Walter William Skeat
A Clerk Ther Was of Cauntebrigge Also
(Chaucer)
A Clerk ther was of Cauntebrigge also,
That unto rowing haddè long y-go.
Of thinnè shidès112 wolde he shippès makè,
And he was nat right fat, I undertakè.
And whan his ship he wrought had attè fullè,
Right gladly by the river wolde he pullè,
And eek returne as blythly as he wentè.
Him rekkèd nevere that the sonne him brentè,113
Ne stinted he his cours for reyn ne snowè;
It was a joyè for to seen him rowè!
Yit was him lever, in his shelves newè,
Six oldè textès,114 clad in greenish hewè,
Of Chaucer and his oldè poesyè
Than ale, or wyn of Lepe,115 or Malvoisyè.
And therwithal he wex a philosofre;
And peyned him to gadren gold in cofre
Of sundry folk; and al that he mighte hentè116
On textès and emprinting he it spentè;
And busily gan bokès to purveyè
For hem that yeve him wherwith to scoleyè.117
Of glossaryès took he hede and curè118;
And when he spyèd had, by aventurè,
A word that semèd him or strange or rarè,
To henten119 it anon he noldè sparè,120
But wolde it on a shrede121 of paper wrytè,
And in a cheste he dide his shredès whytè,
And preyèd every man to doon the samè;
Swich maner study was to him but gamè.
And on this wysè many a yeer he wroughté,
Ay storing every shreed that men him broughtè,
Til, attè lastè, from the noble pressè
Of Clarendoun, at Oxenforde, I gessè,
Cam stalking forth the Gretè Dictionárie
That no man wel may pinche at122 ne contrárie.
But for to tellen alle his queintè gerès,123
They wolden occupye wel seven yerès;
Therefore I passe as lightly as I may;
Ne speke I of his hatte or his array,
Ne how his berd by every wind was shakè
When as, for hete, his hat he wolde of takè.
Souning in124 Erly English was his spechè,
‘And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly techè.’