his pouder caste in (719)
As he did er; (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

And caste in poudre, and made the preest
to blowe,
1310
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
The

(770) coper teyne, noght knowing this preest,

And hidde it, and him hente by the breest, And to him spak, and thus seyde in his

And to the chanoun thus he spak and

seyde, 1350 'For love of god, that for us alle deyde, And as I may deserve it un-to yow, What shal this receit coste? telleth now!' 'By our lady,' quod this chanoun, it is dere, (801) 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

1357

To me, ye sholde paye more, y-wis.' (810) 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

Yet hadde I lever spenden al the good Which that I have (and elles wexe I wood!) Than that ye sholden falle in swich mescheef.'

'For your good wil, sir, have ye right good preef,'

Quod the chanoun, 'and far-wel, grant mercy!' 1380

He wente his wey and never the preest him sy

After that day; and whan that this preest
sholde
(829)

Maken assay, at swich tyme as he wolde,
Of this receit, far-wel! it wolde nat be!
Lo, thus byjaped and bigyled was he! 1385
Thus maketh he his introduccioun
To bringe folk to hir destruccioun.-

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
late.

1410

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

Thyn yen daswen eek, as that me

thinketh,

31

And wel I woot, thy breeth ful soure stinketh,

That sheweth wel thou art not wel disposed;

Of me, certein, thou shalt nat been y-glosed.

Se how he ganeth, lo, this dronken wight, As though he wolde us swolwe anon-right. Hold cloos thy mouth, man, by thy fader kin!

37

The devel of helle sette his foot ther-in!
Thy cursed breeth infecte wol us alle;
Fy, stinking swyn, fy! foule moot thee
falle!

40 A! taketh heed, sirs, of this lusty man. Now, swete sir, wol ye justen atte fan? Ther-to me thinketh ye been wel y-shape! I trowe that ye dronken han wyn ape, And that is whan men pleyen with a

straw.'

45

And with this speche the cook wex wrooth

and wraw,

And on the maunciple he gan nodde faste For lakke of speche, and doun the hors

him caste,

50

Wher as he lay, til that men up him took; This was a fayr chivachee of a cook! Allas! he nadde holde him by his ladel! And, er that he agayn were in his sadel, Ther was greet showving bothe to and fro, To lifte him up, and muchel care and wo, So unweldy was this sory palled gost. 55 And to the maunciple thanne spak our host,

'By-cause drink hath dominacioun Upon this man, by my savacioun

I trowe he lewedly wolde telle his tale. For, were it wyn, or old or moysty ale, 60