Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 88

It failleth nat whyl it is in your hold.'

158. E. wol hym; _rest omit_ hym. 160. E. a; Cm. that; _rest_ the.

162. Hn. platte; _rest_ plat (see 164). E. Cm. that; _rest_ thilke.

164. E. Cm. Pt. plat; _rest_ platte. 165. E. Cm. Strike; _rest_ Stroke.

And whan this knight hath thus his tale told, (160) He rydeth out of halle, and doun he lighte.

His stede, which that shoon as sonne brighte, 170 Stant in the court, as stille as any stoon.

This knight is to his chambre lad anon, And is unarmed and to mete y-set.

171. Hl. as stille; _rest om._ as. 173. E. vn-to; _the rest_ to.

The presentes ben ful royally y-fet, This is to seyn, the swerd and the mirour, 175 And born anon in-to the heighe tour With certeine officers ordeyned therfore; And un-to Canacee this ring was bore (170) Solempnely, ther she sit at the table.

But sikerly, with-outen any fable, 180 The hors of bras, that may nat be remewed, It stant as it were to the ground y-glewed.

Ther may no man out of the place it dryve For noon engyn of windas or polyve; And cause why, for they can nat the craft. 185 And therefore in the place they han it laft Til that the knight hath taught hem the manere To voyden him, as ye shal after here. (180)

178. E. Cm. this; _rest_ the. 184. E. ne; _rest_ or.

Greet was the prees, that swarmeth to and fro, To gauren on this hors that stondeth so; 190 For it so heigh was, and so brood and long, So wel proporcioned for to ben strong, Right as it were a stede of Lumbardye; Ther-with so horsly, and so quik of ye As it a gentil Poileys courser were. 195 For certes, fro his tayl un-to his ere, Nature ne art ne coude him nat amende In no degree, as al the peple wende. (190) But evermore hir moste wonder was, How that it coude goon, and was of bras; 200 It was of Fairye, as the peple semed.

Diverse folk diversely they demed; [467: T. 10517-10552.]

As many hedes, as many wittes ther been.

They murmureden as dooth a swarm of been, And maden skiles after hir fantasyes, 205 Rehersinge of thise olde poetryes, And seyden, it was lyk the Pegasee, The hors that hadde winges for to flee; (200) Or elles it was the Grekes hors Synon, That broghte Troye to destruccion, 210 As men may in thise olde gestes rede, 'Myn herte,' quod oon, 'is evermore in drede; I trowe som men of armes been ther-inne, That shapen hem this citee for to winne.

It were right good that al swich thing were knowe.' 215 Another rowned to his felawe lowe, And seyde, 'he lyeth, it is rather lyk An apparence y-maad by som magyk, (210) As Iogelours pleyen at thise festes grete.'

Of sondry doutes thus they Iangle and trete, 220 As lewed peple demeth comunly Of thinges that ben maad more subtilly Than they can in her lewednes comprehende; They demen gladly to the badder ende.

189. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. swarmed. 195. E. Poilleys. 200. E. go. 201.

E. Hn. a; Cm. as; _rest_ of. E. Cm. al the; _rest omit_ al. 202.

they] Hn. Cp. Pt. han; Ln. haue. 203. E. heddes; Hn. heuedes; Cp.

heedes; _rest_ hedes (hedis). Hl. _om._ ther. 206. thise] Cp. Pt.

Ln. Hl. the. 207. E. that it; _rest omit_ that. 211. Hl. may; _rest omit_. 217. E. Cm. it; _rest_ for it. 223. E. lewednesse; Hl.

lewednes.

And somme of hem wondred on the mirour, 225 That born was up in-to the maister-tour, How men mighte in it swiche thinges see.

Another answerde, and seyde it mighte wel be (220) Naturelly, by composiciouns Of angles and of slye reflexiouns, 230 And seyden, that in Rome was swich oon.

They speken of Alocen and Vitulon, And Aristotle, that writen in hir lyves Of queynte mirours and of prospectyves, As knowen they that han hir bokes herd. 235

226. E. hye; Cm. hyghe; _rest_ maister.

And othere folk han wondred on the swerd That wolde percen thurgh-out every-thing; And fille in speche of Thelophus the king, (230) [468: T. 10553-10587.]

And of Achilles with his queynte spere, For he coude with it bothe hele and dere, 240 Right in swich wyse as men may with the swerd Of which right now ye han your-selven herd.

They speken of sondry harding of metal, And speke of medicynes ther-with-al, And how, and whanne, it sholde y-harded be; 245 Which is unknowe algates unto me.

239. E. Cm. with; _rest_ for.

Tho speke they of Canacees ring, And seyden alle, that swich a wonder thing (240) Of craft of ringes herde they never non, Save that he, Moyses, and king Salomon 250 Hadde a name of konning in swich art.

Thus seyn the peple, and drawen hem apart.

But nathelees, somme seyden that it was Wonder to maken of fern-a.s.shen glas, And yet nis glas nat lyk a.s.shen of fern; 255 But for they han y-knowen it so fern, Therfore cesseth her Iangling and her wonder.

As sore wondren somme on cause of thonder, (250) On ebbe, on flood, on gossomer, and on mist, And alle thing, til that the cause is wist. 260 Thus Iangle they and demen and devyse, Til that the king gan fro the bord aryse.

251. _All_ Hadde (Had). 256. Hl. i-knowen; _rest_ knowen. 260. E.

Hl. on alle; _rest om._ on. 262. E. Hn. the bord; _rest_ his bord.

Phebus hath laft the angle meridional, And yet ascending was the beest royal, The gentil Leon, with his Aldiran, 265 Whan that this Tartre king, this Cambynskan, Roos fro his bord, ther that he sat ful hye.

Toforn him gooth the loude minstralcye, (260) Til he cam to his chambre of parements, Ther as they sownen diverse instruments, 270 That it is lyk an heven for to here.

Now dauncen l.u.s.ty Venus children dere, For in the Fish hir lady sat ful hye, [469: T. 10588-10623.]

And loketh on hem with a freendly ye.

265. Hn. Aldiran; Hl. adryan; _rest_ Aldrian. 266. Hl. _repeats_ this; _rest omit 2nd_ this. 269, 270. E. parementz, Instrumentz.

271. Hl. Ln. heuen; _rest_ heuene.

This n.o.ble king is set up in his trone. 275 This strange knight is fet to him ful sone, And on the daunce he gooth with Canacee.

Heer is the revel and the Iolitee (270) That is nat able a dul man to devyse.

He moste han knowen love and his servyse, 280 And been a festlich man as fresh as May, That sholde yow devysen swich array.

275. E. Cm. vp in; _rest_ vp on.

Who coude telle yow the forme of daunces, So uncouthe and so fresshe contenaunces, Swich subtil loking and dissimulinges 285 For drede of Ialouse mennes aperceyvinges?

No man but Launcelot, and he is deed.

Therefor I pa.s.se of al this l.u.s.tiheed; (280) I seye na-more, but in this Iolynesse I lete hem, til men to the soper dresse. 290

288. E. Hn. of; _rest_ ouer.

The styward bit the spyces for to hye, And eek the wyn, in al this melodye.

The usshers and the squyers ben y-goon; The spyces and the wyn is come anoon.

They ete and drinke; and whan this hadde an ende, 295 Un-to the temple, as reson was, they wende.

291. Hl. the; _rest omit._

The service doon, they soupen al by day.

What nedeth yow rehercen hir array? (290) Ech man wot wel, that at a kinges feeste Hath plentee, to the moste and to the leeste, 300 And deyntees mo than been in my knowing.

At-after soper gooth this n.o.ble king To seen this hors of bras, with al the route Of lordes and of ladyes him aboute.

298. E. me; _the rest_ yow. 299. Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln. that at; E. Cm. Hl.

_om._ at. 300. Hath (_so; for_ Is; _cf. French _il y a.) 303. E.

Cm. the; Hl. his; _rest_ a.

Swich wondring was ther on this hors of bras 305 That, sin the grete sege of Troye was, Ther-as men wondreden on an hors also, Ne was ther swich a wondring as was tho. (300) But fynally the king axeth this knight [470: T. 10624-10657.]

The vertu of this courser and the might, 310 And preyede him to telle his governaunce.

311. Cm. preyede; Hn. preyed; E. preyde.

This hors anoon bigan to trippe and daunce, Whan that this knight leyde hand up-on his reyne, And seyde, 'sir, ther is na-more to seyne, But, whan yow list to ryden any-where, 315 Ye moten trille a pin, stant in his ere, Which I shall telle yow bitwix vs two.

Ye mote nempne him to what place also (310) Or to what contree that yow list to ryde.

And whan ye come ther as yow list abyde, 320 Bidde him descende, and trille another pin, For ther-in lyth the effect of al the gin, And he wol doun descende and doon your wille; And in that place he wol abyde stille, Though al the world the contrarie hadde y-swore; 325 He shal nat thennes ben y-drawe ne y-bore.

Or, if yow liste bidde him thennes goon, Trille this pin, and he wol vanishe anoon (320) Out of the sighte of every maner wight, And come agayn, be it by day or night, 330 When that yow list to clepen him ageyn In swich a gyse as I shal to yow seyn Bitwixe yow and me, and that ful sone.

Ryde whan yow list, ther is na-more to done.'

317. E. Hn. Cm. yow telle; _rest_ telle yow. 322. E. ther; Cm.

theere; _rest_ ther-inne, ther-in. 324. Cp. Hl. abyde; Hn. abiden; Pt. Ln. abide; E. Cm. stonde; _see l._ 320. 326. E. Hn. nor; _the rest_ ne. 327. Cp. liste; Ln. l.u.s.te; Hl. l.u.s.t to; Cm. wit; E. Hn. Pt.

list. 330. Hl. by; _rest omit._