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

they dancet on hands & feet.

5

Iacke tyred with the sport said, "now Ile rest."

392 "doe," quoth his father, "I hold it best,

396

I

thou cloyest me with this cheere 6;

pray thee, boy, now7 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.

400 "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, thou13 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.

this not in P[rinted] C[opy].-P. 7 thou.-P.

8 In truth.-P.

9 these.-P.
10 MS. thy.-F.
11 frere.-P.

12 thee appear.-P.
13 though.-P.
14 they sorrow.-P.
15 I'll make.-P.

But fryday came, as you shall heare;
Iackes stepdam & the dancing fryar,1
together they were mett,

412 And other people a great pace

416

420

flockt to the court to heare eche case:

the Officiall 2 was sett.

Much c[i]uill matters were to doo,
more libells read then one o tow3
both [against priest & clarke ;]*
Some there had testaments to proue,
some women there through wanton loue,
which gott strokes in the darke.

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,

but is

abruptly made

ashamed and

dumb.

The friar tells of Jack's pipe,

and raises the official's curiosity,

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;
now euill mayst thou speed!"

444

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 wold 5 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.

-F.

all still long of.-P. ? sill, beam.

4 mote.-P.

5 I fain would.-P. 6 frere.-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.

484 Each sett on a merry pin,2

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.""

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.

In a

2 On the pin, on the qui vive. merry pin, i. e. a merry humour, half intoxicated. Halliwell's Gloss.-F.

• MS. pared away, read by Percy.-F.

[page 104.]