‘Madame,’ quod he, ‘how thinketh yow her-by?’
2204. Hn. thynketh yow; Cp. thenke you; Hl. Ln. thynke yow; E. thynke
ye. Hn. Cp. Ln. Hl. ther-by.
‘How that me thinketh?’ quod she; ‘so god me speede,
I seye, a cherl hath doon a cherles dede.
What shold I seye? god lat him never thee!
His syke heed is ful of vanitee, (500)
I hold him in a maner frenesye.’
2205. thinketh = think’th.
‘Madame,’ quod he, ‘by god I shal nat lye; 2210
But I on other weyes may be wreke,
I shal diffame him over-al ther I speke,
This false blasphemour, that charged me
To parte that wol nat departed be,
To every man y-liche, with meschaunce!’ 2215
2211. E. _ins._ hym _after_ on (_wrongly_). E. _om._ may. 2212. Hn.
Cp. diffame; Cm. Hl. defame; E. disclaundre.
The lord sat stille as he were in a traunce,
And in his herte he rolled up and doun,
‘How hadde this cherl imaginacioun (510)
To shewe swich a probleme to the frere?
Never erst er now herde I of swich matere; 2220
I trowe the devel putte it in his minde.
In ars-metryke shal ther no man finde,
Biforn this day, of swich a questioun.
Who sholde make a demonstracioun,
That every man sholde have y-liche his part 2225
As of the soun or savour of a fart?
[387: T. 7809-7843.]
O nyce proude cherl, I shrewe his face!
Lo, sires,’ quod the lord, with harde grace, (520)
‘Who ever herde of swich a thing er now?
To every man y-lyke? tel me how? 2230
It is an inpossible, it may nat be!
Ey, nyce cherl, god lete him never thee!
The rumblinge of a fart, and every soun,
Nis but of eir reverberacioun,
And ever it wasteth lyte and lyte awey. 2235
Ther is no man can demen, by my fey,
If that it were departed equally.
What, lo, my cherl, lo, yet how shrewedly (530)
Un-to my confessour to-day he spak!
I holde him certeyn a demoniak! 2240
Now ete your mete, and lat the cherl go pleye,
Lat him go honge himself a devel weye!’
2218. E. the (_for_ this). E. Cm. _insert_ this _after_ cherl.
2222. Ln. metrike; _rest_ metrik. 2224. _So the rest_; E. Certes it
was a shrewed conclusion. 2227. E. vile; _rest_ nyce. 2229. E.
herd; _rest_ herde. E. Cm. Cp. herd euere. 2232. him] E. thee.
2235. E. Cp. Pt. Hl. litel and litel.
Now stood the lordes squyer at the bord,
That carf his mete, and herde, word by word,
Of alle thinges of which I have yow sayd. 2245
‘My lord,’ quod he, ‘be ye nat yvel apayd;
I coude telle, for a goune-clooth,
To yow, sir frere, so ye be nat wrooth, (540)
How that this fart sholde even deled be
Among your covent, if it lyked me.’ 2250
2245. _So_ Hn. Cp. Ln.; E. which that I haue. 2246. E. Cp. beth; Ln.
be; _rest_ be ye. 2249. E. euene delt shal; Hl. euen departed schuld;
_rest as above_.
‘Tel,’ quod the lord, ‘and thou shall have anon
A goune-cloth, by god and by Seint Iohn!’
‘My lord,’ quod he, ‘whan that the weder is fair,
With-outen wind or perturbinge of air,
Lat bringe a cartwheel here in-to this halle, 2255
But loke that it have his spokes alle.
Twelf spokes hath a cartwheel comunly.
And bring me than twelf freres, woot ye why? (550)
For thrittene is a covent, as I gesse.
The confessour heer, for his worthinesse, 2260
Shal parfourne up the nombre of his covent.
[388: T. 7844-7876.]
Than shal they knele doun, by oon assent,
And to every spokes ende, in this manere,
Ful sadly leye his nose shal a frere.
Your noble confessour, ther god him save, 2265
Shal holde his nose upright, under the nave.
Than shal this cherl, with bely stif and toght
As any tabour, hider been y-broght; (560)
And sette him on the wheel right of this cart,
Upon the nave, and make him lete a fart. 2270
And ye shul seen, up peril of my lyf,
By preve which that is demonstratif,
That equally the soun of it wol wende,
And eek the stink, un-to the spokes ende;
Save that this worthy man, your confessour, 2275
By-cause he is a man of greet honour,
Shal have the firste fruit, as reson is;
The noble usage of freres yet is this, (570)
The worthy men of hem shul first be served;
And certeinly, he hath it weel deserved. 2280
He hath to-day taught us so muchel good
With preching in the pulpit ther he stood,
That I may vouche-sauf, I sey for me,
He hadde the firste smel of fartes three,
And so wolde al his covent hardily; 2285
He bereth him so faire and holily.’
2255. E. Hl. _om._ here. Hl. a large wheel. 2257. Hn. Hl. Twelf; E.
Cm. Twelue. 2258. E. thanne. xij. 2259. E. Ln. twelue (_for_
thrittene). 2262, 7. E. Thanne. 2268. E. Cm. been hyder. 2272.
Hl. By verray proef. 2274. E. eke; Hn. eek. 2278. _So_ Hn. Cp. Ln.;
Pt. it (_for_ yet); Hl. _om._ yet; E. As yet the noble vsage of freres
is. 2280. E. Hn. Cp. disserued. 2281. Hn. muchel; Hl. Cp. mochil;
E. Ln. muche. 2285. E. the (_for_ his).
The lord, the lady, and ech man, save the frere,
Seyde that Iankin spak, in this matere, (580)
As wel as Euclide or [as] Ptholomee.
Touchinge this cherl, they seyde, subtiltee 2290
And heigh wit made him speken as he spak;
He nis no fool, ne no demoniak.
And Iankin hath y-wonne a newe goune.—
My tale is doon; we been almost at toune. 2294
=Here endeth the Somnours Tale.=
2287. E. alle men. 2289. E. Euclude. _I supply 2nd_ as (Hl.
_supplies_ elles); Ln. _has_ ptholome; E. Hn. Protholomee; Cp. Hl.
p_ro_tholome. 2291. Hl. speken; _rest_ speke. COLOPHON. _So_ E. Hn.
Cp. Hl.; E. Somonours.
[389: T. 7877-7898.]
* * * * *