| Hic incipiunt constituciones artis gemetriae secundum Eucyldem. |
Here begin the constitutions of the art of Geometry according to Euclid. |
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| 1. Whose wol bothe wel rede and loke, |
Whoever will both well read and look |
| 2. He may fynde wryte yn olde boke |
He may find written in old book |
| 3. Of grete lordys and eke ladyysse, |
Of great lords and also ladies, |
| 4. That hade mony chyldryn y-fere, y-wisse; |
That had many children together, y-wisse; (certainly) |
| 5. And hade no rentys to fynde hem wyth, |
And had no income to keep them with, |
| 6. Nowther yn towne, ny felde, ny fryth: |
Neither in town nor field nor frith; (enclosed wood) |
| 7. A cownsel togeder they cowthe hem take; |
A council together they could them take, |
| 8. To ordeyne for these chyldryn sake, |
To ordain for these children’s sake, |
| 9. How they my[g]th best lede here lyfe |
How they might best lead their life |
| 10. Withoute gret desese, care and stryfe; |
Without great dis-ease, care, and strife; |
| 11. And most for the multytude that was comynge |
And most for the multitude that was coming |
| 12. Of here chyldryn after here [g]yndynge. |
Of their children after their ending |
| 13. (They) sende thenne after grete clerkys, |
They send them after great clerks, |
| 14. To techyn hem thenne gode werkys; |
To teach them then good works; |
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| 15. And pray we hem, for our Lordys sake, |
And pray we them, for our Lord’s sake. |
| 16. To oure chyldryn sum werke to make, |
To our children some work to make, |
| 17. That they my[g]th gete here lyvynge therby, |
That they might get their living thereby, |
| 18. Bothe wel and onestlyche, ful sycurly. |
Both well and honestly full securely. |
| 19. Yn that tyme, thro[g]gh good gemetry, |
In that time, through good geometry, |
| 20. Thys onest craft of good masonry |
This honest craft of good masonry |
| 21. Wes ordeynt and made yn thys manere, |
Was ordained and made in this manner, |
| 22. Y-cownterfetyd of thys clerkys y-fere; |
Counterfeited of these clerks together; |
| 23. At these lordys prayers they cownterfetyd |
At these lord’s prayers they counterfeited |
| gemetry, |
geometry, |
| 24. And [g]af hyt the name of masonry, |
And gave it the name of masonry, |
| 25. For the moste oneste craft of alle. |
For the most honest craft of all. |
| 26. These lordys chyldryn therto dede falle, |
These lords' children thereto did fall, |
| 27. To lurne of hym the craft of gemetry, |
To learn of him the craft of geometry, |
| 28. The wheche he made ful curysly; |
The which he made full curiously; |
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| 29. Thro[g]gh fadrys prayers and modrys also, |
Through fathers' prayers and mothers' also, |
| 30. Thys onest craft he putte hem to. |
This honest craft he put them to. |
| 31. He that lerned best, and were of onesté, |
He learned best, and was of honesty, |
| 32. And passud hys felows yn curysté; |
And passed his fellows in curiosity, |
| 33. [G]ef yn that craft he dede hym passe, |
If in that craft he did him pass, |
| 34. He schulde have more worschepe then the lasse. |
He should have more worship than the lasse, (less) |
| 35. Thys grete clerkys name was clept Euclyde, |
This great clerk’s name was Euclid, |
| 36. Hys name hyt spradde ful wondur wyde. |
His name it spread full wonder wide. |
| 37. Get thys grete clerke more ordeynt he |
Yet this great clerk ordained he |
| 38. To hym that was herre yn thys degré, |
To him that was higher in this degree, |
| 39. That he schulde teche the synplyst of (wytte) |
That he should teach the simplest of wit |
| 40. Yn that onest craft to be parfytte; |
In that honest craft to be parfytte; (perfect) |
| 41. And so uchon schulle techyn othur, |
And so each one shall teach the other, |
| 42. And love togeder as syster and brothur. |
And love together as sister and brother. |
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| 43. Forthermore [g]et that ordeynt he, |
Furthermore yet that ordained he, |
| 44. Mayster y-called so schulde he be; |
Master called so should he be; |
| 45. So that he were most y-worschepede, |
So that he were most worshipped, |
| 46. Thenne sculde he be so y-clepede: |
Then should he be so called; |
| 47. But mason schulde never won other calle, |
But masons should never one another call, |
| 48. Withynne the craft amongus hem alle, |
Within the craft amongst them all, |
| 49. Ny soget, ny servand, my dere brother, |
Neither subject nor servant, my dear brother, |
| 50. Tha[g]ht he be not so perfyt as ys another; |
Though he be not so perfect as is another; |
| 51. Uchon sculle calle other felows by cuthe, |
Each shall call other fellows by cuthe, (friendship) |
| 52. For cause they come of ladyes burthe. |
Because they come of ladies' birth. |
| 53. On thys maner, thro[g] good wytte of gemetry, |
On this manner, through good wit of geometry, |
| 54. Bygan furst the craft of masonry: |
Began first the craft of masonry; |
| 55. The clerk Euclyde on thys wyse hyt fonde, |
The clerk Euclid on this wise it found, |
| 56. Thys craft of gemetry yn Egypte londe. |
This craft of geometry in Egypt land. |
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| 57. Yn Egypte he taw[g]hte hyt ful wyde, |
In Egypt he taught it full wide, |
| 58. Yn dyvers londe on every syde; |
In divers lands on every side; |
| 59. Mony erys afterwarde, y understonde, |
Many years afterwards, I understand, |
| 60. [G]er that the craft com ynto thys londe, |
Ere that the craft came into this land. |
| 61. Thys craft com ynto Englond, as y [g]ow say, |
This craft came into England, as I you say, |
| 62. Yn tyme of good kynge Adelstonus day; |
In time of good King Athelstane’s day; |
| 63. He made tho bothe halle and eke bowre, |
He made then both hall and even bower, |
| 64. And hye templus of gret honowre, |
And high temples of great honour, |
| 65. To sportyn hym yn bothe day and ny[g]th, |
To disport him in both day and night, |
| 66. An to worschepe hys God with alle hys my[g]th. |
And to worship his God with all his might. |
| 67. Thys goode lorde loved thys craft ful wel, |
This good lord loved this craft full well, |
| 68. And purposud to strenthyn hyt every del, |
And purposed to strengthen it every del, (part) |
| 69. For dyvers defawtys that yn the craft he fonde; |
For divers faults that in the craft he found; |
| 70. He sende about ynto the londe |
He sent about into the land |
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| 71. After alle the masonus of the crafte, |
After all the masons of the craft, |
| 72. To come to hym ful evene stra[g]fte, |
To come to him full even straghfte, (straight) |
| 73. For to amende these defautys alle |
For to amend these defaults all |
| 74. By good consel, [g]ef hyt myt[g]th falle. |
By good counsel, if it might fall. |
| 75. A semblé thenne he cowthe let make |
An assembly then he could let make |
| 76. Of dyvers lordis, yn here state, |
Of divers lords in their state, |
| 77. Dukys, erlys, and barnes also, |
Dukes, earls, and barons also, |
| 78. Kyn[g]thys, sqwyers, and mony mo, |
Knights, squires and many mo, (more) |
| 79. And the grete burges of that syté, |
And the great burgesses of that city, |
| 80. They were ther alle yn here degré; |
They were there all in their degree; |
| 81. These were ther uchon algate, |
There were there each one algate, (always) |
| 82. To ordeyne for these masonus astate. |
To ordain for these masons' estate, |
| 83. Ther they sow[g]ton by here wytte, |
There they sought by their wit, |
| 84. How they my[g]thyn governe hytte: |
How they might govern it; |
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| 85. Fyftene artyculus they ther sow[g]ton |
Fifteen articles they there sought, |
| 86. And fyftene poyntys they wro[g]ton. |
And fifteen points there they wrought, |
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| Hic incipit articulus primus. |
Here begins the first article. |
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| 87. The furste artycul of thys gemetry:-- |
The first article of this geometry;- |
| 88. The mayster mason moste be ful securly |
The master mason must be full securely |
| 89. Bothe stedefast, trusty, and trwe, |
Both steadfast, trusty and true, |
| 90. Hyt schal hum never thenne arewe: |
It shall him never then rue; |
| 91. And pay thy felows after the coste, |
And pay thy fellows after the cost, |
| 92. As vytaylys goth thenne, wel thou woste; |
As victuals goeth then, well thou woste; (knowest) |
| 93. And pay them trwly, apon thy fay, |
And pay them truly, upon thy fay, (faith) |
| 94. What that they deserven may; |
What they deserven may; (may deserve) |
| 95. And to her hure take no more, |
And to their hire take no more, |
| 96. But what they mowe serve fore; |
But what that they may serve for; |
| 97. And spare, nowther for love ny drede, |
And spare neither for love nor drede, (dread) |
| 98. Of nowther partys to take no mede; |
Of neither parties to take no mede; (bribe) |
| 99. Of lord ny felow, whether he be, |
Of lord nor fellow, whoever he be, |
| 100. Of hem thou take no maner of fe; |
Of them thou take no manner of fee; |
| 101. And as a jugge stonde upry[g]th, |
And as a judge stand upright, |
| 102. And thenne thou dost to bothe good ry[g]th; |
And then thou dost to both good right; |
| 103. And trwly do thys whersever thou gost, |
And truly do this wheresoever thou gost, (goest) |
| 104. Thy worschep, thy profyt, hyt shcal be most. |
Thy worship, thy profit, it shall be most. |
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| Articulus secundus. |
Second article. |
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| 105. The secunde artycul of good masonry, |
The second article of good masonry, |
| 106. As [g]e mowe hyt here hyr specyaly, |
As you must it here hear specially, |
| 107. That every mayster, that ys a mason, |
That every master, that is a mason, |
| 108. Most ben at the generale congregacyon, |
Must be at the general congregation, |
| 109. So that he hyt resonably y-tolde |
So that he it reasonably be told |
| 110. Where that the semblé schal be holde; |
Where that the assembly shall be holde; (held) |
| 111. And to that semblé he most nede gon, |
And to that assembly he must needs gon, (go) |
| 112. But he have a resenabul skwsacyon, |
Unless he have a reasonable skwasacyon, (excuse) |
| 113. Or but he be unbuxom to that craft, |
Or unless he be disobedient to that craft |
| 114. Or with falssehed ys over-raft, |
Or with falsehood is over-raft, (overtaken) |
| 115. Or ellus sekenes hath hym so stronge, |
Or else sickness hath him so strong, |
| 116. That he may not com hem amonge; |
That he may not come them among; |
| 117. That ys a skwsacyon, good and abulle, |
That is an excuse good and able, |
| 118. To that semblé withoute fabulle. |
To that assembly without fable. |
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| Articulus tercius. |
Third article. |
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| 119. The thrydde artycul for sothe hyt ysse, |
The third article forsooth it is, |
| 120. That the mayster take to no prentysse, |
That the master takes to no 'prentice, |
| 121. but he have good seuerans to dwelle |
Unless he have good assurance to dwell |
| 122. Seven [g]er with hym, as y [g]ow telle, |
Seven years with him, as I you tell, |
| 123. Hys craft to lurne, that ys profytable; |
His craft to learn, that is profitable; |
| 124. Withynne lasse he may not be able |
Within less he may not be able |
| 125. To lordys profyt, ny to his owne, |
To lords' profit, nor to his own |
| 126. As [g]e mowe knowe by good resowne. |
As you may know by good reason. |
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| Articulus quartus. |
Fourth article. |
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| 127. The fowrhe artycul thys moste be |
The fourth article this must be, |
| 128. That the mayster hym wel be-se, |
That the master him well besee, |
| 129. That he no bondemon prentys make, |
That he no bondman 'prentice make, |
| 130. Ny for no covetyse do hym take; |
Nor for no covetousness do him take; |
| 131. For the lord that he ys bonde to, |
For the lord that he is bound to, |
| 132. May fache the prentes whersever he go. |
May fetch the 'prentice wheresoever he go. |
| 133. Gef yn the logge he were y-take, |
If in the lodge he were ty-take, (taken) |
| 134. Muche desese hyt mygth ther make, |
Much dis-ease it might there make, |
| 135. And suche case hyt mygth befalle, |
And such case it might befal, |
| 136. That hyt mygth greve summe or alle. |
That it might grieve some or all. |
| 137. For alle the masonus tht ben there |
For all the masons that be there |
| 138. Wol stonde togedur hol y-fere |
Will stand together all y-fere. (together) |
| 139. Gef suche won yn that craft schulde swelle, |
If such one in that craft should dwell, |
| 140. Of dyvers desesys ge mygth telle: |
Of divers dis-eases you might tell; |
| 141. For more gese thenne, and of honeste, |
For more ease then, and of honesty, |
| 142. Take a prentes of herre degre. |
Take a 'prentice of higher degree. |
| 143. By olde tyme wryten y fynde |
By old time written I find |
| 144. That the prenes schulde be of gentyl kynde; |
That the 'prentice should be of gentle kind; |
| 145. And so symtyme grete lordys blod |
And so sometime, great lords' blood |
| 146. Toke thys gemetry, that ys ful good. |
Took this geometry that is full good. |
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| Articulus quintus. |
Fifth article. |
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| 147. The fyfthe artycul ys swythe good, |
The fifth article is very good, |
| 148. So that the prentes be of lawful blod; |
So that the 'prentice be of lawful blood; |
| 149. The mayster schal not, for no vantage, |
The master shall not, for no advantage, |
| 150. Make no prentes that ys outrage; |
Make no 'prentice that is outrage; (deformed) |
| 151. Hyt ys to mene, as [g]e mowe here, |
It is to mean, as you may hear |
| 152. That he have hys lymes hole alle y-fere; |
That he have all his limbs whole all y-fere; (together) |
| 153. To the craft hyt were gret schame, |
To the craft it were great shame, |
| 154. To make an halt mon and a lame, |
To make a halt man and a lame, |
| 155. For an unperfyt mon of suche blod |
For an imperfect man of such blood |
| 156. Schulde do the craft but lytul good. |
Should do the craft but little good. |
| 157. Thus [g]e mowe knowe everychon, |
Thus you may know every one, |
| 158. The craft wolde have a my[g]hty mon; |
The craft would have a mighty man; |
| 159. A maymed mon he hath no my[g]ht, |
A maimed man he hath no might, |
| 160. [G]e mowe hyt knowe long [g]er ny[g]ht. |
You must it know long ere night. |
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| Articulus sextus. |
Sixth article. |
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| 161. The syxte artycul [g]e mowe not mysse, |
The sixth article you must not miss |
| 162. That the mayster do the lord no pregedysse, |
That the master do the lord no prejudice, |
| 163. To take of the lord, for hyse prentyse, |
To take the lord for his 'prentice, |
| 164. Also muche as hys felows don, yn alle vyse. |
As much as his fellows do, in all wise. |
| 165. For yn that craft they ben ful perfyt, |
For in that craft they be full perfect, |
| 166. So ys not he, [g]e mowe sen hyt. |
So is not he, you must see it. |
| 167. Also hyt were a[g]eynus good reson, |
Also it were against good reason, |
| 168. To take hys, hure as hys felows don. |
To take his hire as his fellows don. (do) |
| 169. Thys same artycul, yn thys casse, |
This same article in this case, |
| 170. Juggythe the prentes to take lasse |
Judgeth his prentice to take less |
| 171. Thenne hys felows, that ben ful perfyt. |
Than his fellows, that be full perfect. |
| 172. Yn dyvers maters, conne qwyte hyt, |
In divers matters, know requite it, |
| 173. The mayster may his prentes so enforme, |
The master may his 'prentice so inform, |
| 174. That hys hure may crese ful [g]urne, |
That his hire may increase full soon, |
| 175. And, ger hys terme come to an ende, |
And ere his term come to an end, |
| 176. Hys hure may ful wel amende. |
His hire may full well amend. |
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| Articulus septimus. |
Seventh article. |
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| 177. The seventhe artycul that ys now here, |
The seventh article that is now here, |
| 178. Ful wel wol telle gow, alle y-fere, |
Full well will tell you all y-fere (together) |
| 179. That no mayster, for favour ny drede, |
That no master for favour nor dread, |
| 180. Schal no thef nowther clothe ny fede. |
Shall no thief neither clothe nor feed. |
| 181. Theves he schal herberon never won, |
Thieves he shall harbour never one, |
| 182. Ny hym that hath y-quellude a mon, |
Nor him that hath killed a man, |
| 183. Wy thylike that hath a febul name, |
Nor the same that hath a feeble name, |
| 184. Lest hyt wolde turne the craft to schame. |
Lest it would turn the craft to shame. |
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| Articulus octavus. |
Eighth article. |
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| 185. The eghte artycul schewt [g]ow so, |
The eighth article sheweth you so, |
| 186. That the mayster may hyt wel do, |
That the master may it well do. |
| 187. [G]ef that he have any mon of crafte, |
If that he have any man of craft, |
| 188. And be not also perfyt as he au[g]te, |
And he be not so perfect as he ought, |
| 189. He may hym change sone anon, |
He may him change soon anon, |
| 190. And take for hym a perfytur mon. |
And take for him a more perfect man. |
| 191. Suche a mon, thro[g]e rechelaschepe, |
Such a man through rechalaschepe, (recklessness) |
| 192. My[g]th do the craft schert worschepe. |
Might do the craft scant worship. |
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| Articulus nonus. |
Ninth article. |
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| 193. The nynthe artycul schewet ful welle, |
The ninth article sheweth full well, |
| 194. That the mayster be both wyse and felle; |
That the master be both wise and felle; (strong) |
| 195. That no werke he undurtake, |
That he no work undertake, |
| 196. But he conne bothe hyt ende and make; |
Unless he can both it end and make; |
| 197. And that hyt be to the lordes profyt also, |
And that it be to the lords' profit also, |
| 198. And to hys craft, whersever he go; |
And to his craft, wheresoever he go; |
| 199. And that the grond be wel y-take, |
And that the ground be well y-take, (taken) |
| 200. That hyt nowther fle ny grake. |
That it neither flaw nor grake. (crack) |
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| Articulus decimus. |
Tenth article. |
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| 201. The then the artycul ys for to knowe, |
The tenth article is for to know, |
| 202. Amonge the craft, to hye and lowe, |
Among the craft, to high and low, |
| 203. There schal no mayster supplante other, |
There shall no master supplant another, |
| 204. But be togeder as systur and brother, |
But be together as sister and brother, |
| 205. Yn thys curyus craft, alle and som, |
In this curious craft, all and some, |
| 206. That longuth to a maystur mason. |
That belongeth to a master mason. |
| 207. Ny he schal not supplante non other mon, |
Nor shall he supplant no other man, |
| 208. That hath y-take a werke hym uppon, |
That hath taken a work him upon, |
| 209. Yn peyne therof that ys so stronge, |
In pain thereof that is so strong, |
| 210. That peyseth no lasse thenne ten ponge, |
That weigheth no less than ten ponge, (pounds) |
| 211. But [g]ef that he be gulty y-fonde, |
but if that he be guilty found, |
| 212. That toke furst the werke on honde; |
That took first the work on hand; |
| 213. For no mon yn masonry |
For no man in masonry |
| 214. Schal no supplante othur securly, |
Shall not supplant other securely, |
| 215. But [g]ef that hyt be so y-wro[g]th, |
But if that it be so wrought, |
| 216. That hyt turne the werke to nogth; |
That in turn the work to nought; |
| 217. Thenne may a mason that werk crave, |
Then may a mason that work crave, |
| 218. To the lordes profyt hyt for to save; |
To the lords' profit for it to save |
| 219. Yn suche a case but hyt do falle, |
In such a case if it do fall, |
| 220. Ther schal no mason medul withalle. |
There shall no mason meddle withal. |
| 221. Forsothe he that begynnyth the gronde, |
Forsooth he that beginneth the ground, |
| 222. And he be a mason goode and sonde, |
If he be a mason good and sound, |
| 223. For hath hyt sycurly yn hys mynde |
He hath it securely in his mind |
| 224. To brynge the werke to ful good ende. |
To bring the work to full good end. |
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| Articulus undecimus. |
Eleventh article. |
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| 225. The eleventhe artycul y telle the, |
The eleventh article I tell thee, |
| 226. That he ys bothe fayr and fre; |
That he is both fair and free; |
| 227. For he techyt, by hys my[g]th, |
For he teacheth, by his might, |
| 228. That no mason schulde worche be ny[g]th, |
That no mason should work by night, |
| 229. But [g]ef hyt be yn practesynge of wytte, |
But if be in practising of wit, |
| 230. [G]ef that y cowthe amende hytte. |
If that I could amend it. |
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| Articulus duodecimus. |
Twelfth article. |
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| 231. The twelfthe artycul ys of hye honesté |
The twelfth article is of high honesty |
| 232. To [g]every mason, whersever he be; |
To every mason wheresoever he be, |
| 233. He schal not hys felows werk deprave, |
He shall not his fellows' work deprave, |
| 234. [G]ef that he wol hys honesté save; |
If that he will his honesty save; |
| 235. With honest wordes he hyt comende, |
With honest words he it commend, |
| 236. By the wytte that God the dede sende; |
By the wit God did thee send; |
| 237. Buy hyt amende by al that thou may, |
But it amend by all that thou may, |
| 238. Bytwynne [g]ow bothe withoute nay. |
Between you both without nay. (doubt) |
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| Articulus tertius decimus. |
Thirteenth article. |
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| 239. The threttene artycul, so God me save, |
The thirteenth article, so God me save, |
| 240. Ys,[g]ef that the mayster a prentes have, |
Is if that the master a 'prentice have, |
| 241. Enterlyche thenne that he hym teche, |
Entirely then that he him teach, |
| 242. And meserable poyntes that he hym reche, |
And measurable points that he him reche, (tell) |
| 243. That he the craft abelyche may conne, |
That he the craft ably may conne, (know) |
| 244. Whersever he go undur the sonne. |
Wheresoever he go under the sun. |
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| Articulus quartadecima. |
Fourteenth article. |
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| 245. The fowrtene artycul, by good reson, |
The fourteenth article by good reason, |
| 246. Scheweth the mayster how he schal don; |
Sheweth the master how he shall don; (do) |
| 247. He schal no prentes to hym take, |
He shall no 'prentice to him take, |
| 248. Byt dyvers crys he have to make, |
Unless diver cares he have to make, |
| 249. That he may, withynne hys terme, |
That he may within his term, |
| 250. Of hym dyvers poyntes may lurne. |
Of him divers points may learn. |
| |
|
| Articulus quindecimus. |
Fifteenth article. |
| |
|
| 251. The fyftene artycul maketh an ende, |
The fifteenth article maketh an end, |
| 252. For to the mayster he ys a frende; |
For to the master he is a friend; |
| 253. To lere hym so, that for no mon, |
To teach him so, that for no man, |
| 254. No fals mantenans he take hym apon, |
No false maintenance he take him upon, |
| 255. Ny maynteine hys felows yn here synne, |
Nor maintain his fellows in their sin, |
| 256. For no good that he my[g]th wynne; |
For no good that he might win; |
| 257. Ny no fals sware sofre hem to make, |
Nor no false oath suffer him to make, |
| 258. For drede of here sowles sake; |
For dread of their souls' sake, |
| 259. Lest hyt wolde turne the craft to schame, |
Lest it would turn the craft to shame, |
| 260. And hymself to mechul blame. |
And himself to very much blame. |
| |
|
| Plures Constituciones. |
Plural constitutions. |
| |
|
| 261. At thys semblé were poyntes y-ordeynt mo, |
At this assembly were points ordained mo, (more) |
| 262. Of grete lordys and maystrys also, |
Of great lords and masters also. |
| 263. That whose wol conne thys craft and com to astate, |
That who will know this craft and come to estate, |
| 264. He most love wel God, and holy churche algate, |
He must love well God and holy church algate, (always) |
| 265. And hys mayster also, that he ys wythe, |
And his master also that he is with, |
| 266. Whersever he go, yn fylde or frythe; |
Wheresoever he go in field or frythe, (enclosed wood) |
| 267. And thy felows thou love also, |
And thy fellows thou love also, |
| 268. For that they craft wol that thou do. |
For that thy craft will that thou do. |
| |
|
| Secundus punctus. |
Second Point. |
| |
|
| 269. The secunde poynt, as y [g]ow say, |
The second point as I you say, |
| 270. That the mason worche apon the werk day, |
That the mason work upon the work day, |
| 271. Also trwly, as he con or may, |
As truly as he can or may, |
| 272. To deserve hys huyre for the halyday, |
To deserve his hire for the holy-day, |
| 273. And trwly to labrun on hys dede, |
And truly to labour on his deed, |
| 274. Wel deserve to have hys mede. |
Well deserve to have his mede. (reward) |
| |
|
| Tercius punctus. |
Third point. |
| |
|
| 275. The thrydde poynt most be severele, |
The third point must be severele, (severely) |
| 276. With the prentes knowe hyt wele, |
With the 'prentice know it well, |
| 277. Hys mayster conwsel he kepe and close, |
His master’s counsel he keep and close, |
| 278. And hys felows by hys goode purpose; |
And his fellows by his good purpose; |
| 279. The prevetyse of the chamber telle he no man, |
The privities of the chamber tell he no man, |
| 280. Ny yn the logge whatsever they done; |
Nor in the lodge whatsoever they don; (do) |
| 281. Whatsever thou heryst, or syste hem do, |
Whatsoever thou hearest or seest them do, |
| 282. Telle hyt no mon, whersever thou go; |
Tell it no man wheresoever you go; |
| 283. The conwsel of halls, and [g]eke of bowre, |
The counsel of hall, and even of bower, |
| 284. Kepe hyt wel to gret honowre, |
Keep it well to great honour, |
| 285. Lest hyt wolde torne thyself to blame, |
Lest it would turn thyself to blame, |
| 286. And brynge the craft ynto gret schame. |
And bring the craft into great shame. |
| |
|
| Quartus punctus. |
Fourth point. |
| |
|
| 287. The fowrthe poynt techyth us alse, |
The fourth point teacheth us alse, (also) |
| 288. That no mon to hys craft be false; |
That no man to his craft be false; |
| 289. Errour he schal maynteine none |
Error he shall maintain none |
| 290. A[g]eynus the craft, but let hyt gone; |
Against the craft, but let it gone; (go) |
| 291. Ny no pregedysse he schal not do |
Nor no prejudice he shall not do |
| 292. To hys mayster, ny hys felows also; |
To his master, nor his fellow also; |
| 293. And that[g]th the prentes be under awe, |
And though the 'prentice be under awe, |
| 294. [G]et he wolde have the same lawe. |
Yet he would have the same law. |
| |
|
| Quintus punctus. |
Fifth point. |
| |
|
| 295. The fyfthe poynte ys, withoute nay, |
The fifth point is without nay, (doubt) |
| 296. That whenne the mason taketh hys pay |
That when the mason taketh his pay |
| 297. Of the mayster, y-ordent to hym, |
Of the master, ordained to him, |
| 298. Ful mekely y-take so most hyt byn; |
Full meekly taken so must it byn; (be) |
| 299. [G]et most the mayster, by good resone, |
Yet must the master by good reason, |
| 300. Warne hem lawfully byfore none, |
Warn him lawfully before noon, |
| 301. [G]ef he nulle okepye hem no more, |
If he will not occupy him no more, |
| 302. As he hath y-done ther byfore; |
As he hath done there before; |
| 303. A[g]eynus thys ordyr he may not stryve, |
Against this order he may not strive, |
| 304. [G]ef he thenke wel for to thryve. |
If he think well for to thrive. |
| |
|
| Sextus punctus. |
Sixth point. |
| |
|
| 305. The syxte poynt ys ful [g]ef to knowe, |
The sixth point is full given to know, |
| 306. Bothe to hye and eke to lowe, |
Both to high and even to low, |
| 307. For suche case hyt my[g]th befalle, |
For such case it might befall; |
| 308. Amonge the masonus, summe or alle, |
Among the masons some or all, |
| 309. Throwghe envye, or dedly hate, |
Through envy or deadly hate, |
| 310. Ofte aryseth ful gret debate. |
Oft ariseth full great debate. |
| 311. Thenne owyth the mason, [g]ef that he may, |
Then ought the mason if that he may, |
| 312. Putte hem bothe under a day; |
Put them both under a day; |
| 313. But loveday [g]et schul they make none; |
But loveday yet shall they make none, |
| 314. Tyl that the werke day be clene a-gone; |
Till that the work-day be clean gone |
| 315. Apon the holyday [g]e mowe wel take |
Upon the holy-day you must well take |
| 316. Leyser y-now[g]gth loveday to make, |
Leisure enough loveday to make, |
| 317. Lest that hyt wolde the werke day |
Lest that it would the work-day |
| 318. Latte here werke for suche afray; |
Hinder their work for such a fray; |
| 319. To suche ende thenne that hem drawe, |
To such end then that you them draw. |
| 320. That they stonde wel yn Goddes lawe. |
That they stand well in God’s law. |
| |
|
| Septimus punctus. |
Seventh point. |
| |
|
| 321. The seventhe poynt he may wel mene, |
The seventh point he may well mean, |
| 322. Of wel longe lyf that God us lene, |
Of well long life that God us lene, (lend) |
| 323. As hyt dyscryeth wel opunly, |
As it descrieth well openly, |
| 324. Thou schal not by thy maysters wyf ly, |
Thou shalt not by thy master’s wife lie, |
| 325. Ny by the felows, yn no maner wyse, |
Nor by thy fellows', in no manner wise, |
| 326. Lest the craft wolde the despyse; |
Lest the craft would thee despise; |
| 327. Ny by the felows concubyne, |
Nor by thy fellows' concubine, |
| 328. No more thou woldest he dede by thyne. |
No more thou wouldst he did by thine. |
| 329. The peyne thereof let hyt be ser, |
The pain thereof let it be sure, |
| 330. That he prentes ful seven [g]er, |
That he be 'prentice full seven year, |
| 331. [G]ef he forfete yn eny of hem, |
If he forfeit in any of them |
| 332. So y-chasted thenne most he ben; |
So chastised then must he ben; (be) |
| 333. Ful mekele care my[g]th ther begynne, |
Full much care might there begin, |
| 334. For suche a fowle dedely synne. |
For such a foul deadly sin. |
| |
|
| Octavus punctus. |
Eighth point. |
| |
|
| 335. The eghte poynt, he may be sure, |
The eighth point, he may be sure, |
| 336. [G]ef thou hast y-taken any cure, |
If thou hast taken any cure, |
| 337. Under thy mayster thou be trwe, |
Under thy master thou be true, |
| 338. For that pynt thou schalt never arewe; |
For that point thou shalt never rue; |
| 339. A trwe medyater thou most nede be |
A true mediator thou must needs be |
| 340. To thy mayster, and thy felows fre; |
To thy master, and thy fellows free; |
| 341. Do trwly al....that thou my[g]th, |
Do truly all that thou might, |
| 342. To both partyes, and that ys good ry[g]th. |
To both parties, and that is good right. |
| |
|
| Nonus punctus. |
Ninth point. |
| |
|
| 343. The nynthe poynt we schul hym calle, |
The ninth point we shall him call, |
| 344. That he be stwarde of oure halle, |
That he be steward of our hall, |
| 345. Gef that ge ben yn chambur y-fere, |
If that you be in chamber y-fere, (together) |
| 346. Uchon serve other, with mylde chere; |
Each one serve other with mild cheer; |
| 347. Jentul felows, ge moste hyt knowe, |
Gentle fellows, you must it know, |
| 348. For to be stwardus alle o rowe, |
For to be stewards all o-rowe, (in turn) |
| 349. Weke after weke withoute dowte, |
Week after week without doubt, |
| 350. Stwardus to ben so alle abowte, |
Stewards to be so all in turn about, |
| 351. Lovelyche to serven uchon othur, |
Amiably to serve each one other, |
| 352. As thawgh they were syster and brother; |
As though they were sister and brother; |
| 353. Ther schal never won on other costage |
There shall never one another costage (cost) |
| 354. Fre hymself to no vantage, |
Free himself to no advantage, |
| 355. But every mon schal be lyche fre |
But every man shall be equally free |
| 356. Yn that costage, so moste hyt be; |
In that cost, so must it be; |
| 357. Loke that thou pay wele every mon algate, |
Look that thou pay well every man algate, (always) |
| 358. That thou hsat y-bow[g]ht any vytayles ate, |
That thou hast bought any victuals ate, (eaten) |
| 359. That no cravynge be y-mad to the, |
That no craving be made to thee, |
| 360. Ny to thy felows, yn no degré, |
Nor to thy fellows in no degree, |
| 361. To mon or to wommon, whether he be, |
To man or to woman, whoever he be, |
| 362. Pay hem wel and trwly, for that wol we; |
Pay them well and truly, for that will we; |
| 363. Therof on thy felow trwe record thou take, |
Thereof on thy fellow true record thou take, |
| 364. For that good pay as thou dost make, |
For that good pay as thou dost make, |
| 365. Lest hyt wolde thy felowe schame, |
Lest it would thy fellow shame, |
| 366. Any brynge thyself ynto gret blame. |
And bring thyself into great blame. |
| 367. [G]et good acowntes he most make |
Yet good accounts he must make |
| 368. Of suche godes as he hath y-take, |
Of such goods as he hath y-take (taken) |
| 369. Of thy felows goodes that thou hast spende, |
Of thy fellows' goods that thou hast spende, (spent) |
| 370. Wher, and how, and to what ende; |
Where and how and to what end; |
| 371. Suche acowntes thou most come to, |
Such accounts thou must come to, |
| 372. Whenne thy felows wollen that thou do. |
When thy fellows wish that thou do. |
| |
|
| Decimus punctus. |
Tenth point. |
| |
|
| 373. The tenthe poynt presentyeth wel god lyf, |
The tenth point presenteth well good life, |
| 374. To lyven withoute care and stryf; |
To live without care and strife; |
| 375. For and the mason lyve amysse, |
For if the mason live amiss, |
| 376. And yn hys werk be false, y-wysse, |
And in his work be false y-wisse, (I know) |
| 377. And thorw[g] suche a false skewysasyon |
And through such a false skewsasyon (excuse) |
| 378. May sclawndren hys felows oute reson, |
May slander his fellows without reason, |
| 379. Throw[g] false sclawnder of suche fame |
Through false slander of such fame. |
| 380. May make the craft kachone blame. |
May make the craft acquire blame. |
| 381. [G]ef he do the craft suche vylany, |
If he do the craft such villainy, |
| 382. Do hym no favour thenne securly. |
Do him no favour then securely, |
| 383. Ny maynteine not hym yn wyked lyf, |
Nor maintain not him in wicked life, |
| 384. Lest hyt wolde turne to care and stryf; |
Lest it would turn to care and strife; |
| 385. But get hym [g]e schul not delayme, |
But yet him you shall not delayme, (delay) |
| 386. But that [g]e schullen hym constrayne, |
Unless that you shall him constrain, |
| 387. For to apere whersevor [g]e wylle, |
For to appear wheresoever you will, |
| 388. Whar that [g]e wolen, lowde, or stylle; |
Where that you will, loud, or still; |
| 389. To the nexte semblé [g]e schul hym calle, |
To the next assembly you shall him call, |
| 390. To apere byfore hys felows alle, |
To appear before his fellows all, |
| 391. And but [g]ef he wyl byfore hem pere, |
And unless he will before them appear, |
| 392. The crafte he moste nede forswere; |
The craft he must need forswear; |
| 393. He schal thenne be chasted after the lawe |
He shall then be punished after the law |
| 394. That was y-fownded by olde dawe. |
That was founded by old dawe. (day) |
| |
|
| Punctus undecimus. |
Eleventh point. |
| |
|
| 395. The eleventhe poynt ys of good dyscrecyoun, |
The eleventh point is of good discretion, |
| 396. As [g]e mowe knowe by good resoun; |
As you must know by good reason; |
| 397. A mason, and he thys craft wel con, |
A mason, if he this craft well con, (know, |
| 398. That sy[g]th hys felow hewen on a ston, |
That seeth his fellow hew on a stone, |
| 399. And ys yn poynt to spylle that ston, |
And is in point to spoil that stone, |
| 400. Amende hyt sone, [g]ef that thou con, |
Amend it soon if that thou can, |
| 401. And teche hym thenne hyt to amende, |
And teach him then it to amend, |
| 402. That the l(ordys) werke be not y-schende, |
That the lords' work be not y-schende, (spoiled) |
| 403. And teche hym esely hyt to amende, |
And teach him easily it to amend, |
| 404. With fayre wordes, that God the hath lende; |
With fair words, that God thee hath lende; (lent) |
| 405. For hys sake that sytte above, |
For his sake that sit above, |
| 406. With swete wordes noresche hym love. |
With sweet words nourish his love. |
| |
|
| Punctus duodecimus. |
Twelfth point. |
| |
|
| 407. The twelthe poynt of gret ryolté, |
The twelfth point is of great royalty, |
| 408. Ther as the semblé y-hole schal be, |
There as the assembly held shall be, |
| 409. Ther schul be maystrys and felows also, |
There shall be masters and fellows also, |
| 410. And other grete lordes mony mo; |
And other great lords many mo; (more) |
| 411. There schal be the scheref of that contré, |
There shall be the sheriff of that country, |
| 412. And also the meyr of that syté, |
And also the mayor of that city, |
| 413. Kny[g]tes and sqwyers ther schul be, |
Knights and squires there shall be, |
| 414. And other aldermen, as [g]e schul se; |
And also aldermen, as you shall see; |
| 415. Suche ordynance as they maken there, |
Such ordinance as they make there, |
| |
|
| 416. They schul maynté hyt hol y-fere |
They shall maintain it all y-fere (together) |
| 417. A[g]eynus that mon, whatsever he be, |
Against that man, whatsoever he be, |
| 418. That longuth to the craft bothe fayr and fre. |
That belongeth to the craft both fair and free. |
| 419. [G]ef he any stryf a[g]eynus hem make, |
If he any strife against them make, |
| 420. Ynto here warde he schal be take. |
Into their custody he shall be take. (taken) |
| |
|
| Tertius decimus punctus. |
Thirteenth point. |
| |
|
| 421. The threnteth poynt ys to us ful luf. |
The thirteenth point is to us full lief, |
| 422. He schal swere never to be no thef, |
He shall swear never to be no thief, |
| 423. Ny soker hym yn hys fals craft, |
Nor succour him in his false craft, |
| 424. For no good that he hath byraft, |
For no good that he hath byraft; (bereft) |
| 425. And thou mowe hyt knowe or syn, |
And thou must it know or sin, |
| 426. Nowther for hys good, ny for hys kyn. |
Neither for his good, nor for his kin. |
| |
|
| Quartadecima punctus. |
Fourteenth point. |
| |
|
| 427. The fowrtethe poynt ys ful good lawe |
The fourteenth point is full good law |
| 428. To hym that wold ben under awe; |
To him that would be under awe; |
| 429. A good trwe othe he most ther swere |
A good true oath he must there swear |
| 430. To hys mayster and hys felows that ben there; |
To his master and his fellows that be there; |
| 431. He most be stedefast and trwe also |
He must be steadfast and also true |
| 432. To alle thys ordynance, whersever he go, |
To all this ordinance, wheresoever he go, |
| 433. And to hys lyge lord the kynge, |
And to his liege lord the king, |
| 434. To be trwe to hym, over alle thynge. |
To be true to him over all thing. |
| 435. And alle these poyntes hyr before |
And all these points here before |
| 436. To hem thou most nede by y-swore, |
To them thou must need be y-swore, (sworn) |
| 437. And alle schul swere the same ogth |
And all shall swear the same oath |
| 438. Of the masonus, be they luf, ben they loght, |
Of the masons, be they lief be they loath. |
| 439. To alle these poyntes hyr byfore, |
To all these points here before, |
| 440. That hath ben ordeynt by ful good lore. |
That hath been ordained by full good lore. |
| 441. And they schul enquere every mon |
And they shall enquire every man |
| 442. On his party, as wyl as he con, |
Of his party, as well as he can, |
| 443. [G]ef any mon mowe be y-fownde gulty |
If any man may be found guilty |
| 444. Yn any of these poyntes spesyaly; |
In any of these points specially; |
| 445. And whad he be, let hym be sow[g]ht, |
And who he be, let him be sought, |
| 446. And to the semblé let hym be brow[g]ht. |
And to the assembly let him be brought. |
| |
|
| Quindecimus punctus. |
Fifteen point. |
| |
|
| 447. The fiftethe poynt ys of ful good lore, |
The fifteenth point is of full good lore, |
| 448. For hem that schul ben ther y-swore, |
For them that shall be there y-swore, (sworn) |
| 449. Suche ordyance at the semblé wes layd |
Such ordinance at the assembly was laid |
| 450. Of grete lordes and maystres byforesayd; |
Of great lords and masters before said; |
| 451. For thelke that be unbuxom, y-wysse, |
For the same that be disobedient, y-wisse, (I know) |
| 452. A[g]eynus the ordynance that ther ysse |
Against the ordinance that there is, |
| 453. Of these artyculus, that were y-meved there, |
Of these articles that were moved there, |
| 454. Of grete lordes and masonus al y-fere. |
Of great lords and masons all y-fere, (together) |
| 455. And [g]ef they ben y-preved opunly |
And if they be proved openly |
| 456. Byfore that semblé, by an by, |
Before that assembly, by and by, |
| 457. And for here gultes no mendys wol make, |
And for their guilt’s no amends will make, |
| 458. Thenne most they nede the crafy forsake; |
Then must they need the craft forsake; |
| 459. And so masonus craft they schul refuse, |
And no masons craft they shall refuse, |
| 460. And swere hyt never more for to use. |
And swear it never more to use. |
| 461. But [g]ef that they wol mendys make, |
But if that they will amends make, |
| 462. A[g]ayn to the craft they schul never take; |
Again to the craft they shall never take; |
| 463. And [g]ef that they nul not do so, |
And if that they will not do so, |
| 464. The scheref schal come hem sone to, |
The sheriff shall come them soon to, |
| 465. And putte here bodyes yn duppe prison, |
And put their bodies in deep prison, |
| 466. For the trespasse that they hav y-don, |
For the trespass that they have done, |
| 467. And take here goodes and here cattelle |
And take their goods and their cattle |
| 468. Ynto the kynges hond, everyt delle, |
Into the king’s hand, every delle, (part) |
| 469. And lete hem dwelle ther full stylle, |
And let them dwell there full still, |
| 470. Tyl hyt be oure lege kynges wylle. |
Till it be our liege king’s will. |
| |
|
| Alia ordinacio artis gematriae. |
Another ordinance of the art of geometry. |
| |
|
| 471. They ordent ther a semblé to be y-holde |
They ordained there an assembly to be y-holde, (hold) |
| 472. Every [g]er, whersever they wolde, |
Every year, wheresoever they would, |
| 473. To amende the defautes, [g]ef any where fonde |
To amend the defaults, if any were found |
| 474. Amonge the craft withynne the londe; |
Among the craft within the land; |
| 475. Uche [g]er or thrydde [g]er hyt schuld be holde, |
Each year or third year it should be holde, (held) |
| 476. Yn every place whersever they wolde; |
In every place weresoever they would; |
| 477. Tyme and place most be ordeynt also, |
Time and place must be ordained also, |
| 478. Yn what place they schul semble to. |
In what place they should assemble to, |
| 479. Alle the men of craft tehr they most ben, |
All the men of craft there they must be, |
| 480. And other grete lordes, as [g]e mowe sen, |
And other great lords, as you must see, |
| 481. To mende the fautes that buth ther y-spoke, |
To mend the faults that he there spoken, |
| 482. [G]ef that eny of hem ben thenne y-broke. |
If that any of them be then broken. |
| 483. Ther they schullen ben alle y-swore, |
There they shall be all y-swore, (sworn) |
| 484. That longuth to thys craftes lore, |
That belongeth to this craft’s lore, |
| 485. To kepe these statutes everychon, |
To keep their statutes every one |
| 486. That ben y-ordeynt by kynge Aldelston; |
That were ordained by King Athelstane; |
| 487. These statutes that y have hyr y-fonde |
These statutes that I have here found |
| 488. Y chulle they ben holde thro[g]h my londe, |
I ordain they be held through my land, |
| 489. For the worsche of my ry[g]olté, |
For the worship of my royalty, |
| 490. That y have by my dygnyté. |
That I have by my dignity. |
| 491. Also at every semblé that [g]e holde, |
Also at every assembly that you hold, |
| 492. That ge come to [g]owre lyge kyng bolde, |
That you come to your liege king bold, |
| 493. Bysechynge hym of hys hye grace, |
Beseeching him of his high grace, |
| 494. To stonde with [g]ow yn every place, |
To stand with you in every place, |
| 495. To conferme the statutes of kynge Adelston, |
To confirm the statutes of King Athelstane, |
| 496. That he ordeydnt to thys craft by good reson, |
That he ordained to this craft by good reason. |
| |
|
| Ars quatuor coronatorum. |
The art of the four crowned ones. |
| |
|
| 497. Pray we now to God almy[g]ht, |
Pray we now to God almight, (almighty) |
| 498. And to hys moder Mary bry[g]ht, |
And to his mother Mary bright, |
| 499. That we mowe keepe these artyculus here, |
That we may keep these articles here, |
| 500. And these poynts wel al y-fere, |
And these points well all y-fere, (together) |
| 501. As dede these holy martyres fowre, |
As did these holy martyrs four, |
| 502. That yn thys craft were of gret honoure; |
That in this craft were of great honour; |
| 503. They were as gode masonus as on erthe schul go, |
They were as good masons as on earth shall go, |
| 504. Gravers and ymage-makers they were also. |
Gravers and image-makers they were also. |
| 505. For they were werkemen of the beste, |
For they were workmen of the best, |
| 506. The emperour hade to hem gret luste; |
The emperor had to them great luste; (liking) |
| 507. He wylned of hem a ymage to make, |
He willed of them an image to make |
| 508. That mow[g]h be worscheped for his sake; |
That might be worshipped for his sake; |
| 509. Suche mawmetys he hade yn hys dawe, |
Such monuments he had in his dawe, (day) |
| 510. To turne the pepul from Crystus lawe. |
To turn the people from Christ’s law. |
| |
|
| 511. But they were stedefast yn Crystes lay, |
But they were steadfast in Christ’s lay, (law) |
| 512. And to here craft, withouten nay; |
And to their craft without nay; (doubt) |
| 513. They loved wel God and alle hys lore, |
They loved well God and all his lore, |
| 514. And weren yn hys serves ever more. |
And were in his service ever more. |
| 515. Trwe men they were yn that dawe, |
True men they were in that dawe, (day) |
| 516. And lyved wel y Goddus lawe; |
And lived well in God’s law; |
| 517. They tho[g]ght no mawmetys for to make, |
They thought no monuments for to make, |
| 518. For no good that they my[g]th take, |
For no good that they might take, |
| 519. To levyn on that mawmetys for here God, |
To believe on that monument for their God, |
| 520. They nolde do so thaw[g] he were wod; |
They would not do so, though he were wod; (furious) |
| 521. For they nolde not forsake here trw fay, |
For they would not forsake their true fay, (faith) |
| |
|
| 522. An beyleve on hys falsse lay. |
And believe on his false lay, (law) |
| 523. The emperour let take hem sone anone, |
The emperor let take them soon anon, |
| 524. And putte hem ynto a dep presone; |
And put them in a deep prison; |
| 525. The sarre he penest hem yn that plase, |
The more sorely he punished them in that place, |
| 526. The more yoye wes to hem of Cristus grace. |
The more joy was to them of Christ’s grace, |
| 527. Thenne when he sye no nother won, |
Then when he saw no other one, |
| 528. To dethe he lette hem thenne gon; |
To death he let them then gon; (go) |
| 529. Whose wol of here lyf [g]et mor knowe, |
Whose will of their life yet more know |
| 530. By the bok he may kyt schowe, |
By the book he might it show |
| 531. In the legent of scanctorum, |
In the legend of sanctorum (holy ones) |
| 532. The name of quatour coronatorum. |
The names of the quatuor coronatorum. |
| |
|
| 533. Here fest wol be, withoute nay, |
Their feast will be without nay, (doubt) |
| 534. After Alle Halwen the eyght day. |
After Hallow-e'en the eighth day. |
| 535. [G]e mow here as y do rede, |
You may hear as I do read, |
| 536. That mony [g]eres after, for gret drede |
That many years after, for great dread |
| 537. That Noees flod wes alle y-ronne, |
That Noah’s flood was all run, |
| 538. The tower of Babyloyne was begonne, |
The tower of Babylon was begun, |
| 539. Also playne werke of lyme and ston, |
As plain work of lime and stone, |
| 540. As any mon schulde loke uppon; |
As any man should look upon; |
| 541. So long and brod hyt was begonne, |
So long and broad it was begun, |
| 542. Seven myle the he[g]ghte schadweth the sonne. |
Seven miles the height shadoweth the sun. |
| 543. King Nabogodonosor let hyt make, |
King Nebuchadnezzar let it make |
| 544. To gret strenthe for monus sake, |
To great strength for man’s sake, |
| |
|
| 545. Tha[g]gh suche a flod a[g]ayne schulde come, |
Though such a flood again should come, |
| 546. Over the werke hyt schulde not nome; |
Over the work it should not nome; (take) |
| 547. For they hadde so hy pride, with stronge bost, |
For they had so high pride, with strong boast |
| 548. Alle that werke therfore was y-lost; |
All that work therefore was lost; |
| 549. An angele smot hem so with dyveres speche, |
An angel smote them so with divers speech, |
| 550. That never won wyste what other schuld reche. |
That never one knew what the other should tell. |
| 551. Mony eres after, the goode clerk Euclyde |
Many years after, the good clerk Euclid |
| 552. Ta[g]ghte the craft of gemetré wonder wyde, |
Taught the craft of geometry full wonder wide, |
| 553. So he ded that tyme other also, |
So he did that other time also, |
| 554. Of dyvers craftes mony mo. |
Of divers crafts many mo. (more) |
| 555. Thro[g]gh hye grace of Crist yn heven, |
Through high grace of Christ in heaven, |
| 556. He commensed yn the syens seven; |
He commenced in the sciences seven; |
| |
|
| 557. Gramatica ys the furste syens y-wysse, |
Grammar is the first science I know, |
| 558. Dialetica the secunde, so have y blysse, |
Dialect the second, so I have I bliss, |
| 559. Rethorica the thrydde, withoute nay, |
Rhetoric the third without nay, (doubt) |
| 560. Musica ys the fowrth, as y [g]ow say, |
Music is the fourth, as I you say, |
| 561. Astromia ys the v, by my snowte, |
Astronomy is the fifth, by my snout, |
| 562. Arsmetica the vi, withoute dowte |
Arithmetic the sixth, without doubt, |
| 563. Gemetria the seventhe maketh an ende, |
Geometry the seventh maketh an end, |
| 564. For he ys bothe make and hende, |
For he is both meek and hende, (courteous) |
| 565. Gramer forsothe ys the rote, |
Grammar forsooth is the root, |
| 566. Whose wyl lurne on the boke; |
Whoever will learn on the book; |
| 567. But art passeth yn hys degré, |
But art passeth in his degree, |
| 568. As the fryte doth the rote of the tre; |
As the fruit doth the root of the tree; |
| |
|
| 569. Rethoryk metryth with orne speche amonge, |
Rhetoric measureth with ornate speech among, |
| 570. And musyke hyt ys a swete song; |
And music it is a sweet song; |
| 571. Astronomy nombreth, my dere brother, |
Astronomy numbereth, my dear brother, |
| 572. Arsmetyk scheweth won thyng that ys another, |
Arithmetic sheweth one thing that is another, |
| 573. Gemetré the seventh syens hyt ysse, |
Geometry the seventh science it is, |
| 574. That con deperte falshed from trewthe y-wys. |
That can separate falsehood from truth, I know. |
| 575. These bene the syens seven, |
These be the sciences seven, |
| 576. Whose useth hem wel, he may han heven. |
Who useth them well he may have heaven. |
| 577. Now dere chyldren, by [g]owre wytte, |
Now dear children by your wit |
| 578. Pride and covetyse that [g]e leven, hytte, |
Pride and covetousness that you leave it, |
| 579. And taketh hede to goode dyscrecyon, |
And taketh heed to good discretion, |
| 580. And to good norter, whersever [g]e com. |
And to good nurture, wheresoever you come. |
| 581. Now y pray [g]ow take good hede, |
Now I pray you take good heed, |
| |
|
| 582. For thys [g]e most kenne nede, |
For this you must know nede, (needs) |
| 583. But much more [g]e moste wyten, |
But much more you must wyten, (know) |
| 584. Thenne [g]e fynden hyr y-wryten. |
Than you find here written. |
| 585. [G]ef the fayle therto wytte, |
If thee fail thereto wit, |
| 586. Pray to God to send the hytte; |
Pray to God to send thee it: |
| 587. For Crist hymself, he techet ous |
For Christ himself, he teacheth ous (us) |
| 588. That holy churche ys Goddes hous, |
That holy church is God’s house, |
| 589. That ys y-mad for nothynge ellus |
That is made for nothing ellus (else) |
| 590. but for to pray yn, as the bok tellus; |
But for to pray in, as the book tellus; (tells us) |
| 591. Ther the pepul schal gedur ynne, |
There the people shall gather in, |
| 592. To pray and wepe for here synne. |
To pray and weep for their sin. |
| 593. Loke thou come not to churche late, |
Look thou come not to church late, |
| 594. For to speke harlotry by the gate; |
For to speak harlotry by the gate; |
| |
|
| 595. Thenne to churche when thou dost fare, |
Then to church when thou dost fare, |
| 596. Have yn thy mynde ever mare |
Have in thy mind ever mare (more) |
| 597. To worschepe thy lord God bothe day and ny[g]th, |
To worship thy lord God both day and night, |
| 598. With all thy wyttes, and eke thy my[g]th. |
With all thy wits and even thy might. |
| 599. To the churche dore when tou dost come, |
To the church door when thou dost come |
| 600. Of that holy water ther sum thow nome, |
Of that holy water there some thou nome, (take) |
| 601. For every drope thou felust ther |
For every drop thou feelest there |
| 602. Qwenchet a venyal synne, be thou ser. |
Quencheth a venial sin, be thou ser. (sure) |
| 603. But furst thou most do down thy hode, |
But first thou must do down thy hood, |
| 604. For hyse love that dyed on the rode. |
For his love that died on the rood. |
| 605. Into the churche when thou dost gon, |
Into the church when thou dost gon, (go) |
| 606. Pulle uppe thy herte to Crist, anon; |
Pull up thy heart to Christ, anon; |
| |
|
| 607. Uppon the rode thou loke uppe then, |
Upon the road thou look up then, |
| 608. And knele down fayre on bothe thy knen; |
And kneel down fair upon thy knen, (knees) |
| 609. Then pray to hym so hyr to worche, |
Then pray to him so here to worche (work) |
| 610. After the lawe of holy churche, |
After the law of holy church, |
| 611. For to kepe the comandementes ten, |
For to keep the commandments ten, |
| 612. That God [g]af to alle men; |
That God gave to all men; |
| 613. And pray to hym with mylde steven |
And pray to him with mild steven (voice) |
| 614. To kepe the from the synnes seven, |
To keep thee from the sins seven, |
| 615. That thou hyr mowe, yn thy lyve, |
That thou here may, in this life, |
| 616. Kepe the wel from care and stryve, |
Keep thee well from care and strife; |
| 617. Forthermore he grante the grace, |
Furthermore he grant thee grace, |
| 618. In heven blysse to hav a place. |
In heaven’s bliss to have a place. |
| |
|
| 619. In holy churche lef nyse wordes |
In holy church leave trifling words |
| 620. Of lewed speche, and fowle bordes, |
Of lewd speech and foul bordes, (jests) |
| 621. And putte away alle vanyté, |
And put away all vanity, |
| 622. And say thy pater noster and thyn ave; |
And say thy pater noster and thine ave; |
| 623. Loke also thou make no bere, |
Look also that thou make no bere, (noise) |
| 624. But ay to be yn thy prayere; |
But always to be in thy prayer; |
| 625. [G]ef thou wolt not thyselve pray, |
If thou wilt not thyself pray, |
| 626. Latte non other mon by no way. |
Hinder no other man by no way. |
| 627. In that place nowther sytte ny stonde, |
In that place neither sit nor stand, |
| 628. But knele fayre down on the gronde, |
But kneel fair down on the ground, |
| 629. And, when the Gospel me rede schal, |
And when the Gospel me read shall, |
| |
|
| 630. Fayre thou stonde up fro the wal, |
Fairly thou stand up from the wall, |
| 631. And blesse the fayre, [g]ef that thou conne, |
And bless the fare if that thou can, |
| 632. When gloria tibi is begonne; |
When gloria tibi is begun; |
| 633. And when the gospel ys y-done, |
And when the gospel is done, |
| 634. A[g]ayn thou my[g]th knele adown; |
Again thou might kneel down, |
| 635. On bothe thy knen down thou falle, |
On both knees down thou fall, |
| 636. For hyse love that bow[g]ht us alle; |
For his love that bought us all; |
| 637. And when thou herest the belle rynge |
And when thou hearest the bell ring |
| 638. To that holy sakerynge, |
To that holy sakerynge, (sacrament) |
| 639. Knele [g]e most, bothe [g]yn[g]e and olde, |
Kneel you must both young and old, |
| 640. And bothe [g]or hondes fayr upholde, |
And both your hands fair uphold, |
| 641. And say thenne yn thys manere, |
And say then in this manner, |
| |
|
| 642. Fayr and softe, withoute bere; |
Fair and soft without noise; |
| 643. "Jhesu Lord, welcom thou be, |
"Jesu Lord welcome thou be, |
| 644. Yn forme of bred, as y the se. |
In form of bread as I thee see, |
| 645. Now Jhesu, for thyn holy name, |
Now Jesu for thine holy name, |
| 646. Schulde me from synne and schame, |
Shield me from sin and shame; |
| 647. Schryff and hosel thou grant me bo, |
Shrift and Eucharist thou grant me bo, (both) |
| 648. [G]er that y schal hennus go, |
Ere that I shall hence go, |
| 649. And vey contrycyon of my synne, |
And very contrition for my sin, |
| 650. Tath y never, Lord, dye therynne; |
That I never, Lord, die therein; |
| 651. And, as thou were of a mayde y-bore, |
And as thou were of maid y-bore (born) |
| 652. Sofre me never to be y-lore; |
Suffer me never to be y-lore; (lost) |
| 653. But when y schal hennus wende, |
But when I shall hence wend, |
| |
|
| 654. Grante me the blysse withoute ende; |
Grant me the bliss without end; |
| 655. Amen! amen! so mot hyt be! |
Amen! Amen! so mote it be! |
| 656. Now, swete lady, pray for me." |
Now sweet lady pray for me." |
| 657. Thus thou my[g]ht say, or sum other thynge, |
Thus thou might say, or some other thing, |
| 658. When thou knelust at the sakerynge. |
When thou kneelest at the sakerynge. (sacrament) |
| 659. For covetyse after good, spare thou nought |
For covetousness after good, spare thou not |
| 660. To worschepe hym that alle hath wrought; |
To worship him that all hath wrought; |
| 661. For glad may a mon that day ben, |
For glad may a man that day be, |
| 662. That onus yn the day may hym sen; |
That once in the day may him see; |
| 663. Hyt ys so muche worthe, withoute nay, |
It is so much worth, without nay, (doubt) |
| 664. The vertu therof no mon telle may; |
The virtue thereof no man tell may; |
| 665. But so meche good doth that syht, |
But so much good doth that sight, |
| |
|
| 666. As seynt Austyn telluth ful ryht, |
That Saint Austin telleth full right, |
| 667. That day thou syst Goddus body, |
That day thou seest God’s body, |
| 668. Thou schalt have these, ful securly:- |
Thou shalt have these full securely:- |
| 669. Mete and drynke at thy nede, |
Meet and drink at thy need, |
| 670. Non that day schal the gnede; |
None that day shalt thou gnede; (lack) |
| 671. Ydul othes, an wordes bo, |
Idle oaths and words bo, (both) |
| 672. God for[g]eveth the also; |
God forgiveth thee also; |
| 673. Soden deth, that ylke day, |
Sudden death that same day |
| 674. The dar not drede by no way; |
Thee dare not dread by no way; |
| 675. Also that day, y the plyht, |
Also that day, I thee plight, |
| 676. Thou schalt not lese thy eye syht; |
Thou shalt not lose thy eye sight; |
| 677. And uche fote that thou gost then, |
And each foot that thou goest then, |
| |
|
| 678. That holy syht for to sen, |
That holy sight for to sen, (see) |
| 679. They schul be told to stonde yn stede, |
They shall be told to stand instead, |
| 680. When thou hast therto gret nede; |
When thou hast thereto great need; |
| 681. That messongere, the angele Gabryelle, |
That messenger the angel Gabriel, |
| 682. Wol kepe hem to the ful welle. |
Will keep them to thee full well. |
| 683. From thys mater now y may passe, |
From this matter now I may pass, |
| 684. To telle mo medys of the masse: |
To tell more benefits of the mass: |
| 685. To churche come [g]et, [g]ef thou may, |
To church come yet, if thou may, |
| 686. And here thy masse uche day; |
And hear the mass each day; |
| 687. [G]ef thou mowe not come to churche, |
If thou may not come to church, |
| 688. Wher that ever thou doste worche, |
Where that ever thou dost worche, (work) |
| 689. When thou herest to masse knylle, |
When thou hearest the mass knylle, (toll) |
| |
|
| 690. Pray to God with herte stylle, |
Pray to God with heart still, |
| 691. To [g]eve the part of that servyse, |
To give they part of that service, |
| 692. That yn churche ther don yse. |
That in church there done is. |
| 693. Forthermore [g]et, y wol [g]ow preche |
Furthermore yet, I will you preach |
| 694. To [g]owre felows, hyt for to teche, |
To your fellows, it for to teach, |
| 695. When thou comest byfore a lorde, |
When thou comest before a lord, |
| 696. Yn halle, yn bowre, or at the borde, |
In hall, in bower, or at the board, |
| 697. Hod or cappe that thou of do, |
Hood or cap that thou off do, |
| 698. [G]er thou come hym allynge to; |
Ere thou come him entirely to; |
| 699. Twyes or thryes, without dowte, |
Twice or thrice, without doubt, |
| 700. To that lord thou moste lowte; |
To that lord thou must lowte; (bow) |
| 701. With thy ry[g]th kne let hyt be do, |
With thy right knee let it be do, (done) |
| |
|
| 702. Thyn owne worschepe tou save so. |
Thine own worship thou save so. |
| 703. Holde of thy cappe, and hod also, |
Hold off thy cap and hood also, |
| 704. Tyl thou have leve hyt on to do. |
Till thou have leave it on to do. (put) |
| 705. Al the whyle thou spekest with hym, |
All the time thou speakest with him, |
| 706. Fayre and lovelyche bere up thy chyn; |
Fair and amiably hold up thy chin; |
| 707. So, after the norter of the boke, |
So after the nurture of the book, |
| 708. Yn hys face lovely thou loke. |
In his face kindly thou look. |
| 709. Fot and hond, thou kepe ful stylle |
Foot and hand thou keep full still, |
| 710. From clawynge and trypynge, ys sckylle; |
For clawing and tripping, is skill; |
| 711. From spyttynge and snyftynge kepe the also, |
From spitting and sniffling keep thee also, |
| 712. By privy avoydans let hyt go. |
By private expulsion let it go, |
| 713. And [g]ef that thou be wyse and felle, |
And if that thou be wise and felle, (discrete) |
| |
|
| 714. Thou hast gret nede to governe the welle. |
Thou has great need to govern thee well. |
| 715. Ynto the halle when thou dost wende, |
Into the hall when thou dost wend, |
| 716. Amonges the genteles, good and hende, |
Amongst the gentles, good and hende, (courteous) |
| 717. Presume not to hye for nothynge, |
Presume not too high for nothing, |
| 718. For thyn hye blod, ny thy connynge, |
For thine high blood, nor thy cunning, |
| 719. Nowther to sytte, ny to lene, |
Neither to sit nor to lean, |
| 720. That ys norther good and clene. |
That is nurture good and clean. |
| 721. Let not thy cowntenans therfore abate, |
Let not thy countenance therefore abate, |
| 722. Forsothe, good norter wol save thy state. |
Forsooth good nurture will save thy state. |
| 723. Fader and moder, whatsever they be, |
Father and mother, whatsoever they be, |
| 724. Wel ys the chyld that wel may the, |
Well is the child that well may thee, |
| 725. Yn halle, yn chamber, wher thou dost gon; |
In hall, in chamber, where thou dost gon; (go) |
| |
|
| 726. Gode maneres maken a mon. |
Good manners make a man. |
| 727. To the nexte degré loke wysly, |
To the next degree look wisely, |
| 728. To do hem reverans by and by; |
To do them reverence by and by; |
| 729. Do hem [g]et no reverans al o-rowe, |
Do them yet no reverence all o-rowe, (in turn) |
| 730. But [g]ef that thou do hem know. |
Unless that thou do them know. |
| 731. To the mete when thou art y-sette, |
To the meat when thou art set, |
| 732. Fayre and onestelyche thou ete hytte; |
Fair and honestly thou eat it; |
| 733. Fyrst loke that thyn honden be clene, |
First look that thine hands be clean, |
| 734. And that thy knyf be scharpe and kene; |
And that thy knife be sharp and keen, |
| 735. And kette thy bred al at thy mete, |
And cut thy bread all at thy meat, |
| 736. Ry[g]th as hyt may be ther y-ete. |
Right as it may be there y-ete. (eaten) |
| 737. [G]ef thou sytte by a worththyur mon. |
If thou sit by a worthier man, |
| |
|
| 738. Then thy selven thou art won, |
Then thy self thou art one, |
| 739. Sofre hym fyrst to toyche the mete, |
Suffer him first to touch the meat, |
| 740. [G]er thyself to hyt reche. |
Ere thyself to it reach. |
| 741. To the fayrest mossel thou my[g]ht not strike, |
To the fairest morsel thou might not strike, |
| 742. Thaght that thou do hyt wel lyke; |
Though that thou do it well like; |
| 743. Kepe thyn hondes, fayr and wel, |
Keep thine hands fair and well, |
| 744. From fowle smogynge of thy towel; |
From foul smudging of thy towel; |
| 745. Theron thou schalt not thy nese snyte, |
Thereon thou shalt not thy nose smite. (blow) |
| 746. Ny at the mete thy tothe thou pyke; |
Nor at the meat thy tooth thou pike; (pick) |
| 747. To depe yn the coppe thou my[g]ght not synke, |
Too deep in cup thou might not sink, |
| 748. Thagh thou have good wyl to drynke, |
Though thou have good will to drink, |
| 749. Lest thyn enyn wolde wattryn therby |
Lest thine eyes would water thereby- |
| |
|
| 750. Then were hyt no curtesy |
Then were it no courtesy. |
| 751. Loke yn thy mowth ther be no mete, |
Look in thy mouth there be no meat, |
| 752. When thou begynnyst to drynke or speke. |
When thou beginnest to drink or speak. |
| 753. When thou syst any mon drynkynge, |
When thou seest any man drinking, |
| 754. That taketh hed to thy carpynge, |
That taketh heed to thy carpynge, (speech) |
| 755. Sone anonn thou sese thy tale, |
Soon anon thou cease thy tale, |
| 756. Whether he drynke wyn other ale. |
Whether he drink wine or ale, |
| 757. Loke also thou scorne no mon, |
Look also thou scorn no man, |
| 758. Yn what degré thou syst hym gon; |
In what degree thou seest him gone; |
| 759. Ny thou schalt no mon deprave, |
Nor thou shalt no man deprave, |
| 760. [G]ef thou wolt thy worschepe save; |
If thou wilt thy worship save; |
| 761. For suche worde my[g]ht ther outberste, |
For such word might there outburst. |
| |
|
| 762. That myg[h]t make the sytte yn evel reste, |
That might make thee sit in evil rest. |
| 763. Close thy honde yn thy fyste, |
Close thy hand in thy fist, |
| 764. And kepe the wel from "had-y-wyste." |
And keep thee well from "had I known". |
| 765. Yn chamber amonge the ladyes bryght, |
In chamber, among the ladies bright, |
| 766. Holde thy tonge and spende thy syght; |
Hold thy tongue and spend thy sight; |
| 767. Law[g]e thou not with no gret cry, |
Laugh thou not with no great cry, |
| 768. Ny make no ragynge with rybody. |
Nor make no lewd sport and ribaldry. |
| 769. Play thou not buyt with thy peres, |
Play thou not but with thy peers, |
| 770. Ny tel thou not al that thou heres; |
Nor tell thou not all that thou hears; |
| 771. Dyskever thou not thyn owne dede, |
Discover thou not thine own deed, |
| 772. For no merthe, ny for no mede; |
For no mirth, nor for no mede: (reward) |
| 773. With fayr speche thou myght have thy wylle, |
With fair speech thou might have thy will, |
| 774. With hyt thou myght thy selven spylle. |
With it thou might thy self spylle. (spoil) |
| |
|
| 775. When thou metyst a worthy mon, |
When thou meetest a worthy man, |
| 776. Cappe and hod thou holle not on; |
Cap and hood thou hold not on; |
| 777. Yn churche, yn chepyns, or yn the gate, |
In church, in market, or in the gate, |
| 778. Do hym revera(n)s after hys state. |
Do him reverence after his state. |
| 779. [G]ef thou gost with a worthyor mon |
If thou goest with a worthier man |
| 780. Then thyselven thou art won, |
Then thyself thou art one, |
| 781. Let thy forther schulder sewe hys backe, |
Let thy foremost shoulder follow his back, |
| 782. For that ys norter withoute lacke; |
For that is nurture without lack; |
| 783. When he doth speke, holte the stylle, |
When he doth speak, hold thee still, |
| 784. When he hath don, sey for thy wylle; |
When he hath done, say for thy will, |
| 785. Yn thy speche that thou be felle, |
In thy speech that thou be felle, (discreet) |
| 786. And what thou sayst avyse the welle; |
And what thou sayest consider thee well; |
| 787. But byref thou not hym hys tale, |
But deprive thou not him his tale, |
| 788. Nowther at the wyn, ny at the ale. |
Neither at the wine nor at the ale. |
| 789. Cryst then of hys hye grace, |
Christ then of his high grace, |
| 790. [G]eve [g]ow bothe wytte and space, |
Save you both wit and space, |
| 791. Wel thys boke to conne and rede, |
Well this book to know and read, |
| 792. Heven to have for [g]owre mede. |
Heaven to have for your mede. (reward) |
| 793. Amen! amen! so mot hyt be! |
Amen! Amen! so mote it be! |
| 794. Say we so all per charyté. |
So say we all for charity. |
