75

Qui loquitur turpiloquium · is Luciferes And rauhte30 with his ragemon31 · ringes hyne.

and broches. Bidders' and beggers · faste aboute eoden, | Thus ye giveth oure32 gold · glotonye to Til heor bagges and heor belies · weren I helpen, bretful ycrammed;3

41 | And leveth hit to losels33 · that lecherie Feyneden hem* for heore foode · foughten haunten.34 atte ale;

Weore the bisschop y-blessed · and worth In glotonye, God wot, · gon heo to bothe his eres,35 bedde,

His seel shulde not be sent · to deceyve And ryseth up with ribaudye?. this rober the peple. dess knaves;

Ac37 hit is not bi36 the bisschop · that Sleep and sleuthe. suwetho hem evere. 45 the boye precheth; Pilgrimes and palmers. plihten10 hem Bote37 the parisch prest and he · parten togederes

the selver For to sechell Seint Jame · and seintes at That the poraille38 of the parisch · schold Roome;

have yif thei nere.39 Wenten forth in heore wey · with mony

wyse tales, And hadden leve to lyen · al heore lyf aftir.

ANONYMOUS

NOAH'S FLOOD I fond there freres all the foure ordres, 55 THE WATERLEADERS AND DRAWERS Prechinge the peple · for profyt of heore

OF DEE wombes, 12

First God, sitting in some high place, or in Glosynge13 the Gospel · as hem14 good clouds, if it can be done, speaks to Noah, liketh, 14

standing with all his family outside the For covetysel5 of copes · construeth 16 hit

ark. ille; For monye17 of this maistres · mowen 18 GOD. I, God, that all the world have clothen hem at lyking,

wrought,
For moneye20 and heore marchaundie21 · | Heaven and earth, and all of nought,
meeten oft togedere.

60
60

I see my people in deed and thought

Are foully set in sin.

My spirit shall not remain in any man 5 Ther prechede a pardoner · as22 he a That through fleshly liking is my fone, 40 prest were,

65

But till six score years be gone, And brought forthe a bulle · with bis | To look if they will blynne. 41

schopes seles, And seide that himself mighte · asoylen 23 | Man that I made I will destroy, hem alle Beast, man, and fowl that fly,

10 Of falsnesse and fastinge · and of vowes For on earth they do me annoy, y-broken.

The folk that are thereon; The lewede24 men leved25 him wel · and It harms me so hurtfully, lyked his wordes,

The malice now that does multiply, And comen up knelynge · and cusseden 26 | That sore it grieveth me inwardly his bulle;

70

That ever I made man.
He bonchede27 hem with his brevet28 . and
blered heore eiyen,29

Therefore, Noah, my servant free,
That righteous man art, as I see,
A ship soon thou shalt make thee

Of trees dry and light;
13 interpreting.

IO

15

20

i bezzars. went. 3 crammed. 4 shammed. at the

they. 7 ribaldry. these robber.

follow.

10 plighted. 11 seek

35

40

Little chambers therein do thou make, Noah's WIFE. And we shall bring timber And binding pitch also do thou take:

too,

65 Within and without do thou not slake| For we may nothing else do: To annoint it with all thy might.

Women be weak to undergo

Any great travail. Three hundred cubits it shall be long, 25

SHEM'S WIFE. Here is a good hackstock, And fifty of breadth, to make it strong,

On this you may hew and knock; 70 Of height fifty, the measure do thou

Shall none be idle in this flock, fonge:

Nor now may no man fail.
Thus measure it about.
One window work by thy wit,

HAM'S WIFE. And I will go to gather One cubit of length and breadth make it; 30

slich Upon the side a door shall sit,

The ship for to clean and pitch: For to come in and out.

Annointed it must be every stitch, 75

Board, tree and pin. Eating places do thou make also,

JAPHET'S WIFE. And I will gather chips

here Three roofed chambers, one or two, For with water I think to flow

To make a fire for you in fere,10 Man that I did make;

And for to dight" your dinner
Destroyed all the world shall be,

Against you come in.
Save thou, thy wife, thy sons three,
And all their wives also with thee,

Then they make signs as though they were Shall saved be for their sake.

working with various implements.

Noah. Now in the name of God I will Noah. Ah, Lord, I thank thee loud and

begin still,

To make the ship that we shall go in, That to me art in such will,

That we be ready for to swim And sparest me and my house to spill,

At the coming of the flood: As now I soothly find;

These boards I join here together 85 Thy bidding, Lord, I shall fulfil,

To keep us safe from the weather, And never more thee grieve nor grill,"

That we may row both hither and thither, That such grace hast sent me till,

And safe be from this flood. Among all mankind.

Of this tree will I make the mast, Have done, you men and women all! Tied with cables that will last, 90 Help, for aught that may befall,

With a sailyard for each blast, To make this ship, chamber and hall,

And each thing in their kind;
As God hath bidden us do.

With topcastle and bowsprit,
SHEM. Father, I am already bowne:6 With cords and ropes I have all meet
An axe I have, by my crown,

To sail forth at the next weete:12
As sharp as any in all this town, 55 This ship is at an end.
For to go thereto.

Then Noah and all his family again make HAM. I have a hatchet wonder keen

signs of working with various impleTo bite well, as may be seen;

ments. A better ground, as I ween, Is not in all this town.

| Wife, in this castle we shall be kept; JAPHET. And I can well make a pin, My children and thou I would in leapt. And with this hammer knock it in;

Noah's WIFE. In faith, Noah, I had as Go and work without more din,

lief thou slept. And I am ready bowne.

For all thy frankish fare,

50

95

60

100

HAM'S WIFE. And here are fowls, less and | Ham. Shall we all fetch her in? more:

Noah. Yea, sons, in Christ's blessing Herons, cranes, and bittour,

and mine! Swans, peacocks; and them before

I would you hied you betime, Meat for this weather.

For of this flood I am in doubt.5

230

call,

240

JAPHET'S WIFE. Here are cocks, kites, | The Good GOSSIPS. (They sing.) crows,

185 | The flood comes in full fleeting fast, 225 Rooks, ravens, many rows;

On every side it spreadeth full far; Ducks, curlews: whoever knows

For fear of drowning I am aghast, Each one in his kind?

Good gossip, let us draw near. And here are doves, ducks, drakes, And let us drink ere we depart, Redshanks, running through the lakes; 190 | For oftentimes we have done so: And each fowl that language makes For at a draught thou drink'st a quart, In this ship men may find.

And so will I do, ere I go. Noah. Wife, come in! why standest thou

JAPHET. Mother, we pray you altogether, here?

For we are here, your own children, Thou art ever froward, that dare I swear.

Come into the ship for fear of the weather, Come in, on God's half!? time it were, 195

For his love that you bought. 236 For fear lest that we drown.

Noah's WIFE. That will I not for all your Noah's WIFE. Yea, sir, set up your sail, And row forth with evil hail!

Unless I have my gossips all. For without any fail

SHEM. In faith, mother, yet you shall, I will not out of this town.

200
| Whether you will or not!

(Then she will go.)
Unless I have my gossips every one
One foot further I will not gone;8
They shall not drown, by St. John!

Noah. Welcome, wife, into this boat! If I may save their life!

Noah's Wife. And have thou that for They loved me full well, by Christ! 205

thy mote! Unless thou wilt let them in thy chest,

[She deals Noah a blow.) Row forth, Noah, whither thou list,

Noah. Aha, marry, this is hot! And get thee a new wife.

It is good to be still.

Ah, children, methinks my boat removes! Noah. Shem, son, lo! thy mother is

Our tarrying here hugely me grieves; 246

Over the land the water spreadsForsooth, such another I do not know! 210

God do as he will! SHEM. Father, I shall fetch her in, I trow,

Ah, great God that art so good, Without any fail.

He that works not thy will is wood?. 250 Mother, my father after thee sent, Now all this world is in a flood, And bids thee into yonder ship wend. As I see well in sight; Look up and see the wind,

215

This window I will shut anon,
For we be ready to sail.

And into my chamber will I gone,
Till this water, so great one,

255 NOAH'S WIFE. Son, go again to him and Be slaked through thy might.

say I will not come therein today.

Then let Noah shut the window of the ark, Noah. Come in, wife, in twenty devils' and let them, remaining within for a way!

short time, sing the psalm “Save me, Or else stand there without. 220 O God;" then let Noah open the win

wraw:4

Laurls'

220

260

Now forty days are fully gone.

Beasts and all that can fly
Send a raven I will anon,

Out anon they shall hie,
To see if anywhere, earth, tree, or stone, On earth to grow and multiply;
Be dry in any place;

I will that it so be.

295 And if this fowl come not again, It is a sign, sooth to sayne,

Noah. Lord, I thank thee, through thy That dry it is on hill or plain,

might, And God hath done some grace.

Thy bidding shall be done in hight,

And as fast as I may dight Then let him send out the raven, and taking | I will do thee honor, a dove in his hands, let him speak. And to thee offer sacrifice.

300

Therefore comes in all wise, Ah, Lord, wherever this raven be,

For of these beasts that be his
Somewhere is dry, well I see.

Offer I will this store..
But yet a dove, by my loyalty,
After I will send.

Then coming out of the ark with all his Thou wilt turn again to me,

family Noah shall take his animals

and fowls and make an offering, and For of all fowls that may fly,

sacrifice. Thou art most meek and hend.?

Lord God in majesty, Then he shall put forth the dove, and there That such grace hast granted me 305

shall be on the ship another dove bearing Where all was lost, safe to be, an olive branch in her mouth, which Therefore now I am bowne, someone shall let down from the mast

My wife, my children, my company, by a cord into Noah's hand, and

With sacrifice to honor thee, afterwards let Noah speak.

With beasts, fowls, as thou mayst see, 310

Which I offer here right soon.
Ah, Lord, blessed be thou aye,
That me hast comforted thus today!

GOD. Noah, to me thou art full able,5

And thy sacrifice acceptable, This flood begins to cease: 275

For I have found thee true and stable; My sweet dove to me brought has

On thee must I now mind.6 A branch of olive from some place;

Curse earth will I no more This betokeneth God has done us some

For man's sin that grieves me sore, grace,

For of youth man full yore And is a sign of peace.

Has been inclined to sin.

270

315