The Canterbury Tales [337]
thought it stent,* *stopped And nothing it aboute went; And set me in the floore down. But such a congregatioun Of folk, as I saw roam about, Some within and some without, Was never seen, nor shall be eft,* *again, hereafter That, certes, in the world n' is* left *is not So many formed by Nature, Nor dead so many a creature, That well unnethes* in that place *scarcely Had I a foote breadth of space; And ev'ry wight that I saw there Rown'd* evereach in other's ear *whispered A newe tiding privily, Or elles told all openly Right thus, and saide, "Know'st not thou What is betid,* lo! righte now?" *happened "No," quoth he; "telle me what." And then he told him this and that, And swore thereto, that it was sooth; "Thus hath he said," and "Thus he do'th," And "Thus shall 't be," and "Thus heard I say "That shall be found, that dare I lay;"* *wager That all the folk that is alive Have not the cunning to descrive* *describe The thinges that I hearde there, What aloud, and what in th'ear. But all the wonder most was this; When one had heard a thing, y-wis, He came straight to another wight, And gan him tellen anon right The same tale that to him was told, Or it a furlong way was old, <84> And gan somewhat for to eche* *eke, add To this tiding in his speech, More than it ever spoken was. And not so soon departed n'as* *was He from him, than that he met With the third; and *ere he let Any stound,* he told him als'; *without delaying a momen* Were the tidings true or false, Yet would he tell it natheless, And evermore with more increase Than it was erst.* Thus north and south *at first Went ev'ry tiding from mouth to mouth, And that increasing evermo', As fire is wont to *quick and go* *become alive, and spread* From a spark y-sprung amiss, Till all a city burnt up is. And when that it was full up-sprung, And waxen* more on ev'ry tongue *increased Than e'er it was, it went anon Up to a window out to go'n; Or, but it mighte thereout pass, It gan creep out at some crevass,* *crevice, chink And fly forth faste for the nonce. And sometimes saw I there at once *A leasing, and a sad sooth saw,* *a falsehood and an earnest That gan *of adventure* draw true saying* *by chance Out at a window for to pace; And when they metten in that place, They were checked both the two, And neither of them might out go; For other so they gan *to crowd,* *push, squeeze, each other* Till each of them gan cryen loud, "Let me go first!" -- "Nay, but let me! And here I will ensure thee, With vowes, if thou wilt do so, That I shall never from thee go, But be thine owen sworen brother! We will us medle* each with other, *mingle That no man, be he ne'er so wroth, Shall have one of us two, but both At ones, as *beside his leave,* *despite his desire* Come we at morning or at eve, Be we cried or *still y-rowned."* *quietly whispered* Thus saw I false and sooth, compouned,* *compounded Together fly for one tiding. Then out at holes gan to wring* *squeeze, struggle Every tiding straight to Fame; And she gan give to each his name After her disposition, And gave them eke duration, Some to wax and wane soon, As doth the faire white moon; And let them go. There might I see Winged wonders full fast flee, Twenty thousand in a rout,* *company As Aeolus them blew about. And, Lord! this House in alle times Was full of shipmen and pilgrimes, <85> With *scrippes bretfull of leasings,* *wallets brimful of falsehoods* Entremedled with tidings* *true stories And eke alone by themselve.