The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Introduction
• Errata.
• Additions to ‘the Minor Poems’ In Vol. I.
• XXIV.: Womanly Noblesse.
• XXV.: Complaint to My Mortal Foe.
• XXVI.: Complaint to My Lode-sterre.
• Notes to the Preceding Poems.
• The Canterbury Tales. Group A.
• The Prologue.
• The Knightes Tale.
• The Miller’s Prologue.
• The Milleres Tale.
• The Reeve’s Prologue.
• The Reves Tale.
• The Cook’s Prologue.
• The Cokes Tale.
• Group B.
• Introduction to the Man of Law’s Prologue. (t. 4421-4446.)
• The Tale of the Man of Lawe.
• The Shipman’s Prologue.
• The Shipmannes Tale.
• The Prioress’s Prologue. (t. 13365-13382.)
• The Prioresses Tale.
• Prologue to Sir Thopas. (t. 13621-13641.)
• Sir Thopas.
• Prologue to Melibeus. (t. 13847-13875.)
• The Tale of Melibeus.
• The Monk’s Prologue. (t. 13895-13924.)
• The Monkes Tale.
• The Prologue of the Nonne Prestes Tale. (t. 14773-14798).
• The Nonne Preestes Tale.
• Epilogue to the Nonne Preestes Tale.
• Group C.
• The Phisiciens Tale. (t. 11935-11957.)
• Words of the Host. (t. 12221-12239.)
• The Prologue of the Pardoners Tale. (t. 12263-12288).
• The Pardoners Tale. ( Numbered In Continuation of the Preceding. )
• Group D.
• The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. (t. 5583-5602; For T. 5582, See P. 164.)
• The Tale of the Wyf of Bathe.
• The Friar’s Prologue. (t. 6847-6868).
• The Freres Tale.
• The Somnour’s Prologue. (t. 7247-7270.)
• The Somnours Tale.
• Group E.
• The Clerk’s Prologue. (t. 7877-7898.)
• The Clerkes Tale.
• The Merchant’s Prologue. (t. 9089-9120).
• The Marchantes Tale.
• Epilogue to the Marchantes Tale.
• Group F.
• The Squieres Tale. (t. 10315-10334).
• The Franklin’s Prologue. (t. 11021-11040).
• The Frankeleyns Tale.
• Group G.
• The Seconde Nonnes Tale.
• The Canon’s Yeoman’s Prologue. (t. 16022-16043.)
• The Chanouns Yemannes Tale.
• Group H.
• The Manciple’s Prologue. (t. 16950-16968).
• The Maunciples Tale.
• Group I.
• The Parson’s Prologue. (t. 17312-17330).
• The Persones Tale.
• Appendix to Group A.
• The Tale of Gamelyn.

THE COKES TALE.

Heer bigynneth the Cokes tale.

• A PRENTIS whylom dwelled in our citee,4365
• And of a craft of vitaillers was he;
• Gaillard he was as goldfinch in the shawe,
• Broun as a berie, a propre short felawe,
• With lokkes blake, y-kempt ful fetisly.
• Dauncen he coude so wel and Iolily,4370
• That he was cleped Perkin Revelour.
• He was as ful of love and paramour
• As is the hyve ful of hony swete;
• Wel was the wenche with him mighte mete.(10)
• At every brydale wolde he singe and hoppe,4375
• He loved bet the taverne than the shoppe.
• For whan ther any ryding was in Chepe,
• Out of the shoppe thider wolde he lepe.
• Til that he hadde al the sighte y-seyn,
• And daunced wel, he wolde nat come ageyn.4380
• And gadered him a meinee of his sort
• To hoppe and singe, and maken swich disport.
• And ther they setten steven for to mete
• To pleyen at the dys in swich a strete.(20)
• For in the toune nas ther no prentys,4385
• That fairer coude caste a paire of dys
• Than Perkin coude, and ther-to he was free
• Of his dispense, in place of privetee.
• That fond his maister wel in his chaffare;
• For often tyme he fond his box ful bare.4390
• For sikerly a prentis revelour,
• That haunteth dys, riot, or paramour,
• His maister shal it in his shoppe abye,
• Al have he no part of the minstralcye;(30)
• For thefte and riot, they ben convertible,4395
• Al conne he pleye on giterne or ribible.
• Revel and trouthe, as in a low degree,
• They been ful wrothe al day, as men may see.
• This Ioly prentis with his maister bood,
• Til he were ny out of his prentishood,4400
• Al were he snibbed bothe erly and late,
• And somtyme lad with revel to Newgate;
• But atte laste his maister him bithoghte,
• Up-on a day, whan he his paper soghte,(40)
• Of a proverbe that seith this same word,4405
• ‘Wel bet is roten appel out of hord
• Than that it rotie al the remenaunt.’
• So fareth it by a riotous servaunt;
• It is wel lasse harm to lete him pace,
• Than he shende alle the servants in the place.4410
• Therfore his maister yaf him acquitance,
• And bad him go with sorwe and with meschance;
• And thus this Ioly prentis hadde his leve.
• Now lat him riote al the night or leve.(50)
• And for ther is no theef with-oute a louke,4415
• That helpeth him to wasten and to souke
• Of that he brybe can or borwe may,
• Anon he sente his bed and his array
• Un-to a compeer of his owne sort,
• That lovede dys and revel and disport,4420
• And hadde a wyf that heeld for countenance
• A shoppe, and swyved for hir sustenance.4422
• * * * * * *

Of this Cokes tale maked Chaucer na more.

[For The Tale of Gamelin, see the Appendix.]

GROUP B.

[4366. ]E. vitailliers.

[4369. ]E. ykempd; Hn. ykembd; rest ykempt.

[4380. ]E. ayeyn.

[4383. ]Pt. Ln. steuen; rest steuene.

[4385. ]Pt. Ln. toune; rest toun.

[4396. ]E. Ln. ribible; rest rubible.

[4397. ]E. lowe.

[4402. ]E. Newegate.

[4404. ]E. Hn. Hl. papir.

[4406. ]E. Hn. Cp. Hl. Appul.

[4410. ]E. seruantz.

[4415. ]Hl. omits.

[4416. ]Pt. souke; rest sowke.

Hl. omits.

[4417. ]Hl. omits.

[4418. ]Hl. omits.

[4419. ]E. compier; Hn. compeer; Cp. Pt. Ln. conpere.

Hl. omits.

Colophon.In Hn. only. Blank space in E.

[4420. ]Hl. omits.

[4421. ]Hl. omits.

[4422. ]Hl. omits.