(No title.) “ II. From Trinity College Library, MS. R, 3, 19, containing Poems chiefly by Lydgate and Chaucer, written in the reign of Henry VI. on paper. -
Men may leve all gamys, That saylen to Seynt Jamys; For many a man hit gramys, When they begyn to sayle.
Ffor when they have take the see, At Sandwyche, or at Wynchylsee, At Brystow, or where that hit bee, Theyr herts begyn to fayle.
Anone the mastyr commaundeth fast To hys shyp-men in all the hast, To dresse hem Sone about the mast, Theyr takelyng to make.
With “howe! hissa " then they cry, “What, howe! mate, thow stondyst to ny, Thy felow may nat hale the by;” Thus they begyn to crake.
A boy or tweyn anone up-styen, And overthwart the sayle-yerde lyen;— “Y how ! taylia 1" the remenaunt cryen, And pull with all theyr myght.
“Bestowe the boote, bote-swayne, anon, That our pylgryms may pley thereon; Ffor som ar lyke to cowgh and grone, Or hit be full mydnyght.”
“Hale the bowelyne! now, vere the shete!— Cooke, make redy anoon our mete, Our pylgryms have no lust to ete, I pray God yeve hem rest.”
“Go to the helm what, howe no nere? Steward, felow ! a pot of bere!” “Ye shall have, sir, with good chere, Anone all of the best.”
“Y howe! trussal hale in the bravles Thow halyst nat, be God, thow fayles, O se howe well owre good shyp sayles!' And thus they say among.
“Hale in the wartake!” “Hit shal be done.” “Steward! cover the boorde anone, And set bred and salt thereone, And tarry nat to long.”
Then cometh oone and seyth, “be mery; Ye shall have a storme or a pery.” “Holde thow thy pese ! thow canst no whery, Thow medlyst wondyr sore.”
Thys mene whyle the pylgryms ly, And have theyr bowlys fast theym by, And cry aftyr hote malvesy, “Thow helpe for to restore.”
And som wold have a saltyd tost, Ffor they myght ete neyther sode ne rost; A man myght Sone pay for theyr cost, As for oo day or twayne.
Som layde theyr bookys on theyr kne, And rad so long they myght nat se;— “Allas! myne hede woll cleve on thre!” Thus seyth another certayne.
Then commethowre owner lyke a lorde, And speketh many a royall worde, And dresseth hym to the hygh borde, To see all thyng be well.
Anone he calleth a carpentere, And byddyth hymbryng with hym hys gere, To make the cabans here and there, With many a febyll cell,
A sak of strawe were there ryght good, Ffor som must lyg theym in theyr hood; I had as lefe be in the wood, Without mete or drynk.
For when that we shall go to bedde, The pumpe was nygh our bedde hede, A man were as good to be dede As smell therof the stynk.
Explicit. He that wyll in Eschepe ete a goose so fat, With harpe, pype, and song; He must slepe in Newgate on a mat, Be the nyght never so long. Secundum Aristotelem. [Reliquiæ Antiquæ, Vol.I, Wright-Halliwell eds, 1841, pp.2-3]