#  1.5 The Cook's Prologue and Tale 

 



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## The Cook's Prologue

*The Prologe of the Cokes Tale*

4325 **The Cook of Londoun, whil the Reve spak,**  
 The Cook of London, while the Reeve spoke,  
4326 **For joye him thoughte he clawed him on the bak.**  
 Was so happy he thought the Reeve scratched him on the back.  
4327 **"Ha! ha!" quod he, "For Cristes passion,**  
 "Ha! ha!" said he, "For Christ's passion,  
4328 **This millere hadde a sharp conclusion**  
 This miller had a sharp conclusion  
4329 **Upon his argument of herbergage!**  
 To his logical argument about lodging!  
4330 **Wel seyde Salomon in his langage,**  
 Well said Salomon in his language,  
4331 **`Ne bryng nat every man into thyn hous,'**  
 `Do not bring every man into thy house,'  
4332 **For herberwynge by nyghte is perilous.**  
 For providing lodging by night is perilous.  
4333 **Wel oghte a man avysed for to be**  
 Well ought a man to take heed  
4334 **Whom that he broghte into his pryvetee.**  
 Whom he brings into his private home.  
4335 **I pray to God, so yeve me sorwe and care**  
 I pray to God, give me sorrow and care  
4336 **If evere, sitthe I highte Hogge of Ware,**  
 If ever, since I was called Roger of Ware,  
4337 **Herde I a millere bettre yset a-werk.**  
 I heard a miller better set to work (tricked).  
4338 **He hadde a jape of malice in the derk.**  
 He had a malicious trick played on him in the dark.  
4339 **But God forbede that we stynte heere;**  
 But God forbid that we stop here;  
4340 **And therfore, if ye vouche-sauf to heere**  
 And therefore, if you agree to hear  
4341 **A tale of me, that am a povre man,**  
 A tale by me, who am a poor man,  
4342 **I wol yow telle, as wel as evere I kan,**  
 I will tell you, as well as ever I can,  
4343 **A litel jape that fil in oure citee."**  
 A little amusing affair that happened in our city."  
4344 **Oure Hoost answerde and seide, "I graunte it thee.**  
 Our Host answered and said, "I grant it to thee.  
4345 **Now telle on, Roger; looke that it be good,**  
 Now tell on, Roger; look that it be good,  
4346 **For many a pastee hastow laten blood,**  
 For of many a pastry hast thou drawn out the gravy,  
4347 **And many a Jakke of Dovere hastow soold**  
 And many a Jack of Dover (a kind of pie) hast thou sold  
4348 **That hath been twies hoot and twies coold.**  
 That has been twice hot and twice cold.  
4349 **Of many a pilgrym hastow Cristes curs,**  
 Of many a pilgrim hast thou Christ's curse,  
4350 **For of thy percely yet they fare the wors,**  
 For of thy parsley yet they fare the worse,  
4351 **That they han eten with thy stubbel goos,**  
 Which they have eaten with thy stubble-fed goose,  
4352 **For in thy shoppe is many a flye loos.**  
 For in thy shop is many a fly loose.  
4353 **Now telle on, gentil Roger by thy name.**  
 Now tell on, gentle Roger by thy name.  
4354 **But yet I pray thee, be nat wroth for game;**  
 But yet I pray thee, be not angry about a joke;  
4355 **A man may seye ful sooth in game and pley."**  
 A man may speak very truthfully in joking and play."  
4356 **"Thou seist ful sooth," quod Roger, "by my fey!**  
 "Thou sayest the truth," said Roger, "by my faith!  
4357 **But `sooth pley, quaad pley,' as the Flemyng seith.**  
 But `a true jest is a bad jest,' as the Fleming says.  
4358 **And therfore, Herry Bailly, by thy feith,**  
 And therefore, Harry Bailly, by thy faith,  
4359 **Be thou nat wrooth, er we departen heer,**  
 Be thou not angry, ere we depart here,  
4360 **Though that my tale be of an hostileer.**  
 Even though my tale is of an inn-keeper.  
4361 **But nathelees I wol nat telle it yit;**  
 But nonetheless I will not tell it yet;  
4362 **But er we parte, ywis, thou shalt be quit."**  
 But before we part, indeed, thou shalt be repaid."  
4363 **And therwithal he lough and made cheere,**  
 And with that he laughed and made good cheer,  
4364 **And seyde his tale, as ye shul after heere.**  
 And told his tale, as you shall next hear.

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## The Cook's Tale

*Heere bigynneth the Cookes Tale.*

4365 **A prentys whilom dwelled in oure citee,**  
 A apprentice once dwelt in our city,  
4366 **And of a craft of vitailliers was hee.**  
 And of a craft of food merchants was he.  
4367 **Gaillard he was as goldfynch in the shawe,**  
 Gaily dressed he was as is a goldfinch in the woods,  
4368 **Broun as a berye, a propre short felawe,**  
 Brown as a berry, a good-looking short fellow,  
4369 **With lokkes blake, ykembd ful fetisly.**  
 With locks black, combed full elegantly.  
4370 **Dauncen he koude so wel and jolily**  
 He could dance so well and jollily  
4371 **That he was cleped Perkyn Revelour.**  
 That he was called Perkin Reveler.  
4372 **He was as ful of love and paramour**  
 He was as full of love and womanizing  
4373 **As is the hyve ful of hony sweete;**  
 As is the hive full of honey sweet;  
4374 **Wel was the wenche with hym myghte meete.**  
 Happy was the wench who with him might meet.  
4375 **At every bridale wolde he synge and hoppe;**  
 At every wedding party he would sing and dance;  
4376 **He loved bet the taverne than the shoppe.**  
 He loved the tavern better than the shop.  
4377 **For whan ther any ridyng was in Chepe,**  
 For when there was any procession in Cheapside,  
4378 **Out of the shoppe thider wolde he lepe --**  
 Out of the shop thither would he leap --  
4379 **Til that he hadde al the sighte yseyn,**  
 Until that he had all the sight seen,  
4380 **And daunced wel, he wolde nat come ayeyn --**  
 And danced well, he would not come back--  
4381 **And gadered hym a meynee of his sort**  
 And gathered him a company of his sort  
4382 **To hoppe and synge and maken swich disport;**  
 To dance and sing and make such merriment;  
4383 **And ther they setten stevene for to meete,**  
 And there they agreed on a time to meet,  
4384 **To pleyen at the dys in swich a streete.**  
 To play at dice in such and such a street.  
4385 **For in the toune nas ther no prentys**  
 For in the town there was no apprentice  
4386 **That fairer koude caste a paire of dys**  
 That could better throw a pair of dice  
4387 **Than Perkyn koude, and therto he was free**  
 Than Perkin could, and thereto he was free  
4388 **Of his dispense, in place of pryvetee.**  
 In his spending, in a private place.  
4389 **That fond his maister wel in his chaffare,**  
 That found his master easily in his business accounts,  
4390 **For often tyme he foond his box ful bare.**  
 For many times he found his cash box completely bare.  
4391 **For sikerly a prentys revelour**  
 For surely (in the case of) an revelling apprentice  
4392 **That haunteth dys, riot, or paramour,**  
 Who makes a practice of dicing, debauchery, or womanizing,  
4393 **His maister shal it in his shoppe abye,**  
 His master shall pay for it in his shop,  
4394 **Al have he no part of the mynstralcye.**  
 Even though he has no share of the entertainment (for which he pays).  
4395 **For thefte and riot, they been convertible,**  
 For theft and debauchery, they are interchangeable.  
4396 **Al konne he pleye on gyterne or ribible.**  
 Even though he knows how to play on guitar or fiddle.  
4397 **Revel and trouthe, as in a lowe degree,**  
 Revelling and honesty, in one of low degree,  
4398 **They been ful wrothe al day, as men may see.**  
 Are always incompatible, as anyone can see.  
4399 **This joly prentys with his maister bood,**  
 This jolly apprentice with his master remained,  
4400 **Til he were ny out of his prentishood,**  
 Until he was nearly out of his apprenticeship,  
4401 **Al were he snybbed bothe erly and late,**  
 Although he was rebuked both early and late,  
4402 **And somtyme lad with revel to Newegate.**  
 And sometimes taken (as a prisoner) with music to Newgate prison.  
4403 **But atte laste his maister hym bithoghte,**  
 But at the last his master remembered,  
4404 **Upon a day, whan he his papir soghte,**  
 Upon a day, when Perkin sought his certificate of release,  
4405 **Of a proverbe that seith this same word:**  
 A proverb that says this same word:  
4406 **"Wel bet is roten appul out of hoord**  
 "Well better is a rotten apple out of the store  
4407 **Than that it rotie al the remenaunt."**  
 Than that it rot al the remnant."  
4408 **So fareth it by a riotous servaunt;**  
 So fares it with a debauched servant;  
4409 **It is ful lasse harm to lete hym pace,**  
 It is much less harm to let him go away,  
4410 **Than he shende alle the servantz in the place.**  
 Than that he should ruin all the servants in the place.  
4411 **Therfore his maister yaf hym acquitance,**  
 Therefore his master gave him his certificate,  
4412 **And bad hym go, with sorwe and with meschance!**  
 And ordered him to go, with sorrow and with bad luck!  
4413 **And thus this joly prentys hadde his leve.**  
 And thus this jolly apprentice had his leave.  
4414 **Now lat hym riote al the nyght or leve.**  
 Now let him revel all the night or leave off (do as he chooses).  
4415 **And for ther is no theef withoute a lowke,**  
 And because there is no thief without an accomplice,  
4416 **That helpeth hym to wasten and to sowke**  
 Who helps him to waste and to consume  
4417 **Of that he brybe kan or borwe may,**  
 That which he can steal or may borrow,  
4418 **Anon he sente his bed and his array**  
 Right away he sent his bed and his clothing  
4419 **Unto a compeer of his owene sort,**  
 Unto a companion of his own sort,  
4420 **That lovede dys, and revel, and disport,**  
 Who loved dicing, and revelling, and having fun,  
4421 **And hadde a wyf that heeld for contenance**  
 And had a wife that kept for the sake of appearances  
4422 **A shoppe, and swyved for hir sustenance.**  
 A shop, and screwed for her living.