That coude climbe: alas! alas! (quod he) For I am blinde. Ye, Sire, no force, quod fne; Certes, faid he, therin fhal be no lack, He ftoupeth doun, and on his back she stood, And fodenly anon this Damian Gan pullen up the smock, and in he throng. 10215 10220 10225 And made him fee as wel as ever he might; 10230 .10227. Gan pullen] After this verfe the editt. (except Ca. z, and Pynf. 1, 2,) have eight others of the lowett and mott fuperfluous ribaldry that can well be conceived. It would be a mere lofs of time to argue from the lines themselves that they were not written by Chaucer, as we have this thort and decifive reason for rejecting them, that they are not found in any one mf. of authority They are not found in mff. A. C. 1, Ask. 1, 2. HA. B. C. D. G. Bod. a. C. y. S. e. (. C. 2, T. N. Ch. In mf. E. H. I. W. either the whole Tale or that part where they might be looked for is wanting. The only tolerable mf. in which I have feen them is F. and there they have been added in the margin by a later land, perhaps not older than Caxton's first edition. And whan he thus had caught his fig Up to the tree he caft his eyen t v. 10240. Out! helpe!] Two lin common editt. are omitted for the upon ver. 1o227; and I fhall take : actly the fame grounds, with four ferted in thofe editt. after ver. 102 v. 10241. O fironge lady ftore] £ this reading I have not departed fi have fome fignification that I am no foure, mf. G. houre, edit. Ca. 2, k He fwived thee, I faw it with min eyen, Than is, quod fhe, my medicine al false; (Thanked be God) with both min eyen two, 10255 And by my feith me thought he did thee fo. 10260 This thank have I for I have made you fee: 10265 Now Dame, quod he, let al paffe out of mind: And that thy fmock had lein upon his brest, Ye, Sire, quod fhe, ye may wene as you left: 10270 But, Sire, a man that waketh of his slepe He may not fodenly wel taken kepe Right fo a man that long hath blind ybe He may not fodenly fo wel yfee, 10275 v. 10261. Ye mafe, ye mafen] The final n has been added without authority, and unneceffarily. This line is very oddly written in mil. Ask. 1, 2; Ya may ya may ya quod fhe. Volume 111. R First whan his fight is newe comen agein, IC280 He which that mifconceiveth oft mifdemeth. He kiffeth hire and clippeth hire ful oft, And on hire wombe he ftroketh hire ful foft, 10290 THE SQUIERES PROLOGUE. By Goddes mercy, fayde oure Hofte tho, In women ben; for ay as befy as bees .10293.] It has been said in the Difcourfe, IC 295 c. §. 23. that this new Prologue has been prefixed to The Squieres Tale upon They are as follows; A. C. 1, the authority of the beft 'mff. Afk. 1, 2, HA. D. Bod. a. y. &. five mff. would alone have been more than fufficient to outweigh the authorities in favour of the otherPrologue. Ed. Ca. z, (though it has not this Frologue) agrees with these mff. in pla cing The Squieres Tale after The Marchantes. だ E Ben they us fely men for to deceive, (Of whom it nedeth not for to declare, Sin women connen utter swiche chaffare) And eke my wit fufficeth not therto To tellen all; wherfore my Tale is do. 10315 And fay fomwhat of love, for certes ye Connen theron as moche as any man. . 10298. weivė] This verb is generally used tranfitively, to wave, to relinquish, a thing; but it has also a neuter fignification, to depart, as here. See also ver. 4728, 9357. V. 10312. Sinwomen connen utter] Mf. A. reads oute, but others have utter, which I believe is right, though I confess that I do not clearly understand the passage. The phrafe has occurred before, ver. 6103; With danger uttren we all our chaffare. |