The Tale of Beryn :: :: University of Virginia Library

The Tale of Beryn

[section]

THE TALE OF BERYN.

The Prologue,

[Here be]gynnyth the [March]ant his tale [The Tale of Beryn.]

Collapse All | Expand All expand section

[_]

Square brackets denote editorial insertions or emendations.

THE TALE OF BERYN.

The Prologue,

Or, the mery adventure of the Pardonere and Tapstere at the Inn at Canterbury.

When all this ffressh[e] feleship were com to Cauntirbury,
As ye have herd to-fore, with talys glad & merry,
(Som of sotill centence, of vertu & of lore,
And som of othir myrthis, for hem þat hold no store
Of wisdom, ne of holynes, ne of Chiualry,
Nethir of vertuouse matere, but [holich] to foly
Leyd wit & lustis all, to such[e nyce] Iapis
As Hurlewaynes meyne in every hegg that capes
Thurgh vnstabill mynde,—ryght as þe levis grene
Stondein a-geyn the wedir, ryȝt so by hem I mene;—
Butt no more here-of nowe, [as] at þis ilche tyme,
In saving of my centence, my prolog, & my ryme.)
They toke hir In, & loggit hem at mydmorowe, I trowe,
Atte “Cheker of the hope,” þat many a man doith knowe.
Hir/ Hoost of Southwork þat with hem went, as ye have herde to-fore,

That was rewler/ of hem al, of las & eke of more,
Ordeyned hir/ dyner wisely, or they to chirch[e] went,
Such vitaillis as he fond in town, & for noon oþir sent.
The Pardonere be-held the besynes, howe statis wer I-servid,
Diskennyng hym al pryuely, & a syde swervid,
(The Hostelere was so halowid from o plase to a-nothir;)
He toke his staff to the Tapstere: “welcom myne owne broþere,”
Quod she, with a ffrendly look, al redy for to kys;
And he, as a man I-lernyd of such kynd[e]nes,
Bracyd hir/ by the myddill, & made hir/ gladly chere
As þouȝe he had I-knowe hir al the rathir yeer
She halid hym in-to the tapstry, þere hir bed was makid:
“Lo, Here I ligg” (quod she) “my selff al nyȝt al nakid
Without[en] mannys company, syn my love was dede:
Ienkyn Harpour/ yf ye hym know; from fete to þe hede
Was nat a lustier persone to daunce ne to lepe,
Then he was, þouȝe I it sey”: And þere-with she to wepe
She made, &, with hir napron feir/ & white I-wassh,
She wypid sofft hir eyen, for teris þat she out lassh;
As grete as eny mylstone, vpward gon they stert.
ffor love of hir swetyng þat sat so nyȝe hir hert,
She wept & waylid, & wrong hir/ hondis, & made much to done;
ffor they that loven so passyngly, such trowes þey have echone.
She snyffith, sighith, and shooke hire hede, and made rouful chere.
“Benedicite,” quod the Pardonere, & toke hir by the swere;
“Yee make sorowe I-nowȝ,” quod he, “yeur/ lyff þouȝe ye shuld lese.”
“It is no wondir,” quod she than, And þere-with she gan to fnese.
“Aha! al hole!” quod the Pardoner, “yeur/ penaunce is som what passid.”

“God forbede it els!” quod she, “but it were som-what lassid,
I myȝte nat lyve els, þowe wotist, & it shuld longe endure.”
“Now blessid be God of mendement, of hele & eke of cure!”
Quod the Pardoner tho a-noon, & toke hir by the Chynne,
And seyd to hir þese wordis tho: “Allas! þat love ys syn!
So kynde a lover as yee be oon, & [eke] so trew of hert,
(ffor, be my trewe conscience, ȝit for ȝewe I smert,
And shal this month hereaftir, for yeur soden disese:)
Now wele wer hym ye lovid, so [þat] he coude ȝewe plese!
I durst[e] swere oppon a book, þat trewe he shuld ȝewe fynd;
ffor he þat is so ȝore dede, is green [ȝit] in yeur/ mynde.
Ye made me a sory man; I dred yee wold have stervid.”
“Graunt mercy, gentil Sir!” quod she, “þat yee [been] vnaservid;
Yee be a nobill man! I-blessid mut yee be!
Sit[tith] down, [and] ye shul drynk!” “nay .I.-wis” (quod he,)
“I am fastyng ȝit, myne owne hertis rote!”
“ffasting ȝit! allas!” quod she, “þerof I can good bote.”
She stert in-to the town, & fet a py al hote,
And set to-fore the Pardoner; “Ienken, I ween? I note:
Is that yeur/ name, I ȝow prey?” “ȝe, I-wis myne owne sustir;
So was I enformyd of hem þat did me foster.
And what is yeurs?” “Kitt, I-wis; so cleped me my dame.”
“And Goddis blessing have þow, Kitt! now broke wel thy name!”
And pryuelich vnlasid his both[en] eyen liddes,
And lokid hir in the visage paramour a-myddis;
And siȝhid þere-with a litil tyme, þat she it here myȝte,
And gan to trown & feyn this song, “now, loue, þou do me riȝte!”

“Ete & be merry,” quod she, “why breke yee nowt yeur/ fast?
To waite more feleshipp, it were but work in wast.
Why make yee so dull chere? for yeur/ love at home?”
“Nay forsoth, myne own hert! it is for ȝewe a-loon!”
“ffor me? allas! what sey yee? that wer a sympill prey.”
“Trewlich ȝit,” quod the pardoner, “It is as I ȝewe sey.”
“Ȝe etith & beith mery, we woll speke þere-of [ful] sone;
‘Brennyd Cat dredith feir/’; it is mery to be aloon:
ffor, by our/ lady mary, þat bare Ihesu on hir arm,
I coud nevir love ȝit, but it did me harm;
ffor evir my maner hath be to love[n] ovir much.”
“Now Cristis blessing,” quod the pardoner, “go with al[le] such!
Lo! howe the clowdis worchyn, eche man to mete his mach!
ffor trewly, gentil Cristian, I vse þe same tach,
And have I-do [ful] many a ȝer; I may it nat for-ber;
ffor ‘kynde woll have his cours,’ þouȝ men þe contrary swer.”
And þerwith he stert vp smertly, & cast [a]down a grote,
“What shal this do, gentill Sir? Nay, sir! for my cote
I nold yee payde a peny her, & [tho] so sone pas!”
The Pardonere swore his gretter othe, he wold[e] pay no las.
“I-wis, sir, it is ovir-do! but sith it is yeur/ will,
I woll put it in my purs, lest yee it take in ill
To refuse your/ curtesy:” And þere-with she gan to bowe.
“Now trewly,” quod the Pardoner, “yeur/ maners been to alowe;
ffor had ye countid streytly, & no thing lefft be-hynde,
I myȝte have wele I-demed þat yee be vnkynde,
And eke vntrewe of hert, & sonner me forȝete,
But ye list be my tresorer; for we shull offter mete.”
“Now certen,” quod the tapster, “yee have a red ful even,
As wold to God yee couth as wele vndo my sweven
That I my selff did mete this nyȝt þat is I-passid:

How I was in a chirch, when it was al I-massid;
And was in my devocioune tyl service was al doon,
Tyll the Preest & the clerk [ful] boystly bad me goon,
And put me out of the chirch with [right] an egir mode.”
“Now, seynt Danyel,” quod þe pardonere, “yeur/ swevyn turne to good!
And I woll halsow it to the best, have it in yeur/ mynd;
ffor comynly of these swevenys þe contrary men shul fynde:
‘Yee have be a lover glad, & litil Ioy I-had;
Pluk vp a lusty hert, & be mery & glad;
ffor yee shul have an husbond, þat shal ȝewe wed to wyve,
That shal love ȝewe as hert[e]ly, as his owne lyve.
The preest þat put ȝewe out of Chirch, shal lede ȝew in ageyn,
And help[en] to yeur/ mariage, with al his myȝte & mayn:’
This is the sweven al & som; Kit, how likith the?”
“Be my trowith, wondir wele; blessid mut þowe be!”
Then toke he leve at þat tyme, tyll he com efft sone,
And went [un]to his feleshippe, as it was [for] to doon.

(Thouȝe it be no grete holynes to prech þis ilk matere,
And þat som list [not] to her it; ȝit, sirs, ner þe latter
Endurith for a while, & suffrith hem þat woll,
And yee shull here howe þe Tapster made þe Pardoner pull
Garlik al the longe nyȝte, til it was nere end day;
ffor þe more cher she made of love, þe falsher was hir lay;
But litil charge gaff she ther-of, þouȝe she aquyt his while,
ffor ethir-is þouȝt & tent was, othir to begile,
As yee shull here her-aftir, when tyme comyth & spase
To meve such mater. but nowe a litill spase
I woll retourne me ageyn [un]to the company.)

The knyȝt & al the feleshipp, & no þing for to ly,
When they wer all I-loggit, as skill wold, & reson,
Everich aftir his degre, to Chirch þen was seson
To pas[sen] & to wend, to make[n] hir offringis,
Riȝte as hir devocioune was, of sylvir broch & ryngis.

Then atte Chirch[e] dorr the curtesy gan to ryse,
Tyl þe knyȝt, of gentilnes, þat knewe riȝte wele þe guyse,
Put forth þe Prelatis, þe Person, & his fere.
A monk, þat toke þe spryngill with a manly chere,
And did [right] as the maner is, moillid al hir/ patis,
Everich aftir othir, riȝte as þey wer of states.
The ffrere feynyd fetously the spryngil for to hold,
To spryng oppon the remnaunt,—þat for his cope he nold
Have lafft that occupacioune in þat holy plase,—
So longid his holy conscience to se þe Nonnys fase.
The knyȝte went with his compers toward þe holy shryne,
To do þat they were com fore, & aftir for to dyne;
The Pardoner & þe Miller, & oþir lewde sotes,
Souȝt hem selff[en] in the Chirch, riȝt as lewd[e] gotes;
Pyrid fast, & pourid, hiȝe oppon the glase,
Countirfeting gentilmen, þe armys for to blase,
Diskyueryng fast the peyntour, & for þe story mourned,
And a red [it] also right as [wolde] Rammys hornyd:
“He berith a balstaff,” quod the toon, “& els a rakis ende.”
“Thow faillist,” quod the Miller, “þowe hast nat wel þy mynde;
It is a spere, yf þowe canst se, [right] with a prik to-fore,
To bussh adown his enmy, & þurh the Sholdir bore.”
“Pese!” quod the hoost of Southwork, “let stond þe wyndow glasid!
Goith vp, & doith yeur/ offerynge! yee semeth half amasid!
Sith yee be in company of honest men & good,
Worchith somwhat aftir, & let þe kynd of brode
Pas for a tyme! I hold it for the best;
ffor who doith after company, may lyve the bet in rest.”

Then passid they forth boystly, goglyng with hir hedis,
Knelid a down to-fore the shryne, & hert[i]lich hir bedis
They preyd to Seynt Thomas, in such wise as þey couth;
And sith, the holy relikis, ech man with his mowith
Kissid, as a goodly monke þe names told & tauȝt.
And sith to othir placis of holynes þey rauȝte,

And were in hir devocioun tyl service wer al doon;
And sith þey drowȝ to dynerward, as it drew to noon.

Then, as manere & custom is, signes þere þey bouȝte,—
ffor men of contre shuld[e] know whom þey had[de] ouȝte,—
Ech man set his sylvir in such thing as þey likid:
And in þe meen[e] while, the Miller had I-pikid
His bosom ful of signys of Cauntirbury brochis:
Huch þe Pardoner, & he, pryuely in hir pouchis
Þey put hem aftirward, þat noon of hem it wist,
Save þe Sompnour seid somwhat, & seyd[e] to ham “list!
Halff part!” quod he, pryuely rownyng on hir ere:
“Hussht! pees!” quod þe Miller, “seist þowe nat the frere,
Howe he lowrith vndir his hood with a doggissh ey?
Hit shuld be a pryuy thing that he coude nat a-spy:
Of euery crafft he can somwhat, our lady gyve hym sorowe!”
“Amen!” tho quod the Sompnour, “on eve & eke on morowe!
So cursid a tale he told of me, the devil of hell hym spede!
And me, but yf I pay hym wele, & quyte wele his mede,
Yf it hap[pene] homward þat ech man tell his tale,
As wee did hidirward, þouȝe wee shuld set at sale,
Al the shrewdnes that I can, I wol hym no thing spare,
That I nol touch his taberd, somwhat of his care!”

They set hir signes oppon hir hedis, & som oppon hir cappe,
And sith[then] to the dynerward, they gan[nè] for to stappe.
Euery man in his degre, wissh, & toke his sete
As they were wont to doon at soper & at mete,
And wer in scilence for a tyme, till girdill gon a-rise;
But then, as nature axith, (as these old wise
Knowen wele,) when veynys been som-what replete,
The spiritis wol stere, & also metis swete

Causen offt[e] myrthis for to be I-mevid,
And eke it was no tyme tho for to be I-grevid:
Euery man in his wise made hertly chere,
Talyng [to] his felowe of sportis & of chere,
And of othir myrthis þat fyllyn by the wey,
As custom is of pilgryms, & hath been many a day.
The hoost leyd to his ere, of Southwork as ye knowe,
And thenkid al the company, both[en] hiȝe & lowe,
‘So wele kepeing the covenaunt, in Southwork þat was made,
That euery man shuld, by the wey, with a tale glade
Al the hole company in shorting of þe wey;’
“And al is wele perfourmed. but þan nowe þus I sey,
That wee must so homward, eche man tel a-noþir;
Thus we were accordit, And I shuld be a rothir
To set[ten] ȝewe in governaunce by riȝtful Iugement.”
“Trewly, hoost,” quod the ffrer, “þat was al our/ assent,
With a litill more þat I shal sey ther-to.
Yee grauntid of yeur/ curtesy, þat wee shuld also,
Al the hole company, sope with ȝewe at nyȝte:
Thus I trow[e] þat it was: what sey yee, sir knyȝte?”
“It shal nat nede,” quod the hoost, “to axe no witnes;
Yeur record is good I-nowe; & of yeur gentilnes
Ȝit I prey ȝewe efft ageyn: for, by seynt Thomas shryne,
And yee woll hold [yeur] covenaunt, I wol hold[en] myne.”
“Now trewly, hoost,” quod the knyȝt, “yee have riȝt wel I-sayd;
And, as towching my persone, I hold me [wel a]payde;
And so I trowe þat al doith. sirs, what sey[e] yee?”
The Monke, & eke the Marchaunte, & al seid, “ȝe!”
“Then al this aftir-mete I hold it for the best
To sport & pley vs,” quod the hoost, “eche man as hym lest,
And go by tyme to soper, & [thanne] to bed also;
So mowe wee erly rysen, our iourney for to do.”

The knyȝt arose ther-with-al, & cast on a fressher gown,

And his sone a-nothir, to walk[en] in the town;
And so did al the remnaunt þat were of þat aray,
That had hir chaungis with hem; they made hem fressh & gay,
Sortid hem to-gidir, riȝte as hir lustis lay,
As þey were [the] more vsid, traveling by the wey.

The knyȝt [tho] with his meyne went to se the wall,
And þe wardes of the town, as to a knyȝt be-fall;
Devising ententiflich þe strengthis al a-bout,
And a-poyntid to his sone þe perell & þe dout,
ffor shot of Arblast & of bowe, & eke for shot of gonne,
Vn-to þe wardis of the town, & howe it myȝt be wone;
And al defence ther a-geyn, aftir his entent
He declarid compendiously. & al that evir he ment,
His sone perseyvid every poynt, as he was ful abill
To Armes, & to travaill, and persone covenabill;
He was of al factur, aftir fourm of kynde;
And for to deme his governaunce, it semed þat his mynde
Was [set] much in his lady þat he lovid best,
That made hym offt to wake, when he shuld have his rest.

The Clerk þat was of Oxinforth, on-to þe Sompnore seyd,
“Me semeth of grete clerge þat þow art a mayde;
ffor þow puttist on the ffrer, in maner of repreff,
That he knowith falshede, vice, & eke a theff;
And I it hold vertuouse and right commendabill
To have verry knowlech of thingis reprouabill.
ffor who so [doth,] may eschew it, and let it pas[sen] by,
And els he myȝte fall ther-on, vnware & sodenly.
And thouȝe the ffrere told a tale of a [false] Sompnour,
Thowe ouȝtist for to take[n] it for no dishonour;
ffor, of alle crafftis, and of eche degre,
They be nat al perfite; but som [ful] nyce be.”
“Lo! what is worthy,” seyd the knyȝte, “for to be a clerk!
To sommon a-mong vs hem, þis mocioune was ful derk;
I comend his wittis, & eke his [grete] clerge,

ffor of ethir parte he savith honeste.”

The monke toke the person þen, & þe grey[e] ffrer,
And preyd[e] hem ful curteysly for to go in fere:
“I have ther a queyntaunce, þat al this yeris thre
Hath preyd me by his lettris þat I hym wold[e] se:
And yee [be] my brothir in habit & in possessioune.
And now [þat] I am her, me thinkith it is to doon,
To preve[n] it in dede, what cher he wold me make,
And to ȝewe, my frende, also for my sake.”
They went forth to-gidir, talking of holy matere:
But woot ye wele, in certeyn, they had no mynd on water
To drynk[en] at that tyme, when they wer met in fere;
ffor of the best þat myȝt be found, & þer-with mery cher
They had, it is no doute; for spycys & eke wyne
Went round aboute, þe gascoyn, & eke the ruyne.

The wyff of bath was so wery, she had no will to walk;
She toke the Priores by the hond: “madam! wol ye stalk
Pryuely in-to þe garden, to se the herbis growe?
And aftir, with our hostis wyff, in hir parlour rowe,
I woll gyve ȝewe the wyne, & yee shull me also;
ffor tyll wee go to soper wee have nauȝt ellis to do.”
The Priores, as vomman tauȝt of gentil blood, & hend,
Assentid to hir counsell; and forth [tho] gon they wend,
Passyng forth [ful] sofftly in-to the herbery:
ffor many a herbe grewe, for sew & surgery;
And al the Aleyis feir I-parid, I-raylid, & I-makid;
The sauge, & the Isope, I-frethid & I-stakid;
And othir beddis by & by [ful] fressh I-dight:
ffor comers to the hoost, riȝte a sportful sight.

The Marchaunt, & þe mancipill, þe Miller, & þe Reve,
And the Clerk of Oxinforth, to townward gon they meve,
And al the othir meyne; & lafft noon at home,
Save the Pardoner, þat pryvelich, when al they wer goon,
Stalkid in-to the tapstry: for no thing wold he leve,

To make his covenaunte in certen, þat same eve
He wold be loggid with hir; þat was his hole entencioun.
(But hap, & eke ffortune, & al the constellacioune,
Was clenè hym ageyns, as yee shull aftir here;
ffor hym had better be I-loggit al nyȝt in a myere,
Then he was þe same nyȝte, or the sonne was vp:
ffor such was his fortune, he drank with-out þe cupp;
But þereof wist[e] he no dele; ne no man of vs alle
May have þat hiȝe connyng, to know what shal be-falle.)
He stappid in-to the tapstry wondir pryuely,
And fond hir liggyng lirylong; with half[e] sclepy eye
Pourid fellich vndir hir hood, & sawe al his comyng,
And lay ay still, as nauȝt she knewe, but feynyd hir scleping.
He put his hond to hir brest: “a-wake!” quod he, “awake!”
“A! benedicite, sir, who wist ȝewe here? out! þus I myȝt be take
Prisoner,” quod the tapstere, “being al aloon;”
And þerwith breyd vp in a friȝte, & be-gan to groon.
“Nowe, sith yee be my prisoner, ȝeld ȝewe now!” quod he,
“I must[e] nedis,” quod she, “I may no thing fle;
And eke I have no strengith, & am but yong of Age,
And also it is no mastry to cach a mouse in a cage,
That may no where stert out, but closid wondir fast;
And eke, Sir, I tell ȝewe, þouȝ I had grete hast,
Yee shuld have couȝid when ye com. wher lern ye curtesy?
Now trewlich I must chide, for of riȝte pryuyte
Vommen been som tyme of day, when they be aloon.
Wher coud I ([I] ȝewe prey) when yee com efft-sone?”
“Nowe mercy, dere sweting! I wol do so no more:
I thank[e] ȝew an hundrit sithis! & also by yeur/ lore
I woll do here-aftir, in what place þat I com.
But lovers, Kitt, ben evill avisid ful offt & to lom;
Wherfor I prey ȝew hertlich, hold[ith] me excusid,
And I be-hote ȝew trewly, it shal no more be vsid.

But nowe to our purpose: how have yee [i]fare
Sith I was with ȝew last? þat is my most[e] care.
ffor yf yee eylid eny thing othir-wise þen good,
Trewly it wold chaunge my chere & [eke] my blood.”
“I have I-farid the wers for ȝewe,” quod Kitt, “do ye no drede
God þat is a-bove? & eke yee had no nede
ffor to congir me, god woot, with yeur/ nygromancy,
That have no more to vaunce me, but oonly my body;
And yf it were disteynyd, þen wer I on-do.
I-wis I trowe, Ienkyn, ye be nat to trust to!
ffor evir-more yee clerkis con so much in book,
Yee woll wyn a vomman, atte first[e] look.”

Thouȝt the Pardoner, ‘this goith wele’; & made hir better chere,
And axid of hir sofft[e]ly: “lord, who shall ligge[n] here
This nyȝte þat is to comyng? I prey ȝewe telle me!”
“Iwis it is grete nede to telle ȝew,” quod she:
“Make it nat ovir queynt, þouȝe yee be a clerk!
Ye know wele I-nouȝ I-wis, by loke, by word, by work!”
“Shal I com þen, Cristian, & fese a-wey þe Cat?”
“Shul yee com, sir? benedicite! what question is that?
Where-for I prey ȝew hertly, do be my counsaille;
Comyth somwhat late, & for no thing faille;
The dorr shall stond char vp; put it from ȝew sofft:
But, be wel avisid, ye wake nat them on lofft.”
“Care ye nat,” quod Ienken, “I can there-on atte best;
Shall no man for my stering be wakid of his rest.”

Anoon they dronk the beuerage, & wer of oon accord
As it semed by hir chere, & also by hir/ word:
And al a-scaunce she lovid hym wele, she toke hym by the swere,
As þouȝe she had lernyd cury fauel, of som old[e] ffrere.
The pardonere plukkid out of his purs, I trow, þe dow[e]ry,
And toke it Kit, in hir hond, & bad hir pryuely
‘To orden a rere soper for hem both[e] to,—

A cawdell I-made with swete wyne, & with sugir also;—
ffor trewly I have no talent to ete in yeur absence;
So longith my hert toward ȝewe, to be in yeur/ presence.’
He toke his leve, & went his wey as þouȝe no þing were,
And met with al the fel[e]shippe; but in what plase ne where
He spak no word ther-of, but held hym close & still
As he þat hopid sikirlich to have had al his will;
And þouȝt [ful] many a mery þouȝt by hym self a-loon:
“I am I-loggit,” þouȝt he, “best, howe-so-evir it gone!
And þouȝe it have costid me, ȝit wol I do my peyn
ffor to pike hir purs to nyȝte, & wyn my cost ageyn.”

Now leve I the Pardonere till þat it be eve,
And woll retourne me ageyn riȝt ther as I did leve.

Whan al wer com to-gidir, in[to] hir herbegage,
The hoost of Southwork, as ye knowe, þat had no spice of rage,
But al thing wrouȝt prudenciall, as sobir man & wise;
“Nowe woll wee to the souper, sir knyȝt, seith yeur/ avyse,”
Quod the hoost ful curteysly; & in þe same wise
The knyȝt answerd hym ageyn, “sir, as yee devise
I must obey, yee woot wele; but yf I faille witt,
Then takith þese prelatis to ȝewe, & wasshith, & go sit;
ffor I woll be yeur/ Marchall, & serve[n] ȝewe echone;
And þen þe officers & I, to soper shull wee goon.”
They wissh, & sett riȝte as he bad, ech man with his fere,
And begonne to talk, of sportis & of chere
Þat they had þe aftir-mete, whils [þat] þey were out;
ffor othir occupacioun, til they were servid aboute,
Þey had nat at þat tyme, but eny man kitt a loff;
But þe Pardonere kept hym close, & told[e] no þing of
The myrth & hope þat he had, but kept it for hym-selff;
And þouȝe he did, it is no fors; for he had nede to solue
Long or it wer mydnyȝt, as yee shul here sone;
ffor he met with his love, in crokeing of þe moon.

They were I-seruyd honestly, & ech man held hym payde:

ffor of o maner of service hir soper was araide,
As skill wold, & reson, sith the lest of all
Payid I-lich[e] much, for growing of þe gall.
But ȝit, as curtesy axith, þouȝ it were som dele streyte,
The statis þat wer a-bove had of þe feyrest endreyte.
Wherfor they did hir gentilnes ageyn to al þe rout;
They dronken wyne at hire cost, onys round a-boute.

Nowe pass y liȝtly ovir: when they soupid had,
Tho that were of governaunce, as wise men & sad
Went to hir rest, & made no more to doon;
Butte Miller & þe Coke, dronken by the moon
Twyes to ech othir in the repenyng.
And when the Pardoner hem aspied, a-noon he gan to syng,
“Doubil me this bourdon,” chokelyng in his throte,
ffor the tapster shuld[e] here of his mery note.
He clepid to hym the Sompnoure þat was his own discipill,
The yeman, & the Reve, & [eke] þe Mauncipill;
And stoden so holowing; for no thing wold they leve,
Tyl the tyme þat it was wel within [the] eve.
The hoost of Southwork herd hem wele, & þe Marchaunt both,
As they were at a-countis, & wexen som-what wroth.
But ȝit they preyd hem curteysly to reste for to wend;
And so they did, al they route, þey dronk & made an ende;
And eche man drouȝe to cusky, to sclepe & take his rest,
Save þe Pardonere, þat drewe apart, & weytid hym a trest
ffor to hyde hym selff, till the candill were out.

And in the meen[e] while, have ye no doute,
The tapster & hir/ Paramour, & the Hosteler of the House
Sit to-gidir pryuelich, & of þe best[e] gouse
Þat was I-found in town, & I-set at sale,
They had ther-of sufficiaunt, & dronk but litill ale;
And sit & ete þe cawdell, for þe Pardonere þat was made
With sugir & with swete wyne, riȝt as hym-selff[e] bade:

So he þat payd for all in feer, [ne] had[de] nat a twynt;
ffor offt is more better I-merkid then [there is] I-mynt:
And so [it] farid þere ful riȝte, as yee have I-herd.
(But who is, þat a womman coud nat make his berd,
And she were there-about, & set hir/ wit ther-to?
Yee woot wele I ly nat; &, wher I do or no,
I woll nat here termyn it,—lest ladies stond in plase,
Or els gentil vommen,—for lesing of my grace,
Of daliaunce & of sportis, & of goodly chere;
Therfor, anenst hir estatis, I woll in no manere
Deme ne determyn; but of lewd[e] kittis,
As tapsters, & oþer such, þat hath wyly wittis
To pik mennys pursis, & eke to bler hir eye;
So wele they makè semè soth, when þey falssest ly.)

Now of Kitt Tapster, & of hir Paramour,
And the hosteler of þe House, þat sit in kittis bour:
When they had ete & dronk riȝt in the same plase,
Kit be-gan to rendir out al thing as it was,—
The wowing of þe Pardonere, & his cost also,
And howe he hopid for to lygg al nyȝt with hir also;
“But þerof he shall be sikir as of goddis cope;”—
And sodenly kissid hir Paramour; & seyd, “we shul sclope
Togidir hul by hul, as we have many a nyȝte.
And yf he com & make noyse, I prey ȝew dub hym knyȝt.”
“Ȝis, dame,” quod hir Paramour, “be þow nat a-gast!
This is his owne staff, þou seyist; þereof he shal a-tast!”
“Now trewly,” quod the hosteler, “& he com by my lot,
He shall drynk for kittis love with-out[e] cup or pot;
And he be so hardy to wake[n] eny gist,
I make a-vowe to þe Pecok, þere shal wake a foul myst;”
And arose vp ther-with-al, & toke his leve a-noon:—
It was a shrewid company; they had servid so many oon.
With such maner of feleshipp ne kepe I nevir to dele,
Ne no man þat lovith his worshipp & his hele.—
Quod Kitt to hir Paramour, “ye must wake a while,
ffor trewlich I am sikir, þat within this myle

The Pardonere wol be comyng, his hete to a-swage;
But loke ye pay hym redelich, to kele[n] his corage;
And þerfor, love, dischauce yewe nat til þis chek be do.”
“No! for God! kit! þat woll I no!”
Then Kit went to bed, & blewe out al the liȝte,
And by that tyme it was, nere hond quarter nyȝt.

Whan al was still, the Pardonere gan to walk,
As glad as eny goldfynch, þat he herd no man talk:
And drowȝe to Kittis dorward, to herken & to list,
And went to have fond þe dor vp by þe hasp; & eke þe twist
Held hym out a whils, & þe lok also;
Ȝit trowid he no gyle, but went[e] nere to,
And scrapid the dorr welplich, & wynyd with his mowith
Aftir a doggis lyden, as nere as he couth.
“Away, dogg, with evil deth!” quod he, þat was within,
And made hym al redy, the dorr [for] to vnpyn.
“A!” thouȝt þe Pardoner tho, “I trow my berd be made
The tapster hath a paramour, & Hath made hem glade
With þe Cawdell þat I ordeyned for me, as I ges:
Now the devill hir spede, such oon as she is!
She seid I had I-congerid hir: our lady gyve hir sorow!
Now wold to God she were in stokkis til I shuld him borowe!
ffor she is the falssest þat evir ȝit I knewe,
To pik þe mony out of my purs! lord! she made him trew!”
And þer-with he cauȝt a cardiakill & a cold sot;
ffor who hath love longing, & is of corage Hote,
He hath ful many a myry þouȝt to-fore his delyte;
And riȝt so had the Pardoner, and was in evil pliȝte;
ffor fayling of his purpose he was no thing in ese;
Wherfor he fill sodenlich in-to a [ful] wood rese,

Entryng wondir fast in-to a fren[e]sy,
ffor pure verry angir, & for gelousy;
ffor when he herd a man within, he was almost wood;
And be-cause þe cost was his, no marvel þouȝ his mood
Were turned in-to vengaunce, yf it myȝt[e] be:
But this was the myscheff, al so strong as he
Was he þat was within, & liȝter man also;
As previd wel þe batell be-twene hem both[e] to.
The Pardonere scrapid efft a-geyn; for no þing wold he blyn,
So feyn he wold have her[e]d more of hym þat was with-in.
“What dogg is þat?” quod the Paramour; “Kit! wost þou ere?”
“Have God my trowith,” quod she, “it is þe Pardonere.”
“The Pardoner with myscheff! god gyve hym evil preff!”
“Sir,” she seid[e], “be my trowith he is þe same theff.”
“Ther-of þow liest,” quod the Pardonere, & myȝt nat long forbere,
“A, thy fals body!” quod he, “þe devill of hell þe tere!
ffor be my trowith a falssher sawe I nevir noon:”
And nempnid hir namys many mo þen oon,
Huch, to rech[en] hire, were noon honeste
Amonge[s] men of good, of worship & degre.
But shortly to conclude; when he had chid I-nowe,
He axid his staff spitouslich with wordis sharp & rowe.
“Go to bed,” quod he within, “no more noyse þow make!
Thy staff shall be redy to morow, I vndirtake.”
“In soth,” quod he, “I woll nat fro þe dorr[e] vend
Tyll I have my staff, þow bribour!” “þen have þe todir end!”
Quod he þat was with-in; & leyd it on his bak,
Riȝte in the same plase, as Chapmen berith hir pak;
And so he did too mo, as he coud a-rede,
Graspyng aftir with the staff in lengith & eke in brede,
And fond hym othir while red[i]lich I-nowȝe

With the staffys end hiȝe oppon his browe.

The hosteler lay oppon his bedd, & herd of this affray,
And stert hym vp liȝtlich, & þouȝt he wold a-say:
He toke A staff in his hond, & hiȝed wondir blyve
Tyll he were with the felisshipp þat shuld nevir thryve:
“What be yee?” quod the hosteler, & knew hem both[e] wele.
“Hyust! pese!” quod the paramour; “Iak, þow must be-fele.
Ther is a theff, I tell the, with-in this halle dorr.”
“A theff!” quod Iak! “this is a nobill chere
That þow hym hast I-found; yf wee hym myȝte cache.”
“Ȝis, ȝis, care the nauȝt; with hym wee shul mache
Wel Inowȝe, or he be go, yf so we had[de] liȝte;
ffor wee too be stronge Inowȝ with o man for to fiȝte.”
“The Devill of hell,” quod Iak, “breke this thevis bonys!
The key of the kychen, as it were for þe nonys,
Is above with oure dame, & she hath such vsage,
And she be wake[n] of hir/ sclepe, she fallith in such a rage,
That al the wook aftir ther may no man hir plese,
So she sterith aboute this house in a [ful] wood rese.
But now I am a-visid bet how we shull have lyȝte;
I have too gistis a-ryn, that this same nyȝte
Sopid in the hall, & had a litill feire.
Go vp,” quod Iak, “& loke, & in the asshis pire;
And I woll kepe the dorr; he shal nat stert out.”
“Nay, for God! þat wol I nat, lest I cach a cloute,”
Seid the todir to Iak; “for þow knowest better þen I
Al the estris of this house: go vp thy selff, & spy!”
“Nay for soth!” quod Iak, “that were grete vnryȝte,
To aventur oppon a man þat with hym did nat fiȝte.
Sithens þow hast hym bete, & with þy staff I-pilt,
Me þinkith it were no reson þat I shuld bere þe gilt:
ffor, by the blysyng of the cole, he myȝt se myne hede,
And liȝtly leue me such a stroke, ny hond to be dede.

Þen woll wee do by comon assent, sech hym al aboute;
Who þat metith hym first, pay hym on the snoute;
ffor me þouȝt I herd hym here last among the pannys.
Kepe þow the todir syde, but ware þe watir cannys!
And yf he be here in, right sone wee shul hym fynd;
And wee to be strong Inowȝe, o theff for to bynd.”
“A! ha ha!” þouȝt þe Pardonere, “beth þere pannys a-ryn?”
And drouȝe oppon þat side, & þouȝt oppon a gynne:
So atte last he fond oon, & set it on his hede;
ffor, as the case was fall, there-to he had grete nede.
But ȝit he graspid ferthermore to have somwhat in honde,
And fond a grete ladill, riȝt as he was gonde,
And þouȝt[e] for to stert[en] out be-twen hem both[e] to;
And waytid wele the paramour þat had[de] doon hym wo;
And set hym with þe ladill on the grustill on þe nose,
That al the wook [þer-]aftir he had such a pose,
That both his eyen waterid erlich by the morowe.
But she þat cause was of al, had þerof no sorowe.

But nowe to þe Pardoner: as he wold stert awey,
The hosteler met with hym, but no thing to his pay:
The Pardoner ran so swith, þe pan[ne] fil hym fro,
And Iak [the] hosteler aftir hym, as blyve as he myȝt go;
And stappid oppon a bronde, al [at] vn-[a-]ware,
That hym had been better to have goon more a-sware:
ffor þe egge of þe panne met with his shyn,
And karff a too a veyn, & þe next[e] syn.
But whils þat it was grene, he þouȝt [ful] litil on,
But when þe oeptas was a-past, þe greff sat nere þe boon.
Ȝet Iak leyd to his hond to grope wher it sete;
And when he fond he was I-hurt, þe Pardonere he gan to thrett,

And swore by seynt Amyas, ‘þat he shuld [hit] abigg
With strokis hard & sore, even oppon the rigg;
Yff he hym myȝte fynde, he no thing wold hym spare.’
That herd þe Pardonere wele, & held hym bettir a square,
And þouȝt[e] þat he had[de] strokis ryȝte I-nowȝe;
Witnes on his armys, his bak, & [eke] his browe.
“Iak,” then quod the paramour, “wher is this theff ago?”
“I note,” quod tho Iak; “riȝt now he lept me fro,
That Cristis curs go with hym! for I have harm & spite,
Be my trowith!” “& I also; & he goith nat al quyte!
But & wee myȝt hym fynd, we wold aray hym so
That he [ne] shuld have legg ne foot, to-morow on to go.
But howe shull we hym fynd? þe moon is [now] a-down.”

As grace was for þe Pardonere, & eke when þey did roun,
He herd hem evir wel I-nowȝe, & went the more a-side,
And drouȝe hym evir bakward, & lete the strokis glyde.
“Iak,” quod the Paramour, “I hold it for the best,
Sith [that] the moon is down, [now] for to go to rest,
And make the gatis fast; he may nat then a-stert,
And eke of his own staff he berith a redy mark,
Wher-by þow maist hym know a-monge[s] al the route,
And þowe bere a redy ey, & weyt[e] wele aboute,
To morowe when they shull wend: this is þe best rede.
Iak, what seyst þowe there-to? is þis wel I-seyd?”
“Thy wit is cler,” quod Iak, “thy wit mut nedis stonde.”
He made the gatis fast; ther is no more to doon.

The Pardoner stood a-syde, his chekis ron on blood,
And was riȝt evil at ese, al nyȝt in his hede:
He must of force lige lyke a colyn swerd:
Ȝit it grevid hym wondir sore, for makeing of his berd;
He paid atte ful ther-fore, þurh a vomman art,
ffor wyne, & eke for cavdill, & had þerof no part;

He þer-for preyd Seynt Iuliane, as yee mowe vndirstonde,
That the devill hir shuld spede, on watir, & on londe,
So to disseyve a traveling man of his herbegage;
And coude nat els, save curs, his angir to a-swage;
And was distract [eke] of his wit, & in grete dispeyr;
ffor aftir his hete he cauȝte a cold, þurh þe nyȝtis eyr,
That he was ner a-foundit, & coude noon othir help.
But as he souȝt his logging, he appid oppon a whelp
That lay vndir a steyir, a grete Walssh dogg,
That bare a-boute his nek a grete huge clogg,
Be-cause þat he was spetouse, & wold[e] sone bite:
The clogg was hongit a-bout his nek, for men shuld nat wite
No thing the doggis master, yf he did eny harm;
So, for to excuse hem both, it was a wyly charm.
The Pardoner wold have loggit hym þere, & lay somwhat ny;
The warrok was a-wakid, & cauȝt hym by the thy,
And bote hym wondir spetously, defendyng wele his couch,
That the Pardonere myȝt nat ne[re] hym, neþere touch,
But held hym [right] a square, by þat othir syde,
As holsom was at that tyme, for tereing of his hyde:
He coude noon othir help, but leyd a-down his hede
In the doggis littir, & wisshid aftir brede
Many a tyme & offt, the dogge for to plese,
To have I-ley more nere, [right] for his own ese.
But, wissh[en] what he wold, his fortune seyd[e] nay;
So trewly for the Pardonere it was a dismol day.
The dogg lay evir grownyng, redy for to snache;
Wherfor the Pardoner durst nat with hym mache;
But lay as styll as ony stone, remembryng his foly,
That he wold trust a tapster of a comon hostry:
ffor comynly for þe most part they been wyly echon.

But nowe to all the company: a morow, when þey shuld goon,
Was noon of al the feleshippe half so sone I-diȝte
As was the gentil Pardoner; for al tyme of þe nyȝte
He was a-redy in his aray, & had no thing to doon,
Saff shake a lite his eris, & trus, & [tho] be goon.
Yet, or he cam in company, he wissh a-wey the blood,
And bond the sorys to his hede with the typet of his hood,
And made liȝtsom cher, for men shuld nat spy
No thing of his turment, ne of his luxury.
And the hosteler of the house, for no thyng he coude pry,
He coude nat knowe the pardoner a-mong the company
A morowe, when they shuld wend, for auȝt þat þey coude pour,
So wisely went the Pardoner out of þe doggis bour;
And blynchid from the hosteler, & turned offt a-boute,
And evirmore he held hym a-mydward [of] the route,
And was evir synging, to make[n] al thing good;
But ȝit his notis wer som-what lowe, for akyng of his hede.
So at that [ilche] tyme he had[de] no more grame,
But held hym to his harmys [for] to scape shame.

The knyȝt & al the felisship, forward gon þey wende,
Passing forth [right] merely [un]to þe townys ende;
And by þat tyme þey were there, þe day be-gan to rype,
And the sonne merely, vpward gan she pike,
Pleying [right] vndir the egge of þe firmament.
“Now,” quod þe hoost of Southwork, & to þe feleshipp bent,
“Who sawe evir so feir, or [evir] so glad a day?
And how sote this seson is, entring in to may,
[When Chauceres daysyes sprynge. Herke eek the fowles syngyng,]
The thrustelis & the thrusshis, in þis glad mornyng,
The ruddok & the Goldfynch; but þe Nyȝtyngale,

His amerous notis, lo, how he twynyth smale!
Lo! how the trees grenyth, þat nakid wer, & nothing bare
þis month afore; but now hir somer clothing [wear]!
Lo! how nature makith for hem everichone!
And, as many as ther been, he forȝetith noon!
Lo! howe the seson of þe yer, & auerell shouris,
Doith the busshis burgyn out blosom[i]s, & flouris!
Lo! þe pryme-rosis, how fressh þey been to seen!
And many othir flouris a-mong the grasis grene,
Lo! howe they spryng, & sprede, & of diuers hewe!
Be-holdith & seith both rede, [and eke] white, & blewe,
That lusty been, & confortabill for mannys siȝte!
ffor I sey, for my selff, It makith my hert to liȝte.
Now, sith almyȝty sovereyn hath sent so feir/ a day,
Let se nowe, as covenaunt is, in shorting of þe way,
Who shall be the first that shall vnlace his male,
In comfort of vs all, & gyn som mery tale?
ffor, & wee shuld now be-gyn [for] to draw[en] lott,
Perauentur/ it myȝt[e] fall ther it ouȝt[e] not,
On som vnlusty persone, þat wer nat wele a-wakid,
Or semybousy ouyr eve, & had I-song & crakid
Somwhat ovir much; howe shuld he þan do?
ffor who shuld tell a tale, he must have good will þerto;
And eke, som men fasting beth no thing iocounde,
And som, hir/ tungis, fasting, beth glewid & I-bound
To þe Palet of the mowith, as offt[en] as they mete;
So yf the lott fell on such, no thonk shuld they gete;
And som in the mornyng, hir mouþis beth a-doun:
Till þat they be charmyd, hir/ wordis woll nat soun.
So þis is my conclusyioun, & my last[e] knot,
It werè gretè gentilnes to tell without[en] lott.”
“By þe rood of Bromholm,” quod the marchaunte tho,
“As fer as I have saylid, riden, & I-go,
Sawe I nevir man ȝit, to-fore þis ilch[e] day,

So well coude rewle a company, as [can] our hoost, in fay.
His wordis been so comfortabill, & comyth so in seson,
That my wit is ovir-com, to make[n] eny reson
Contrary to his counsaill, at myne ymaginacioune;
Wher/for I woll tell a tale to yeur consolacioune;
In ensaumpill to ȝewe; that when þat I have do,
Anothir be all redy þen[ne] for to tell; riȝt so
To fulfill our hoostis will, & his ordinaunce.
Ther shall no fawte be found in me; good will shal be my chaunce,
With þis I be excusid, of my rudines,
All þouȝe I can nat peynt my tale, but tell [it] as it is;
Lepyng ovir no centence, as ferforth as I may,
But telle ȝewe þe ȝolke, & put þe white a-way.

[Here be]gynnyth the [March]ant his tale [The Tale of Beryn.]

Whilom ȝeris passid, in the old[e] dawis,
When riȝtfullich be reson governyd ware þe lawis,
And principally in the Cete of Room þat was so rich,
And worthiest in his dayis, & noon to hym I-lich
Of worshipp ne of wele, ne of governaunce;
ffor alle londis Cristened, þerof had dotaunce,
And alle othir naciouns, of what feith they were.
Whils þe Emperour was hole, & in his paleyse þere
I-may[n]tenyd in honour, & in popis se,
Room was then obeyid of alle Cristiente.
(But it farith ther-by, as it doith by othir thingis:
ffor Burh, nethir Cete, regioune ne kyngis,
Beth nat nowe so worthy, as were by old[e] tyme;
As wee fynde in Romauncis, in gestis & in Ryme.
ffor alle thing doith wast, & ekë mannys lyffe
Ys more shorter þen it was; & our/ wittis fyve
Mow nat comprehende, nowe in our dietes,
As som tymè myȝte, these olde wise poetes.
But sith þat terrene thingis been nat perdurabill,
No mervell is, þouȝe Rome be som what variabill
ffro honour & fro wele, sith his ffrendis passid;
As many a-nothir town is payrid, & I-lassid
Within these fewe ȝeris, as wee mowe se at eye,
Lo, Sirs, here fast by Wynchelse & [eke riht so by] Ry.)
But ȝit þe name is evir oon of Room, as it was groundit
Aftir Romus & Romulus, þat first þat Cete foundit,
That brithern weren both[e] to, as old[e] bookis writen;
But of hir lyff & governaunce I wol nat nowe enditen;
But of othir mater, þat fallith to my mynde.
Wherfor, gentill sirs, yee þat beth be-hynde,

Drawith somwhat nere, thikker to a route,
That my wordis mowe soune, to ech man a-boute.

Afftir these too bretheryn, Romulus & Romus,
Iulius Cezar was Emperour, þat riȝtfull was of domus:
This Cete he governed nobilich[e] wele,
And conquerd many a Regioune, as Cronicul doith vs tell.
ffor, shortly to conclude, al tho were aduersarijs
To Rome in his dayis, he made hem tributorijs:
So had he in subieccioune both[e] ffrende & foon;
Of wich, I tell ȝew trewly, Eng[e]lond was oon.
Ȝet aftir Iulius Cezare, & sith that Criste was bore,
Room was governed as wele as it was to-fore,
And namelich in þat tyme, & in tho same ȝeris,
Whén it was govérned by the Doseperis:
As semeth wele by reson, who so can entende,
That o mannys witt, ne will, may nat comprehende
The boncheff & the myscheff, as mowe many hedis:
Therfor hire operaciouns, hire domes, & hire deedis,
Were so egallich I-doon; for in al Cristen londis,
Was noon that they sparid for/ to mend[en] wrongis.
Then Constantyne þe þird, aftir þese dosiperis,
Was Emperour of Room, & regnyd many ȝeris.
So, shortly to pas ovir, aftir Constantyns dayis,
Philippus Augustinus, as songen is in layis,
That Constantynys sone, & of plener age,
Was Emperour I-chose, as fil by heritage;
In whose tyme sikirlich, þe .vii. sagis were
In Rome dwelling dessantly; And yf yee lust to lere,
Howe they were I-clepid, or I ferther goon,
I woll tell ȝewe the names of hem euerychoon;
And declare ȝewe the cause why þey hir namys bere.
The first was I-clepid Sother legifeer;
This is thus much for to sey, as ‘man bereing þe lawe;’
And so he did trewly; for levir he had be sclawe,
Then do or sey eny thing þat sownyd out of reson,
So cleen was his conscience I-set in trowith & reson.

Marcus Stoycus þe second, so pepill hym hiȝte;
That is to mene in our consceit, ‘a keper of þe riȝte:’
And so he did ful trewe; for þe record & þe plees,
He wrote hem evir trewly; & took noon othir fees
But such as was ordeyned to take by þe ȝere.
Now, lord God! in Cristendon I wold it were so clere!
The þird, Crassus Asulus, among men clepid was;
‘An hous of rest, & ese, & counsell in every case;’
ffor to vndirstond þat was his name ful riȝte,
ffor evir-more the counsallis he helpid with all his myȝte.
Antonyus Iudeus, the ferth was I-clepid,
That was as much to meen, as wele me myȝt have clepid,
As eny thing purposid of al the longe ȝeer/,
That myȝth have made hym sory, or chongit onys chere,
But evir-more reyoysing, what þat evir be-tid;
ffor his hert was evir mery, ryȝt as þe somer bridd.
Svmvs Philopater was the ffifft-is name:
That þouȝe men wold sclee hym, or do hym al the shame,
Angir, or disese, as evill as men couthe,
Ȝit wold he love hem nevir þe wers, in hert[e], ne in mowith.
His will was cleen vndir his foot, & no thing hym above;
Therfor he was clepid, ‘fadir of perfite love.’
The sixt & [eke] þe sevenyth of these .vij sagis,
Was Stypio, & Sithero; As þes word ‘Astrolages’
Was surname to hem both, aftir hir sciencis;
ffor of Astronomy, Sikerlich þe cours & al the fences
Both they knowe hit wele Inowȝe, & wer riȝte sotil of art.

But nowe to othir purpose; for her I woll departe
As liȝtly as I can, & drawe to my matere.

In that same tyme, þat these sages were
Dwellyng þus in Room, a litill without the walles,
In the Subbarbis of þe town, of Chambris & of hallis,
And al othir howsing, þat to a lord belongid,
Was noon with-in the Cete, ne noon so wele be-hongit
With docers of hiȝe pryse, ne wallid so A-boute,

As was a Cenatour[i]s hous, within & eke without:
ffavnus was his name, a worthy man, & riche;
And for to sey[e] shortlych, in Room was noon hym lych.
His sportis & his estris were ful evenaunte
Of tresour/, & of lordshippe; also the most vaillant
He was, & eke I-com of hiȝe lynage.
And atte last he toke a wyff, like to his parage;
ffor, noriture & connyng, bewte & parentyne,
Were tho countid more with, þen gold or sylvir fyne.
But nowe it is al othir in many mannys þouȝt;
ffor muk is nowe I-maried, & vertu set at nouȝt.

ffawnus & his worthy wyff were to-gidir a-loon
xv. vyntir fullich, & issu had they noon.
Wherfor hir Ioyis were nat halff perfite;
ffor vttirlich to have a child was al hir delite,
Þat myȝte enyoy hir/ heritage, & weld[en] hir/ honoure;
And eke, when they were febill, to [be] hir trew socoure.
Hir fasting & hir/ preyer, and al þat evir þey wrouȝte,
As pilgremage & Almes-ded, euer þey besouȝte
That God wold of his goodnes som fruyte betwene hem send;
ffor gynnyng of hir spousaill, þe myddil & þe ende,
This was hir most[e] besynes; & al othir delites,
And eke this worldis riches, þey set at litil pris.
So atte last, as God wold, it fill oppon a day,
As this lady fro chirch[e]ward went [right] in the way,
A child gan sterè in hir vombe, as goddis wille was;
Wherof she gan to mervill, & made shorter pas,
With colour pale, & eke wanne, & fyll in hevynes;
ffor she had nevir, to-fore þat day, such manere seknes.
The vymmen, þat with hir were, gon to be-hold
The lady & hir chere; but no thing þey told;
But feir/ & sofft with ese, homward they hir led:
ffor hir soden sekenes ful sore þey were a-dred,
ffor she was inlich gentil, kynde, & amyabill,

And eke trewe of hert, & nothing variabill.
She lovid God a-bove al thing, & dred[de] syn & shame;
And Agea sikirly was hir riȝtful name.
So aftir in breff tyme, when it was perseyvid
That she had done a vommans dede, & had a child conseyvid,
The Ioy[e] that she made, ther may no tunge tell:
And also much, or more, yf I ne ly shell,
ffavnus made in his behalf, for þis glad tyding,
That I trow, I leve þe Emperour/ ne þe kyng
Made no bettir cher to wyff, ne no more myrth,
Then ffavnus to Agea. & when the tyme of birth
Nyȝhid nere & nere, after cours of kynde,
Wetith wele in certen, þat al the wit & mynde
Of ffavnus was continuell of feir delyveraunce,
Be-twene Agea & his child; & made grete ordenaunce
Ageyn the tyme it shuld be bore, as it was for to doon.

So as God wold, when tyme cam, Agea had a Son.
Butte Ioy þat ffawnes made, was dobil tho to-fore,
When þat he knewe in certen she had a sone I-bore;
And sent a-noon for nurssis four, & [right] no les,
To reule this child. aftirward, as yeris did pas,
The child was kept so tendirly, þat it throff wel the bett;
ffor what þe norisshis axid, a-noon it was I-fett.
In his Chambir it norisshid was; to town it mut nat go;
ffavnus lovid it so cherely, hit myȝt nat part hym fro.
It was so feir/ a creature, as myȝt be on lyve,
Of lymys & of fetour/, & growe wondir blyve.

This Child, that I of tell,—Berinus was his name,—
Was ovir mych chersshid, wich turned hym in-to grame,
As yee shull here[n] aftir, when tyme comyth & spase:
ffor ‘aftir swete, þe soure comyth, ful offt, in many a plase.’
ffor, as sone as he coude go, and also speke,
All þat he set his eye on, or aftir list to keke,
Anoon he shuld it have; for no man hym wernyd.
But it had be wel bettir, he had be wele I-lernyd

Noriture & gentilnes; & had I-had som hey.
ffor it fill so aftir, with what child he did pley,
Yf þe pley ne likid hym, he wold breke his hede;
Or with a knyff hym hurt, ryȝt nyȝe hond to be dede.
ffor ther nas knyȝt, ne Squyer, in his ffadirs house,
That þouȝt his owne persone most cora[g]iouse,
That did or seyd [right] eny thing, Berinus to displese,
That he nold spetously a-noon oppon hym rese;
Wherof his ffadir had[de] Ioy, & his modir also;
Ȝit it semeth to many a man, it was nat wisely do.

When Beryn passid was .vij. yeer, & grewe in more age,
He wrouȝt ful many an evill chek; for such was his corage,
That ther he wist, or myȝte do eny evill dede,
He wold nevir sese, for auȝt þat men hym seyde;
Wherfor many a poreman ful offt was agrevid;
But ffawnus And Agea ful lite þeron belevid;
And þouȝe men wold pleyne, ful short it shuld a-vaill;
ffor ffawnus was so myȝty, & cheff of all counsaill
With Augustyn the Emperour, þat al[le] men hym dradd,
And lete pas ovir [mischefe] & harmys þat þey had.

Berinus, ferþermore, lovid wele the dise,
And for to pley at haȝard, And held þerof grete pryse,
And al othir gamys þat losery was in;
And evir-more he lost, & nevir myȝte wyn.
Berynus atte haȝard many a nyȝte he wakid;
And offt[e] tyme it fill so, þat he cam home al nakid;
And that was al his Ioy: for ryȝt wele he knewe,
That Agea his modir wold[e] cloth hym newe.
Thus Berynus lyvid, as I have told to-fore,
Tyll he was of þe age of xviij yeer or more.
But othir whils a-mongis, for pleyntis þat wer grete,
ffawnus made a-mendis, & put hem in quyete;
So was the ffadir cause the sone was so wild;—
And so have many mo such, of his owne child
Be cause of his vndoyng, as wee mowe se al day;—

ffor thing I-take in [youthe, is] hard to put away;
As hors þat evir trottid, trewlich I ȝew tell,
It were hard to make hym, aftir to ambill well;
Riȝt so by Beryn, that had his lust & will when he was lite,
It shuld be hevy aftirward, to reve his old delite,
Save the whele of ffortune, þat no man may withstonde;
ffor every man on lyve, ther-on he is gond:
O spoke she turnyd Bakward, riȝt atte hiȝe noon,
All a-geyn Berinus, as yee shull here sone.

Agea, his Modir, fil in grete sekenes,
And sent aftir [hir] husbond, with wordis hir to lis,
And, for she wold[e] telle hym hir hole hertis will,
Er she out of þe world partid, as it was riȝte & skill.
When ffawnus was I-come, and sawe so rodylese
His wyff þat was so dere, þat for love he chese,
No mervell þouȝe his hert[e] wer in grete mournyng!
ffor he perseyvid fullich, she drewe to hir ending:
Ȝit made he othir chere, þen in his hert was,
To put awey discomforte, dissimilyng with his fase
The hevynes of his hert; with chere he did it close:
ffor such a maner crafft þere is with hem can glose,
Save þat tournyth al to cautele: but ffawnus did nat so,
ffor, wetith wele, in certeyn his hert was ful of woo
ffor his wyff Agea; & ȝit, for crafft he couthe,
The Teris fro his eyen ran downe by his mowth.
When he sawe the Pangus of deth comyng so fast
Oppon his wyff Agea, almost his hert to-brast.

Agea lyfft vp hir eyen, & beheld the chere
Of hir husbond fawnus, þat was so trewe a fere;
And seyd, “Sir, why do yee thus? þis is an elyng fare,
In comfort of vs both, yf yee myȝte spare,
And put a-wey this hevenys, whils þat yee & I
Miȝte speke of othir thingis; for deth me nyȝhith nyȝe
ffor [ne] to body, ne to soule, þis vaylith nat a karse.”

“Now tellith on,” quod ffawnus, “& I wol lete it pase
ffor the tyme of talkyng, as wele as I may:
But out of my remembraunce, on-to my endyng day,
Yeur deth wol nevir, I woot it wele, but evir be in mynde.”
“Then, good sir,” quod Agea, “beth to my soule kynde
When my body is out of siȝte, for þerto have I nede:
ffor truer make þen yee be, in word[e] ne in dede,
Had nevir vomman [lyvand], ne morè kynd[e]nes
Hath shewed on-to his make, I knowe riȝt wele I-wis:
Now wold yee so her-aftir, in hert[e] be as trewe,
To lyve with-out[e] make; & on yeur/ sone rewe,
That litill hath I-lerned, sithens he was bore,
Let hym have no Stepmodir; for Children have to-fore,
Come[n]lich they lovith nat. wherfor, with hert I prey,
Have cher on-to yeur/ sone, aftir my endyng day:
ffor, so God me help! & I lafft ȝew be-hynde,
Shuld nevir man on lyve bryng it in my mynde
To be no more I-weddit, but lyve soule a-loon.
Nowe yee knowe[n] al my will, good sir, þink ther-on.”
“Certis,” [tho] quod ffawnus, “whils I have wittis fyve,
I thynk[e] nevir, aftir ȝewe, to have a-nothir wyff.”

The preest was com[en] þerwithal, for to do hir riȝtis;
ffawnus toke his leve, & all the othir knyȝtis,
Hir kyn & all hir ffrendis, kissid hir echone:
It is no nede to axe, wher there was dole, or noon.
Agea cast hir eye[n] vp, & lokid al a-boute,
And wold have kissid [Beryn]; but then was he withoute
Pleying to the haȝard, as he was wont to doon;
ffor, as sone as he had ete, he wold ren out anoon.
And when she sawe he was nat ther, þat she þouȝt most on,
Hire sekenes & hir/ mournyng berst hir hert a-noon.

A damesell, to-fore þat, was ronne into the town
ffor to seche Beryn, þat pleyd[e] for his gown,
And had almost I-lost it, riȝt as þe damesel cam,

And swore, & starid, as he was wood, as longit to the game.
The damesell seyd to Beryn, “Sir, yee must com home!
ffor, but yee hiȝe blyvè, þat yee were I-come,
Yeur/ modir woll be dede. she is ȝit on lyve;
Yf yee woll speke with hir, yee must hiȝe blyve.”
“Who bad so, lewd kitt?” “yeur ffadir, sir/,” quod she;
“Go home, lewde visenage, þat evil mut þowe the!”
Quod Beryne to the damesell, & gan hir fray & ffeer;
And bad the Devill of hell hir shuld to-tere.
“Hast þowe outȝ els to do but let me of my game?
Now, be God in heven, by Petir, & by Iame!”—
Quod Beryn in grete angir, & swore be book & bell,
Rehersing many namys, mo þen me list to tell,—
“Ner þow my ffadirs messenger, þow shuldist nevir ete brede!
I had levir my modir, & also þowe, were dede,
Then I shuld lese the game, þat I am nowȝ in!”
And smote þe Damesell vndir þe ere: þe weet gon vpward spyn.
The deth of Agea he set at litil prise;
So, in that wrath[e], frelich Beryn þrewe þe dise,
And lost with þat same cast al was leyde a-down;
And stert vp in a wood rage, & ballid on his croun,
And so he did the remnaunte, as many as wold abide;
But, for drede of ffawnus, his felawis gan to hide,
And nevir had[de] will ne lust, with Beryn for to fiȝte,
But evir redy to pley, & wyn[ne] what they myȝte.

The Deth of Agea sprang a-bout þe town;
And euery man þat herd the belle for hir/ sown,
Be-menyd hir/ ful sore; saff Beryn toke noon hede,
And souȝt a-noþir feleshippe, & quyklich to hem ȝede,
To such[e] maner company, as shuld[e] nevir thryve,
ffor such he lovid bettir, þen his modirs lyve;
And evir-more, it shuld be nyȝte or he wold home drawe;
ffor of his ffadir, in certen, he had no maner awe,

ffor evir in his ȝowith he had al his will,
And was I-passid chastising, but men wold hym kill.

ffawnus for Agea, as it was wele sitting,
Made [ful] grete ordenaunce for hir burying,
Of Prelatis, & of prestis, & of al othir thing,
As þouȝe she had[de] be a wyff of a worþy kyng:
It myȝt nat have be mendit, such was his gentilnes,
ffor at hir enteryng was many a worthy messe.
ffor foure wookis full, or he did hir entere,
She lay in lede within his house. but Beryn cam nat þere,
Namelich in-to the place there his modir lay,
Ne onys wold he a Pater noster for hir/ soule say.
His þouȝt was al in vnthryfft, lechery, & dyse,
And drawing al to foly; for ȝowith is recheles,
But ther it is refreyned, & hath som maner eye;
And þerfor me thinkith, þat I may wele sey,
A man I-passid ȝowith, & is with-out[en] lore,
May be wele I-likened, to a tre without[en] more,
That may nat bowe, ne bere fruyte, but root, & euer wast;
Riȝt so by ȝouthe farith, þat no man list to chast.
This mowe wee know[e] verely, by experience,
That ȝerd[e] makith vertu & beneuolence
In Childhode for to growe, as previth Imaginacioun:
A plant, whils it is grene, or it have dominacioun,
A man may with his fyngirs ply it wher hym list,
And make ther-of a shakill, a with[ey], or a twist;
But let the plant[e] stond, & ȝeris ovir grove,
Men shall nat, with both his hondis, vnnethis make it bowe:
No more myȝt ffawnus make his sone Beryn,
When he growe in age, [un]to his lore enclyne;
ffor euery day when Beryn rose, vnwassh he wold dyne,
And drawe hym to his ffeleshipp as even as a lyne;
And þen com home, & ete, & soop, & sclepe at nyȝte:
This was al his besynes, but yf þat he did fiȝte.
Wherfor his ffadirs hert, ffawnus, gan for to blede,

That of his modir, þat lay at home, he took no more hede;
And so did all the pepill that dwellid in the town,
Of Beryns wildnes gon [they] speke, & eke [to] roune.
ffawnus, oppon a day, when Beryn cam at eve,
Was set oppon a purpose to make his sone leue
All his shrewd[e] tacchis, with goodnes yf he myȝte,
And tauȝte hym feir & sofft; but Beryn toke it liȝt,
And countid at[te] litill price al his ffadirs tale.
ffawnus saw it wold nat: with colour wan & pale
He partid from his sone, & with a sorowful hert.
I [ne] can write halffyndele, howe sore he did[e] smert
The disobeying of his sone, & his wyffis deth;
That, as the book tellith, he wisshid þat his breth
Had I-been a-bove the serkill celestyne;
So ffervent was his sorowe, his angir, & his pyne.

So, shortly to conclude, Agea was enterid,
A[nd] ffawnus lyvid wyfles, [tyll] .iij yeer wer werid;
Wherof ther was grete spech[e], for his hiȝe honour.
Tyll, atte last, word cam on-to þe Emperour,
That ffawnus was with-out[en] wyff, & seld[e] was iocounde,
But mournyng for Agea, þat he was to I-bounde,
And lyvid as an hermyte, soule & destitute,
With-out[e] consolacioune, pensyff offt, & mut.
Wherfor Augustinus, of Rome þe Emperour,
Was inwardlich[e] sory, & in grete dolour;
[And] With the .vij. sagis, & Senatouris all,
Were assemblit, to discryve what shuld þerof fall.
The wich seyd shortly, ‘for a molestacioune
Ther was noon othir remedy, but a consolacioune;
ffor who so were in eny thing displesid or a-grevid,
Must by a like thing egall be remevid.’
And when þe Emperour knewe al hir determinacioune,
Quiklich in his mynde he had Imaginacioun,
That ffawnus for agea was in hiȝe distres,
And must be I-curid with passing gentilnes

Of som [fair] lusty lady, þat of pulcritude
Were excellent al othir. so, shortly to conclude,
The Emperour had a love—tofore he had a wyff—
That he lovid as hertlich as his owne lyff,
As was as feir/ a creature, as sone myȝte be-shyne,
So excellent of bewte, þat she myȝt be shryne
To all othir vymmen, þat wer tho lyvand.
But for þe Emperour/ had a wyff, yee shul wele vndirstond,
He cam nat in hir company, to have[n] his delite;—
ffor Cristendom & conscience was tho more perfite
Then it is nowe a dayis, yf I durst tell;
But I woll leve at þis tyme.—þan ffawnus also snell
Was aftir sent in hast, of sekenes to be curyd.
So, what for drede & ellis, they were both ensuryd
In presence of the Emperour/; so ffawnus myȝt nat flee:
It was þe Emperours will, it myȝt noon oþir be.

So with-in a tyme Agea was for-ȝete;
ffor ffawnus þouȝt [ful] litill on þat he hir be-hiȝte;
ffor, as the .vij sages had a-fore declarid,
It cam al to purpos; ffor ffawnus litill carid
ffor eny thing at all, save his wyff to plese,
That ‘Rame’ was I-clepid; for rest[e], nethir ese,
ffawnus nevir had, out of hir presence:
So was his hert on hir/ I-set, þat he coude no defence,
Save evir-more be with hir, & stare on hir visage,
That the most[e] parte of Room held it for dotage,
And had[de] muche mervell of his variaunce.
(But what is þat ffortune can nat put in chaunce?)
ffor þere was man on lyve on vomman more be-dotid,
Then ffawnus was in Rame, ne halff so much I-sotyd.
With þat Ram had knowlech þat ffawnus was I-smyt
With þe dart of love, yee mowe riȝt wele it wyt,
That all þat evir she coude cast[en] or bythynch,
Was al a-geyn Berinus; for many a sotill wrench

She þouȝt & wrouȝt, day be day, as meny vommen doon,
Tyll they have of hir desire the full conclusyoune.
ffor, the more that ffawnus of Rame did[e] make,
The more daungerous was Rame, & of Chere sade;
And kept[e] well hir/ purpose vndir coverture:
She was the las to blame, It grew [so] of nature.
But þouȝe þat Rame wrouȝt so, God for-bede þat alle
Were of þat condic[i]oune! (yet ‘touch no man the galle,’
It is my pleyn counsell; but ‘doith as othir doith;’
‘Take yeur/ part as it comyth, of rouȝe & eke of smoth.’)
Ȝit noritur, wit & gentilnes, reson & perfite mynde,
Doth al these worthy vommen to worch ageyn[e]s kynde;
That þouȝe they be agrevid, þey suffir/ & endure,
And passith ovir, for the best, & folowith no-þing nature.

But nowe to Rames purpose, & what was hir desire:
Shortly to conclude, to make debate & Ire
Be-twene the ffadir & the sone, as it was likly tho;
What for his condicioune, & what for love also
That ffawnus owt to his wyff, þe rathir he must hir leve,
And graunt[e] for to mend, yf ouȝt hir/ did[e] greve.

Berynus evir wrouȝt, ryght as he did to-fore,
And Rame made hym cher of love,—þere myȝt no vomman more,—
And gaff hym gold & clothing, evir as he did lese,
Of þe best[e] þat he couthe, ouȝwher in towne chese;
And spak ful feir with hym, to make[n] al thing dede;
Ȝit wold she have I-ete his hert, with-out[e] salt or brede.
She hid so hir felony, & spak so in covert,
That Beryn myȝt nat spy it, but lite of Ramys hert.
So, shortly to pas ovir, It fill oppon a nyȝte,
When ffawnus & his ffressh[e] wyff were to bedd I-diȝte,
He toke hir in his armys, & made hir hertly chere,—
Ther myȝt[e] no man bettir make [on lyve] to his fere,—
And seyd, “myne ertly Ioy, myne hertis ful plesaunce,

My wele, my woo, my paradise, my lyvis sustenaunce!
Why ne be yee mery? why be yee so dull,
Sith yee knowe I am yeur own, riȝt as yeur/ hert woll?
Now tell on, love, myne hown hert! yf yee eylith ouȝt;
ffor & it be in my power, a-noon it shal be wrouȝte.”
Rame with þat gan siȝhe, & with a wepeing chere
Vndid þe bagg of trechery, & seid in þis manere;
“No mervell þouȝe myne hert be sore & full of dele,
ffor when þat I to ȝew weddit was, wrong[e] went my whele:
But who may be, a-geyn[e]s hap & aventure?
Ther for, as wele as I may, myne I mut endure.”
With many sharp[e] wordis she set his hert on feir,
To purchase with hir practik, þat she did desire.
But hoolich al hir wordis I can nat wele reherce,
Ne writè, ne enditè, howe she did[e] perce
Thurh ffawnys hert, & [eke] his scull also:
ffor more petouse compleynt, of sorow & of woo,
Made nevir vomman, ne more petously,
Then Rame made to ffawnys: she smote ful bittirly
In-to þe veyn, & þurh his hert[e] blood;
She bloderid so, & wept, & was so hiȝe & mode,
That vnneth she myȝte speke, but, oþer while a-mong,
Wordis of discomfort, & hir hondis wrong;
ffor “alas & woo þe tyme, þat she weddit was!”
Was evir more þe refreit, when she myȝt have spase;
“I am I-weddit! ȝe, God woot beste, in what maner & howe!
ffor if it wer so fall, I had a child be ȝewe;
Lord! how shuld he lyve? howe shuld he com a-way?—
Sith Beryn is yeur/ first sone, & heir aftir yeur/ day,—
But yf þat he had grace to scole for to goo,
To have som maner connyng, þat he myȝte trust[en] to;
ffor, as it now stondith, it were þe beste rede;
ffor, so God me help! I had levir he were dede,
Than were of such condicioune, or of such[e] lore
As Beryn yeur/ sone is! it wer better he were vnbore.
ffor he doith nat ellis, save atte haȝard pley,

And comyth home al nakid, e[veri]ch othir day.
ffor within this month, þat I have with ȝew be,
[ful] ffifftene sithis, for verry grete pete,
I have I-clothid hym al newe when he was to-tore;
ffor evir more he seyde, ‘þe old[e] were I-lore.’
Now, & he were my sone, I had levir he were I-sod!
ffor, & he pley so long, [the] halff [of] our lyvlode
Wold scarsly suffise hym selff [al]oon.
And, nere yee wold be grevid, I swere be seynt Iohn
He shuld aftir þis day be clothid no more for me,
But he wold kepe hem bettir, & drawe fro nycete.”
“Nowe, gentill wyff, gromercy of yeur/ wise tale!
I thynk[e] wel þe more, þat I sey no fale:
ffor towching my grevaunce, þat Beryn goith al nakid,
Treulich þat grevaunce is [now] somwhat a-sclakid.
Let hym a-loon, I prey ȝew, & I wol con ȝew thanke;
ffor in such losery he hath lost many a ffrank.
The devill hym spech, þat reche yf he be to-tore,
And he vse it her-afftir, as he hath doon to-fore!”

Beryn arose a-morowe, & cried wondir fast,
And axid aftir clothis; but it was al in wast;
Ther was no man tendant for hym in al the house:
The whele was I-chaungit in-to a-nothir cours.
ffawnus herd his sone wele, how he be-gan to cry,
And rose vp [tho] a-noon, & to hym did[e] hiȝe;
And had for-ȝete no thing, þat Rame had I-seyde;
ffor he boillid so his hert, he was nat wel apayde.
He went in-to the Chambir, ther his sone lay,
And set hym doun in a chair, & þus he gan to sey.
“My gentil sone Beryn! now feir I woll þe tech:
Rew oppon thy selff, & be þyn owne leche!
Manhode is I-com nowe, myne own dere sone;
It is tyme þow be aweynyd of þyne old[e] wone;
And þow art xx wynter, & nauȝt hast of doctryne;
Ȝit, woldist þowe drawe to profite, þe worshipp wold be thyne,

To noritur & goodshipp, & [eke] al honest thing,
Ther myȝt com to myne hert[e] no more glad tyding.
Leve now al thy foly, and thy rebawdy,
As Tablis, & merellis, and þe hazardry,
And draw the to þe company of honest men & good,
Els—leve þowe me as wele as Criste died on the rode,
And for al men-kynde his gost pas lete!—
Thow shalt, for me, here-aftir stond on thyn owne fete;
ffor I [ne] woll no lengir suffir this aray,
To clothè the al new, e[ueri]ch othir day.
Yff þow wolt drawe the to wit, & rebawdry withdrawe,
Of such good as God have sent, þy part shalt þow have.
And yf þow wolt nat, my sone, do as I the tell,
Of me shalt þow nauȝt have, truste me riȝt well!
Wenyst þow with thy dise-pleying hold[en] myne honoure
Aftir my deth-day?” then Beryn gan to loure,
And seid, “is this a sermon or a prechement?
Yee were nat wont her-to. how is this I-went?
Sendith for som clothing, þat I were a-go;
My felawis lokith aftir me, I woot wele þey do so.
I woll nat leve my feleshippe, ne my rekelagis,
Ne [yit] my dise-pleying, for all yeur heretages!
Doith yeur best with hem by yeur lyff day;
ffor when they fall to me, I wol do as I may.
Benedicite, ffadir! who hath enfourmyd ȝewe,
And set ȝewe in-to Ire, to make me chere rowe?
But I know well I-nowȝ whens [that] this counsaill cam;
Trewlich of yeur owne wyfe, þat [ful] evil dame:
[Curse] Com oppon hir body, þat fals putaigne!
ffor trewlich, ffadir, yee dote on hir; & so al men seyn.
Allas! þat evir a man shuld, þat is of hiȝe counsaill,
Set[ten] al his wisdom, on his wyvis tayll!
Yee lovith hir/ so much, she hath be-nome yeur/ witt;
And I may curs the tyme, that evir yee were I-knyt;
ffor now, I am in certen, I have a Stepmodir:

They been shrewis som,—ther been but few othir,—
Vel fikil flaptaill, such oon as she ys.
ffor al my pleying atte dise, ȝit do yee more a-mys;
Yee have I-lost yeur/ name, yeur worshipp & yeur feith;
So dote[n] yee on hir/, & levith al she sayith.”

ffawnus, with the same word, gaff þe chayir a but,
And lepe out of the Chambir, as who seyd “cut!”
And swore, in verry woodnes, be God omnipotent,
That Beryn of his wordis shuld[e] sore repent!

Beryn set nouȝt þerof; [but] with a proude hert
Answer[i]d his ffadir, & axid a new shert.
He gropid al a-boute, to have found[en] oon,
As he was wont to-fore, but þere was noon.
Then toke he such[e] willokis as he fond ther,
And beheld hym-selff what [maner] man he were.
ffor when he was arayde, then gan he first be wrothe;
ffor [tho] his vombe lokid out, & his rigg both.
He stert aftir his ffadir, & [loud] be-gan to cry,
ffor “seth myne aray! for thy vilany
Ys as wele ȝeurs, as it is myne!”
ffawnus lete hym clatir, & cry[en] wel & fyne,
And passid forth [ful] still, & spak nat [tho] a word.
Then Beryn gan to þink, it was nat al bord
That his ffadir seyde, when he with hym was;
And gan to think[en] al about; & þerwith seyd, “Allas!
Now know I wele for soth, þat my modir is dede:”
ffor tho gan he to glow[e] first a sory mannys hede.
(Now kepe thy Cut, Beryn; for þow shalt have a fit
Somwhat of the world, to lern[e] better witt;
ffor & þow wiste sikirly what is for to com,
Thow woldist wissh aftir thy deth ful offt & I-lome;
ffor þere nys beting half so sore, with staff nethir [with] swerd,
As man to be [I-]bete[n] with his owne ȝerd.
The pyry is I-blowe,—hop, Beryn, hop!—
That ripe wol heraftir, & on thyn hede dropp.
Thow tokist noon hede whils it shoon hoot;

Therfor wyntir þe nyȝhith: asay[e] by thy Cote!)

Beryn, for shame, to town durst he nat go;
He toke his way to chirchward, his frend was made his foo.
ffor Angir, sorow, & shame, & hevynes þat he had,
Vnneth he myȝte speke, but stode halff as mad.
“O Allas!” quod Beryn, “what [maner] wit had I?
That coude nat, to-fore this day, knowe sikirly
That my modir dede was; but nowe I knowe to sore;
And drede more, þat eche day her-aftir, more & more
I shall knowe & fele, that my modir is dede.
Allas! I smote þe messangere, & toke of hir noon hede.
Allas! I am right pore! Allas! þat I am nakid.
Allas! I sclept to fast, till sorowe nowe hath me wakid.
Allas! I hungir sore! allas! for dole & peyn!
ffor eche man me seeth, hath me in disdeyn.”
This was al his myrth, [un]to the chirch[e]-ward,
That of his modir Agea he toke so litill reward.
When Beryn was within the chirch, þen gan he wers fray:
As sone he sawe þe tombe where his modir lay,
His coloure gan to chaunge in-to a dedely hewe.
“Allas! gentill modir! so kynd þow were, & trewe,
It is no mervell, for þy deth þouȝe I sore smert.”
Ant þere-with-all þe sorowe so fervent smote in his hert,
That sodenly he fil [a] down, stan dede in swowe:
That he had part of sorowe, me thinkith þat myȝt a-vowe.

Beryn lay so longe, or he myȝte a-wake,
ffor al his fyve wittis had clene hym forsake.
Wel myȝte he by hym selff, when reson I-com were,
Vndirstond that ffortune had a sharp[e] spere,
And ekè grete power, a-mong[es] hiȝe & lowe,
Som [men] to avaunce, & som to ovir-throwe.
So atte last, when Beryn a litill wakid were,
He trampelid fast with his feet, & al to-tare his ere

And his visage both, ryȝt as a woodman,
With many a bittir tere, þat from his eyen ran;
And sighid many a sore sigh, & had much hevynes;
And evir-more he cursid his grete vnkyndnes
To foreȝit his modir, whils she was a-lyve;
And lenyd to hir tombe opon his tore sclyu[e];
And wisshid a þowsand sithis, he had I-be hir by:
And beheld hir tombe with a petouse eye.
“Now, glorious God,” quod Beryn, “þat al thing madist of nouȝt,
Heven & erth, [&] man & best! sith I am mys-wrouȝt,
Of ȝewe I axe mercy, socour & help, & grace,
ffor my mys-dede & foly, vnthryfft & trespase.
Set my sorowe & peyn, somwhat in mesure
ffro dispeir & myscheff, as I may endure!
Lord of all lordis! þouȝe ffortune be my foo,
Ȝit is thy myȝte a-bove, to turn hym to & fro.
ffirst, my modirs lyff, ffortune hath me berevid,
And sith my ffadirs love, & nakid also me levid.
What may he do more? ȝis, take a-wey my lyff.
But, for that were myne ese, & end of al [my] stryff;
Therfor he doith me lyve; for my wers, I sey,
That I shuld evir-more lyve, & nevir for to dey.”

Now leve I Beryn with his modir, tyl I com a-ȝe,
And wol retourne me to Rame, þat of hir sotilte
Be-þouȝt hir al aboute, when Beryn was agoon,
That it shuld be wittid hir: wherfor she a-noon
In this wise seyd to ffawnus; “Sir! what have yee do?
Al-þouȝe I speke a mery word, to suffir yeur/ sone go
Nakid in-to þe town, it was nat my counsaill.
What wol be seyd þerof? sikir, with-out[en] faill,
ffor I am his stepmodir, þat I am cause of all!
The violence, the wrath, þe angir & þe gall,
That is be-twene ȝewe both, it wol be wit[tid] me;

Wherfor I prey ȝew hertly, doith hym com home a-ye.”
“Nay by my trowith,” quod ffawnus, “for me comyth he nat ȝit;
Sith he, of my wordis, so litil prise set,
As litill shall I charge[n] his estate also.
Sorowe have, þat recchith þouȝe he nakid go!
ffor euery man [wel] knowithe þat he is nat wise;
Wherfor may be supposid, his pleying atte dise
Is cause of his aray, & no thing yee, my wyff.”
“Ȝis I-wis,” quod Rame, “the tale wol be ryff
Of me, & of noon othir; I knowe riȝte wel a fyne:
Wherfor I prey ȝewe, gentil Sir, & [eke] for love myne,
That he were I-fet home, & þat in grete hast;
And let asay efft ageyn with ffeirnes hym to chast;
And send[e] Beryn clothis, & a newe shert;”
And made al wele in eche side, & kept[e] close hir hert.
“Now sith it is yeur will,” quod ffawnus tho a-noon,
“That Beryn shall home come; for yeur sake aloon
I woll be the message, to put yeur hert in ese;
And els, so God me help, wer it nat ȝewe to plese,
The gras shuld growe on pament, or I hym home bryng!”
Ȝit nethirles, forth he went, with too or thre, ryding
ffrom o strete to a-nothir, enqueryng to & fro
Aftir Beryn, in every plase wher he was wont to go;
Sheching eviry halk, howris to or thre,
With hazardours, & othir such, þere as he was wont to be;
And fond hym nat there; but to chirch went echone,
And atte dorr they stode a while, & herd Beryn made his moon:
They herd all his compleynt, þat petouse was to here.

ffawnus, in-to the Chirch, pryuelych gan pire;
But also sone as he beheld wher Agea lay,
His teris ran down be his chekis, & þus he gan to say;
“A! Agea, myne old love, & [eke] my newe also!
Allas! þat evir our hertis shuld depart a too!

ffor in yeur graciouse dayis, of hertis trobilnes
I had nevir knowlech, but of al gladnes.”
Remembryng in his hert, & evir gan renewe
The goodnes be-twene hem both, & hir hert[e] trewe;
And drewe hym nere to Beryn, with an hevy mode.
But, as sone a[s] Beryn knew & vndirstode
That it was his ffadir, he wold no le[n]gir a-bide;
But a-noon he voidit by þe todir syde:
And ffawnus hym encountrid, & seyd: “wee have þe souȝte
Þurh[out] the town, my gentill sone, & þerfor void þe nouȝte!
Thouȝe I seyd a word or to, as me þouȝt for þe best,
ffor thyne erudicioune, to drawe þe to lyff honest;
Thow shuldist nat so feruently have take it to þyn hert.
But sith I knowe my wordis doith the so sore smert,
[I] Shall no more her aftir; & ech day our diete
Shall be mery & solase, & this shal be for-ȝete.
ffor wel I woot, þat for þy modir þow art to-tore;
Also þow hast grete sorow; but onys nedith, & no more;
And þerfor, sone, on my blessing, to put sorow a-wey,
Drawe þe nowe her-aftir to honest myrth & pley.
Lo, ther is clothing for ȝewe, & yeur/ hors I-diȝte
With harneyse al fressh[e] newe! And yf ye list be knyght,
I shall ȝit, or eve [come], that Bergeyn vndirtake,
That the Emperour, for my love, a knyȝt [he] shall ȝew make:
And what that evir yee nede, a-noon it shall be bouȝt;
ffor whils þat I have eny thing, ye shall lak[ke] nauȝte.”
“Graunte mercy!” quod Beryn, with an hevy chere,
“Of yeur worshipful profir þat yee have proferid me here;
But ordir of knyȝthode to take, [it] is nat my likeing;
And sith yeur will is for to do[en] somwhat my plesing,
Yee have a wyff ye love wele, & [eke] so tendirlich,
That, & she have children, I knowe right sikirlich
Al that she can devise, both be nyȝte & day,
Shall be to make hir Childryn heirs, yf þat she may;
And ekè sowè sedis of infelicite,

Wherof wold growe devisioun be-twene ȝewe & me.
ffor yf ye spend on me yeur/ good, & [do] þus riallich,
Levith well in certen, yeur wyff woll sikirliche
Eche day for angir hir tuskis [sharpe] whet,
And to smyte with hir tunge, yeur/ hert in wrath to set
Toward[es] me from day to day. but [yf] ye wold aply
Somwhat to hir purpose, & aftir hir/ ȝewe guy,
She wold wexe so ovirtwart, & of so lither tach,
And evir loure vndir hir/ hood, a redy for to snache;
She wold be shortyng of yeur/ lyf; & þat desire I nauȝt.
Wherfor, to plese[n] al aboute, my purpose & my þouȝt
Is for to be a marchaunte, & leve myne heritage,
And relese it for evir, for Shippis fyve of stage
fful of marchandise, the best of al this londe.
And yff yee wol so, ffadir, quyk let make þe bonde.”

ffawnus was ryȝte wele a-payde that ilk[e] word out-stert;
But ȝit he seid to Beryn: “I mervell in myne hert
Where haddist þow þis counsell, to leve þyne honoure,
And lyve in grete aventur, & in grete laboure;”
And rid so forth talking, a sofft [and] esy pase,
Homward to his plase, þer þat Rame was.
And as sone as ffawnus was I-liȝte a-down,
And hiȝed fast[e] to his wyff, & with hir/ gan to rown,
And told hir al the purpose, & made ffawnus chere:
She did hym nat halff so much, þe tyme she was his fere;
She hullid hym, & mollid hym, & toke hym aboute þe nekk,
And went lowe for the kite, & made many a bekk,
And seyd: “sir/, by yeur/ spech[e] nowe riȝt wel I here,
That yf ye list, yee mowe do thing þat I most desire;
And þat is this yeur heritage, þere ȝewe best[e] likid,
Þat yee myȝt gyve;” & evir a-mong, þe brussh a-wey she pikid
ffrom hir clothis here & þer, & sighid þer-with-all.
ffawnus, of his gentilnes, by hir/ myddil small
Hert[e]lich hir bracyd, & seyd: “I wol nat leve,

I suyr ȝew my trowith, þat onys or it be eve
That I shall do my devoir, without [eny] fentyse,
ffor to plese yeur/ hert[e] fullich in al wise.”
“Graunt mercy, myne own soverene!” quod Rame þo, mekely;
And made protestacioune, þat she wold sikirly,
All the dayis of hir/ lyff, be to hym as ende
As evir voman was to man, as ferforth as hir/ mynde
And wit hir/ wold[e] serve, & made grete othe.
ffawnus bood no lenger, but forth þer-with he goith.

(A! precius God in heven; kyng of mageste!
So plentivouse this world is of iniquite!
Why is it I-suffrid, þat trowith is brouȝt a-down
With trechery & falshede, in feld, & eke in town?)

But now to ffawnus, & his entent. when he his sone met,
He toke hym sofft[e] by þe hond; his tung he gan to whet,
Sotilly to engyne hym. first he gan to preche:
“Leve thy foly, my dere sone, & do as I þe teche:
Sith þow hast wit & reson, & art of mannys age,
What nedith the be marchant? & shal have heritage
ffor, & þy good were I-lost, þe sorow wold be myne,
(To telle the soth,) riȝt nyȝe paregall to þyne.
And yf þat I were dede, whil[e]s þow were oute,
Lond, & rent, & all my good, (have þow no doute,)
It wold be plukkid from the; thy parte wold be lest.
And also ferþermore, I make [now] oon beheest,
That I trowe my moblis wol nat [well] suffice
To charge fyve Shippis ful of marchandise,
But yf I leyde in morgage my lond, & eke my rent;
And þat I leve be nat thy will, ne þyne entent.
Ȝit nethirles, yf [that] thy hert[e] be so inly set
ffor to be a marchant, for no thing woll I let
That I nyl do thy plesaunce, as ferforth as I may,
To go ryȝte nyȝe myne own estate; but levir I had nay.”

Hir wordis, ne hir/ dedis, ne maters hem be-twene,
I wol nat tary now þereon, my parchemen to spene:

But fynallich[e], to the ende of hir acordement,
ffawnus had so goon a-bout, I-turned & I-went,
That he had brouȝt his sone to-fore þe Emperour,
To relese his heritage, & [eke] al his honour
That he shuld have aftir his day, for shippis fyue, & full
I-led of Marchaundise, of lynnyn, & of woll,
And of othir thingis, þat were I-vsid tho.
Engrosid was the covenaunte be-twen hem [bothe] to,
In presence of þe Emperour,—in opyn, & no roun,—
To-fore the grettest Cenatours, & eldest of þe town.
So when the relese selid was, with a syde bonde,
They were I-leyde both [right] in a meen[e] honde,
In-to the tyme þat Beryn fullich [i]sesid were
In the fyve Shippis, þat I ȝew tolde ere.

But who was glad but ffawnus? & to his wyff [he] went,
And seyd[e]: “nowe, my hertis swete, al þyn hole entent
Is vttirlich perfourmyd! vs lakkith nowe no more,
But marchandise & Shippis, as I told to-fore.”
“That shall nat faill,” quod Rame, & began to daunce;
And aftirward they speken of þe purveaunce.

(Allas! this fals[e] world! so ful of trechery!
In whom shuld the sone have trust & feith sikirly,
If his ffadir faylid hym? wheþir myȝt he go
ffor to fynde a sikir ffrend, þat he myȝt trist[en] to?)

So when these .v. shippis were rayid & [i-]diȝte,
ffawnus & his sone to þe Emperour/ ful riȝte
They went, & many a grete man for þe same case,
To see both in possessioune, as hir covenaunte wase.
Beryn first was sesid in the Shippis fyve;
And ffawnus had the relese, & bare it to his wyff;
And Eche held hem payde, & Rame best of all;
ffor she had conquerd thing, þat causid most hir gall.

Now leve I ffawnys & his wyff: & of þe governaunce
Of Beryn I woll speke, & also of his chaunce.
When lodismen, & maryneris, in al þing redy was,

This Beryn in-to Alisaundir (yf God wold send hym grace,
That wynde hym wold[e] serve,) he wold. so on a day
The wynde was good; & [tho] they seylid on hir/ wey
Too dayis fullich, & a nyght ther-with-all,
And had wedir at will; till atte last gan fall
Such a myst a-mong hem, þat no man myȝt se othir;
That wele was hym þat had[de] þere þe blessing of his modir.
ffor thre dayis dessantly þe derknes a-mong hem was,
That no shipp myȝte se othir; wherfor, ful offt “alas!”
The[y] seyd; & to þe hiȝe God þey made hir preyere,
That he wold, of his grace, hem govern & stere,
So þat hire lyvis myȝte I-savid be;
ffor þey were cleen in dispeyr/, be-cause þey myȝt nat se
The loder, wherby these Shipmen her cours toke echon.
So atte last, þe ferth day, makeing þus hir moon,
The day gan clere; & þen such wynde a-rose,
That blew hir Shippis els-wher þen was hir/ first purpose.
The tempest was so huge, & [was] so strong also,
That wel was hym þat coude bynd[en] or ondo
Any rope with-in the Shipp, þat longit to þe crafft:
Euery man shewid his connyng, to-fore þe Shipp, & bafft.
The wynd a-wook; the see to-brast; it blew so gresly sore,
That Beryn & all his company, of synnys las & more,
Eche man round a-boute, shroff hym-selff to othir;
And put in goddis gowernaunce, lyff, [&] Shipp, & strothir.
ffor þere nas Shippis meyne, for auȝt [þat] þey coude hale,
That myȝte a-bate[n] of the Shipp þe þiknes of a skale;
The wedir was so fervent of wynd & eke of thundir,
That euery shipp from othir was blowe of siȝte a-sondir/;
And durid so al day & nyȝte; tyl on the morowe,
I trow It was no questioune wheþer þey had Ioy or sorowe.
So aftirward, as god wold, the wynd was somwhat sofft:
Beryne clepid a Maryner/, & bad hym “sty on lofft,
And weyte aftir our four Shippis, [þt] aftir vs doith dryve;
ffor it is butte grace of God, yf þey be [now] alyve.”

A marynere anoon with that, ryȝt as Beryn bad,
Styed in-to the topcastell, & brouȝt hym tydingis glad:
“Sir,” he seith, “beth mery! yeur Shippis comyth echone
Saff & sound[e] sayling, as yee shul se a-noon;
And eke sir ferþermore, lond also I sigh:
Let draw our/ corse estward; þis tyde wol bryng vs ny.”
“Blessid be God!” quod Beryn, “þen, wer our Shippis com,
[[OMITTED]]
Wee have no nede to dout[e] werr, ne molestacioun;
ffor þere nys within our shippis no þing of spoliacioun,
But all trewe marchaundise. wherfor, sir lodisman,
Stere onys in-to þe Costis, as wel as [evir] þowe can.
When our/ Shippis been I-com, þat we mow pas in fere,
Lace on a bonet or tweyn, þat wee mowe saille nere.”

And when they were the Costis nyȝe, was noon of hem all
That wist what lond it was. Þen Beryn gan to call
Out of euery Shipp a-noon a marynere or tweyne,
ffor to take counsell; & þus he gan to seyne:
“The ffrountis of þis ilch[e] toun been wondir feir withall:
Me þinkith it is þe best[e] rede, what þat evir be-fall,
That I, my selff aloon, walk in-to the toun,
And here, & se, both here & þere, vpward & doun,
And [eke] enquere fullich of hir governaunce.
What sey yee, sirs? wol yee sent [vn]to þis ordenaunce?”
All they accordit wel þerto, & held it for þe best;
“ffor þus, yf it be profitabill, we mowe a-bide & rest,
And yf [that] it be othir-wise, þe rathir shall we go;
ffor aftir þat ye spede, wee wol[len] worch & do.”

But nowe mowe yee here, riȝt a wondir þing:
In al the world[e] wyde, so fals of hir lyving
Was no pepill vndir sonne, ne noon so desseyvabill,
As was the pepill of this town, ne more vnstabill;
And had a cursid vsage of sotill ymaginacioune,
That yff so were the Shippis of any straunge nacioun
Were come in-to the porte, a-noon þey wold hem hyde

With-in hir own[e] howsis, & no man go, ne ryde,
In no strete of al the town; ascaunce þat þey were lewde,
And coude no skill of marchandise: a skill it was, a shrewde,
As yee shull here aftir, of hir/ wrong & falshede:
But ȝit it fill, as worthy was, oppon hir/ owne hede.

Beryn arayd hym fresshly, as to A marchand longith,
And set hym on a palfrey wel be-sey & hongit,
And a page rennyng by his hors[e] feet:
He rode endlong þe town, but no man coud he mete;
The dorrys were I-closid in both too sidis;
Wherof he had mervell. ȝit ferþermor he ridis;
And waytid on his ryȝthond a mancipilis plase,
All ffressh & newe, & þidir gan he pase;
The gatis were wyde vp, & þidir gan he go;
ffor þurh-out þe longe town [ne] he fond so no mo.
Ther-in dwellid a Burgeyse, þe most[e] scliper man
Of al the town þurh-out; & what so [that] he wan
With trechery & gile,—as doith [now] som ffreris,—
Right so must he part[en it] with his [false] comperis.
Beryn liȝt down on his hors, & inward gan he dres,
And fond the good man of þe house pleying atte ches
With his neyȝbour/, as trewe as he, þat dwellid hym fast by.
But as sone as this Burgeyse on Beryn cast his eye,
Sodenly he stert vp, & put the ches hym fro,
And toke Beryn by the hond, & seyd these wordis tho:
“Benedicite! what manere wynd hath I-brouȝt ȝewe here?
Now wold to God I had wherof I coude make ȝew cher!
But yee shall lowe my good will, & take such as þere is,
And of yeur/ gentill paciens suffir þat is a-mys.”
ffor well he wist by his aray, & by his contenaunce,
That of the Shippis þat were I-com, he had som gouernaunce;
Wherfor he made hym chere, semeyng Amyabill,
I-colerid all with cawtelis, & wondir desseyvabill.

He bracyd hym by the Middil, & preyd hym sit a-down,
And lowly, with much worshipp, dressid his cosshon.
“Lord God!” seyd this Burgeyse, “I þank þis ilk[e] day,
That I shuld see ȝewe hole & sounde here in my contray;
And yff yee list to telle the cause of yeur/comyng,
And yff yee have nede to eny maner thing,
And it be in my power/, & þouȝe I shuld it seche,
It shuld go riȝt wondir streyte, I sey ȝew sikirlich,
But yee it had in hast, þere-with ȝewe to plese;
ffor nowe I se ȝewe in my house, my hert is in grete ese.”

The todir burgeyse rose hym vp, for to make Rouse,
And axid of his felawe, þat lord was of the house,
“Whens is this worshipful man?” with wordis end & lowe,
“ffor it semeth by the manere, þat ye hym shuld[e] knowe,
And have sey hym to-fore þis tyme.” “I have seen hym!” quod þe todir,
“Ȝe, I-wis an .C. sithis! & riȝt as to my brothir
I wold do hym plesaunce, in al that evir I can;
ffor trewlich in his contray he is a worshipful man.”—
“ffor soth, Sir/, & for yeur love, A Ml in this town
Wold do hym worshipp, & be riȝte feyne & bown
To plese hym, & a-vaill, to have þonk of ȝewe,
I woot wele; God hem ȝeld! so have þey offt or nowe.”—
And arose vp ther-with-all, & with his felaw spak
Of such maner mater, þat faylid nevir of lakk.
So when hir/ counsell was I-do, this burgeyse preyd his fere
To sit a-down be Beryn, & do hym sporte & chere:
“And in the [mene] while, I woll se to his hors;
ffor every gentill hert, a-fore his owne cors,
Desirith that his ryding best be servid & I-diȝte
Rathir then hym-selff. wherfor with al my myȝte
I woll have an ey þerto; & sith[ens] perce wyyn,
Wich tonne or pipe is best, & [eke] most fyne.”

Beryn was al a-basshid of his soden chere;
But nethirles the Burgeyse sat hym som-what nere,

And preyd hym, of his gentilnes, his name for to telle,
His contrey, & his lynage. & he answerd snelle;
“Berinus I am I-named, & in Rome I-bore,
And have fyve shippis of myne owne, las & more,
fful of marchaundise, ligging to-fore þe town:
But much mervaill have I, þe good man is so boune
To serve me, & plese, and [not] how it myȝt be.”
“Sir,” [tho] seyd the Burgeyse, “no mervell it is to me:
ffor many a tyme & offt, (I can nat sey how lome,)
He hath be in yeur/ marchis; &, as I trowe, in Room
Also he was I-bore, yf I ne ly[en] shall.”
“Yf it be so,” quod Beryn, “no mervell it is at all,
Thouȝe he me have I-sey; & eke his gentill chere
Previth it al opynly: but, be hym þat bouȝt me dere,
I have þerof no knowlech, as I am nowe avisid.”
With that cam in the goodman, with contenaunce disgisid,
And had enquerid of þe Child, þat with Beryn cam,
ffro gynnyng to þe ending, & told his mastris name,
And of Agea his modir, & al thing as it was;
Wher-þurh he was ful perfite, to answere to euery cas.
So entryng in-to the hall, þe Burgeys spak a-noon:
“A, my gentill Beryn! allas! þat vndir stone
Myne Owne hert Agea, thy modir leff & dere!
Now God assoyll hir/ soule! for nevir bettir chere
Had I of frend vomman, ne nevir halff so good.
Benedicite! a marchaunt comyng ovir flood!
Who brouȝt ȝewe in this purpose? & beth yeur ffadirs heir.
Now, be my trewe conscience, ryȝt nyȝe in dispeyr
I waxe for yeur/ sake; for now [ful] frendlese
Yee mowe wel sey[e] þat ye been. but ȝit, sir, nethirles
Yee mut endure ffortune, & hevynes put a-wey;
Ther is noon othir wisdom. also, yeur shippis gay
That been I-com in savete, ouȝt to a-mend yeur mode,
The wich, when wee have dyned, I swer, sir, by the rood,
Wee woll se hem trewly, with-in & eke with-oute,

And havè wynè with vs, & drynk[en] al a-boute.”
They set, & wissh, & fedd hem, & had wher of plente:
The Burgeys was a stuffid man, þere lakkid noon deynte.
So when they had I-dyned, the cloth was vp I-take;
A Chese þere was I-brouȝt forth: but tho gan sorow to wake.
The Ches was al of yvery, the meyne fressh & newe
I-pulsshid, & I-pikid, of white, asure, & blewe.
Beryn be-held the Chekkir; it semed passing feire:
“Sir/,” quod the Burgeys, “yee shull fynd here a peyre,
That woll mate ȝew trewly, in las þen half a myle;”
And was I-sayd of sotilte, Beryn to begile.
“Now in soth,” quod Beryn, “it myȝte wel hap, [or] nay;
And nere I must my Shippis se, els I wold assay.”
“What nedith þat?” quod the Burgeyse; “trewlich I wol nat glose;
They been nat ȝit I-setelid, ne fixid in þe wose
ffor I have sent[e] thries, sith [that] yee hidir cam,
To waite oppon hir governaunce: wherfor lete set o game,
And I shall be the first[e], þat shall ȝewe a-tast.”
The meyne were I-set vp; they gon to pley[e] fast:
Beryn wan the first, þe second, & þe þird;
And atte fourth[e] game, [right] in the ches a-myd,
Þe Burgeyse was I-matid: but þat lust hym [ful] wele;
And al was doon to bryng hym in, As yee shul here snel.
“Sir/,” then seyd Beryn, “yee woot wele howe it is;
Me list no more to pley; for yee [wel] know[e] this;
Wher is noon comparisoun, of what þing so it be,
Lust & likeing fallith þere, as it semeth me;
Ne myrth is nat commendabill, þat ay is by o syde,
But it rebound[e] to the todir; wherfor tyme is to ryde.
And as many thonkis, as I can or may,
Of my sport & chere, & also of yeur play.”
“Nay I-wis, gentill Beryn, I woot yee wol nat go;
ffor noritur[e] wol it nat, for to part[e] so;
And eke my condicioune, but I ley som thing,

Is no more to pley, þen who so shoke a rynge,
Ther no man is within, þe rynging to answere;
To shete a fethirles bolt, al-most as good me were.
But & yee wold this next[e] game som maner wager legg;
And let the trowith, on both sidis, be morgage & I-plegg,
That who-so be I-matid, graunt & [eke] assent
To do the todirs bidding; & who-so do repent,
Drynk[en] al the watir, þat salt is of the see.”

Beryn belevid þat he coude pley bettir þen he,
And sodenly assentid, with hond in hond assurid;
Men þat stode be sidis, I-cappid & I-hurid,
Wist[e] wele that Beryn shuld have þe wers[e] mes;
ffor the Burgeys was the best pleyer atte ches
Of all the wyde marchis, or many a myle aboute;
But þat ne wiste beryn of, ne cast þerof no doute.
He set the meyne efft ageyn, & toke better hede
Then he did tofore, & so he had[de] nede.
The Burgeyse toke a-visement long on euery drauȝte;
So with[in] an houre or to, Beryn he had I-cauȝte
Somwhat oppon the hipp, þat Beryn had þe wers.
And al be it his mynde & will was for to curs,
Ȝit must he dure his ffortune, when he was so fer I-go.
(ffor who is that þat ffortune may [nat] alwey vndo?
And namelich [he that] stont even in eche side
Of pro & contra; but God help, downe wol he glide.
But nowe a word of philosophy, þat fallith to my mynde,
‘Who take hede of þe begynnyng, what fal shal of þe ende,
He leyith a bussh to-fore the gap, þer fortune wold in ryde;’
But comynlich yowith forȝetith þat, þurh-out the world.
Riȝt so be Beryn I may wele sey, þat consaillis in rakid
Likly to lese his marchandise, & go hym-selff al nakid.)

Beryn studied in the ches, al-þouȝe it nauȝt a-vailid:
The Burgeyse in þe mene while, with othir men counsaillid
To fech the Sergauntis in the town, for þing he had a-do.
So when they com[en] were, they walkid to & fro,
Vp & down in the hall, as skaunce þey knewe nauȝte;

And ȝit of all the purpose, wit, & mynde, & þouȝt
Of this vntrew[e] Burgeys, by his messengeris
They were ful enfourmyd. wherfor with ey & eris
They lay a waite ful doggidly, Beryn to a-rest;
ffor þerfor þey were afftir sent, & was hir charge & hest.
(Lord! howe shuld o sely lombe, a-mong wolvis weld,
And scape[n] vn-I-harmyd? it hath be seyn [ful] seld.
Kepe thy Cut nowe, Beryn! for þow art in the case.)
The hall was ful of pepill, þe seriauntis shewid hir/ mase:
Beryn kast vp his hede, & was ful sore amayid;
ffor then he was in certen the burgeys had hym betrayde.
“Draw on,” seyd the Burgeyse; “Beryn! ye have þe wers!”
And euery man to othir þe covenaunt gan rehers.
The Burgeyse, whils þat Beryn was in hevy þouȝt,
The next drauȝt aftir, he toke a roke for nauȝte.
Beryn swat for angir, & was in hevy plyȝte,
And dred ful sore in hert; for wele he wist al quyte
He shuld nat escape, & was in hiȝe distres;
And pryuylich in his hert, þat evir he saw the ches
He cursid þe day & tyme: but what a-vaylid þat?
ffor wele he wist[e] þen, þat he shuld be mate:
He gan to chaunge his coloure, both[e] pale & wan.
The Burgeyse seid: “comyth nere! ye shul se þis man,
How he shall be matid, with what man me list!”
He drouȝe, & seyd “chek mate!” þe Sergauntis were ful prest,
And sesid Beryn by the scleve. “sirs, what þynk ye for to do?”
Quod Beryn to þe Seriauntis, “þat yee me handith so?
Or what have I offendit? or what have I seyde?”
“Trewlich,” quod the seriauntis, “it vaylith nat to breyde;
With vs yee must a while, wher [that] ye woll or no,
To-fore the Steward of this town. a-rise, & trus, & go!
And þere it shall be openyd, howe wisely þow hast wrouȝte:

This is þe ende of our/ tale, make it nevir so touȝte.”
“Sirs, farith feir! yee have no nede to hale.”
“Pas forth!” quod the seriauntes, “wee woll nat here þy tale.”
“Ȝis, sirs, of yeur/ curtesy, I prey ȝewe of o word.
Al-thouȝe my gentil hoost hath pleyd with me in borde,
And [hath] I-wonne a wager, yee have nauȝt to doon;
That is betwene hym & me; yee have no thing to doon.”
The hoost made an hidouse cry, in gesolreut þe haut,
And set his hond in kenebowe; he lakkid nevir a faute:
“Wenyst þowe,” seid he to Beryn, “for to scorn[e] me?
What evir þow speke, or stroute, certis it wol nat be;
Of me shalt þow have no wrong; pas forth a better pase;
In presence of our/ Steward I wol tell my case.”
“Why, hoost, sey yee this in ernest, or in game?
Yee know my contray & my modir, my lynage & my name;
And þus ye have I-seyd me .x. sith on þis day.”
“Ȝe, what þouȝe I seyd so? I know wele it is nay:
Ther lijth no more ther-to, but anothir tyme
Leve me so much the les, when þow comyst by me;
ffor al that evir I seyd, was to bryng the in care;
And now I have my purpose, I wol no thing the spare.”
Thus Iangelyng to ech othir, endenting euery pase,
They entrid both in-to the hall, þere þe Steward was:
Evandir was his name, þat sotill was, & fell,
He must be wel avisid, to-fore hym shuld[e] tell.
Anothir Burgeyse with hym was, Prouost of þe Cete,
Þat hanybald was I-clepid; but of sotilte
He passid many a-nothir, as yee shul here sone.

Beryns hoost gan to tell al þing as it was doon,
ffro gynnyng to þe ending, þe wordis with the dede;
And howe þey made hir covenaunte, & wager howe þey leyde.
“Now, Beryn,” quod the Steward, “þow hast I-herd þis tale;

How & in what maner þow art I-brouȝt in bale.
Thow must do his bidding; þow maist in no wise flee;
Or drynke[n] al the watir, þat salt is in the see:
Of these too thingis, þow must chese the toon:
Now be wel avisid, & sey thy will a-noon.
To do yee both[e] lawe, I may no bettir sey,
ffor þow shalt have no wrong, as ferforth as I may.
Chese thy selff riȝte as the list, & wit þow no þing me,
Thouȝe thowe chese the wers, & let þe better be.”

Beryn stood a-stonyd, & no mervaill was,
And preyd the Steward, of a day, to answere to þe case:
“ffor I myȝt[e] liȝtlich in som word be I-cauȝte;
And eke it is riȝte hard to chese, of to þat beth riȝte nauȝt.
But & it were yeur/ likyng to graunt me day til to-morow,
I wold answere, þurh Goddis help.” “þen must þow fynde a borow,”
Seyd the Steward to Beryn, “& ȝit it is of grace.”
“Now herith me,” quod hanybald, “I prey, a litil space:
He hath fyve Shippis vndir þe town, liggyng on þe strond,
The wich[e] been sufficiant, I-sesid in our honde,
By me, þat am yeur/ prouost, to execute þe lawe.”
“He must assent,” quod Evander, “let vs onys here his saw.”
“I graunt[e] wele,” quod Beryn, “sith it may be noon othir.”

Then hanybald arose hym vp, to sese both Shipp & strodir,
And toke Beryn with hym. so talking on þe wey,
“Beryn,” quod hanybald, “I suyr þe be my fey,
That þow art much I-bound to me þis ilk[e] day;
So is thy ple amendit by me; & eke of such a way
I am a-visid in thy cause, yf þow wolt do by rede,
That lite or nauȝt, by my counsaill, ouȝt[e] þe to drede.
Yee knowe wele, to-morowe þe day of plee is set,
That ye mut nedis answere; or els with-out[en] lett
I must yeld hem yeur Shippis; I may in no wise blyn;
So have I vndirtake. but the marchandise within,

Is nat in my charge,—ye know as wele as I,—
To make þerof no lyuery: wherfor now wisely
Worch, & do aftir [my] rede; let al yeur marchandise
Be voidit of yeur Shippis; & atte hiest prise
I wol have it everydele in covenant, yf ye list.
To se myne house here onys tofore, I hold it for þe best;
Wher/ yee shul se of diuers londis, housis to or thre
fful of marchandise, þat þurh this grete Cete
Is no such in preve, I may riȝt wel a-vowe.
[[OMITTED]]
So when ye have all seyn, & I have yeur/ also;
Let som Bargen be I-made be-twen vs both[e] to.”
“Graunt mercy, sir,” quod Beryn, “yeur/ profir is feir & good:
ffeyn wold I do þeraftir, yf [that] I vndirstood
I myȝt, without[en] blame of breking of a-rest.”
“Ȝis,” quod hanybald, “at my perell me trest.”

So to hanybaldis house to-gidir both þey rode;
And fonde, as hanybald had I-seyd, an houge house, long & brode,
fful of marchandise, as riche as it may be,
Passing al the marchantis þat dwellid in þat Cete.
Thus when al was shewid, þey dronk, & toke hir leve;
To see [all] Beryns shippis, in hast þey gon to meve.
And when þat hanybald was avisid what charge þe Shippis bere,
He gan to speke[n] in his voise, ascaunce he rouȝt[e] nere
Wheþer he bargeynyd or no, & seyd þus: “Beryn, ffrend,
Yeur/ marchandise is feir & good; now let vs make an ende;
If yee list, I can no more, yee knowith how it is.
Com, of short, let tuk le meyn; me þinkith I sey nat mys;
And þen yeur meyne, & yee & I, to my house shall wee go,
And of þe marchandise yee saw,—I wol nat part þerfro,—
Chese of þe best of þat yee fynd[en] there;
Thurh-out þe long[e] house, þer shal no man yew dere;

And þerwith shall yeur Shippis be fillid al[le] fyve:
I can sey no bettir; yf yee list to dryve
This bargeyn to þe ende, counsellith with yeur men;
I may nat longe tary, I must nedis hen.”

Beryn clepid his meyne, counsell for to take;
But his first[e] mocioun was, of þe woo & wrake,
And al the tribulacioune, for pleying atte ches,
That he had: euery dele, his shame, & his dures,
ffro poynt to poynt, & how it stode, he told[e] how it was
And then he axid counsell, what best was in the cas;
To chaunge with the Burgeys, or el[le]s for to leve.

Ech man seyd his a-vise; but al þat þey did meve,
It were to long a tale for to tell it here;
But fynally atte end, þey cordit al in fere,
That þe chaunge shuld stond; for as þe case was fall,
They held it clerly for þe best; & went[e] forth with-all
The next wey þat þey couth, to Hanybaldis plase.

But nowe shull yee here þe most sotil fallace
That evir man wrouȝt till othir, & hiȝest trechery,
Wich haynybald had wrouȝt hym selff [un]to þis company
“Go in,” quod hanybald, “& chese, as thy covenaunt is.”
In goon these Romeyns e[veri]ch oon, & fond a-mys;
ffor þere was no thing, þat eny man myȝte se,
Saff þe wall, & tyle-stonys, & tymbir made of tre.
ffor hanybald had do void it, of al thing þat was there;
Whils he was atte Shippis, his men a-wey it bere.

When Beryn saw the house lere, þat ful was þere-to-fo{re}
Of riche marchandise; “alas!” þouȝt he, “I am [i]lore,
I am [lore] in this world.” & witith wel, his hert
Was nat al in likeing; & outward gan he stert,
Like half a wood[e]man, & bote both his lippis,
And gan to haste fast toward his owne Shippis,
To kepe his good within, with al þat evir he myȝte,
That it were nat dischargit, as hym þouȝt verry ryȝte.
But al for nauȝt was his hast; for three hundred men,

As fast as [evir] they myȝte, thé bere þe good[is] then,
Thurh ordenaunce of Hanybald, þat priuelich to-fore
Had purposid, & [had] I-cast, [they] shuld be out I-bore.

Beryn made a swyff pase; þere myȝt no man hym let;
But hanybald was ware Inowȝ, & with Beryn met:
“Al for nouȝt, Beryn! þow knowist wel & fyne,
Thy Shippis been a-restid, & þe good is myne.
What woldist þow do þere? þow hast þere nauȝt to do;
I wol hold thy covenaunte, & þow shalt myne also.
ffor ȝit sawe I nevir man, þat was of þy manere;
Somtyme þowe wolt auaunte, & som tyme [wolt] arere;
Now þow wolt, & now þow nolt; where shull men þe fynde?
Now sey oon, & sith a-nothir; so variant of mynde!
Saw I nevir, to-fore þis day, man so variabill.
Sith I the fynde in suche plyte, our bargen for to stabill,
Wee woll tofore þe Steward, þere we both shull have riȝte.”
“Nay for-soth!” quod Beryn. “Ȝis trulich, the tite,”
Quod hanybald, “wher/ þowe wolt or no; & so I the charge,
As Prouost. knowe þat, yff me list, my warant is so large,
And þowe make eny diffence, to by-nym thy lyff.
Take þyn hors! it gaynyth nat for to make stryffe.”
So, with sorowfull hert, Beryn toke his hors,
And sofftly seyd[e] to his men: “of me,” quod he, “no fors;
But wend[ith] to yeur shippis; I wol com when I may.
Yee seth wele euerichone, I may no bet a-wey.”

(Now here by this same tale, both[e] fre & bonde
Mow fele[n] in hir/ wittis, & eke [mow] vndirstonde,
That litil vailith wisdom, or el[le]s governaunce,
Ther fortune evir werrith, & eke hap & chaunce.
Or what a-vailith bounte, beute, or riches,
ffrendship, or [eke] sotilte, or els hardines,
Gold, good, or catell, wit, or hy lynage,
Lond, or lordis service, or els hiȝe parage?
What may al this a-vaill, þer fortune is a foo?

I-wis, riȝte litill, or nevir a dele: ful offt it fallith so.)

So, shortly to pas ovir; þey fill to such an end,
That Beryn shuld have day a-geyn, a morow. & so to wend
He set hym in ful purpose to his Shippis ward:
But ȝit or he cam ther, he fond þe passage hard.
ffor how he was begilid, þurh-out al the town)
Þer & þer a coupill gon to speke, & [eke] to roune;
And euery man his purpose was to have parte,
With falsnes & with soteltees; þey coud noon oþer art.

Beryn rode forth in his wey,—his page ran hym by,—
fful sore a-dred in hert, & cast a-bout his eye
Vp & down), euen long the strete, & [right] for angir swet.
And er he had riden a stones cast, a blynd man with hym met,
And spak no word, but sesid hym fast by the lap,
And cried out, “& harowe!” & nere hym gan to stap.
“Al for nouȝt!” quod this blynde, “what? wenyst þow for to skape?”
Beryn had þouȝt to prik[ke] forth, & þouȝt it had be Iape.
The blynd man cast a-wey his staff, & set on both his hondis;
“Nay, þow shalt nat void,” quod he, “for al þy rich[e] londis,
Tyll I of the have reson, lawe, & eke riȝte;
ffor trewlich, I may wit it þe, þat I have lost my siȝte.”
So, for auȝt þat Beryn coude othir speke or prey,
He myȝt in no wise pas. ful sore he gan to may,
And namelich, for the pepill throng hym so a-boute,
And ech man gan hym hond; & seyd, “without[en] doute
Ye must nedis stond, & rest, & bide the lawe,
Be yee nevir so grete a man.” “so wold I, wondir fawe,”
Quod Beryn, “yf yee had cause; but I know noon.”
“No? þow shalt knowe or þow go! þow hast nat al I-doon,”
The blynd man seyd to Beryn. “tel on þen,” quod he.
“Here is no place to plete,” þe blynd man seid a-ȝe;
“Also wee have no Iuge here of Autorite;
But evandir, the Steward, shall deme both the & me,

When I my tale have told, & þow hast made answere,
By þat tyme men shal know, how þow canst þe clere.
Nowe, soveren God! I thank the, of þis ilk[e] day!
Then I may preve þe be my lyve, of word, & eke of fay,
ffals, & eke vntrew of covenaunt þowe hast I-makid.
But litill is thy charge now, þouȝ þat I go nakid,
That som tyme were [my] partinere, & rekenydist nevir [ȝit;]
But þow shalt here, or we depart, þerof a litill witt;
ffor, aftir comyn seying, ‘evir atte ende
The trowith woll be previd, how so men evir trend.’”

Thus they talkid to ech othir, till they com in-to þe plase,
And were I-entrid in the hall, þere the Steward was.
The blynd man first gan to speke: “sir Steward! for goddis sake
Herith me a litill while! for here I have I-take
He þat hath do me wrong, most of man of mold:
Be my help, as law woll, for hym þat Iudas sold!
Yee know wele þat offt tyme I have to ȝew I-pleynyd,
How I was be-trayed, & how I was I-peynyd,
And how a man, som tyme, & I, our yen did chaunge:
This is the same persone, þouȝ þat he make it straunge.
I toke hem hym but for a tyme, & leuyd trew[e]ly
Myne to have I-had ageyn; & so both he & I
Were ensurid vttirlich, & was our/ both[e] will;
But, for myne þe bettir were, wrongfullich & ill
He hath hem kept hidirto, with much sorow & pyne
To me, as yee wele knowith. be-cause I have nat myne,
I may nat se with his; wherfor me is ful woo;
And evir-more ye seyde ‘þat ye myȝt no þing do
Without presence of the man þat wrouȝt me this vnquert:’
Nowe, sith he is to-fore ȝew now, let hym nat a-stert.
ffor, many tyme & offt, yee [here] be-hete me,
And he myȝt be take, he shuld do me gre.
Sith yee of hym be sesid, howe evir so yee taue,
Let hym nevir pas, til I myne eyen have.”
“Beryn,” quod Edwandir, “herist þow nat thy selve

How sotilly he pletith, & ware by eche halue?”

Beryn stood al muet, & no word he spak.
And þat was tho his grace; ful sone he had be take,
And he had myssey[e]d onys, or els I-sey[e]d nay;
ffor þen he had been negatyff, & vndo for ay.—
(ffor they were grete Seviliouns, & vsid probate law;
Wher, evir-more, affirmatyff shuld preve his owne sawe.
Wherfor they were so querelouse, of al myȝt com in mynde,
Thouȝe it were nevir in dede I-do; such mater þey wold fynde
To be-nym a man his good, þurh som maner gile.
ffor þe blynd man wist riȝt wele, he shuld have lost his while,
To make his pleynt on Beryn, & suyd oppon his good,
ffor Shippis, & eke marchandise, in a balaunce stode;
Therfor he made his chalenge, his eyen for to have;
Or els he shuld[e] for hem fyne, yf [that] he wold hem have,
And ligg for hem in hostage, til þe fynaunce cam:
This was al the sotilte of þe blynd[e] man.)

Beryn stood al mewet, & no word he spak.
“Beryn,” quod Evander, “lest þow be I-take
In defaute of answere, þow myȝtist be condempnyd;
Be riȝt wele avisid, sith þow art examened.”

“Sir,” seyd Beryn, “it wold litill a-vaill
To answere þus aloon, without[en] good consaill:
And also fe[r]þirmore, ful litill I shuld be levid,
What-evir I answerd, þus stonyd & reprevid;
And eke my wit doith faille; & no wondir is:
Wherfor I wold prey ȝew, of yeur gentilnes,
To graunte me day til to morow, [that] I myȝt be avisid
To answere forth, with othir þat on me been surmysid.”
“Depardeux,” quod the Steward, “I graunt wel it be so.”

Beryn toke his leve, & hopid to pas & go;
But as sone as Beryn was on his hors rydyng,
He met a vomman, & a child, wiþ sad cher comyng,
That toke hym by þe reyn, & held hym wondir fast,

And seyd, “sir, voidith nat! ȝit vaillith nat to hast;
Yee mow in no wise sccape; ye must nedis abide!
ffor þouȝe ye list to knowe me nat, ȝit lien by yeur side
I have ful many a tyme; I can nat telle ȝewe [howe] lome.
Come to-fore the Steward! þere shull ye here yeur/ dome
Of þing that I shal put on ȝew, & no word for to ly:
To leve me thus aloon, it is yeur/ vylany!
Alas! the day & tyme þat evir I was yeur/ make!
Much have I endurid, this too yeer, for yeur sake;
But now it shall be know[en] who is in the wronge.”
Beryn was al abasshid, the pepil so thik thronge
Aboute hym in eche syde. for ouȝt þat he couth peyn,
He must[e] to þe Steward, of fyne force ageyn.

Now shull yee here how sotillich þis vomman gan hir/ tale
In presence of the Steward; with colour wan & pale,
Petously she gan to tell, & seyd[e]: “sir/, to ȝewe
fful offt I have compleynyd, in what manere & howe
My childis ffadir lefft me, by my selff aloon,
Without[en] help, or comforte, as grete as I myȝt goon
With my sone here, & his, þat shame it is to tell
The penury þat I have I-had, þat a force sell
I must[e] nedis myne aray, wher me list or lothe,
Or els I must have beggit, for to fynd vs both.
ffor ther was nevir voman I-leve, as I [kan] ges,
ffor lak of hede of lyvlode, þat lyvid in more distres
Then I my selff, for offt tyme, for lak of mete & drynk:
And ȝit I trow no creatur was feyner for to swynke
My lyff [for] to sustene. but, as I mut nede,
Above al othir thingis, to his child take hede,
That wondir is, & mervaill, þat I am a-lyve;
ffor þe sokeyng of his [child], ryȝt as it were a knyve
It ran in-to my hert, so lowe I was of mode,
That wel I woot in certen, with parcell of my blood
His child I have I-norisshid, & þat is by me seen;
ffor [al] my rede colour/ is turnyd in-to grene.

And he þat cause is of all, here he stondith by me:
To pay[en] for þe fosteryng me þinkith it is tyme.
And sith he is my husbond, & hath on me no rowith,
Let hym make a-mendis, in saving of his trowith.
And, yf he to any word onys can sey nay,
Lo! here my gage al redy, to preve al þat I say.”

The Steward toke the gage, & spak in sofft[e] wise:
“Of this petouse compleynt a mannys hert may grise;
ffor I know in parcell, hir/ tale is nat al lese;
ffor many a tyme & offt, þis vomman þat here is,
Hath I-be to-fore me, & pleynyd of hir greffe;
But, without a party, hir/ cause myȝt nat preff.
Now þow art here present, þat she pleynyth on,
Make thy defence now, Beryn, As wele as þow can.”

Beryn stood al mwet, & no word he spak.
“Beryn,” quod the Steward, “doist þow sclepe, or wake?
Sey onys oon or othir: ys it soth or nay,
As she hath declarid? tell on saunce delay.”
“Lord God!” quod Beryn, “what shuld it me a-vaile,
Among so many wise, with-out riȝt good counsaill,
To telle[n] eny tale? ful litill, as I ges.
Wherfor, I wold prey ȝew, of yeur/ gentilnes,
Graunt me day till to-morow to answer forth with othir.”
“I graunt wele,” quod the Steward, “but, for fadir & modir,
Thow getist no lenger term, pleynly I the tell.”

Beryn toke his leve; his hert[e] gan to swell
ffor pure verry anguyssh; & no mervel was.
And who is þat þat nold, & he were in such case;
ffor al his trist & hope in eny wordlich thing
Was cleen from hym passid, save sorow & mys-likyng;
ffor body, good & Catell, & lyff, he set at nouȝte,
So was his hert I-woundit, for angir & for þouȝt.

Beryn passid sofftly, & to his hors gan go;
And when he was without þe gatis, he lokid to & fro,

And coude noon othir contenaunce; but to his page he seyd,
“Preciouse God in heven! howe falsly am I betrayde!
I trowe no man a-lyve stont in wors[e] pliȝte!
And all is for my synne, & for my yong delite;
And pryncipally, a-bove al thing, for grete vnkynd[e]nes
That I did to my modir; for litill hede I-wis
I toke of hir,—þis know I wele,—whils she was alyve;
Therfor al this turment is sent to me so ryve.
ffor þere was nevir vomman kynder to hir child
Then she was; & þere ageyns, nevir þing so wild
Ne so evill-thewid, as I was my selff;
Therfor sorow & happous environ me by eche helve,
That I note whidir ryde, nethir vp ne down,
Ther been so many devillis dwelling in þis town,
And [been] so ful of gile, & trechery also,
That wele I woot in certeyn, the[y] wolle me on-do.
Now, wold to God in heven! what is my best rede?”
He toke his hors [tho] to his page, & thus to hym he seyde:
“Lede my hors to shipward, & take it to som man;
And I woll go on foot, as pryuyly as I can,
And assay, yf I may, in eny maner wise,
Ascape[n] vnarestid more in such[e] maner wise.”

The Child toke his mastris hors, & lafft hym þere alone,
Walking forth on foot, makeing offt his moon:
And in his moste musing, I can nat sey how lome
He wosshid, nakid as he was bore, he had[de] be in Room.
And no mervaill was it, as the case stode,
ffor he drad more to lese his eyen, þan he did his shippis or his good.

(Now yee þat listith to dwell, & here of aventure,
How petously dame ffortune, Beryn to a-mvre,
Turnyth hir whele a-bout[en], in the wers[e] syde;
With hap of sorow & anguyssh, she gynnyth for to ride.)

Beryn passid toward þe stronde, þere his shippis were;

But yee mow vndirstond, his hert was ful of fere;
Ȝit neþirles he sat hym down sofftly on a stall,
Semyvif for sorow; & lenyd to the wall,
ffor turment þat he had; so wery he was, & feynt;
And to God a-bove, thus he made his pleynt:
“Glorious God in heven! þat al thing madist of nouȝt!
Why sufferist þow þese cursid men to stroy[e] me for nouȝt?
And knowest wel myne Innocent, þat I have no gilt
Of al that the[y] pursu me, or [þat] on me is pilt.”

And in the meen[e] whils þat Beryn þus gan pleyn,
A Cachepoll stode be sidis, (his name was macaign,)
And herd [tho] all the wordis; & knew also to-fore
How Beryn was turmentid, both with las & more,—
It was I-spronge þurh the toun;—so was he ful ensensid
How he hym wold engyne, as he had purpensid;
And had araid hym sotillich, as man of contemplacioun,
In a mantell with the lyste, with fals dissimulacioune,
And a staff in his hond, as þouȝ he febill were;
And drow hym toward Beryn, & seid in this manere:
“The hiȝe God of heven, þat al thing made of nouȝt,
Bles ȝew, gentil sir/! for many an hevy þouȝt
Me þinkith that yee have; & no wondir is:
But, good sir, dismay yew nat, but levith yeur/ hevynes,
And, yff ye list to telle me som what of yeur/ distres,
I hope to God almyȝty, in party it redres
Thurh my pore counsaill,—& so I have many oon;—
ffor I have pete on ȝew, be God & by seynt Ion!
And eke pryuy hevynes doith eke man appeir/
Sodenly, or he be ware, & falle[n] in dispeir;
And who be in that plage, þat man is incurabill;
ffor consequent comyth aftir sekenes abominabill:
And þerfor, sir, diskeuerith ȝewe, & be no þing a-drad.”
“Graunt mercy, Sir/,” quod beryn, “ye seme trewe & sad;
But o þing lijth in my hert; I note to whom to trust;
ffor þo þat dyned me to-day, ordeyned me to a-rest.”
“A! sir, be ye þat man? of ȝew I have I-herd.

Gentil sir/ doutith nat, ne be no þing a-ferd
Of me; for I shall counsell ȝewe as wel as I can;
ffor trulich in the Cete dwellith many a fals[e] man,
And vsyn litill els but falshode, wrong & while,
And how þey myȝt[e] straungours with trechery be-gile:
But yee shull do ryȝt wisely somwhat be my counsayll;
Speke with the Steward; þat may ȝewe most a-vaill;
ffor þere is a comyn byword, yf ye it herd havith;
‘Wele settith he his peny, þat þe pound [therby] savith.’
The Steward is a couetouse man, þat longe hath desirid
A knyff I have in kepeing, wher/with his hert I wirid:
[It] Shall be ȝewe to help, in covenaunte þat yee
Shall gyve me fyv mark, yeur/ trew[e] ffrend to be.
The knyff is feir, I tell ȝew; ȝit nevir to-fore þis Day
Myȝt the Steward have it, for auȝt [þat] he coud prey;
The wich ye shulle gyve hym, þe bettir for to spede,
And behote hym xx li to help ȝewe in yeur/ nede.
And yf he grauntith, trustith wele ye stond[en] in good pliȝte;
ffor better is, then lese all, þe las þe more quyt:
And I woll go with ȝewe, streyte to his plase,
And knele doun, & speke first, [for] to amend yeur/ case;
And sey yee be my cosyn; þe bettir shull yee spede:
And when þat I have all I-told, þe knyff to hym yee bede.”

Beryn þankid hym hertlich, & on hym gan [to] trust,
With hond in hond ensurid, & al [þouȝt] for the best;
Beryn þouȝt noon othir, al þat it oþir was.
Macaign hym comfortid, talking of hir/ case,
And passid forth [ful] stylly toward þe Steward blyve,
Beryn & Macaigne; but Beryn bare þe knyff,
And trust much in his felaw to have [of him] som help.
But, or they departid were, þey had no cause to yelp
Of no maner comfort, as ye shull her a-noon;
ffor as sone as macaigne to-fore þe Steward come,
He fill plat to þe erth; a grevous pleynt & an huge
He made, & seyd, “sir Steward! nowe be a trew Iuge

Ageyns this fals treytour/, þat stondith me be-syde;
Let take of hym good hede, els he wol nat abyde.
Now mercy, Go[o]d Steward! for yee hav herd me ȝore,
ffor my fadir melan, pleyn to ȝew ful sore,
That with .vij dromodarijs,—as I have told ȝewe lome,—
With marchandise chargit, went toward[e] Rome;
And it is vij yeer a-go, and a litil more,
Of hym, or of his goodis, þat I herd les or more.
And ȝit I have enquerid, as bysely as I couthe,
And met nevir man ȝit, þat me coude tell with mouth
Any tyding of hym, onto þis same day:
But now I know to much; allas! I may wel say.”

When Beryn herd these wordis, he kist [a]doun his hede;
“Allas!” he þouȝt in hert, “Allas! what is my rede?”
And wold feyn have voidit, & outward gan to stapp:
But Macaigne arose, & sesid [him] by the lapp;
“Nay, þow shalt nat void!” he seid; “my tale is nat I-do:
ffor, be trowith of my body, yf þow scapidist so,
I shuld nevir have mer[c]y whils I were on lyve;”
And set hond fast on Beryns othir scleve,
And seyd, “good sir Steward, my tale to þe ende
I prey [þat] yee wold here; for, wend how men [woll] wend,
Ther may no man hele murdir, þat it woll out atte last.
The same knyff my ffadir bere, when he of contre past,
Let serch[en] wele this felon, & here yee shull hym fynde;
I know þe knyff wel I-nowȝ, it is nat out of my mynde:
The Cotelere dwellith in this town, þat made þe same knyff;
And for to preve þe trowith, he shall be here as blyve.”

Beryn swat for angir; his hert was ful of fere;
He toke the knyff to þe Steward, or he serchid wher.
The Steward [seyd] on-to Beryn, “my frend, lo!” quod he,
“And þow þink the wel about, þis is a foule plee!
I can know noon othir, but þow must, or þow go,
Ȝeld the body of melan, & his good also.
Now, be wel avisid ageyn to morow day!

Then shalt þow have þy Iugement; þere is no more to say.”

When Beryn fro þe Steward þus departid was,
And was with-out þe gate, he lokid oppon the plase,
And cursid it wondir bittirly, in a feruent Ire,
And wisshid many tymes it had been a feir:
“ffor I trow þat man of lyve was nevir wors be-trayid
Then I am; & þere-with-all my hert is cleen dismayid;
ffor her I have no frendship, but am al counselles;
And they been falsher þen Iudas, & eke mercylese.
A! lord God in hevyn! þat my hert is woo!
And ȝit suyrly I mervell nat þouȝ þat it be so;
ffor ȝit in al my lyve, sith I ouȝt vndirstode,
Had I nevir will, for to lern[e] good:
ffoly, I hauntid it evir, þere myȝt no man me let;
And now he hath I-paid me, he is cleen out of my dett.
ffor whil[e]s I had tyme, wisdom I myȝt have lernyd;
But I drowȝ me to foly, & wold nat be governed,
But had al myne owne will & of no man a-ferd,
ffor I was nevir chastisid: but nowe myne owne ȝerd
Betith me to sore; þe strokis been to hard;
ffor these devillis of this town takith but litill reward
To sclee my body to have my good; þe day is set to morowe.
Now, wold to God I were in grave! for it were end of sorow.
I was I-wis to much a fole! for hate I had to Rame
I wold forsake myne heritage; therfor sorow & shame
Is oppon me fall, & riȝt wele [is] deservid;
ffor I tooke noon maner hede, when my modir stervid;
And disobeyid my ffadir, & set hym at nauȝt also:
What wondir is it than, þouȝ þat I have woo?
ffortune & eke wisdom have werrid with me evir,
And I with hem in al my lyff, for ffortune was me levir
Then eny wit or governaunce; for hem too I did hate;
And þouȝe I wold be [now] a-toon, now it is to late.
O myȝtfull God in heven! wher was evir man
That wrouȝt hym-selff more foly þen I my selff did þan?

A-cursid be the tyme þat I out of Rome went,
That was my ffadirs riȝte heir, of lyvlode & of rent,
And al the riall lordshipp þat he hath in þe town!
Had I had wit & grace, & hold me lowe & boune,
It were my kynd [right] now, a-mong my baronage
To hauke[n] & to hunt, & eke to pley & rage
With feir[e] fresh[e] ladies, & daunce when me lyst!
But nowe it is to late to speke of had-I-wist!
But I fare like the man, þat, for to swele his vlyes
He stert in-to the bern, & aftir stre he hies,
And goith a-bout þe wallis with a brennyng wase,
Tyll it was atte last, þat the leem & blase
Entryd in-to the Chynys, wher þe whete was,
And kissid so þe evese, þat brent was al the plase;
But first in the begynnyng, til feer smote in the raftris,
He toke no maner kepe, & þouȝt of no þing aftir,
What perell ther myȝte fall: ne more did I iwis,
That wold forsake myne honour/, for þe vnkynd[e]nes
Of Rame þat was my stepmodir; for, yf I shal nat ly,
They [stepmothirs] beth soure: wherfor the more wisely
I shuld have wrouȝt, had I had wit, & suffrid for a tyme,
And aftir com to purpose wel I-nowȝe of myne.
But evil avengit he [h]is deol, þat, for a litill mode
And angir to his neyȝbour, sellith a-wey his good,
And goith hym-selff a begging aftir in breff tyme;
He mut be countid a lewd man, in al[le] maner ryme:
So have I wrouȝt, & wers; for I dout of my lyve,
How þat it shall stond, for plukking of my scleve,
The knyffe þat was me take, as yee have herd to-fore:
And ȝit it grevith myne hert also much more
Of myne own pepill, þat no disese a-servid:
I wote wele, aftir pleding, riȝt nouȝt wol be reservid
To sustene hir lyvis;—I trow ryȝt nouȝt or lyte;—
And paraventur liȝtly stond in wors[e] plyȝte:
Of me it is no force, þouȝe I be þus arayed,

But it is dole & pete, þat they shul be be-trayid
That hath nouȝt a-servid, but for my gilt aloon.”

And when þat Beryn in this wise had I-made his mone,
A Crepill he saw comyng with grete spede & hast,
Oppon a stilt vndir his kne [i]bound[en] wondir fast,
And a crouch vndir his armys; with hondis al for-skramyd.
“Allas!” quod this Beryn, “shall I be more examenyd?”
And gan to turn a-side, on-to þe see stronde,
And the cripill aftir, & wan oppon hym londe.
Tho be-gan Beryn to drede inwardlich[e] sore,
And þouȝt thus in his hert: “shal I be comberid more?
And It were goddis will, my sorowe for to cese!
Me þinkith I have I-nowe!” the cripill be-gan to preche,
And had I-rauȝt nere hond Beryn by the scleve.
Beryn turnyd, as an hare, & gan to ren[ne] blyve;
But the cripill knew bettir the pathis smale & grete,
Then Beryn; so to-fore hym he was, & gan hym mete.

When Beryn saw it vaylid nouȝt to renne, ne to lepe;
What for dole & anguyssh, o word [ne] myȝt he speke,
But stode still a-masid, & starid fast a-boute.
The cripill be-gan to speke: “sir, to drede or to dout
Of me, wold ye riȝte liȝt, & ye knewe myne hert:
So, where yee like evil or il, fro me shull ye nat parte
Tyll I have tretid with ȝew, & yee with me also,
Of all yeur soden happis, yeur myscheff, & yeur/ woo;
ffor by the tyme þat I have knowlech of yeur/ case,
Yeur/ rennyng & yeur/ trotting, in-to an esy pase
I shall turn or þat wee twyn, so yee aftir my scole
Wol do, & as I rede ȝew; for yee were a fole
When yee cam first a londe. [wolde] yee had met with me,
ffor I wold have ensensid ȝewe al the iniquite
Of these fals[e] marchandis, þat dwellin in þis town,
And outid all yeur/ chaffare without[en] gruch or groun:
ffor, had ye dwellid within yeur/ shippis, & nat go hem a-mong,

Then had yee been vndaungerid, & quyt of al hir wrong
On ȝewe þat been surmysid, þurh fals suggestioune.”
Beryn gan to sigh; vnneth he myȝt[e] soune,
Saff o word or tweyn; & “mercy” was the first,
Preying with all his hert, þat he myȝt have his rest,
And be no more enpledit, but pas[sen] fro hym quyte.
“Good sir/,” quod Beryn, “doith me no more dispite;
And suffir me to pas, & have on me [som] routhe;
And I suyr/ ȝew feithfully, have [ȝe] here my trowith,
To morowe when I have pledit, & any þing be lafft
Of Shipp or marchandise, a-fore the Ship, or bafft,
I woll shewe ȝew al I-fere, & opyn euery chest,
And put it in yeur/ grace, to do what[so] yee lest.”

And in the meen[e] while þat Beryn gan to clapp,
The Crypill nyȝhid hym nere & nere, & hent hym by þe lap.
And, as sone as Beryn knew þat he was in honde,
He vnlacyd his mantell, for drede of som comand,
And pryueliche ovir his shuldris lete hym downe glyde,
And had levir lese his mantell then a-byde.
The Cripill all perceyvid, and hent hym by the scleve
Of his nethir surcote. “alas! nowe mut y stryve,”
Thouȝte Beryn by hym-selff; “nowe I am I-hent,
Ther helpith nauȝte save strengith:” þere-with the scleve to-rent;
Beryn gan to stappe, he sparid for no cost.
“Alas!” þouȝt this cripill, “þis man woll be [i]lost,
And be vndo for evir, but he counsell have.
I-wis, þouȝe he be lewde, my contremen to save,
Ȝit will I my besynes do, And peyn[e] þat I may,
Sith he is of Room, for þat is my contray.”

This cripill was an hundrit ȝere ful of age,
With a longe thik[ke] berd; and a trewe visage
He had, & a manly, And Iuly was he;
And Geffery was his name, I-knowe in þat contre.
“Allas!” þouȝt this Gefferey, “this man hath grete drede

Of me, þat by my power wold help hym in his nede.
I-wis, þouȝe he be nyce, vntauȝt, & vnwise,
I woll nat, for his foly, leue myne enpryse;”
And lept [þo] aftir Beryn, And þat in riȝt good spede.

Beryn was so sore agast, he toke no maner hede
To look onys bakward, till he to þe watir cam;
Then lokid he be-hynd, & saw sir Clekam
Comannd wondir fast, with staff & with his stilt.
“Alas!” þouȝt Beryn, “I nowe am I-spilt;
ffor I may no ferther, without I wold me droune:
I note wich were the bettir,—or go ageyn to toune.”
Geffery was so ny [i]com, þat Beryn myȝt nat fle:
“Good sir/,” quod this Gefferey, “why do yee void[e] me?
ffor, by heven Quene, þat bare Criste in hir/ barme,
But riȝte as to my selff, I woll ȝewe no more harm.
Sittith down here by me [right] oppon this see stronde,
And yff yee drede[n] any thing, clepe[th] yeur/ men to londe,
And let hem be here with vs all our/ speche-tyme;
ffor I woll nat feyn oon woord, as makers doon to ryme,
But counsell ȝewe as prudently as God woll send me grace:
Take comforte to ȝewe, & herk a litill spase!”

And when that Beryn had I-herd his tale to þe ende,
And how goodly as Geffrey spak, as he were his frende;
Non-obstant his drede, yet part of sapience
Stremyd in-to his hert, for his eloquence,
And seyd; “God me counsayll, for his hiȝe mercy!
ffor I have herd this same day men as sotilly
Speke, & of yeur/ semblant, And in such manere,
And by-hete me ffrendshippe outward by hir/ chere,—
But inward it was contrary hir intelleccioune,
Wherfor the blame is les, þouȝe I suspecioune
Have of yeur/ wordis, lest othir be yeur/ entent;
ffor I note I[n] whom to trust, by God omnipotent:
Ȝit nethirles, yf yeur/ will is to come in-to þe Shipp with me,
I woll som-what do by yeur/ rede, how so it evir be.”
“Then,” quod Geffrey, “yf it be so þat I in yeur/ powere,

Entir in-to yeur Shippis, & ȝewe help in yeur/ mystere,
That yee ageyn yeur aduersaries shull have þe bettir syde,
And gyve ȝewe such counsell to bate down hir pride,
And þat yee wyn in every pleynt, also much or more
As they purpose to have of ȝewe; yf þey be doun I-bore,
And [yf] yee have amendis for hir iniquite,
And I ȝewe brynge to þis end; what shall my guerdon be?”
“In verry soth,” quod Beryn; “yf I ȝewe may trust,
I wolle quyte ȝewe trewly; I make ȝewe be-hest.”
“In feith then,” quod Geffray, “I wolle with ȝewe wende.”
“What is yeur/ name,” seid Beryn tho, “my ffrend?”
“Gefferey,” he seyd; “but in this marchis I was nat bore;
But I have dwellid in this Cete, yeeris here-to-fore
fful many, & [been] turmentid wors[e] þen were yee,
And [have] endurid for my trowith much aduersite:
ffor I wold in no wise suffir hir/ falshedes;
ffor in all the world, so corrupt of hir dedis
Been noon men a-lyve, I may ryȝte wele a-vowe;
ffor they set all hir/ wittis in wrong, al þat þey mowe;
Wherfor ful many a tyme, the grettest of hem & I
Have stonden in altercacioune, for hir/ trechery.
ffor I had in valowe, in trewe marchandise,
A Ml. pound: al have they take in such [a] maner wise:
So ferforth to save my blood no lengir myȝt I dure;
ffor drede of wors, þus þouȝt I, my selff to disfigure;
And have a-monge hem xij yeer go riȝt in þis pliȝte,
And evir have had in memory howe I myȝt hem quyte;
And so I hope nowȝe, as sotill as they be,
With my wit engyne hem, and help[en] ȝewe & me.
My lymes been both hole & sound; me nedith stilt ne crouch.”
He cast a-syde hem both, and lepe oppon an huche,
And a-down a-geynes, & walkid too and fro,
Vp & down, with-in the Shippe, & shewid his hondis tho,
Strecching forth his fyngirs, in siȝt ouer al aboute,
Without[en] knot or knor, or eny signe of goute;

And clyȝte hem efft ageyns, riȝt disfetirly,
Som to ride eche othir, & som a-weyward wry.
Geffrey was riȝt myȝty, & wele his age did bere,
ffor natur was more substancial, when tho dayis were,
Then [is] nowe in our tyme; for al thing doith wast,
Saffe vile & cursid lyving; þat growith al to wast.

What shuld I telle more? but Geffrey sat hym down,
And Beryn hym besydis. the Romeyns gan to rown,
And mervellid much in Geffrey, of his disgisenes;
And Beryn had a-nothir þouȝt, & spak of his distres.
“Now, Geffrey,” seid this Beryn, “& I durst trust in ȝewe,
That, & yee knewe eny man þat is a-lyve a nowe,
That had of discrecioune so much influence,
To make my party good to-morowe in my defence,
And delyvir me of sorowe, As yee be-hote have,
I wold be-com his legeman, as god my soule save!”
“That were to much,” quod Geffrey; “þat woll I ȝew relese;
But I desire of othir thing to have yeur promes;
That, & I bryng yeur/ enmyes into such a traunce,
To make for yeur/ wrongis to ȝew riȝte hiȝe fenaunce,
And so declare for ȝewe, þat with ȝew pas such dome,
That yee, oppon yeur feith, brynge me at Room,
Yf God woll send ȝew wedir & grace to repase.”
Quod Beryn, “but I graunt ȝewe, I wer lewder þen an asse.
But, or I fullich trust ȝewe,—holdith me excusid,—
I woll go counsell with my men, lest þey it refusid.”

Beryn drewe a-syde, & spak with his meyne;
And expressid every word, in what pliȝt & degre
That he stood, from poynt to poynt, & of his fals arestis.
His meyne were a-stonyd, & starid forth as bestis.
“Spekith som word,” quod Beryn, “sith I am betrayd;
Yee have I-herd what Geffrey to me hath [i-]sayd.”
These Romeyns stood all still; o word ne cowd þey meve;
And eke it passid hir/ wittis. þen Beryn gan releve,

And to Geffrey efft ageyn; & mercy hym be-souȝt.
“Help me, sir,” quod Beryn, “for his love þat vs bouȝt,
Dying on the rood!” (& wept ful tendirly;)
“ffor but yee help,” quod Beryn, “ther/ is no remedy;
ffor comfort nethir counsaill, of my men have I noon.
Help me, as God ȝew help, & els I am vndoon!”

When Geffrey sawe this Beryn so distract, & wept,
Pite in-to eche veyn of his [goode] hert[e] crept:
“Alas!” quod Geffrey, “I myȝt nat do a more synfull dede,
I leve by my trowith, þen fayll ȝew in this nede!
ffaill me God in heven, yf þat I ȝewe faill,
That I shall do my besines, my peyn & my travaill,
To help ȝew be my power! I may no ferther goo!”
“Ȝis, yee be-hete me more,” seyd Beryn tho,
“That yee wold help[e] me at all, þat I shuld stond[e] cler:”
Beryn gan to wepe, & make wers[e] chere.
“Stillith ȝewe,” quod Geffrey; “for howe so evir yee tire,
More þen my power yee ouȝt[e] nat desire.
ffor, þurh þe grace of God, yee shull be holp[en] wele;
I have ther-of no doute. but trewlich I ȝewe telle,
That yee woll hold me covenaunte, & I woll ȝew also,
To brynge me at Room, when it is al I-do.
In signe of trowith of both sidis of our/ acordement,
Ech of vs kis othir, of our/ comyn assent.”
And all was do: & aftirward Beryn comaundit wyne.
They dronk, & þen Geffrey seyd, “sir/ Beryne,
Yee mut declare yeur/ maters to myne intelligence,
That I may the bet perseyve al inconvenience,
Dout, pro, contra, and anbiguite,
Thurh yeur/ declaracioune, & enfourmyd be:
And with the help of our soveren lord celestiall,
They shull be behynd, & wee shul have þe ball.
ffor nowe the tyme approchith, for hir/ cursidnes
To be somwhat rewardit; & cause of yeur/ distres
Hath my hert I-seclid, & fixid hem a nye,

As trowith woll, & reson, for hir trechery.
ffor many a man, to-fore this day, þey have do out of daw,
Distro[y]id, & turmentid, þurh hir fals[e] lawe.
ffor þey þink litill ellis, & all hir wittis fyve,
Save to have a mannys good, & to be-nym his lyve;
And hath a cursid custom, al ageyns reson,
That what man they enpeche, þey have noon encheson,
Þouȝe it be as fals a thing, as God hym-selff is trewe,
And it touch a straunger, þat is [i]com of newe,
Atte first[e] mocioune þat he begynnyth to meve,
Ther stondith vp an hundrit, hym [tho] to repreve.
The lawes of þe Cete stont in probacy;
They vsen noon enquestis, þe wrongis for to try.
And yf þow haddist eny wrong, & woldist pleyn[e] the,
And were as trewe a cause as eny myȝte be,
Thow shuldist nat fynd o man, to bere thè witnes,
Thouȝ euery man [then] in the town knew it, more or les,
So burrith they to-gid[er] & holdith with ech othir/;
That, as to countirplede hem, þey yee were my broþere,
I wold gyve ȝeve ȝewe no counsell, ne hir/ enpechement
In no word to deny; for þat were combirment;
ffor þen were þey in the affirmatyff, & wold preve a-noon;
And to ȝew þat were negatyff, þe lawe wold graunte a-noon:
So for to plede ageyn hem It woll litill a-vaile;
And ȝit to euery mannys wit it ouȝt be grete mervaill;
ffor hir/ lawis been so streyt, & peynous ordinaunce
Is stallid for hir falshede; for þis is hir/ fynaunce,
To lese hir/ lyff for lesing, & Isope it may knowe,
That lord is riall of the town, & holdith hem so lowe:
Wherfor they have a custom, a shrewid for þe nonys,
Yf eny of hem sey a thing, they cry[en] all attonys,
And ferm it for a soth, & it bere any charge;
Thus of the daunser of Isope They kepe hem euer at large.
And therfor wisdom weer, who-so myȝt eschewe,
Nevir to dele with hem; for, were it wrong, or trewe,

It shuld litill a-vaill a-geyn[se] hir/ falshedes;
ffor they been accursid, & so been [eke] hir/ dedis.
Wherfor wee must, with al our wit sensibill,
Such answers vs purvey, þat þey been insolibil
To morow at our/ apparaunce, & shull be responsaill
ffor of wele [?]: & ellis It is thy day fynall.”
“Nowe, soveren lord celestiall!” with many sorowful sighis
Seyd Beryn to Geffrey, “ymmemorat of lyes,
Graunt me grace to morowe! so þat God be plesid,
Make so myne answere; & I somwhat I-esid
By þe þat art my counsaill; for oþir help is noon!”
“Reherce me then,” quod Geffrey, “þe causis of þy ffoon,
ffro poynt to poynt, al in fere, [þat] on þe is surmysid;
Wherþurh I myȝt, to morowe, þe bettir be a-visid.”
“Now in soth,” quod Beryn, “þouȝe I shuld[e] dy,
I can nat tell the tenyth part of hir/ [fals] trechery
(What for sorow & angir) þat þey to me have wrouȝt;
So stond I clene desperat, but ye con help[en] ouȝt.”
“Deupardeux,” seid Geffrey, “& I the wol nat faill,
Sith I have ensurid the to be of þy counsaill;
And [eke] so much the more, þat þow art nat wise,
And canst nat me enfourm of no maner a-vise.
Here therfor a while, and tend wel to my lore:
The lord þat dwellith in þis town, whose name I told to-fore,
Isope efft rehersid, is so inly wise,
That no man alyve can pas[sen] his devise;
And is so grow in ȝeris, þa[t] lx yeer ago
He saw[e] nat for age; & ȝit it stondith so,
Þat þurh his witt & wisdom, & his governaunce,
Who makith a fray, or stryvith auȝt, or mel to much, or praunce,
With-in the same Cyte, þat he nys take a-noon,
And hath his penaunce forth-with; for pardon vsith he noon.
ffor þere nys pore ne riche, ne what [e]state he be,
That he nys vndirfote for his iniquite;
And it be previd on hym, þere shal no gold hym quyte,

Riȝt as the forfete axith, [ethir] moch or lite:
ffor geyn[e]s his comaundement is noon so hardy quek,
So hard[e] settith he his fote in euery mannys nek;
ffor, vndir sky & sterris, þis day is noon a-lyve
That coude a-mend hym in o poynt, al thing to discryve.
The .vij. sages of Rome, þouȝ al ageyn hym were,
Thé shuld be insufficient to make[n] his answere;
ffor he can al langagis, Grew, Ebrewe, & latyne,
Caldey, ffrenssh, & lombard, yee knowe[n] wel fyne;
And alle maner [doctrine] þat men in bokis write;
In poyse, and philosophe, also he can endite.
Sevile [law], & Canoun, & [eke] al maner lawis;
Seneca, & Sydrak, & Salamonys sawis;
And the .vij. sciencis, & eke lawe of Armys,
Experimentis, & pompery, & al maner charmys,
As yee shull here[n] aftir, er þat I depart,
Of his Imaginaciouns, & of his sotill art.
ffor he is of age ccc yeer/ & more;
Wherfor of alle sciencis he hath þe more lore.
In denmark he was goten, & I-bore also,
And in grece I-norisshid, til he coud speke & go:
Ther was he putto scole, & lernyd wondir fast;
ffor such was [tho] his grace, þat al othir he past.
But first, in his begynnyng, litil good he had,
But lernyd evir passyngly, & was wise & sad.
Of stature & of feture, þer was noon hym like
Þurh the londe of grece, þouȝ men wold hym seke.

“A kyng þere was in tho ȝeris, þat had noon heire male,
Saff a douȝter, þat he lovid [right] as his owne saal.
Isope was his seruaunt, & did hym such plesaunce,
That he made hym his heir, & did hym so avaunce,
To wedd his douȝter, and aftir hym to bere crown,
Thurh prowes; & [of] his port so low he was, & boun.
So as fortun wold, þat was Isopis frend,
This worthy kyng þat same yere made his carnel ende

Tha[t] vij xx yeer is passid þat Isope þus hath regned,
And ȝit [ne] was þer nevir, for wrong on hym compleyned,
ffor no Iugement þat he gaff; ȝit som ageyn hym wyled
A grete part of his pepill, & wold have hym exiled;
But his grete wisdom, & his manfulnes,
His governaunce, with his bounte, & his riȝtfulnes,
Hath evir ȝit meyntenyd hym vnto [t]his ilch[e] day;
And woll, whils þat he lyvith, for auȝt þat men can say.
ffor who hath eny quarell, or cause for to wonde,
Within this same Cete, quiklich woll he fonde—
And it be sotill mater,—to Isope for to fare,
ffro gynnyng to þe end, his quarel to declare.
And eve a-fore, as custom is, þe ple shal be on þe morowe;
But who-so ly, he scapith nat without[e] shame or sorow.

“Beryn, þow must go thidir, wher thyn enpechement
Shull be I-mevid; & þerfor pas nat thens,
Tyll þow have herd hem all; & [tho] report hem wele
To me, þat am thy counsell; & repeir [here] snele.

“But so riall mancioune as Isope dwellith In,
Ther is noon in the world, ne [noon] so queynt of gyn:
Wherfor be wel avisid, how I enfourm[e] the
Of þe wondir weyis, & of the pryuyte,
That been within his paleyse, þat þow must pas[sen] by:
And when þow approchist, & art þe castell nyȝ,
Blench[e] fro þe brode gate, & entir þow nat there;
ffor þere been men to kepe it: ȝit have þow no fere;
Pas doun on the riȝt hond by þe castell wall,
Tyll þow fynd a wyndowe; & what-so the by-fall,
Entir ther, yf þow may, & be no thing agast;
But walk forth in þat entre: þen shalt þow see in hast
A port-Colyse the to-fore. pas in boldly
Tyll þow com to an hall, þe feyrest vndir sky:
The wallis been of marbill, I-ioyned & I-closid;
And the pilours cristall, grete & wele purposid;

The keueryng of-bove, is of selondyn;
And the pament be-neth, of gold & asure fyne.
But who-so passith þurh þis hall, hath nede to ren[ne] blyve,
Or els he myȝt[e] be disware of his owne lyve;
ffor þerewithin lijth a stoon, þat is so hote of kynde,
That what thing com forby, a-noon it woll a-tend,
As bryȝt as any candel leem, & consume a-noon:
And so wold the hall also, ner coldnes of a stoon
That is I-clepid ‘dyonyse,’ þat set is hym ageyn
So, & þow lepe liȝtly, þow shalt have no peyn;
ffor ethir stone, in kynde proporcioned they be;
Of hete, & eke of coldnes, of oon equalite.

Þow must pas þurh þe hall; but tary nat, I rede;
ffor þou shalt fynd a dur, vp riȝt a-fore þyn hede.
When þow art entrid ther, & þe dor a-past;
Whatso þow se ligg or stond, be þow nat agast;
And yf þow drede any thing, do no more save blowe:
But ȝit I rede the, be ware þat it be somwhat lowe:
Ther been to libardis, loos and [eke] vntyed;
If that thy blowing of þat othir in eny thing be spyed,
Anoon he rakith on the, to sese the by thy pate;
ffor there nys thing in erth þat he so much doith hate,
As breth of mannys mowith: wherfor refreyn[e] the,
And blowe but fair & sofft, & when that nede be.
When thow art passid this hall, anoon þen shalt þowe com
In-to the fayrest gardyn þat is in cristendom:
The wich, þurh his clergy, is made of such devise
That a man shall ween he is in paradise,
At his first comyng in, for melody & song,
And othir glorious thingis, & delectabill a-mong;
The wich Tholomeus, þat som-tyme paynym was,
That of Astronomy knew euery poynt & case,
Did it so devise, þurh his hiȝe connyng,
That there nys best in erth, ne bird þat doith syng,
That he nys ther in figur/, in gold & sylvir fyne,

And mowe as they were quyk, knawe þe sotill engyne.
In mydward of this gardyn stant a feire tre,
Of alle maner levis þat vndir sky [there] be,
I-forgit & I-fourmyd, eche in his degre,
Of sylvir, & of gold[e] fyne, þat lusty been to see.
This gardeyn is evir green, & ful of may[e] flouris,
Of rede, white, & blewe, & othir fressh colouris,
The wich[e] been so redolent, & sentyn so a-boute,
That he must be ryȝte lewd, [þat] þerin shuld[e] route.

“These monstrefulle thingis, I devise to the,
Be-cause þow shuldist nat of hem a-basshid be
When that þowe comyst ther. so þow be strong in þouȝt,
And do be my counsell, drede the riȝt nouȝt;
ffor ther beth viij tregetours þat þis gardyn kepith;
ffour of hem doith waak, whils the foure sclepith;
The wich[e] been so perfite of Nygramance,
And of þe arte of apparene, and of tregetrie,
That they make semen (as to a mannys sight)
Abominabill wormys, þat sore ouȝt be a-friȝte
The hertiest man on erth, but he warnyd were
Of the grisly siȝtis þat he shuld see there.
Among al othir, ther/ is a lyon white,
That, & he se a straungir, he raumpith for to bite;
And hath, to-fore this tyme, .v.C men & mo
Devourid & I-ete, þat therforth have I-goo.
Ȝit shalt þowe pas suyrly, so þow do as I tell.
The tre I told to-fore, þat round as any bell
Berith bowe & braunce, traylyng to þe ground,
And þow touch oon of hem, þow art saff & sound;
The tre hath such vertu, ther shall no þing þe dere:
Loke þat be þe first, when þow comyst there.

“Then shalt þowe se an entre, by the ferther syde;
Thouȝe it be streyt to-fore, Inner large & wyde
It growith more & more, & as a dentour wriythe;
Ȝit woll that wey the bryng þere þat Isope lijth,
Into the feyrest Chambir þat evir man sawe with eye.

When thow art ther-with-in, govern þe wisely;
ffor, ther shalt thow here[n] al thyn enpechement
Opynly declarid, in Isopis present.
Report hem wele, & kepe hem in thy mynde;
And aftir thy relacioune, wee shall so turn & wend,
Thurh help of God a-bove, such help for to make,
That they shull be a-combrit, & we ryȝt wel to scape.”

“Now in soth,” quod Beryn, “a mannys hertis may grise
Of such wondir weyis! for al my marchandise
I had levir lese, then oppon me take
Such a wey to pas.” “then, sir/, for yeur/ sake
I woll my selff,” quod Geffrey: “sith I am ensuryd
To help the with my power, þowe shalt be a-myrid
As ferforth as I may; þat I woll do my peyn
To bryng ȝewe plesaunt tyding, & retourn ageyn,
Ȝit or þe Cok crowe; & therfor let me se,
Whils I am out, how mery yee can be.”

Geffrey tok his leve: but who was sory tho,
But Beryn, & his company? for, when he was go,
Thé had no maner ioy; but dout, & hevynes;
ffor of his repeyryng they had no sikirnes.
So every man to othir made his compleynt,
And wisshid þat of felony they had been atteynt;
And so hem þouȝt [it] bettir, to end[en] hevynes,
Then every day to lak[ke] brede atte first[e] mes:
“ffor when our/ good is go, what shall fal of vs?
Evir to be hir/ thrallis, & paraventure wers,
To lese our/ lyff[es] aftir, yf wee displese hem ouȝt:”
Aftir Geffrey went, this was al hir/ þouȝt
Thurhout þe nyȝte, till Cokkis gan to syng.
But then encresid anguyssh; hir/ hondis gan to wryng;
And cursid wind & watir þat hem brouȝt[e] ther;
And wisshid many tymes that [t]he[y] had been in bere,
And were a-passid, & entrid in-to [grete] dispeyr.
In as much as Geffrey did nat [sone] repeir,

Eche man seyd to othir, ‘it myȝt nat be I-nayid,
But Geffrey had vttirlich falsly hem betrayed:’
Thurh-out all the long nyȝte [this was hir compleynt,]
They wisshid þat of felony they had been atteynt.

Tho went they to counsell, a litill tofore þe day,
And were all accordit for to sayll a-way;
And so hem þouȝt[e] bettir, & leve hir good[is] ther,
Then a-byde ther-oppon, & have more fere.
They made hir/ takelyng redy, & wend þe saill a-cros,
ffor to save hir/ lyvis, & set nat of hir/ los,
So sore they were a-drad to be in servitute,
And hopid God above wold send hem som refute
By som othir costis, ther wynd hem wold[e] bryng.

And ther-withall cam Geffrey, on his stilt lepeing,
And cried wondir fast by the watir syde.
When Beryn herd Geffrey, he bad his men a-byde,
And to launch out a bote, & brynge Geffrey in;
“ffor he may more a-vaill me now þen al my kyn,
And he be trewe & trusty, as myne hope is.”
But ȝit ther-of had Beryn no ful sikirnes.

These Romeyns fet in Geffrey with an hevy cher;
ffor they had levir saille forth, þen put[ten] hem in were,
Both lyve & goodis; & evill suspecioune
They had of þis Geffrey: wherfor þey gon roune,
Talking to eche othir, “þis man woll vs be-tray.”

Geffrey wist wel I-nowȝe he was nat to hir pay;
And for verry angir he threw in-to þe see
Both stilt & eke his cruch, þat made were of tre,
And gan hem to comfort, & seid in this manere:
“Benedicite, Beryn! why make yee such chere?
ffor, & yee wexe hevy, what shull yeur men do
But take ensaumpill of ȝewe? & have no cause to;
ffor ȝit, or it be eve, yeur aduersarijs alle
I shall make hem spurn, & have a sore falle;
And yee go quyte, & al yeur/ good, & have[n] of hirs too;
And þey to be ryȝt feyn, for to scape so,

Without[en] more daunger, & yeur/ wille be.
ffor of the lawis her, such is the equyte,
That who pursu[ith] othir, & his pleynt be wrong,
He shall make a-mendis, be he nevir so strong:
Riȝt as shuld þe todir, yf he condempnyd were,
Riȝt so shall þe pleyntyff, riȝt as I ȝew lere;
And þat shall [I sone] preve by hem, have yee no doute,
Ȝit or it be eve, riȝt low to ȝew to loute,
And submit hem to ȝew, & put hem in yeur/ grace,
By þat tyme I have I-made al my wanlase.
And in hope to spede wele, let shape vs for to dyne.”

Geffrey axid watir, & sith[then] brede & wyne;
And seit, “it is holsom to breke our fast be-tyme;
ffor þe Steward wol to þe court atte hour/ of pryme.”
The sonne gan to shyne, & shope a feir[e] day;
But, for auȝt þat Geffrey coud[e] do or say,
These Romeyns spekyn fast, al the dyner while,
‘That Geffrey with his sotill wordis wold hem [al] begile.’
So when they had I-dyned, þey rysen vp echoon,
And drew hem [þo] to counsell, what was best to doon.
Som seyd, “the best[e] rede þat wee do may,
To throwe Geffrey ovir þe bord, & seylle forth our way.”
But, for drede of Beryn, som [ne] wold nat so;
Ȝit the more party assentid wele ther-to.

Geffrey, & Beryn, & worthy Romeyns tweyn,
Stood a-part with-in the shipp, to Geffrey gan to seyn;
“Beryn, beth avisid! yeur/ men beth in distaunce;
Sith yee been her soveren, put hem in governaunce;
ffor me thinkith they holdith, contrary opynyoun;
And grace faylith comynlych, wher is dyvisioun.”

In the meen[e] while þat they gan thus to stryve,
Hanybald was vp, & I-com as blyve
To the brigg of þe town, ther the Shippis rood,
And herd [hem make] much noyse; but litil while he bood,
ffor when he sawe the saylis stond[en] al a-cros,
“Alas!” quod this hanybald, “her growith a smert los

To me, þat am prouost; & have in charge & hest
All these fyve Shippis vndir myne arest;”
And ran in-to the toun, & made an hidouse cry,
And chargit al the Cetezins to armys for to hy,
ffrom o strete till a-nothir, & rerid vp al þe town;
And made the trompis blowe vp, & [made] þe bellis soun;
And seyd[e] ‘þat þe Romeyns were in poynt to pas;’
Til ther were a þowsand—rathir mo þen les—
Men I-armyd cleen, walking to þe Strond.

When Beryn hem a-spied: “now, Geffrey! in thy honde
Stont lyff & goodis! doth with vs what the list;
ffor all our hope is on the, comfort, help, & trist.
ffor we must bide aventur, such as God woll shape
ffor nowe I am in certen we mow no wise scape.”
“Have no dout,” quod Geffrey, “beth mery; let me a-loon:
Getith a peir sisours, sherith my berd a-noon;
And aftirward lete top my hede; hast[i]lych & blyve!”
Som went to with sesours, som [to] with a knyfe;
So what for sorowe & hast, & for lewd[e] tole,
Ther was no man a-lyve, bet like to a fole,
Then Geffrey was. by þat tyme þey had al I-do,
Hanybald clepid out Beryn, to motehall for to go;
And stood oppon the brigg, with an huge route.
Geffrey was the first, to hanybald gan to loute,
And lokid out a fore Shipp: “God bles ȝew, sir!” quod he.
“Wher art þow now, Beryn? com nere! be-hold & se!
Her is an huge pepill I-rayd & in-dight;
All these been my children, þat been in armys bryȝte;
Ȝistirday I gate hem: [is it] nat mervaill
That þey been hidir I-com, to be of our counsaill,
And to stond[en] by vs, & help vs in our ple.
A! myne owne childryn, blessid mut ye be!”
Quod Geffrey, with an hiȝe voise, & had a nyce visage,
And gan to daunce for Ioy, in the fore stage.

Hanybald lokid on Geffrey, as he were a-masid,
And be-held his contenaunce, & howe he was I-rasid;

But evir more he þouȝt[e], þat he was a fole
Naturell of kynde, & had noon othir tool,
As semed by his wordis & his visage both;
And þouȝt it had been foly to wex[e] with hym wroth;
And gan to bord ageyn, & axid hym in game,
“Sith þow art our ffadir, who is then our dame?
And howe, & in what plase, were wee be-gete?”
“Ȝistirday,” quod geffrey, “pleying in the strete
Atta gentill game þat clepid is the ‘quek,’
A longe peny halter was cast about my nekk,
And I-knet [ful] fast with a ryding knot,
And cast ovir a perche & hale a-long my throte.”
“Was þat a game,” quod hanybald, “for to hang þy selve?”
“So þey seyd a-bout me, a Ml ech by hym selff.”
“How scapiddist þow,” quod hanybald, “þat þow wer nat dede?”
“Ther-to can I answere, without[en] eny rede:
I bare thre disë, in myne owne purs,—
ffor I go nevir without, fare I bettir or wors,—
I kist hem forth al thre, & too fil amys ase.
But here now what fill aftir! riȝt a mervolouse case!
Ther cam a mows lepe forth, & ete þe þird[e] boon,
That puffid out hir skyn, as grete as she myȝt goon;
And in this maner wise, of þe mouse & me
All yee be I-com, my children fair & fre.
And ȝit, or it be eve, fall wol such a chaunce,
To stond[en] in my power/ ȝew alle to Avaunce;
ffor, & wee plede wele to day, we shull be riche I-nowȝe.”
Hanybald [þo] of his wordis hert[i]lich[e] louȝe;
And so did al þat herd hym, as þey myȝte wele,
And had[de] grete Ioy, with hym for to telle;
ffor þey knewe[n] hym noon othir but a fole of kynde:
And al was his discrecioune; & þat previd þe ende.

Thus whils Geffrey Iapid, to make hir hertis liȝte,
Beryn & his company wer rayid & I-diȝte,
And londit hem in botis, ferefull howe to spede;

ffor all hir/ þouȝtis in balance stode, be-twene hope & drede;
But ȝit they did hir/ peyn to make liȝtsom chere,
As Geffrey hem had enfourmed, of port & al manere
Of hir governaunce, al the longe day,
Tyll hir/ plee wer endit. so went they forth hir wey,
To the court with hanybald. then Beryn gan to sey,
“What nedith this, sir hanybald, to make such aray?
Sith wee been pese-marchantis, & vse no spoliacioune.”
“ffor soth[e] sir,” quod hanybald, “to me was made relacioun
Yee were in poynt to void; & yef ye had do so,
Yee had[de] lost yeur lyvis, with-out[e] wordis mo.”
Beryn held hym still. Geffrey spak a-noon;
“No les wed þen lyvis! whi so, good sir Iohn?
That were som-what to much, as it semeith me;
But ye be ovir-wise, þat dwell in this Cete;
ffor yee have be-gonne a thing makith ȝewe riȝte bold;
And ȝit, or it be eve, as folis shul ye be hold.
And eke yee devyne [nat] for-in Shipmannys crafft,
And wotith litill what longith to, a-fore þe Shipp, & bafft,
And namelich in the dawnyng, when shipmen first arise.”
“My good ffrend,” quod hanybald, in a scornyng wise,
“Ye must onys enfourm me, þurh yeur/ discrecioun);
But first ye must answer to a questioun:
‘Why make men cros-saill in myddis of þe mast’?”

[Gef.]
“ffor to talowe þe shipp, & fech[e] more last.”

[Han.]
“Why goon the ȝemen to bote, Ankirs to hale?”

[Gef.]
“ffor to make hem redy to walk to þe Ale.”

[Han.]
“Why hale they vp stonys by the crane lyne?”

[Gef.]
“To make the tempest sese, & the sonne shyne.”

[Han.]
“Why close they the port with the see bord?”

[Gef.]
“ffor the mastir shuld a-wake atte first[e] word.”

[Han.]
“Thow art a redy reve,” quod hanybald, “in fay.”

[Gef.]
“Yee sir/ trewly, for sothe is þat yee sey.”

Geffrey evir clappid, as doith a watir myll,
And made hanybald to lauȝe al his hert[e] fell.

“Beryn,” quod this Geffrey, “retourn thy men ageyn;
What shull they do with the at court? no man on hem pleyn.
Plede thy case thy selve, riȝt as þow hast I-wrouȝt;
To bide with the Shippis my purpos is, & þouȝt.”
“Nay for-soth,” quod hanybald, “þow shalt a-byde on lond;
Wee have no folis but the,” & toke hym by þe hond,
“ffor thow art wise in lawe to plede[n] al the case.”
“That can I bettir,” quod Geffrey, “þen eny man in this plase!
What seyst þow therto, Beryn? shall I tell thy tale?”
Hanybald likid his wordis wele, & forward gan hym hale.
Beryn made hym angry, & siȝhid wondir sore,
ffor Geffrey hym had enfourmyd of euery poynt to-fore,
How he hym shuld govern all the longe day.

Geffrey chasid hym ageyn: “sey me ȝe or nay!
Maystowe nat I-here speke som maner word?”
“Leve thy blab, lewd fole! me likith nat thy bord!
I have a-nothir þouȝt,” quod Beryn, “wherof þowe carist lite.”
“Clepeist þow me a fole?” quod Geffrey; “al þat I may þe wite!
But first, when wee out of Rome saillid both in fere,
Tho I was thy felawe & thy partynere;
ffor tho the marchandise was more þen halff[e] myne;
And sith þat þowe com hidir, þowe takeist al for thyne.
But ȝit or it be eve, I woll make oon be-hest;
But þowe have my help, thy part shal be [the] lest.”
“Thyn help!” quod Beryn; “lewde fole, þow art more þen masid!
Dres the to þe Shippis ward, with thy crown I-rasid;
ffor I myȝt nevir spare the bet! trus! & be a-goo!”
“I wol go with the,” quod Geffrey, “wher þow wolt or no;
And lern to plede lawe, to wyn both house & londe.”
“So þow shalt,” quod hanybald, & led hym by the honde,
And leyd his hond oppon his nek: but, & he had I-knowe

Whom he had led, in sikirnes he had wel levir in snowe
Have walkid xl myle, & rathir then faill more;
ffor he wisshid that Geffrey had I-be vnbore
fful offt-tyme in that day, or the ple were do;
And so did al þat wrouȝt[e] Beryn shame & woo.

Now, yee þat list a-bide, & here of sotilte,
Mow knowe how þat Beryn sped [there] in his ple,
And [eke] in what aray, [un]to the court he went;
And howe hanybald led Geffrey, disware of his entent.
But ȝit he axid of Geffrey, “what is þy name, I prey?”
“Gylhochet,” quod Geffrey, “men clepid me ȝistirday.”
“And wher weer þow I-bore?” “I note, I make a-vowe,”
Seyd Geffrey to this hanybald, “I axe þat of ȝewe;
ffor I can tell no more, but her I stond [as] nowe.”
Hanybald of his wordis hert[i]lich[e] lowȝe,
And held hym for a passing fole to serve[n] eny lord.
Thus þey romyd Ianglyng in-to þe court ward;
But, or they com ther, the Steward was I-set,
And the grettest of þe town, a company I-met,
And gon to stryve fast, who shuld have þe good
That com[en] was with Beryn ovir þe salt flood.
Som seyd oon, & som seyde a-nothir;
Som wold have the Shippis, þe parell, & þe rothir;
Som his eyen, som his lyff wold have, & no les;
Or els he shuld[e] for hem fyne, or [that] he did pas.
And in the mene whils they wer in this afray,
Beryn & these romeyns were com in good aray
As myȝt be made of woll, and of colour greynyd:
They toke a syde bench þat for hem was ordeyned.

When all was husst & still, Beryn rose a-noon,
And stode in the myddis of þe hal to-fore hem everychon;
And seyd, “sir/ Steward, in me shall be no let:
I am I-com to answer, as my day is set;
Do me ryȝte & reson! I axe ȝewe no more.”
“So shall [I],” quod the Steward, “for þerto I am swore.”

“He shall have ryȝt,” quod Geffrey, “wher þow wolt or no.
ffor, & þow mys onys thy Iugement on-do,
I woll [un]to þe Emperour of Rome, my cosyn;
ffor of o cup he & I ful offt have dronk þe wyne,
And ȝit wee shull her-aftir, as offt[en] as wee mete,
ffor he is long the gladder, when I send hym to grete.”
Thus Geffrey stode oppon a fourm, for he wold be sey
Above all othir, the shuldris, & [therto have] the cry;
And starid al a-boute, with his lewd[e] berd,
And was I-hold a verry fole of ech man [þat] hym herd.

The Steward, & þe officers, & þe burgeyssis alle,
Lauȝhid at hym hert[i]lich; the criour gan to calle
The Burgeys þat had pleyd with Beryn atte ches;
And he aros [ful] quiklich, & gan hym for to dres
A-fore the Steward atte barr, as þe maner is.
He gan to tell his tale with grete redynes;
“Here me, sir Steward! þis day is me set,
To have ryght & reson—I ax[e] ȝewe no bet,—
Of Beryn, þat here stondith; þat with me ȝistirday
Made a certen covenaunt, & atte ches we did pley;
‘That who-so were I-matid of vs both[e] too,
Shuld do the todirs byddyng; & yf he wold nat so,
He must drynke al the watir þat salt wer in the se’;
Thus I to hym [en]surid, and he also to me.
To preve my tale trewe, I am nat al aloon.”
Vp rose .x. Burgeysis [ful] quyklich a-noon,
And affermyd evir[y] word of his tale soth;
And made[n] hem al redy for to do hir othe.

Evandir the Steward, “Beryn, now,” quod he,
“Thow must answere nede; it wol noon othir be;
Take thy counsell to the: spede on! have I doon.”
Beryn held hym still: Geffrey spak a-noon:
“Now be my trowith,” quod Geffrey, “I mervell much of ȝewe

To bid vs go to counsell! & knowith me wise I-nowȝ,
And evir ful avisid, In twynkelyng of an eye
To make a short answer, but yf my mowith be dry.
Shuld wee go to counsell for o word or tweyn?
Be my trowith we nyl! let se mo that pleyn!
And but he be I-answerd, & þat riȝt a-noon,
I ȝeve ȝewe leve to rise, & walk out every-choon,
And a-spy[en] redely yf ye fynd me ther.
In the meen[e] whils, I wol a-bide here.
Nay, I telle trewly, I am wiser þen yee ween;
ffor þere nys noon of ȝewe woot redely what I meen.”
Every man gan lawȝe al his hert[e] fill,
Of Geffrey & his wordis; but Beryn held hym still,
And was cleen astonyd,—but ȝit, ner þe lattir,
He held it nat al foly þat Geffrey did[e] clatir,
But wisely hym governyd, as Geffrey hym tauȝte,
ffor parcell of his wisdom, to-fore he had[de] smaught.
“Sir Steward,” quod Beryn, “I vndirstond [right] wele
The tale of þis Burgeyse; now let a-nothir tel,
That I may take counsell, & answer al attonys.”
“I graunt[e],” quod the Steward, thyn axing for þe nonys,
“Sith þow wolt be rewlid by þy folis rede,
ffor he is ryȝte a wise man to help the in thy nede.”

Vp a-rose the accusours queynt[e]lich a-noon;
Hanybald was the first of hem evirichon,
And gan to tell his tale with a proud[e] chere:
“Ȝistirday, [my] soverens, when [þat] I was here,
Beryn & thes Burgeyse gon to plede fast
ffor pleying atte ches; so ferforth atte last,
Thurh vertu of myne office, þat I had in charge
Beryns fyve Shippis, for to go at large,
And to be in answere here þis same day:
So, walkyng to the Strondward, wee bargeynyd by the wey
That I shuld have the marchaundise þat Beryn with hym brouȝte,

(Wherof I am sesid, as ful sold and bouȝte,)
In covenaunt that I shuld his shippis fill ageyn
Of my marchaundise, such as he to-fore had seyn
In myne owne plase, howsis to or thre,
fful of marchandise as they myȝt[e] be.
And I am evir redy! when-so-evir he woll
Let hym go, or sende, & charge his Shippis full
Of such[e] marchandise as he fyndith there:
ffor, in such[e] wordis, wee accordit were.”

Vp rose .x. burgeysis,—not tho þat rose to-fore,
But oþir,—& made hem redy to have swore
That every word of hanybald, from þe begynnyng to þe ende,
Was soth & eke trewe; & with all hir/ mende
fful prest they were to preve; & seyd þey were present
Atte covenaunte makeing, by God omnipotent.
“It shall [nat] nede,” quod Geffrey, “whils þat I here stonde;
ffor I woll preve[n] it my self with my [own] riȝt honde.
ffor I have been in foure batellis herto-fore,
And this shall be the ffifft; & therfor I am swore;
Be-holdith, & seith!” & turnyd hym aboute.
The Steward & þe Burgeyse gamyd al aboute,
The Romens held hem still, & lawuȝid but a lite.

With that cam the blynd man, his tale to endite,
That God hym graunte wynnyng, riȝte as he hath a-servid.
Beryn & his company stood[en] al a-stryvid
Be-twene hope & drede, riȝte in hiȝe distres;
ffor of wele or of woo þey had no sikirnes.
“Beryn,” quod this blynd, “þouȝe I may nat se,
Stond nere ȝit the barr, my comyng is for the,
That wrongfullich[e] þowe witholdist my both to eyen,
The wich I toke the for a tyme. & quyklich to me hyen,
And take hem me ageyn, as our covenant was.
Beryn! I take no reward of othir mennys case,
But oonlich of myne own, that stont me most an hond.
Nowe blessid be God in heven, þat brouȝt þe to this lond!

ffor sith our/ laste parting, many bittir teris
Have I lete for thy love, þat som tyme partineris
Of wynnyng & of lesing were, ȝeris fele;
And evir I fond the trewe; til at the last þow didist stele
A-wey with my too eyen, that I toke to the,
To se the tregitour[i]s pley, & [al] hir/ sotilte;
As ȝistirday, here in this same plase,
To-fore ȝewe, sir/ Steward, rehersid as it was.
fful trewe is that byword, ‘a man to seruesabill,
Ledith offt[e] beyard from his owne stabill.’
Beryn! by the, I meen, þouȝe þowe make it straunge;
ffor þow knowist trewly þat I made no chaunge
Of my good eyen, for thyne þat badder were.”
Ther-with stood vp burgeys four/, witnes to bere.

Beryn held hym still, & Geffrey spak a-noon:
“Nowe of þy lewde compleynt, & thy masid moon,
By my trowith,” quod Geffrey, “I have grete mervaill.
ffor þouȝe þow haddist eyen-sight, [y]it shuld it litil availl;
Thow shuldist nevir fare þe bet, but þe wors in fay;
ffor al thing may be stil [i]nowe for the in house & way;
And yf thow haddist þyn eyen, þowe woldist no counsell hele;
I knowe wele by thy fisnamy, thy kynd [it] were to stele;
And eke it is thy profite, and thyne ese also,
To be blynd as þowe art. for nowe, wher-so þow go,
Thow hast thy lyvlode, whils þow art alyve;
And yf þowe myȝtist see, þow shuldist nevir thryve.”
Al the house þurh-out, save Beryn & his feris,
Lawȝid [þo] of Geffrey, þat watir on hir hir leris
Ran downe from hir/ eyen, for his masid wit.

With that cam þe vomman,—hir/tunge was nat sclytt,—
With xv burgeysis, & vommen also fele,
Hir querell for to preve, & Beryn to A-pele,
With a feire knave child I-loke within hir armys;
And gan to tell hir/ tale of wrongis & of Armys,

And eke of [grete] vnkyndnes, vntrowith & falshede,
That Beryn had I-wrouȝt to hir; þat queyntlich from hir ȝede
Anoon oppon hir wedding, when he his will had doon,
And brouȝt [had] hir/ with child, & lete her sit aloon
Without[en] help & comfort from þat day; “& noweȝ
He proferid me nat to kis[sen] onys with his mowith;—
As ȝistirday, sir Steward, afore ȝewe eche word
Was [full] rehersid here; my pleynt is of record;—
And this day is me set, for to have reson:
Let hym make a-mendis, or els tell encheson
Why hym ouȝt nat fynd[e] me, as man ouȝt his wyffe.”
These fifftene Burgeysis, quyklich also blyve,
And as fele vymmen as stode by hir ther,
Seyd that they were present when they weddit were;
And that every word þat þe vomman seyde
Was trewe, & eke [þat] Beryn had hir so be-trayd.

“Benedicite!” quod Geffrey, “Beryn! hast þowe a wyff?
Now have God my trowith, the dayis of my lyff
I shall trust the þe las! þow toldist me nat to-fore
As wele of thy wedding, & of thy sone I-bore.
Go to, & kis hem both, thy wyff & eke thyn heir!
Be þow nat a-shamyd, for þey both be feyr!
This wedding was riȝt pryvy; but I shal make it couthe:
Be-hold thy sone! it semeth crope out of þy mowith;
And eke of thy condicioune both sofft & some.
Now am I glad þyne heir shall [wend] with vs to Rome;
And I shall tech hym, as I can, whils þat he is ȝong
Every day by the strete to gadir houndis doung;
Tyll it be abill of prentyse to crafft of tan[e]ry;
And aftir I shall teche hym for to cache a fly,
And to mend[e] mytens, when they been to-tore,
And aftir to cloute shoon, when he is elder more:
Ȝit, for his parentyne, to pipe, as doith a mowse,

I woll hym tech, & for to pike a snayll out of his house;
And to berk, as doith an hound, & sey ‘baw bawe!’
And turne round a-boute, as a Cat doith with a strawe;
And to blete as doith a shepe, & ney as doith an hors,
And to lowe as doith a Cowe; & as myne owne corps
I woll cherissh hym every day, for his modirs sake;”
And gan to stapp[e] nere, the child to have I-take,
As semyd by his contenaunce, al-þouȝe he þouȝt nat so.

Butte modir was evir ware, & blenchid to & fro,
And leyd hir hond be-twene, & lokid som-what wroth;
And Geffrey in pure wrath beshrewid hem al bothe;
“ffor by my trowith,” quod Geffrey, “wel masid is thy pan!
ffor I woll teche thy sone the craftis þat I can,
That he in tyme to com myȝt wyn[nen] his lyvlood.
To wex[en] therfor angry, þow art verry wood!
Of husbond, wyff, & sone, by the Trynyte
I note wich is the wisest of hem al[le] thre!”
“No, sothly,” quod the Steward, “it lijth al in þy noll,
Both[e] wit & wisdom, & previth by þy poll.”
ffor al be [it] that Geffrey wordit sotilly,
The Steward & þe burgeysis held it for foly,
Al that evir he seyd, & toke it for good game,
And had ful litill knowlech he was Geffrey þe lame.

Beryn & his company stode still as Stone,
Be-twene hope & drede, disware how it shuld goon;
Saff Beryn trist in party þat Geffrey wold hym help;
But ȝit in-to þat hour he had no cause to ȝelpe,
Wherfor þey made much sorow, þat dole was, & pete.
Geffrey herd hym siȝe sore; “what devill is ȝewe?” quod he;
“What nede ȝew be sory, whil[e]s I stonde here?
Have I nat enfourmyd ȝewe, how & in what manere
That I ȝew wold[e] help, & bryng hem in the snare?
Yf yee coude plede as wele as I, ful litill wold yee care.

Pluke vp thy hert!” quod Geffrey; “Beryn! I speke to the!”
“Leve þy blab[ir] leude!” quod Beryn to hym a-ye,
“It doith no thing a-vaill! þat sorowe com on thy hede!
It is nat worth a fly, al þat þowe hast seyde!
Have wee nat els nowe for to thynk oppon,
Saff her to Iangill?” machyn rose a-noon,
And wentto the barr, & gan to tell his tale:
He was as fals as Iudas, þat set[te] Criste at sale.

“Sir/ Steward,” quod this machyn, “& þe burgeysis all,
Knowith wele howe melan, with purpill & with pall,
And othir marchandise, seven ȝere ago
Went toward[is] Rome; & howe þat I also
Have enquerid sith, as reson woll, & kynde,
Syth he was my ffadir, to knowe[n] of his ende.
ffor ȝit sith his departyng, til it was ȝistirday,
Met I nevir creature þat me coude wissh or say
Reedynes of my ffadir, dede othir a-lyve.
But, blessid be God in heven! in this thevis sclyve
The knyff I gaff my ffadir was ȝistir-day I-found!
Sith I hym a-pele, let hym be fast I-bound!
The knyff I knowe wel I-nowe; also þe man stont her,
And dwellith in this town, & is a Cotelere,
That made þe same knyff with his too hondis,
That wele I woot þere is noon like, to sech al cristen londis;
ffor .iij preciouse stonys been within the hafft
Perfitlych I-couchid, & sotillich by crafft
Endendit in the hafft, & þat riȝt coriously,
A Saphir, & a salidone, & a rich ruby.”

The Coteler cam lepeing forth with a bold[e] chere,
And seyd[e] to the Steward: “þat machyn told now here,
Every word is trew; so beth the stonys sett;
I made þe knyff my selff;—who myȝt know it bet?—
And toke the knyff to Machyn, & he me pay[i]d wele,

100

So is this felon gilty; ther is no more to tell.”
Vp arose burgeysis, by to, by iij., by .iiij,
And seyd[e] ‘þey were present, þe same tyme and hour,
When Machone wept sore, & brouȝt his ffadirs gownd,
And gaff hym þe same knyff oppon the see stronde.’

“Bethe ther eny mo pleyntis of record?”
Quod Geffrey to the Steward. & he ageynward:
“How semeth the, Gylhoget? beth þer nat Inowȝe?
Make thyne answer, Beryn, case þat þow mowe;
ffor oon or othir þow must sey, al-þouȝe it nat a-vaill;
And but þowe lese or þowe go, me þinkith grete mervaill.”

Beryn goith to counsell, & his company;
And Geffrey bode be-hynde, to here more, & se,
And to shewe the Burgeyse som what of his hert,
And seyd, “but I make the pleyntyfs for to smert,
And al þat hem meyntenyth, for auȝt þat is I-seyd,
I woll graunte ȝewe to kut þe eris fro my hede.
My mastir is at counsell, but counsell hath he noon;
ffor, but I hym help, he is cleen vndoon.
But I woll help hym al þat I can, & meynten hym also
By my power & connyng, so I am bound ther to.
ffor I durst wage batell with ȝewe, þouȝe yee be stronge,
That my mastir is in the trowith, & yee be in the wrong:
ffor, & wee have lawe, I ne hold ȝew but distroyed
In yeur owne falshede, so be ye now a-spied.
Wherfor ȝit or eve I shall abate yeur pride;
That som of ȝew shall be riȝt feyn to sclynk a-wey & hyde.”

The Burgeysis gon to lawȝe, & scornyd hym ther-to.
“Gylochet,” quod Evander, “& þow cowdist so
Bryng it þus about, it were a redy way.”
“He is a good fool,” quod hanybald, “in fay,
To put hym-selff a-loon in strengith, & eke in witt,
Ageyn[e]s al the Burgeysis þat on þis bench[e] sit.”
“What clatir is this,” quod machyn, “al day with a fole?
Tyme is nowe to worch[en] with som othir tole.
ffor I am certeyn of hir/ answer þat they wolle faill;

101

And lyf for lyf of my ffadir, what may þat a-vaill?
Wherfor beth avisid, for I am in no doute,
The goodis been sufficient to part[en] al aboute;
So may euery party pleyntyff have his part.”
“That is reson,” quod the blynd, “a trew[e] man þow art;
And eke it were vntrowith, & eke grete syn,
But ech of vs þat pleynyth myȝt[e] som-what wyn.”

Hanybald bote his lyppis, & herd hem both[e] wele;
“Towching the marchandise, o tale I shall ȝew tell,
And eke make a-vowe, & hold[en] my behest,
That of the marchandise yeur/ part shall be [the] lest;
ffor I have made a bargeyn, þat may nat be vndo;
I woll hold his covenaunt, & he shall myne also.”

Vp roos quyklich the Burgeyse Syrophanes:
“Hanybald,” quod he, “the lawe goith by no lanys,
But hold[ith] forth the streyt wey, even as doith a lyne;
ffor ȝistirday when Beryn with me did dyne,
I was the first persone þat put hym in a-rest;
And, for he wold go large, þow haddist in charge & hest
To sese both Shipp & goodis, til I were answerid;
Then must I first be servid: þis knowith al men I-lerid.”

The vomman stode besidis, & cried wondir fast;
“fful soth is þat byword, ‘to pot, who comyth last!’
He worst is servid; & so it farith by me:
Ȝit nethirles, sir Steward, I trust to yeur/ leute,
That knowith best my cause, & my trew entent;
I ax[e] ȝewe no more but riȝtfull Iugement.
Let me have part with othir, sith he my husbond is:
Good sirs, beth avisid! I axe ȝew nat a-mys.”

Thus they gon to stryve, & wer of hiȝe mode,
ffor to depart a-mong hem othir mennys good,
Wher they to-fore had nevir properte,
Ne nevir shuld þere-aftir, by doom of equyte,
But they had othir cause þen þey had tho.

102

Beryn was at counsell; his hert[e] was ful woo,
And his meyny sory, distrakt, & al a-mayide;
ffor tho they levid noon othir, but Geffrey had hem trayde:
Be-cause he was so long, they coude no maner rede;
But everich[on] by hym-selff wisshid he had be dede:
“O myȝtfull God!” þey seyd, “I trow, to-fore this day
Was nevir gretter treson, fere, ne affray,
I-wrouȝt on-to mankynde, þen now is to vs here;
And namelich by this Geffrey with his sotil cher!
So feithfulle he made it he wold vs help echone;
And nowe we be I-myryd, he letith vs sit aloon!”
“Of Geffrey,” quod Beryn, “be as it be may:
Wee must answere nede; ther is noon oþir way;
And therfor let me know yeur/ wit, & yeur/ counsaille.”
They wept, & wrong hir hondis, & gan to waille
The tyme þat they wer bore; & shortly, of þe lyve
The[y] wisshid þat þey were. with þat cam Geffrey blyve,
Passing hem towardis, & be-gan to smyle.
Beryn axid Geffrey, ‘wher he had be al the while?’
“Have mercy oppon vs! & help vs as þowe hiȝte!”
“I woll help ȝew riȝt wele, þurh grace of goddis myȝte;
And I can tell ȝew tyding of hir/ governaunce:
They stond in altircacioune & stryff in poynt to praunce
To depart yeur goodis, & levith verryly
That it were impossibill ȝewe to remedy.
But hir hiȝe pryde & hir/ presumpcioune
Shal be, ȝit or eve, hir/ confusioune;
And to make a-mendis, ech man for his pleynt.
Let se therfor yeur/ good a-vise, howe þey myȝt be ateynt.”

The Romeyns stode still, as who had shor hir hed.
“In feith,” quod Beryn, “wee con no maner rede;
But in God, & ȝewe, we submit vs all,
Body, lyffe, & goodis, to stond[en] or to fall;
And nevir for to travers o word þat þow seyst:
Help vs, good Geffrey, as wele as þow maist!”
“Depardeux,” quod Geffrey, “& I wol do me peyn

103

To help ȝewe, as my connyng wol strech & a-teyn.”

The Romeyns wentto barr, & Geffrey al to-fore
With a nyce contenaunce, barefote, & to-tore,
Pleyng with a ȝerd, he bare in his honde;
And was evir wistlyng att euery pase comyng.

The Steward & the Burgeysis had[de] game I-nowȝe
Of Geffreyis nyce comyng, & hert[i]lich[e] lowȝe;
And eche man seyd, “Gylhochet, com nere!
Thowe art ryȝt welcom, for þowe makist vs cher.”
“The same welcom,” quod Geffrey, “þat yee wol vs,
ffall oppon yeur/ hedis, I prey to God, & wers!”
They held hym for a verry fole, but he held hem wel more:
And so he made hem in breff tyme, al-þouȝ þey wer nat shore.

“Styntith nowe,” quod Geffrey, “& let make pese!
Of myrthis & of Iapis tyme is now to cese,
And speke of othir mater þat wee have to doon:
ffor & wee hewe a-mys eny maner spone,
We knowe wele in certeyn what pardon wee shull have:
The more is [then] our/ nede vs to defend & save.
My mastir hath bee at counsell, & ful avisid is
That I shall have the wordis,—speke I wele or mys.
Wherfor, [now] sir Steward, & yee burgeysis all,
Sittith vp-ryȝt, & wrijth nat, for auntris þat may fall.
ffor, & yee deme vntrewly, or do vs eny wrong,
Yee shull be refourmyd, be ye nevir so strong,
Of euery poynt and Iniury, & þat in grete hast,
ffor he is nat vnknowe to vs, þat may ȝewe chast.
Hold[ith] forthe the riȝt wey, & [go] by no side lanys!

“And as towching the first pleyntyfe Syrophanes,
That pleyde with my mastir ȝistir-day atte ches,
And made a certen covenaunte, ‘who þat had þe wers
In the that last game, (al þouȝe I wer nat ther,)
Shuld do the todirs bidding, what-so-evir it were,
Or drynk[en] al the watir þat salt were in the see;’

104

Thus, I trowe, sir Steward, ye woll record þe ple:
And yf I have Imyssid, in lettir, or in word,
The lawe, wol I be rewlid aftir yeur record;
ffor we be ful avisid in this wise to answere.”

Evander þe Steward, & al men þat were there,
Had mervill much of Geffrey, þat spak so redely,
Whose wordis ther[to]for semyd al foly,
And were a-stonyed cleen, & gan [tho] for to drede:
And euery man til othir lenyd with his hede,
And seyd, “he reportid the tale riȝt formally;
He was no fool in certen, but wise, ware, & scly;
ffor he hath but I-Iapid vs, & scornyd her-to-fore;
And wee have hold[en] hym a fole, but wee be wel more.”
Thus they stodied on Geffrey, & lauȝid þo riȝt nauȝt.

When Geffrey had a-spied they were in such[e] þouȝt,
And hir hertis trobelid, pensyff, & a-noyed,
Hym list to dryv in bet þe nayll, til they wer fully cloyid:
“Soveren sirs!” he seyd, “sith þat it so is,
That in reportyng of our ple yee fynd nothing a-mys,
As previth wele yeur/ scilence; eke yee withseyith not
O word of our/ tale, but [fynde it] clene without[en] spot;
Then to our/ answer I prey ȝewe take hede;
ffor wee wol sey[en] al the trowith, riȝt as it is in dede.
ffor this is soth & certeyn, it may nat be withseyd,
That Beryn, þat here stondith, was þus ovir-pleid
In the last game, when wagir was opon:
But þat was his sufferaunce, as ye shul here a-noon.
ffor in al this Cete ther nys no maner man
Can pley[en] bettir atte ches þen my mastir can;
Ne bet þen I, þouȝe I it sey, can nat half so much.
Ne how he lost it be his will, the cause I wol teche:
ffor ye wend, & ween, þat ye had hym engyned;
But yee shul fele in every veyn þat ye be vndirmyned,
And I-brouȝt at ground, & eke ovir-musid.

“And a-ȝenst the first þat Beryn is acusid,
Herith nowe entyntyflich: when wee w'r on the see,

105

Such a tempest on vs fill, þat noon myȝt othir se,
Of þundir, wynd, & liȝtenyng, & stormys ther a-mong;
XV dayis duryng the tempest was so strong,
That ech[e] man til othir began hym to shryve,
And made hir a-vowis, yf þey myȝte have þe lyve,
Som to se the sepulkir, & som to oþir plase,
To sech[en] holy seyntis, for help & [eke] for grace;
Som to fast, & do penaunce, & som do almys-dede;
Tyl atte last, as God wold, a voise to vs seyde,
In our/ most turment, & desperate of mynde,
‘That yf we wold be savid, my mastir must hym bynde,
Be feith & eke by vowe, when he cam to londe,
To drynke al the salt watir within the se stronde;
Without drynkyng any sope of þe fressh watir;’
And tauȝt hym al the sotilte, how & in what manere
That he shuld wirch[en] by engyne, & by a sotill charm,
To drynk[en] al the salt watir, & have hym-selff no harm;
But stop the ffressh[e] Ryvers by euery cost[is] side,
That they entir nat in the se þurh þe world[e] wyde.
The voyse we herd, but nauȝt wee sawe; so wer our/ wittis ravid:
ffor this was [the] end fynally, yf we lust be savid.
Wherfor my mastir Beryn, when he cam to this port,
To his avowe & promys he made his first resort,
Er that he wold[e] Bergeyn any marchandise.
And riȝt so doith these marchandis in the same wise,
That maken hir/ a-vowis in saving of hir lyvis;
They completyn hir pilgremagis or þey se hir wyvis.
So mowe ye vndirstond, þat my mastir Beryn
Of fre will was I-matid, as he þat was a pilgrym,
And myȝt[e] nat perfourm by many þowsand part
His avowe & his hest, without riȝt sotil art,
Without[en] help & strengith of many mennys myȝte.
Sir Steward, & sir Burgeyse, yf we shul have riȝte,
Sirophanes must do [the] cost & aventur,

106

To stopp al the ffressh Ryvers in-to þe see þat entir.
ffor Beryn is [ful] redy in al thing hym to quyte;
So ho be in defaute, must pay[en] for the wite.
Sith yee been wise [men] all, what nede is much clatir?
Ther was no covenaunte hem be-twen to drynk fressh water.”

When Sirophanes had I-herd al Geffreyis tale,
He stode al abasshid, with colour wan & pale,
And lokid oppon the Steward with a rewful cher
And on othir frendshipp & Neyȝbours he had ther;
And preyd[e] hem of counsell, the answere to reply.

“These Romeyns,” quod the Steward, “been wondir scly,
And eke riȝt ynmagytyff, & of [such] sotill art,
That I am in grete dowte howe yee shull depart
With-out harm in oon side. our/ lawis, wel þowe wost,
Is to pay damagis, and eke also the cost
Of euery party plentyff þat fallith in his pleynt.
Let hym go quyte, I counsell, yf it may so be queynt.”
“I merveill,” quod Syrophanes, “of hir/ sotilte;
But sith þat it so stondith, & may noon othir be,
I do woll be counsell;” & grauntid Beryn quyte.
But Geffrey þouȝt anothir, & without respite,
“Sirs,” he seyd, “wee wetith wele þat yee wol do vs riȝte,
And so ye must[e] nedis, & so yee have vs hiȝte;
And ther-for, sir Steward, ye occupy our/ plase;
And yee knowe wele, what law woll in this case:
My mastir is [al] redy to perfourm his avowe.”
“Geffrey,” quod the Steward, “I can nat wete howe
To stop all the ffressh watir wer possibilite.”
“Ȝis, in soth,” quod Geffrey, “who had of gold plente
As man coude wissh, & it myȝt wel be do.
But, þat is nat our/ defaute, he hath no tresour/ to.
Let hym go to in hast, or fynd vs suerte
To make a-mendis to Beryn for his iniquite,
Wrong, & harm, & trespas, & vndewe wexacioun,
Loss of sale of marchandise, disese & tribulacioun,

107

That wee have sustenyd þurh his iniquite.
What vaylith it to tary vs? for þouȝt [ye] sotil pry,
Wee shull have reson, wher yee woll or no.
So wol wee þat ye knowe what þat wee wol do:
In certen, [we be] ful avisid to Isope for to pase,
And declare[n] euery poynt, þe more & eke the lase,
That of yeur/ opyn errours hath pleyn correccioune,
And ageyns his Iugement is noon proteccioune:
He is yeur/ lord riall, & soveren Iugg, & lele;
That, & ye work in eny poynt, to hym lijth our a-pele.”

So when the Steward had I-herd, & þe Burgeysis all,
Howe Geffrey had I-steryd, þat went so nyȝe the gall;
What for shame, & drede of more harm & repreff,
They made Syrophanes, weer hym looth or leffe,
To take Beryn gage, and plegg[e] fynd also,
To byde þe ward & Iugement of þat he had mys-do.

“Nowe ferthermore,” quod Geffrey, “sith þat it so is,
That of the first pleyntyff wee have sikirnes;
Nowe to the Marchant wee must nedis answere,
That Bargayned with Beryn, ‘al þat his Shippis bere,
In covenaunte þat he shuld his Shippis fill ageyn
Of othir marchandise, þat he to-fore had seyn
In hanybaldis plase, howsis too or thre,
fful of marchandise, as they myȝt[e] be.’
Let vs pas[sen] thidir, yf eny thing be ther
At our/ lust & likeing, as they accordit were.”
“I graunt[e] wele,” quod hanybald, “þow axist but riȝte.”
Vp arose these Burgeysis,—“þowe axist but riȝte:”—
The Steward & his comperis entrid first þe house,
And sawe no thing within, Strawe, ne leffe, ne mowse,
Save tymbir, & þe tyle-stonys, & þe wallis white.
“I trowe,” quod the Steward, “the wynnyng woll be but lite
That Beryn wol nowe gete in hanybaldis pleynte;
ffor I can se noon othir but they wol be atteynt.”

108

And clepid hem in, echone, & went out hym selve.
As soon as they were entrid, they sawe no maner selve,
ffor soris of hir/ hert; but, as to-fore is seyd,
The house was cleen I-swept. þen Geffrey feir þey preyde
To help [hem] yf he coude. “let me a-loon!” quod he,
“Ȝit shull they have the wors, as sotill as þey bee.”

Evander the Steward, in the mene while,
Spak to the Burgeyse, & be-gan to smyle:
“Thouȝe Syrophanes by I-hold these romeyns for to curs,
Ȝit I trow þat hanybald woll put hym to þe wers;
ffor I am suyr & certeyn, within they shul nat fynde.”
“What sey yee be my pleynt, sirs?” quod the blynde,
“ffor I make a-vowe I wol nevir cese
Tyl Sirophanes have of Beryn a pleyn relese,
And to make hym quyte of his submyssioune;
Els woll I have no pete of his contricioune;
But folow hym also fersly as I can or may,
Tyl I have his eyen both[e] to away.”

“Now in feith,” quod machyn, “& I wol have his lyffe!
ffor þouȝe he scape ȝewe all, with me wol he nat stryffe;
But be riȝt feyn in hert, al his good for-sake,
ffor to scape with his lyff, & to me it take.”

Beryn & his feleshipp wer within the house,
And speken of hir/ answer, & made but litill rouse;
But evir preyd[e] Geffrey, to help yf he coude ouȝt.
“I woll nat faill,” quod Geffrey, & was to-fore be-þouȝt
Of too botirflijs, as white as eny snowe:
He lete hem flee within the house, þat aftir on the wowe
They clevid wondir fast, as hir kynde woll,
Aftir they had flowe, to rest a-nothir pull.

When Geffrey sawe the botirflijs cleving on þe wall,
The Steward & þe Burgeys In he gan [to] call:
“Lo! Sirs,” he seyde, “who-so evir repent,
Wee have chose marchandise most to our talent,
That wee fynd here-In. be-hold, sir hanyball,
The ȝondir bottirflyis þat clevith on þe wall:

109

Of such[e], yee must fille oure Shippis al[le] fyve.
Pluk vp thy hert, Beryn, for þow must nedis thryve!
ffor when wee out of Rome, In marchantfare went,
To purchase buttirflyes was our/ most entent.
Ȝit woll I tell the cause especial & why:
Ther is a leche in Room, þat hath I-made a cry
To make an oyntement to cure al tho been blynde,
And all maner infirmytees, þat growith in man-kynde.
The day is short, the work is long: sir hanyball, ye mut hy!”

When hanybald herd this tale, he seyd pryuely
In counsell to the Steward: “in soth I have þe wors:
ffor I am sikir by þis pleynt þat I shal litil purs.”
“So me semeth,” quod the Steward, “for in þe world[e] rounde
So many botirflyis wold[e] nat be founde,
I trowe, o Shipp to charge. wherfor me þinkith best,
Lete hym have his good a-geyn, & be in pese & rest.
And ȝit [it] is an auntir and þowe scape so,
Thy covenaunt to relese with-out[en] more a-do.”

The Burgeysis everichon, þat were of þat Cete,
Were anoyid sore, when they herd of þis plee.
Geffrey with his wisdom held hem hard & streyte,
That they were accombrit in hir own disceyte.

When hanybald with his ffrendis had spoke of þis mater,
They drowe hem toward Beryn, & seid in þis maner:
“Oonly for botirflyes ye com fro yeur/ contrey;
And wee ȝewe tell in sikirnes, & opon our fey,
That so many botirflyes wee shul nevir gete:
Wherfor we be avisid, othir wise to trete;
That hanybald shall relese his covenaunt þat is makid,
And delyvir the good a-geyn, þat from ȝewe was ransakid;
And wexe ȝewe no more, but let ȝew go in pese.”
“Nay, for-soth,” quod Geffrey, “vs nedith no relese!
Yee shull hold our covenaunt, & wee shul yeurs also;
ffor wee shull have reson, wher ye wol or no,

110

Whils Isope is a-lyve, I am no thing a-ferd;
ffor I can wipe[n] al this ple cleen[e] from yeur/ berd,
And ye blench[en] onys out of the hy wey.”
Thé proferid hym plegg & gage, without more deley.

“Now fethirmore,” quod Geffrey, “vs ouȝt to procede:
ffor to the blynd mannys poynt we must answer nede,
That, for to tel[le] trowith, he lyvith al to long;
ffor his owne fawte, & his owne wrong,
On beryn he hath surmysid, as previth by his ple;
And þat yee shulle[n] opynlich knowe wele & se.
ffor, as I vndirstod hym, he seyd þat ‘fele ȝeris,
Beryn, þat here stondith, & he, wer pertyneris
Of wynnyng & of lesyng, as men it vse & doith;
And that þey chaungit eyen’; & ȝit þis is sothe:
But the cause of chaunging ȝit is to ȝewe on-know;
Wherfor I wol declare it, both to hiȝe & lowe:
In that same tyme þat þis Burgeys blynde,
And my mastir Beryn, as fast as feith myȝt bynde,
Were marchaundis in comyn of al þat þey myȝt wyn,
Saff of lyffe & lym, & of dedely synne,
Ther fill in tho marchis, of al thing such a derth,
That Ioy, comfort & solas, & [eke] al maner myrth
Was exilid cleen; saff oonly molestacioune,
That abood contenuell, and also dispiracioune.
So when þat the pepill were in most myscheff,
God þat is a-bove, þat al thing doith releve,
Sent hem such plente of mony, fruyte, & corn,
Wich turned al to Ioy hir mournyng al to-forn.
Then gaff they hem to myrth, [to] revel, pley, & song;
And þankid God above, evir more a-mong,
Of hir relevacioun from woo in-to gladnes:
ffor ‘aftir sour, when swete is com, it is a plesant mes.’
So in the meen[e] while of this prosperite,
Ther cam [tho] such a pleyer in-to þe same contre,
That nevir ther-to-fore was seyn such a-nothir;

111

That wele was the creatur þat born was of his modir,
That myȝt[e] se the mirthis of this Iogelour;
ffor of the world[e] wyde tho dayis he bare þe floure.
ffor ther nas man ne vomman in þat Regioune,
That set of hym selff the store of a boton,
Yf he had nat sey his myrthis & his game.

“So oppon a tyme, this pleyer/ did proclame
‘That alle maner of pepill [þat] his pleyis wold se,
Shuld com oppon a certen day to þe grete Cete.’
Then, a-mong othir, my mastir her, Beryn,
And this same blynd þat pledith now with hym,
Made a certen covenaunt, þat þey wold[e] see
The mervellis of this pleyer, & his sotilte:
So, what for hete of Somyr, age, & febilnes,
And eke also þe long way, this blynde for werynes
ffil flat adown to the erth; o foot ne myȝt he go.
Wherfor my mastir Beryn in hert[e] was ful woo,
And seyd, ‘my ffrend, how nowe? mowe ye no ferþer pas?’
‘No,’ he seyd, ‘by hym þat first made mas!
And ȝit I had[de] levir, as God my soule save,
Se these wondir pleyis, þen al the good I have.’
‘I can nat els,’ quod Beryn, ‘but yf it may nat be,
But þat yee & I mut retourn a-ȝe,
Afftir yee be refresshid of yeur/ werynes;
ffor, to leve ȝewe in this plyte, it were no gentilnes.’
Then seyd this blynd, ‘I am a-visid bet:
Beryn, yee shull wend[en] thidir with-out[en] eny let;
And have myne eyen with ȝewe, þat they þe pley mowe se,
And I woll have yeurs tyll ye com a-ȝe.’
Thus was hir/ covenaunt made, as I to ȝewe report,
ffor ese of this blynd, & most for his comfort.
But wotith wele the hole science of al surgery
Was vnyd, or the chaunge was made of both [hir] eye,
With many sotill enchauntours, & eke nygramancers,
That sent were for the nonys, mastris & scoleris;

112

So when al was complete, my mastir went his way
With this mannys eyen, & sawe al the pley;
And hast[i]ly retourned into that plase a-ye;
And fond this blynd seching, on hondis & on kne
Grasping al aboute to fynd þat he had lore,—
Beryn his both eyen, þat he had to-fore.—
But as sone as Beryn had[de] pleyn knowleche
That his eyen were I-lost, vnneth he myȝt areche
O word, for pure anguyssh þat he toke sodenly,
And from þat day till nowȝe ne myȝt he nevir spy
This man in no plase, ther lawe was I-mevid;
But nowe in his presence the soth is ful I-previd,
That he shall make a-mendis or he hen[ny]s pas;
Riȝte as the lawe wol deme, ethir more or les.
ffor my mastris eyen were bettir & more clere
Then these þat he hath nowe, to se both fer & nere;
So wold he have his own, þat propir were of kynde,
ffor he is evir redy, to take to the blynde
The eyen þat he had of hym, As covenaunt was,
So he woll do the same. nowe, soverens! in this cas
Ye mut take hede for to deme riȝte;
ffor it were no reson my mastir shuld lese his siȝte,
ffor his trew hert & his [grete] gentilnes.”

“Beryn,” quod the blynd tho, “I woll the relese,
My quarell, & my cause, & fal[len] fro my pleynt.”

“Thow mut nede,” quod Geffrey, “for þow art atteynt!
So mut þow profir gage, & borowis fynd also,
ffor to make a-mendis, as othir have I-do.
Sir Steward! do vs lawe! sith wee desir but riȝte:
As wee been pese marchandis, vs longith nat to fiȝte;
But pleyn vs to the lawe, yf so wee be agrevid.”

Anoon oppon that Geffrey þese wordis had I-mevid,
The blynd man fond borowis for al his maletalent,
And were I-entrid in the court to byde þe Iugement;
ffor þouȝe þat he blynd were, ȝit had he good plente,
And more wold have wonne, þurh his iniquite.

113

“Nowe herith, sirs,” quod Geffrey, “the pleyntyfs been assurid:
And as a-nenst þe ferth, this vomman hath arerid,
That pleynyth her on Beryn, & seyith she is his wyff,
And þat she hath many a day led a peynous lyff,
And much sorowe endurid, his child [for]to sustene.
And al is soth & trewe. nowe riȝtfullich to deme,
‘Whethir of hem both shal othir obey,
And folow wil & lustis,’ sir Steward, ye mut sey.”

And þerewith Geffrey lokid . A seyd on this vomman,
Howe she chaungit colours, pale, & eke wan:
“Al for nouȝt,” quod Geffrey, “for yee mut with vs go,
And endur with yeur/ husbond both[e] wele & woo;”
And wold have take hir by þe hond; but she a-wey did breyde,
And with a grete sighing, þese wordis she seyd:
“That ageyns Beryn she wold plede no more:”
But gagid with too borowis, as othir had do to-fore.

The Steward sat as still, as who had shor his hede;
And specially the pleyntifs were in much[e] drede.
Geffrey set his wordis in such manere wise,
That wele they wist þé myȝt[e] nat scape[n] in no wise
With-out[en] los of goodis, for damage & for cost;
ffor such[e] were hir/ lawis, wher pleyntis wer I-lost.

Geffrey had ful perseyte of hir encombirment;
And eke he was in certen þat the Iugement
Shuld pas with his mastir; wherfor he a-noon,
“Soveren sirs!” he seyd, “ȝit must wee ferþer goon,
And answere to this Machyn, þat seith þe knyff is his
That found was on Beryn: ther-of he seith nat a-mys.
And for more pryvy he seith in this manere,
‘That here stondith present the same Cotelere
That þe knyffe made, & þe precious stonys thre

114

Within the hafft been couchid, þat in cristyanite,
Thouȝe men wold of purpose, make serch, & siche,
Men shuld nat fynd in al thing a knyff þat were it lich:’
And more opyn pryue þan mannys owne knowlech,
Men of lawe ne clerkis con nat tell ne teche.
Now sith wee be in this manere thus ferforth ago,
Then were spedful for to knowe howe Beryn cam first to
To have possessioune of the knyff þat machyn seith is his:
To ȝewe vnknowe, I shall enfourm þe trowith as it is.

“Nowe .vij. yeer & passid, oppon a tuysday
In the passion-woke, when men leven pley,
And vse more devosioune, fastyng & preyer,
Then in othir tyme, or seson of þe ȝeer,
This Beryns ffadir erlich wold a-rise,
And barefote go to chirch, to [don] goddis service,
And lay hym-selff aloon, from his owne wyff,
In reverence of þe tyme, & mending of his lyff.
So on the same tuysday, þat I to-fore nempt,
This Beryn rose, & rayd hym, & to þe chirch[e] went,
And mervelid in his hert his ffadir was nat ther:
And homward went ageyn, with drede & eke fere.
In-to his ffadirs Chambir, sodenlich he rakid,
And fond hym ligg, standede, oppon the strawe al nakid,
And the clothis halyd from the bed a-way.
‘Out alas!’ quod Beryn, ‘that evir I sawe this day!
The meyne herd the noyse, how Beryn cried Allas!
And cam in-to the Chambir, al þat ther/in was.
But the dole & the sorowe, & anguyssh þat was there,
It vaylith nat at this tyme to declare it here;
But Beryn had[de] most of all, have ye no doute.
And a-noon they serchid the body al aboute,
And fond this same knyff, þe poynt riȝt at his hert
Of Beryns ffadir, whose teris gan out-stert
When he drowȝ out the knyff of his ffadirs wound:
Then, standede I sawe hym fal doun to þe ground,

115

In siȝte of the most part þat beth with hym nowe here.”
(And they affermyd it for sothe, as Geffrey did hem lere:)
“And ȝit had I nevir suspecioun, from þat day [un]til noweth,
Who did þat cursid dede; till machyn with his mowith
Afore ȝewe hath knowlechid þat the knyff is his:
So mut he nedis answer for his deth I-wis.”

When Machyn had I-herd al Geffreyis tale,
He rose of bench[e] sodynly, with colour wan & pale,
And seyd [tho] on-to Beryn: “sir/, ageyn[es] the
I wolle plete no more; for it were gret pete
To combir ȝewe with accions, þat beth of nobill kynde.”
“Graunte mercy, sir!” quod Geffrey, “but ȝit yee shulle fynde
Borowis, or yee pas, amendis for to make
ffor our/ vndewe vexacioun; & gage also vs take
In signe of submissioun for yeur/ Iniury,
As lawe woll & reson; for wee woll vttirly
Procede tyll wee have Iugement finall.
And therfor [now], sir Steward, what þat evir fall,
Delay[ith] vs no lenger, but gyve us Iugement!
ffor tristith ye noon othir, but we be fullich bent
To Isope for to wend, & in his hiȝe presence
Reherce[n] all our plees, & have[n] his sentence;
Then shul yee make ffynys, & hiȝlich be agrevid.”

And as sone as the Steward herd these wordis mevid,
“Reson, ryȝte, & lawe,” seyd the Steward tho,
“Yee mut nedis have, wher I woll or no.
And to preve my full will, or wee ferþer goon,”
Quiklich he comaundit, & sparid nevir oon,
xxiiij Burgeysis in lawe best I-lerid,
Rehersyng hem the plees, & how Geffrey answerid;
‘And on lyffe & lym, & forfetur/ of good,
And as they wold nat lese the ball within hir hood,
To drawe a-part to-gidir, & by hir al assent
Spare no man on lyve, to gyve trewe Iugement.’

And when these xxiiij burgeysis had I-herd

116

The charge of the Steward; riȝt sore þey wer aferd
To lese hir owne lyvis, but they demyd trowith;
And eke of hir neyȝbours þey had grete rowith;
ffor they perseyvid clerelich, in þe plee þurh-oute,
Hir ffrendis had þe wors[e] side; þerof þey had no doute:
“And yff wee deme trewly, þey wol be sore anoyid;
Ȝit it is bettir, then wee be shamyd & distroyed.”
And a-noon þey were accordit, & seyd[en] with Beryn,
And demed euery pleyntyff to make a grete fyne
With Beryn, & hym submyt hoolich to his grace,
Body, good, & catell, for wrong & hir trespase,
So ferforth, till atte last It was so boute I-bore,
That Beryn had the dobill good, þat he had to-fore;
And with Ioy & myrth, with al his company,
He drouȝe hym to his Shippis ward, with song & melody.

The Steward & þe Burgeyse from þe court[e] bent,
In-to hir/ owne placis; & evir as they went,
They talkid of þe Romeyns, howe sotil [þat] the[y] were,
To aray hym like a fole, þat for hem shuld answere.
“What vaylith it,” quod hanybald, “to angir or to curs?
And ȝit I am in certen, I shall fare the wers
All the dayis of my lyff for þis dayis pleding;
And so shall al the remnaunt, & hir hondis wryng,
Both Serophanus, & þe blynde, þe vomman, & machayn,
And be bet a-visid er they efft-sonys pleyn;
And all othir personys with-in this [ilk] Cete,
Mell the les with Romeyns, whil[e]s þey here be.
ffor such a-nothir fole was nevir ȝit I-born!
ffor he did nauȝt ellis, but evir with vs scorn
Tyl he had vs cauȝt, even by the shyn,
With his sotill wittis, in our/ owne gren.”

Nowe woll I retourne to Beryn ageyn,
That of his grete lukir, in hert[e] was riȝte feyn;
And so was all his meyne, as hem ouȝte wele,

117

That they were so delyverid from turment like to hell,
And graciusly relevid out of hir grete myscheff,
And [were] I-set above in comforte & boncheff.
“Now, in soth,” quod Beryn, “It may nat be denyed;
Nad Geffrey & his wit [i]be, wee had be distroyed!
I-thankid be almyȝty God omnipotent,
That, for our consolacioune, Geffrey to vs sent!
And in protest opynly, here a-mong ȝewe all,
Halff my good, whils þat I lyve, what-euer me be-fall,
I graunt it here to Geffrey, to gyve[n] or to sell,
And nevir to part from me, yf it were his will;
And fare as wele as I, amorowe & eke on eve,
And nevir, for man on lyve, his company for to leve.”
“Graunt mercy, sir!” quod Geffrey, “yeur/ profir is feir & grete;
But I desir no more, but as yee me behete,
To brynge me at Room, for þis is covenaunte.”
“It shall be do,” [quod] Beryn, “and al the rem[e]naunte.
Depardeux,” quod Geffrey, “therof wee shull wele do:”
He rayid hym [tho] othir-wise; & without wordis mo,
They went[en] to þe dyner, the hole company,
With pipis & with trompis, & othir melody.

And in the myddis of hir mete, gentil vommen fyve,
Maydyns fressh atirid, as myȝt[e] be on lyve,
Com from þe duke Isope, lord of þat Regioune,
Everich with a present, & þat of grete renown:
The first, [she] bare a cup of gold, & of asure fyne,
So corouse & so nobill, þat I can nat devyne.
The second brouȝt a swerd I-shethid, with seynture
I-fretid all with perelis orient & pure.
The þird[e] had a mantell of lusty fressh coloure;
The vttir part of purpill, I-furrid with peloure.
The ferth, a cloth of gold, a worthy & a riche,
That nevir man to-fore sawe cloith it liche.
The ffifft bare a palme, þat stode to-fore the deyse,
I[n] tokyn & in signe of trowith & [of] pese:

118

ffor þat was þe custom, þurh al the contray.
The message was the levir, & more plesant to pay;
The Cup was vncoverid, þe swerd was out I-brayid,
The mantell was vnfold, þe cloth a-long a-leyid;
They knelid a-down echeon, riȝt to-fore Beryn;
The first did the message, þat tauȝt was wel a fyne:
“Isope,” she seyd, “sir Beryn, þat is our/ lord riall,
And gretith ȝewe, & sendith ȝewe these presentis all;
And Ioy hath of yeur/ wisdom, & of yeur/ governaunce,
And preyith ȝewe to com, & have with hym plesaunce
To morowe, & se his palyse, & to sport ȝewe ther,
Yee & all yeur company.” Beryn made noon answer,
But sat still, and beheld þe vommen, & þe sondys;
And aftirward avisely the swerd[e] first he hondis,
And comaundit ther-with-all þe vymmen wassh & sitt,
And pryvelich chargit officers, þat with al hir witt
To serve hem of the best, & make hem hertly cher;
Resseyving al the presentis in worshipfull manere.
I can nat wele expres the Ioy[e] þat þey had—
But I suppose, to-fore þat day, þat þey were nat so glad,—
That they were so a-scapid fortune & myscheff;
And þonkid God above, þat al thing doith releff;
ffor ‘aftir mysty cloudis þere comyth a cler sonne;’
So ‘aftir bale comyth bote,’ who-so bydë conne.
The Ioy & nobley þat they had, whils they were at mete,
It vaylith nat at this tyme, ther-of long to trete.

But Geffrey sat wit B[eryn], as he had servid wele;
Hir/ hedis they leyd to-gidir, & begon to tell
In what maner the vymmen shuld be answerid.
Geffrey evir avisid Beryn: ther-of he leryd,
And of othir thingis, howe he hym shuld govern;
Beryn saverid wele ther-on, & fast he gan to lern.

When all were vp, the vymmen cam to take hir leve:
Beryn, as sat hym wele of blode, hem toward gan releve,
And preyd hem hertly hym to recomende

119

Vnto þe worthy lordshipp of Isope; (þat ȝewe sende
To me that am vnworthy, save of his grete nobley;)
And thank hym of his gyfftis, as ye can best, & sey,
“To-morow I woll be redy, his hest to fulfill,
With this I have save condit, I may com hym till,
ffor me, & al my feleshippe, saff to com & go;
Trustyng in his discrecioune, þat þouȝe I ax[e] so,
He wol nat be displesid: for in my contray
It hath evir be the custom, & is in-to this day,
That yf a lord riall desirith for to see
Eny maner persone, þat is of las degre;
Ere he approche his presence, he woll have in his honde
A saff condit enselid, or els som othir bonde,
That he may com & pas without[en] disturbaunce:
Thurh-oute all our/ marchis it is the observaunce.”

This wymmen toke hir leve without[en] wordis mo,
Repeyryng on-to Isope; & al at it was do
They rehersid redely (& faylid nevir a word,)
To Isope with his baronage, þere he sat at his borde,
Talkyng fast of Romayns, & of hir hiȝe prudence,
That in so many daungers made so wise defence.

But as sone as Isope had pleynlich I-herd
Of Beryns governaunce, þat first sesid þe swerd,
Afore all othir presentis, he demed in his minde,
That Beryn was I-com[en] of som nobill kynde.

The nyȝt was past, þe morowe cam; Isope had nat forȝete:
He chargit Barons twelff, with Beryn for to mete,
To cond his saff, & his meyne; & al perfourmyd was.

Thre dayis there they sportid hym in myrth & [in] solas;
That þurh the wise instruccioune of Geffrey, nyȝt & day,
Beryn plesid Isope with wordis al to pay;
And had hym so in port, & [eke] in governaunce,
Of alle honest myrthis, & witty daliaunce,

120

That Isope cast his chere to Beryn so groundly,
That atte last there was no man with Isope so pryvy:
Resorting to his Shippis, comyng to & fro,
Thurh þe wit of Geffrey, þat ech day it fil so,
That Isope coude no chere when Beryn was absent;
So [þat] Beryn must nedis ech day be aftir sent:
And chefe he was of counsell, with-in the first[e] ȝere;
Thurh þe wit of Geffrey, þat ech day did hym lere.

This Isope had a douȝtir, be-twen hym & his wyffe,
That was as feir/ a creature as myȝt[e] bere lyff;
Wise, & eke bountevouse, & benyng with-all,
That heir/ shuld be, aftir his day, of his lordshippis all.
So, shortly to conclude, the mariage was made
Be-twene hir & Beryn; many a man to glade,
Saff the Burgeysis of the town, of falshede þat were rote:
But they were evir hold so lowë vndirfoot,
That they [ne] myȝte nat regne, but atte last [were] fawe
To leve[n] hir/ condicioune, & hir/ fals[e] lawe:
Beryn & [eke] Geffrey made[n] hem so tame,
That they amendit ech[e] day, & gate a bettir name.

Thus Geffrey made Beryn his enmyes to ovir-com,
And brouȝt hym [un]to worshipp þurh his [grete] wisdom.
Now God vs graunt[e] grace to fynde such a frende,
When wee have nede! And thus I make an ende.

Nomen Autoris presentis Cronica Rome
Et translatoris / Filius ecclesie Thome.