Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales

3753. Hl. nadde bleynt. 3759. Cm. wepte; Hl. wept. 3763. E. Hn. kultour; Cp. Pt. Ln. culter.

(580)

'What, who artow?' 'It am I, Absolon.'

'What, Absolon! for Cristes swete tree,

Why ryse ye so rathe, ey, benedicite!

What eyleth yow? som gay gerl, god it woot,

3770

Hath broght yow thus up-on the viritoot;

By sëynt Note, ye woot wel what I mene.'

3766. E. I am heere; rest it am I. 3770. E. Hn. Cp. viritoot; Pt. Vyritote; Ln. veritote; Cm. merytot; Hl. verytrot. 3771. Pt. Ln. seynt; rest seinte. Pt. Hl. Noet.

This Absolon ne roghte nat a bene

Of al his pley, no word agayn he yaf;

He hadde more tow on his distaf

3775

Than Gerveys knew, and seyde, 'freend so dere,

(590)

That hote culter in the chimenee here,

As lene it me, I have ther-with to done,

And I wol bringe it thee agayn ful sone.'

3776. E. kultour.

Gerveys answerde, 'certes, were it gold,

3780

Or in a poke nobles alle untold,

Thou sholdest have, as I am trewe smith;

Ey, Cristes foo! what wol ye do ther-with?'

[109: T. 3781-3815.]

3781. Hl. Ye schul him haue. 3782. Hl. fo; rest foo; ed. 1561, fote.

'Ther-of,' quod Absolon, 'be as be may;

I shal wel telle it thee to-morwe day'—

3785

And caughte the culter by the colde stele.

(600)

Ful softe out at the dore he gan to stele,

And wente un-to the carpenteres wal.

He cogheth first, and knokketh ther-with-al

Upon the windowe, right as he dide er.

3785. E. kultour.

3790

This Alison answerde, 'Who is ther

That knokketh so? I warante it a theef.'

'Why, nay,' quod he, 'god woot, my swete leef,

I am thyn Absolon, my dereling!

Of gold,' quod he, 'I have thee broght a ring;

3795

My moder yaf it me, so god me save,

(610)

Ful fyn it is, and ther-to wel y-grave;

This wol I yeve thee, if thou me kisse!'

3793. E. Hn. my; Cm. myn; Hl. O my; Cp. thi; Pt. thine; Ln. þin. E. deerelyng; Hn. Cm. Cp. derelyng.

This Nicholas was risen for to pisse,

And thoghte he wolde amenden al the Iape,

3800

He sholde kisse his ers er that he scape.

And up the windowe dide he hastily,

And out his ers he putteth prively

Over the buttok, to the haunche-bon;

And ther-with spak this clerk, this Absolon,

3805

'Spek, swete brid, I noot nat wher thou art.'

3800. E. om. ers.

(620)

This Nicholas anon leet flee a fart,

As greet as it had been a thonder-dent,

That with the strook he was almost y-blent;

And he was redy with his iren hoot,

3810

And Nicholas amidde the ers he smoot.

3810. E. om. the.

Of gooth the skin an hande-brede aboute,

The hole culter brende so his toute,

And for the smert he wende for to dye.

As he were wood, for wo he gan to crye—

3815

Help! water! water! help, for goddes herte!'

3812. E. kultour. 3813. And] Hn. That.

(630)

This carpenter out of his slomber sterte,

And herde oon cryen 'water' as he were wood,

[110: T. 3816-3848.]

And thoghte, 'Allas! now comth Nowelis flood!'

He sit him up with-outen wordes mo,

3820

And with his ax he smoot the corde a-two,

And doun goth al; he fond neither to selle,

Ne breed ne ale, til he cam to the celle

Up-on the floor; and ther aswowne he lay.

3818. E. Hn. Nowelis; Cp. Noweles ( intentionally ); Cm. Newel is ; Pt. Ln. Hl. noes. 3821. Hl. he goth ( for goth al). E. Hn. foond.

Up sterte hir Alison, and Nicholay,

3835

And cryden 'out' and 'harrow' in the strete.

(640)

The neighebores, bothe smale and grete,

In ronnen, for to gauren on this man,

That yet aswowne he lay, bothe pale and wan;

For with the fal he brosten hadde his arm;

3830

But stonde he moste un-to his owne harm.

For whan he spak, he was anon bore doun

With hende Nicholas and Alisoun.

They tolden every man that he was wood,

He was agast so of 'Nowelis flood'

3835

Thurgh fantasye, that of his vanitee

(650)

He hadde y-boght him kneding-tubbes three,

And hadde hem hanged in the roof above;

And that he preyed hem, for goddes love,

To sitten in the roof, par companye .

3828. E. Hn. he; rest om. 3831. Pt. Ln. Hl. born. 3834. E. Hn. Nowelis; Cp. Ln. the Nowels; Pt. þe Noes; Hl. Noes. 3837. E. roue; see l. 3839. 3838. E. Hn. Ln. preyde.

3840

The folk gan laughen at his fantasye;

In-to the roof they kyken and they gape,

And turned al his harm un-to a Iape.

For what so that this carpenter answerde,

It was for noght, no man his reson herde;

3845

With othes grete he was so sworn adoun,

(660)

That he was holden wood in al the toun;

For every clerk anon-right heeld with other.

They seyde, 'the man is wood, my leve brother;'

And every wight gan laughen of this stryf.

3841. E. Hn. Cp. cape. 3846. E. holde. 3848. E. Hn. Hl. was; rest is. 3849. E. of this; Hn. at this; rest at his.

3850

Thus swyved was the carpenteres wyf,

[111: T. 3849-3852.]

For al his keping and his Ialousye;

And Absolon hath kist hir nether yë;

(667)

And Nicholas is scalded in the toute.

3854

This tale is doon, and god save al the route!

Here endeth the Millere his tale.

3850. E. this; rest the. 3852. Pt. Hl. ye; Hn. Iye; E. Ln. eye. 3853. E. Hn. the; rest his. Colophon. So E. ( with Heere); Hl. Pn. Here endeth the Millers tale; Hn. Here is ended the Millerys tale; Cp. Ln. Explicit fabula Molendinarii.

[112: T. 3853-3882.]

The prologe of the Reves tale.

3855

Whan folk had laughen at this nyce cas

Of Absolon and hende Nicholas,

Diverse folk diversely they seyde;

But, for the more part, they loughe and pleyde,

Ne at this tale I saugh no man him greve,

3860

But it were only Osewold the Reve,

By-cause he was of carpenteres craft.

A litel ire is in his herte y-laft,

He gan to grucche and blamed it a lyte.

3862. E. Pt. om. is.

(10)

'So theek,' quod he, 'ful wel coude I yow quyte

3865

With blering of a proud milleres yë,

If that me liste speke of ribaudye.

But ik am old, me list not pley for age;

Gras-tyme is doon, my fodder is now forage,

This whyte top wryteth myne olde yeres,

3870

Myn herte is al-so mowled as myne heres,

But-if I fare as dooth an open-ers;

That ilke fruit is ever leng the wers,

Til it be roten in mullok or in stree.

(20)

We olde men, I drede, so fare we;

3875

Til we be roten, can we nat be rype;

We hoppen ay, whyl that the world wol pype.

For in oure wil ther stiketh ever a nayl,

To have an hoor heed and a grene tayl,

As hath a leek; for thogh our might be goon,

3880

Our wil desireth folie ever in oon.

For whan we may nat doon, than wol we speke;

Yet in our asshen olde is fyr y-reke.

3865. E. Ln. eye. 3867. E. Hn. no ( for not). 3869. Hl. My ( for This). 3870. E. mowled also. 3872. E. leng; Ln. longe: rest lenger. 3876. E. ay whil that; Hn. alwey whil þat; rest alwey while.

Foure gledes han we, whiche I shal devyse,

(30)

Avaunting, lying, anger, coveityse;

[113: T. 3883-3918.]

3885

Thise foure sparkles longen un-to elde.

Our olde lemes mowe wel been unwelde,

But wil ne shal nat faillen, that is sooth.