The Tale

his heart aye was the arrow keen, And well ye know that of a sursanure In surgery is perilous the cure, But men might touch the arrow or come thereby. His brother wept and wailed privily, Till at the last him fell in rémembránce, That while he was at Orleans in France⁠— As youngë clerkës, that be likerous To readen artës that be curious, Seeken in every halk and every hern Particular sciénces for to learn⁠— He him remember’d, that upon a day At Orleans in study a book he say Of magic natural, which his felláw, That was that time a bachelor of law, All were he there to learn another craft, Had privily upon his desk y-laft; Which book spake much of operatións Touching the eight and-twenty mansións That longë to the Moon, and such follý As in our dayës is not worth a fly; For holy church’s faith, in our believe, Us suff’reth none illusión to grieve. And when this book was in his rémembránce, Anon for joy his heart began to dance, And to himself he saidë privily; “My brother shall be warish’d hastily: For I am sicker that there be sciénces, By which men makë divers apparences, Such as these subtle tregetourës play. For oft at feastës have I well heard say, That tregetours, within a hallë large, Have made come in a water and a barge, And in the hallë rowen up and down. Sometimes hath seemed come a grim lioún, And sometimes flowers spring as in a mead; Sometimes a vine, and grapës white and red; Sometimes a castle all of lime and stone; And, when them liked, voided it anon: Thus seemed it to every mannë’s sight. Now then conclude I thus; if that I might At Orleans some oldë fellow find, That hath these Moonë’s mansións in mind, Or other magic natural above, He should well make my brother have his love. For with an áppearánce a clerk may make, To mannë’s sight, that all the rockës blake Of Brétagne werë voided every one, And shippës by the brinkë come and gon, And in such form endure a day or two; Then were my brother warish’d of his woe, Then must she needës holdë her behest, Or ellës he shall shame her at the least.” Why should I make a longer tale of this? Unto his brother’s bed he comen is, And such comfórt he gave him, for to gon To Orleans, that he upstart anon, And on his way forth-ward then is he fare, In hope for to be lissed of his care.