Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 102

This preest him took a mark, and that as swythe, 1030 And this chanoun him thanked ofte sythe, And took his leve, and wente forth his weye, And at the thridde day broghte his moneye, (480) And to the preest he took his gold agayn, Wherof this preest was wonder glad and fayn. 1035

'Certes,' quod he, 'no-thing anoyeth me To lene a man a n.o.ble, or two or three, Or what thing were in my possessioun, Whan he so trewe is of condicioun, That in no wyse he breke wol his day; 1040 To swich a man I can never seye nay.'

'What!' quod this chanoun, 'sholde I be untrewe?

Nay, that were thing y-fallen al of-newe. (490) Trouthe is a thing that I wol ever kepe Un-to that day in which that I shal crepe 1045 In-to my grave, and elles G.o.d forbede; Bileveth this as siker as is your crede.

G.o.d thanke I, and in good tyme be it sayd, That ther was never man yet yvel apayd For gold ne silver that he to me lente, 1050 Ne never falshede in myn herte I mente.

And sir,' quod he, 'now of my privetee, Sin ye so goodlich han been un-to me, (500) And kythed to me so greet gentillesse, Somwhat to quyte with your kindenesse, 1055 I wol yow shewe, and, if yow list to lere, [542: T. 16525-16559.]

I wol yow teche pleynly the manere, How I can werken in philosophye.

Taketh good heed, ye shul wel seen at ye, That I wol doon a maistrie er I go.' 1060

1043. E. Cm. a thyng; _rest omit_ a. 1045. E. Ln. In-to; _rest_ Vn-to. 1046. E. or; _rest_ and. 1047. E. the; Hl. your; _rest_ is your. 1056. E. if that; _rest_ and if (_or_ yif.) 1059. Cp. Hl.

heed; E. Li. heede.

'Ye,' quod the preest, 'ye, sir, and wol ye so?

Marie! ther-of I pray yow hertely!'

1061. _After_ sir, E. _wrongly inserts_ quod he.

'At your comandement, sir, trewely,' (510) Quod the chanoun, 'and elles G.o.d forbede!'

Lo, how this theef coude his servyse bede! 1065 Ful sooth it is, that swich profred servyse Stinketh, as witnessen thise olde wyse; And that ful sone I wol it verifye In this chanoun, rote of al trecherye, That ever-more delyt hath and gladnesse-- 1070 Swich feendly thoughtes in his herte impresse-- How Cristes peple he may to meschief bringe; G.o.d kepe us from his fals dissimulinge! (520)

1073. E. Cm. false; _rest_ fals.

Noght wiste this preest with whom that he delte, Ne of his harm cominge he no-thing felte. 1075 O sely preest! o sely innocent!

With coveityse anon thou shall be blent!

O gracelees, ful blind is thy conceit, No-thing ne artow war of the deceit Which that this fox y-shapen hath to thee! 1080 His wyly wrenches thou ne mayst nat flee.

Wherfor, to go to the conclusioun That refereth to thy confusioun, (530) Unhappy man! anon I wol me hye To tellen thyn unwit and thy folye, 1085 And eek the falsnesse of that other wrecche, As ferforth as that my conning may strecche.

1078, 1079. Hn. Hl. conceyt, deceyt; E. conceite, deceite. 1080. E.

for; _rest_ to. 1085. E. his; Cm. heigh; _rest_ thy. 1087. Cm.

that, _which seems required; rest omit_.

This chanoun was my lord, ye wolden wene?

Sir host, in feith, and by the hevenes quene, It was another chanoun, and nat he, 1090 That can an hundred fold more subtiltee!

[543: T. 16560-16594.]

He hath bitrayed folkes many tyme; Of his falshede it dulleth me to ryme. (540) Ever whan that I speke of his falshede, For shame of him my chekes wexen rede; 1095 Algates, they biginnen for to glowe, For reednesse have I noon, right wel I knowe, In my visage; for fumes dyverse Of metals, which ye han herd me reherce, Consumed and wasted han my reednesse. 1100 Now tak heed of this chanouns cursednesse!

1101. E. heede; Hl. heed; Cm. hed.

'Sir,' quod he to the preest, 'lat your man gon For quik-silver, that we it hadde anon; (550) And lat him bringen ounces two or three; And whan he comth, as faste shul ye see 1105 A wonder thing, which ye saugh never er this.'

1103. E. Cm. hadde it; _rest_ it hadde. 1106. Cm. Cp. say; E. saugh.

'Sir,' quod the preest, 'it shall be doon, y-wis.'

He bad his servant fecchen him this thing, And he al redy was at his bidding, And wente him forth, and cam anon agayn 1110 With this quik-silver, soothly for to sayn, And took thise ounces three to the chanoun; And he hem leyde fayre and wel adoun, (560) And bad the servant coles for to bringe, That he anon mighte go to his werkinge. 1115

1111. E. Cm. soothly; _rest_ schortly. 1112. Hl. took; E. toke.

1113. E. Cm. hem; _rest_ it.

The coles right anon weren y-fet, And this chanoun took out a crosselet Of his bosom, and shewed it the preest.

'This instrument,' quod he, 'which that thou seest, Tak in thyn hand, and put thy-self ther-inne 1120 Of this quik-silver an ounce, and heer biginne, In the name of Crist, to wexe a philosofre.

Ther been ful fewe, whiche that I wolde profre (570) To shewen hem thus muche of my science.

For ye shul seen heer, by experience, 1125 That this quik-silver wol I mortifye [544: T. 16595-16627.]

Right in your sighte anon, withouten lye, And make it as good silver and as fyn As ther is any in your purs or myn, Or elleswher, and make it malliable; 1130 And elles, holdeth me fals and unable Amonges folk for ever to appere!

I have a poudre heer, that coste me dere, (580) Shal make al good, for it is cause of al My conning, which that I yow shewen shal. 1135 Voydeth your man, and lat him be ther-oute, And shet the dore, whyls we been aboute Our privetee, that no man us espye Whyls that we werke in this philosophye.'

Al as he bad, fulfilled was in dede, 1140 This ilke servant anon-right out yede, And his maister shette the dore anon, And to hir labour speedily they gon. (590)

1118. E. to the; _rest_ omit to. 1120. Hl. Cp. Tak; E. Taake. 1123.

E. to whiche; Cm. to whiche that; _rest_ whiche that. 1127. E. I wol nat; Hl. with-outen; Cm. w_i_t_h_-outyn; _the rest_ withoute (_or_ without.) 1128. E. _omits_ it. 1135. E. to yow; _rest omit_ to.

1137. Hl. Cp. Pt. schitte.

This preest, at this cursed chanouns bidding, Up-on the fyr anon sette this thing, 1145 And blew the fyr, and bisied him ful faste; And this chanoun in-to the croslet caste A poudre, noot I wher-of that it was Y-maad, other of chalk, other of glas, Or som-what elles, was nat worth a flye, 1150 To blynde with the preest; and bad him hye The coles for to couchen al above The croslet, 'for, in tokening I thee love,' (600) Quod this chanoun, 'thyn owene hondes two Shul werche al thing which that shal heer be do.' 1155

1147. Cm. Hl. croslet; E. Li. crosselet. _So in_ 1153. 1149. other (2)] E. Li. or: Pt. or ellis. 1155. Cm. Hl. that; E. _om._; _rest_ as. E. Cm. heer; _rest om._

'Graunt mercy,' quod the preest, and was ful glad, And couched coles as the chanoun bad.

And whyle he bisy was, this feendly wrecche, This fals chanoun, the foule feend him fecche!

[545: T. 16628-16659.]

Out of his bosom took a bechen cole, 1160 In which ful subtilly was maad an hole, And ther-in put was of silver lymaille An ounce, and stopped was, with-outen fayle, (610) The hole with wex, to kepe the lymail in.

And understondeth, that this false gin 1165 Was nat maad ther, but it was maad bifore; And othere thinges I shal telle more Herafterward, which that he with him broghte; Er he cam ther, him to bigyle he thoghte, And so he dide, er that they wente a-twinne; 1170 Til he had torned him, coude he not blinne.

It dulleth me whan that I of him speke, On his falshede fayn wolde I me wreke, (620) If I wiste how; but he is heer and ther: He is so variaunt, he abit no-wher. 1175

1157. E. Cm. cole; _rest_ coles. E. that; Cm. that the; _rest_ the.

1159. Li. Pt. Ln. fals; _rest_ false. 1160. E. he took; _rest omit_ he. 1162, 1164. E. lemaille; _but_ Cm. lymayle, lymayl; _see_ l.

853. 1171. E. terned; Cm. ternede; _rest_ torned, turned. E. he coude. 1175. E. Cp. that he; _rest omit_ that.

But taketh heed now, sirs, for G.o.ddes love!

He took his cole of which I spak above, And in his hond he baar it prively.

And whyls the preest couchede busily The coles, as I tolde yow er this, 1180 This chanoun seyde, 'freend, ye doon amis; This is nat couched as it oghte be; But sone I shal amenden it,' quod he. (630) 'Now lat me medle therwith but a whyle, For of yow have I pitee, by seint Gyle! 1185 Ye been right hoot, I see wel how ye swete, Have heer a cloth, and wype awey the wete.'

And whyles that the preest wyped his face, This chanoun took his cole with harde grace, And leyde it above, up-on the middeward 1190 Of the croslet, and blew wel afterward, [546: T. 16660-16695.]

Til that the coles gonne faste brenne.

1177. E. this; _rest_ his; _see_ l. 1189. 1179. Cm. couchede; Cp.

couchide; _rest_ couched. 1188. Cm. Pt. whilis; Hl. Lichf. whiles; E.

whils. 1189. _So_ E.; Cm. with sory grace (_see_ l. 665). _Most MSS.

have_. I shrewe his face, _and make_ l. 1188 _end with_ him wyped has. 1190. E. _has_ aboue vp on; Cm. _the same, but omitting_ it; Hl.

abouen on; _the rest_ vpon abouen. 1191. Cm. Hl. croslet; E. Cp.

crosselet.

'Now yeve us drinke,' quod the chanoun thenne, (640) '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 understood. (650) And whan this alkamistre saugh his tyme, 'Rys up,' quod he, 'sir preest, and stondeth by me; 1205 And for I woot wel ingot have ye noon, Goth, walketh forth, and bring us a chalk-stoon; For I wol make oon of the same shap That is an ingot, if I may han hap.

And bringeth eek with yow a bolle or a panne, 1210 Ful of water, and ye shul see wel thanne How that our bisinesse shal thryve and preve.

And yet, for ye shul han no misbileve (660) Ne wrong conceit of me in your absence, I ne wol nat been out of your presence, 1215 But go with yow, and come with yow ageyn.'

The chambre-dore, shortly for to seyn, They opened and shette, and wente hir weye.

And forth with hem they carieden the keye, And come agayn with-outen any delay. 1220 What sholde I tarien al the longe day?

He took the chalk, and shoop it in the wyse Of an ingot, as I shal yow devyse. (670)