Blessë this house from every wicked wight,
From the night mare, the white Pater-noster;
Where wonnest1072 thou now, Saintë Peter’s sister?”
And at the last this Hendy Nicholas
Gan for to sigh full sore, and said; “Alas!
Shall all time world be lost eftsoonës1073 now?”
This carpenter answér’d; “What sayest thou?
What? think on God, as we do, men that swink.”1074
This Nicholas answer’d; “Fetch me a drink;
And after will I speak in privity
Of certain thing that toucheth thee and me:
I will tell it no other man certain.”
This carpenter went down, and came again,
And brought of mighty ale a largë quart;
And when that each of them had drunk his part,
This Nicholas his chamber door fast shet,1075
And down the carpentér by him he set,
And saidë; “John, mine host full lief1076 and dear,
Thou shalt upon thy truthë swear me here,
That to no wight thou shalt my counsel wray:1077
For it is Christë’s counsel that I say,
And if thou tell it man, thou art forlore:1078
For this vengeance thou shalt have therefor,
That if thou wrayë1079 me, thou shalt be wood.”1080
“Nay, Christ forbid it for his holy blood!”
Quoth then this silly man; “I am no blab,1081
Nor, though I say it, am I lief to gab.1082
Say what thou wilt, I shall it never tell
To child or wife, by him that harried Hell.”1083
“Now, John,” quoth Nicholas, “I will not lie;
I have y-found in my astrology,
As I have looked in the moonë bright,
That now on Monday next, at quarter night,
Shall fall a rain, and that so wild and wood,1084
That never half so great was Noë’s flood.
This world,” he said, “in less than half an hour
Shall all be dreint,1085 so hideous is the shower:
Thus shall mankindë drench,1086 and lose their life.”
This carpenter answér’d; “Alas, my wife!
And shall she drench? alas, mine Alisoún!”
For sorrow of this he fell almost adown,
And said; “Is there no remedy in this case?”
“Why, yes, for God,” quoth Hendy Nicholas;
“If thou wilt worken after lore and rede;1087
Thou may’st not worken after thine own head.
For thus saith Solomon, that was full true:
Work all by counsel, and thou shalt not rue.1088
And if thou workë wilt by good counseil,
I undertake, withoutë mast or sail,
Yet shall I savë her, and thee, and me.
Hast thou not heard how saved was Noë,
When that our Lord had warned him beforn,
That all the world with water should be lorn?”1089
“Yes,” quoth this carpenter, “full yore ago.”1090
“Hast thou not heard,” quoth Nicholas, “also
The sorrow of Noë, with his fellowship,
That he had ere he got his wife to ship?1091
Him had been lever,1092 I dare well undertake,
At thilkë1093 time, than all his wethers black,
That she had had a ship herself alone.
And therefore know’st thou what is best to be done?
This asketh haste, and of an hasty thing
Men may not preach or makë tarrying.
Anon go get us fast into this inn1094
A kneading trough, or else a kemelin,1095
For each of us; but look that they be large,
In whichë we may swim as in a barge:
And have therein vitaillë suffisant
But for one day; fie on the remenant;
The water shall aslake1096 and go away
Aboutë prime1097 upon the nextë day.
But Robin may not know of this, thy knave,1098
Nor eke thy maiden Gill I may not save:
Ask me not why: for though thou askë me
I will not tellë Goddë’s privity.
Sufficeth thee, but if thy wit be mad,1099
To have as great a grace as Noë had;
Thy wife shall I well saven out of doubt.
Go now thy way, and speed thee hereabout.
But when thou hast for her, and thee, and me,
Y-gotten us these kneading tubbës three,
Then shalt thou hang them in the roof full high,
So that no man our purveyance1100 espy:
And when thou hast done thus as I have said,
And hast our vitaille fair in them y-laid,
And eke an axe to smite the cord in two
When that the water comes, that we may go,
And break an hole on high upon the gable
Into the garden-ward, over the stable,
That we may freely passë forth our way,
When that the greatë shower is gone away.
Then shalt thou swim as merry, I undertake,
As doth the whitë duck after her drake:
Then will I clepe,1101 ‘How, Alison? How, John?
Be merry: for the flood will pass anon.’
And thou wilt say, ‘Hail, Master Nicholay,
Good-morrow, I see thee well, for it is day.’
And then shall we be lordës all our life
Of all the world, as Noë and his wife.
But of one thing I warnë thee full right,
Be well advised, on that ilkë1102 night,
When we be enter’d into shippë’s board,
That none of us not speak a single word,
Nor clepe nor cry, but be in his prayére,
For that is Goddë’s owen hestë1103 dear.
Thy wife and thou must hangen far atween,1104
For that betwixtë you shall be no sin,
No more in looking than there shall in deed.
This ordinance is said: go, God thee speed.
To-morrow night, when men be all asleep,
Into our kneading tubbës will we creep,
And sittë there, abiding Goddë’s grace.
Go now thy way, I have no longer space
To make of this no longer sermoníng:
Men say thus: Send the wise, and say nothing:
Thou art so wise, it needeth thee nought teach.
Go, save our lives, and that I thee beseech.”
This silly carpenter went forth his way,
Full oft he said, “Alas! and Well-a-day!”
And to his wife he told his privity,
And she was ware, and better knew than he
What all this quaintë cast was for to say.1105
But natheless she fear’d as she would dey,1106
And said: “Alas! go forth thy way anon.
Help us to scape, or we be dead each one.
I am thy true
