A Comment Upon the Two Tales of our Ancient Renovvned, and Ever Living Poet Sr Jeffray Chaucer, Knight. Who, For his Rich Fancy, Pregnant Invention, and Present Composure, deserved the Countenance of a Prince, and his Laureat Honour. The Miller's Tale, and The Wife of Bath [by Richard Brathwait] |
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 | A Comment Upon the Two Tales of our Ancient |  |
TO THE HIGHLY HONOURED, AND NOBLY ACCOMPLISHED, Sr JOHN WINTOUR,
SECRETARY OF STATE TO HER SACRED MAJESTY, THE QUEEN MOTHER; A LOYAL SUBJECT TO HIS SOVEREIGN,
A FAITHFUL SERVANT TO HIS COUNTREY, A RESOLUTE SUFFERER FOR BOTH; R. B.
HIS MOST DEVOTIONAL SERVITEURE PRESENTS THESE ILLUSTRATIONS, PRIMARILY INTENDED, &
PURPOSELY PUBLISHED, FOR ENTERTAINMENT OF RETIRED HOURS.
1
A Commentary upon Chaucer's Prologue to his Millers Tale.
3
Now herketh qd. the Miller, all and some,
But first I make a protestacion
That I am dronke, &c.
In telling tales, unless the truth we smother,
In pleasing one, we may displease another.
—If I mispeake or say
Wite it the Ale of Southwarke, I you pray
The nappy strong Ale of Southwirke
Keeps many a Gossip fra the Kirke.
4
The Reve answered and said stint thy clap, &c.
Whose spotless Honour is their highest treasure,And whose good name once lost, is lost for ever.
5
To demen of my self that I am one,
I woll beleve that I am none.
More blith that Cockold looks, who thinks him none,
Than he who ne're was one, yet thinks him one.
7
A Comment upon the Miller's Tale.
8
A rich gnofe.
The Catiff Gnof sed to his Crue,My Meney is many, my incomes but few.
That Gnof, that Grub, of Pesants blude,
Had store of Goud, yet did no gude.
9
A chamber he had in that hostelrie,
Alone, withouten any companie,
Full fetously dight, &c.
10
Must learn to leave themselves, and to retire.
15
She said, I woll not kiss thee by my fate,
Why let be, quod she, let be Nicholas,
Or I woll cry out, harrow and alaas, &c.
Follow Love, and she will fly you;
Fly your Love, and she'l come nigh you.
16
For if they cry, they'l cry that none may hear them.
17
Nay thereof care ye nat, quod Nicholas.
Who knows not, Lips are gates to those that woo?Which freely ope, grant farther entrance too.
22
And she answered her husband therewithal,
Yes God wote Iohn, I here it every dele.
Th' Effects of pow'rful love, do best appear,
When passion feeds the Eye, and fils the Ear.
31
I crouch the from elves, & from wicked wights;
Therewith the night spell he said anon rights,
On four halves of the house about,
And on the dreshfold of the dore without.
Fawns and Fairies keep away,
While we in these Coverts stay;
Goblins, Elves, of Oberon's Train,
Never in these Plains remain,
Till I and my Nymph awake,
And do hence our Journey take,
May the Night-mare never ride us,
Nor a fright by night betide us:
So shall Heav'ns praise sound as clear,
As the shrill voyc'd Chantecleer.
37
Than shalt thou swim as mery I undertake
As doeth the white ducke after her drake.
38
In doubtful acts, fear's an ingenious thing.
41
The deed slepe, for wery besinesse
Fel on this carpenter, right as I gesse
About curfewe time.
42
While aged Eyes their Leaden Slumber keep.
50
A softe pace he went over the strete
Unto a smith men callen dan Gerveys &c.
That Scholar well deserves a Widdie,
Who makes his Study of a Smiddie.
When Vulcan and the Muses meet,
Safely may Mars warm Venus Feet.
53
I am thyn Absolon, thyn own derling
Of golde (qd he) I have the brought a ring.
There's nought a young man can devise,
Will tempt a Woman more than prize.
57
They told every man, that he was wood
He was agast so of Noyes flood.
59
And Absolon of wanton become chast,
John to his Alyson is reconcil'd,
And Shee, perhaps, by Nicholas with Child,
John doth his jealous humor quite disdain,
What Alice did, she will not do again.
“Heav'n Smiles, Earth joyes, when all things fall amending,
“And Tragick Acts have such a Comick ending.
60
A Commentary upon Chaucer's Prologue to the Wife of Bath's Tale.
73
An husband woll I have I woll not let
Which shall be both my dettour and my thrall
And have his tribulacion with all
Upon his flesh, while that I am his wife
I haue the power during all my life
Upon his proper body, and nat he,
Right thus the apostle tolde to me
And bad our husbonds for to loue us well
All this sentence me liketh every dell.
Great's her Ambition, though her Size be small;
Give but a Wench her will, and she has all.
74
I shall not have the Patience I vow.
80
The bacon was not fet for hem I trowe
That some men haue in Essex at Donmowe.
He that is not with Penitence taken
For that he married not before, or married now,
May challenge a Flitch of Essex Bacon,
And carve his Morsel in the Cow of Donmow.
81
I governed hem so well after my lawe
That eche of them full blisful was and fawe
To bring me gay things fro the fayre
They were full fain whan I spake hem faire.
With Price or Prayer the hardest heart is won,
Which Age must do, when nought else can be done.
82
Ye wise wives that can understonde
Thus shuld ye speke, and bere hem an honde
For halfe so boldly there can no man
Swere and lye, as a woman can.
Women are least of Goods, the worst of Evils,
Their best are worse than men, their worst than Devils.
83
A wise wife shall if that she can her goode
Bere him in honde the cowe is woode
And take witnesse of her owne mayde
Of her assent:
85
Who us'd to Capricorn her Husband's head;
Which he suspecting, lay in private wait,
To catch the Knave, and keep his Wife more strait
But all in vain; they day by day did mate it,
Yet could his four Eyes never take them at it.
This subtil Wench perceiving how they should
At last prevented be, do all they could:
For now Italian-like, her Husband grew
Horn-mad, I wis, and kept her in a Mew;
Invent'd a Trick, which to accomplish better,
Unto her Friend she closely sent a Letter,
And thus it was; Friend, you shall know by me
My Husband keeps me far more narrowly
Than he was wont; so as to tell you true,
You cannot come to me, nor I to you.
Yet spite of his Eyes, and as many more,
Wee'l use those Pleasures which we us'd before:
Only be wise, and second what I wish;
Which to express (my Friend) know this it is;
My Husband, as he hates the Horn to wear,
Of all the Badges forth, so fears he th' Bear,
86
The Heathy Forest's spatious Continent.
If thou wilt right me then, and pepper him,
Cover thy Servant in a false Bear's Skin:
And come to morrow as thou us'd before,
Tying thy Servant to my Chamber door.
After this quaint Direction he attir'd
His man in Bear-skin, as she had desir'd:
Entring the Chamber, he received is
With many a Smile, Back-fal, and sweetned Kiss.
For they're secure of all that was before,
Having a Bear, that kept the Busse from Dore.
The Wittal Fool no sooner Inckling had,
Then up the Stairs he ran as he were mad:
But seeing none but th' Bear to entertain him,
Of Horns he never after did complain him.
95
Sir old foole, what helpeth thee to spien
For though thou play Argus with his hundred iyen &c.
No Jealousie can ever that prevent,
Where as two parties once be full content.
111
I trow I lov'd him the better, for that he
Was of his love so daungerous to me.
Follow women, they will fly you,
Fly but Women, they'l draw nigh you.
If you would a Woman move,
Seem to love not, when you love.
122
Alas, alas, that ever love was sin.
123
From Heaven: How comes it then thou liv'st on Earth?
I live not there. Yet each usurps thy Name:
'Tis true indeed, but hence redounds their shame.
“I live not there, my Nature's pure and just,
“But Lust lives there, and Love's a Foe to Lust.
134
And thus God wote, Mercury is desolate
In Pisces, where Uenus is exaltate
And Uenus falleth where Mercury is reised
Therefore no woman of no clerke is preised.
For true it is, Employment hath no time
To offer Sacrifice to Venus Shrine.
136
Lo here expresse of women may ye find
That woman was the losse of all mankind.
137
To think that Rain should follow Thunder.
140
Oh, hast thou slain me false these I saied
For my lond thus hast thou murdred me?
Er I be dedde, yet woll I ones kisse thee.
Wheel of a Womans Tongue is like a River,
Set it once going, it will go for ever.
149
A Comment upon the Wife of Bathes Tale.
151
All was this lond fulfilled of fairy
The Elfe quene, with her joly company &c.
Pug wooed Jug, a wily Cub,
To drink with him a Sillibub,
Which drunk, they so familiar grew,
As Jug became one of the Crew.
169
My liege lady: generally, qd. he
Women desiren to haue souerainte
As well ouer her husbonds as her loue
And for to ben in maistry hem aboue
This is your most desire, though ye me kill
Doth as you list, I am here at your will.
Nor Love, nor Life, nor Liberty, nor Land,
Can please a Wench, unless she have Command.
174
My loue (qd he) nay my dampnation
Alas that any of my nation &c.
Paula likes me, so shall I never her,
Because she's old, unless she elder were.
181
Wel can the wise poete of Florence
That hight Daunte, speke in this sentence.
Ingenuous Daunt, who had the Art to fit
His Subject to his Verse, his Verse to it.
185
And there as ye of pouertie me repreue
The hie God, on whom that we bileue
In wilful pouerte chese to lede his life &c.
186
Before a Thief may sing a merry Note.
187
Now sir, eke of elde ye repreued me
And certes sir, though none autorite
Were in no boke ye gentils of honour
Saine that men shuld an old wight honour &c.
188
So were deep Furrows in an Aged Brow.
194
And so they slepte till it was morow graie
And than she said, whan it was daie
Cast vp the courteine, and loke how it is.
And when this knight saw all this
That she so faire was and so yong therto
For joy he hent her in his armes two.
195
Ten Kisses short as one, one long as Twenty.
—And Iesu Christ us sende
Husbondes meke, yong, and fresh a bedde
And grace to ouerliue hem that we wed.
And I pray to God, to short her liues
That will not be gouerned by her wiues
And olde and angry nigardes of dispence
God send hem sone a very pestilence.
196
The Bridegroom joyes in his new-formed Bride
No Part in her appears from Top to Toe
But may give Nature thanks for making't so;
Inward and Outward Graces joyntly meet,
To make his Comfort in her more compleat;
Long did they live together in true Love,
While each with other in Affection strove:
“May all Folk marry so that would live well,
“Or let them tarry, and lead Apes in Hell.
197
An APPENDIX.
[“Of such light Toyes Hee'd ta'n a long Adew]
198
“Nor did He mean his Knowledge to renew.
199
FINIS.
| A Comment Upon the Two Tales of our Ancient | |