By Goddë’s armës, if thou falsely play,
This dagger shall throughout thine heartë go.”
This fruit comes of the bicched3598 bonës two,
Forswearing, ire, falseness, and homicide.
Now, for the love of Christ that for us died,
Leavë your oathës, bothë great and smale.
But, Sirs, now will I ell you forth my tale.
These riotoúrës three, of which I tell,
Long erst than3599 primë rang of any bell,
Were set them in a tavern for to drink;
And as they sat, they heard a bellë clink
Before a corpse, was carried to the grave.
That one of them gan callë to his knave,3600
“Go bet,”3601 quoth he, “and askë readily
What corpse is this, that passeth here forth by;
And look that thou report his namë well.”
“Sir,” quoth the boy, “it needeth never a deal;3602
It was me told ere ye came here two hours;
He was, pardie, an old fellów of yours,
And suddenly he was y-slain tonight;
Fordrunk3603 as he sat on his bench upright,
There came a privy thief, men clepë Death,
That in this country all the people slay’th,
And with his spear he smote his heart in two,
And went his way withoutë wordës mo’.
He hath a thousand slain this pestilence;
And, master, ere you come in his presénce,
Me thinketh that it were full necessary
For to beware of such an adversary;
Be ready for to meet him evermore.
Thus taughtë me my dame; I say no more.”
“By Saintë Mary,” said the tavernére,
“The child saith sooth, for he hath slain this year,
Hence ov’r a mile, within a great villáge,
Both man and woman, child, and hind, and page;
I trow his habitatión be there;
To be advised3604 great wisdóm it were,
Ere3605 that he did a man a dishonoúr.”
“Yea, Goddë’s armës,” quoth this riotoúr,
“Is it such peril with him for to meet?
I shall him seek, by stile and eke by street.
I make a vow, by Goddë’s dignë3606 bones.
Hearken, fellóws, we three be allë ones:3607
Let each of us hold up his hand to other,
And each of us become the other’s brother,
And we will slay this falsë traitor Death;
He shall be slain, he that so many slay’th,
By Goddë’s dignity, ere it be night.”
Together have these three their trothë plight
To live and die each one of them for other
As though he were his owen boren3608 brother.
And up they start, all drunken, in this rage,
And forth they go towárdës that villáge
Of which the taverner had spoke beforn,
And many a grisly3609 oathë have they sworn,
And Christë’s blessed body they to-rent;3610
“Death shall be dead, if that we may him hent.”3611
When they had gone not fully half a mile,
Right as they would have trodden o’er a stile,
An old man and a poorë with them met.
This oldë man full meekëly them gret,3612
And saidë thus; “Now, lordës, God you see!”3613
The proudest of these riotoúrës three
Answér’d again; “What? churl, with sorry grace,
Why art thou all forwrapped3614 save thy face?
Why livest thou so long in so great age?”
This oldë man gan look on his viságe,
And saidë thus; “For that I cannot find
A man, though that I walked unto Ind,
Neither in city, nor in no villáge,
That wouldë change his youthë for mine age;
And therefore must I have mine agë still
As longë time as it is Goddë’s will.
And Death, alas! he will not have my life.
Thus walk I like a restëless caitífe,3615
And on the ground, which is my mother’s gate,
I knockë with my staff, early and late,
And say to her, ‘Leve3616 mother, let me in.
Lo, how I wanë, flesh, and blood, and skin;
Alas! when shall my bonës be at rest?
Mother, with you I wouldë change my chest,
That in my chamber longë time hath be,
Yea, for an hairy clout to wrap in me.’3617
But yet to me she will not do that grace,
For which fall pale and welked3618 is my face.
But, Sirs, to you it is no courtesy
To speak unto an old man villainy,
But3619 he trespass in word or else in deed.
In Holy Writ ye may yourselvës read;
‘Against3620 an old man, hoar upon his head,
Ye should arisë:’ therefore I you rede,3621
Ne do unto an old man no harm now,
No morë than ye would a man did you
In age, if that ye may so long abide.
And God be with you, whether ye go or ride.
I must go thither as I have to go.”
“Nay, oldë churl, by God thou shalt not so,”
Saidë this other hazardor anon;
“Thou partest not so lightly, by Saint John.
Thou spakest right now of that traitor Death,
That in this country all our friendës slay’th;
Have here my troth, as thou art his espy;3622
Tell where he is, or thou shalt it abie,3623
By God and by the holy sacrament;
For soothly thou art one of his assent
To slay us youngë folk, thou falsë thief.”
“Now, Sirs,” quoth he, “if it be you so lief3624
To findë Death, turn up this crooked way,
For in that grove I left him, by my fay,
Under a tree, and there he will abide;
Nor for your boast he will him nothing hide.
See ye that oak? right there ye shall him find.
God savë you, that bought again mankind,
And you amend!” Thus said this oldë man;
And evereach of these riotoúrës ran,
Till they came to the tree, and there they found
Of florins fine, of gold y-coined round,
Well nigh a seven bushels, as them thought.
No longer as then after Death they sought;
But each of them so glad was of the sight,
For that the florins were so fair and bright,
That down they sat them by the precious hoard.
The youngest of them spake the firstë word:
“Brethren,” quoth he, “take keep what I shall say;
My wit is great, though that I bourde3625 and play.
This treasure hath Fortúne unto us given
In mirth and jollity our life to liven;
And lightly
