This Absolon doun sette him on his knees,
And seyde, ‘I am a lord at alle degrees;
For after this I hope ther cometh more! 3725
Lemman, thy grace, and swete brid, thyn ore!’ (540)
3724. E. _om._ a.
The window she undoth, and that in haste,
‘Have do,’ quod she, ‘com of, and speed thee faste,
Lest that our neighebores thee espye.’
3728. Cm. don; Hl. doon; Pt. doo; _rest_ do. Hn. thee; _rest_ the.
This Absolon gan wype his mouth ful drye; 3730
Derk was the night as pich, or as the cole,
And at the window out she putte hir hole,
And Absolon, him fil no bet ne wers,
But with his mouth he kiste hir naked ers
Ful savourly, er he was war of this. 3735
3731. E. Dirk. 3732. E. pitte.
Abak he sterte, and thoghte it was amis, (550)
For wel he wiste a womman hath no berd;
He felte a thing al rough and long y-herd,
And seyde, ‘fy! allas! what have I do?’
3736. E. Cm. stirte.
‘Tehee!’ quod she, and clapte the window to; 3740
And Absolon goth forth a sory pas.
‘A berd, a berd!’ quod hende Nicholas,
‘By goddes _corpus_, this goth faire and weel!’
This sely Absolon herde every deel,
And on his lippe he gan for anger byte; 3745
And to him-self he seyde, ‘I shal thee quyte!’ (560)
3743, 4. E. weel, deel; Ln. wele, dele; _rest_ wel, del.
Who rubbeth now, who froteth now his lippes
[108: T. 3746-3780.]
With dust, with sond, with straw, with clooth, with chippes,
But Absolon, that seith ful ofte, ‘allas!
My soule bitake I un-to Sathanas, 3750
But me wer lever than al this toun,’ quod he,
‘Of this despyt awroken for to be!
Allas!’ quod he, ‘allas! I ne hadde y-bleynt!’
His hote love was cold and al y-queynt;
For fro that tyme that he had kiste hir ers, 3755
Of paramours he sette nat a kers, (570)
For he was heled of his maladye;
Ful ofte paramours he gan deffye,
And weep as dooth a child that is y-bete.
A softe paas he wente over the strete 3760
Un-til a smith men cleped daun Gerveys,
That in his forge smithed plough-harneys;
He sharpeth shaar and culter bisily.
This Absolon knokketh al esily,
And seyde, ‘undo, Gerveys, and that anon.’ 3765
3753. Hl. nadde bleynt. 3759. Cm. wepte; Hl. wept. 3763. E. Hn.
kultour; Cp. Pt. Ln. culter.
‘What, who artow?’ ‘It am I, Absolon.’ (580)
‘What, Absolon! for Cristes swete tree,
Why ryse ye so rathe, ey, _benedicite!_
What eyleth yow? som gay gerl, god it woot,
Hath broght yow thus up-on the viritoot; 3770
By sëynt Note, ye woot wel what I mene.’
3766. E. I am heere; _rest_ it am I. 3770. E. Hn. Cp. viritoot; Pt.
Vyritote; Ln. veritote; Cm. merytot; Hl. verytrot. 3771. Pt. Ln.
seynt; _rest_ seinte. Pt. Hl. Noet.
This Absolon ne roghte nat a bene
Of al his pley, no word agayn he yaf;
He hadde more tow on his distaf
Than Gerveys knew, and seyde, ‘freend so dere, 3775
That hote culter in the chimenee here, (590)
As lene it me, I have ther-with to done,
And I wol bringe it thee agayn ful sone.’
3776. E. kultour.
Gerveys answerde, ‘certes, were it gold,
Or in a poke nobles alle untold, 3780
Thou sholdest have, as I am trewe smith;
Ey, Cristes foo! what wol ye do ther-with?’
[109: T. 3781-3815.]
3781. Hl. Ye schul him haue. 3782. Hl. fo; _rest_ foo; ed. 1561,
fote.
‘Ther-of,’ quod Absolon, ‘be as be may;
I shal wel telle it thee to-morwe day’—
And caughte the culter by the colde stele. 3785
Ful softe out at the dore he gan to stele, (600)
And wente un-to the carpenteres wal.
He cogheth first, and knokketh ther-with-al
Upon the windowe, right as he dide er.
3785. E. kultour.
This Alison answerde, ‘Who is ther 3790
That knokketh so? I warante it a theef.’
‘Why, nay,’ quod he, ‘god woot, my swete leef,
I am thyn Absolon, my dereling!
Of gold,’ quod he, ‘I have thee broght a ring;
My moder yaf it me, so god me save, 3795
Ful fyn it is, and ther-to wel y-grave; (610)
This wol I yeve thee, if thou me kisse!’
3793. E. Hn. my; Cm. myn; Hl. O my; Cp. thi; Pt. thine; Ln. þin. E.
deerelyng; Hn. Cm. Cp. derelyng.
This Nicholas was risen for to pisse,
And thoghte he wolde amenden al the Iape,
He sholde kisse his ers er that he scape. 3800
And up the windowe dide he hastily,
And out his ers he putteth prively
Over the buttok, to the haunche-bon;
And ther-with spak this clerk, this Absolon,
‘Spek, swete brid, I noot nat wher thou art.’ 3805
3800. E. _om._ ers.
This Nicholas anon leet flee a fart, (620)
As greet as it had been a thonder-dent,
That with the strook he was almost y-blent;
And he was redy with his iren hoot,
And Nicholas amidde the ers he smoot. 3810
3810. E. _om._ the.
Of gooth the skin an hande-brede aboute,
The hole culter brende so his toute,
And for the smert he wende for to dye.
As he were wood, for wo he gan to crye—
Help! water! water! help, for goddes herte!’ 3815
3812. E. kultour. 3813. And] Hn. That.
This carpenter out of his slomber sterte, (630)
And herde oon cryen ‘water’ as he were wood,
[110: T. 3816-3848.]
And thoghte, ‘Allas! now comth Nowelis flood!’
He sit him up with-outen wordes mo,
And with his ax he smoot the corde a-two, 3820
And doun goth al; he fond neither to selle,
Ne breed ne ale, til he cam to the celle
Up-on the floor; and ther aswowne he lay.
3818. E. Hn. Nowelis; Cp. Noweles (_intentionally_); Cm. Newel_is_; Pt.
Ln. Hl. noes. 3821. Hl. he goth (_for_ goth al). E. Hn. foond.
Up sterte hir Alison, and Nicholay,
And cryden ‘out’ and ‘harrow’ in the strete. 3835
The neighebores, bothe smale and grete, (640)
In ronnen, for to gauren on this man,
That yet aswowne he lay, bothe pale and wan;
For with the fal he brosten hadde his arm;
But stonde he moste un-to his owne harm. 3830
For whan he spak, he was anon bore doun
With hende Nicholas and Alisoun.
They tolden every man that he was wood,
He was agast so of ‘Nowelis flood’
Thurgh fantasye, that of his vanitee 3835
He hadde y-boght him kneding-tubbes three, (650)
And hadde hem hanged in the roof above;
And that he preyed hem, for goddes love,
To sitten in the roof, _par companye_.
3828. E. Hn. he; _rest om._ 3831. Pt. Ln. Hl. born. 3834. E. Hn.
Nowelis; Cp. Ln. the Nowels; Pt. þe Noes; Hl. Noes. 3837. E. roue;
_see_ l. 3839. 3838. E. Hn. Ln. preyde.
The folk gan laughen at his fantasye; 3840
In-to the roof they kyken and they gape,
And turned al his harm un-to a Iape.
For what so that this carpenter answerde,
It was for noght, no man his reson herde;
With othes grete he was so sworn adoun, 3845
That he was holden wood in al the toun; (660)
For every clerk anon-right heeld with other.
They seyde, ‘the man is wood, my leve brother;’
And every wight gan laughen of this stryf.
3841. E. Hn. Cp. cape. 3846. E. holde. 3848. E. Hn. Hl. was; _rest_
is. 3849. E. of this; Hn. at this; _rest_ at his.
Thus swyved was the carpenteres wyf, 3850
[111: T. 3849-3852.]
For al his keping and his Ialousye;
And Absolon hath kist hir nether yë;
And Nicholas is scalded in the toute. (667)
This tale is doon, and god save al the route! 3854