Souning alway the encrese of his winning. A CLERK ther was of Oxenforde also, That unto logike hadde long ygo. As lene was his hors as is a rake, And he was not right fat, I undertake; But loked holwe, and therto soberly. Ful thredbare was his overest courtepy, For he hadde geten him yet no benefice, Ne was nought worldly to have an office. For him was lever han at his beddes hed A twenty bokes, clothed in black or red, Of Aristotle, and his philosophie, Than robes riche, or fidel, or sautrie. But all be that he was a philosophre, Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre, But all that he might of his frendes hente, On bokes and on lerning he it spente, And besily gan for the soules praie Of hem, that yave him wherwith to scolaie. Of studie toke he moste cure and hede. Not a word spake he more than was nede; And that was said in forme and reverence, And short and quike, and ful of high sentence. Souning in moral vertue was his speche, A SERGEANT OF THE LAWE ware and wise, That often hadde yben at the paruis, Ther was also, ful riche of excellence. Discrete he was, and of gret reverence: He semed swiche, his wordes were so wise, Justice he was ful often in assise, By patent, and by pleine commissioun; For his science, and for his high renoun, Of fees and robes had he many on. So grete a pourchasour was nowher non. All was fee simple to him in effect, His pourchasing might not ben in suspect. Nowher so besy a man as he ther n'as, And yet he semed besier than he was. In termes hadde he cas and domes alle, That fro the time of king Will. weren falle. Therto he coude endite, and make a thing, Ther coude no wight pinche at his writing. And every statute coude he plaine by rote. He rode but homely in a medlee cote, Girt with a seint of silk, with barres smale; Of his array tell I no lenger tale. A FRANKELEIN was in this compagnie; An housholder, and that a grete was he; At sessions ther was he lord and sire. An HABERDASHER, and a CARPENTER, A WEBBE, a DEYER, and a TAPISER, Were alle yclothed in o livere, Of a solempne and grete fraternite. Ful freshe and newe hir gere ypiked was. Hir knives were ychaped not with bras, But all with silver wrought ful clene and wel, Hir girdeles and hir pouches every del. Wel semed eche of hem a fayre burgeis, To sitten in a gild halle, on the deis. Everich, for the wisdom that he can, A COKE they hadden with hem for the nones, To boile the chikenes and the marie bones, And poudre marchant, tart and galingale. Wel coude he knowe a draught of London ale. He coude roste, and sethe, and broile, and frie, Maken mortrewes, and wel bake a pie. But gret harm was it, as it thoughte me, That on his shinne a mormal hadde he. For blanc manger that made he with the best. A SHIPMAN was ther, woned fer by West: For ought I wote, he was of Dertemouth. He rode upon a rouncie, as he couthe, All in a goune of falding to the knee. A dagger hanging by a las hadde hee About his nekke under his arm adoun. The hote sommer hadde made his hewe al broun. Ful many a draught of win he hadde draw If that he faught, and hadde the higher hand, every land. His herberwe, his mone, and his lodemanage, With many a tempest hadde his berd be shake. With us ther was a DOCTOUR OF PHISIKE, He knew the cause of every maladie, The cause yknowe, and of his harm the rote, Averrois, Damascene, and Constantin; |