That she had had a ship hire felf alone;

And therfore woft thou what is best to done?

This axeth haft, and of an haftif thing

3545

Men may not preche and maken tarying.

Anon go get us fast into this in

A kneding trough or elles a kemelyn

For eche of us; but loke that they ben large,

In which we mowen fwimme as in a barge;
And have therin vitaille fuffifant

3550

But for a day; fie on the remenant;

The water fhall aflake and gon away

Abouten prime upon the nexte day."

But Robin may not wete of this, thy knave,
Ne eke thy mayden Gille I may not fave:

3555

Axe not why; for though thou axe me
I wol not tellen Goddes privetee.
Sufficeth thee, but if thy wittes madde,
To have as gret a grace as Noe hadde.
Thy wif fhal I wel faven out of doute.

3560

Go now thy way, and fpede thee hereaboute.

But whan thou haft for hire, and thee, and me,

Ygeten us thefe kneding tubbes thre,

Than fhalt thou hang hem in the roofe ful hie, 3565

That no man of our purveyance efpie:

And whan thou haft don thus as I have faid,
And haft our vitaille faire in hem ylaid,

And eke an axe to fmite the cord a-two

Whan that the water cometh, that we may go 3579

And breke an hole on high upon the gable
Unto the gardin ward, over the ftable,
That we may frely paffen forth our way,
Whan that the grete fhoure is gon away,
Than fhal thou fwim as mery, I undertake,
As doth the white doke after hire drake;
Than wol I clepe, How, Alifon! how, John!
Be mery, for the flood wol paffe anon.
And thou wolt fain, Haile! Maifter Nicholay,
Good morwe! I fee thee wel, for it is day.
And than fhall we be lordes all our lif
Of all the world, as Noe and his wif.
But of o thing I warne thee ful right,
Be wel avifed on that ilke night,
That we ben entred into shippes hord,
That non of us ne fpeke not o word,

Ne clepe ne crie, but be in his praiere,

3375

3580

3585

For it is Goddes owen hefte dere.

Thy wif and thou moste hangen fer a-twinne,

For that betwixen you shal be no finne,

3599

No more in loking than ther fhal in dede.

This ordinance is faid; go, God thee fpede.

To morwe at night, whan men ben all aslepe,
Into our kneding tubbes wol we crepe,

And fitten ther, abiding Goddes grace.

3595

Go now thy way, I have no lenger space

To make of this, no lenger fermoning:

Men fain thus, Send the wife, and say nothing;

Thou art fo wife it nedeth thee nought teche.
Go, fave our lives, and that I thee befeche.

This fely carpenter goth forth his way,
Ful oft he faid Alas! and Wala wa!

3600

And to his wif he told his privetee,

And she was ware, and knew it bet than he
What all this queinte caft was for to fey;
But nathcles the ferde as the wold dey,
And faid, Alas! go forth thy way anon;

3605

Helpe us to fcape, or we be ded eche on:
I am thy trewe veray wedded wif;

Go, dere spouse! and helpe to fave our lif.
Lo, what a gret thing is affection!
Men may die of imagination,
So depe may impreffion be take.

3610

This fely carpenter beginneth quake;

Him thinketh veraily that he may fee
Noes flood comen walwing as the fee
To drenchen Alison, his honey dere:

3615

He wepeth, waileth, maketh fory chere;
He fiketh, with ful many a fory fwough.

He goth and geteth him a kneding trough,

3620

And after a tubbe and a kemelin,

And prively he fent hem to his in,

And heng hem in the roof in privetee.

His owen hond than made he ladders three,

V. 3624. His owen bond] With his own hand. So Gower,

Conf. Amant. fol. 76, b.;

The crafte Mynerve of wolle fonde,

And made cloth ber oven bonde.

To climben by the renges and the stalkes
Unto the tubbes honging in the balkes;

And hem vitailled, kemelin, trough, and tubbe,
With bred and chefe, and good ale in a jubbe,
Sufficing right ynow as for a day.

5625

But er that he had made all this array

3630

He fent his knave, and cke his wenche also,
Upon his nede to London for to go.

And on the Monday, whan it drew to night,

He fhette his dore, withouten candel light,

And dreffed all thing as it fhulde bee;
And fhortly up they clomben alle three.

3635

They fitten ftille wel a furlong way.

Now, Pater-nofter, Clum, faid Nicholay,

And Clum, quod John, and Clum, faid Alison:

This carpenter faid his devotion,

3640

And ftill he fit, and biddeth his praiere,

Awaiting on the rain, if he it here.

The dede flepe, for wery befineffe,
Fell on this carpenter, right as I geffe,
Abouten curfew time, or litel more.
For travaille of his gofl he groneth fore,
And eft he routeth, for his hed mislay.

Doun of the ladder ftalketh Nicholay,

See alfo fol. 113, a.;

Thyng which he fayd his ozone mouth.

3645

3625. the fialkes] The fteps, Gl. Urr. but I rather believe the renges to mean the fteps, and the falkes the upright pieces of a ladder.

3638. Clum] From the Sax. clumian, mufitare, murmuare.

And Alifon ful foft adoun hire fpedde.

Withouten wordes mo they went to bedde,

3650

Ther as the carpenter was wont to lie;
Ther was the revel and the melodie.
And thus lith Alifon and Nicholas
In befineffe of mirthe and in folas,
Til that the bell of laudes gan to ring,
And freres in the chancel gon to fing."

3655

This parish clerk, this amorous Absolon,

That is for love alway fo wo-begon,

Upon the Monday was at Ofenay

With compagnie, him to difport and play, '

3660

And asked upon cas a cloisterer

Ful prively after John the carpenter;

And he drew him apart out of the chirche.
He faid, I no't, I faw him not here wirche

Sith Saturday; I trow that he be went

3665

For timbre ther our abbot hath him fent;

For he is wont for timbre for to go,

And dwellen at the Grange a day or two;

Or elles he is at his hous certain:

Wher that he be I cannot fothly fain.

3670

This Abfolon fut july was and light,

And thoughte, now is time to wake al night,

For fikerly I saw him mat stiring

About his dore fin day began to fpring.

So mote I thrive I fhal at cockes crow
Ful prively go knocke at his window,

3675