THE COKES TALE.
Heer bigynneth the Cokes tale.
-
A PRENTIS whylom dwelled in our citee,
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-
And of a craft of vitaillers
was he;
- Gaillard he was as goldfinch in the shawe,
- Broun as a berie, a propre short felawe,
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With lokkes blake, y-kempt ful fetisly.
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Dauncen he coude so wel and Iolily,
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- That he was cleped Perkin Revelour.
- He was as ful of love and paramour
- As is the hyve ful of hony swete;
-
Wel was the wenche with him mighte mete.
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At every brydale wolde he singe and hoppe,
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- He loved bet the taverne than the shoppe.
- For whan ther any ryding was in Chepe,
- Out of the shoppe thider wolde he lepe.
- Til that he hadde al the sighte y-seyn,
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And daunced wel, he wolde nat come ageyn.
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- And gadered him a meinee of his sort
- To hoppe and singe, and maken swich disport.
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And ther they setten steven for to mete
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To pleyen at the dys in swich a strete.
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For in the toune nas ther no prentys,
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- That fairer coude caste a paire of dys
- Than Perkin coude, and ther-to he was free
- Of his dispense, in place of privetee.
- That fond his maister wel in his chaffare;
-
For often tyme he fond his box ful bare.
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- For sikerly a prentis revelour,
- That haunteth dys, riot, or paramour,
- His maister shal it in his shoppe abye,
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Al have he no part of the minstralcye;
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For thefte and riot, they ben convertible,
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-
Al conne he pleye on giterne or ribible.
-
Revel and trouthe, as in a low
degree,
- They been ful wrothe al day, as men may see.
- This Ioly prentis with his maister bood,
-
Til he were ny out of his prentishood,
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- Al were he snibbed bothe erly and late,
-
And somtyme lad with revel to Newgate;
- But atte laste his maister him bithoghte,
-
Up-on a day, whan he his paper
soghte,
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-
Of a proverbe that seith this same word,
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‘Wel bet is roten appel
out of hord
- Than that it rotie al the remenaunt.’
- So fareth it by a riotous servaunt;
- It is wel lasse harm to lete him pace,
-
Than he shende alle the servants
in the place.
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- Therfore his maister yaf him acquitance,
- And bad him go with sorwe and with meschance;
- And thus this Ioly prentis hadde his leve.
-
Now lat him riote al the night or leve.
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And for ther is no theef with-oute a louke,
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That helpeth him to wasten and to souke
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Of that he brybe can or borwe may,
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Anon he sente his bed and his array
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Un-to a compeer of his owne sort,
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That lovede dys and revel and disport,
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And hadde a wyf that heeld for countenance
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A shoppe, and swyved for hir sustenance.
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- * * * * * *
Of this Cokes tale maked Chaucer na more.
[
For
The Tale of Gamelin,
see the
Appendix.]