Than why schulde the remenaunt have a blame,
That gulteles were? by yow
I say
the same.
Save oonly this, if ye wol herkene me,
If any Judas in youre covent be,
Remewe him by tyme, I yow rede,
If schame or los may causen eny drede.
And beth no thing displesed, I you pray,
But in this caas herkeneth what I say.'

THE CHANOUNES YEMANNES TALE.

[IN this tale and its prologue, Chaucer satirizes the prevailing belief in alchemy, which had been introduced to the study of the Western nations from Arabia, as its name implies, in the beginning of the eighth century. From the Arabs Europe derived the rudiments of physical science, but debased by the belief in magical influences which entered into all the speculations of Eastern philosophy. Their astronomy took the form of judicial astrology, their chemistry that of alchemy, and their physics and optics were deformed with strange notions of mysterious and supernatural agencies. The sup position that, by means of the analytical experiments, which, as Boerhaave allows, the Arabs performed with great exactness and success, they might discover the component parts of the precious metals, and, by combining them, produce the metals themselves, was, no doubt, the origin of the hermetic philosophy. On this principle they would have concluded that, because a diamond is one form of carbon, diamonds might be manufactured out of charcoal. To these golden visions, however, we owe the labours of Roger Bacon, who, by his patient analysis of the powers of nature, gave to his still more illustrious namesake the clue by which he was enabled to indicate to his successors the passage into her most secret labyrinths. The belief that comparatively worthless substances might be chemically combined so as to produce gold and silver was very general in England at this period;

Edward the Third was persuaded by Raymond Lully even to look to it as a source of national wealth; and it was held as an article of popular faith that the beautiful gold coin, called the Rose Noble, was manufactured by means of this mysterious process. See Ashmol. Theatrum Chemicum, Lond. 1652, p. 443. The impostures which were practised on the public credulity led to the statute of 5 Henry IV., c. 4, noticed by Tyrwhitt, which made it felony 'to multiply gold or silver, or to use the art of multiplication.' The delusion, however, still continued to flourish in some quarters; and, in the reign of Edward the Fourth, we find George Ripley producing a poem on the subject, entitled The Compound of Alchemie, which he dedicated to the King. See Warton, § 25. This poetical alchemist was a Canon Regular of Bridlington, in Yorkshire, a circumstance which curiously confirms Chaucer's charge against that order of clergy; though why the canons should have been peculiarly addicted to this vain pursuit is not easily determined.

The knowledge of the terms of art displayed in The Chanounes Yemannes Tale, and the bitterness of the satire, would lead to the supposition that Chaucer, as well as his royal patron, had been at one time duped by some professor of the science of alchemy. All the artillery of his learning, good sense, brilliant wit, and broad humour is brought to bear upon this mischievous delusion and its abettors. The story is probably founded on an actual incident which had come to the poet's knowledge, if, indeed, it had not some direct influence upon his own fortunes in the latter part of his life. Nor is it very unlikely, as Tyrwhitt hints, that the vigour with which he exposes the frauds of the alchemists may have effectually contributed to the introduction of the statute against 'multiplying.']

IN

Londoun was a prest, an annueler,1
That therin dwelled hadde many a yer,

1 They were called annuelers, not from their receiving a yearly sti. pend, as the Glossary explains it, but from their being employed solely

Which was so plesaunt and so servisable
Unto the wyf, wher as he was at table,1
That sche wolde suffre him no thing for to pay
For bord ne clothing, went he never so gay;
And spending silver had he right y-nough;
Therof no force; I wol procede as now,
And telle forth my tale of the chanoun,
That brought this prest to confusioun.
This false chanoun cam upon a day
Unto the prestes chambre wher he lay,
Biseching him to lene him a certyn
Of gold, and he wold quyt it him ageyn.
'Lene me a mark,' quod he, 'but dayes thre,
And at my day I wil it quyte the.

And if so be, that thou fynde me fals,

Another day hong me up by the hals.'

This prest him took a mark, and that as swithe,
And this chanoun him thankid ofte sithe,
And took his leve, and wente forth his wey;
And atte thridde day brought his money,
And to the prest he took his gold agayn,
Wherof this prest was wonder glad and fayn.
'Certes,' quod he, 'no thing annoyeth me
To lene a man a noble, or tuo, or thre,
Or what thing were in my possessioun,
Whan he so trewe is of condicioun,

in singing annuals, or anniversary masses for the dead, without any cure of souls.-See the stat. 36 Edw. III., c. viii., where the chapelleins parochiels are distinguished from others chantanz annales, et a cure des almes nient entendantz. They were both to receive yearly stipends, but the former were allowed to take six marks, and the latter only five. Compare stat. 2 Henry V., c. ii., where the stipend of the chapellein parochiel is raised to eight marks, and that of the chapellein annueler (he is so named in the statute) to seven. The chapelleins annuelers were also called chantry priests, and the chapels, of which numbers still exist in our cathedrals and parish churches, were called chantries, because mass was there sung (chanté.) Of these chantry chapels, Henry the Seventh's, in Westminster Abbey, and Bishop Alcock's, in Ely, lately restored by Jesus Coll., Camb., are well-known examples. At table means at board.

That in no wise he breke wol his day;
To such a man I can never say nay.'

crepe

'What?' quod this chanoun, 'schold I be untrewe?
Nay, that were thing i-fallen of the newe.
Trouthe is a thing that I wol ever kepe,
Unto that day in which that I schal
Into my grave, and elles God forbede!
Bilieveth that as siker as your crede.
God thank I, and in good tyme be it sayd,
That ther was never man yet evel apayd
For gold ne silver that he to me lent,
Ne never falshed in myn hert I ment.
And, sire,' quod he, 'now of my privete,
Syn ye so goodlich have be unto me,
And kythed to me so gret gentilesce,
Som what, to quyte with youre kyndenesse,
I wil yow schewe, and if yow lust to lere
I wil yow teche pleynly the manere,
How I kan werken in philosophie.
Takith good heed, ye schul seen wel at ye,
That I wol doon a maystry er I go.'
'Ye?' quod the prest, 'ye, sire, and wol ye so
Mary! therof I pray you hertily.'
'At youre comaundment, sire, trewely,'
Quod the chanoun, and elles God forbede!'
Lo, how this theef couthe his servise beede.
Ful soth it is that such profred servise
Stynketh, as witnessen these olde wise;
And that ful soone I wol it verefye
In this chanoun, roote af al treccherie,
That evermor delit hath and gladnesse
(Such feendly thoughtes in his hert empresse)
How Cristes poeple he may to meschief bringe:
God kepe us from his fals dissimilynge!
What wiste this prest with whom that he delte?
Ne of his harm comyng he no thing felte.
O seely prest, o sely innocent,

With coveytise anoon thou schalt be blent:

O graceles, ful blynd is thy conceyt,
No thing art thou war of the deceyt,
Which that this fox i-schapen hath to the;
His wily wrenches I wis thou maist not fle.
Wherfor to go to the conclusioun,
That referreth to thy confusion,
Unhappy man, anoon I wil me hie
To tellen thin unwitte and thy folye,
And eek the falsnesse of that other wrecche,
Als ferforth as my connyng wol strecche.

This chanoun was my lord, ye wolde weene;
Sire ost, in faith, and by the heven queene,
It was another chanoun, and not he,
That can an hundred fold more subtilte.
He hath bitrayed folkes many tyme;
Of his falsnes it dullith me to ryme.
Ever whan I speke of his falshede,
For schame of him my cheekes wexen reede;
Algates thay bygynne for to glowe,

For reedenes have I noon, right wel I knowe,
In my visage, for fumes diverse

Of metals, which ye han me herd reherse,
Consumed and wasted han my reednesse.
Now tak heed of this chanouns cursednesse.
'Sire,' quod he to the prest, 'let your man goon
For quyksilver, that we it hadde anoon;
And let him bringe ounces tuo or thre;
And whan he cometh, as faste schul ye see
A wonder thing, which ye saugh never er this.'
'Sire,' quod the prest, 'it schal be doon, I wis.'
He bad his servaunt fecche him his thinges,
And he al redy was at his biddynges,

And went him forth, and com anoon agayn
With this quyksilver, schortly for to sayn,
And took these ounces thre to the chanoun;
And he it layde faire and wel adoun,
And bad the servaunt coles for to bringe,
That he anoon might go to his werkynge.