And eke, sir, ferthermore, lond also I sigh;

Let draw our cors est-ward, thys tyde woll bryng us ny." "Blessed be God," quod Beryn, "then wer our shippis com,

We have no nede to dout werr ne molestatioune ;

For ther nys wythin our shippis no thing of spoliatioune, But al trew marchaundise; wherefor for, lodisman,

Stere onys into the costis, as well as thou can ;

1600

When our shippis be y-com, that we mowe pas in fere,
Lace on a bonnet or tweyn, that we mowe saile nere."
And when they wer the costis nygh, was noon of them alle
That wist what lond it was. Then Beryn gan to calle
Out of every ship anoon a maryner or tweyne,
For to take counsell; and thus he gan to seyne;

"The frountis of this ilk town been wondir feir wythall; Methinkith it is the best rede, what that evir befall, That I myself aloon walk into the towne,

1611

And here, and se, both here and there, upward and downe,
And enquere fullich of their governaunce.
What sey ye, sirs? woll ye sent to the ordenaunce ?"
All they accordit well therto, and held it for the best;
"For thus yf it be profitabill, we mowe abide and rest,
And yf it be othirwise, the rathir shall we go ;
For aftir that the spede, we woll work and do."
But nowe mowe ye her right a wondir thing;
In all the world wyde, so fals of their lyvyng
Was no pepill ondir sone, ne none so disseyvabill,
As was the pepill of this town, ne more unstabill;

1620

1616 The tale which follows is identically the same as one found in the Greek and Hebrew versions of the Seven Sages (Syntipas and the Proverbs of Sendabar). See my "Introduction to the Seven Sages", p. xxxi. From the manner in which the seven sages are introduced at the beginning of the tale of Beryn, it is evident there must have been some version of that romance in Europe differing from the usual one, which does not contain this story.

And had a cursed usage of sotill ymaginacioune,
That yf so wer the shippis of any straunge nacioune
Were com into the port, anoon they wold them hide
Within their own howsis, and no man go, ne ryde,

In not strete of alle the town; ascaunce that they wer lewde,
And coud no skill of marchandise, a skill it was a shrewde;
As ye shull here aftir, of their wrong and falshede;
But yit it fill, and worthy was, oppon their own hede.
Beryn arayd hym freshly, as to a marchand longith,
And set hym on a palfrey wel besey and hongit,
And a page rennyng by his hors fete :

He rode endlong the town, but no man coud he meet.
The dorrys wer y-closid in both too sidis ;

Wherof he had mervell, yet ferthermore he ridis,
And waytid on his right hond a mancipilis plase,
All fressh and new,
and thither gan he pase.
The gatis wer wyde up, and thithir gan he go;
For throughout the long town he fond so no mo.
Therin dwellid a burgeyse, the most scliper man
Of all the town throughout, and what so he wan
With trechery and gile, as doith som freris,
Right so must he part with his comperis.

1630

1640

Beryn light down on his hors, and in-ward gan he dres, And fond the good man of the house pleying at chess With his neyghbour, as trewe as he, that dwellid hym fast by. But as sone as this burgeyse on Beryn cast his eye, Sodeynly he stert up, and put the chess hym fro, And toke Beryn by the hond, and seyd these wordis tho; "Benedicite! what manere wynd hath y-brought you here? Now wold to God I had wherof, or coud make yow chere! But ye shull lowe my good wyll, and take such as ther is; And of your gentíl paciens suffir that is amys." For well he wist by his aray, and by his countenaunce, That of the shippis that wer y-com he had some governaunce.

1651

Wherfor he made hym chere semeyng amyabill,
I-colerid all with cautelis, and wondir disseyvabill.
He bracyd hym by the myddil, and preyd hym sit adown
And lowly, with much worshipp, dressid his coshion.
"Lord God!" seyd this burgeyse, "I thank this ilk dey,
That I shuld see yow hole and sound here in my contray;
And yf ye list to tell the cause of yowr comyng,
And yf ye have nede to any manere thing,

And it be in my power, and thoughe I shuld it fech,
It shuld go right wonder streyte, I sey yow sikerlich,
it had in haste, therwith yow to plese;

But

yee

1661

But now I see yow in my house, my hert is in grete ese." The tothir burgeyse rose hym up, for to make rouse,

And axid of his felaw, that lord was of the house,

66

'Whens is this worshipfull man?" with wordis hend and low, "For it semith by the manere, that ye hym shuld knowe, And have sey hym tofore this tyme." "I have sene," quod

the tothir,

"Be y-wis an hundrid sithis, and right as to my brothir, I wold do hym plesaunce, in al that evir I can; For trewlich in his contray he is a worshipful man.' "Forsoth, sir, and for your love, a thousand in this town Wold do hym worship, and be right feyne and bown To plese hym, and avail to have thonk of you."

1671

"I woot wele, God them yeld, so have they oft er nowe;" And arose up therwithall, and with his felaw spak

1680

Of such manere mater, that faylid nevir of lakk;
So, when their counsell was y-do, this burgeyse preyd his fere
To sit adown be Beryn, and do hym sport and chere;
"And in the while I wol se to his hors;

For every gentil hert, afore his own cors,
Desirith that his riding best be servid and y-dight,
Rathir than hymself; wherfor wyth all my myght
I woll have an eye therto; and sich parte wyyn,

Wich tonne or pipe is best and most fyne.”

Beryn was all abashid of his soden chere;
But nethirles the burgeyse sat hym somwhat nere,

And preyd hym, of his gentilnes, his name for to tell,
His contrey, and his lynnage; and he answerd snell,
"Berinus I am y-namid, and in Rome y-bore,
And have fyve shippis of myn own, las and more,
Full of marchaundise, ligging tofore the town ;
But much mervaile have I, the good man is so boun
To serve me, and plese, and how it might be."
"Sir," seyd the burgeyse,"no mervelle it is to me :
For many a tyme, and oft, I cannot sey how lome,
He hath be in your marchis; and as I trow, in Room
Also he was y-bore, yf I ne ly shall."

1690

1700

"Yf it be so," quod Beryn, “no mervelle it is at all,
Though he me have y-sey, and eke his gentill chere
Previth it all opynly; but be hym that bought me dere,
I have therof no knowlech, as I am now avysid."
With that cam in the good man, with countenaunce disgisid,
And had enqueryd of the child, that with Beryn cam,
Fro gynnyng to the endyng, and told his mastris name,
And of Agea, his mothir, and all thing as it was,
Wherthrough he was full perfite to answere to every cas.
So entryng into the hall the burgeys spak anoon,
"A! my gentill Beryn, alas! that under stonne
Myne own hert, Agea, thy mothir, leff and dere!
Now God assoyl hir soule! for nevir bettir chere
Had I of frend woman, ne nevir half so good.
Benedicite! a marchaunt comyng ovir flood!

1711

Who brought yow in this pur pos, and beth your fathirs heir ? Now by my trew conscience, ryght nygh in dispey r

I wax for your sake; for now frendlese

Ye mowe wele sey that ye been; but yit for nethirles 1720 Yee mut endure fortune, and hevynes put awey ;

Ther is noon othir wisdom; also your shippis gey,

That been y-com in saveté, ought to amende your mode! The wich, when we have dyned, I swere for by the rood, We wol se them trewly, within and eke without,

And have wyne wyth us, and drynk al about."

They set, and wissh, and fed them, and had wherof plenté ; The burgeyse was a stuffid man, ther lakkid noon deynté. So when they had y-dined, the cloth was up y-take,

A chese ther was y-brought forth; but tho gan sorowe to wake.

The ches was all of ivory, the meyné fressh and new,
I-pulsshid, and y-pikid, of white, azure, and blew.
Beryn beheld the cheker, it semed passyng feir.

66

Sir," quoth the burgeys, "ye shul fynd her a payr, That woll mate yow trewly in las than half a myle.” And was y-sed of sotilitie, Beryn to begile.

"Now in soth," quoth Beryn, " it myght wel hap nay. And ner I must my shippis se, els I wold assay."

1730

“What nedith that?" quoth the burgeyse; "trewlich I wol

nat glose;

They been nat yit y-setelid ne fixid in the wose;
For I have sent thries, sith ye hither cam,

1740

To wait oppon their governaunce; wherfor let set o game, And I shall be the first that shall yow atast."

The meyné wer y-set up, and gon to pley fast.

Beryn wan the first, the second, and the third;
And at fourth game, in the ches amyd,

The burgeyse was y-matid; but that lust him wele;
And all was doon to bryng hym yn, as ye shul her snel.
"Sir," then seyd Beryn, “ye woot well how it is ;
Me list no more to pley; for yee know this;
Wher is noon comparisoun, of what thing so it be,
Lust and liking fallith ther, as it semeth me,
Ne myrth is nat commendabill, that ay is by o side,

1750