Thy body for to welden hastily.

God wot, quod he, nothing therof fele I.

As help me Crift, as I in fewe yeres
Have spended upon divers maner freres

7539

Ful many a pound, yet fare I never the bet;

Certain my good have I almost beset:

Farewel my good, for it is al ago.

7535

The frere answered, O Thomas! doft thou fo?

What nedeth you diverse freres to feche?

What nedeth him that hath a parfit leche

To fechen other leches in the toun?
Your inconftance is your confufion.
Hold ye than me, or elles our covent,
Το pray for you ben infufficient?

Thomas, that jape n'is not worth a mite;
Your maladie is for we han to lite.

A!

yeve that covent half a quarter otes,

And yeve that covent four-and-twenty grotes,

And yeve that frere a peny and let him go:
Nay, nay, Thomas, it may no thing be fo.
What is a ferthing worth parted on twelve?
Lo, eche thing that is oned in himselve
Is more ftrong than whan it is yfcatered.
Thomas, of me thou shalt not ben y flatered,
Thou woldeft han our labour al for nought.

7540

7545

7550

The highe God, that all this world hath wrought,
Saith that the workman worthy is his hire.

Thomas, nought of your trefor I defire

7555

As for myself, but that all our covent
To pray for you is ay fo diligent,
And for to bilden Criftes owen chirche.
Thomas, if ye wol lernen for to wirche,
Of bilding up of chirches may ye finde
If it be good in Thomas lif of Inde.

Ye liggen here ful of anger and of ire,
With which the devil fet your herte on fire,
And chiden here this holy innocent,

Your wif, that is fo good and patient;

7560

7565

And therfore trow me, Thomas, if thee left,
Ne strive not with thy wif, as for the best.
And bere this word away now by thy faith,
Touching swiche thing, lo, what the wife faith: 7570
Within thy hous ne be thou no leon,

To thy fuggets do non oppreffion,

Ne make thou not thin acquaintance to flee.
And yet, Thomas, eftfones charge I thee
Beware from ire that in thy bofom flepeth;
Ware fro the ferpent that fo flily crepeth
Under the gras, and ftingeth subtilly:
Beware, my fone, and herken patiently
That twenty thousand men han loft hir lives

7575

For ftriving with hir lemmans and hir wives. 7580

Now fith ye han so holy and meek a wif,

What nedeth you, Thomas, to maken ftrif?
Ther n'is ywis no ferpent so cruel,

Whan man tredeth on his tail, ne half fo fel,

As woman is whan she hath caught an ire;
Veray vengeance is than all hire defire.

Ire is a finne on of the grete feven,
Abhominable unto the God of heven,
And to himself it is deftruction:
This every lewed vicar and perfon
Can fay how ire engendreth homicide:
Ire is in foth executour of pride.

1 coud of ire fay fo mochel forwe

My Tale fhulde laften til to-morwe;

7585

7590

And therfore pray I God both day and night 7595
An irous man God fend him litel might.

It is gret harm, and certes gret pitee,
To fette an irous man in high degree.

Whilom ther was an irous poteftat,
As faith Senek, that during his eftat
Upon a day out riden knightes two;
And, as Fortune wold that it were fo,

7600

That on of hem came home, that other nought.
Anon the knight before the juge is brought,

7605

That faide thus; Thou haft thy felaw flain,
For which I deme thee to the deth certain.
And to another knight commanded he,
Go, lede him to the deth, I charge thee.
And happed as they wenten by the wey
Toward the place ther as he fhulde dey,

7610

V. 7600. As faith Senek] This story is told by Seneca, de Irà, 1. i. c. xvi, of Cn. Pifo. It is alfo told of an emperour Eracliu sə Gefta Romanorum, cap. cxi.

The knight came which men wenden had be ded:
Than thoughten they it was the beste rede
To lede hem bothe to the juge again.

They saiden, Lord, the knight ne hath not flain
His felaw, here he ftondeth hol alive.

Ye fhull be ded, quod he, fo mot I thrive,
That is to fay, both on, and two, and three.
And to the firste knight right thus spake he.

I damned thee, thou must algate be ded;
And thou also must nedes lese thyn hed,
For thou art cause why thy felaw deyeth;

And to the thridde knight right thus he feyeth,
Thou haft not don that I commanded thee.

And thus he did do flen hem alle three.

7615

7620

Irous Cambifes was eke dronkelew,

7625

And ay delighted him to ben a fhrew:

And fo befell a lord of his meinie,

That loved vertuous moralitee,

Sayd on a day betwix hem two right thus;
A lord is loft if he be vicious;

7630

And dronkenneffe is eke a foule record

Of any man, and namely of a lord.

Ther is ful many an eye and many an ere

Awaiting on a lord, and he n'ot wher.

For Goddes love drink more attemprely:

7635

Win maketh man to lefen wretchedly

.7625. Irons Cambifes] This ftory is alfo in Seneca, 1. iii.

c. xiv. it differs a little from one in Herodotus, A. iii.

His mind, and eke his limmes everich on.
The revers fhalt thou fee, quod he, anon,
And preve it by thyn owen experience
That win ne doth to folk no fwiche offence.
Ther is no win bereveth me my might
Of hond, ne foot, ne of min eyen fight.
And for defpit he dranke mochel more

7640

An hundred part than he had don before,
And right anon this curfed irous wretche

7645

This knightes fone let before him fetche,
Commanding him he fhuld before him ftond;
And fodenly he took his bow in hond,

And up the streng he pulled to his cre,

And with an arwe he flow the child right ther. 7650-
Now whether have I a fiker hond or non?

Quod he; is all my might and minde agon?
Hath win bereved me min eyen fight?

What fhuld I tell the answer of the knight?
His fon was flain, ther is no more to say.
Beth ware therfore with lordes for to play,
Singeth Placebo, and I fhal if I can,

But if it be unto a poure man:

To a poure man men fhuld his vices telle,

7655

But not to a lord, though he fhuld go to helle. 7660

.7657. Singeth Placebo] The allufion is to an anthem in the Romith church from Pfaim cxvi. 9, which in the Vulgate ftands thus; Placebo Domino in rezione vivorum. Hence the compla cent brother in The Marchant's Tale is called Placebo.