Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales

And she answerde hir housbond ther-with-al,

'Yis, god wot, Iohn, I here it every-del.'

3350. Hn. Hl. ne; rest om. 3362. Cm. preye; Hl. praye; Ln. preie; E. Hn. Cp. Pt. pray. E. wole; Cm. wele; Hn. Hl. wol; rest wil. E. thynke; rest rewe. 3364. E. om. him.

3370

This passeth forth; what wol ye bet than wel?

Fro day to day this Ioly Absolon

So woweth hir, that him is wo bigon.

He waketh al the night and al the day;

He kempte hise lokkes brode, and made him gay;

3375

He woweth hir by menes and brocage,

(190)

And swoor he wolde been hir owne page;

He singeth, brokkinge as a nightingale;

He sente hir piment, meeth, and spyced ale,

And wafres, pyping hote out of the glede;

3380

And for she was of toune, he profred mede.

For som folk wol ben wonnen for richesse,

And som for strokes, and som for gentillesse.

3371. E. repeats to day. 3374. Cm. kempte; Hn. Ln. kembed; Cp. kembede; E. Pt. kembeth. 3379. Cm. Pt. Ln. hote; E. Hn. Cp. hoot. 3380. E. profreth.

Somtyme, to shewe his lightnesse and maistrye,

He pleyeth Herodes on a scaffold hye.

3385

But what availleth him as in this cas?

(200)

She loveth so this hende Nicholas,

That Absolon may blowe the bukkes horn;

He ne hadde for his labour but a scorn;

And thus she maketh Absolon hir ape,

3390

And al his ernest turneth til a Iape.

Ful sooth is this proverbe, it is no lye,

Men seyn right thus, 'alwey the nye slye

[98: T. 3393-3429.]

Maketh the ferre leve to be looth.'

For though that Absolon be wood or wrooth,

3395

By-cause that he fer was from hir sighte,

(210)

This nye Nicholas stood in his lighte.

3384. Hl. Herodz; Ln. Heraude; rest Herodes, Heraudes. Hl. on; rest vp on. 3390. Hl. Pt. to; rest til.

Now bere thee wel, thou hende Nicholas!

For Absolon may waille and singe 'allas.'

And so bifel it on a Saterday,

3400

This carpenter was goon til Osenay;

And hende Nicholas and Alisoun

Acorded been to this conclusioun,

That Nicholas shal shapen him a wyle

This sely Ialous housbond to bigyle;

3405

And if so be the game wente aright,

(220)

She sholde slepen in his arm al night,

For this was his desyr and hir also.

And right anon, with-outen wordes mo,

This Nicholas no lenger wolde tarie,

3410

But doth ful softe un-to his chambre carie

Bothe mete and drinke for a day or tweye,

And to hir housbonde bad hir for to seye,

If that he axed after Nicholas,

She sholde seye she niste where he was,

3415

Of al that day she saugh him nat with yë;

(230)

She trowed that he was in maladye,

For, for no cry, hir mayde coude him calle;

He nolde answere, for no-thing that mighte falle.

3415. Cm. Pt. ye; Hl. Iye; rest eye. 3418. Hn. Cm. Cp. Ln. no thyng; Pt. Hl. nought; E. thyng. Pt. Hl. may bifalle. ( Read mighte as might').

This passeth forth al thilke Saterday,

3420

That Nicholas stille in his chambre lay,

And eet and sleep, or dide what him leste,

Til Sonday, that the sonne gooth to reste.

This sely carpenter hath greet merveyle

Of Nicholas, or what thing mighte him eyle,

3425

And seyde, 'I am adrad, by seint Thomas,

(240)

It stondeth nat aright with Nicholas.

God shilde that he deyde sodeynly!

This world is now ful tikel, sikerly;

I saugh to-day a cors y-born to chirche

[99: T. 3430-3465.]

3430

That now, on Monday last, I saugh him wirche.

Go up,' quod he un-to his knave anoon,

'Clepe at his dore, or knokke with a stoon,

Loke how it is, and tel me boldely.'

This knave gooth him up ful sturdily,

3435

And at the chambre-dore, whyl that he stood,

(250)

He cryde and knokked as that he were wood:—

'What! how! what do ye, maister Nicholay?

How may ye slepen al the longe day?'

But al for noght, he herde nat a word;

3440

An hole he fond, ful lowe up-on a bord,

Ther as the cat was wont in for to crepe;

And at that hole he looked in ful depe,

And at the laste he hadde of him a sighte.

This Nicholas sat gaping ever up-righte,

3445

As he had kyked on the newe mone.

(260)

Adoun he gooth, and tolde his maister sone

In what array he saugh this ilke man.

3440. E. Hn. foond; Pt. foonde. 3444. E. Hn. Cp. capyng. 3445. Cp. Ln. keked; Hl. loked. 3447. E. Pt. that; rest this.

This carpenter to blessen him bigan,

And seyde, 'help us, seinte Frideswyde!

3450

A man woot litel what him shal bityde.

This man is falle, with his astromye,

In som woodnesse or in som agonye;

I thoghte ay wel how that it sholde be!

Men sholde nat knowe of goddes privetee.

3455

Ye, blessed be alwey a lewed man,

(270)

That noght but oonly his bileve can!

So ferde another clerk with astromye;

He walked in the feeldes for to prye

Up-on the sterres, what ther sholde bifalle,

3460

Til he was in a marle-pit y-falle;

He saugh nat that. But yet, by seint Thomas,

Me reweth sore of hende Nicholas.

He shal be rated of his studying,

If that I may, by Iesus, hevene king!

3451. E. Hn. Astromye; Ln. Arstromye; rest astronomye; but Astromye is meant; see l. 3457. 3457. So E. Hn.; rest astronomye. 3460. E. -put.

3465

Get me a staf, that I may underspore,

[100: T. 3466-3498.]

(280)

Whyl that thou, Robin, hevest up the dore.

He shal out of his studying, as I gesse'—

And to the chambre-dore he gan him dresse.

His knave was a strong carl for the nones,

3470

And by the haspe he haf it up atones;

In-to the floor the dore fil anon.

This Nicholas sat ay as stille as stoon,

And ever gaped upward in-to the eir.

This carpenter wende he were in despeir,

3475

And hente him by the sholdres mightily,

(290)

And shook him harde, and cryde spitously,

'What! Nicholay! what, how! what! loke adoun!

Awake, and thenk on Cristes passioun;

I crouche thee from elves and fro wightes!'

3480

Ther-with the night-spel seyde he anon-rightes

On foure halves of the hous aboute,

And on the threshfold of the dore with-oute:—

'Iesu Crist, and seynt Benedight,

Blesse this hous from every wikked wight,

3485

For nightes verye, the white pater-noster !

(300)

Where wentestow, seynt Petres soster?'

3466. E. of; rest vp, vpe. 3470. Cm. Hl. haf; E. Hn. haaf; Cp. heef. Hn. Pt. Ln. Hl. vp; rest of. 3473. E. Hn. caped; Hl. capyd; Cp. capede; rest gaped, gapede. 3477. Hl. man ( for 3rd what); rest om. 3485. All but E. Hl. For the nyghtes. E. Hn. uerye; Cm. verie; Cp. Pt. verye; Ln. very; Hl. verray. 3486. Cm. wonyst þ o u; Hl. wonestow; after which Cm. Hl. ins. now.

And atte laste this hende Nicholas

Gan for to syke sore, and seyde, 'allas!

Shal al the world be lost eftsones now?'

3487. Hl. om. this. 3489. E. this; rest the.

3490

This carpenter answerde, 'what seystow?

What! thenk on god, as we don, men that swinke.'

3491. Hn. Pt. Hl. thenk; rest thynk; see 3478. Cm. as men don whan they swinke.

This Nicholas answerde, 'fecche me drinke;

And after wol I speke in privetee

Of certeyn thing that toucheth me and thee;

3495

I wol telle it non other man, certeyn.'