and lame. At last Jack, tired, rests. The friar summons Jack to appear before the official. 1 out.-P. 384 Straight forth' thé 2 start thorrow dores & kockes,3 some in their shirts, some in their smockes, & some starke belly naked. When all were gathered round about, that dancing in the street, 388 Of which, some lame that cold not goe, 392 396 400 they dancet on hands & feet. now Ile rest." Iacke tyred with the sport 5 said, All those that dancing thither came, yett some gott many a fall. "Thou cursed boy!" cryed out the 10 fryar,11 beffore the Officiall! "Looke thou be there on fryday next; 404 Ile meet thee then, thou 13 now perplext, for to ordaine thee sorrow. 14" 408 2 MS. ye.-F. The boy replyed, "I make 15 avowe, if fryday were to Morrowe." 3 ? small openings; cf. Phillips. "Among Sea-men Cocks are little square pieces of Brass, with Holes in them, put into the middle of great Wooden Shivers, to keep them from splitting and galling by the Pin of the Block or Pulley on which they turn.”—F. 4 danced.-P. 5 with sport.-P. But fryday came, as you shall heare ; 412 And other people a great pace flockt to the court to heare eche case: the Officiall 2 was sett. Much c[i]uill matters were to doo, 420 Each Proctor 5 there did plead his case; 424 "Sir Officiall," a-lowd said hee, "He is a wiche, as I doe feare, 1 frere.-P. 2 Phillips defines an Official, "In the Canon Law, a Person to whom any Bishop commits the Charge of his Spiritual Jurisdiction; the Chancellor or Judge of a Bishop's Court. In the Statute or Common Law, a Deputy whom an Archdeacon substitutes in the executing of his Jurisdiction." Chaucer, in his Freres Tale, tells us the offences that an Archdeacon tried, and we quote his words to illustrate the next stanza above Whilom there was dwellyng in my An erchedeken, a man of gret degre, Of chirche-reves, and of testamentes, and so does the stepmother, 432 436 "He is a Devill," quoth the wiffe, Soe lowd, the assembly laught theratt, & doe not let for this." but is abruptly made ashamed and dumb. The wiffe that feared another cracke, 444 now euill mayst thou speed!" The friar tells of Jack's pipe, and raises the official's curiosity, The fryer said, "Sir Officiall! The Officiall replyd, "perdee! 456 1 almost berd me of my.-P. 2 Compare Russell's Boke of Nurture, 1. 304 : And euer beware of gunnes with thy hynder ende blastyng.-F. 3 all still long of.-P. ? sill, beam. -F. 4 mote.-P. 5 I fain would.-P. 6 frere.-P. 460 464 468 472 476 480 The register leapt from his pen, his inkhorne in his hande; with swinging round about his head, some he strucke blind, some almost dead, at whose bidding Jack pipes away, and all the world begins dancing, even the official, who suffers a collision with the friar. The Register's ink-horn swings about banefully. Proctors and somners hop madly. si.e. at a good rate.-P. Cp. our "a good 'un."-F. 9 worldly.-P. 10 daunst.-P. At last the official begs the boy to give over playing. Jack will do so on condition of an amnesty. The condition agreed to, Jack stops his pipe. some broke their heads, & some their shin, & some their noses brast. The officiall thus sore turmayld, 488 Halfe swelt 3 with sweat, & almost spoyld, 492 'To pipe noe more within that place, Iacke sayd, "as you will, it shalbe, & no man doe me wrong, 4 496 Neither this woman nor this fryer,5 he answered him anon, Iacke, I to thee my promise plight, 504 1 sat upon.-P. Iacke ceast his pipes: then all still stood; soe parted at that tide The Officiall & the Somner, the stepdame & the wicked fryer,8 with much loy, mirth, & pride. ffins. 2 On the pin, on the qui vive. In a merry pin, i. e. a merry humour, half intoxicated. Halliwell's Gloss.-F. 3 MS. pared away, read by Percy.-F. [page 104.] |