A little after the cock had y-crow,
And dressed him1018 under a shot1019 window,
That was upon the carpentérë’s wall.
He singeth in his voice gentle and small;
“Now, dear lady, if thy will be,
I pray that ye will rue1020 on me;”
Full well accordant to his giterning.
This carpenter awoke, and heard him sing,
And spake unto his wife, and said anon,
“What, Alison, hear’st thou not Absolon,
That chanteth thus under our bower1021 wall?”
And she answer’d her husband therewithal;
“Yes, God wot, John, I hear him every deal.”
This passeth forth; what will ye bet1022 than well?
From day to day this jolly Absolon
So wooeth her, that him is woebegone.
He waketh all the night, and all the day,
To comb his lockës broad, and make him gay.
He wooeth her by means and by brocage,1023
And swore he wouldë be her owen page.
He singeth brokking1024 as a nightingale.
He sent her piment,1025 mead, and spiced ale,
And wafers1026 piping hot out of the glede:1027
And, for she was of town, he proffer’d meed.1028
For some folk will be wonnen for richéss,
And some for strokes, and some with gentiless.
Sometimes, to show his lightness and mast’ry,
He playeth Herod1029 on a scaffold high.
But what availeth him as in this case?
So loveth she the Hendy Nicholas,
That Absolon may blow the buckë’s horn:1030
He had for all his labour but a scorn.
And thus she maketh Absolon her ape,
And all his earnest turneth to a jape.1031
Full sooth is this provérb, it is no lie;
Men say right thus alway; the nighë sly
Maketh oft time the far lief to be loth.1032
For though that Absolon be wood1033 or wroth
Because that he far was from her sight,
This nigh Nicholas stood still in his light.
Now bear thee well, thou Hendy Nicholas,
For Absolon may wail and sing “Alas!”
And so befell, that on a Saturday
This carpenter was gone to Oseney,
And Hendy Nicholas and Alisón
Accorded were to this conclusión,
That Nicholas shall shapë him a wile1034
The silly jealous husband to beguile;
And if so were the gamë went aright,
She shouldë sleepen in his arms all night;
For this was her desire and his also.
And right anon, withoutë wordës mo’,
This Nicholas no longer would he tarry,
But doth full soft unto his chamber carry
Both meat and drinkë for a day or tway.
And to her husband bade her for to say,
If that he asked after Nicholas,
She shouldë say, “She wist1035 not where he was;
Of all the day she saw him not with eye;
She trowed1036 he was in some maladý,
For no cry that her maiden could him call
He would answer, for nought that might befall.”
Thus passed forth all thilkë1037 Saturday,
That Nicholas still in his chamber lay,
And ate, and slept, and diddë what him list
Till Sunday, that the sunnë went to rest.1038
This silly carpenter had great marvail1039
Of Nicholas, or what thing might him ail,
And said; “I am adrad,1040 by Saint Thomas!
It standeth not aright with Nicholas:
God shieldë1041 that he died suddenly.
This world is now full tickle1042 sickerly.1043
I saw to-day a corpse y-borne to chirch,
That now on Monday last I saw him wirch.1044
“Go up,” quod he unto his knave,1045 “anon;
Clepe1046 at his door, or knockë with a stone:
Look how it is, and tell me boldëly.”
This knavë went him up full sturdily,
And, at the chamber door while that he stood,
He cried and knocked as that he were wood:1047
“What how? what do ye, Master Nicholay?
How may ye sleepen all the longë day?”
But all for nought, he heardë not a word.
An hole he found full low upon the board,
There as1048 the cat was wont in for to creep,
And at that hole he looked in full deep,
And at the last he had of him a sight.
This Nicholas sat ever gaping upright,
As he had kyked1049 on the newë moon.
Adown he went, and told his master soon,
In what array he saw this ilkë1050 man.
This carpenter to blissen him1051 began,
And said: “Now help us, Saintë Frideswide.1052
A man wot1053 little what shall him betide.
This man is fall’n with his astronomy
Into some woodness1054 or some agony.
I thought aye well how that it shouldë be.
Men should know nought of Goddë’s privity.1055
Yea, blessed be alway a lewëd1056 man,
That nought but only his believë can.1057
So far’d another clerk with astrónomý:
He walked in the fieldës for to pry
Upon1058 the starrës, what there should befall,
Till he was in a marlë pit y-fall.1059
He saw not that. But yet, by Saint Thomas!
Me rueth sore of1060 Hendy Nicholas:
He shall be rated of his studying,1061
If that I may, by Jesus, heaven’s king!
Get me a staff, that I may underspore1062
While that thou, Robin, heavest off the door:
He shall out of his studying, as I guess.”
And to the chamber door he gan him dress.1063
His knavë was a strong carl for the nonce,
And by the hasp1064 he heav’d it off at once;
Into the floor the door fell down anon.
This Nicholas sat aye as still as stone,
And ever he gap’d upward into the air.
The carpenter ween’d1065 he were in despair,
And hent1066 him by the shoulders mightily,
And shook him hard, and cried spitously;1067
“What, Nicholas? what how, man? look adown:
Awake, and think on Christë’s passioún.
I crouchë thee1068 from elvës, and from wights.”1069
Therewith the night-spell said he anon rights,1070
On the four halvës1071 of the house about,
And on the threshold of the door without.
“Lord
