DEATH AND THE DRUNKARDS.

THERE was in Flanders, once, a company of foolish gallants who spent their time in taverns and stews, and indulged themselves in gambling and debauchery of all kinds. Night and day they did little else, but dance to the sound of lutes and harps, and play at dice, and eat and drink beyond their might; so that by such abominable superfluity, they, in a cursed manner, made sacrifice to the Devil within his own temple; attended in their orgies by tumblers, and young idle fruit girls, and singers with harps, and old bawds, which be the very Devil's officers, kindling and blowing the lecherous fire that is annexed to gluttony.

It was grisly to hear these gallants swear, their oaths were so great and damnable; and, as if the Jews had not done violence enough to our blessed Lord, they, in their imaginations, tore his body, each of them laughing at the daring wickedness of the others.

These three rioters were one morning drinking as usual in a tavern, and as they sate they heard a bell clink before a corpse which was being carried to its grave. Then one of them called to his boy and said: 'Go and ask readily what corpse this is now passing forth by the gate, and look thou report his name well.'

'Sir,' quoth the boy, I knew it two hours before you came here. He was an old companion of yours, and was slain suddenly; for as he sate drunken on his bench, there came a secret thief, men call Death, (that kills all the people in this country) and with his spear he smote his heart in two, and then went his way without speaking. He hath slain a thousand this pestilence; and, master, ere you come into his presence, methinks it were full necessary to beware of him, and to be evermore ready to meet him. Thus taught me my dame.'

'By Saint Mary,' said the host of the tavern, the child says truly ; for this fearful thing hath slain this year, within a village about a mile hence, both men, women, and children, so that I trow he has his habitation there. It were great wisdom to be well advised about him.

Then up spake one of the rioters and said: 'God's arms! is it such peril to meet with him? I vow by Christ's bones that I'll seek him by stile and street. Hearken, my boys, we three are one: let each hold up his hand, and become brothers, and we will kill this false traitor Death. Before night he shall be slain,—he that so many slayeth.' And so saying, he shouted a terrible oath.

Then these three having plighted their troths to live and die by each other, started up all drunken in their rage, and went towards the hamlet of which the taverner had spoken; and as they went reeling along the way, they roared out with their thick voices, Death shall be dead if we can catch him.' They had not gone half a mile, when lo! just as they were crossing a gate, they saw a poor old man, who greeted them full meekly and said,Now, God save you, lords!'

The proudest of these three rioters answered, 'What, thou sorry churl, why art thou wrapped so closely over save thy face? Why dost continue to live in such great age?'

At this the old man looked him in the visage, and said, 'Because I cannot meet a man, neither in city nor in village, even though I walked into the Indies, who would change his youth for my age; and therefore I must

still keep my age, as long as God pleases. Death will not have my life, alas! And thus walk I, like a restless caitiff; and on the ground which is my mother's gate, I knock night and morning with my staff, crying, 'dear mother, let me in. Lo! how I vanish flesh and blood. When shall my weary bones be still? Mother, with you would I change the chest that has been so long a time in my chamber, yea, for a hair shroud to wrap me in.' But she will not do me such kindness, for which full pale and welked is my face. Yet, sirs, it is not courteous in you to speak roughly to an old man, except he trespass in word or deed; for it is said in holy writ, as you may yourselves see, that ye should not rise against a hoary head; therefore do no more harm now to an old man, than ye would a man should do to you in age, if that ye abide so long; and so God be with you ever! I must go my ways.'

Nay, old churl, by St. John thou partest not so lightly,' swore one of these rioters. Thou spakest right now of that traitor Death, that slayeth all our friends in this country. Thou art his spy; and believe me thou shalt either tell where he is, or by the holy sacrament, thou shalt rue it; for, truly, thou art one of his accomplices to kill us young folk, thou false thief.” 'Now sirs,' then quoth this old man, if you truly wish to find Death, turn up this crooked way, for by my faith, I left him in that grove under a tree, and there he will stay nothing hiding himself for all your boasting. See ye that oak? right there shall ye meet him; and Christ that bought again mankind save and amend you !'

Thus spake the old man; and away ran these three rioters till they came to the tree, under which behold they found well nigh eight bushels of fine gold florins. They were so glad of this sight, that they sought no longer after Death; but looking round them, they sate down on the hard roots of the tree, nothing heeding the uneasiness of the seat, so eager were they to be near the precious hoard.

'Brethren,' said the worst of the three, ' take heed what I shall say. Fortune hath given us this treasure to the end we may live all our lives in mirth and jollity. As it came lightly, lightly let us spend it. Who would have thought,' continued he, swearing a great oath, 'that we should have met such luck to-day? If this gold could but be carried out of this grove home to my house, then were we in high felicity; but it may not be done by day, for men would say we were strong thieves, and hang us for possessing our own treasure; no: it must be carried by night, wisely and slily; therefore I am of opinion that we draw lots, and he who draws the lowest shall run to the town with blithe heart, and bring us bread and wine; while the other two shall subtly keep the treasure, and when it is night, we will take it by one assent where we may think best.'

Then he brought the lots in his hand, and bade them draw, and the lowest fell on the young one; and anon he went forth toward the town. Now all as soon as he was departed, the rioter who spake before said thus unto his fellow :

Thou knowest well thou art my sworn brother; therefore will I tell thee thy profit. Our fellow is gone and here is gold, and that full great store, which is to be shared among us three; but if I can shape it so, that it may be parted among us two, had I not done a friend's turn to thee ?'

The other answered, that the gold is with us. say to him?'

I cannot think how that may be: he knows well
What, therefore, should we do?-What could we

'Shall it be counsel then ?'-said the first: If so, I will tell you in few words how we can bring it about.'

And the other answered, I plight thee my troth that I will not bewray thee.'

'Now,' quoth this wicked hazarder, thou knowest well that we are two, and two of us shall be stronger than one. Look, when he is set down, that thou rise anon, and make as though thou playest with him, and while ye are struggling as in game, I will stab him through his two sides; and do thou do the same with thy dagger. And then, my dear friend, shall this gold be parted 'twixt thee and me; and so shall we be able to fulfil our desires, and play at dice at our own will.'

Thus be these two hazarders agreed to slay the third, who, as he went along the road, kept rolling up and down in his heart the beauty of these bright and new florins. O Lord!' quoth he, that I might but have this treasure to myself alone! There would be no man under the heavens that should live so merry as I.'

And at the last the fiend put it into his thought that he should buy poison to slay his fellows for the fiend found him living in such a wanton way, that he lusted to bring him to sorrow; therefore he made this hazarder determine to do the homicide, and never to repent. So he went straightways unto an apothecary in the town, and prayed him that he would sell some poison to kill the rats in his house, and there was also a polecat that, as he said, slew his capons, and he would fain be rid of such destroying vermin. The apothecary answered, Thou shalt have a thing, that if it be taken by any creature in this world, though it be no more in quantity than a grain of wheat, he shall anon lose his life; yea, he shall wither away in less time than thou wilt go a mile, the poison is so strong and violent.'

Then this cursed man took into his hand the poison in a box, and went into the next street, and borrowed three large bottles, and poured the poison into two of them, keeping the third clean for his own drink. And when with sorry grace he had filled his great bottles with wine, he repaired again to his fellows.

What need is there to say more? For even as they had planned his death, even so have they slew him, and that quickly. And when it was done, thus spake the worst of these rioters :—

'Now let us sit and drink, and make us merry, and afterwards we will hide his body in the ground.'

And with these words he took the bottle where the poison was, and drank, and gave it to his fellow; and anon there came upon them strange signs of poisoning, and they perished.

Thus ended be these two homicides; and also their false companion; and thus did they find Death under the oak in the old grove. *

*They above is a prose modernisation of one of the Canterbury Tales of Chaucer. The reader, who has been deterred from the pages of this great poet, in consequence of the vulgar opinion that they are insurmountably obsolete and difficult, will perhaps be struck with the grand and simple power shewn here; and when he learns that the words are Chaucer's own, he may get rid of his timidity and go at once to the original works, where he will be richly rewarded for a little preliminary trouble. This is the only aim of the above; for every alteration of Chaucer is an injury.