From Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales", The Canon's Yeoman's Tale, lines 696-729

From The Canterbury Tales:
The Canon's Yeoman's Tale
lines 696-729: The priest is impressed and the canon performs yet another trick

	Quod the chanoun, "Yet wol I make assay
	The seconde tyme, that ye may taken heede
	And been expert of this, and in youre neede
	Another day assaye in myn absence
700	This disciplyne and this crafty science.
	Lat take another ounce," quod he tho,
	Of quyksilver, withouten wordes mo,
	And do therwith as ye han doon er this
	With that oother, which that now silver is."

	Said then the canon: "Yet will I essay
	A second time, that you may take good heed
	And be expert in this, and at your need
	When I am absent on another day,
700	You may this science and its arts essay.
	Quicksilver take," said he, "one ounce, no more,
	As you'll remember that we did before,
	And as you treated that, so do with this
	And like the first 'twill change, which silver is."

705	This preest hym bisieth in al that he kan
	To doon as this chanoun, this cursed man,
	Comanded hym, and faste he blew the fir,
	For to come to th' effect of his desir.
	And this chanon, right in the meene while,
710	Al redy was this preest eft to bigile,
	And for a contenaunce in his hand he bar
	An holwe stikke - taak kep and be war! -
	In the ende of which an ounce, and namoore,
	Of silver lemaille put was, as bifore
715	Was in his cole, and stopped with wex weel
	For to kepe in his lemaille every deel.
	And whil this preest was in his bisynesse,
	This chanoun with his stikke gan hym dresse
	To hym anon, and his poudre caste in
720	As he dide er - the devel out of his skyn
	Hym terve, I pray to God, for his falshede!
	For he was evere fals in thoght and dede -
	And with this stikke, above the crosselet,
	That was ordeyned with that false jet
725	He stired the coles til relente gan
	The wex agayn the fir, as every man,
	But it a fool be, woot wel it moot nede,
	And al that in the stikke was out yede,
	And in the crosselet hastily it fel.

705	The priest then followed carefully the plan,
	As he'd been bidden by this cursed man,
	The canon; long and hard he blew the fire
	To bring about the thing he did desire.
	And this said canon waited all the while,
710	All ready there the poor priest to beguile,
	And, for assurance in his hand did bear
	A hollow stick - take heed, sirs, and beware! -
	In end of which an ounce was, and no more,
	Of silver filings put, all as before
715	Within the coal, and stopped with wax, a bit,
	To keep the filings in the hole of it.
	And while the priest was busy, as I say,
	This canon, drawing close, got in his way,
	And unobserved he threw the powder in
720	Just as before the devil from his skin
	Strip him, I pray to God, for lies he wrought;
	For he was ever false in deed and thought;
	And with his stick, above the crucible,
	Arranged for knavish trickery so well,
725	He stirred the coals until to melt began
	The thin wax in the fire, as every man,
	Except a fool, knows well it must, sans doubt,
	And all that was within the stick slipped out,
	And quickly in the crucible it fell.