Page:The Canterbury Tales and Faerie Queene.djvu/181
THE NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE.
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Far in a yard, with oxen of the plough ; Thai other man was lodged well enow, As was his &venttire, or his fortfine, That us govgmeth all, as in commiine. And so befell, that, long ere it were day. This man mette ^ in his bed, there as he lay. How that his f eUow gan upon him call. And said, 'Alas ! for in an ox's stall This night shall I be murder'd, where I lie. Kow help me, deare brother, or I die ; In alle haste come to me,' he said. This man out of his sleep for fear abraid ; ^ But when that he was wak'd out of his sleep. He turned him, and took of this no keep ; He thought his dream was but a vanity. Thus twies in his sleeping dreamed he. And at the thirds time yet ' his f ell&w Came, as he thought, and said, 'I am now
slaw ; * Behold my bloody woundes, deep and wide. Arise up early, in the morning tide. And at the west gate of the town,' quoth he, ' A carte full of dung there shalt thou see, In which my body is hid privily. Do thilke cart arreste ^ boldely. My gold caused my murder, sooth to sayn.' And told him every point how he was slaiii. With a full piteous face, and pale of hue.
" And, truste well, his dream he found fuU true ; For on the morrow, as soon as it was day. To his fell6we's inn he took his way ; And when that he came to this ox's stall. After his fellow he began to call. The hostel^re answered him anon, And saide, ' Sir, your fellow is y-gone, As soon as day he went out of the town.' This man gan fallen in suspiciotin, Bememb'ring on his dreames that he mette,^ And forth he went, no longer would he let," Unto the west gate of the town, and fand A dung cart, as it went for to dung land. That was arrayed in the same wise As ye have heard the deade man devise ; ' And with an hardy heart he gan to cry, ' Tengeance and justice of this felony : My fellow murder'd is this samS night. And in this cart he lies, gaping upright. I cry out on the ministers,' quoth he, ' That shoulde keep and rule this city ; Harow ! alas ! here lies my fellow slain.' What should I more unto this tale sayn ? The people out start, and cast the cart to ground. And in the middle of the dung they found The deade man, that murder'd was all new. O blissful God ! that art so good and true, lo, how that thou bewrayst murder alway. Murder will out, that see we day by day. Murder is so wlatsom ^ and abominable
1 Dreamed. ^ Awoke, started. 3 Again.
- Slain. ° 'Cause that cart to bo stopped.
6 Delay. 7 Describe. s Loathsome.
6 Or hylled ; from Anglo-Saxon, "helan ;" hid, concealed. 10 Seized. u Tortured. 12 Kacked. i' Confessed. 1* I am not prating idly, or lying. 16 As they wished. « Prepared, resolved.
To God, that is so just and reasonable, That he will not suffer it heled' be ; Though it abide a year, or two, or three. Murder will out, this is my conclusioHn, And light anon, the ministers of the town Have heut i" the carter, and so sore him pined, 11 And eke the hostelfire so sore engined,^^ That they beknew ^ their wickedness anon. And were hanged by the necke bone.
" Here may ye see that dreames be to di^eadt And certes in the same book I read, Eight in the nexte chapter after this (I gabbe" not, so have I joy and bliss). Two men that would have passed over sea, For certain cause, into a far country, If that the wind not hadde been contriry, That made them in a city for to tarry, That stood full merry upon an haven side ; But on a day, against the even-tide, The wind gan change, and blew right as them
lest." Jolly and glad they wente to their rest. And caste IS them full early for to sail. But to the one man fell a great marvail. That one of them, in sleeping as he lay. He mette 1 [a wondrous dream, against the
day: He thought a man stood by his bedde's side, And him commanded that he should abide ; And said him thus ; ' If thou to-morrow wend," Thou shalt be drown'd ; my tale is at an end,' He woke, and told his fellow what he mette, And prayed him his voyage for to let ;^ As for that day, he pray'd him to abide. His fellow, that lay by his bedde's side, Gan for to laugh, and scorned him full fast. ' No dream, 'quoth he, 'may so my heart aghast,^ That I wiU lette for to do my things. 2" I sette not a straw by thy dreamings. For swevens ^^ be but vanities and japes.^ Men dream all day of owles and of apes, And eke of many a maze ^ therewithal ; Men dream of thing that never was, nor shall. But since I see that thou wilt here abide. And thus forslothe ^^ wilfully thy tide,!* God wot, it rueth me ; '^ and have good day.' And thus he took his leave, and went his way. But, ere that he had half his course sail'd, I know not why, nor what mischance it ail'd, But casually 2' the ship's bottom rent, And ship and man under the water went. In sight of other shippes there beside That with him sailed at the same tide.'^
"And therefore, faire Parfcelote so dear, By such examples olde may'st thou lear,^ That no man shoulde be too reckeless Of dreames, for I say thee doubtSless, That many a dream full sore is for to dread, Lo, in the life of Saint Kenelm ^ I read,
17 Depart. 18 Delay. w Dismay.
so Transact my business. si Dreams.
22 Tricks. 23 Incoherent, wild imagining.
24 Spend or lose in sloth, loiter away.
25 Time. 26 I am sorry for thee. 27 By an accident. 28 Learn.
29 Eenelm succeeded his father as king of the Saxon realm of SJercla in 811, at the age of seven years;