Alas! our wardein has his palfrey lorn. This Alein al forgat both mele and corn; The wif came leping inward at a renne ; 4075 Unthank come on his hand that bond him fo, 4c80 Alas! (quod John) Alein, for Criftes pein By Goddes faule he fhal not fcape us bathe. No mo the amblyng palfrie and the horne 4083 See The Town and Country Magazine for May 1769, p. 273. When this note was written I was in hopes of being able to refer the reader to fome more creditable edition of this poem; but the influence of those malignant stars which so long confined poor Rowley in his iron cheft seems still to predominate. Seriously it were much to be wished that the gentleman who is poffeffed of the ftill remaining fragments of this unfortunate author would print them as foon as poffible. If he thould not have leifure or inclination to be the editor himself he might eafily find a proper person to take that trouble for him, as nothing more would be requifite than to print the several pieces faithfully from their respective mff.diftinguishing which of thofe mff. are originals and which transcripts, and also by whom and when the transcripts were made, as far as that can be afcertained. Toward the fen, bothe Alein and eke John; And whan the miller faw that they were gon 4c90 He half a bushel of hir flour hath take, And bad his wif go knede it in a cake. 'These sely clerkes rennen up and doun 4095 With Kepe, kepe; Stand, stand; joffa, warderere. They coude not, though they did all hir might, 4100 4105 Til in a diche they caught him at the last. 4110 .4094. make a clerkes berde] i. e. cheat him. Faire la barbe, Fr. is to have or trim the beard; but Chaucer translates the phrafe literally, at leaft when he ufes it in its metaphorical fenfe. See ver. 5943, and H. of F. ii. 181. Boccace has the fame metaphor, Deeam. viii. 10. Speaking of fome exorbitant cheats, he says that they applied themselves—non a radere ma afcorticare buominį; and a little lower-fi a foavemente la barbiera faputo menare il rappio. And namely the miller, wala wa!! Thus plaineth John as he goth by the way Toward the mille, and Bayard in his hond. 'The miller fitting by the fire he fond, For it was night, and forther might they nought, The miller faide agen, If ther be any, 4120 Or make it roume with fpeche, as is your gife. 4126 But fpecially I pray thee, hofte dere, Gar us have mete and drinke, and make us chere, 4131 With empty hand men may na haukes tull. Lo here our filver redy for to spend. This miller to the toun his daughter fend 4135 v. 4133. chalons] Whatever they were they probably were Nat from his owen bed ten foot or twelve: Wel hath this miller vernished his hed, So was hire joly whistle wel ywette, 4140 4145 4150 To rocken, and to yeve the child to fouke. 4155 And whan that dronken was all in the crouke To bedde went the doughter right anon, 4160 fo called from their being made at Chalons. The gloffary interprets them to be blankets; but a paffage in the Monaft. v. ii. p. 720, would rather lead one to fuppofe them coverlets "aut pannos pictos, qui vocantur Chaluns, loco lectifternii." The wenche routeth eke par compagnie. Alein the clerk, that herd this melodie, Wha herkned ever flike a ferly thing? Ye, they shall have the flour of yvel ending. But yet na force, all fhal be for the beste. This John answered, Alein, avife thee; Alein answered, I count him nat a flie. 4165 4170 4175 4180 4185 4190 |