By Preeve which that is Demonstratif (13)
Auctoritee is of no help, but there remains Experience. Janky the squire
devises an ingenious means for dividing the fart in twelve, by a method
which is practical, if hardly practicable:
"My lord," quod he, "what that the weder is fair,
Withouten wynd or perturbynge of air,
Lat brynge a cartwheel heere into this halle,
But looke that it have its spokes alle, -
Twelve spokes hath a cartwheel comunly.
And bryng me thanne twelve freres, woot ye why?
For thrittene is a covent, as I gesse.
Your confessour heere, for his worthynesse,
Shal parfourne up the nombre of his covent.
Thanne shal they knele doun, by oon assent,
And to every spokes end, in this manere,
Ful sadly leye his nose shal a frere.
Your noble confessour - there God hym save! -
Shal hold his nose upright under the nave.
Thanne shal this cherl, with bely stif and toght
As any tabour, hyder been ybroght,
And set hym on the wheel right of this cart,
Upon the nave, and make hym lete a fart.
And ye shul seen, up peril of my lyf,
By preeve which that is demonstratif,
That equally the soun of it wol wende,
And eke the stynk, unto the spokes ende.
Save that this worthy man, youre confessour,
By cause he is a man of greet honour,
Shal have the firste fruyt, as resoun is. (2253-2277)
All agree that Jankyn has solved the problem, and he is acclaimed as a
Master of ars-metrike:
The lord, the lady, and ech man, save the frere,
Seyde that Jankyn spake, in this matere,
As wel as Euclide dide or Ptholomee. (2287-89)
It may be remarked that whether or not there is any significance in giving
the name Thomas to the 'cherl', Jankyn in Middle English literature is
always a clerk, a student, like the Wife of Bath's fifth husband, or the
clerical seducer of many a medieval lyric.
Let's conclude this tomorrow.
Oriens.
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