Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 93

At-after soper fille they in tretee, What somme sholde this maistres guerdon be, 1220 To remoeven alle the rokkes of Britayne, And eek from Gerounde to the mouth of Sayne.

1220. E. Hn. Cm. gerdou_n_. 1221. Cm. remeuy_n_; Cp. remewe; Ln.

remoue].

He made it straunge, and swoor, so G.o.d him save, La.s.se than a thousand pound he wolde nat have, Ne gladly for that somme he wolde nat goon. 1225

1224. _Here Hl. begins again._

Aurelius, with blisful herte anoon, Answerde thus, 'fy on a thousand pound!

This wyde world, which that men seye is round, (500) I wolde it yeve, if I were lord of it.

This bargayn is ful drive, for we ben knit. 1230 Ye shal be payed trewely, by my trouthe!

[497: T. 11544-11578.]

But loketh now, for no necligence or slouthe, Ye tarie us heer no lenger than to-morwe.'

'Nay,' quod this clerk, 'have heer my feith to borwe.'

To bedde is goon Aurelius whan him leste, 1235 And wel ny al that night he hadde his reste; What for his labour and his hope of blisse, His woful herte of penaunce hadde a lisse. (510)

Upon the morwe, whan that it was day, To Britaigne toke they the righte way, 1240 Aurelius, and this magicien bisyde, And been descended ther they wolde abyde; And this was, as the bokes me remembre, The colde frosty seson of Decembre.

1241. _So all; see_ 1184. 1243. E. Hn. thise; Hl. these; _rest_ the.

Phebus wex old, and hewed lyk latoun, 1245 That in his hote declinacioun Shoon as the burned gold with stremes brighte; But now in Capricorn adoun he lighte, (520) Wher-as he shoon ful pale, I dar wel seyn.

The bittre frostes, with the sleet and reyn, 1250 Destroyed hath the grene in every yerd.

Ia.n.u.s sit by the fyr, with double berd, And drinketh of his bugle-horn the wyn.

Biforn him stant braun of the tusked swyn, And "Nowel" cryeth every l.u.s.ty man. 1255

1245. Cm. Pt. wex; E. Hn. Hl. Cp. wax. 1254. Hl. Cm. Cp. braun; Pt.

brawne; E. Hn. brawen.

Aurelius, in al that ever he can, Doth to his maister chere and reverence, And preyeth him to doon his diligence (530) To bringen him out of his peynes smerte, Or with a swerd that he wolde slitte his herte. 1260

1257. E. chiere; Cm. Ln. Hl. chier.

This subtil clerk swich routhe had of this man, That night and day he spedde him that he can, To wayte a tyme of his conclusioun; This is to seye, to make illusioun, By swich an apparence or Iogelrye, 1265 I ne can no termes of astrologye, [498: T. 11579-11611.]

That she and every wight sholde wene and seye, That of Britaigne the rokkes were aweye, (540) Or elles they were sonken under grounde.

So atte laste he hath his tyme y-founde 1270 To maken his Iapes and his wrecchednesse Of swich a superst.i.tious cursednesse.

His tables Toletanes forth he broght, Ful wel corrected, ne ther lakked noght, Neither his collect ne his expans yeres, 1275 Ne his rotes ne his othere geres, As been his centres and his arguments, And his proporcionels convenients (550) For his equacions in every thing.

And, by his eighte spere in his wirking, 1280 He knew ful wel how fer Alnath was shove Fro the heed of thilke fixe Aries above That in the ninthe speere considered is; Ful subtilly he calculed al this.

1263. E. Hn. Cm. wayten. 1264. E. Cm. maken. 1265. E. a (_for_ an). 1269. E. ellis. 1273. E. Hn. tolletanes; Hl. tollitanes; _rest_ colletanes(!). E. brought; Hn. broght. 1274. E. nought; Hn.

noght. 1275. E. yeeris. 1276. _So all_: (E. hise, rootes, geris).

1277. Ln. centres; _rest_ centris. 1278. Hn. Hl. proporcionels; E.

-cioneles; Cm. -ciounnys; Cp. Pt. -cions. 1280. E. speere. 1283.

Cm. nynte; Hl. fourthe(!); _rest_ 9. 1284. E. he hadde kalkuled; _rest om._ hadde.

Whan he had founde his firste mansioun, 1285 He knew the remenant by proporcioun; And knew the arysing of his mone weel, And in whos face, and terme, and every-deel; (560) And knew ful weel the mones mansioun Acordaunt to his operacioun, 1290 And knew also his othere observaunces For swiche illusiouns and swiche meschaunces As hethen folk used in thilke dayes; For which no lenger maked he delayes, But thurgh his magik, for a wyke or tweye, 1295 It semed that alle the rokkes were aweye.

1285. E. hadde. 1293. Cp. Pt. Hl. vsed; E. Hn. vseden. 1295. E. Hn.

Cm. wyke; Hl. Cp. wike; Pt. Ln. weke. 1296. Hl. _om._ alle.

Aurelius, which that yet despeired is Wher he shal han his love or fare amis, (570) Awaiteth night and day on this miracle; [499: T. 11612-11648.]

And whan he knew that ther was noon obstacle, 1300 That voided were thise rokkes everichon, Doun to his maistres feet he fil anon, And seyde, 'I woful wrecche, Aurelius, Thanke yow, lord, and lady myn Venus, That me han holpen fro my cares colde:' 1305 And to the temple his wey forth hath he holde, Wher-as he knew he sholde his lady see.

And whan he saugh his tyme, anon-right he, (580) With dredful herte and with ful humble chere, Salewed hath his sovereyn lady dere: 1310

1302. E. Cm. hise.

'My righte lady,' quod this woful man, 'Whom I most drede and love as I best can, And lothest were of al this world displese, Nere it that I for yow have swich disese, That I moste dyen heer at your foot anon, 1315 Noght wolde I telle how me is wo bigon; But certes outher moste I dye or pleyne; Ye slee me giltelees for verray peyne. (590) But of my deeth, thogh that ye have no routhe, Avyseth yow, er that ye breke your trouthe. 1320 Repenteth yow, for thilke G.o.d above, Er ye me sleen by-cause that I yow love.

For, madame, wel ye woot what ye han hight; Nat that I chalange any thing of right Of yow my sovereyn lady, but your grace; 1325 But in a gardin yond, at swich a place, Ye woot right wel what ye bihighten me; And in myn hand your trouthe plighten ye (600) To love me best, G.o.d woot, ye seyde so, Al be that I unworthy be therto. 1330 Madame, I speke it for the honour of yow, More than to save myn hertes lyf right now; I have do so as ye comanded me; And if ye vouche-sauf, ye may go see.

Doth as yow list, have your biheste in minde, 1335 For quik or deed, right ther ye shul me finde; [500: T. 11649-11683.]

In yow lyth al, to do me live or deye;-- But wel I woot the rokkes been aweye!' (610)

1318. Pt. Cp. giltelees; Hl. gulteles; _rest_ giltless (-les). 1333.

E. Hn. Hl. do; _rest_ don. 1336. E. Hn. shal; Ln. schal.

He taketh his leve, and she astonied stood, In al hir face nas a drope of blood; 1340 She wende never han come in swich a trappe: 'Allas!' quod she, 'that ever this sholde happe!

For wende I never, by possibilitee, That swich a monstre or merveille mighte be!

It is agayns the proces of nature': 1345 And hoom she gooth a sorweful creature.

For verray fere unnethe may she go, She wepeth, wailleth, al a day or two, (620) And swowneth, that it routhe was to see; But why it was, to no wight tolde she; 1350 For out of toune was goon Arveragus.

But to hir-self she spak, and seyde thus, With face pale and with ful sorweful chere, In hir compleynt, as ye shul after here:

1340. Hl. oon; Pt. on (_for_ a). 1354. E. Hn. Cm. shal.

'Allas,' quod she, 'on thee, Fortune, I pleyne, 1355 That unwar wrapped hast me in thy cheyne; For which, tescape, woot I no socour Save only deeth or elles dishonour; (630) Oon of thise two bihoveth me to chese.

But nathelees, yet have I lever to lese 1360 My lyf than of my body have a shame, Or knowe my-selven fals, or lese my name, And with my deth I may be quit, y-wis.

Hath ther nat many a n.o.ble wyf, er this, And many a mayde y-slayn hir-self, allas! 1365 Rather than with hir body doon trespas?

1357. Hl. Fro; _rest_ For. 1358. E. Hn. Pt. Ln. _om._ elles. 1360.

Pt. Hl. _om._ to.

Yis, certes, lo, thise stories beren witnesse; Whan thretty tyraunts, ful of cursednesse, (640) Had slayn Phidoun in Athenes, atte feste, They comanded his doghtres for tareste, 1370 And bringen hem biforn hem in despyt [501: T. 11684-11719.]

Al naked, to fulfille hir foul delyt, And in hir fadres blood they made hem daunce Upon the pavement, G.o.d yeve hem mischaunce!

For which thise woful maydens, ful of drede, 1375 Rather than they wolde lese hir maydenhede, They prively ben stirt in-to a welle, And dreynte hem-selven, as the bokes telle. (650)

1367. Cm. bere. 1368. Cm. thretty; Hl. thritty; _rest_ x.x.x. 1369.

E. Hadde. E. Hn. Cm. Atthenes. E. at; _rest_ atte, at the. 1374.

Cp. Ln. pament.

They of Messene lete enquere and seke Of Lacedomie fifty maydens eke, 1380 On whiche they wolden doon hir lecherye; But was ther noon of al that companye That she nas slayn, and with a good entente Chees rather for to dye than a.s.sente To been oppressed of hir maydenhede. 1385 Why sholde I thanne to dye been in drede?

1379. Cm. Messene; E. Hn. Hl. Mecene.

Lo, eek, the tiraunt Aristoclides That loved a mayden, heet Stimphalides, (660) Whan that hir fader slayn was on a night, Un-to Dianes temple goth she right, 1390 And hente the image in hir handes two, Fro which image wolde she never go.

No wight ne mighte hir handes of it arace, Til she was slayn right in the selve place.

Now sith that maydens hadden swich despyt 1395 To been defouled with mannes foul delyt, Wel oghte a wyf rather hir-selven slee Than be defouled, as it thinketh me. (670)

1388. E. Hl. heet; Hn. Cm. highte; Cp. Ln. that hight (hiht); Pt. which hi[gh]t.

What shal I seyn of Hasdrubales wyf, That at Cartage birafte hir-self hir lyf? 1400 For whan she saugh that Romayns wan the toun, She took hir children alle, and skipte adoun In-to the fyr, and chees rather to dye Than any Romayn dide hir vileinye.