Geoffrey Chaucer

“ Nis nat gold, as that I have herd it told; (410)
Ne every appel that is fair at yë
Ne is nat good, what-so men clappe or crye. 965
Right so, lo! fareth it amonges us;
He that semeth the wysest, by Iesus!
Is most fool, whan it cometh to the preef;
And he that semeth trewest is a theef;
That shul ye knowe, er that I fro yow wende, 970
By that I of my tale have maad an ende.
Explicit prima pars. Et sequitur pars secunda.
Ther is a chanoun of religioun
Amonges us, wolde infecte al a toun, (420)
Though it as greet were as was Ninivee,
Rome, Alisaundre, Troye, and othere three. ”

“ They mowe wel chiteren, as doon thise Iayes,
And in her termes sette hir lust and peyne,
But to hir purpos shul they never atteyne.
A man may lightly lerne, if he have aught, 1400
To multiplye, and bringe his good to naught! ”

“ I wol yow teche pleynly the manere,
How I can werken in philosophye.
Taketh good heed, ye shul wel seen at yë,
That I wol doon a maistrie er I go.' 1060
'Ye,' quod the preest, 'ye, sir, and wol ye so?
Marie! ther-of I pray yow hertely!'
'At your comandement, sir, trewely,' (510)
Quod the chanoun, 'and elles god forbede!'
Lo, how this theef coude his servyse bede! ”

“ For al the good he spendeth ther-aboute,
He lese shal, ther-of have I no doute. (280)
Who-so that listeth outen his folye,
Lat him come forth, and lerne multiplye; 835
And every man that oght hath in his cofre,
Lat him appere, and wexe a philosofre.
Ascaunce that craft is so light to lere?
Nay, nay, god woot, al be he monk or frere,
Preest or chanoun, or any other wight, 840
Though he sitte at his book bothe day and night,
In lernyng of this elvish nyce lore,
Al is in veyn, and parde, mochel more! (290)
To lerne a lewed man this subtiltee,
Fy! spek nat ther-of, for it wol nat be ”

“ God it amende, I can sey yow na-more.'
'Ther-of no fors, good yeman,' quod our host;
'Sin of the conning of thy lord thou wost, (100)
Tel how he dooth, I pray thee hertely,
Sin that he is so crafty and so sly. 655
Wher dwellen ye, if it to telle be?'
'In the suburbes of a toun,' quod he,
'Lurkinge in hernes and in lanes blinde,
Wher-as thise robbours and thise theves by kinde
Holden hir privee fereful residence, 660
As they that dar nat shewen hir presence;
So faren we, if I shal seye the sothe.'
'Now,' quod our host, 'yit lat me talke to the ”

“ Whan that this preest thus was bigyled ageyn,
Supposing noght but trouthe, soth to seyn, 1285
He was so glad, that I can nat expresse
In no manere his mirthe and his gladnesse;
And to the chanoun he profred eftsone
Body and good; 'ye,' quod the chanoun sone,
'Though povre I be, crafty thou shalt me finde; 1290
I warne thee, yet is ther more bihinde.
Is ther any coper her-inne?' seyde he.
'Ye,' quod the preest, 'sir, I trowe wel ther be.' (740)
'Elles go by us som, and that as swythe,
Now, gode sir, go forth thy wey and hy the.' 1295 ”

“ Putte in your hand, and loketh what is ther.'
This preest took up this silver teyne anon, 1330
And thanne seyde the chanoun, 'lat us gon
With thise three teynes, which that we han wroght,
To som goldsmith, and wite if they been oght. (780)
For, by my feith, I nolde, for myn hood,
But-if that they were silver, fyn and good, 1335
And that as swythe preved shal it be.'
Un-to the goldsmith with thise teynes three
They wente, and putte thise teynes in assay
To fyr and hamer; mighte no man sey nay,
But that they weren as hem oghte be. 1340
This sotted preest, who was gladder than he? ”

“ Stinketh, as witnessen thise olde wyse;
And that ful sone I wol it verifye
In this chanoun, rote of al trecherye,
That ever-more delyt hath and gladnesse— 1070
Swich feendly thoughtes in his herte impresse—
How Cristes peple he may to meschief bringe;
God kepe us from his fals dissimulinge! (520)
Noght wiste this preest with whom that he delte,
Ne of his harm cominge he no-thing felte. 1075
O sely preest! o sely innocent!
With coveityse anon thou shall be blent!
O gracelees, ful blind is thy conceit,
No-thing ne artow war of the deceit
Which that this fox y-shapen hath to thee! ”

“ Nis nat gold, as that I have herd it told; ”

“ Of quik-silver, y-clept Mercurie crude?
For alle our sleightes we can nat conclude. (220)
Our orpiment and sublymed Mercurie,
Our grounden litarge eek on the porphurie, 775
Of ech of thise of ounces a certeyn
Nought helpeth us, our labour is in veyn.
Ne eek our spirites ascencioun,
Ne our materes that lyen al fixe adoun,
Mowe in our werking no-thing us avayle. 780
For lost is al our labour and travayle,
And al the cost, a twenty devel weye,
Is lost also, which we upon it leye. (230)
Ther is also ful many another thing
That is unto our craft apertening ”

“ Ther coude no man wryten, as I gesse,
Thogh that he mighte liven a thousand yeer.
In al this world of falshede nis his peer;
For in his termes so he wolde him winde, 980
And speke his wordes in so sly a kinde,
Whan he commune shal with any wight,
That he wol make him doten anon right, (430)
But it a feend be, as him-selven is.
Ful many a man hath he bigyled er this, 985
And wol, if that he live may a whyle;
And yet men ryde and goon ful many a myle
Him for to seke and have his aqueyntaunce,
Noght knowinge of his false governaunce. ”

“ Ther was defaute in som-what, wel I woot.'
Another seyde, the fyr was over hoot:— 955
But, be it hoot or cold, I dar seye this,
That we concluden evermore amis.
We fayle of that which that we wolden have,
And in our madnesse evermore we rave.
And whan we been togidres everichoon, 960
Every man semeth a Salomon. ”

“ Though that the feend noght in our sighte him shewe,
I trowe he with us be, that ilke shrewe!
In helle wher that he is lord and sire,
Nis ther more wo, ne more rancour ne ire.
Whan that our pot is broke, as I have sayd, 920
Every man chit, and halt him yvel apayd. ”

“ For quik-silver, that we it hadde anon; (550)
And lat him bringen ounces two or three;
And whan he comth, as faste shul ye see 1105
A wonder thing, which ye saugh never er this.'
'Sir,' quod the preest, 'it shal be doon, y-wis.'
He bad his servant fecchen him this thing,
And he al redy was at his bidding,
And wente him forth, and cam anon agayn 1110
With this quik-silver, soothly for to sayn,
And took thise ounces three to the chanoun;
And he hem leyde fayre and wel adoun, (560)
And bad the servant coles for to bringe,
That he anon mighte go to his werkinge. ”

“ Than had this preest this sory craft to lere;
And to the chanoun thus he spak and seyde, 1350
'For love of god, that for us alle deyde,
And as I may deserve it un-to yow,
What shal this receit coste? telleth now!' (800)
'By our lady,' quod this chanoun, 'it is dere,
I warne yow wel; for, save I and a frere, 1355
In Engelond ther can no man it make.'
'No fors,' quod he, 'now, sir, for goddes sake,
What shal I paye? telleth me, I preye.'
'Y-wis,' quod he, 'it is ful dere, I seye ”

“ And in the water-vessel he it caste
Whan that him luste, and bad the preest as faste, 1235
'Look what ther is, put in thyn hand and grope,
Thow finde shalt ther silver, as I hope;
What, devel of helle! sholde it elles be? ”

“ Lat take another ounce,' quod he tho,
'Of quik-silver, with-outen wordes mo, 1255
And do ther-with as ye han doon er this
With that other, which that now silver is.'
This preest him bisieth in al that he can
To doon as this chanoun, this cursed man,
Comanded him, and faste he blew the fyr, 1260
For to come to theffect of his desyr.
And this chanoun, right in the mene whyle,
Al redy was, the preest eft to bigyle, (710)
And, for a countenance, in his hande he bar
An holwe stikke (tak keep and be war!) ”

“ Er he cam ther, him to bigyle he thoghte,
And so he dide, er that they wente a-twinne; 1170
Til he had terved him, coude he not blinne.
It dulleth me whan that I of him speke,
On his falshede fayn wolde I me wreke, (620)
If I wiste how; but he is heer and ther:
He is so variaunt, he abit no-wher. 1175
But taketh heed now, sirs, for goddes love!
He took his cole of which I spak above,
And in his hond he baar it prively.
And whyls the preest couchede busily
The coles, as I tolde yow er this, 1180
This chanoun seyde, 'freend, ye doon amis ”

“ He wente his wey and never the preest him sy
After that day; and whan that this preest sholde
Maken assay, at swich tyme as he wolde, (830)
Of this receit, far-wel! it wolde nat be!
Lo, thus byiaped and bigyled was he! 1385
Thus maketh he his introduccioun
To bringe folk to hir destruccioun.—
Considereth, sirs, how that, in ech estaat,
Bitwixe men and gold ther is debaat
So ferforth, that unnethes is ther noon. ”

“ Of alle thise names now wol I me reste.
For, as I trowe, I have yow told y-nowe 860
To reyse a feend, al loke he never so rowe.
A! nay! lat be; the philosophres stoon,
Elixir clept, we sechen faste echoon ”

“ E. subtiltee; rest sotilte, sotiltie; see l. 620.—1249. E. preest; rest chanoun.—1260. E. he; rest om.—1265. Hl. keep; E. kepe; Cm. keepe; rest hede.—1268. E. omits Was.—1272. Lichf. Ln. pouder; Cm. poudere; E. Cp. poudre.—1274. E. terve; Cm. Pt. turne; rest torne.—1277. E. Cm. Iet ( = jet) ; Hl. get; Ln. gett; Cp. Pt. gette.—1283. Cm. goode: E. good; see l. 1295.—Cp. Pt. Ln. The preest supposede nothing but wel.—1284. Cp. Pt. Ln. But busyed him faste, and was wonder fayn.—1286. E. ne kan; rest omit ne.—1292. So all.—1295. Cm. Hl. goode; E. good; rest omit.—1301. E. Cm. alle; rest omit ”