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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,
there was a vild vnrulye rout

that dancing in the street,

388 Of which, some lame that cold not goe,
striuing to leape, did tumble soe

392

396

400

they dancet on hands & feet.

now Ile rest."

Iacke tyred with the sport 5 said,
"doe," quoth his father, "I hold it best,
thou cloyest me with this cheere 6;
I pray thee, boy, now 7 quiett sitt;
in faith this was the Merryest fitt
I heard this 7 yeere.”

All those that dancing thither came,
laught heartilye & made good game,

yett some gott many a fall.

"Thou cursed boy!" cryed out the 10 fryar,11
"heere I doe summon thee to appeare 12

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,
fryer, Ile appeare as soone as thou,

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.

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But fryday came, as you shall heare ;
Iackes stepdam & the dancing fryar,'
together they were mett,

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,
416 more libells read then one o tow3
both [against priest & clarke; ]4
Some there had testaments to proue,
some women there through wanton loue,
which gott strokes in the darke.

420

Each Proctor 5 there did plead his case;
when forth did stepp fryer Topias
& Iackes stepdame alsoe:

424 "Sir Officiall," a-lowd said hee,
"I haue brought a wicked boy to thee,
hath done me mightye woe;

"He is a wiche, as I doe feare,
428 in Orleance7 he can find noe peere,
this of my troth® I know."

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
countre

An erchedeken, a man of gret degre,
That boldely did execucioun
In punyschyng of fornicacioun,
Of wicchecraft, and eek of bauderye,
Of diffamacioun, and avoutrie,

Of chirche-reves, and of testamentes,

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and so does

the stepmother,

432

436

"He is a Devill," quoth the wiffe,
" & almost hath bereaued my1 liffe!"
at that her taile did blow

Soe lowd, the assembly laught theratt,
& said her pistolls cracke2 was flatt,
the charge was all amisse.'
"Dame," quoth the gentle Oficiall,
"proceed & tell me forth thy tale,

& doe not let for this."

but is

abruptly

made

ashamed and dumb.

The wiffe that feared another cracke,
440 stood mute, & neere a word shee spake;
shame put her in such dread.
"Ha!" said the fryer right angerlye,
"knaue! this is all along sill of3 thee;

444

now euill mayst thou speed!"

The friar tells of Jack's pipe,

and raises the official's curiosity,

The fryer said, "Sir Officiall!
this wicked boy will vexe vs all
vnlesse you doe him chast.
448 Sir, he hath yett a pipe trulye
will make you dance & leape full hie
& breake your hart at last."

The Officiall replyd, "perdee!
452 such a pipe faine wold5 I see,
& what mirth it can make.”
"Now god forbidd!" replyed the fryar,6
"that ere wee shold that vild pipe heare
ere I
my way hence take.”

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

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The register leapt from his pen,
& hopt into the throng of men,

his inkhorne in his hande;

with swinging round about his head,

some he strucke blind, some almost dead,
some they cold hardly stand.

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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.

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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,
cryed to the wanton childe

492

'To pipe noe more within that place,
but stay the sound, euen for gods grace,
& loue of Mary Milde.'

Iacke sayd, "as you will, it shalbe,
provided I may hence goe free,

& no man doe me wrong, 4

496 Neither this woman nor this fryer,5
nor any other creature heere.”

he answered him anon,

Iacke, I to thee my promise plight,
500 in thy defence I mean to fight,
& will oppose thy fone.6"

504

1 sat upon.-P.

Iacke ceast his pipes: then all still stood;
some laughing hard, some raging woode.

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.]

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