Section 20

Which were full hard for any that is here,
To bring about 5 but they of him itt lere*
As homely as he rideth among you 3
If ye him knew itt wold ben for your prowe :
Tenoldenot forgon his aquayntaunce,
For Mochel good I dare lay tn balaunce
All that I have in my poJJ
He is a man of hyedtfcrepon r
Iwarne you well he is a pafting wyfe man.
Wei quod our Hofte) I fray thee tell me than, Is he a Clcrkc or non ? tell what he is.
A Clcrke ! nay greater then a Clerkc / wys, SaydtheToman,and in words f ewe, Ho fie of his Crape fomwhat wol I Jhew ^ I fay my Lord can fucba fubtelte. But of his Crafteye may not wete of me : And fomewhat helpe lyeU tohisworchyng, That all the ground that we be on rydyng, Till we come to Canterbury Towne, He could all cleane turne tip anddowne : And pave it all ^Silver and of Gold.
And when this Toman had thus 1 told Unto our Hofte, hefajd bencdicitc, This thing is wonder and marvellous to me: Sens that thy Lord is of fo high prudence, {Becaufeof which men Jhold him reverence^ That of his worftnp recketh hefo lyte, His over eft ftepp is not worth a myte 5 As in ejfeft to him fo mote I go, It is all bawdy and to tore alfoe.
Hh 3 Why
220 The Prologue of
Why is thy Lord Joe Jlotlyche I thee pray, And is of power better clothes to bey ? If that his dede accord with thy fpeechy Tell me that and that I thee befeech.
Why {quod this ftiman) whereto askeyeme f God helpe meefo, for he Jhall never ythe : Bat Iwol not avtiw that I fayey K^&nd therefore heft itt fecrett I you praye , He is to wyfe in fay as 1 beleeve, That is overdone wil not preve*, And right as Clerkes fayne in is a vycey Wherefore I holde him in that leude and nyct , For whan a man hath over great e a, witte, Full ofte H happeth him to mifufen itt : So doth my Lord, and that me grevethfore% God amend in, I can fay you no more.
Thereof no force good Toman {quod our Hoft) Sens of the connyng of thy Lord thou woft ; Tell how he doth I pray the hertely, Sens that he isfo crafty and fojly, Where dwellen ye if itt to tell be ?
In the Subbaroes of a Towne {quod he) Lurkejng in hemes and in lanes blynde, Where thefe Robbers^ and Tbeeves by kynde H olden her privy fearefull r evidence y As they that dare not Jhewen her pre fence, Soefare we if that I jhall fay thefothe, Ten (quod our Hofie) left me talketothe. Why art thou foe difcoLred in thy face?
Peter (quod he) God y eve in hard grace $ Iamfoufed in the hottfyretoblowe, That. itt hath changed my colour as I trow : I am not wonte in no mirrour to pryey
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the Chanons Yeoman; 2;
But fwynke fore and lerne to Multiplye. We blondren ever andjpooren in thefyre^ And for all that wefaylen of our defyre :■ For ever we Ucken our condufion. To moche folke we do illufion : %^Andbmowe Goldebe itt a pound or two ^ Or ten or twelve or many fomes mo, And make hemwene at the lefle way, That of a pound we coulde make tway • Tett is itt falfc and ay hav we good dope Ittfor to doney and after it we grope. But that Science isfo ferre us by form, We mowe not all though we had itt fworne Itt overtake^ ittfipte away foe fafle, Itt wot us make Beggerl at the lafie.
Whiles this Teman was thus in his talking This Chanon drew him nere and her de all thing Which this Teman Jpake, for fufpetfion ofmennesfpeche ever had this Chanon : For CdXO Jaythe^ he that giltye isy Deemeth all thing be fp eke of him Iwys : Bycaufe of that he gan fo nyghe to draw, To his Teman to her ken all his Jaw % And thus hefaydunto his Teman tho, Holde nowe thy peace and fpeke no words mo, For if thou doe^ thou Jhalt it (ore abye^ Thouflanderefi me here in this Companye : And eke difcovereli that thoujholdeft hyde.
Te {quod our Ho fie) teS on whatsoever betyde, Of all his thretynge recke the not a myte.
Infayth {quod he) no more doe I but lyte. And whan this Chanon/** ittwolde not be, But his Teman wolde t el his privy te9
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Hefledde away for very forrpw and frame. A {quod the Teman) herejhall ryfe a game, All that I can anon wolll you tell, Sens he is gone thefoule Fend him quell; Fyr never hereafter wol I with him mete, For fenny nefor founde I you behete* He that me brought firfi unto that game \ Er that he dye for r owe have he ana/hame*, For it is ernefi to me by my faith, Thatfele Iwellwhatfoe any man faith: And yen for all my fmerte and all my greifey For all my forrowe> labour and mifcheife^ I couthe never leave it in noe wy/e: Now wolde God my witt might fujfyfe , To telle n all that longeth to mat Arte. But natbelejfe, yet wol I tell you a parte c Sens that my Lordisgon I wol notfpare-, Such thyng as I know I wol declare*
Here endeth the Prologue of the Chanons Yeoman, and her? followeth his Tale.
The
233
THE TALE Of
The Chanons Yeoman.
IthxKis Chanon I dwelt fcavcti yere, And of this Science am I never the nere: All that I had I have loft thereby, And God wottc foe hath many moe then I,
There I was-wontc to be right, frefli and gay,
Of clothing and* eke of other good aray %
Now may I weare an hofc uppon myne heed :
And where my colour was bothfrefh and reed,
Now itt is wanne and of a leaden hewe,
Whoefoe itt ufcth, foreihall him rewe.
And of my fwynke yett blered in myne Eye,
Lo which avauntage itt is to Multiply:
Thatflyding Science hath me made fo bare,
That I have noe good where that ever I fare :
And yett I am indetted fo thereby,
Of Gold, that I have borrowed truly,
That while I live I fhall itt quite never,
Let every man beware by me ever ;
What manner man that cafteth him thereto.
If he contynue I hold his thrifte I do:
So helpe me God thereby fhall he never wyn,
Butempte his purfeand make his wittsthyn5
And whan he thorow his madneffc and folye,
Hath loft his ownc good through Jeogardye :
Than he exiteth other men thereto,
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To lcfe her good as himfelfe hath do 5 For unto fhrewes joy it is and efe, To have her fellowes in paine and difefe $ For thus was I ones ferved of a Clerke^ Of that noc charge, I wol fpeke of our werke*
When we be there as we fhall exercife Our elvifh Craft5 we femen wonder wife. Ourtcrmesben fo Clergiall and fo quaynte; I blow the fyrt tyll myn hearte faynte.
Whatfliold I tell each proportion Of things which we werchen uppon ? Asonfyveor fyxe unces, may well be Of Silver or of fome other quantite 5 0 And befye me to tellen you the names, OfOrpiment, brent Bones, Yron fquamesi That into powder grounden ben fullfmall, And in an Erthen pott how putt is all .• And fait y put in and alfo plpcre, Before thefepowdres that 1 fpeke of here I And welly covered whh a lompe of GlafTe3 And of moch other thing that there was. And of the potts and glaff englutyng, That of the ayre might paffe out nothings And of the eafy fyteand fmerte alfoe, Which that was made, and of the care and wo That we had in our matters Sublymeing, And in Amalgamyng and Caifenyng : OfQuickfilver icleped Mercuryefrude, For all our fleight we conne not "conclude. Our Orpyment and Su Jymed Mercury-, Our grounde Litarge eke on the porphirye : Ofecheofthcfe uncesa certayne Nothelpeth us, our labour is in vayne5
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the Chanons Yeoman.
Neeke our Spyrites affge^ioffn, Ne yet our matters, that lyen al$xe adoun : Mowe in our werkyng nothing avayle, For loft is our laboure and our travayle. AndalltheCofte, a twenty dyvel away, Is loft alfoe which we uppon itt lay.
There is alfoe full many another thing, That is to our Craft apcrtaynyng : Though I by ordre hem ne reherce can, Bycaufe that I am a leud man. Yet wol I tellen hem as they come to mynde, Though I ne can fette hem in her kynde, As bole Armonyakc, Verdegreece, Boras, And fondry Veffles made of Erth-and Glas. Ourllrynalls and our Difcenfories, Vyols, Croffelctts and Sublimatorics : Concurbytcs and Alembykcs eke, And other fuch dcre ynough a lcke : It needeth not to reherce them all, Waters rubyfyeng and Boles, Gall 5 Arfneke, Sal Armonyake and Brymftone, And herbes could I tell eke many one : As Egrimonye, Valeryan, and Lunaryc, And other fuch if that me lifte to tarye 5 Our Lampes brennyngboth night and day, To bringen about our Crafte if that we may $ Our Fournyce eke of Calcination, And of our Waters Albifycation. Qnfleked Lyme, Chalke, and glere of an Eye, Poudres divers, Afhes,Dong,Pifle,and Cley: Sercdpokettes,falt Peter, and Vitriole, And divers fyres made of wood and cole 5 Sal Tartre,AlkaIy,and Sal preparate,
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And combuft matters, and coagulate,
Clcy made wkh horfc donge, mans heere and Oyle,
Of Tartre, Alym, Glas, Berme, Worte and Argoyle I
Rcfalgor and other maters enbybyng,
And eke of our Maters encorporing •
And of our Silver Citrynacion,
Our Ccmentyng, and eke Fermentacyon 5
Our Ingottcs, Teftes and many mo.
I wol you tel as was me taught alfb, Thefowre Spyritcs and the bodies feven, By order as oft I herd my lord ncmene.
The firft Spyrite Quickfilver cleped is, The fecond Orpyment, the third I wis . Armonyake, the fourth Brim ftone.
TheBodyes feveneke lohcre hem anone, Sol Gold is, and Luna Sylver we threpe, tJMars, Iron, Mercury, Quickfilver weclcpe: Satttrnus Lcde, and Iufiter isTynne, And Venus Copper, by my father kynne.
This curfed Crafte whoe foe wolexercyfe, Hefhallnoegood have that may him fuflfyfe-, For all the good he fpendeth thereaboute, Helefe fliall thereof have I no dbute. Whofo that lyften to utter his folye, ' Let him com forth and lerne to Multiple : And every man that hath ought in his cofer Let him apere and wexe a Philofopher*. Askaunce that Grafte is fo light for to lere* Nay God wot all be he Monke or Frere Preifi,ot Chamn^oxzny other wight, Though he fytre at hys bokc both day and night- In IcrnyngQf this Elvyfli nyce lore, ?
All is in vayne, andpardemochc more5
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the Qhanons Yeoman. i^y
Is to lere a leude man this fubtelte, Fye fpcke not thereof, itt wol not be $ Al coulde he lettrure or coulde he none, As in effect he (hall fynd itt all one 5 For bothc two by my Salvacyon Concluden in Multyplycacyon : Ilyche well whan they have al ydo, This is to fayen, they faylen both two*
Yet forgate I moche reherfayle. Of waters Corofyfe and lymayle : And of Bodyes molifycacion, And alfo of her Induration : Oyles, Ablucyons, Mcttall fufyble Totcllenyouall,wolde paffeany Byble: That G where is, wherefore as for the beft Gf all thefe names nowe woll I reft. For as I trowe I have you told ynowe To reyfe a Fende, al loke he never fo ro we.
A nay let be the Phihfphers Stone 5 Alixer clcped,we fcken fafte echeone, For had we him, than were we fykcr ynowe: But unto God of Heaven I make a vowe, For al our crafte whan that we han al ydo. And all our fleyght, he wol not come us to 5 He hath made us fpend moche goode, For forrow of which almoft we wexen wodc y But that good hope crepcth in our herte, Suppofyng ever though we fore fmertc, To ben relevcd by him af terwarde, Suppofyng, and hope is fharpe and hardcy I warnc you wel it is to fyken ever, That future temps hath made men difcever, In truft therof all that ever they had,
Ii 3 Yet
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Yet of that Arte, they could not waxe fad •
For unto him itt isabytter fwete,
Sofemeth itt, for ne had they but afhete:
Which that they might wrappen hem in anight,
Andabratte to walken in a day lights
They woldcn hem fel and fpend it on this Craftc,
They conne not ftynte,tyl nothing be lafte5
And evermore where that ever they gone.
Men may hem ken by fmell of Brimftone :
For al the world they ftynkenasa Gote,
Her Savour is fo rammifh and fo hote :
That though a man a rayle from him be,
The favour wol infe&e him trufteth me.
Lo thus by fmelling and by threde-bare aray,
If that men lift this f olke know they may :
And if a man wol aske him prively,
Why they be clothed fo unthriftely:
Right anon they wil rowne in his ere,
Andfayne if that they afpyed were,
Men wold hem flee bycaufe of her Science*
Lo thus thefe folke betrayen innocence.
Pafle over this I goe my tale unto, Ere that the pott be on the fyre ydo : Of Metalls with a certayne quantyte. My Lord hem tempreth and no man but he : Now he is gon I dare fay boldly, For as men fayne, he can done craftely 5 Algate I wotte wel he hath fuch a name, And yet full oft he renneth in the blame, And wotte ye how full oft itt happeth fo, Thepottcto breaketh and farewel all i$ go* Thefe Mcttalls ben of foe greate violence, Our walls may not make hem refyftence 5
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the Qhanons Yeoman. 239
But if they were wrought of lyme and ftone, They pcrcen foe and through the wall they gone-, And fome of them fynken into the ground, Thus have we loft by tymes many a pound: And fome are fcattered all the floore aboute, Some lepeninto the rofe withouten dome: Tho that the fende not in our fyght him fliewc, I trow that he with us be, that ilke (hrewe : In hell where that he is Lord and fyre, Ne is there no more wo, ne angrc, neyre: When that our potte is broke as I have faid, Every man chyte and holte him yvell apayde. Some fayd itt was long of the Fyre makeing, Somefayd nay, it was on the blowing: Than was I ferd, for that was myn offyce, Straw (quod the third) ye ben lewde and nycej It was not tempered as it ought to bee, Nay (quod the fourthe) ftynte and herktn me : Bycaufc our fyre was not made of bechc That is the caufe, and none other fo teche 5 lean not tell whereon itt isalongc, But well I wotte greate ftrife is us among. What (quod my lord} ther nys no more to done, Of thefe perill I will beware ofte foone ; I am right Syker that the potte was crafed, Be as be may, be ye not amafed •, As ufagc is, let fwepe the floore as fwythe, Plueke up your heart and be glad and blythe. The Mullockc on an heapeyfwepte was, And on the floore caft a Canvas-^ And all this Mullocke in a fy ve y throwe, And yfyftcdandyplucked many a throwe. Parde Cquod one) fomewhat of our Mettallj
Yet
2A.0 The Tale of
Yet is there here though we have not all $ And though this thyng mifhapped hath as now, Another tyme it may ben wel ynowe $ We mote put our good inaventure, A Marchant parde may not aye endure^ Trufteth me wel in his profperyte, Sometyme his good is drowned in the fee ? And fometyme it cometh fafe unto the londe.
Peace (quod my lord) the next tyme I wolfondes To bring our Crafte all in another ply te, And but I doe Syrs lett me have the wyte : There was default in fomewhat wel I wote.
Another fayd the Fyrc was over hotc. But be it hotte or coldc I dare fay this, That we conduden evermore amys : We faylen of that which we wolde have, And in our madnefle evermore we ^rave- And whan we be togythcr everychon, JEvery man fcmeth as wyfe as Solomon, But all thing which that ihyncth asthcGolde, Is not Golde as I have here tolde : Ne every Apple that is faire at Eye, Nys not good what fo men clappe or cry* Right foe itt fareth among us 5 He that femeth the wyfeft by lefus Is moft foole when it cometh to the prefe, And he that femeth trueft is a Theefe : That fhall ye know er that I from you wendc, By that I of my Tale have made an end. There was a Chanon of Religyoun Amonge us, wolde enfcft all a Towne3 Rome, Alyfmndm^ Troy, and other thre3
TbufA vf —
the Chanons Yeoman. %ax
His fleyght and his infynyte falfenefie, There couthe no man written as 1 geffe-, Though that he might lyve a thoufandyerc In all this worlde of falfcneffc nyc his pere : For in his termes he wol him fo wynde, And kepe his words in fo flye a kynde, Whan he conignHhall with any wighr. That he wpl make him dote anon right. But it a iw&c be as himfelfe is, Full many a man hatfrhe begy fed er this \ And mo wol, if that he may lyve a whyle, And yet men ryden and gone full many amylc Himfortofeekeand have acquayntaunce, Not knowing of his falfe governauncc : Andifyelufte to give me audience, I wol it tellen here in your prefence.