Ne that a monk whan he is rekkeles

Is like to a fish that is waterles;

186

This is to fay, a monk out of his cloistre;):

This ilke text held he not worth an oifire;
And I fay his opinion was good.

What! fhuide he ftudie and make himfelven wood, Upon a book in cloitre alway to pore,

185

Or fwinken with his houdes, and laboure,

As Auflin bit! how fhal the world be ferved?
Let Auftin have his fwink to him referved:

v. 179. han he is rekkeles] Mf. C. reads cloifierles; to which the only objection is, that if it had been the true reading there would have been no occafion to explain or paraphrase it in ver, 181. The text alluded to is attributed by Gratian, Decret. P. ii. Cau. xvi. q. i. c. 8, to a Pope Eugenius-" Sicut pifcis fine "aquâ caret vitâ, ita fine monafterio monachus." In P. P. according to mf, Cotton, Vefp. B. xvi. (for the paffage is omitted in the printed editions) a fimilar faying is quoted from Gregory;

T

Gregori the grete clerk gart write in bekes
The rule of alle religioun riytful and obedient
Riyt as fishes in a flod whan hem faileth water
Deien for drowthe whan thei drie liggen

Riyt fo religious roten and iterven

That out of covent or cleifire covciten to dwelle.

As the known fenfes of rekkcies (viz. careless, negligent,) by no means fuit with this paffage, I am inclined to fuspect that Chaucer poffibly wrote reghelles, i. c. without rule. Regol(from regula) was the Saxon word for a rule, and particularly for a monaftick rule. Hence regol-lif, regularis feu monaftica vita; regol-lage, regularium lex; and in the quotation from Orm Fay, &c. n. 52, an reghel-boc fingnifies the book of rules by which the Auguftinian canons were governed.

. 187. As Auf in bit] i. e. biddeth: Chaucer frequently abbreviates the third perfon fingular of the prefent tense in this

Therfore he was a prickafoure a right.

Greihoundes he hadde as swift as foul of flight. 190
Of pricking and of hunting for the hare
Was all his luft, for no coft wolde he spare.

I faw his fleves purfiled at the hond..
With gris, and that the finest of the lond;
And for to faften his hood under his chinne
He hadde of gold ywrought a curious pinne;
A love-knotte in the greter ende ther was:
His hed was balled, and fhone as any glas,
And eke his face, as it hadde ben anoint;
He was a lord ful fat and in good point:
His eyen ftepe, and rolling in his hed,
That ftemed as a forneis of a led;

His bootes fouple, his hors in gret estat;
Now certainly he was a fayre prelat:

195

200

manner. See ver. 976, 983, rit for rideth; ver. 4069, 15686, fint for findeth; ver. 4191, rift for rifeth; ver. 5038, 5071, 5, fant for ftandeth; ver. 7239, fit for fitteth; ver. 7998, fmit for finiteth.

.193. bis ferves purfiled] From the Fr. pourfiler, which properly fignifies to work upon the edge. Pur Eng, and pour Fr. are generally corruptions of the Latin pro.—It is not clear what fpecies of fur the gris was, only that it was one of the better forts. See Du Cange in v. Grifeum. Ifit was the fame with vair, (commonly called menerver, i. e, menu vair) as he sup poses, it was probably next in efteem to ermin. See the ftatute 37 E. III. c. 10 and 12. One of Wolfey's ordinances for the reformation of the Auguftinian monks in 1519 is directed against the foppery here described; " In manicis fub nullo modo fur"ruris utantur aut pellibus, nifi prout iis permiffum eft in fta$6 tutis Benedictinis." Monaf. v. ii. p. 567.

.203. His Lootes fouple] This is part of the defcription of a

He was not pale as a forpined goft;
A fat fwan loved he beft of any roft:
His palfrey was as broune as is a bery.

A Frere ther was, a wanton and a mery,
A limitour, a ful folempne man:

In all the ordres foure is non that can

So moche of daliance and fayre langage.

203

210

He hadde ymade ful many a mariage
Of yonge wimmen at his owen coft;
Until his ordre he was a noble poft.

Ful wel beloved and familier was he

215

With frankeleins over all in his contree,

And eke with worthy wimmen of the Toun,
For he had power of confeffion,

As faide himfelfe, more than a curat,

For of his ordre he was a licenciat.
Ful fwetely herde he confeffion,
And plefant was his abfolution.
He was an efy man to give penance
Ther as he wifte to han a good pitance,
For unto a poure ordre for to give
Is figne that a man is wel yfhrive;
For if he gave he dorfte make avant
He wiite that a man was repentant;
For many a man fo hard is of his herte

220

225

He may not wepe although him fore smerte ;

230

fmart abbot by an anonymous writer of the 12th century;

"Ocreas habebat in cruribus, quafi innatæ effent, fine plica "porrectas." Ms. Bod. James, n. 6, p. 121.

Therfore in ftede of weping and praieres
Men mote give filver to the poure freres.
His tippet was ay farfed ful of knives
And pinnes for to given fayre wives:
And certainly he hadde a mery note;

Wel coude he finge and plaien on a rote.
Of yeddinges he bare utterly the priso
His nekke was white as the flour de lis;
Therto he strong was as a champioun,
And knew wel the tavernes in every toun,
And every hofteler and gay tapftere,
Better than a lazar or a beggere;
For unto fwiche a worthy man as he
Accordeth nought as by his faculte..
To haven with fike lazars acquaintance:
It is not honeft, it may not avance,
As for to delen with no fwiche pouraille,
But all with riche and fellers of vitaille.

And over all, ther as profit fhuld arife
Curteis he was, and lowly of fervise :
Ther n'as no man no wher fo vertuous;
He was the befte begger in all his hous,

.233. farfed] Stuffed, from the Fr. farcin

v. 237. Of yeddinges] 'This word, being not understood, has been changed in fome copies into tidinges and weddinges. Iț probably means a kind of fong, from the Sax. geddian or gid, dian, to ling. See the Saxon Boethius, cap, i. l. ult. where the words thus fingende cuæth, are rendered in the poetical verfion, p. 152, gyddode thus. See more inttances in Lye's Saxon Dia. The Saxon paffes frequently into y.. 3P

And gave a certaine ferme for the grant
Non of his bretheren came in his haunt:.
For though a widewe hadde but a fhoo,
(So plefant was his In principio)
Yet wold he have a ferthing or he went;
His pourchas was wel better than his rent:
And rage he coude as it hadde ben a whelp;
In lovedayes ther coude he mochel help;

255

260

. 256. In principio] This phrafe is commonly explained to refer to the beginning of St. John's Gospel; it may also refer to the beginning of Genefis. In an old French romance, l'Hiftoire des trois Maries, it seems to fignify fome passage in the conclufion of the mafs. Acad. des Inf. t. xiii. p. 521;

Moult aife fui quant audio

Le Preftre dire in principio,
Car la Meffe-fi eft finee.

It is not very material in which of thefe fenfes it is understood either here or in ver. 15169.

v. 258. His pourchas was, &c.] From the Rom. de la Rofe, 12288;

Mieux vault mon pourchas que ma rente.

See R. R. 6838.

66

. 260. In lovedayes] A day appointed for the amicable fettlement of differences was called a Love-day. Bracton, 1. v. fol. 369, "fi ante judicium capiatur dies amores."-Rot. Parl. 13 H. IV. n. 13, agayn the fourme of a love-day taken by"twen the fame parties." The gloffary calls them, improperly, Meetings for pleasure and diverfion. They were meetings for bufinefs, though it is probable that the bufinefs when finifhed was usually followed by a treat given to the arbitrators,&c. See the Par. Roll. quoted above. In P. P. fol. xxvii, Sloth in the character of a priest says,

I can holde lovedayes, and here a reve's rekenynge,
And in cannon or in decretals I cannot read a lyne.