The Canterbury Tales [329]
way may recover'd be.
There saw I play jongelours,* *jugglers <37> Magicians, and tregetours,<38> And Pythonesses, <39> charmeresses, And old witches, and sorceresses, That use exorcisations, And eke subfumigations; <40> And clerkes* eke, which knowe well *scholars All this magic naturel, That craftily do their intents, To make, in certain ascendents, <41> Images, lo! through which magic To make a man be whole or sick. There saw I the queen Medea, <42> And Circes <43> eke, and Calypsa.<44> There saw I Hermes Ballenus, <45> Limote, <46> and eke Simon Magus. <47> There saw I, and knew by name, That by such art do men have fame. There saw I Colle Tregetour <46> Upon a table of sycamore Play an uncouth* thing to tell; *strange, rare I saw him carry a windmell Under a walnut shell. Why should I make longer tale Of all the people I there say,* *saw From hence even to doomesday?
When I had all this folk behold, And found me *loose, and not y-hold,* *at liberty and unrestrained* And I had mused longe while Upon these walles of beryle, That shone lighter than any glass, And made *well more* than it was *much greater To seemen ev'rything, y-wis, As kindly* thing of Fame it is; <48> *natural I gan forth roam until I fand* *found The castle-gate on my right hand, Which all so well y-carven was, That never such another n'as;* *was not And yet it was by Adventure* *chance Y-wrought, and not by *subtile cure.* *careful art* It needeth not you more to tell, To make you too longe dwell, Of these gates' flourishings, Nor of compasses,* nor carvings, *devices Nor how they had in masonries, As corbets, <49> full of imageries. But, Lord! so fair it was to shew, For it was all with gold behew.* *coloured But in I went, and that anon; There met I crying many a one "A largess! largess! <50> hold up well! God save the Lady of this pell,* *palace Our owen gentle Lady Fame, And them that will to have name Of us!" Thus heard I cryen all, And fast they came out of the hall, And shooke *nobles and sterlings,* *coins <51> And some y-crowned were as kings, With crownes wrought fall of lozenges; And many ribands, and many fringes, Were on their clothes truely Then at the last espied I That pursuivantes and herauds,* *heralds That cry riche folke's lauds,* *praises They weren all; and ev'ry man Of them, as I you telle can, Had on him throwen a vesture Which that men call a coat-armure, <52> Embroidered wondrously rich, As though there were *naught y-lich;* *nothing like it* But naught will I, so may I thrive, *Be aboute to descrive* *concern myself with describing* All these armes that there were, That they thus on their coates bare, For it to me were impossible; Men might make of them a bible Twenty foote thick, I trow. For, certain, whoso coulde know Might there all the armes see'n Of famous folk that have been In Afric', Europe, and Asie, Since first began the chivalry.
Lo! how should I now tell all this? Nor of the hall eke what need is To telle you that ev'ry wall Of it, and floor, and roof, and all, Was plated half a foote thick Of gold, and that was nothing wick',* *counterfeit But for to prove in alle wise As fine as ducat of Venise, <53> Of which too little in my pouch is? And they were set as thick of nouches* *ornaments Fine, of the finest stones fair, That men read in the Lapidaire, <54> As grasses growen in a mead. But it were all too long to read* *declare The names; and therefore I pass. But in this rich and lusty place, That Fame's Hall y-called was,
There saw I play jongelours,* *jugglers <37> Magicians, and tregetours,<38> And Pythonesses, <39> charmeresses, And old witches, and sorceresses, That use exorcisations, And eke subfumigations; <40> And clerkes* eke, which knowe well *scholars All this magic naturel, That craftily do their intents, To make, in certain ascendents, <41> Images, lo! through which magic To make a man be whole or sick. There saw I the queen Medea, <42> And Circes <43> eke, and Calypsa.<44> There saw I Hermes Ballenus, <45> Limote, <46> and eke Simon Magus. <47> There saw I, and knew by name, That by such art do men have fame. There saw I Colle Tregetour <46> Upon a table of sycamore Play an uncouth* thing to tell; *strange, rare I saw him carry a windmell Under a walnut shell. Why should I make longer tale Of all the people I there say,* *saw From hence even to doomesday?
When I had all this folk behold, And found me *loose, and not y-hold,* *at liberty and unrestrained* And I had mused longe while Upon these walles of beryle, That shone lighter than any glass, And made *well more* than it was *much greater To seemen ev'rything, y-wis, As kindly* thing of Fame it is; <48> *natural I gan forth roam until I fand* *found The castle-gate on my right hand, Which all so well y-carven was, That never such another n'as;* *was not And yet it was by Adventure* *chance Y-wrought, and not by *subtile cure.* *careful art* It needeth not you more to tell, To make you too longe dwell, Of these gates' flourishings, Nor of compasses,* nor carvings, *devices Nor how they had in masonries, As corbets, <49> full of imageries. But, Lord! so fair it was to shew, For it was all with gold behew.* *coloured But in I went, and that anon; There met I crying many a one "A largess! largess! <50> hold up well! God save the Lady of this pell,* *palace Our owen gentle Lady Fame, And them that will to have name Of us!" Thus heard I cryen all, And fast they came out of the hall, And shooke *nobles and sterlings,* *coins <51> And some y-crowned were as kings, With crownes wrought fall of lozenges; And many ribands, and many fringes, Were on their clothes truely Then at the last espied I That pursuivantes and herauds,* *heralds That cry riche folke's lauds,* *praises They weren all; and ev'ry man Of them, as I you telle can, Had on him throwen a vesture Which that men call a coat-armure, <52> Embroidered wondrously rich, As though there were *naught y-lich;* *nothing like it* But naught will I, so may I thrive, *Be aboute to descrive* *concern myself with describing* All these armes that there were, That they thus on their coates bare, For it to me were impossible; Men might make of them a bible Twenty foote thick, I trow. For, certain, whoso coulde know Might there all the armes see'n Of famous folk that have been In Afric', Europe, and Asie, Since first began the chivalry.
Lo! how should I now tell all this? Nor of the hall eke what need is To telle you that ev'ry wall Of it, and floor, and roof, and all, Was plated half a foote thick Of gold, and that was nothing wick',* *counterfeit But for to prove in alle wise As fine as ducat of Venise, <53> Of which too little in my pouch is? And they were set as thick of nouches* *ornaments Fine, of the finest stones fair, That men read in the Lapidaire, <54> As grasses growen in a mead. But it were all too long to read* *declare The names; and therefore I pass. But in this rich and lusty place, That Fame's Hall y-called was,