Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 58

And forther over, I wol thee telle al plat, (320) That vengeance shal nat parten from his hous, That of his othes is to outrageous. 650 'By G.o.ddes precious herte, and by his nayles, And by the blode of Crist, that it is in Hayles, Seven is my chaunce, and thyn is cink and treye; By G.o.ddes armes, if thou falsly pleye, This dagger shal thurgh-out thyn herte go'-- 655 This fruyt cometh of the bicched bones two, Forswering, ire, falsnesse, homicyde.

Now, for the love of Crist that for us dyde, (330) Leveth your othes, bothe grete and smale; But, sirs, now wol I telle forth my tale. 660

632. Cp. Ln. Hl. _om._ yet. 644. Hn. Cm. Hl. many a.; E. any; Cp. Pt.

Ln. eny other. 656. Hl. bicchid; Ln. becched; Hn. Cm. bicche; Pt.

thilk. 659. E. Hn. Lete; _rest_ Leueth.

Thise ryotoures three, of whiche I telle, Longe erst er pryme rong of any belle, Were set hem in a taverne for to drinke; And as they satte, they herde a belle clinke Biforn a cors, was caried to his grave; 665 That oon of hem gan callen to his knave, 'Go bet,' quod he, 'and axe redily, What cors is this that pa.s.seth heer forby; (340) And look that thou reporte his name wel.'

661. E. Hn. Pt. Hl. riotours. 663. Cp. Pt. Hl. for; _rest om._

'Sir,' quod this boy, 'it nedeth never-a-del. 670 It was me told, er ye cam heer, two houres; [311: T. 12606-12642.]

He was, pardee, an old felawe of youres; And sodeynly he was y-slayn to-night, For-dronke, as he sat on his bench upright; Ther cam a privee theef, men clepeth Deeth, 675 That in this contree al the peple sleeth, And with his spere he smoot his herte a-two, And wente his wey with-outen wordes mo. (350) He hath a thousand slayn this pestilence: And, maister, er ye come in his presence, 680 Me thinketh that it were necessarie For to be war of swich an adversarie: Beth redy for to mete him evermore.

Thus taughte me my dame, I sey na-more.'

'By seinte Marie,' seyde this taverner, 685 'The child seith sooth, for he hath slayn this yeer, Henne over a myle, with-in a greet village, Both man and womman, child and hyne, and page. (360) I trowe his habitacioun be there; To been avysed greet wisdom it were, 690 Er that he dide a man a dishonour.'

'Ye, G.o.ddes armes,' quod this ryotour, 'Is it swich peril with him for to mete?

I shal him seke by wey and eek by strete, I make avow to G.o.ddes digne bones! 695 Herkneth, felawes, we three been al ones; Lat ech of us holde up his hond til other, (370) And ech of us bicomen otheres brother, And we wol sleen this false traytour Deeth; He shal be slayn, which that so many sleeth, 700 By G.o.ddes dignitee, er it be night.'

Togidres han thise three her trouthes plight, To live and dyen ech of hem for other, As though he were his owene y-boren brother.

And up they sterte al dronken, in this rage, 705 And forth they goon towardes that village, Of which the taverner had spoke biforn, And many a grisly ooth than han they sworn, (380) [312: T. 12643-12680.]

And Cristes blessed body they to-rente-- 'Deeth shal be deed, if that they may him hente.' 710

704. E. yborn; Hn. ybore; Cm. bore; Pt. born; Cp. Ln. Hl. sworne.

705. E. Hn. stirte. Hn. Cp. Ln. Hl. al; E. Cm. Pt. and. 710. they]

Cp. Pt. Ln. we.

Whan they han goon nat fully half a myle, Right as they wolde han troden over a style, An old man and a povre with hem mette.

This olde man ful mekely hem grette, And seyde thus, 'now, lordes, G.o.d yow see!' 715

The proudest of thise ryotoures three Answerde agayn, 'what? carl, with sory grace, Why artow al forwrapped save thy face? (390) Why livestow so longe in so greet age?'

This olde man gan loke in his visage, 720 And seyde thus, 'for I ne can nat finde A man, though that I walked in-to Inde, Neither in citee nor in no village, That wolde chaunge his youthe for myn age; And therfore moot I han myn age stille, 725 As longe time as it is G.o.ddes wille.

Ne deeth, allas! ne wol nat han my lyf; Thus walke I, lyk a restelees caityf, (400) And on the ground, which is my modres gate, I knokke with my staf, bothe erly and late, 730 And seye, "leve moder, leet me in!

Lo, how I vanish, flesh, and blood, and skin!

Allas! whan shul my bones been at reste?

Moder, with yow wolde I chaunge my cheste, That in my chambre longe tyme hath be, 735 Ye! for an heyre clout to wrappe me!"

But yet to me she wol nat do that grace, For which ful pale and welked is my face. (410)

But, sirs, to yow it is no curteisye To speken to an old man vileinye, 740 But he trespa.s.se in worde, or elles in dede.

In holy writ ye may your-self wel rede, "Agayns an old man, hoor upon his heed, Ye sholde aryse;" wherfor I yeve yow reed, Ne dooth un-to an old man noon harm now, 745 Na-more than ye wolde men dide to yow [313: T. 12681-12718.]

In age, if that ye so longe abyde; And G.o.d be with yow, wher ye go or ryde. (420) I moot go thider as I have to go.'

746. E. Hn. than that; _rest omit_ that.

'Nay, olde cherl, by G.o.d, thou shall nat so,' 750 Seyde this other hasardour anon; 'Thou partest nat so lightly, by seint Iohn!

Thou spak right now of thilke traitour Deeth, That in this contree alle our frendes sleeth.

Have heer my trouthe, as thou art his aspye, 755 Tel wher he is, or thou shalt it abye, By G.o.d, and by the holy sacrament!

For soothly thou art oon of his a.s.sent, (430) To sleen us yonge folk, thou false theef!'

'Now, sirs,' quod he, 'if that yow be so leef 760 To finde Deeth, turne up this croked wey, For in that grove I lafte him, by my fey, Under a tree, and ther he wol abyde; Nat for your boost he wol him no-thing hyde.

See ye that ook? right ther ye shul him finde. 765 G.o.d save yow, that boghte agayn mankinde, And yow amende!'--thus seyde this olde man.

And everich of thise ryotoures ran, (440) Til he cam to that tree, and ther they founde Of florins fyne of golde y-coyned rounde 770 Wel ny an eighte busshels, as hem thoughte.

No lenger thanne after Deeth they soughte, But ech of hem so glad was of that sighte, For that the florins been so faire and brighte, That doun they sette hem by this precious hord. 775 The worste of hem he spake the firste word.

760. E. Cm. ye; Hn. Hl. yow.

'Brethren,' quod he, 'tak kepe what I seye; My wit is greet, though that I bourde and pleye. (450) This tresor hath fortune un-to us yiven, In mirthe and Iolitee our lyf to liven, 780 And lightly as it comth, so wol we spende.

Ey! G.o.ddes precious dignitee! who wende To-day, that we sholde han so fair a grace?

But mighte this gold be caried fro this place [314: T. 12719-12754.]

Hoom to myn hous, or elles un-to youres-- 785 For wel ye woot that al this gold is oures-- Than were we in heigh felicitee.

But trewely, by daye it may nat be; (460) Men wolde seyn that we were theves stronge, And for our owene tresor doon us honge. 790 This tresor moste y-caried be by nighte As wysly and as slyly as it mighte.

Wherfore I rede that cut among us alle Be drawe, and lat se wher the cut wol falle; And he that hath the cut with herte blythe 795 Shal renne to the toune, and that ful swythe, And bringe us breed and wyn ful prively.

And two of us shul kepen subtilly (470) This tresor wel; and, if he wol nat tarie, Whan it is night, we wol this tresor carie 800 By oon a.s.sent, wher-as us thinketh best.'

That oon of hem the cut broughte in his fest, And bad hem drawe, and loke wher it wol falle; And it fil on the yongeste of hem alle; And forth toward the toun he wente anon. 805 And al-so sone as that he was gon, That oon of hem spak thus un-to that other, 'Thou knowest wel thou art my sworne brother, (480) Thy profit wol I telle thee anon.

Thou woost wel that our felawe is agon; 810 And heer is gold, and that ful greet plentee, That shal departed been among us three.

But natheles, if I can shape it so That it departed were among us two, Hadde I nat doon a freendes torn to thee?' 815

779. E. Hn. Pt. Ln. yeuen. 780. E. Ioliftee. 796. Hl. Ln. the; _rest omit._ 803. E. hym; _rest_ hem. E. Hn. Cp. wol; Hl. wil; Cm.

Pt. Ln. wolde. 807. E. _omits_ of hem. 808. E. Hn. Pt. sworn; Cm.

swore: Cp. Ln. Hl. sworne.

That other answerde, 'I noot how that may be; He woot how that the gold is with us tweye, What shal we doon, what shal we to him seye?' (490)

'Shal it be conseil?' seyde the firste shrewe, 'And I shal tellen thee, in wordes fewe, 820 [315: T. 12755-12790.]

What we shal doon, and bringe it wel aboute.'

820. Hl. the (=thee); _rest omit._ E. Hn. Cm. in a; _rest omit_ a.

'I graunte,' quod that other, 'out of doute, That, by my trouthe, I wol thee nat biwreye.'

823. E. shal; _rest_ wol (wil, wyl).

'Now,' quod the firste, 'thou woost wel we be tweye, And two of us shul strenger be than oon. 825 Look whan that he is set, and right anoon Arys, as though thou woldest with him pleye; And I shal ryve him thurgh the sydes tweye (500) Whyl that thou strogelest with him as in game, And with thy dagger look thou do the same; 830 And than shal al this gold departed be, My dere freend, bitwixen me and thee; Than may we bothe our l.u.s.tes al fulfille, And pleye at dees right at our owene wille.'

And thus acorded been thise shrewes tweye 835 To sleen the thridde, as ye han herd me seye.

826. E. Hn. Cm. that right; Cp. and thanne; Pt. Ln. Hl. and that. _I take_ and _from_ Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl., _and_ right _from_ E. Hn. Cm.

This yongest, which that wente un-to the toun, Ful ofte in herte he rolleth up and doun (510) The beautee of thise florins newe and brighte.

'O lord!' quod he, 'if so were that I mighte 840 Have al this tresor to my-self allone, Ther is no man that liveth under the trone Of G.o.d, that sholde live so mery as I!'

And atte laste the feend, our enemy, Putte in his thought that he shold poyson beye, 845 With which he mighte sleen his felawes tweye; For-why the feend fond him in swich lyvinge, That he had leve him to sorwe bringe, (520) For this was outrely his fulle entente To sleen hem bothe, and never to repente. 850 And forth he gooth, no lenger wolde he tarie, Into the toun, un-to a pothecarie, And preyed him, that he him wolde selle Som poyson, that he mighte his rattes quelle; And eek ther was a polcat in his hawe, 855 That, as he seyde, his capouns hadde y-slawe, [316: T. 12791-12826.]

And fayn he wolde wreke him, if he mighte, On vermin, that destroyed him by nighte. (530)

847. E. Hn. foond. 848. E. Cm. hem; _rest_ hym _or_ him. 853. Hn.

preyed; Cm. preyede; _rest_ preyde.

The pothecarie answerde, 'and thou shalt have A thing that, al-so G.o.d my soule save, 860 In al this world ther nis no creature, That ete or dronke hath of this confiture Noght but the mountance of a corn of whete, That he ne shal his lyf anon forlete; Ye, sterve he shal, and that in la.s.se whyle 865 Than thou wolt goon a paas nat but a myle; This poyson is so strong and violent.'

861. E. Hn. Cm. is; _rest_ nys _or_ nis.