|
With this Chanoun I dwelt have seven yeer, |
| And of his science am I never the neer. |
| Al that I hadde I have lost therby, |
170 | And, God woot, so hath many mo than I. |
| Ther I was wont to be right fressh and gay |
| Of clothyng and of oother good array, |
| Now may I were an hose upon myn heed; |
| And wher my colour was bothe fressh and reed |
175 | Now is it wan and of a leden hewe - |
| Whoso it useth, soore shal he rewe! - |
| And of my swynk yet blered is myn ye. |
| Lo, which avantage is to multiplie! |
| That slidynge science hath me maad so bare |
180 | That I have no good, wher that evere I fare; |
| And yet I am endetted so therby, |
| Of gold that I have borwed, trewely, |
| That whil I lyve I shal it quite nevere. |
| Lat every man be war by me for evere! |
185 | What maner man that casteth hym therto, |
| If he continue, I holde his thrift ydo. |
| For so helpe me God, therby shal he nat wynne, |
| But empte his purs, and make his wittes thynne. |
| And whan he, thurgh his madnesse and folye, |
190 | Hath lost his owene good thurgh jupartye, |
| Thanne he exciteth oother folk therto, |
| To lesen hir good, as he hymself hath do. |
| For unto shrewes joye it is and ese |
| To have hir felawes in peyne and disese. |
195 | Thus was I ones lerned of a clerk. |
| Of that no charge, I wol speke of oure werk. |
|
Whan we been there as we shul exercise |
| Oure elvysshe craft, we semen wonder wise, |
| Oure termes been so clerigal and so queynte. |
200 | I blowe the fir til that myn herte feynte. |
| What sholde I tellen ech proporcion |
| Of thynges whiche that we werche upon - |
| As on fyve or sixe ounces, may wel be, |
| Of silver, or som oother quantitee - |
205 | And bisye me to telle yow the names |
| Of orpyment, brent bones, iren squames, |
| That into poudre grounden been ful smal; |
| And in an erthen pot how put is al, |
| And salt yput in, and also papeer, |
210 | Biforn thise poudres that I speke of heer; |
| And wel ycovered with a lampe of glas; |
| And of muche oother thyng which that ther was; |
| And of the pot and glasses enlutyng, |
| That of the eyr myghte passe out nothyng; |
215 | And of the esy fir, and smart also, |
| Which that was maad, and of the care and wo |
| That we hadde in oure matires sublymyng, |
| And in amalgamyng and calcenyng |
| Of quyksilver, yclept mercurie crude? |
220 | For alle oure sleightes we kan nat conclude. |
| Oure orpyment and sublymed mercurie, |
| Oure grounden litarge eek on the porfurie, |
| Of ech of thise of ounces a certeyn -- |
| Noght helpeth us, oure labour is in veyn. |
225 | Ne eek oure spirites ascencioun, |
| Ne oure materes that lyen al fix adoun, |
| Mowe in oure werkyng no thyng us availle, |
| For lost is al oure labour and travaille; |
| And al the cost, a twenty devel waye, |
230 | Is lost also, which we upon it laye. |
|
Ther is also ful many another thyng |
| That is unto oure craft apertenyng. |
| Though I by ordre hem nat reherce kan, |
| By cause that I am a lewed man, |
235 | Yet wol I telle hem as they come to mynde, |
| Thogh I ne kan nat sette hem in hir kynde: |
| As boole armonyak, verdegrees, boras, |
| And sondry vessels maad of erthe and glas, |
| Oure urynales and oure descensories, |
240 | Violes, crosletz, and sublymatories, |
| Cucurbites and alambikes eek, |
| And othere swiche, deere ynough a leek. |
| Nat nedeth it for to reherce hem alle, -- |
| Watres rubifyng, and boles galle, |
245 | Arsenyk, sal armonyak and brymstoon; |
| And herbes koude I telle eek many oon, |
| As egremoyne, valerian, and lunarie, |
| And othere swiche, if that me liste tarie; |
| Oure lampes brennyng bothe nyght and day, |
250 | To brynge aboute oure purpos, if we may; |
| Oure fourneys eek of calcinacioun, |
| And of watres albificacioun; |
| Unslekked lym,chalk, and gleyre of an ey, |
| Poudres diverse, asshes, donge, pisse, and cley, |
255 | Cered pokkets, sal peter, vitriole, |
| And diverse fires maad of wode and cole; |
| Sal tartre, alkaly, and sal preparat, |
| And combust materes and coagulat; |
| Cley maad with hors of mannes heer, and oille |
260 | Of tartre, alum glas, berme, wort, and argoille, |
| Resalgar, and oure materes enbibyng, |
| And eek of oure materes encorporyng, |
| And of oure silver citrinacioun, |
| Oure cementyng and fermentacioun, |
265 | Oure yngottes, testes, and many mo. |
|
I wol yow telle, as was me taught also, |
| The foure spirites and the bodies sevene, |
| By ordre, as ofte I herde my lord hem nevene. |
| The firste spirit quyksilver called is, |
270 | The seconde orpyment, the thridde, ywis, |
| Sal armonyak, and the ferthe brymstoon. |
| The bodyes sevene eek, lo! hem heere anoon: |
| Sol gold is, and Luna silver we threpe, |
| Mars iren, Mercurie quyksilver we clepe, |
275 | Saturnus leed, and Juppiter is tyn, |
| And Venus coper, by my fader kyn! |
| This cursed craft whoso wole excercise, |
| He shal no good han that hym may suffise; |
| For al the good he spendeth theraboute |
280 | He lese shal; therof have I no doute. |
| Whoso that listeth outen his folie, |
| Lat hym come forth and lerne multiplie; |
| And every man that oght hath in his cofre, |
| Lat hym appiere, and wexe a philosophre. |
285 | Ascaunce that craft is so light to leere? |
| Nay, nay, God woot, al be he monk or frere, |
| Preest or chanoun, or any oother wyght, |
| Though he sitte at his book bothe day and nyght |
| In lernyng of this elvysshe nyce loore, |
290 | Al is in veyn, and parde! muchel moore. |
| To lerne a lewed man this subtiltee - |
| Fy! spek nat therof, for it wol nat bee; |
| And konne he letterure, or konne he noon, |
| As in effect, he shal fynde it al oon. |
295 | For bothe two, by my savacioun, |
| Concluden in multiplicacioun |
| Ylike wel, whan they han al ydo; |
| This is to seyn, they faillen bothe two. |
|
Yet forgat I to maken rehersaille |
300 | Of watres corosif, and of lymaille, |
| And of bodies mollificacioun, |
| And also of hire induracioun; |
| Oilles, ablucions, and metal fusible, - |
| To tellen al wolde passen any bible |
305 | That owher is; wherfore, as for beste, |
| Of alle thise names now wol I me reste. |
| For, as I trowe, I have yow toold ynowe |
| To reyse a feend, al looke he never so rowe. |
| A! Nay! Lat be; the philosophres stoon, |
310 | Elixer clept, we sechen faste echoon; |
| For hadde we hym, thanne were we siker ynow. |
| But unto God of hevene I make avow, |
| For al oure craft, whan we han al ydo, |
| And al oure sleighte, he wol nat come us to. |
315 | He hath ymaad us spenden muchel good, |
| For sorwe of which almoost we wexen wood, |
| But that good hope crepeth in oure herte, |
| Supposynge evere, though we sore smerte, |
| To be releeved by hym afterward. |
320 | Swich supposyng and hope is sharp and hard; |
| I warne yow wel, it is to seken evere. |
| That futur temps hath maad men to dissevere, |
| In trust therof, from al that evere they hadde. |
| Yet of that art they kan nat wexen sadde, |
325 | For unto hem it is a bitter sweete, - |
| So semeth it, - for nadde they but a sheete, |
| Which that they myghte wrappe hem inne a-nyght, |
| And a brat to walken inne by daylyght, |
| They wolde hem selle and spenden on this craft. |
330 | They kan nat stynte til no thyng be laft. |
| And everemoore, where that evere they goon |
| Men may hem knowe by smel of brymstoon. |
| For al the world they stynken as a goot; |
| Hir savour is so rammyssh and so hoot |
335 | That though a man from hem a mile be, |
| The savour wole infecte hym, trusteth me. |
| And thus by smel, and by threedbare array, |
| If that men liste, this folk they knowe may. |
| And if a man wole aske hem pryvely |
340 | Why they been clothed so unthriftily, |
| They right anon wol rownen is his ere, |
| And seyn that if that they espied were, |
| Men wolde hem slee by cause of hir science. |
| Lo, thus this folk bitrayen innocence! |
345 |
Passe over this; if go my tale unto. |
| Er that the pot be on the fir ydo, |
| Of metals with a certeyn quantitee, |
| My lord hem tempreth, and no man be he - |
| Now he is goon, I dar seyn boldely - |
350 | For, as men seyn, he kan doon craftily. |
| Algate I woot wel he hath swich a name, |
| And yet ful ofte he renneth in a blame. |
| And wite ye how? Ful ofte it happeth so, |
| The pot tobreketh, and farewel, al is go! |
355 | Thise metals been of so greet violence, |
| Oure walles mowe nat make hem resistence, |
| But if they weren wroght of lym and stoon; |
| They percen so, and thurgh the wal they goon. |
| And somme of hem synken into the ground - |
360 | Thus han we lost by tymes many a pound - |
| And somme are scatered al the floor aboute; |
| Somme lepe into the roof. Withouten doute, |
| Though that the feend noght in oure sighte hym shewe, |
| I trowe he with us be, that ilke shrewe! |
365 | In helle, where that he lord is and sire, |
| Nis ther moore wo, ne moore rancour ne ire. |
| Whan that oure pot is broke, as I have sayd, |
| Every man chit, and halt hym yvele apayd. |
| Somme seyde it was long on the fir makyng; |
370 | Somme seyde nay, it was on the blowyng, - |
| Thanne was I fered, for that was myn office. |
| "Straw!" quod the thridde, "ye been lewed and nyce. |
| It was nat tempred as it oghte be. |
| "Nay," quod the fourthe, "stynt and herkne me. |
375 | By cause oure fir ne was nat maad of beech, |
| That is the cause, and oother noon, so th'eech!" |
| I kan nat telle wheron it was long, |
| But wel I woot greet strif is us among. |
| "What," quod my lord, "ther is namoore to doone; |
380 | Of thise perils I wol be war eftsoone. |
| I am right siker that the pot was crased. |
| Be as be may, be ye no thyng amased; |
| As usage is, lat swepe the floor as swithe, |
| Plukke up youre hertes, and beeth glad and blithe." |
385 | The mullok on an heep ysweped was, |
| And on the floor ycast a canevas, |
| And al this mullok in a syve ythrowe, |
| And sifted, and ypiked mayn a throwe. |
|
"Pardee," quod oon, "somwhat of oure metal |
390 | Yet is ther heere, though that we han nat al. |
| Although this thyng myshapped have as now, |
| Another tyme it may be well ynow. |
| Us moste putte oure good in aventure. |
| A marchant, pardee, may nat ay endure, |
395 | Trusteth me wel, in his prosperitee. |
| Somtyme his good is drowned in the see, |
| And somtyme comth it sauf unto the londe." |
| "Pees!" quod my lord, the nexte tyme I wol fonde |
| To bryngen oure craft al in another plite, |
400 | And but I do, sires, lat me han the wite. |
| Ther was defaute in somwhat, wel I woot." |
| Another seyde the fir was over-hoot, - |
| But, be it hoot or coold, I dar seye this, |
| That we concluden everemoore amys. |
405 | We faille of that which that we wolden have, |
| And in oure madnesse everemoore we rave. |
| And whan we been togidres everichoon, |
| Every man semeth a Salomon. |
| But al thyng which that shineth as the gold |
410 | Nis nat gold, as that I have herd it told; |
| Ne every appul that is fair at eye |
| Ne is nat good, what so men clappe or crye. |
| Right so, lo, fareth it amonges us: |
| He that semeth the wiseste, by Jhesus! |
415 | Is moost fool, whan it cometh to the preef; |
| And he that semeth trewest is the theef. |
| That shul ye knowe, er that I fro yow wende, |
| By that I of my tale have maad an ende. |