That coude climbe: alas! alas! (quod he)

For I am blinde. Ye, Sire, no force, quod fne;
But wold ye vouchefauf, for Goddes fake,
The pery in with your armes for to take,
(For wel I wot that ye mistrusten me)
Than wold I climben wel ynough, (quod fhe)
So I my fote might fetten on your back.

Certes, faid he, therin fhal be no lack,
Might I you helpen with min herte blood.",

He ftoupeth doun, and on his back she stood,
And caught hire by a twist; and up she goth,
(Ladies, I pray you that ye be not wroth;
I can nat glofe; I am a rude man:)

And fodenly anon this Damian

Gan pullen up the smock, and in he throng.
And whan that Pluto faw this grete wrong
To January he yaf again his fight,

10215

10220

10225

And made him fee as wel as ever he might; 10230

.10227. Gan pullen] After this verfe the editt. (except Ca. z, and Pynf. 1, 2,) have eight others of the lowett and mott fuperfluous ribaldry that can well be conceived. It would be a mere lofs of time to argue from the lines themselves that they were not written by Chaucer, as we have this thort and decifive reason for rejecting them, that they are not found in any one mf. of authority They are not found in mff. A. C. 1, Ask. 1, 2. HA. B. C. D. G. Bod. a. C. y. S. e. (. C. 2, T. N. Ch. In mf. E. H. I. W. either the whole Tale or that part where they might be looked for is wanting. The only tolerable mf. in which I have feen them is F. and there they have been added in the margin by a later land, perhaps not older than Caxton's first edition.

And whan he thus had caught his fig
Ne was ther never man of thing fo
But on his wif his thought was ever

Up to the tree he caft his eyen t
And faw how Damian his wife had
In fwiche manere it may not ben e.
But if I wolde fpeke uncarteifly;
And up he yaf a roring and a cry,-
As doth the mother whan the chil
Out! helpé! alas! harow the gant
O ftronge lady flore, what doeft t
And the answered, Sire, what ail
Have patience and refon in your
I have you holpen on both your
Up peril of my foule, I fhai nat li
As me was taught to helpen wit
Was nothing better for to make
Than ftrogle with a man upon :
God wot I did it in ful good ent
Strogle! quod he; ye, algate
Gode yeve you both on fhames

v. 10240. Out! helpe!] Two lin common editt. are omitted for the upon ver. 1o227; and I fhall take : actly the fame grounds, with four ferted in thofe editt. after ver. 102

v. 10241. O fironge lady ftore] £ this reading I have not departed fi have fome fignification that I am no foure, mf. G. houre, edit. Ca. 2, k

He fwived thee, I faw it with min eyen,
And elles be I honged by the halfe.

Than is, quod fhe, my medicine al false;
For certainly if that ye mighten fee
Ye wold not fay thise wordes unto me.
Ye have fom glimfing, and no parfit fight.
I fee, quod he, as wel as ever I might

(Thanked be God) with both min eyen two,

10255

And by my feith me thought he did thee fo. 10260
Ye mafe, ye mafen, good Sire, quod The;

This thank have I for I have made you fee:
Alas! quod fhe, that ever I was so kind.

10265

Now Dame, quod he, let al paffe out of mind:
Come doun, my lefe, and if I have miffaid
God helpe me fo as I am evil appaid:
But by my fadres foule I wende have fein
How that this Damian had by thee lein,

And that thy fmock had lein upon his brest,

Ye, Sire, quod fhe, ye may wene as you left: 10270

But, Sire, a man that waketh of his slepe

He may not fodenly wel taken kepe
Upon a thing, ne feen it parfitly,
Til that he be adawed veraily:

Right fo a man that long hath blind ybe

He may not fodenly fo wel yfee,

10275

v. 10261. Ye mafe, ye mafen] The final n has been added without authority, and unneceffarily. This line is very oddly written in mil. Ask. 1, 2;

Ya may ya may ya quod fhe.

Volume 111.

R

First whan his fight is newe comen agein,
As he that hath a day or two ysein.
Til that your fight yfateled be a while
Ther may fui many a fighte you begile.
Beware, I pray you, for by beven King
Ful many a man weneth to fee a thing,
And it is all another than it femeth:

IC280

He which that mifconceiveth oft mifdemeth.
And with that word fhe lep doun fro the tree. 10285
This January who is glad but he?

He kiffeth hire and clippeth hire ful oft,

And on hire wombe he ftroketh hire ful foft,
And to his paleis home he hath hire lad.
Now, goode men, I pray you to be glad.
Thus endeth here my Tale of Januarie;
God bleffe us, and his moder Seinte Marie! 10292

10290

THE SQUIERES PROLOGUE.

By Goddes mercy, fayde oure Hofte tho,
Now fwiche a wif I preie God kepe me fro..
Lo, fwiche fleightes and fubtilitees

In women ben; for ay as befy as bees

.10293.] It has been said in the Difcourfe,

IC 295

c. §. 23. that

this new Prologue has been prefixed to The Squieres Tale upon

They are as follows; A. C. 1,
The concurrence of the first

the authority of the beft 'mff. Afk. 1, 2, HA. D. Bod. a. y. &. five mff. would alone have been more than fufficient to outweigh the authorities in favour of the otherPrologue. Ed. Ca. z, (though it has not this Frologue) agrees with these mff. in pla cing The Squieres Tale after The Marchantes.

だ

E

Ben they us fely men for to deceive,
And from a fothe wol they ever weive:
By this Marchantes Tale it preveth wel.
But natheles, as trewe as any ftele
I have a wif, though that the poure be,
But of hire tonge à labbing fhrewe is fhe;
And yet she hath an hepe of vices mo.
Therof no force; let all swiche thinges go.
But wete ye what? in confeil be it feyde,
Mereweth fore I am unto hire teyde;
For and I fhulde rekene every vice
Which that she hath, ywis I were to nice;
And cause why, it fhulde reported be
And told to hire of fom of this compagnie,

(Of whom it nedeth not for to declare,

Sin women connen utter swiche chaffare)

And eke my wit fufficeth not therto

To tellen all; wherfore my Tale is do.
Squier, come ner, if it youre wille be,

10315

And fay fomwhat of love, for certes ye

Connen theron as moche as any man.
Nay, Sire, quod he, but swiche thing as I can

. 10298. weivė] This verb is generally used tranfitively, to wave, to relinquish, a thing; but it has also a neuter fignification, to depart, as here. See also ver. 4728, 9357.

V. 10312. Sinwomen connen utter] Mf. A. reads oute, but others have utter, which I believe is right, though I confess that I do not clearly understand the passage. The phrafe has occurred before, ver. 6103;

With danger uttren we all our chaffare.