The Sompnour's Tale
This Friar boasteth that he knoweth hell,*
And, God it wot, that is but little wonder,*
Friars and fiends be but little asunder. *
For, pardie, ye have often time heard tell,*
How that a friar ravish'd was to hell *
In spirit ones by a visioun, *
And, as an angel led him up and down,*
To shew him all the paines that there were,*
In all the place saw he not a frere;*
Of other folk he saw enough in woe.*
Unto the angel spake the friar tho;* *then*
'Now, Sir,' quoth he, 'have friars such a grace,*
That none of them shall come into this place?'*
'Yes' quoth the angel; 'many a millioun:'*
And unto Satanas he led him down*.
'And now hath Satanas,' said he, 'a tail*
Broader than of a carrack is the sail.*
Hold up thy tail, thou Satanas,' quoth he,*
'Shew forth thine erse, and let the friar see *
Where is the nest of friars in this place.'*
And *less than half a furlong way of space* *immediately*
Right so as bees swarmen out of a hive,*
Out of the devil's erse there gan to drive*
A twenty thousand friars *on a rout.*
*in a crowd* And throughout hell they swarmed all about,*
And came again, as fast as they may gon,*
And in his erse they creeped every one:*
He clapt his tail again, and lay full still.*
