Yeah, all the details escaped me. We also had to read it in Middle English, which was a huge pain. On top of that, our Chaucer book was the absolute heaviest book I ever had in college. But do I remember something about using a wagon wheel to distribute a fart.
Fortunately we had a paperback text of The Canterbury Tales with the Middle English on the left page with the modern translation on the right page.
Can't reproduce it here, but here's a upper and lower version.
"A!" thoghte this frere, "That shal go with me!"
And doun his hand he launcheth to the clifte,
In hope for to fynde there a yifte.
And whan this
sike man felte this frere
Aboute his
tuwel grope there and heere,
Amydde his hand he leet the frere a fart,
Ther nys no capul, drawynge in a cart,
That myghte have lete a fart of
swich a soun.
The frere up stirte as
dooth a
wood leoun, -
"A! false cherl,"
quod he, "for Goddes bones!
This hastow for despit doon for the nones.
Thou shalt abye this fart, if that I may!"
"Ah," thought the friar, "this shall go with me!"
And down he thrust his hand right to the cleft,
In hope that he should find there some good gift.
And when the sick man felt the friar here
Groping about his hole and all his rear,
Into his hand he let the friar a fart.
There is no stallion drawing loaded cart
That might have let a fart of such a sound.
The friar leaped up as with wild lion's bound:
"Ah, treacherous churl," he cried, "by God's own bones,
I'll see that he who scorns me thus atones;
You'll suffer for this fart- I'll find a way!"
