That round was as a belle out of the preffe. 265.
Somwhat he lifped for his wantonnesse,
To make his English swete upon his tonge;
And in his harping, whan that he hadde fonge,
His eyen twinkeled in his hed aright,
As don the fterrés in a frosty night.
This worthy limitour was cleped Huberd.
A marchant was ther with a forked berd,
In mottelee, and highe on hors he fat,
And on his hed a Flaundrish bever hat.
His bootés clapfed fayre and fetisly.
His refons fpake he ful folempnély,
Souning alway the encrefe of his winning.
He wold the fee were kept for any thing
Betwixen Middelburgh and Oréwell.
Wel coud he in efchanges fheldés felle.
This worthy man ful wel his wit besette ;
Ther wifté no wight that he was in dette,
So ftedefaftly didde he his governance,
With his bargeines, and with his chevifance.
Forfothe he was a worthy man withalle,
But foth to fayn, I n'ot how men him calle.
A clerk ther was of Oxenforde alfo,.
That unto logike hadde long ygo.
As lené was his hors as is a rake,
And he was not ryght fat, I undertake;
But loked holwe, and therto foberly.
Ful thredbare was his overeft courtepy,
For he hadde geten him yet no benefice,
Ne was nought worldly to have an office.
For him was lever han at his beddes hed
Twenty bokes clothed in blake or red,
Of Aristotle, and his philosophie,
Than robés riche, or fidel, or fautrie.
But all be that he was a philofophre,
Yet haddé he but litel gold in cofre,
But all that he might of his frendés hente,
On bokés and on lerning he it spente,
And befily gan for the foulés praie
Of hem, that yave him wherwith to fcolaie.
Of ftudie toke he mofté cure and hede.
Not a word fpake he more than was nede;
And that was faid in forme and reverence,
And short and quike, and ful of high fentence.
Souning in moral vertue was his fpeche,
And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche. 310
A fergeant of the lawé ware and wife, That often hadde yben at the paruis, Ther was alfo, ful riche of excellence. Difcrete he was, and of gret reverence: He femed fwiche, his wordés were fo wife. Juftice he was ful often in affife,
V. 296. Thus corrected in the Errata.
By patent, and by pleine commiffoun;
For his fcience, and for his high renoun,
Of fees and robés had he many on.
So grete a pourchafour was no wher non.
All was fee fimple to him in effe&t,
His pourchafing might not ben in fufpect.
No wher fo befy a man as he ther n'as,
And yet he femed befier than he was.
In termés hadde he cas and domés all
That fro the time of king Will. weren falle.
Therto he coude endite, and make a thing,
Ther coudé no wight pinche at his writing.
And every ftatute coude he plaine by rote.
He rode but homely in a medlee cote,
Girt with a feint of filk, with barrés fmale;
Of his array tell I no lenger take.
A frankélein was in this compagnie :
White was his berd, as is the dayëfié.
Of his complexion he was fanguin.
Wel loved he by the morwe a fop in win.
To liven in delit was ever his wone,
For he was Epicurés owen fone,
That held opinion, that plein delit
Was veraily felicité parfite.
An houfholder, and that a grete was he;
Seint Julian he was in his contree.
His brede, his ale, was alway after on;
A better envyned man was no wher non.
Withouten bake mete never was his hous,
Of fish and flesh, and that so plenteous,
It fnewed in his hous of mete and drinke,
Of allé deintees that men coud of thinke.
After the fondry fefons of the yere,
So changed he his mete and his foupere.
Full many a fat partrich hadde he in mewe,
And many a breme, and many a luce in stewe.
Wo was his coke, but if his faucé were
Poinant and fharpe, and redy all his gere.
His table dormant in his halle alway
Stode redy covered alle the longe day.
At feffions ther was he lord and fire.
Ful often time he was knight of the fhire.
An anelace and a gipciere all of filk,
Heng at his girdel, white as morwe milk.
A fhereve hadde he ben, and a countour,
Was no wher fwiche a worthy vavafour.
An haberdasher, and a carpenter,
A webbe, a deyer, and a tapifer,
Were all yclothed in o livere,
Of a folempne and grete fraternite.
Ful freshe and newe hir gere ypiked was.
Her knives were ychaped not with bras,
But all with filver, wrought ful clene and wel,
Hir girdeles and hir pouches every del.
Wel femed eche of hem a fayre burgeis,
To fitten in a gild halle, on the deis.
Everich for the wifdom that he can,
Was fhapelich for to ben an alderman.
For catel hadden they ynough and rent,
And eke hir wivés wolde it wel affent:
And ellés certainly they were to blame.
It is ful fayre to ben ycleped madame,
And for to gon to vigiles all before,
And have a mantil reallich ybore.
A coke they hadden with hem for the nones,
To boile the chikenes and the marie bones,
And poudre marchant, and tart, and galingale.
Wel coude he knowe a draught of London ale.
He coudé roste, and sethe, and broile, and frie, 385
Maken mortrewés, and wel bake a pie.
But gret harm was it, as it thoughté me,
That on his fhinne a mormal hadde he.
For blanc manger that made he with the best.
A fhipman was ther, woned fer by weft:
For ought I wote, he was of Dertémouth.
He rode upon a rouncie, as he couthe,
All in a goune of falding to the knee.
A dagger hanging by a las hadde hee
V. 393. Mr. Tyrwhitt (perhaps unnecessarily) added all for the fake of the metre. Some of the MSS. read, In a goune of falding unto the knee.
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