Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales

(310)

This carpenter goth doun, and comth ageyn,

And broghte of mighty ale a large quart;

And whan that ech of hem had dronke his part,

[101: T. 3499-3534.]

This Nicholas his dore faste shette,

3500

And doun the carpenter by him he sette.

He seyde, 'Iohn, myn hoste lief and dere,

Thou shall up-on thy trouthe swere me here,

That to no wight thou shalt this conseil wreye;

For it is Cristes conseil that I seye,

3505

And if thou telle it man, thou are forlore;

(320)

For this vengaunce thou shalt han therfore,

That if thou wreye me, thou shalt be wood!'

'Nay, Crist forbede it, for his holy blood!'

Quod tho this sely man, 'I nam no labbe,

3510

Ne, though I seye, I nam nat lief to gabbe.

Sey what thou wolt, I shal it never telle

To child ne wyf, by him that harwed helle!'

3501. Cp. Pt. hooste; Ln. ostee; Hl. host ful; E. Hn. hoost; Cm. ost. 3505. E. om. it. 3510. E. Hl. am; rest nam, ne am.

'Now John,' quod Nicholas, 'I wol nat lye;

I have y-founde in myn astrologye,

3515

As I have loked in the mone bright,

(330)

That now, a Monday next, at quarter-night,

Shal falle a reyn and that so wilde and wood,

That half so greet was never Noës flood.

This world,' he seyde, 'in lasse than in an hour

3520

Shal al be dreynt, so hidous is the shour;

Thus shal mankynde drenche and lese hir lyf.'

3516. a] Hl. on. 3519. Cm. Hl. om. 2nd in.

This carpenter answerde, 'allas, my wyf!

And shal she drenche? allas! myn Alisoun!'

For sorwe of this he fil almost adoun,

3525

And seyde, 'is ther no remedie in this cas?'

3525. Pt. Ln. om. ther.

(340)

'Why, yis, for gode,' quod hende Nicholas,

'If thou wolt werken after lore and reed;

Thou mayst nat werken after thyn owene heed.

For thus seith Salomon, that was ful trewe,

3530

"Werk al by conseil, and thou shalt nat rewe."

And if thou werken wolt by good conseil,

I undertake, with-outen mast and seyl,

Yet shal I saven hir and thee and me

Hastow nat herd how saved was Noë,

[102: T. 3535-3570.]

3535

Whan that our lord had warned him biforn

(350)

That al the world with water sholde be lorn?'

3527. E. aftir. 3534. E. hou. 3535. Hl. had; E. Hn. Cm. hadde.

'Yis,' quod this carpenter, 'ful yore ago.'

'Hastow nat herd,' quod Nicholas, 'also

The sorwe of Noë with his felawshipe,

3540

Er that he mighte gete his wyf to shipe?

Him had be lever, I dar wel undertake,

At thilke tyme, than alle hise wetheres blake,

That she hadde had a ship hir-self allone.

And ther-fore, wostou what is best to done?

3545

This asketh haste, and of an hastif thing

(360)

Men may nat preche or maken tarying.

3539. E. felaweshipe. 3540. E. brynge; rest gete. 3541. E. hadde; leuere. 3544. E. woostou; doone.

Anon go gete us faste in-to this in

A kneding-trogh, or elles a kimelin,

For ech of us, but loke that they be large,

3550

In whiche we mowe swimme as in a barge,

And han ther-inne vitaille suffisant

But for a day; fy on the remenant!

The water shal aslake and goon away

Aboute pryme up-on the nexte day.

3555

But Robin may nat wite of this, thy knave,

(370)

Ne eek thy mayde Gille I may nat save;

Axe nat why, for though thou aske me,

I wol nat tellen goddes privetee.

Suffiseth thee, but if thy wittes madde,

3560

To han as greet a grace as Noë hadde.

Thy wyf shal I wel saven, out of doute,

Go now thy wey, and speed thee heer-aboute.

3548. E. ellis. E. kymelyn; Hl. kemelyn.

But whan thou hast, for hir and thee and me,

Y-geten us thise kneding-tubbes three,

3565

Than shaltow hange hem in the roof ful hye,

(380)

That no man of our purveyaunce spye.

And whan thou thus hast doon as I have seyd,

And hast our vitaille faire in hem y-leyd,

And eek an ax, to smyte the corde atwo

3570

When that the water comth, that we may go,

[103: T. 3571-3606.]

And broke an hole an heigh, up-on the gable,

Unto the gardin-ward, over the stable,

That we may frely passen forth our way

Whan that the grete shour is goon away—

3575

Than shaltow swimme as myrie, I undertake,

(390)

As doth the whyte doke after hir drake.

Than wol I clepe, "how! Alison! how! John!

Be myrie, for the flood wol passe anon."

And thou wolt seyn, "hayl, maister Nicholay!

3580

Good morwe, I se thee wel, for it is day."

And than shul we be lordes al our lyf

Of al the world, as Noë and his wyf.

3565: E. Thanne. 3571. E. Pt. Ln. broke; rest breke. 3575. E. Thanne. E. shal I; rest shaltow, shalt thou. 3577. E. Thanne.

But of o thyng I warne thee ful right,

Be wel avysed, on that ilke night

3585

That we ben entred in-to shippes bord,

(400)

That noon of us ne speke nat a word,

Ne clepe, ne crye, but been in his preyere;

For it is goddes owne heste dere.

3588. E. heeste.

Thy wyf and thou mote hange fer a-twinne,

3590

For that bitwixe yow shal be no sinne

No more in looking than ther shal in dede;

This ordinance is seyd, go, god thee spede!

Tomorwe at night, whan men ben alle aslepe,

In-to our kneding-tubbes wol we crepe,

3595

And sitten ther, abyding goddes grace.

(410)

Go now thy wey, I have no lenger space

To make of this no lenger sermoning.

Men seyn thus, "send the wyse, and sey no-thing;"

Thou art so wys, it nedeth thee nat teche;

3600

Go, save our lyf, and that I thee biseche.'

3591. E. Hn. Na. 3592. E. Pt. Hl. so; rest go. 3593. E. folk; Cm. we; rest men. 3598. E. sende. 3599. E. to preche; Cp. to teche; rest teche.

This sely carpenter goth forth his wey.

Ful ofte he seith 'allas' and 'weylawey,'

And to his wyf he tolde his privetee;

And she was war, and knew it bet than he,

3605

What al this queynte cast was for to seye.

(420)

But nathelees she ferde as she wolde deye,

[104: T. 3607-3641.]

And seyde, 'allas! go forth thy wey anon,

Help us to scape, or we ben lost echon;

I am thy trewe verray wedded wyf;

3610

Go, dere spouse, and help to save our lyf.'

3608. Cm. er ( for or). E. lost; rest dede, deede, ded. 3609. Cm. Hl. verray trewe.

Lo! which a greet thyng is affeccioun!

Men may dye of imaginacioun,

So depe may impressioun be take.

This sely carpenter biginneth quake;

3615

Him thinketh verraily that he may see

(430)

Noës flood come walwing as the see

To drenchen Alisoun, his hony dere.

He wepeth, weyleth, maketh sory chere,

He syketh with ful many a sory swogh.

3620

He gooth and geteth him a kneding-trogh,

And after that a tubbe and a kimelin,

And prively he sente hem to his in,

And heng hem in the roof in privetee.

His owne hand he made laddres three,

3625

To climben by the ronges and the stalkes

(440)

Un-to the tubbes hanginge in the balkes,

And hem vitailled, bothe trogh and tubbe,

With breed and chese, and good ale in a Iubbe,

Suffysinge right y-nogh as for a day.

3630

But er that he had maad al this array,

He sente his knave, and eek his wenche also,

Up-on his nede to London for to go.

And on the Monday, whan it drow to night,

He shette his dore with-oute candel-light,