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O gloryus God oure governer,          glad in all thys gesttyng, And gyfe them joye that wyll here          whatt I shall saye or syng. Me were loth to be undernom          of them that byn not connyng: Many maner of men there be          that wyll meddyll of everythyng, Of resons ten or twelfe. Dyverse men fawttys wyll fele That knowyth no more then doyth my hele, Yt they thynke nothyng ys well But yt do meve of themselfe. But yt move of themselfe          forsoth they thynke yt ryght nowght. Many men ys so usyd;          ther terme ys soen tought. Sympyll ys there consayet          when yt ys forth brought. To meve you of a matter          forsoth I am bethought, Declare you of a case: Make you mery all and som, And I shall tell you of a noone, The fayryst creator under the son, Was pryorys of a plase. The lady that was lovely,          a lorddys dowter she was, Ful pewer and full precyous          provyd in every plase. Lordys and laymen and spryttuall          her gan chase. For her fayer beawté          grett temtacyon she hase, Her love for to wynne. Grett gyftys to here they browghth. Many men lowyth here out of thought. How she hereselfe myght kepe from shame she sought; She wyst not how to begyen. There wooyd a young knyght,          a fresse lord and a fayer, And a person of a paryche,          a prelet wythouttyn pyre, And a burges of a borrow.          Lyst and ye shall here How they had layed ther love          apan the lady dere, And nooen of other wyst. Evyre more thei went and com, Desyryd of here louff soon; They sware by son and mone Of here to have there lyste. The young knyght for the ladys love          narrow tornyd and went; Many bokkys and dooys          to the lady he sent. The person present her prevely          (hys matters to amend) Beddys, brochys, and botellys of wyen.          Of his gold and rent The burges to her broght. Thus they trobylyd her thorow tene. She wyst not how hereselfe to mene For to kepe here soule clene, Tell she her bethought. The young knyght bethought hym mervelously          wyth the lady for to mell. He flatteryd her wyth many a fabyll;          fast hys tonng gan tell. Lessyngys lepyd out amonge          as sowend of a bell: “Madam, but I have my lyst of yow          I shall myseleff quell: Youre loufe unto me graunt. In batyll bolde I there abyde, To make the Jues there heddys hyde, With gret strokes and bloddy syd, And sle many a grette gyaunt. “All ys for your love, madame;          my lyfe wold I venter, So that ye wyll graunt me          I have desyryd many a wyntter, Underneth your comly cowle          to have myn intent.” “Syr,” she sayd, “ye be ower lord,          ower patron, and ower precedent: Your wyll must nedys be do, So that ye wyll goo thys tyde Dowen to the chapyll under the woodsyde And be rewlyd as I wyll ye gyde.” “All redy,” sayde he thoo. “Dowen in the wode there ys a chapell:          ryght as I you hett Therein must ye ly all nyght,          my love and ye wyll gett. Ly there lyke a ded body          sowyd in a shett — Than shall ye have my love,          myn awen hony swett — Unto morow that yt be lyght.” “Madame,” he sayed, “for your love Yt shall be don, be God above! Ho sayeth ‘naye,’ here ys me glove In that quarrell for to fyght.” That knyght kyssyd the lady gent;          the bargen was made. Of no bargen syght he was borne          was he never halfe so glade. He went to the chapell          as the lady hym bad, He sowyd hymselfe in a shett.          He was nothyng adred; He thought apon no sorrow. When he com there he layed upryght Wyth two tapers bornynge bryght: There he thought to ly all nyght, To kys the lady on the morrow. As soon as the knyght was go          she sent for Syr John. Well I wott he was not long:          he cam to her anon. “Madam,” he sayd, “what shall I do?”          She answeryd to hym than: “Syr,” sche sayd,          “I schall tell you my conssell sone, Blowen yt ys so brode. I have a cosyn of my blode Lyeth ded in the chapyll wood; For owyng of a som of good Hys beryng ys forbode. “We be not abyll to pay          the good that men do crave; Therfore we send for you          ouer worshype for to save. Say hys dorge and masse          and laye hym in hys grave — Wythin a whyle after          my love shall you have — And truly kepe consell.” Hys hartte hoppyd, hys wyll to-woke, To do all thys he undertoke. To say hys servys apon a boke He sware be hevyn and hell. “Do thy dever,” the lady sayd,          “as farforth as thou may. Then shalt thou have thy wyll of me.”          And serten I thee saye, Syr John was as glad of this          as ever was fowle of daye. Wyth a mattake and a showyll          to the chapyll he takyth the waye, Where he lay in hys shett. When he cam ther he made hys pett And sayed hys dorge at hys fett. The knyght lyeth styll and dremyd hyt: That “my loffe” whas hys swett. As soen as the pryst was gon          the yong knyght for to bery, She sent after the marchaunt.          To her he cam full mery. “Dowen in the wode ther ys a chapell,          ys fayer under a pere; Therin lyeth a ded corse;          therfore must ye stere ye To helpe us in ower ryght. He owyth us a som of golde; To forbyd hys beryng I am bolde. A pryst ys theder, as yt ys me tolde, To bery hym thys nyght. “Yf the corse beryd be          and ower mony not payed Yt were a fowlle sham for us          so for to be bytrayed. And yf ye wyll do after me          the pryst shall be afrayed: In a devellys garment          ye shall be arayed And stalke ye theder full styll. When ye se the pryst styre To bery hym that lyeth on bere Lepe in at the quyer dore Lyke a fend of hell.” “Madam, for your love          soen I shall be tyryd, So that ye wyll graunt me          that I have ofte desyryd.” “Syr,” she sayd, “ye shall yt have,          but fyrst I wyll be sewryd That ower cownsell ye wyll kepe,          that they be not dyscuryd. Tell tomorow that yt be day Yf thou voyed or ellys flee Forever thow lesyst the love of me.” “I graunt, madame,” sythe sade he, And on wyth ys araye. He dyght hym in a dyvellys garment.          Furth gan he goo; He cam in at the chyrch dore          as the dyrge was doo, Rynnyng, roryng wyth hys rakyls          as devyllys semyd to doo. The pryst brayed up as a boke.          Hys hartt was allmost goo. He demyd hymselfe but ded. He was aferd he was to slowe. He rose up he wyst not howe And brake out at a wyndow, And brake fowle ys heed. But he that bod all the brunt,          how sherwly he was egged, For to here hys dyrge do          and se hys pet deggyd. “I trow I had my damys curse:          I myght have byn better beggyd, For now I am but lost,          the lyghtter but I be leggyd.” And up rose he then. The devyll se the body ryse; Then hys hart began to gryse — I trow we be not all wyse — And he began to ryen. Hys ragys and hys rakylys          clen he had forgett; So had the yong knyght          that sowyed was in the shett. The pryst demyd them devyllys both;          wyth them he wolde not mett. He sparyd nother hyll nor holt,          busche, gryne, nor grett. Lord, he was fowle scrapyd! The other twayen was ell aferd; They sparyd nether styll ne sherd. They had lever then mydyll erd Ayther from other have scapyd. The pryst toke a bypathe;          wyth them he wolde not mett. Yt ys hed was fowle brokyn;          the blod ran dowen to ys fett. He ran in a fyrryd gowen:          all hys body gan reke. He cast off all hys clothys          to the bare breke Because he wolde goo lyght. He thought he harde the devyll loushe; He start into a bryer boushe That all hys skyen gan rowsshe Off hys body quyt. The knyth he ran into a wood          as fast as he myght weend. He fell apon a stake          and fowle hys lege gan rentt. Therefore he toke no care;          he was aferd of the fend. He thought yt was a longe waye          to the pathes end, But then cam all hys care: In at a gape as he glent, By the medyll he was hent; Into a tretope he went In a bokys snarre. The marchaunt ran apon a laund,          there where growyth no thoren. He fell apon a bollys bake:          he causte hym apon hys horn. “Out, alas!” he sayd,          “that ever I was boren, For now I goo to the devyll          bycause I dyd hym scoren, Unto the pytt of hell.” The boll ran into a myre. There he layed ower fayer syer. For all the world he durst not stere Tyll that he herde a bell. On the morrow he was glad          that he was so scapyd. So was the pryst also,          thoo he was body nakyd. The knyght was in the tretope:          for dred sore he quaked. The best jowell that he had,          fayn he wolde forsake yt For to com dowen. He caught the tre by the tope; Ye, and eke the calltrape. He fell and brake hys foretope Apon the bare growend. Thus they went from the game          begylyd and beglued. Nether on other wyst;          hom they went beshrewyd. The person tolde the lady on the morrow          what myschyf ther was shewed, How that he had ronne for her love;          hys merthys wer but lewed, He was so sore dred of deth. “When I shuld have beryd the corse, The devyll cam in, the body rose: To se all thys my hart grose; Alyffe I scapyd unneth.” “Remember,” the lady sayth,          “what mysschyfe heron geth: Had I never lover yt          that ever dyed good deth.” “Be that lord,” sayd the pryst,          “that shope both ale and methe, Thow shaltte never be wooed for me          whylyst I have spech or breth, Whyle I may se or here.” Thus they to mad ther bost: Furthe he went wythout the corse. Then com the knyght for hys purpos And told her of hys fare. “Now I hope to have your love          that I have servyd youre, For bought I never love soo dere          syth I was man ibore.” “Hold they pese,” the lady sayd.          “Therof speke thou no more, For by the newe bargen          my love thou hast forlore All thys hundryth wynter.” She answered hym; he went hys way. The marchaunt cam the same day; He told her of hys grett afray And of hys hygh aventure. “Tyll the corse shulde beryd be          the bargen I abod. When the body ded rise,          a grymly gost aglood, Then was tyme me to stere;          many a style I bestrood. There was no hegge for me to hey,          nor no watter to brod Of you to have my wyll.” The lady said “Pese” full blyffe. “Neer,” she said, “whylle thou art man on lyffe, For I shall shew yt to they wyff And all the contré yt tyll, “And proclaym yt in the markyt towen          they care to encrese.” Therwyth he gave her twenty marke          that she shold hold her pese. Thus the burges of the borrowe,          after hys dyses, He endewed into the place          wyth dedys of good relese In fee forever more. Thus the lady ded fre: She kepyth hyr vyrgenyté, And indewed the place with fee, And salvyd them of ther soore. Explycyt

rejoice; tale-telling I would hate; reproached expert [in poetry] Many kinds of men meddle with methodologies; (t-note) sniff out faults heel Yet Unless; come from accustomed their limits are soon seen Foolish; notion brought to light mention it occurs to me one and all nun creature convent; (see note) (see note) daughter pure; worthy clergymen pursued; (see note) beauty (t-note) love her beyond reason knew; begin wooed lively; (t-note) parson; parish prelate; peer burgess; town Listen no one came; (t-note) love desire (see note) bucks; does (see note) presented Rosaries, candles (t-note) efforts; (t-note) conduct considered resolved incredibly hard get it on; (t-note) story speak Lies; all the while sound; (t-note) unless I have my way with kill; (t-note) fearlessly I dare; (t-note) (see note); (t-note) (t-note) venture Provided that [what] I cloak our head at a certain time Down ruled then command; (t-note) if you want to sewed; sheet own sweetheart Until by Whoever; my (t-note) noble since (see note) not at all frightened harm flat on his back (t-note) (see note) know at once private business right away; (t-note) It is so well known [anyway] sum of money burying; forbidden; (see note); (t-note) demand good name; (t-note) dirge keep it secret entirely woke; (t-note) service from the missal by duty far certainly I tell you; (t-note) mattock; shovel (t-note) he [the knight] pit feet (t-note) his sweetheart had become “my love” [to him] merrily directly; pear tree corpse bestir yourself; (t-note) (t-note) [gone] to that place (t-note) what I tell you dressed; (see note) quietly; (t-note) stir bier choir (quire) dressed; (t-note) assured revealed Till go away lose agree; then; (t-note) his costume dressed Running; chains suited devils to do; (see note); (t-note) jumped; buck (t-note) considered (t-note) badly split his head endured the worst of it badly; provoked grave dug believe; mother’s located; (t-note) no better than destroyed unless I am faster legged saw; (t-note) shudder run completely; (t-note) meet woods grassy land, nor gravel (t-note) two; badly stile nor gap [in a hedge]; (t-note) rather; this world Either Still his furred (t-note) underpants wanted to travel light dash jumped; briar bush So that; skin began to rush Quite off knight go lacerated attention suffering gap; darted caught buck’s snare; (see note) an open space bull’s back threw; (t-note) Oh, no (t-note) (see note) our handsome sire stir (see note) though; stark naked jewel (t-note) Yes, and also the caltrop; (see note) crown beguiled; deluded; (t-note) None of the three knew another abused; (t-note) shown entertainments; bad shuddered; (t-note) hardly what evil follows from this; (see note); (t-note) yet (t-note) made; mead; (t-note) two said their say (t-note) doings deserved for a long time paid for; dearly since; born a human lost Forever fright (t-note) was supposed to be endured grim-looking; glided up; (t-note) bestir myself strode across; (see note) hedge; too high broad quickly; (t-note) Never; alive thy to; (t-note) (see note) decease endowed deeds; conveyance By heritable right nobly money cured; suffering The End