A Frankĕlein' was in this compagnie :
White was his berd, as is the dayësiè.
Of his complexion he was sanguin.

Wel loved he by the morwe a sop in win3.
To liven in delit was ever his wone,
For he was Epicurès owen sone,
That held opinion, that plein delit
Was veraily felicitè parfitè.

An housholder, and that a grete was he;
Seint Julian he was in his contrée.
His brede, his ale, was alway after on;
A better envyned' man was no wher non.
Withouten bake mete never was his hous,
Of fish and flesh, and that so plenteous,
It snewed in his hous of mete and drinke,
Of alle deintees that men coud of thinke,
After the sondry sesons of the yere,
So changed he his mete and his soupère.
Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in mewe”,
And many a breme, and many a luce in stewe.
Wo was his coke, but if his saucè were
Poinant and sharpe, and redy all his gere.
His table dormant in his halle alwày
Stode redy covered alle the longè day.

At sessions ther was he lord and sire.
Ful often time he was knight of the shire.

A freeholder of considerable estate.

> Wine. + The saint of hospitality.

6 It snewed, i. e. there was great abundance. • Fixed ready.

Morning.

5 Stored with wine.

7 Secret.

An anelace1 and a gipciere2 all of silk,

Heng at his girdel, white as morwè milk.

A shereve hadde he ben, and a countoùr*.
Was no wher swiche a worthy vavasour3.
An Haberdasher, and a Carpenter,
A Webbe, a Deyer, and a Tapiser?,
Were alle yclothed in o liverè,
Of a solempne and grete fraternité.
Ful freshe and newe hir9gere ypiked 10 was.
Hir knivès were ychaped not with bras,
But all with silver wrought ful clene and wel,
Hir girdeles and hir pouches every del 11.
Wel semed eche of hem a fayre burgeis
To sitten in a gild halle, on the deis 13.
Everich, for the wisdom that he can,
Was shapelich1 for to ben an alderman.
For catel hadden they ynough and rent,
And eke hir wivès wolde it well assent:
And ellès 15 certainly they were to blame.
It is ful fayre to ben ycleped madàme,
And for to gon to vigiles all before,
And have a mantel reallich 16 ybore".

129

> Morning.

4 Mr. Tyrwhitt conjectures, but merely offers it as a conjecture, that the contour was foreman of the hundred court.

5 Vavasour. Of this term Mr. T. is doubtful of the meaning.

11 Every way.

s Livery.
9 10 Their
12 Burgher.

13 The deis; a part of the hall that was floored and set apart

for a place of respect.-Tyrwhitt.

14 Fit.

15 Else.

A Coke they hadden with hem for the nones',
To boile the chikenes and the marie bones,
And poudre marchant, tart and galingale3.
Wel coude he knowe a draught of London ale.
He coudé roste, and sethe, and broile, and frie,
Maken mortrewès, and wel bake a pie.

But gret harm was it, as it thoughtè me,
That on his shinne a mormal1 haddè he.
For blanc manger that made he with the best.
A Shipman was ther, woned fer by West:
For ought I wote, he was of Dertèmouth.
He rode upon a rouncie 7, as he couthe,
All in a goune of falding to the knee.
A dagger hanging by a las hadde hee
About his nekke under his arm adoun.

The hote sommer hadde made his hewe al broun.
And certainly he was a good felaw.

Ful many a draught of win he haddè draw

From Burdeux ward, while that the chapman slepe.
Of nicè conscience toke he no kepe.

If that he faught, and hadde the higher hand,
By water he sent hem home to every land.

But of his craft to reken wel his tides,

His stremès and his strandès him besides,

1 For the purpose.

The meaning not ascertained. 3 Sweet cyperus.

A dish of rich broth, in which the meat was stamped and the substance strained.

5 A gangrene.

6 Lived. 7 Hack-horse.

6 Lace.

His herberwe', his mone', and his lodemanage3,
Ther was non swiche, from Hull unto Cartage.
Hardy he was, and wise, I undertake :
With many a tempest hadde his berd be shake.
He knew wel alle the havens, as they were,
Fro Gotland, to the Cape de finistere,
And every creke in Bretagne and in Spaine:
His barge ycleped was the Magdelaine.

With us ther was a Doctour of Phisike,
In all this world ne was ther non him like
To speke of phisike, and of surgerie:
For he was grounded in astronomie.
He kept his patient a ful gret del
In hourès by his magike naturel.
Wel coude he fortunen the ascendent 5
Of his images for his patient.

He knew the cause of every maladie,
Were it of cold, or hote, or moist, or drie,
And wher engendred, and of what humour,
He was a veray parfite practisour.

The cause yknowe, and of his harm the rote",
Anon he gave to the sikè man his bote7.
Ful redy hadde he his apothecaries
To send him draggès, and his lettuaries?,
For eche of hem made other for to winne;
Hir frendship n'as not newè to beginne.

Wel knew he the old Esculapius,
And Dioscorides, and eke Rufùs;
Old Hippocras, Hali, and Gallien,
Serapion, Rasis, and Avicen;
Averrois, Damascene, and Constantin;
Bernard, and Gatisden, and Gilbertin.
Of his diete mesúrable was he,
For it was of no superfluitee,

But of gret nourishing, and digestible.
His studie was but litel on the Bible.
In sanguin 1 and in perse2 he clad was alle
Lined with taffata, and with sendalle 3.
And yet he was but esy of dispence*:
He kepte that he wan' in the pestilence.
For golde in phisike is a cordial ;
Therefore he loved gold in special.

A good Wif was ther of beside Bathe,

But she was som del defe, and that was scathe.
Of cloth making she haddè swiche an haunt,
She passed hem of Ipres, and of Gaunt.
In all the parish wif ne was ther non,
That to the offring before hire shulde gon,
And if ther did, certain so wroth was she,
That she was out of allè charitee.
Hire coverchiefs weren ful fine of ground;
I dorstè swere, they weyeden a pound;

1 Blood-red colour.

3 Thin silk. 4 Expense. 7 Weighed.

Sky-coloured, or blueish grey.

5 Gained, got.

6

Misfortune.