foulë fiend him fetch), Out of his bosom took a beechen coal, In which full subtilly was made a hole, And therein put was of silver limáile An ounce, and stopped was withoutë fail The hole with wax, to keep the limaile in. And understandë, that this falsë gin Was not made there, but it was made before; And other thingës I shall tell you more, Hereafterward, which that he with him brought; Ere he came there, him to beguile he thought, And so he did, ere that they went atwin; Till he had turned him, could he not blin. It doleth me, when that I of him speak; On his falsehóod fain would I me awreak, If I wist how, but he is here and there; He is so variant, he abides nowhere.
But takë heed, Sirs, now for Goddë’s love. He took his coal, of which I spake above, And in his hand he bare it privily, And while the priestë couched busily The coalës, as I toldë you ere this, This canon saidë, “Friend, ye do amiss; This is not couched as it ought to be, But soon I shall amenden it,” quoth he. “Now let me meddle therewith but a while, For of you have I pity, by Saint Gile. Ye be right hot, I see well how ye sweat; Have here a cloth, and wipe away the wet.” And whilë that the priestë wip’d his face, This canon took his coal—with sorry grace — And layed it above on the midwárd Of the croslet, and blew well afterward, Till that the coals begannë fast to brenn. “Now give us drinkë,” quoth this canon then, “And swithe all shall be well, I undertake. Sittë we down, and let us merry make.” And whennë that this canon’s beechen coal Was burnt, all the limáile out of the hole Into the crossëlet anon fell down; And so it mustë needës, by reasoún, Since it above so even couched was; But thereof wist the priest no thing, alas! He deemed all the coals alikë good, For of the sleight he nothing understood.
And when this alchemister saw his time, “Rise up, Sir Priest,” quoth he, “and stand by me; And, for I wot well ingot have ye none, Go, walkë forth, and bring me a chalk stone; For I will make it of the samë shape That is an ingot, if I may have hap. Bring eke with you a bowl, or else a pan, Full of watér, and ye shall well see than How that our business shall