The Canon's Yeoman's Tale
Folio 385v
4 of 19 folios
To be releuyd by hȳ aftyrward /
Swich supposȳge & hope is scharpe & hard
155
I warne ȝow wel it is to sekyn euere
That future temps that made mē to disseuere
In trust therof frō al that euere they hadde
Ȝit of that art they can not wexe sadde
For vn to hē it is a bittyr swete
160
So semyth it for nehadde they but a schete
Whiche that they myghte wrappe hē in a nyght
And a bakke to walke in be day light
They wolde hē selue / & spēdȳ on this craft
They can not stȳte til no thyng be laft
165
And euere more where that euere they goon
Men may hē knowe by smel of bronston
For al the world they stȳkȳ as a got
Here sauor is so rāmysch & so hot
That thow a man xx frō hē a myle bee
170
The sauor wele enfecte hē trustyth me
Lo thus be smellȳge & thredbare a ray
Ȝif that men lyste these folk knowe may
And ȝif a man wele aske hē pryuyly
Whi that they been clothid so vn thriftyly
175
They righ a non wele roūne in his ere
And seyn ȝif that they espied were
Men woldȳ hē sle by cause of here science
Lo thus these folk betrayen innocence
Passe ouer this I go mȳ tale vnto
180
Er thā the pot be on the fyre I do
Of metallis wt a certeyn quantite
Mȳ lord hē tēpereth & no man but he
Now he is goon I dar sey boldely
For as men seye he cā do craftyly
185
Algate I wot wel he hath swich a name
And ȝit ful ofte he rēnyth in a blame
And wete ȝe how ful oftȳ it happith soo
The pot to brekith & farwel al is go
These metallis been of so greet violence
190
Oure wallis mowe not make hē resistēce