BUT IS PROUD, AND WILL NOT WORK FOR HIS DINNER. 11

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Thowe schalt rubbe, rele, and spynne,

And you wolt eny mete wynne,

That I geue to god a gyfte."

The stuard seyd, "then haue I wondyr;
Rather would I dy for hungyr
Wyth-owte hosytt or shryfte."
The lord seyd, "so haue I hele,
Thowe wylt worke, yf pou hungyr welle,
What worke pat the be brought."

The lord satt and dyd hys werke,
The stuard drewe in to the derke,
Gret sorowe was in hys bought.
The lord seyd, "dame, here ys youre lyne,
Haue yt in godes blessyng and myne,
I hold yt welle I-wrought."

Mete and drynke sche gaue hym yn),
"The stuard," sche seyd, "wolle he nott spynne,
Wylt he do ryght noght?"

The lord seyd, " by swete sen Ione,
Of thys mete schaft he haue none

That ye haue me hydder brought."

The lord ete and dranke fast,
The stuard hungeryd att be last,

For he gaue hym nought.

The stuard satt att in a stody,

Hys lord hadde forgote curtesy :

Tho1 seyd be stuard, "geue me some."
The lord seyd, "sorowe haue be morsett or sope

That schatt come in thy throte!

Nott so much as o crome !

Butt pou wylt helpe to dyght þis lyne,
Much hungyr yt schaft be thyne

Though you make much mone."
Vp he rose, and went therto,
"Better ys me bus to doo

Whyle yt must nedys be do."

and unless he rubs and reels, he'll get no meat.

"I'll die for hunger first, unhouseled," answers he.

[leaf 183]

The Lord works away,

and gets his food and drink.

None of it will he give to the steward,

but eats it all up,

[1 MS. The]

and won't give him one crumb:

let him work and earn some for himself.

The steward gives in,

12

asks for work; the wife throws it him,

THE STEWARD IS OBLIGED TO WORK AFTER ALL.

The stuard began fast to knocke,

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The wyfe prew hym a swyngelyng stocke,

Hys mete perwyth to wyn;

Sche brought a swyngylt att be last,

"Good syres," sche seyd, "swyngylle on fast; For no þing that ye blynne."

Sche gaue hym) a stocke to sytt vppon),

And seyd "syres, þis werke must nedys be done,

All that that ys here yn)."

The stuard toke vp a stycke to saye,

"Sey, seye, swyngylt better yf ye may,

Hytt wytt be the better to spynne."

Were be lord neuer so gret,

Yet was he fayne to werke for hys mete

Though he were neuer so sadde;

Butt pe stuard þat was so stowde,
Was fayne to swyngelle pe scales owte,
Ther-of he was nott glad.

The lordys meyne þat were att home
Wyst nott where he was bycome,

They were futt sore adrad.

The proctoure of be parysche chyrche rygħt
Came and lokyd on be wryght,

He lokyd as he ware madde;
Fast be proctoure gan hym frayne,
"Where hadest pou pis garlond gayne?
It ys euer lyke newe."

The wryght gan say "felowe,

Wyth my wyfe, yf bou wylt knowe;
That dare me nott rewe;

For aft the whyle my wyfe trew ys,

My garlond wolle hold hewe I-wys,

And neuer falle nor fade;

And yf my wyfe take a paramoure,
Than wolle my garlond vade be floure,
That dare I ley myne hede.".

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THE PROCTOR TEMPTS THE WIFE, AND IS TRAPDOORED.

The proctoure bought, "in good faye
That schatt I wete thys same daye
Whether yt may so be."
To the wryghtes hows he went,
He grete be wyfe wyth feyre entente,
Sche seyd "syr, welcome be ye."
"A! dame, my loue ys on you fast
Syth the tyme I sawe you last;

I pray you yt may so be

That ye would graunt me of your grace
To play wyth you in some priuy place,
Or ellys to deth mutt me."
Fast be proctoure gan to pray,
And euer to hym sche seyd "naye,
That wolle I nott doo.

Hadest pou done þat dede wyth me,
My spouse by hys garlond myght see,
That schuld torne me to woo."

The proctoure seyd, " by heuen kyng,
If he sey to the any þing

He schatt haue sorowe vn-sowte;
Twenty marke I wolle be geue,
It wolle te helpe welle to lyue,
The mony here haue I brought."
Nowe hath sche the tresure tane,
And vp þe steyre be they gane,

(What helpyth yt to lye ?)

The wyfe went the steyre be-syde,
The proctoure went a lytytt to wyde
He fett downe by and by.

Whan he in to be seller felle,

He wente to haue sonke in to helle,

He was in hart futt sory.

The stuard lokyd on the knyght,

And seyd "proctoure, for godes myght,

Come and sytt vs by."

The proctoure began to stare,

The proctor
thinks he'll
test this,

goes to the wright's wife

13

and declares his

love for her;

he must have her or die.

[leaf 184]

She says nay,

as her husband will know of it by his garland.

The proctor

offers her 20 marks.

These she takes;

they go upstairs,

and the proctor tumbles into the cellar,

and thinks he is

going to hell.

The steward

asks him to

sit down;

14

THE PROCTOR CAN'T MAKE OUT WHERE HE HAS GOT TO.

he doesn't know where he is,

For he was he wyst neuer whare,

459

Butt wele he knewe be knyght
And the stuard pat swyngelyd be lyne.
He seyd "syres, for godes pyne,

What do ye here thys nyght?"
The stuard seyd, "god geue the care,
Thowe camyst to loke howe we fare,
Nowe helpe bis lyne were dyght."
He stode stylt in a gret pought,
What to answer he wyst noght:

"By mary fuft of myght,"

The proctoure seyd, "what do ye in pis yne
For to bete thys wyfees lyne ?

For Ihesus loue, ffult of myght,"
The proctoure seyd ryght as he bought,
"For me yt schatt be euytt wrought

And I may see arygħt,

For I lernyd neuer in lond

For to haue a swyngett in hond

By day nor be nyglıt."

The stuard seyd, "as good as poū
We hold vs that be here nowe,

And lett preue yt be syght;
Yet must vs worke for owre mete,
Or ellys schatt we none gete,

Mete nor drynke to owre honde."
The lord seyd, "why flyte ye two?
I trowe ye wytt werke or ye goo,
Yf yt be as I vndyrstond."
Abowte he goys twyes or thryes;
They ete & drunke in such wyse

That bey geue hym ryght noght.
The proctoure seyd, "thynke ye no schame,
Yheue me some mete, (ye be to blame,)

Of that the wyfe ye brought."
The stuard seyd "euytt spede the soppe
If eny morcett come in thy throte

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And to hym seyd wyth myld[e] chere,
"That mary mott the spede!"
The proctoure began to knocke,
The good wyfe rawte hym a rocke,

For therto hadde sche nede;

Sche seyd "whan I was mayde att home,
Other werke cowde I do none

My lyfe ther-wyth to lede."
Sche gaue hym in hande a rocke hynde,
And bade hem fast for to wynde

Or ellys to lett be hys dede.

"Yes, dame," he seyd, "so haue I hele,
I schatt yt worke both feyre & welle

As ye haue taute me."

He wauyd vp a strycke of lyne,
And he span wele and fyne

By-fore the swyngeft tre.

The lord seyd "pou spynnest to grete,
Therfor bou schalt haue no mete,

That pou schalt welt see."
Thus þey satt and wrought fast
Tytt be wekedayes were past;

Then the wryght, home came he,
And as he cam by hys hows syde
He herd1 noyse that was nott ryde

Of persons two or thre;

One of hem knockyd lyne,
A-nothyr swyngelyd good and fyne
By-fore the swyngylt tre,
The thyrde did rele and spynne,
Mete and drynke ther-wyth to wynne,
Gret nede ther-of hadde he.

he too knocks for work,

gets a distaff and some winding to do,

[leaf 185]

and spins
away well.

Thus they all
sit and work till

the wright
comes home.

As he approaches he hears a noise, [1? MS. hard]