"Y howe! Trussa! Hale in the brayles!
Thow halyst nat! Be god! Thow fayles!
O! se howe well owre good shyp sayles!
And thus they say among.
"Hale in the wartake!" "Hit shall be done!"
"Steward, cover the boorde artone,
And set bred and salt thereone,
And tary nat to long."
Then cometh cone and seyth, "Be mery;
Ye shal have a storme or a pery."
"Holde thow thy pese! Thow canst no whery;
Thow medlyst wondyr sore."
Thus mene cohile the pylgryms ly,
And have theyr bowlys fast theym by,
And cry aftyr hote malvesy
Theyr helpe for to restore.
And som wold have a saltyd tost,
For they myght ete neyther sode ne rost.
A man myght sone pay for theyr cost
As for oo day or twayne.
Som layde theyr bookys on theyr kne,
And rad so long they myght nat se.
"Alas! myne hede woll cleve on thre!"
Thus seyth another, "certayne!"
Then commeth owre owner lyke a lorde,
And speketh many a royall worde,
And dresseth hym to the hygh horde
To see all thyngs be well.
Anone he calleth a carpentere,
And biddeth hym bring with hym hys gere,
To make the cabans here and there
With many a febyll cell.
"A sak of strawe were there ryght good,"
For som must lyg theym ni theyr hood.
I had as lefe be in the wood
Without mete or drynk:
For when that we shall go to bed,
The pumpe was nygh our bedde hedde:
A man were as good to be dede
As smell therof the stynk.
Freely translated.—They who sail to St. James may bid good-bye to all pleasures: for many a man suffers when he begins to sail; and when he has put to sea from Sandwich, from Winchelsea, or from Bristol, no matter whence it be, his heart begins to fail. Presently the master briefly orders his men to take up their positions in all haste about the mast in order to handle their tackle. With "Ho! Hoist!" then they cry, "What ho! mate; you stand too near: your comrade cannot haul when he is so close to you!" Thus they begin to crack on. Presently a boy or two goes aloft, and lies out on the yard. The others cry, "Y ho! talya!" and pull with all their might. "Now give us the boat, boatswain, that our passengers may ply therein; for some of them are like to cough and groan ere it be full midnight. Haul the bowline! Now, veer the sheet! Cook, make haste to make ready our meal. Our passengers have no desire to eat. I pray God to give them rest. Go to the helm! What ho! Do you not hear? Steward, fellow, a pot of beer!" "Sir, you shall have of all the best directly, with good cheer." "Oh ho! Trussa! Haul on the brails! You are not hauling! By God! You are a weakling! Oh, see how well our good ship sails!" And thus they talk among themselves. "Haul in the warp tackle!" "It shall be done!" "Steward, lay the table at once, and set bread and salt on it, and do not be too long about it." Then one comes and says, "Be merry; you will have a storm or other peril!" "Hold your tongue! You can know nothing about it! You are a sorry meddler!" In the meanwhile the passengers lie about, and have their basins close by them, and cry out for hot malvoisie to put them right. And some, who could eat neither boiled nor roast, called for a salted toast. It would not cost more to keep them for two days than for one. Some laid their books on their knees, and read until they could see no longer. "Alas! my head will split in three beyond all doubt!" So says another. Then our owner comes up like a lord, and says many a patronising word, and takes the head of the table, to see that all things go well. Presently he summons a carpenter, and bids him bring his tools with him, to make cabins here and there, with a number of small bunks. "A sack of straw," says the master, "would be well there;" for some have to lie down in their cloaks. I would as soon be in a wood without meat or drink; for when we turn in, the pumps will be close to our bed head, and a man who breathes the stench of it were as good as dead.
