THE COOK'S PROLOGUE AND TALE IN THE HENGWRT MANUSCRIPT OF THE CANTERBURY TALES
¶The prologe of the Cookes tale
The Cook / of Londo|un| / whil the Reue spak/
ffor ioye hym thoughte / he clawed hym on the bak/
Haha quod he / for Cri{s}tes pa{ss}io|un|
This Millere / hadde a sharp conclu{s}io|un|
Vp on his argument/ of herbergage
Wel seyde Salomon / in his langage
Ne bryng nat euery man / in to thyn hous
ffor herberwyng/ by nyghte is |per|ilous
Wel oghte a man / auy{s}ed for to be
Whom |þt| he broghte / in to his |pri|uetee
I pray to god / so yeue me sorwe and care
If euer sith / I highte hogge of ware
Herde I a Millere / bettre y{s}et awerk /
He hadde a iape of malice / in the derk/
But god forbede / that we stynten heere
{{hic}}
ffor if ye / vouche {s}auf to heere
{{audire}}
A tale of me / that am a poure man
I wol yow telle / as wel as e|uer|e I kan
A litel iape / that fil in oure Citee
¶Oure hoo{s}t an{s}werde / and seyde I graunte it thee
Now tel on Roger / looke that it be good
ffor many a pa{s}tee / ha{s}tow laten blood
And many a Iakke of Douere / ha{s}tow soold
That hath been twies hoot/ and twies coold
Of many a pilgrym / ha{s}tow Cri{s}tes curs
ffor of thy |per|{s}le / yet they fare the wors
That they han eten / with thy stubbul goos
ffor in thy shoppe / is many a flye loos
Now tel on / gentil Roger / by thy name
But yet I praye thee / be nat wrooth for game
A man may seye ful {s}ooth / in game and pley
¶Thow sei{s}t ful sooth / quod Roger by my fey
{{Folio 57r}}
But sooth pley quade pley / as the fflemyng seith
And therfore herry Bailly / by thy feith
Be thou nat wrooth / er we departen heer
Thogh |þt| my tale / be of an ho{s}tiler
But nathelees / I wol nat telle it yit
But er we parte / ywis thow shalt be quyt/
And ther with al / he lough / and made cheere
And seyde his tale / as ye shal after heere
¶Here bigynneth the Cook/ his tale
A Prentis / whilom dwelled in oure Citee
And of a craft/ of vitaillers was he
Gaillard he was / as goldfynch in the shawe
Broun as a berye / a |prop|re short/ felawe
With lokkes blake / ykembd ful feti{s}ly
Dauncen he koude / so wel and iolily
That he / was clepyd Perkyn Reuelour
He was / as ful / of loue and |per|amour
As is the hyue / ful of hony swete
Wel was the wenche / |þt| |with| hym myghte meete
At euery bridale / wolde he synge |&| hoppe
he loued bet the Tauerne / than the shoppe
ffor / whan ther any ridyng/ was in Chepe
Out of the {s}hoppe / thider wolde he lepe
Til |þt| he hadde / al the sighte y{s}eyn
And daunced wel / he wolde noght come ageyn
And gadred hym / a meynee of his sort/
To hoppe and synge / and maken swich di{s}port/
And ther / they setten steuene / for to meete
To pleyen at the dees / in swich a Streete
ffor in the town / nas ther no Prentys
That fairer / koude ca{s}te a paire of dys
Than Perkyn koude / and ther to he was free
Of his di{s}pen{s}e / in place of pryuetee
That foond his mai{s}ter wel / in his chaffare
ffor ofte tyme / he foond his box ful bare
ffor sikerly / a prentys reuelour
That haunteth dees / ryot/ or |per|amour
{{Folio 57v}}
His mai{s}ter / shal it in his shoppe abye
Al haue he / no part of the Min{s}tralcye
ffor thefte and riot / they been con|uer|tible
Al konne he pleye / on Giterne / or Rubible
Reuel and trouthe / as in a lowe degree
They been ful wrothe al day / as men may see
¶This ioly Prentys / with his Mai{s}ter bood
Til he were neigh / out of his |pre|nti{s}hood
Al were he snybbed / bothe erly and late
And som tyme / lad with reuel to Newgate
But atte la{s}te / his mai{s}ter hym bithoghte
Vp on a day / whan he his papir soghte
Of a |pro|uerbe / that seith this same word
Wel bet is roten Appul / out of hoord
Than |þt| it rotte / al the remenaunt/
So fareth it/ by a riotous seruaunt/
It is ful la{ss}e harm / to lete hym pace
Than he shende / alle the {s}eruantz in the place
Ther fore / his mai{s}ter gaf hym acquitaunce
And bad hym go / with sorw / and |with| me{s}chaunce
And thus this ioly |pre|ntys / hadde his leeue
Now lat hym riote / al the nyght/ or leeue
And for ther nys no theef/ with oute a lowke
That helpeth hym / to wa{s}ten and to sowke
Of that he brybe kan / or borwe may
Anon / he {s}ente his bed / and his array
Vn to a compeer / of his owene sort/
That loued dees / and reuel / and di{s}port/
And hadde a wyf / that heeld for contenaunce
A shoppe / and swyued for hir su{s}tenaunce
Of this Cokes tale
maked Chaucer na
moore
¶The prologe of the Cookes tale
The Cook / of Londo|un| / whil the Reue spak/
ffor ioye hym thoughte / he clawed hym on the bak/
Haha quod he / for Cri{s}tes pa{ss}io|un|
This Millere / hadde a sharp conclu{s}io|un|
Vp on his argument/ of herbergage
Wel seyde Salomon / in his langage
Ne bryng nat euery man / in to thyn hous
ffor herberwyng/ by nyghte is |per|ilous
Wel oghte a man / auy{s}ed for to be
Whom |þt| he broghte / in to his |pri|uetee
I pray to god / so yeue me sorwe and care
If euer sith / I highte hogge of ware
Herde I a Millere / bettre y{s}et awerk /
He hadde a iape of malice / in the derk/
But god forbede / that we stynten heere
{{hic}}
ffor if ye / vouche {s}auf to heere
{{audire}}
A tale of me / that am a poure man
I wol yow telle / as wel as e|uer|e I kan
A litel iape / that fil in oure Citee
¶Oure hoo{s}t an{s}werde / and seyde I graunte it thee
Now tel on Roger / looke that it be good
ffor many a pa{s}tee / ha{s}tow laten blood
And many a Iakke of Douere / ha{s}tow soold
That hath been twies hoot/ and twies coold
Of many a pilgrym / ha{s}tow Cri{s}tes curs
ffor of thy |per|{s}le / yet they fare the wors
That they han eten / with thy stubbul goos
ffor in thy shoppe / is many a flye loos
Now tel on / gentil Roger / by thy name
But yet I praye thee / be nat wrooth for game
A man may seye ful {s}ooth / in game and pley
¶Thow sei{s}t ful sooth / quod Roger by my fey
{{Folio 57r}}
But sooth pley quade pley / as the fflemyng seith
And therfore herry Bailly / by thy feith
Be thou nat wrooth / er we departen heer
Thogh |þt| my tale / be of an ho{s}tiler
But nathelees / I wol nat telle it yit
But er we parte / ywis thow shalt be quyt/
And ther with al / he lough / and made cheere
And seyde his tale / as ye shal after heere
¶Here bigynneth the Cook/ his tale
A Prentis / whilom dwelled in oure Citee
And of a craft/ of vitaillers was he
Gaillard he was / as goldfynch in the shawe
Broun as a berye / a |prop|re short/ felawe
With lokkes blake / ykembd ful feti{s}ly
Dauncen he koude / so wel and iolily
That he / was clepyd Perkyn Reuelour
He was / as ful / of loue and |per|amour
As is the hyue / ful of hony swete
Wel was the wenche / |þt| |with| hym myghte meete
At euery bridale / wolde he synge |&| hoppe
he loued bet the Tauerne / than the shoppe
ffor / whan ther any ridyng/ was in Chepe
Out of the {s}hoppe / thider wolde he lepe
Til |þt| he hadde / al the sighte y{s}eyn
And daunced wel / he wolde noght come ageyn
And gadred hym / a meynee of his sort/
To hoppe and synge / and maken swich di{s}port/
And ther / they setten steuene / for to meete
To pleyen at the dees / in swich a Streete
ffor in the town / nas ther no Prentys
That fairer / koude ca{s}te a paire of dys
Than Perkyn koude / and ther to he was free
Of his di{s}pen{s}e / in place of pryuetee
That foond his mai{s}ter wel / in his chaffare
ffor ofte tyme / he foond his box ful bare
ffor sikerly / a prentys reuelour
That haunteth dees / ryot/ or |per|amour
{{Folio 57v}}
His mai{s}ter / shal it in his shoppe abye
Al haue he / no part of the Min{s}tralcye
ffor thefte and riot / they been con|uer|tible
Al konne he pleye / on Giterne / or Rubible
Reuel and trouthe / as in a lowe degree
They been ful wrothe al day / as men may see
¶This ioly Prentys / with his Mai{s}ter bood
Til he were neigh / out of his |pre|nti{s}hood
Al were he snybbed / bothe erly and late
And som tyme / lad with reuel to Newgate
But atte la{s}te / his mai{s}ter hym bithoghte
Vp on a day / whan he his papir soghte
Of a |pro|uerbe / that seith this same word
Wel bet is roten Appul / out of hoord
Than |þt| it rotte / al the remenaunt/
So fareth it/ by a riotous seruaunt/
It is ful la{ss}e harm / to lete hym pace
Than he shende / alle the {s}eruantz in the place
Ther fore / his mai{s}ter gaf hym acquitaunce
And bad hym go / with sorw / and |with| me{s}chaunce
And thus this ioly |pre|ntys / hadde his leeue
Now lat hym riote / al the nyght/ or leeue
And for ther nys no theef/ with oute a lowke
That helpeth hym / to wa{s}ten and to sowke
Of that he brybe kan / or borwe may
Anon / he {s}ente his bed / and his array
Vn to a compeer / of his owene sort/
That loued dees / and reuel / and di{s}port/
And hadde a wyf / that heeld for contenaunce
A shoppe / and swyued for hir su{s}tenaunce
Of this Cokes tale
maked Chaucer na
moore