But yet, Manciple, in faith thou art to nice 17020 Quod the Manciple, That were a gret meschefe ; So might he lightly bring me in the fnare; 17:26 Yet had I lever payen for the mare Which he rit on than he fhuld with me strive: I wol not wrathen him, fo mote I thrive: That that I fpake I fayd it in my bourd. 17030 And right anon ye fhul feen a good jape; This coke fhal drinke therof if that I may; Up peine of my lif he wol not say nay. 17035 17040 And certainly, to tellen as it was, Of this veffell the coke dranke faft, (alas! What nedeth it? he dranke ynough beforne) And whan he hadde pouped in his horne To the Manciple he toke the gourd again; And of that drinke the coke was wonder fain, And thonked him in fwiche wife as he coude. Than gan our Hofte to laughen wonder loude, And fayd; I fee wel it is neceffary Wher that we gon good drinke with us to cary, 17045 Volume V. I For that wol turnen rancour and difefe 17050 Tell on thy Tale, Manciple, I thee pray. THE MANCIPLES TALE. As olde bookes naken mentioun, 17055 He was the mofte lufty bacheler Of all this world, and eke the best archer: He flow Phiton the ferpent as he lay Sleping agains the fonne upon a day, And many another noble worthy dede 17060 He with his bow wrought, as men mowen rede. Playen he coude on every minfralcie, And fingen that it was a melodie To heren of his clere vois the foun: 17065 The Manciple Tale] Phœbus kepeth a white crow which can fpeak as a jay. The crow accufeth his wife, of whom he was too jealouse, to have played falfe in his abfence; hereupon with an arrow he flayeth his wife, but after repenting of his rathness he taketh revenge of the crow. Urry. Therto he was the femeliefte man This Phebus, that was flour of bachelerie, Singen fo wonder merily and wel. Now had this Phebus in his hous a wif 17070 17975 17080 17085 Which that he loved more than his lif, And night and day did ever his diligence Save only, if that I the foth fhal fain, Jelous he was, and wold have kept hire fain, And fo is every wight in swiche degree: 17090 17095 But all for nought, for it availeth nought. A good wif, that is clene of werk and thought, 17100 17105 'To plesen hire, wening thurgh swiche plefance, And for his manhood and his governance, That no man fhulde put him from hire grace; As to deftreine a thing which that Nature 17110 Hath naturelly fet in a creature. Take any brid and put it in a cage, And do all thin entente and thy corage gay, Yet had this brid by twenty thoufand fold 17115 Gon eten wormes and swiche wretchedneffe: 17120 For ever this brid will don his befineffe V. 17112. Take any brid] This paffage is too like one which has occurred before in The Squieres Tale, ver. 10925. The thought is plainly taken from Becibius, 1. iii. met, 2. See alfo Rom, de la R. ver. 14717-34. To escape out of his cage whan that he may : Let take a cat, and fofter hire with milke And tendre flesh, and make hire couche of filke, 17126 Anon fhe weiveth milke and flesh and all, And every deintee that is in that hous, A fhe-wolf hath also a vilains kind; In time whan hire luft to have a make, All thise enfamples fpeke I by thife men 17130 17138 17140 .17124. Let take a cat] This is imitated from Rom. de la R. ver. 14825. . 17130. Lo, bere hath kind] So mff. Ask. 1, 2. The common editt. read luß. Kind is nature. See the next line but one, and ver. 10922, 4. . 17132. A she-wolf] This is alfo from the Rem. de la R. ver. 8142.; Tout ainfi comme fait la louve, Que fa folie tant empire, Qu'elle prent de tous loups le pire. |