Bell's Edition

POETICAL WORKS

GEOFFREY CHAUCER.

VOL. VI.

CONTAINING HIS

CANTERBURY TALES, viz.

THE COKES TALE OF GAMEL. THE PARDON. AND TAPST.
THE PLOWMANS TALE,
THE MARCH. SECOND TALE,

But natheles certain

c. e. c.

I can right now no thrifty Tale fain,
But CHAUCER, (though he can but lewedly
On metres and on riming craftily)

Hath fayd hem in fwiche English as he can
Of olde time, as knoweth many a man ;
And if he have not fayd hem, leve brother,

In o book, he bath fayd hem in another---

Who fo that woi his large Volume feke. TALES, ver. 4465.
Dan CHAUCER, well of Englifa undefil'd,

On Fame's eternal bead-roll worthy to be fil'd----
Old Dan Geffrey, in whofe gentle fpright
The pure well-head of poetry did dwell...
He whilf he lived was the foveraigne head
Of hepherds all

Old CHAUCER, like the morning flar,

To us difcovers day from far;

His light thofe mifs and clouds diffolv'd
Which our dark nation: long involv'd;
But be defcending to the shades

Darknefa again the age invades.

SPENSER.

DENHAM.

CHAUCER, him who firit with harmony inform'd

The language of our fathers...His legends blithe

He fang of love or knighthood, or the wiles

Of homely life, thro' each eftate and age

The fathions and the follies of the world

With cunning hand portraying----

Him who in times-----

Dark and untaught began with charming verfe

To tame the rudeness of his native land.

EDINBURG:

AKENSIDE.

AT THE Apollo Prefs, BY THE MARTINS.
Anno 1782.

THE CANTERBURY TALES.

THE COKE'S TALE OF GAMELYN. Now lithin and liftinith, and

Herkinith you aright,

And ye fhullin herè me tell

You of a doughti knight.

Sir Johan of Boundis clepid was

This ilkè knight'is name;

Wele coudin he of noriture,

And eke of mochil game.

The Coke's Tale of Gamelyn] So many of the mff. have this Tale that I can hardly think it could be unknown to the former editors of this poet's Works; nor can I think of a reafon why they neglected to publish it. Poffibly they met only with thofe mff. that had not this Tale in them, and contented themfelves with the number of Tales they found in thofe mfl. If they had any of those mff. in which it is I cannot give a reason why they did not give it a place amongst the reft, unless they doubted of its being genuine; but because I find it in fo many mil. I have no doubt of it, and therefore make it publick, and call it the fifth Tale. In all the mi. it is called The Coke's Tale, and therefore I call it fo in like manner: but had I found it without an infcription, and had been left to my fancy to have beftowed it on which of the pilgrims i had picafed, I fhould certainly have adjudged it to the Squire's Yeotaan, who though as minutely defcribed by Chaucer and characterized in the third place, yet I find no Tale of his in any of the mff.: and because I think there is not any one that would fit lim fo well as this, I have ventured to place his picture before this Tale, tho' I leave the Cook in poffeffion of the title. Urry.

Thre fonnis this knight had, and with

His bodi he them wan;

The eldest was a mochè fhrew,

His brotherin lov'd thir fadir,