The Cook's Prologue
4325: The cook of londoun, whil the reve spak, 
4326: For joye him thoughte he clawed him on the bak. 
4327: Ha! ha! quod he, for cristes passion, 
4328: This millere hadde a sharp conclusion 
4329: Upon his argument of herbergage! 
4330: Wel seyde salomon in his langage, 
4331: -- Ne bryng nat every man into thyn hous; -- 
4332: For herberwynge by nyghte is perilous. 
4333: Wel oghte a man avysed for to be 
4334: Whom that he broghte into his pryvetee. 
4335: I pray to god, so yeve me sorwe and care 
4336: If evere, sitthe I highte hogge of ware, 
4337: Herde I a millere bettre yset a-werk. 
4338: He hadde a jape of malice in the derk. 
4339: But God forbede that we stynte heere; 
4340: And therfore, if ye vouche-sauf to heere 
4341: A tale of me, that am a povre man, 
4342: I wol yow telle, as wel as evere I kan, 
4343: A litel jape that fil in oure citee. 
4344: Oure hoost answerde and seide, I graunte it thee. 
4345: Now telle on, roger, looke that it be good; 
4346: For many a pastee hastow laten blood, 
4347: And many a jakke of dovere hastow soold 
4348: That hath been twies hoot and twies coold. 
4349: Of many a pilgrym hastow cristes curs, 
4350: For of thy percely yet they fare the wors, 
4351: That they han eten with thy stubbel goos; 
4352: For in thy shoppe is many a flye loos. 
4353: Now telle on, gentil roger by thy name. 
4354: But yet I pray thee, be nat wroth for game; 
4355: A man may seye ful sooth in game and pley. 
4356: Thou seist ful sooth, quod roger, by my fey! 
4357: But -- sooth pley, quaad pley, -- as the flemyng seith. 
4358: And therfore, herry bailly, by thy feith, 
4359: Be thou nat wrooth, er we departen heer, 
4360: Though that my tale be of an hostileer. 
4361: But nathelees I wol nat telle it yit; 
4362: But er we parte, ywis, thou shalt be quit. 
4363: And therwithal he lough and made cheere, 
4364: And seyde his tale, as ye shul after heere.

The Cook's Tale
4365: A prentys whilom dwelled in oure citee, 
4366: And of a craft of vitailliers was hee. 
4367: Gaillard he was as goldfynch in the shawe, 
4368: Broun as a berye, a propre short felawe, 
4369: With lokkes blake, ykembd ful fetisly. 
4370: Dauncen he koude so wel and jolily 
4371: That he was cleped perkyn revelour. 
4372: He was as ful of love and paramour 
4373: As is the hyve ful of hony sweete: 
4374: Wel was the wenche with hym myghte meete. 
4375: At every bridale wolde he synge and hoppe; 
4376: He loved bet the taverne than the shoppe. 
4377: For whan ther any ridyng was in chepe, 
4378: Out of the shoppe thider wolde he lepe -- 
4379: Til that he hadde al the sighte yseyn, 
4380: And daunced wel, he wolde nat come ayeyn -- 
4381: And gadered hym a meynee of his sort 
4382: To hoppe and synge and maken swich disport; 
4383: And ther they setten stevene for to meete, 
4384: To pleyen at the dys in swich a streete. 
4385: For in the toune nas ther no prentys 
4386: That fairer koude caste a paire of dys 
4387: Than perkyn koude, and therto he was free 
4388: Of his dispense, in place of pryvetee. 
4389: That fond his maister wel in his chaffare; 
4390: For often tyme he foond his box ful bare. 
4391: For sikerly a prentys revelour 
4392: That haunteth dys, riot, or paramour. 
4393: His maister shal it in his shoppe abye, 
4394: Al have he no part of the mynstralcye. 
4395: For thefte and riot, they been convertible, 
4396: Al konne he pleye on gyterne or ribible. 
4397: Revel and trouthe, as in a lowe degree, 
4398: They been ful wrothe al day, as men may see. 
4399: this joly prentys with his maister bood, 
4400: Til he were ny out of his prentishood, 
4401: Al were he snybbed bothe erly and late, 
4402: And somtyme lad with revel to newegate. 
4403: But atte laste his maister him bithoghte. 
4404: Upon a day, whan he his papir soghte, 
4405: Of a proverbe that seith this same word, 
4406: Wel bet is roten appul out of hoord 
4407: Than that it rotie al the remenaunt. 
4408: So fareth it by a riotous servaunt; 
4409: It is ful lasse harm to lete hym pace, 
4410: Than he shende alle the servantz in the place. 
4411: Therfore his maister yaf hym acquitance, 
4412: And bad hym go, with sorwe and with meschance! 
4413: And thus this joly prentys hadde his leve. 
4414: Now lat hym riote al the nyght or leve. 
4415: And for ther is no theef withoute a lowke, 
4416: That helpeth hym to wasten and to sowke 
4417: Of that he brybe kan or borwe may, 
4418: Anon he sente his bed and his array 
4419: Unto a compeer of his owene sort, 
4420: That lovede dys, and revel, and disport, 
4421: And hadde a wyf that heeld for contenance 
4422: A shoppe, and swyved for hir sustenance.
Return to: directory.html Canterbury Tales Directory