Dialogues in French and English

by William Caxton

NAMES: GOMBERT—GUY. Writing, the Noblest Craft, &c.

Et rendre comptes	And yelde rekenynges
De toutes rentes,	Of all rentes,
Soit de rentes a vye,	Be they of rente for lyf,
Ou rentes herytables,	Or rent heritable,	[4]
De toutes censes.	Of all fermes.
Il est bien prouffitables	He is well proufitable
En vng bon seruice;	In a good seruise;
Ce quil escript	That whiche he writeth	[8]
Demeure celee.	Abydeth secrete.
Cest la plus noble mestier	Hit is the most noble craft
Qui soit au monde;	That is in the world;
Car il nest si hault	For ther is none so hye	[12]
Ne si noble	Ne so noble
Qui se ahontier peult	That may hym shame
De le aprendre ne de le faire.	For to lerne ne for to doo.
Se nest lescripture	Yf it were not the scripture	[16]
La loy & foy periroyent,	The law and faith shold perisshe,
Et toute la saincte escripture	And all the holy scripture
Ne seroit mise en oubly.	Shall not be put in forgeting.
Pour ce chescun loial xpristien	Therfore euery true cristen man	[20]
Le doibt faire aprendere [? aprendre]	Ought for to do lerne
A ses enfans et parens;	To his children and frendes;
Et le doibuent meismes scavoir,	And them selfe owe it to knowe,
Ou aultrement, sans faulte,	Or othirwyse, withoute faulte,	[24]
Dieu leurs demandera	God shall demande them
Et en prendera vengance;	And shall take of vengeaunce;
Car ignourance	For ignorance
Pas ne les excusera.	Shall nothyng excuse hem.	[28]
Chescun si acquite	Euery man so acquite hym
Comme il vouldra respondre!	As he wylle ansuere!
[Gombers le bouchiere]	Gombert the bocher
Demeure dencoste le boucerie.	Duelleth beside the bocherie.	[32]
Il vent si bien ses chars	He selleth so well his flessh
Que luy appiert;	That to hym it appereth;
Car luy voy si poure	For I sawe hym so poure
Quil ne scauoit1 1 scanoit	That he knewe not	[36]
Que bouter en sa bouche.	What to put in his mouth.
Pour ce est bonne chose	Therfore it is good thyng
Scauoir vng bon mestier.	To conne a good craft.
[Guyd le poissonner]	Guy the fysshmonger	[40]

NAMES: GABRIEL—GEORGE. Linen-weaver, Bookseller, &c.

Ne sest mye pis portes,	Hath not werse borne hym,
Si quil appert aual sa maison.	So as it apperith after his hous.
Il vend toutes manieres	He selleth all maners
De poissons de mer	Of see fysshe	[4]
Et de doulce eauwe	And of fressh water
Lesquels sont escripts	The whiche ben wreton
Dessus en aulcun lieu	To fore in som place
Dedens ce liure.	Within this book.	[8]
Gabriel le tillier	Gabriel the lynweuar
Tist ma toille	Weueth my lynnencloth
De fil de lin	Of threde of flaxe
Et destoupes.	And of touwe.	[12]
Si me fault de le traisme	Me lacketh woef
Et de lestam.	And of warpe.
Est elle acheuee?	Is it ended?
Oyl, des ioefdy	Ye, sith thursday	[16]
Elle est tissue	Hit is wouen
Pour fair blancher.	For to doo white.
[Ghyselins le corbillier]	Ghyselin the mande maker
A vendu ses vans,	Hath sold his vannes,	[20]
Ses corbilles,	His mandes or corffes,
Ses tammis.	His temmesis to clense with.
[Gherlin le chaudrelier]	Gheryn the ketelmaker
A este a bonne feest;	Hath ben at a good fayre;	[24]
Il a lassie	He hath there lefte
Grand plente de batteries1; 1 barteries	Grete plente of baterye;
Lesquelles denrees	The whiche penyworthis
Ie ne nommeray point,	I shall not name,	[28]
Car ils sont nommees	For they be named
En vng des chapitres.	In one of the chapitres.
George le librarier	George the booke sellar
A plus des liures	Hath moo bookes	[32]
Que tout ceulx de lauile.	Than all they of the toune.
Il les achate touts	He byeth them all
Tels quils soient,	Suche as they ben,
Soient embles ou enprintees,	Be they stolen or enprinted,	[36]
Ou aultrement pourchacies.	Or othirwyse pourchaced.
Il a doctrinaulx, catons,	He hath doctrinals, catons,
Heures de nostre dame,	Oures of our lady,
Donats, pars, accidens,	Donettis, partis, accidents,	[40]

NAMES: GERVAS—LAMBERT. Smith, Painter, Usurer, &c.

Psaultiers bien enluminees,	Sawters well enlumined,
Loyes a fremauls dargent,	Bounden with claspes of siluer,
Liures de medicines,	Bookes of physike,
Sept psalmes, kalendiers,	Seuen salmes, kalenders,	[4]
Encre et parcemyn,	Ynke and perchemyn,
Pennes de signes,	Pennes of swannes,
Pennes dauwes,	Pennes of ghees,
Bons breuiares,	Good portoses,	[8]
Qui valent bon argent.	Which ben worth good money.
Gervas le feure	Geruays the smyth
Est biaucop plus rices.	Is moche richer.
Encore dont prest il	Neuertheles leneth he	[12]
La liure pour trois mailles.	The pound for thre halfpens.
Gertrude la soeur Gillebert	Gertrude the suster of Gylbert
Est morte et trespassee;	Is deed and passed;
Prijez pour son ame.	Praye for her soule.	[16]
Quand trespassa elle?	Whan passed she?
Droit maintenant.	Right now.
Dieu luy pardonne	God forgyue her
Ses pechies et ses meffais.	Her synnes and her trespaces.	[20]
Nous yrons au corps	We shall goo to the corps
Demain a loffrande.	To morn to thoffrynge.
HEnry[le pointurier] Point mon escu	HErry the paynter Paynteth my shelde
		[24]
De diuerses couleurs.	With diuerse colours.
A grand rayson	By grete reson
Ie me loe de luy.	I am plesid with hym.
IEhan le vsurier A tant preste	IOhan the usurer Hath lente so moche	[28]
Quil ne scet le nombre	That he knoweth not the nombre
Del auoir quil a	Of the good that he hath
tout maisement assemble.	Alle euyll gadred to gedyr.	[32]
Il preste la liure	He leneth the pounde
Pour quatre deniers.	For four pens.
Kylian et ses compaignons, Pour leurs merites,	Kylian and his felaws, For their deseruynges,
		[36]
Sont saincts en paradys,	Ben sayntes in paradyse,
Ou est joye sans fin.	Where is ioye withoute ende.
LAmbert[lecharpentier] A marchandet a moy	LAmbert the carpenter Hath bargayned with me
		[40]

NAMES: LAURENCE—LUCIAN. Mason, Brewer, Tiler, &c.

De faire mon chastel,	To make my castell,
Le basse court et vne grange,	The nether court and a berne,
Et le doibt charpenter	And he oughteth to tymbre it
De bon ouurage;	Of good werke;	[4]
Et les degretz,	And the steyres,
Tous1 les boys charpentifs, 1 Tons	Alle the tymbre woode,
Doibt il liurer mesmes.	He is bound to deliuer hym selfe.
Laurence le machon	Laurence the masone	[8]
A pris a machonner,	Hath take to masone,
Et amenra des ouuriers,	And shal brynge the werkmen,
Et sont achattes	And ben bought
Bonnes pieres de marbre;	Good stones of marble;	[12]
Les fenestres dalbastre;	The wyndowes of alabastre;
Mais le caulx	But the lyme or chalke
Nest encore point mesure.	Is not yet moten.
Lieuin le brasseur	Lyeuyn the brewar	[16]
Brasse tant de ceruoyse	Breweth so moche ale
Quil ne peult vendre;	That he may not selle it;
Car il est renommees	For he is renomed
De mauuais beuurage;	Of euyll drynke;	[20]
Se luy conuient a le fois	So hym behoueth othirwhyle
Ietter deuant les porciaux.	To cast to fore the hogges.
[Lamfroy le couureur de tieulles]	Lamfroy the couerar of tyles
Couury le belfroy	Couerd the steple	[24]
Descailles, de tieulles,	With skaylles, with tyles,
A mieulx quil pouoit;	The beste wyse that he may;
Encordont esty	Neuertheles is it
Par le vent descouuert.	By the wynde discouerid.	[28]
Leonard le couureur destrain	Lenard the thaccher
Couury ma maysoncelle	Hath couerd my litell hous
Destrain et de gluy.	With straw and with reed.
Les lattes quil achatta	The latthes that he bought	[32]
Ne valent riens.	Be nothyng worth.
Il fist les parois,	He made the wallis,
Et les placqua de terre,	And daubed them with erthe,
Dont est il placqueur.	Wherof he was dawber.	[36]
Logier le feultier	Logier the feltmaker
A maint bon chappeau	Hath many a good hatte
De beures et de feultre.	Of beuer and of felte.
[Lucien le gantiers]	Lucian the glouer	[40]

NAMES: LYON—MAXIMIAN. Purser, Grocer, Surgeon, &c.

Siet dencoste moy;	Sitteth besyde me;
Faitte gans de cierf,	Maketh gloues of an herte,
De chien et de brebis.	Of hound and of sheep.
[Lyon lebourssier]	Lyon the pursser	[4]
A boursses et aloyeres,	Hath pursses and pauteners,
Et les achattent les enfans;	And them bye the chyldren;
Des tasses bien ouuries.	Of the powches well wrought.
Lucie le bastarde	Lucie the bastarde	[8]
Ne fera iamais bien;	Shall neuer doo well;
Car elle dist mal de ceulx11 cenlx	For she saith euyll of them
Qui bien lui ont fait.	That well haue don to her.
MArtin le especier Vent pluiseurs especes	MArtin the grocer Selleth many spyces	[12]
De toutes manieres de pouldre	Of all maners of poudre
Pour faire les brouets,	For to make browettys,
Et a moult de boistes pointes	And hath many boxes paynted	[16]
Plaines de confections,	Full of confections,
Et moult de cannes	And many pottes
Plaines de beuurages.	Full of drynkes.
Maurisse le surgien	Morysse the surgyan	[20]
Se mesle de guarir	Medleth hym to hele
Playes, claux,	Woundes, soores,
Et apostumes,	And apostomes,
De vnguements	With oynementis	[24]
Et demplastres;	And with plastres;
Il scet taillier de la pierre,	He can cutte out the stone,
Et guarir par beuurages	And hele by drynkes
De grauelle, de rompture.	Of the grauelle and of brekynge.	[28]
Maximian le maistre de medicines	Maximian the maistre of phisike
Regarde le vrine des gens;	Seeth the vrin of the peple;
Il leurs scet a dire	He can say to them
De quoy ils sont mallade:	Wherof they be seke:	[32]
Du mal du chief;	Of the heed ache;
Des doleurs des yeux,	Of the payne of the eyen,
Des oreilles;	Of the eres;
Sil ont2 mal es dens,2 out	Yf they haue toth ache,	[36]
Aux pys, as mamelles;	Atte the breste, at the pappes;
Il scet guarir et curer	He can hele and cure
Ydropison, menison,	Dropesye, blody flyxe,
Tesyque, mormal,	Tesyke, mormale,	[40]