The Canon's Yeoman's Tale
Folio 218v
2 of 21 folios
¶ Whan we ben there as we shal excercise
Our eluyssh crafte we semen wonder wise
Our termes ben so clergial and queynte
I blow the fire til that myn herte feynte
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¶ What sholde I telle eche proporcion
Of thinges which that we werken vpon
As on .v. or .vj. ounces may wel be
Of siluer or som other quantitee
And bisi me to telle yow the names
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Of orpyment brent bones / Iren squames
That in to pouder grounden been ful smal
And in an erthen pot how iput is al
And salt i put in and also pauper
Be forn this poudres that I speke of here
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Wel I couered with a lampe of glas
And of moche other thing which that ther was
As of the pot and glasses en lutyng
That of the heyr myght passe out no thing
And of the esy fire and smerte also
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Which that was maad and of the care and wo
That we hadde in our matiers sublymynge
And in amalgamynge and calcenynge
Of quykseluer y clept mercurye crude
For al our sleightes we can not conclude
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Our orpyment and our sublymed mercurye
Our grounden litarge eke on the porfurie
Of eche of these of ounces a certeyn
Nat helpeth vs our labour is in veyn
Ne eke our spiritus ascencioun
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Ne our matiers that lien al fix adoun
Mow in our workyng nothing vs availle
For lost is al our labour and trauaille
And al the cost a twenty deuel wey
Is lost also which we vpon it ley
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Ther is also ful many another thing
That is vnto our crafte appartaynyng
Thogh bi ordre hem nat reherce I kan