This cursed craft who-so wol exercyse, 830
He shal no good han that him may suffyse;
For al the good he spendeth ther-aboute,
He lese shal, ther-of have I no doute. (280)
Who-so that listeth outen his folye,
Lat him come forth, and lerne multiplye; 835
And every man that oght hath in his cofre,
Lat him appere, and wexe a philosofre.
Ascaunce that craft is so light to lere?
Nay, nay, god woot, al be he monk or frere,
Preest or chanoun, or any other wight, 840
Though he sitte at his book bothe day and night,
In lernyng of this elvish nyce lore,
Al is in veyn, and parde, mochel more! (290)
To lerne a lewed man this subtiltee,
Fy! spek nat ther-of, for it wol nat be; 845
Al conne he letterure, or conne he noon,
As in effect, he shal finde it al oon.
For bothe two, by my savacioun,
Concluden, in multiplicacioun,
[536: T. 16318-16352.]
Y-lyke wel, whan they han al y-do; 850
This is to seyn, they faylen bothe two.
834. E. _omits_ so. 836. E. oght hath; _rest_ hath oght (ought).
838. E. Cm. Hl. Askauns; Ln. Ascance; _rest_ Ascaunce. 846. E. Cm.
And; _rest_ Al.
Yet forgat I to maken rehersaille
Of watres corosif and of limaille, (300)
And of bodyes mollificacioun,
And also of hir induracioun, 855
Oiles, ablucions, and metal fusible,
To tellen al wolde passen any bible
That o-wher is; wherfor, as for the beste,
Of alle thise names now wol I me reste.
For, as I trowe, I have yow told y-nowe 860
To reyse a feend, al loke he never so rowe.
860, 861. E. Pt. Hl. ynowe, rowe; Li. ynogh, rogh; Cm. I-nogh, rogh;
Cp. ynough, rough.
A! nay! lat be; the philosophres stoon,
Elixir clept, we sechen faste echoon; (310)
For hadde we him, than were we siker y-now.
But, unto god of heven I make avow, 865
For al our craft, whan we han al y-do,
And al our sleighte, he wol nat come us to.
He hath y-maad us spenden mochel good,
For sorwe of which almost we wexen wood,
But that good hope crepeth in our herte, 870
Supposinge ever, though we sore smerte,
To be releved by him afterward;
Swich supposing and hope is sharp and hard; (320)
I warne yow wel, it is to seken ever;
That futur temps hath maad men to dissever, 875
In trust ther-of, from al that ever they hadde.
Yet of that art they can nat wexen sadde,
For unto hem it is a bitter swete;
So semeth it; for nadde they but a shete
Which that they mighte wrappe hem inne a-night, 880
And a bak to walken inne by day-light,
They wolde hem selle and spenden on this craft;
They can nat stinte til no-thing be laft. (330)
And evermore, wher that ever they goon,
[537: T. 16353-16387.]
Men may hem knowe by smel of brimstoon; 885
For al the world, they stinken as a goot;
Her savour is so rammish and so hoot,
That, though a man from hem a myle be,
The savour wol infecte him, trusteth me;
Lo, thus by smelling and threedbare array, 890
If that men liste, this folk they knowe may.
And if a man wol aske hem prively,
Why they been clothed so unthriftily, (340)
They right anon wol rownen in his ere,
And seyn, that if that they espyed were, 895
Men wolde hem slee, by-cause of hir science;
Lo, thus this folk bitrayen innocence!
864. we (2)] E. it. 867. E. With; _rest_ And. 868. Cm. I-mad vs;
Hl. I-made vs; E. maad vs; _rest_ vs made. 871. E. _omits_ euer.
875. Cm. to; _rest omit_. 880. E. Inne at; _rest_ in a. 881. E.
brat; _rest_ bak. 882. E. Li. the; _rest_ this. 888. E. a Mile from
hem; _rest_ from hem a myle. 889. E. truste; _rest_ trusteth. 890.
E. And; _rest_ Lo. E. smel; _rest_ smellyng.
Passe over this; I go my tale un-to.
Er than the pot be on the fyr y-do,
Of metals with a certein quantite, 900
My lord hem tempreth, and no man but he—
Now he is goon, I dar seyn boldely—
For, as men seyn, he can don craftily; (350)
Algate I wool wel he hath swich a name,
And yet ful ofte he renneth in a blame; 905
And wite ye how? ful ofte it happeth so,
The pot to-breketh, and farewel! al is go!
Thise metals been of so greet violence,
Our walles mowe nat make hem resistence,
But if they weren wroght of lym and stoon; 910
They percen so, and thurgh the wal they goon,
And somme of hem sinken in-to the ground—
Thus han we lost by tymes many a pound— (360)
And somme are scatered al the floor aboute,
Somme lepe in-to the roof; with-outen doute, 915
Though that the feend noght in our sighte him shewe,
I trowe he with us be, that ilke shrewe!
In helle wher that he is lord and sire,
Nis ther more wo, ne more rancour ne ire.
[538: T. 16388-16423.]
Whan that our pot is broke, as I have sayd, 920
Every man chit, and halt him yvel apayd.
899. E. Ln. Lich. that; _rest_ than. 902. dar] E. Ln. dare. 905. E.
oft. 912. E. Cm. synke; _rest_ sinken. 915. E. lepte; _rest_ lepe,
lepen. 918. E. lord is; _rest_ is lord. 919. _So_ E. Cm.; _rest_
Nis ther no more wo ne anger ne ire.
Som seyde, it was long on the fyr-making,
Som seyde, nay! it was on the blowing; (370)
(Than was I fered, for that was myn office);
‘Straw!’ quod the thridde, ‘ye been lewed and nyce, 925
It was nat tempred as it oghte be.’
‘Nay!’ quod the ferthe, ‘stint, and herkne me;
By-cause our fyr ne was nat maad of beech,
That is the cause, and other noon, so theech!’
I can nat telle wher-on it was long, 930
But wel I wot greet stryf is us among.
922. E. Cm. along; _rest_ long. 927. E. fourthe; _see_ l. 824. 930.
Cm. Hl. long; _rest_ along; see l. 922. 931. E. vs is; _rest_ is vs.
‘What!’ quod my lord, ‘ther is na-more to done,
Of thise perils I wol be war eft-sone; (380)
I am right siker that the pot was crased.
Be as be may, be ye no-thing amased; 935
As usage is, lat swepe the floor as swythe,
Plukke up your hertes, and beth gladde and blythe.’
The mullok on an hepe y-sweped was,
And on the floor y-cast a canevas,
And al this mullok in a sive y-throwe, 940
And sifted, and y-piked many a throwe.