Thanked be God!—al hool his marchandise, 1535

Save that he moste, in allė maner wise,
Maken a chevyssaunce as for his beste,

And thanne he sholdė been in joye and reste.
Daun John answérdė, "Certės I am fayn,
That ye in heele ar comen hom agayn,
And if that I were riche, as have I blisse,
Of twenty thousand sheeld shold ye nat mysse,
For ye so kyndėly this oother day

1540

Lente me gold, and as I kan and may

I thanke yow, by God and by Seint Jame!

1545

But nathėlees I took unto oure dame,
Youre wyf, at hom, the same gold ageyn
Upon youre bench, she woot it wel certeyn,
By certeyn tokenes that I kan yow telle.

Now by youre leve I may no lenger dwelle;

1550

Oure abbot wole out of this toun anon,

And in his compaignÿė moot I goon.

Grete wel oure dame, myn owene necè sweete,
And fare wel, deerẻ cosyn, til we meete!"

This marchant, which that was ful war and wys,

Creanced hath and payd eek in Parys

To certeyn Lumbardes, redy in hir hond,

1556

The somme of gold, and hadde of hem his bond; And hoom he gooth, murie as a papejay,

That nedės moste he wynne in that viage
A thousand frankes aboven al his costage.

1565

His wyf ful redy mette hym attė gate,
As she was wont of oold usage algate,
And al that nyght in myrthe they bisette,
For he was riche and cleerly out of dette.
Whan it was day this marchant gan embrace
His wyf al newe, and kiste hire on hir face,
And up he gooth and maketh it ful tough.
'Namoore," quod she, "by God, ye have
ynough!"

And wantownely agayn with hym she pleyde ;
Til atté laste thus this marchant seyde:

"By God," quod he, "I am a litel wrooth

1570

With yow, my wyf, although it were me looth;
And woot ye why? By God, as that I gesse 1575
That ye han maad a manere straungėnesse
Bitwixen me and my cosyn daun John,-

Ye sholde han warned me, er I had gon,
That he yow hadde an hundred frankės payed,

By redy tokene,—and heeld hym yvele apayed
For that I to hym spak of chevyssaunce—
Me semed so as by his contenaunce--

1581

But nathėlees, by God, oure hevene kyng,

I thoughtė nat to axen hym no thyng.

1585

I prey thee, wyf, as do namoorė so;

Telle me alwey, er that I fro thee go,

1561. viage, journey.

1565. bisette, busied themselves. 1571. agayn with hym she, H with him sche lay, etc.

1572. thus, om. E4; Corp.2

that.

1580. yvele apayed, ill-con

tented.

If any dettour hath in myn absence

Y-payed thee, lest thurgh thy necligence

I myghte hym axe a thing that he hath payed.”

This wyf was nat afered nor affrayed,

But boldėly she seyde, and that anon,
"Marie, I deffie the false monk, Daun John!
I kepe nat of hise tokenes never a deel!
He took me certeyn gold, that woot I weel.
What, yvel thedam on his monkės snowte!
For, God it woot, I wende withouten doute
That he hadde geve it me bycause of yow,
To doon therwith myn honour and my prow,
For cosynage, and eek for beelė cheere,
That he hath had ful ofte tymės heere.
But sith I se I stonde in this disjoynt,
I wol answére yow shortly to the poynt.
Ye han mo slakkere dettours than am I,
For I wol paye yow wel and redily

may;

Fro day to day, and if so be I faille,
I am youre wyf, score it upon my taille,
And I shal paye as soone as ever I
For by my trouthe, I have on myn array,
And nat on wast, bistowed every deel;
And for I have bistowed it so weel

For youre honour, for Goddės sake, I seye,

As be nat wrooth, but lat us laughe and pleye.
Ye shal my joly body have to wedde;

1593. kepe, reck.

1595. yvel thedam, ill-luck.

1598. prow, profit.

1599. beele cheere, good cheer.

1601. disjoynt, dilemma.
1609. wast, waste.

every deel, every bit.
1613. to wedde, as pledge.

1590

1595

1600

1605

1610

1615

By God! I wol nat paye yow but abedde.
Forgyve it me, myn owene spousé deere,
Turne hiderward, and maketh bettrẻ cheere!"
This marchant saugh ther was no remedie,
And for to chide it nere but greet folie,
Sith that the thyng may nat amended be.
"Now, wyf," he seyde, "and I forgeve it thee, 1620
But by thy lyf ne be namoore so large;

Keepe bet oure good, this geve I thee in charge."
Thus endeth now my tale, and God us sende
Taillynge ynough unto oure lyves ende. Amen.

Bihoold the murie wordes of the Hoost to the Shipman, and to the lady Prioresse

"Wel seyd! by corpus dominus," quod our Hoost; "Now longe moote thou saille by the cost, Sire gentil maister, gentil maryneer !

1626

God geve this monk a thousand last quade yeer! A ha, felawes, beth ware of swiche a jape!

The monk putte in the mannės hood an ape, 1630

And in his wyvės eek, by Seint Austyn !

Draweth no monkės moore unto youre in.

"But now passe over, and lat us seke aboute,

1617. ther was no, H noon

oother.

1618. nere but greet, H6 om.
greet, H nas for nere.

1621. large, extravagant.
1622. oure, H5 my, Heng. thy.
this, E that.

1623. now, om. EH2.
1625. dominus, H boones.
1628. last quade yeer, loads of
bad years.
1629. jape, trick.
1632. in, inn.

Who shal now telle first of al this route

Another tale;" and with that word he sayde, 1635
As curteisly as it had ben a mayde,
"My lady Prioressé, by youre leve,
So that I wiste I sholdė yow nat greve,
I wolde demen that ye tellen sholde

A talé next, if so were that ye wolde.
Now wol ye vouchėsauf, my lady deere?"

1640

"Gladly," quod she, and seyde as ye shal heere.

PRIORESS'S TALE

The Prologe of the Prioresses Tale

"O Lord, oure Lord, thy name how merveillous Is in this large world y-sprad," quod she; "For noght oonly thy laudė precious Parfourned is by men of dignitee,

But by the mouth of children thy bountee
Parfourned is; for on the brest soukýnge
Somtyme shewen they thyn heriynge."

Wherfore, in laude as I best kan or may,
Of thee, and of the white lylye flour,
Which that the bar and is a mayde alway,
To telle a storie I wol do my labour;

1643. O Lord, oure Lord, etc.
the beginning of Ps. viii.
1646. Parfourned, consum-
mated.

1645

1650

1647. the mouth, H mouthes.
1649. heriynge, praising.
1651. white, om. E.
1652. the bar, bare thee.