To trentals, and to yeve, for Goddes fake,
Wherwith men mighten holy houses make,
Ther as divine fervice is honoured,

Not ther as it is wafted and devoured,

Ne ther it nedeth not for to be yeven,

As to poffeffioners, that mowen leven

(Thanked be God) in wele and abundance.
Trentals, fayd he, deliveren fro penance
Hir frendes foules as wel olde as yonge,
Ye, whan that they ben haftily yfonge,
Not for to hold a preeft jolif and gay,

He fingeth not but o masse on a day.

Delivereth out (quod he) anon the foules.

7300

7305

7310

Ful hard it is with flefhhook or with ouies
To ben yclawed, or to bren or bake.

Now fpede you haftily for Criftes fake.

And whan this frere had faid all his entent, 7315 With qui cum patri forth his way he went.

Whan folk in chirche had yeve him what hem left
He went his way, no lenger wold he rest.
With fcrippe and tipped ftaf, ytucked hie,
In every hous he gan to pore and prie,
And begged mele and chefe, or elles corn.
His felaw had a ftaf ripped with horn,
A pair of tables all of ivory,

And a pointel ypolished fetifly,

7320

7299. To trentals] Un trentel, Fr. was a service of thirty masses, which were ufually celebrated upon as many different days, for the dead, Du Cange, in v. Trentale.

And wrote alway the names, as he stood,
Of alle folk that yave hem any good,
Afkaunce that he wolde for hem preye.
Yeve us a bufhel whete, or malt or reye,
A Goddes kichel, or a trippe of chefe,
Or elles what you lift, we may not chefe;

7325

7330

.7327. Afkaunce that be wolde for bem preye] The Gloffary interprets akaunce to mean afkew, afide, fideways, in a fide view, upon what authority I know not. It will be better to examine the other passages in which the fame word occurs before we determine the sense of it. See ver. 16306;

Afcaunce that craft is fo light to lere.

Tro. i. 285;

Afcaunce, lo! is this not wifely spoken?

Ibid. 292;

Aftaunce, what! may I not ftonden here?

Lydg. Trag. fol. 136, b.;

Afcaunce I am of maners mofl chaungeable.

In the first and laft inftance, as well as in the text, afkaunce feems to fignify simply as if, quafi; in the two others it fignifies a little more, as if to fay. This latter fignification may be clearly established from the third line, which in the Italian original [Philoftrato di Boccaccio, 1. i,] ftands thus ;

Quafi diceffe, e no ci fi puo ftare?

So that afcaunce is there equivalent to quafi diceffe in Italian.As to the etymology of this word, I must confefs myself more at a lofs. Iobferve however that one of a fimilar form, in the Teut. has a fimilar fignification. Als-kacks, quafi, quafi vero, Kilian. Our as is the fame with als,Teut. and Sax. ; it is only a further corruption of al fo. Perhaps therefore afcaunce may have been originally als-kanje. Kane, in Teut. is chance, Fr. and Eng.I will just add that this very rare phrase was also used, as I fuspect, by the author of The Continuation of The Canterbury Tales, firft printed by Mr. Urry. Prol. ver. 361;

And al afcaunce the loved him wel, the toke him by the fwere. It is printed a staunce.

.7329. A Goddes kichel] "It was called A Goddes kichel,

A Goddes halfpeny, or a maffe peny,

Or yeve us of your braun, if ye have any,
A dagon of your blanket, leve Dame,
Our fufter dere, (lo, here I write your name)
Bacon or beef, or fwiche thing as ye find.

A sturdy harlot went hem ay behind,
That was her hoftes man, and bare a fakke,
And what men yave hem laid it on his bakke.
And whan that he was out at dore, anon

He planed away the names everich on
That he before had written in his tables:

He ferved hem with nifles and with fables.

7335

7340

7345

Nay, ther thou lieft,thou Sompnour,quod the Frere. Pees, quod our Hofte, for Criftes moder dere Tell forth thy Tale, and fpare it not at all. So thrive I, quod this Sompnour, fo I shall. So long he went fro hous to hous, til he Came to an hous ther he was wont to be Refreshed more than in a hundred places. Sike lay the hufbond man whos that the place is;

"becaufe godfathers and godmothers ufed commonly to give 64 one of them to their godchildren when they asked bles “fing," Sp. And fo we are to suppose a Goddes halfpeny, in ver. 7331, was called for the fame reafon, &c. But this is all gratis didum I believe. The phrafe is French, and the true meaning of it is explained by M. de la Monnoye in a note upon the Contes de B.D. Periers, t. ii. p. 107, Belle ferrure de Dieu ; “ Expreffion du petit peuple, qui raporte pieufement tout à Dieu. "—Rien n'eft plus commun dans la bouche des bonnes vieilles, 66 que ces elpeces d'Hebraïfmes: il m'en coute un bel ecu de "Dicu; Il ne me rette que ce pauvre enfant de Dieu; Donez "moi une benite aumône de Dieu."

7351

Bedred upon a couche low he lay.

Deus hic, quod he; O Thomas! frend, good day,

Sayde this frere all curtifly and foft.

Thomas, quod he, God yelde it you, ful oft
Have I upon this benche faren ful wele,

7355

Here have I eten many a mery mele.

And fro the benche he drove away the cat,
And laied adoun his potent and his hat,

And eke his ferip, and set himself adoun:
His felaw was ywalked into toun,

7360

Forth with with his knave, into that hoftelrie

Wher as he fhope him thilke night to lie.

O dere maister! quod this fike man,
How have ye faren fin that March began?
I faw you not this fourtene night and more.
God wot, quod he, laboured have I ful fore,

And specially for thy falvation

7365

Have I fayd many a precious orifon,

And for our other frendes God hem bleffe.

I have this day ben at your chirche at meffe,

7370

And said a fermon to my fimple wit,

Not all after the text of holy writ,

For it is hard to you as I fuppofe,

And therefore wol I teche you ay the glofe.
Glofing is a ful glorious thing certain,
For letter fleth, fo as we clerkes fain;
Ther have I taught hem to be charitable,
And spend hir good ther it is reasonable;

7375

And ther I faw our dame; a! wher is she?

Yonder, I trow that in the yard fhe be, Sayde this man, and she wol come anon.

Ey maister, welcome be ye by Seint John,
Sayde this wif; how fare ye hertily?
This frere arifeth up ful curtifly,

7380

And hire embraceth in his armes narwe,

7385

And kiffeth hire fwete, and chirketh as a sparwe
With his lippes. Dame, quod he, right wel,
As he that is your fervant every del.

Thanked be God that you yaf foule and lif
Yet faw I not this day fo faire a wif

In all the chirche, God fo fave me.

Ye God amende defautes, Sire, quod fhe,
Algates welcome be ye, by my fay.

Grand mercy, Dame, that have I found alway.
But of your grete goodneffe, by your leve,
I wolde pray you that ye not you greve
I wol with Thomas fpeke a litel throw,
Thise curates ben fo negligent and flow
To gropen tendrely a confcience.

In fhrift, in preching, is my diligence
And study, in Peters wordes and in Poules;
I walke and fisfhe Criften mennes foules,
To yeld our Lord Jefu his propre rent;
To fprede his word is fette all min entent.

7390

7395

7400

Now by your faith, o dere Sire! quod fhe,

7405

Chideth him wel for Seinte Charitee: