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Here biginneth the Shipmannes Tale. A MARCHANT whylom dwelled at Seint Denys, | |
That riche was, for which men helde him wys; | |
A wyf he hadde of excellent beautee, | |
And compaignable and revelous was she, | |
Which is a thing that causeth more dispence | 5 |
Than worth is al the chere and reverence | |
That men hem doon at festes and at daunces; | |
Swiche salutaciouns and contenaunces | |
Passen as dooth a shadwe up-on the wal. | |
But wo is him that payen moot for al; | 10 |
The sely housbond, algate he mot paye; | |
He moot us clothe, and he moot us arraye, | |
Al for his owene worship richely, | |
In which array we daunce Iolily. | |
And if that he noght may, par-aventure, | 15 |
Or elles, list no swich dispence endure, | |
But thinketh it is wasted and y-lost, | |
Than moot another payen for our cost, | |
Or lene us gold, and that is perilous. | |
This noble Marchant heeld a worthy hous, | 20 |
For which he hadde alday so greet repair | |
For his largesse, and for his wyf was fair, | |
That wonder is; but herkneth to my tale. | |
Amonges alle his gestes, grete and smale, | |
Ther was a monk, a fair man and a bold, | 25 |
I trowe of thritty winter he was old, | |
That ever in oon was drawing to that place. | |
This yonge monk, that was so fair of face, | |
Aqueinted was so with the gode man, | |
Sith that hir firste knoweliche bigan, | 30 |
That in his hous as famulier was he | |
As it possible is any freend to be. | |
And for as muchel as this gode man | |
And eek this monk, of which that I bigan, | |
Were bothe two y-born in o village, | 35 |
The monk him claimeth as for cosinage; | |
And he again, he seith nat ones nay, | |
But was as glad ther-of as fowel of day; | |
For to his herte it was a greet plesaunce. | |
Thus been they knit with eterne alliaunce, | 40 |
And ech of hem gan other for tassure | |
Of bretherhede, whyl that hir lyf may dure. | |
Free was daun Iohn, and namely of dispence, | |
As in that hous; and ful of diligence | |
To doon plesaunce, and also greet costage. | 45 |
He noght forgat to yeve the leeste page | |
In al that hous; but, after hir degree, | |
He yaf the lord, and sitthe al his meynee, | |
When that he cam, som maner honest thing; | |
For which they were as glad of his coming | 50 |
As fowel is fayn, whan that the sonne up-ryseth. | |
Na more of this as now, for it suffyseth. | |
But so bifel, this marchant on a day | |
Shoop him to make redy his array | |
Toward the toun of Brugges for to fare, | 55 |
To byën ther a porcioun of ware; | |
For which he hath to Paris sent anon | |
A messager, and preyed hath daun Iohn | |
That he sholde come to Seint Denys to pleye | |
With him and with his wyf a day or tweye, | 60 |
Er he to Brugges wente, in alle wyse. | |
This noble monk, of which I yow devyse, | |
Hath of his abbot, as him list, licence, | |
By-cause he was a man of heigh prudence, | |
And eek an officer, out for to ryde, | 65 |
To seen hir graunges and hir bernes wyde; | |
And un-to Seint Denys he comth anon. | |
Who was so welcome as my lord daun Iohn, | |
Our dere cosin, ful of curteisye? | |
With him broghte he a Iubbe of Malvesye, | 70 |
And eek another, ful of fyn Vernage, | |
And volatyl, as ay was his usage. | |
And thus I lete hem ete and drinke and pleye, | |
This marchant and this monk, a day or tweye. | |
The thridde day, this marchant up aryseth, | 75 |
And on his nedes sadly him avyseth, | |
And up in-to his countour-hous goth he | |
To rekene with him-self, as wel may be, | |
Of thilke yeer, how that it with him stood, | |
And how that he despended hadde his good; | 80 |
And if that he encressed were or noon. | |
His bokes and his bagges many oon | |
He leith biforn him on his counting-bord; | |
Ful riche was his tresor and his hord, | |
For which ful faste his countour-dore he shette; | 85 |
And eek he nolde that no man sholde him lette | |
Of his accountes, for the mene tyme; | |
And thus he sit til it was passed pryme. | |
Daun Iohn was risen in the morwe also, | |
And in the gardin walketh to and fro, | 90 |
And hath his thinges seyd ful curteisly. | |
This gode wyf cam walking prively | |
In-to the gardin, ther he walketh softe, | |
And him saleweth, as she hath don ofte. | |
A mayde child cam in hir companye, | 95 |
Which as hir list she may governe and gye, | |
For yet under the yerde was the mayde. | |
O dere cosin myn, daun Iohn, she sayde, | |
What eyleth yow so rathe for to ryse? | |
Nece, quod he, it oghte y-nough suffyse | 100 |
Fyve houres for to slepe up-on a night, | |
But it were for an old appalled wight, | |
As been thise wedded men, that lye and dare | |
As in a forme sit a wery hare, | |
Were al for-straught with houndes grete and smale. | 105 |
But dere nece, why be ye so pale? | |
I trowe certes that our gode man | |
Hath yow laboured sith the night bigan, | |
That yow were nede to resten hastily? | |
And with that word he lough ful merily, | 110 |
And of his owene thought he wex al reed. | |
This faire wyf gan for to shake hir heed, | |
And seyde thus, ye, god wot al, quod she; | |
Nay, cosin myn, it stant nat so with me. | |
For, by that god that yaf me soule and lyf, | 115 |
In al the reme of France is ther no wyf | |
That lasse lust hath to that sory pley. | |
For I may singe allas and weylawey, | |
That I was born, but to no wight, quod she, | |
Dar I nat telle how that it stant with me. | 120 |
Wherfore I thinke out of this land to wende, | |
Or elles of my-self to make an ende, | |
So ful am I of drede and eek of care. | |
This monk bigan up-on this wyf to stare, | |
And seyde, allas, my nece, god forbede | 125 |
That ye, for any sorwe or any drede, | |
Fordo your-self; but telleth me your grief; | |
Paraventure I may, in your meschief, | |
Conseille or helpe, and therfore telleth me | |
Al your anoy, for it shal been secree; | 130 |
For on my porthors here I make an ooth, | |
That never in my lyf, for lief ne looth, | |
Ne shal I of no conseil yow biwreye. | |
The same agayn to yow, quod she, I seye; | |
By god and by this porthors, I yow swere, | 135 |
Though men me wolde al in-to peces tere, | |
Ne shal I never, for to goon to helle, | |
Biwreye a word of thing that ye me telle, | |
Nat for no cosinage ne alliance, | |
But verraily, for love and affiance. | 140 |
Thus been they sworn, and heer-upon they kiste, | |
And ech of hem tolde other what hem liste. | |
Cosin, quod she, if that I hadde a space, | |
As I have noon, and namely in this place, | |
Than wolde I telle a legende of my lyf, | 145 |
What I have suffred sith I was a wyf | |
With myn housbonde, al be he your cosyn. | |
Nay, quod this monk, by god and seint Martyn, | |
He is na more cosin un-to me | |
Than is this leef that hangeth on the tree! | 150 |
I clepe him so, by Seint Denys of Fraunce, | |
To have the more cause of aqueintaunce | |
Of yow, which I have loved specially | |
Aboven alle wommen sikerly; | |
This swere I yow on my professioun. | 155 |
Telleth your grief, lest that he come adoun, | |
And hasteth yow, and gooth your wey anon. | |
My dere love, quod she, o my daun Iohn, | |
Ful lief were me this conseil for to hyde, | |
But out it moot, I may namore abyde. | 160 |
Myn housbond is to me the worste man | |
That ever was, sith that the world bigan. | |
But sith I am a wyf, it sit nat me | |
To tellen no wight of our privetee, | |
Neither a bedde, ne in non other place; | 165 |
God shilde I sholde it tellen, for his grace! | |
A wyf ne shal nat seyn of hir housbonde | |
But al honour, as I can understonde; | |
Save un-to yow thus muche I tellen shal; | |
As help me god, he is noght worth at al | 170 |
In no degree the value of a flye. | |
But yet me greveth most his nigardye; | |
And wel ye woot that wommen naturelly | |
Desyren thinges sixe, as wel as I. | |
They wolde that hir housbondes sholde be | 175 |
Hardy, and wyse, and riche, and ther-to free, | |
And buxom to his wyf, and fresh a-bedde. | |
But, by that ilke lord that for us bledde, | |
For his honour, my-self for to arraye, | |
A Sonday next, I moste nedes paye | 180 |
An hundred frankes, or elles am I lorn. | |
Yet were me lever that I were unborn | |
Than me were doon a sclaundre or vileinye; | |
And if myn housbond eek it mighte espye, | |
I nere but lost, and therfore I yow preye | 185 |
Lene me this somme, or elles moot I deye. | |
Daun Iohn, I seye, lene me thise hundred frankes; | |
Pardee, I wol nat faille yow my thankes, | |
If that yow list to doon that I yow praye. | |
For at a certein day I wol yow paye, | 190 |
And doon to yow what plesance and servyce | |
That I may doon, right as yow list devyse. | |
And but I do, god take on me vengeance | |
As foul as ever had Geniloun of France! | |
This gentil monk answerde in this manere; | 195 |
Now, trewely, myn owene lady dere, | |
I have, quod he, on yow so greet a routhe, | |
That I yow swere and plighte yow my trouthe, | |
That whan your housbond is to Flaundres fare, | |
I wol delivere yow out of this care; | 200 |
For I wol bringe yow an hundred frankes. | |
And with that word he caughte hir by the flankes, | |
And hir embraceth harde, and kiste hir ofte. | |
Goth now your wey, quod he, al stille and softe, | |
And lat us dyne as sone as that ye may; | 205 |
For by my chilindre it is pryme of day. | |
Goth now, and beeth as trewe as I shal be. | |
Now, elles god forbede, sire, quod she, | |
And forth she gooth, as Iolif as a pye, | |
And bad the cokes that they sholde hem hye, | 210 |
So that men mighte dyne, and that anon. | |
Up to hir housbonde is this wyf y-gon, | |
And knokketh at his countour boldely. | |
Qui la? quod he. Peter! it am I, | |
Quod she, what, sire, how longe wol ye faste? | 215 |
How longe tyme wol ye rekene and caste | |
Your sommes, and your bokes, and your thinges? | |
The devel have part of alle swiche rekeninges! | |
Ye have y-nough, pardee, of goddes sonde; | |
Come doun to-day, and lat your bagges stonde. | 220 |
Ne be ye nat ashamed that daun Iohn | |
Shal fasting al this day elenge goon? | |
What! lat us here a messe, and go we dyne. | |
Wyf, quod this man, litel canstow devyne | |
The curious bisinesse that we have. | 225 |
For of us chapmen, al-so god me save, | |
And by that lord that cleped is Seint Yve, | |
Scarsly amonges twelve ten shul thryve, | |
Continuelly, lastinge un-to our age. | |
We may wel make chere and good visage, | 230 |
And dryve forth the world as it may be, | |
And kepen our estaat in privetee, | |
Til we be deed, or elles that we pleye | |
A pilgrimage, or goon out of the weye. | |
And therfor have I greet necessitee | 235 |
Up-on this queinte world tavyse me; | |
For evermore we mote stonde in drede | |
Of hap and fortune in our chapmanhede. | |
To Flaundres wol I go to-morwe at day, | |
And come agayn, as sone as ever I may. | 240 |
For which, my dere wyf, I thee biseke, | |
As be to every wight buxom and meke, | |
And for to kepe our good be curious, | |
And honestly governe wel our hous. | |
Thou hast y-nough, in every maner wyse, | 245 |
That to a thrifty houshold may suffyse. | |
Thee lakketh noon array ne no vitaille, | |
Of silver in thy purs shaltow nat faille. | |
And with that word his countour-dore he shette, | |
And doun he gooth, no lenger wolde he lette, | 250 |
But hastily a messe was ther seyd, | |
And spedily the tables were y-leyd, | |
And to the diner faste they hem spedde; | |
And richely this monk the chapman fedde. | |
At-after diner daun Iohn sobrely | 255 |
This chapman took a-part, and prively | |
He seyde him thus, cosyn, it standeth so, | |
That wel I see to Brugges wol ye go. | |
God and seint Austin spede yow and gyde! | |
I prey yow, cosin, wysly that ye ryde; | 260 |
Governeth yow also of your diete | |
Atemprely, and namely in this hete. | |
Bitwix us two nedeth no strange fare; | |
Fare-wel, cosyn; god shilde yow fro care. | |
If any thing ther be by day or night, | 265 |
If it lye in my power and my might, | |
That ye me wol comande in any wyse, | |
It shal be doon, right as ye wol devyse. | |
O thing, er that ye goon, if it may be, | |
I wolde prey yow; for to lene me | 270 |
An hundred frankes, for a wyke or tweye, | |
For certein beestes that I moste beye, | |
To store with a place that is oures. | |
God help me so, I wolde it were youres! | |
I shal nat faille surely of my day, | 275 |
Nat for a thousand frankes, a myle-way. | |
But lat this thing be secree, I yow preye, | |
For yet to-night thise beestes moot I beye; | |
And fare-now wel, myn owene cosin dere, | |
Graunt mercy of your cost and of your chere. | 280 |
This noble marchant gentilly anon | |
Answerde, and seyde, o cosin myn, daun Iohn, | |
Now sikerly this is a smal requeste; | |
My gold is youres, whan that it yow leste. | |
And nat only my gold, but my chaffare; | 285 |
Take what yow list, god shilde that ye spare. | |
But o thing is, ye knowe it wel y-nogh, | |
Of chapmen, that hir moneye is hir plogh. | |
We may creaunce whyl we have a name, | |
But goldlees for to be, it is no game. | 290 |
Paye it agayn whan it lyth in your ese; | |
After my might ful fayn wolde I yow plese. | |
Thise hundred frankes he fette forth anon, | |
And prively he took hem to daun Iohn. | |
No wight in al this world wiste of this lone, | 295 |
Savinge this marchant and daun Iohn allone. | |
They drinke, and speke, and rome a whyle and pleye, | |
Til that daun Iohn rydeth to his abbeye. | |
The morwe cam, and forth this marchant rydeth | |
To Flaundres-ward; his prentis wel him gydeth, | 300 |
Til he cam in-to Brugges merily. | |
Now gooth this marchant faste and bisily | |
Aboute his nede, and byeth and creaunceth. | |
He neither pleyeth at the dees ne daunceth; | |
But as a marchant, shortly for to telle, | 305 |
He let his lyf, and there I lete him dwelle. | |
The Sonday next this Marchant was agon, | |
To Seint Denys y-comen is daun Iohn, | |
With crowne and berd all fresh and newe y-shave. | |
In al the hous ther nas so litel a knave, | 310 |
Ne no wight elles, that he nas ful fayn, | |
For that my lord daun Iohn was come agayn. | |
And shortly to the point right for to gon, | |
This faire wyf accorded with daun Iohn, | |
That for thise hundred frankes he sholde al night | 315 |
Have hir in his armes bolt-upright; | |
And this acord parfourned was in dede. | |
In mirthe al night a bisy lyf they lede | |
Til it was day, that daun Iohn wente his way, | |
And bad the meynee fare-wel, have good day! | 320 |
For noon of hem, ne no wight in the toun, | |
Hath of daun Iohn right no suspecioun. | |
And forth he rydeth hoom to his abbeye, | |
Or where him list; namore of him I seye. | |
This marchant, whan that ended was the faire, | 325 |
To Seint Denys he gan for to repaire, | |
And with his wyf he maketh feste and chere, | |
And telleth hir that chaffare is so dere, | |
That nedes moste he make a chevisaunce. | |
For he was bounde in a reconissaunce | 330 |
To paye twenty thousand sheeld anon. | |
For which this marchant is to Paris gon, | |
To borwe of certein frendes that he hadde | |
A certein frankes; and somme with him he ladde. | |
And whan that he was come in-to the toun, | 335 |
For greet chertee and greet affeccioun, | |
Un-to daun Iohn he gooth him first, to pleye; | |
Nat for to axe or borwe of him moneye, | |
But for to wite and seen of his welfare, | |
And for to tellen him of his chaffare, | 340 |
As freendes doon whan they ben met y-fere. | |
Daun Iohn him maketh feste and mery chere; | |
And he him tolde agayn ful specially, | |
How he hadde wel y-boght and graciously, | |
Thanked be god, al hool his marchandyse. | 345 |
Save that he moste, in alle maner wyse, | |
Maken a chevisaunce, as for his beste, | |
And thanne he sholde been in Ioye and reste. | |
Daun Iohn answerde, certes, I am fayn | |
That ye in hele ar comen hoom agayn. | 350 |
And if that I were riche, as have I blisse, | |
Of twenty thousand sheeld shold ye nat misse, | |
For ye so kindely this other day | |
Lente me gold; and as I can and may, | |
I thanke yow, by god and by seint Iame! | 355 |
But nathelees I took un-to our dame, | |
Your wyf at hoom, the same gold ageyn | |
Upon your bench; she woot it wel, certeyn, | |
By certein tokenes that I can hir telle. | |
Now, by your leve, I may no lenger dwelle, | 360 |
Our abbot wol out of this toun anon; | |
And in his companye moot I gon. | |
Grete wel our dame, myn owene nece swete, | |
And fare-wel, dere cosin, til we mete! | |
This Marchant, which that was ful war and wys, | 365 |
Creaunced hath, and payd eek in Parys, | |
To certeyn Lumbardes, redy in hir hond, | |
The somme of gold, and gat of hem his bond; | |
And hoom he gooth, mery as a papeiay. | |
For wel he knew he stood in swich array, | 370 |
That nedes moste he winne in that viage | |
A thousand frankes above al his costage. | |
His wyf ful redy mette him atte gate, | |
As she was wont of old usage algate, | |
And al that night in mirthe they bisette; | 375 |
For he was riche and cleerly out of dette. | |
Whan it was day, this marchant gan embrace | |
His wyf al newe, and kiste hir on hir face, | |
And up he gooth and maketh it ful tough. | |
Namore, quod she, by god, ye have y-nough! | 380 |
And wantounly agayn with him she pleyde; | |
Til, atte laste, that this Marchant seyde, | |
By god, quod he, I am a litel wrooth | |
With yow, my wyf, al-thogh it be me looth. | |
And woot ye why? by god, as that I gesse, | 385 |
That ye han maad a maner straungenesse | |
Bitwixen me and my cosyn daun Iohn. | |
Ye sholde han warned me, er I had gon, | |
That he yow hadde an hundred frankes payed | |
By redy tokene; and heeld him yvel apayed, | 390 |
For that I to him spak of chevisaunce, | |
Me semed so, as by his contenaunce. | |
But nathelees, by god our hevene king, | |
I thoghte nat to axe of him no-thing. | |
I prey thee, wyf, ne do namore so; | 395 |
Tel me alwey, er that I fro thee go, | |
If any dettour hath in myn absence | |
Y-payëd thee; lest, thurgh thy necligence, | |
I mighte him axe a thing that he hath payed. | |
This wyf was nat afered nor affrayed, | 400 |
But boldely she seyde, and that anon: | |
Marie, I defye the false monk, daun Iohn! | |
I kepe nat of hise tokenes never a deel; | |
He took me certein gold, that woot I weel! | |
What! yvel thedom on his monkes snoute! | 405 |
For, god it woot, I wende, withouten doute, | |
That he had yeve it me bycause of yow, | |
To doon ther-with myn honour and my prow, | |
For cosinage, and eek for bele chere | |
That he hath had ful ofte tymes here. | 410 |
But sith I see I stonde in this disioint, | |
I wol answere yow shortly, to the point. | |
Ye han mo slakker dettours than am I! | |
For I wol paye yow wel and redily | |
Fro day to day; and, if so be I faille, | 415 |
I am your wyf; score it up-on my taille, | |
And I shal paye, as sone as ever I may. | |
For, by my trouthe, I have on myn array, | |
And nat on wast, bistowed every deel. | |
And for I have bistowed it so weel | 420 |
For your honour, for goddes sake, I seye, | |
As be nat wrooth, but lat us laughe and pleye. | |
Ye shal my Ioly body have to wedde; | |
By god, I wol nat paye yow but a-bedde. | |
Forgive it me, myn owene spouse dere; | 425 |
Turne hiderward and maketh bettre chere. | |
This marchant saugh ther was no remedye, | |
And, for to chyde, it nere but greet folye, | |
Sith that the thing may nat amended be. | |
Now, wyf, he seyde, and I foryeve it thee; | 430 |
But, by thy lyf, ne be namore so large; | |
Keep bet our good, this yeve I thee in charge. | |
Thus endeth now my tale, and god us sende | |
Taling y-nough un-to our lyves ende. Amen.
Here endeth the Shipmannes Tale. | |
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