The Manciple's Prologue
1: Woot ye nat where ther stant a litel toun 
2: Which that ycleped is bobbe-up-and-doun, 
3: Under the blee, in caunterbury weye? 
4: Ther gan oure hooste for to jape and pleye, 
5: And seyde, sires, what! dun is in the myre! 
6: Is ther no man, for preyere ne for hyre, 
7: That wole awake oure felawe al bihynde? 
8: A theef myghte hym ful lightly robbe and bynde. 
9: See how he nappeth! see how, for cokkes bones, 
10: That he wol falle fro his hors atones! 
11: Is that a cook of londoun, with meschaunce? 
12: Do hym come forth, he knoweth his penaunce; 
13: For he shal telle a tale, by my fey, 
14: Although it be nat worth a botel hey. 
15: Awake, thou cook, quod he, God yeve thee sorwe! 
16: What eyleth thee to slepe by the morwe? 
17: Hastow had fleen al nyght, or artow dronke? 
18: Or hastow with som quene al nyght yswonke, 
19: So that thow mayst nat holden up thyn heed? 
20: This cook, that was ful pale and no thyng reed, 
21: Seyde to oure hoost, so God my soule blesse, 
22: As ther is falle on me swich hevynesse, 
23: Noot I nat why, that me were levere slepe 
24: Than the beste galon wyn in chepe. 
25: Wel, quod the maunciple, if it may doon ese 
26: To thee, sire cook, and to no wight displese, 
27: Which that heere rideth in this compaignye, 
28: And that oure hoost wole, of his curteisye, 
29: I wol as now excuse thee of thy tale. 
30: For, in good feith, thy visage is ful pale, 
31: Thyne eyen daswen eek, as that me thynketh, 
32: And, wel I woo, thy breeth ful soure stynketh: 
33: That sheweth wel thou art nat wel disposed. 
34: Of me, certeyn, thou shalt nat been yglosed. 
35: See how he ganeth, lo! this dronken wight, 
36: As though he wolde swolwe us anonright. 
37: Hoold cloos thy mouth, man, by thy fader kyn! 
38: The devel of helle sette his foot therin! 
39: Thy cursed breeth infecte wole us alle. 
40: Fy, stynkyng swyn! fy, foule moote thee falle! 
41: A! taketh heede, sires, of this lusty man. 
42: Now, sweete sire, wol ye justen atte fan? 
43: Therto me thynketh ye been wel yshape! 
44: I trowe that ye dronken han wyn ape, 
45: And that is whan men pleyen with a straw. 
46: And with this speche the cook wax wrooth and wraw, 
47: And on the manciple he gan nodde faste 
48: For lakke of speche, and doun the hors hym caste, 
49: Where as he lay, til that men hym up took. 
50: This was a fair chyvachee of a cook! 
51: Allas! he nadde holde hym by his ladel! 
52: And er that he agayn were in his sadel, 
53: Ther was greet showvyng bothe to and fro 
54: To lifte hym up, and muchel care and wo, 
55: So unweeldy was this sory palled goost. 
56: And to the manciple thanne spak oure hoost: 
57: By cause drynke hath dominacioun 
58: Upon this man, by my savacioun, 
59: I trowe he lewedly wolde telle his tale. 
60: For, were it wyn, or oold or moysty ale, 
61: That he hath dronke, he speketh in his nose, 
62: And fneseth faste, and eek he hath the pose. 
63: He hath also to do moore than ynough 
64: To kepen hym and his capul out of the slough; 
65: And if he falle from his capul eftsoone, 
66: Thanne whal we alle have ynogh to doone 
67: In liftyng up his hevy dronken cors. 
68: Telle on thy tale; of hym make I no fors. 
69: But yet, manciple, in feith thou art to nyce, 
70: Thus openly repreve hym of his vice. 
71: Another day he wole, peraventure, 
72: Reclayme thee and brynge thee to lure; 
73: I meene, he speke wole of smale thynges, 
74: As for to pynchen at thy rekenynges, 
75: That were nat honest, if it cam to preef. 
76: No, quod the manciple, that were a greet mescheef! 
77: So myghte he lightly brynge me in the snare. 
78: Yet hadde I levere payen for the mare 
79: Which he rit on, than he sholde with me stryve. 
80: I wol nat wratthen hym, also moot I thryve! 
81: That that I spak, I seyde it in my bourde. 
82: And wite ye what? I have heer in a gourde 
83: A draghte of wyn, ye, of a ripe grape, 
84: And right anon ye shul seen a good jape. 
85: This cook shal drynke therof, if I may. 
86: Up peyne of deeth, he wol nat seye me nay. 
87: And certeynly, to tellen as it was, 
88: Of this vessel the cook drank faste, allas! 
89: What neded hym? he drank ynough biforn. 
90: And whan he hadde pouped in this horn, 
91: To the manciple he took the gourde agayn; 
92: And of that drynke the cook was wonder fayn, 
93: And thanked hym in swich wise as he koude. 
94: Thanne gan oure hoost to laughen wonder loude, 
95: And seyde, I se wel it is necessarie, 
96: Where that we goon, good drynke with us carie; 
97: For that wol turne rancour and disese 
98: T' acord and love, and many a wrong apese. 
99: O thou bacus, yblessed be thy name, 
100: That so kanst turnen ernest into game! 
101: Worshipe and thank be to thy deitee! 
102: Of that mateere ye gete namoore of me. 
103: Telle on thy tale, manciple, I thee preye. 
104: Wel, sire, quod he, now herkneth what I seye.


The Manciple's Tale
105: Whan phebus dwelled heere in this erthe adoun, 
106: As olde bookes maken mencioun, 
107: He was the mooste lusty bachlier 
108: In al this world, and eek the beste archer. 
109: He slow phitoun, the serpent, as he lay 
110: Slepynge agayn the soone upon a day; 
111: And many another noble worthy dede 
112: He with his bowe wroghte, as men may rede. 
113: Pleyen he koude on every mynstralcie, 
114: And syngen, that it was a melodie 
115: To heeren of his cleere voys the soun. 
116: Certes the kyng of thebes, amphioun, 
117: That with his syngyng walled that citee, 
118: Koude nevere syngen half so wel as hee. 
119: Therto he was the semelieste man 
120: That is or was, sith that the world bigan. 
121: What nedeth is his fetures to discryve? 
122: For in this world was noon so faire on-lyve. 
123: He was therwith fulfild of gentillesse, 
124: Of honour, and of parfit worthynesse. 
125: This phebus, that was flour of bachilrie, 
126: As wel in fredom as in chivalrie, 
127: For his desport, in signe eek of victorie 
128: Of phitoun, so as telleth us the storie, 
129: Was wont to beren in his hand a bowe. 
130: Now hadde this phebus in his hous a crowe 
131: Which in a cage he fostred many a day, 
132: And taughte it speken, as men teche a jay. 
133: Whit was this crowe as in a snow-whit swan, 
134: And countrefete the speche of every man 
135: He koude, whan he sholde telle a tale. 
136: Therwith in al this world no nyghtygale 
137: Ne koude, by an hondred thousand deel, 
138: Syngen so wonder myrily and weel. 
139: Now hadde this phebus in his hous a wyf 
140: Which that he lovede moore than his lyf, 
141: And nyght and day dide evere his diligence 
142: Hir for to plese, and doon hire reverence, 
143: Save oonly, if the sothe that I shal sayn. 
144: Jalous he was, and wolde have kept hire fayn. 
145: For hym were looth byjaped for to be, 
146: And so is every wight in swich degree; 
147: But al in ydel, for it availleth noght. 
148: A good wyf, that is clene of werk and thought, 
149: Sholde nat been kept in noon awayt, certayn; 
150: And trewely, the labour is in vayn 
151: To kepe a shrewe, for it wol nat bee. 
152: This holde I for a verray nycetee, 
153: To spille labour for to kepe wyves: 
154: Thus writen olde clerkes in hir lyves. 
155: But now to purpos, as I first bigan: 
156: This worthy phebus dooth al that he kan 
157: To plesen hire, wenynge for swich plesaunce, 
158: And for his manhede and his governaunce, 
159: That no man sholde han put hym from hir grace. 
160: But God it woot, ther may no man embrace 
161: As to destreyne a thyng which that nature 
162: Hath natureelly set in a creature. 
163: Taak any bryd, and put it in a cage, 
164: And do al thyn entente and thy corage 
165: To fostre it tendrely with mete and drynke 
166: Of alle deyntees that thou kanst bithynke, 
167: And keep it al so clenly as thou may, 
168: Although his cage of gold be never so gay, 
169: Yet hath this brid, by twenty thousand foold, 
170: Levere in a forest, that is rude and coold, 
171: Goon ete wormes and swich wrecchednesse. 
172: For evere this brid wol doon his bisynesse 
173: To escape out of his cage, yif he may. 
174: His libertee this brid desireth ay. 
175: Lat take a cat and fostre hym wel with milk 
176: And tendre flessh, and make his couche of silk, 
177: And lat hym seen a mous go by the wal, 
178: Anon he weyveth milk and flessh and al, 
179: And every deyntee that is in that hous, 
180: Swich appetit hath he to ete a mous. 
181: Lo heere hath lust his dominacioun, 
182: And appetit fleemeth discrecioun, 
183: A she-wolf hath also a vileyns knyde. 
184: The lewedeste wolf that she may fynde, 
185: Or leest of reputacoun, wol she take, 
186: In tyme whan hir lust to han a make. 
187: Alle thise ensamples speke I by thise men 
188: That been untrewe, and nothyng by wommen. 
189: For men han evere a likerous appetit 
190: On lower thyng to parfourne hire delit 
191: Than on hire wyves, be they never so faire, 
192: Ne never so trewe, ne so debonaire. 
193: Flessh is so newefangel, with meschaunce, 
194: That we ne konne in nothyng han plesaunce 
195: That sowneth into vertu any while. 
196: This phebus, which that thoghte upon no gile, 
197: Deceyved was, for al his jolitee. 
198: For under hym another hadde shee, 
199: A man of litel reputacioun, 
200: Nat worth to phebus in comparisoun. 
201: The moore harm is, it happeth ofte so, 
202: Of which ther cometh muchel harm and wo. 
203: And so bifel, whan phebus was absent, 
204: His wyf anon hath for hir lemman sent. 
205: Hir lemman? certes, this is a knavyssh speche! 
206: Foryeveth it me, and that I yow biseche. 
207: The wise plato seith, as ye may rede, 
208: The word moot nede accorde with the dede. 
209: If men shal telle proprely a thyng. 
210: The word moot cosyn be to the werkyng. 
211: I am a boystous man, right thus seye I, 
212: Ther nys no difference, trewely, 
213: Bitwixe a wyf that is of heigh degree, 
214: If of hir body dishonest she bee, 
215: And a povre wenche, oother than this -- 
216: If it so be they werke bothe amys -- 
217: But that the gentile, in estaat above, 
218: She shal be cleped his lady, as in love; 
219: And for that oother is a povre womman, 
220: She shal be cleped his wenche or his lemman, 
221: And, God it woot, myn owene deere brother. 
222: Men leyn that oon as lowe as lith that oother. 
223: Right so bitwixe a titleees tiraunt 
224: And an outlawe, or a theef erraunt, 
225: The same I seye, ther is no difference. 
226: To alisaundre was toold this sentence, 
227: That, for the tirant is of gretter myght, 
228: By force of meynee, for to sleen dounright, 
229: And brennen hous and hoom, and make al playn, 
230: Lo, therfore is he cleped a capitayn; 
231: And for the outlawe hath but smal meynee, 
232: And may nat doon so greet an harm as he, 
233: Ne brynge a contree to so greet mescheef, 
234: Men clepen hym an outlawe or a theef. 
235: But, for I am a man noght textueel, 
236: I wold noght telle of textes never a deel; 
237: I wol go to my tale, as I bigan. 
238: Whan phebus wyf had sent for hir lemman, 
239: Anon they wroghten al hir lust volage. 
240: The white crowe, that heeng ay in the cage. 
241: Biheeld hire werk, and seyde never a word. 
242: And whan that hoom was come phebus, the lord, 
243: This crowe sang cokkow! cokkow! cokkow! 
244: What bryd! quod phebus, what song dyngestow? 
245: Ne were thow wont so myrily to synge 
246: That to myn herte it was a rejoysynge 
247: To heere thy voys? allas! what song is this? 
248: By god! quod he, I synge nat amys. 
249: Phebus, quod he, for al thy worthynesse, 
250: For al thy beautee and thy gentilesse, 
251: For al thy song and al thy mynstralcye, 
252: For al thy waityng, blered is thyn ye 
253: With oon of litel reputacioun, 
254: Noght worth to thee, as in comparisoun, 
255: The montance of a gnat, so moote I thryve! 
256: For on thy bed thy wyf I saugh hym swyve. 
257: What wol ye moore? the crowe anon hym tolde, 
258: By sadde tokenes and by wordes bolde, 
259: How that his wyf had doon hire lecherye, 
260: Hym to greet sham and to greet vileynye; 
261: And tolde hym ofte he saugh it with his yen. 
262: His phebus gan aweyward for to wryen, 
263: And thoughte his sorweful herte brast atwo. 
264: His bowe he bente, and sette therinne a flo, 
265: And in his ire his wyf thanne hath he slayn. 
266: This is th' effect, ther is namoore to sayn; 
267: For sorwe of which he brak his mynstralcie, 
268: Bothe harpe, and lute, and gyterne, and sautrie; 
269: And eek he brak his arwes and his bowe, 
270: And after that thus spak he to the crowe; 
271: Traitour, quod he, with tonge of scorpioun, 
272: Thou hast me broght to my confusioun; 
273: Allas, that I was wroght! why nere I deed? 
274: O deere wyf! o gemme of lustiheed! 
275: That were to me so sad and eek so trewe, 
276: Now listow deed, with face pale of hewe, 
277: Ful gilteless, that dorste I swere, ywys! 
278: O rakel hand, to doon so foule amys! 
279: O trouble wit, o ire recchelees, 
280: That unavysed smyteth gilteles! 
281: O wantrust, ful of fals suspecion, 
282: Where was thy wit and thy discrecion? 
283: O every man, be war of rakelinesse! 
284: Ne trowe no thyng withouten strong witnesse. 
285: Smyt nat to soone, er that ye witen why, 
286: And beeth avysed wel and sobrely 
287: Er ye doon any execucion 
288: Upon youre ire for suspecion. 
289: Allas! a thousand folk hath rakel ire 
290: Fully fordoon, and broght hem in the mire. 
291: Allas! for sorwe I wol myselven slee! 
292: And to crowe, o false theef! seyde he, 
293: I wol thee quite anon thy false tale. 
294: Thou songe whilom lyk a nyghtyngale; 
295: Now shaltow, false theef, thy song forgon, 
296: And eek thy white fetheres everichon, 
297: Ne nevere in al thy life ne shaltou speke. 
298: Thus shal men on a traytour been awreke; 
299: Thou and thyn ofspryng evere shul be blake, 
300: Ne nevere sweete noyse shul ye make, 
301: But evere crie agayn tempest and rayn, 
302: In tokenynge that thurgh thee my wyf is slayn. 
303: And to the crowe he stirte, and that anon, 
304: And pulled his white fetheres everychon, 
305: And made hym blak, and refte hym al his song, 
306: And eek his speche, and out at dore hym slong 
307: Unto the devel, which I hym bitake; 
308: And for this caas been alle crowes blake. 
309: Lordynges, by this ensamble I yow preye, 
310: Beth war, and taketh kep what that ye seye: 
311: Ne telleth nevere no man in youre lyf 
312: How that another man hath dight his wyf; 
313: He wol yow haten mortally, certeyn. 
314: Daun salomon, as wise clerkes seyn, 
315: Techeth a man to kepen his tonge weel. 
316: , but as I seyde, I am noght textueel. 
317: But nathelees, thus taughte me my dame: 
318: My sone, thenk on the crowe, a goodes name! 
319: My sone, keep wel thy tonge, and keep thy freend. 
320: A wikked tonge is worse than a feend; 
321: My sone, from a feend men may hem blesse. 
322: My sone, God of his endelees goodnesse 
323: Walled a tonge with teeth and lippes eke, 
324: For man sholde hym avyse what he speeke. 
325: My sone, ful ofte, for to muche speche 
326: Hath many a man been spilt, as clerkes teche; 
327: But for litel speche avysely 
328: Is no man shent, to speke generally. 
329: My sone, thy tonge sholdestow restreyne 
330: At alle tymes, but whan thou doost thy peyne 
331: To speke of god, in honour and preyere. 
332: The firste vertu, sone, if thou wolt leere, 
333: Is to restreyne and kepe wel thy tonge; 
334: Thus lerne children whan that they been yonge. 
335: My sone, of muchel spekyng yvele avysed, 
336: Ther lasse spekyng hadde ynough suffised, 
337: Comth muchel harm; thus was me toold and taught. 
338: In muchel speche synne wanteth naught. 
339: Wostow wherof a rakel tonge serveth? 
340: Right as a swerd forkutteth and forkerveth 
341: An arm a-two, my deere done, right so 
342: A tonge kutteth freendshipe al a-two. 
343: A jangler is to God abhomynable. 
344: Reed salomon, so wys and honurable; 
345: Reed david in his psalmes, reed senekke. 
346: My sone, spek nat, but with thyn heed thou bekke. 
347: Dissimule as thou were deef, if that thou heere 
348: A janglere speke of perilous mateere. 
349: The flemyng seith, and lerne it if thee leste, 
350: That litel janglyng causeth muchel reste. 
351: My sone, if thou no wikked word hast seyd, 
352: Thee thar nat drede for to be biwreyd; 
353: But he that hath mysseyd, I dar wel sayn, 
354: He may by no wey clepe his word agayn. 
355: Thyng that is seyd is seyd, and forth it gooth, 
356: Though hym repente, or be hym nevere so looth. 
357: He is his thral to whom that he hath sayd 
358: A tale of which he is now yvele apayd. 
359: My sone, be war, and be noon auctour newe 
360: Of tidynges, wheither they been false or trewe. 
361: Whereso thou come, amonges hye or lowe, 
362: Kepe wel thy tonge, and thenk upon the crowe. 

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