Canterbury Tales (ed. Skeat)/Cook
THE COOK'S PROLOGUE.
The prologe of the Cokes Tale.
The Cook of London, whyl the Reve spak, 4325
For Ioye, him thoughte, he clawed him on the bak,
'Ha! ha!' quod he, 'for Cristes passioun,
This miller hadde a sharp conclusioun
Upon his argument of herbergage!
Wel seyde Salomon in his langage, 4330
"Ne bringe nat every man in-to thyn hous;"
For herberwing by nighte is perilous.
Wel oghte a man avysed for to be
Whom that he broghte in-to his privetee. (10)
I pray to god, so yeve me sorwe and care, 4335
If ever, sith I highte Hogge of Ware,
Herde I a miller bettre y-set a-werk.
He hadde a Iape of malice in the derk.
But god forbede that we stinten here;
And therfore, if ye vouche-sauf to here 4340
A tale of me, that am a povre man,
I wol yow telle as wel as ever I can
A litel Iape that fil in our citee.'
Our host answerde, and seide, 'I graunte it thee; (20)
Now telle on, Roger, loke that it be good; 4345
For many a pastee hastow laten blood,
And many a Iakke of Dover hastow sold
That hath been twyes hoot and twyes cold.
Of many a pilgrim hastow Cristes curs,
For of thy persly yet they fare the wors, 4350
That they han eten with thy stubbel-goos;
For in thy shoppe is many a flye loos.
Now telle on, gentil Roger, by thy name.
But yet I pray thee, be nat wrooth for game, (30)
A man may seye ful sooth in game and pley.' 4355
'Thou seist ful sooth,' quod Roger, 'by my fey,
But "sooth pley, quaad pley," as the Fleming seith;
And ther-fore, Herry Bailly, by thy feith,
Be thou nat wrooth, er we departen heer,
Though that my tale be of an hostileer. 4360
But nathelees I wol nat telle it yit,
But er we parte, y-wis, thou shalt be quit.'
And ther-with-al he lough and made chere,
And seyde his tale, as ye shul after here. (40)
Thus endeth the Prologe of the Cokes tale.
THE COKES TALE.
Heer bigynneth the Cokes tale.
A prentis whylom dwelled in our citee, 4365
And of a craft of vitaillers was he;
Gaillard he was as goldfinch in the shawe,
Broun as a berie, a propre short felawe,
With lokkes blake, y-kempt ful fetisly.
Dauncen he coude so wel and Iolily, 4370
That he was cleped Perkin Revelour.
He was as ful of love and paramour
As is the hyve ful of hony swete;
Wel was the wenche with him mighte mete. (10)
At every brydale wolde he singe and hoppe, 4375
He loved bet the taverne than the shoppe.
For whan ther any ryding was in Chepe,
Out of the shoppe thider wolde he lepe.
Til that he hadde al the sighte y-seyn,
And daunced wel, he wolde nat come ageyn. 4380
And gadered him a meinee of his sort
To hoppe and singe, and maken swich disport.
And ther they setten Steven for to mete
To pleyen at the dys in swich a strete. (20)
For in the toune nas ther no prentys, 4385
That fairer coude caste a paire of dys
Than Perkin coude, and ther-to he was free
Of his dispense, in place of privetee.
That fond his maister wel in his chaffare;
For often tyme he fond his box ful bare. 4390
For sikerly a prentis revelour,
That haunteth dys, riot, or paramour,
His maister shal it in his shoppe abye,
Al have he no part of the minstralcye; (30)
For thefte and riot, they ben convertible, 4395
Al conne he pleye on giterne or ribible.
Revel and trouthe, as in a low degree,
They been ful wrothe al day, as men may see.
This Ioly prentis with his maister bood,
Til he were ny out of his prentishood, 4400
Al were he snibbed bothe erly and late,
And somtyme lad with revel to Newgate;
But atte laste his maister him bithoghte,
Up-on a day, whan he his paper soghte, (40)
Of a proverbe that seith this same word, 4405
'Wel bet is roten appel out of hord
Than that it rotie al the remenaunt.'
So fareth it by a riotous servaunt;
It is wel lasse harm to lete him pace,
Than he shende alle the servants in the place. 4410
Therfore his maister yaf him acquitance,
And bad him go with sorwe and with meschance;
And thus this Ioly prentis hadde his leve.
Now lat him riote al the night or leve. (50)
And for ther is no theef with-oute a louke, 4415
That helpeth him to wasten and to souke
Of that he brybe can or borwe may,
Anon he sente his bed and his array
Un-to a compeer of his owne sort,
That lovede dys and revel and disport, 4420
And hadde a wyf that heeld for countenance
A shoppe, and swyved for hir sustenance. 4422
Of this Cokes tale maked Chaucer na more.
Variae Lectiones, etc.
3862. E. Pt. om. is.—3865. E. Ln. eye.—3867. E. Hn. no (for not).—3869. Hl. My (for This).—3870. E. mowled also.—3872. E. leng; Ln. longe: rest lenger.—3876. E. ay whil that; Hn. alwey whil þat; rest alwey while.—3885. E. eelde.—3886. E. vnweelde.—3893. Hn. sith; E. sithe.—3904. E. Cm. And; rest Or.—All but Hn. om. 2nd a.—3907. Cp. Pt. Ln. that (for ther).—3908. Pt. hie (for al).—3912. In margin of E.—vim vi repellere.—3918. Hl. tobreke; Pt. alto-breke.—3919. Pt. ye; Cp. ȝe; rest eye.—3923. E. Hn. Cm. which; rest whiche.—3928. Hl. wrastle wel (om. and).—3934. Hl. camois; Pt. camoyse.—3939. E. was of corn and eek of Mele.—3941. E. Cp. Hl. hoote; Cm. hotyn; rest hoten.—Pt. deyneȝouse.—3944. panne] Cm. peny.—3948. E. But if; rest But.—3949. Hn. Cm. Pt. yemanrye.—3950. E. Hn. Pt. peert.—3951. Cm. Hl. on; rest vp-on.—3953. Cm. boundyn; Pt. bounden; Hn. Cp. Ln. wounden; Hl. ybounde.—3956. Hl. ma dame.—3958. Hl. elles (for ones).—3959. Hl. Symekyn.—3965. Hn. Cm. And; rest As.—Hl. bissemare; Cp. bisemare; E. Hn. Pt. Ln. bismare.—3974. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. camoys.—MSS. eyen, eyȝen.—3975. E. Cm. om. With.—3977. E. Cm. This; rest The.—3987. E. Cm. sokene.—4002. Pt. Ln. Than; rest Thanne.—4004. Pt. Teestif.—4005. Ln. revelrie; rest reuerye; ed. 1561, reuelry.—4013. E. highte (1st); heet (2nd). Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. hight.—4019. E. Cm. Pt. om. with.—4020. Cp. needede (see l. 4161); E. Hn. Pt. neded; Cm. Hl. nedyth; Ln. nedeþ.—4022. Hn. Symkyn; rest Symond, Symon; see l. 4026.—4027. E. boes (= North. E. bus); Hn. Cp. bihoues; Pt. Ln. byhoueþ; Cm. muste; Hl. falles.—4033. E. Hn. Cp. heythen; Ln. hethen (the right form); Cm. hene; Pt. hepen (for heþen).—4036. E. hopur.—4040. Cp. Hl. and; rest om.—4044. E. Cm. yfayth.—4045. Cm. Pt. is (for are); Ln. es.—4049. E. Ln. eye.—4051. E. Hn. Cp. Ln. crekes; Hl. knakkes.—4053. E. stide.—4054. E. Cm. Hl. om. the.—4056. Cm. I counte; Hl. ne counte I; rest counte I.—4061. Cm. Cp. Ln. Hl. leuesel; E. lefsel; Hn. leefsel.—4064. E. Hn. Cp. Ln. laus; Hl. loos; Cm. los; Pt. louse; see l. 4138.—4069. E. weel.—4074. E. out; Hn. Cm. Cp. Pt. Ln. of; Hl. on.—4078. E. geen; Hn. Ln. gane; Hl. gan; Cm. Cp. Pt. gon.—4082. E. Hn. boond.—4084. E. Cm. om. Iohn.—4087. E. Hn. god; rest goddes, goddis.—4088. E. Hn. Cm. pit; rest put (putte).—4094. E. om. a.—4101. Cm. ware þe rere; Hl. ware derere; rest warderere; ed. 1561, wartherere.—4104. E. do; Cm. don; rest dide (did).—4107. Cm. beste; E. Hn. beest.—4110. E. Hl. dryue; rest dryuen (dreven).—4111. E. stoln me.—4123. E. Hn. Argumentz; Cm. argumentis; Cp. Hl. argumentes.—4126. E. in (for is).—4128. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. mery; E. Hn. myrie.—4129. E. taa; Cm. tan; Pt. taken; Hn. tak; Cp. take.—4131. E. Hn. hoost; Hl. host ful; Pt. hooste; Cp. Ln. ooste.—4134. Hl. na; Cp. naan; E. Hn. Cm. none; Pt. not.—4138. E. Hn. Cp. boond.—E. nat; Cm. not; Hn. namoore; Cp. namore; Pt. Ln. Hl. no more.—4147. E. drynke; Hn. Cp. Pt. drynken; Hl. Cm. dronken.—4151. Hl. yoxeth.—4160. E. wente; rest gooth (goth).—4161. Cp. needede (see l. 4020); rest neded.—4162. Hl. wysly; Cm. wysely; E. wisely; rest wisly.—4166. Hl. Cp. a (for two).—4170. Cp. Herdestow; Cm. Ln. Herdist thou; Hl. Herdistow; E. Herdtow; Hn. Herd thow.—4171. E. whilk; Hn. Cp. Ln. swilke; Cm. swich; Pt. sclike; Hl. slik.—4171. Ln. compline; Hn. conplyng; Pt. conplinge; Hl. couplyng (wrongly); E. cowplyng; Cm. copil.—4181. Hl. (margin) Qui in vno grauatur in alio debet releuari.—4183. E. Cm. shortly; rest sothly. —E. is; rest it is. —Hn. Hl. na; E. ne; rest no (non).—4185. E. neen; Hn. naan; Hl. nan; rest non (noon); so in 4187.—4206. E. Cm. sek; rest sak.—4213. E. the; rest his.—4217. E. Hn. Pt. foond.—4223. E. Hn. foond.—4226. to] Cm. bi.—4230. E. myrie; om. ne.—4231. E. soore; Cm. sore; rest depe (deepe).—4234. Cm. Ln. Pt. wex; rest wax.—4236. Cm. Cp. Hl. far; rest fare; see note.—4246. Cm. halp; E. Hn. heelp.—4277. in] Hn. on.—4278. Hl. walweden as pigges.—4280. Hn. on; Cm. aȝen; rest at.—4283. E. lite; Cm. lyte; rest litel.—4286. Cm. Pt. Ln. Bromeholm; rest Bromholm.—4290. Cp. Ln. vp (twice). E. Hn. Cm. Pt. Hl. vp on (for 1st up).—E. Cm. Pt. Hl. on (Hn. vp); for 2nd vp.—4292. E. Cm. stirte.—E. soone (for faste).—4296. E. Hn. foond; Hl. took.—4301. Hl. ye; Hn. Iye; rest eye.—4307. E. Cm. Hl. And; rest That.—4309. Hl. greyth; Cm. hastede.—4320. E. Hn. yuele; Cm. euele.—4322. E. Trinitee; rest magestee (mageste).—Colophon. Hn. Hl. Here endeth the Reves tale.—4325. E. whil that the.—4332. Hl. herburgage.—4336. Hn. sith; E. sitthe; Hl. siþþe; Cp. Pt. Ln. sithen.—4339. Hn. Hl. stynten; E. stynte.—4339, 4340. Last two words glossed hic and audire in E. Hn.—4347. E. Hn. Cm. Ln. Douere.—E. Hn. soold.—4348. E. Hn. coold.—4350. Hl. persly; Hn. persle; E. percely.—4355. Hl. omits.—4357. E. Cm. quaad; Cp. Hl. quad; rest quade.—4359. E. na (for nat).—Colophon. In Pt.; Ln. Explicit prologus.—4366. E. vitailliers.—4369. E. ykempd; Hn. ykembd; rest ykempt.—4380. E. ayeyn.—4383. Pt. Ln. steuen; rest steuene.—4385. Pt. Ln. toune; rest toun.—4396. E. Ln. ribible; rest rubible.—4397. E. lowe.—4402. E. Newegate.—4404. E. Hn. Hl. papir.—4406. E. Hn. Cp. Hl. Appul.—4410. E. seruantz.—4415-22. Hl. omits.—4415. E. Hn. Cp. Ln. lowke; Pt. louke; Cm. loke.—4416. Pt. souke; rest sowke.—4419. E. compier; Hn. compeer; Cp. Pt. Ln. conpere.—Colophon. In Hn. only. Blank space in E.