ураси

1

351

After the sondry sesons of the yeer,
So chaunged he his mete and his sopér,
Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in muwe
And many a breem and many a luce in stuwe.2
Wo was his cook but if his sauce were
Poynaunt and sharpe, and redy al his geere."
His table dormant3 in his halle alway
Stood redy covered al the longé day.
At sessiouns ther was he lord and sire;
Ful ofté tyme he was knyght of the shire.
An anlaas, and a gipser al of silk,
Heeng at his girdel, whit as mornė milk;
A shirreve hadde he been, and a countour.8
Was nowher such a worthy vavasour.9

11

355

360

An HABERDASSHERE, and a CARPENTER,
A WEBBE,10 a DYERE, and a TAPYCER,1
And they were clothed alle in o12 lyveree
Of a solémpne and greet fraternitee; 13
Ful fressh and newe hir geere apiked was:14 365
Hir knyves were chaped noght with bras,
But al with silver, wroght ful clene and weel,
Hire girdles and hir pouches everydeel.15
Wel semed ech of hem a fair burgeys
To sitten in a yeldehalle, 16 on a deys. 17
Everich's for the wisdom that he kan19/870

21

Was shaply for to been 20 an alderman.
For catel hadde they ynogh and rente,2
And eek hir wyvės wolde it wel assente;
And elles certeyn were they to blame.
It is ful fair to been y-cleped 22 MADAME,
And goon to vigilies al bifore, 23.
And have a mantel roialliche y-bore. 24

375

401

35

If that he faught, and hadde the hyer hond,
By water34 he sent hem hoom to every lond.
But of his craft to rekene wel his tydes,
His stremės and his daungers hym bisides,
His herberwe and his moone, his lode-menage,3
Ther nas noon swich from Hullė to Cartage.
Hardy he was, and wys to undertake:
With many a tempest hadde his berd ben shake;
He knew wel alle the havenes, as they were,
From Gootland to the Cape of Fynystere,
And every cryke in Britaigne and in Spayne.
His barge y-cleped was the Maudelayne.

405

410

A COOK they hadde with hem for the nones, To boille the chiknes with the marybones, 25 And poudré-marchant tart and galyngale, Wel koude he knowe a draughte of Londoun ale;" He koudė rooste and sethe and boille and frye, Máken mortreux27 and wel bake a pye. But greet harm was it, as it thoughtė me, 385 That on his shyne a mormals hadde he. For blankmanger, that made he with the beste.

A SHIPMAN was ther, wonyng29 fer by weste; For aught I woot he was of Dertemouthe. He rood upon a rouncy30 as he kouthe, In a gowne of faldyng to the knee.

390

A daggere hangyng on a laas31 hadde he
Aboute his nekke under his arm adoun.
The hoote somer hadde maad his hewe al broun;
And certeinly he was a good feláwe.

Averrois, Damascien and Constantyn,
Bernard and Gatesden and Gilbertyn.
Of his diétè mesurable was he.
For it was of no superfluitee,
But of greet norissyng and digestible.
His studie was but litel on the Bible.
In sangwyn and in pers43 he clad was al,
Lyned with taffata and with sendal.44
And yet he was but esy of dispence, 45
He keptė that he wan in pestilence.46
For gold in phisik is a cordial,
Therfore he lovede gold in special.

430

435

440

395

Ful many a draughte of wine hadde he y-drawe Fro Burdeuxward whil that the Chapman32

459

newe; Boold was hir face, and fair, and reed of hewe. She was a worthy womman al hir lyve, Housbondes at chirché dore3 she hadde fyve, Withouten oother compaignye in youthe, But ther-of nedeth nat to speke as nowthe,4 And thries hadde she been at Jerusalém; She haddė passed many a straunge strem; At Rome she hadde been, and at Boloigne, 465 In Galice at Seint Jame, and at Coloigne, She koudė muchel of wandrynge by the weye. Gat-tothed was she, soothly for to seye. Upon an amblere esily she sat, Y-wympled wel, and on hir heed an hat As brood as is a bokeler or targe; A foot mantel aboute her hipės large, And on hire feet a paire of spores sharpe. In felaweship wel koude she laughe and carpe;7 Of remedies of love she knew per chaunce, 475 For she koude of that art the oldė daunce.8

A goodman was ther of religioun, And was a POURE PERSOUN OF A TOUN; But riche he was of hooly thoght and werk; He was also a lernéd man, a clerk,

That Cristės Gospel trewely wolde preche His parisshens devoutly wolde he teche.

470

480

490

Benygne he was and wonder diligent,

And in adversitee ful pacient;

And swich he was y-preved ofte sithes10 Ful looth were hym to cursen for his tithes, But rather wolde he yeven out of doubte, A Unto his poure parisshens aboute,

485

Of his offryng and eek of his substaunce:
He koude in litel thyng have suffisaunce.
Wyd was his parisshe and houses fer asonder,
But he ne lafté nat for reyn ne thonder,
In siknesse nor in meschief to visíte

The ferreste in his parisshe, muche and lite,
Upon his feet, and in his hand a staf.
This noble ensample to his sheepe he yaf
That firste he wroghte and afterward he
taughte.

Out of the gospel he tho 11 wordes caughte,
And this figúre he added eek therto,
That if gold rusté what shal iren doo?
For if a preest be foul, on whom we truste,
No wonder is a lewed 12 man to ruste;
And shame it is, if a prest takė keepe,

495

A shiten shepherde and a clenė sheepe.
Wel oghte a preest ensample for to yive
By his clennesse how that his sheepe sholde lyve.

He sette nat his benefice to hyre

505

510

515

And leet his sheepe encombred in the myre,
And ran to Londoun, unto Seint Poules,
To seken hyn a chaunterie13 for soules;
Or with a bretherhed to been withholde,14
But dwelte at hoom and keptè wel his folde,
So that the wolf ne made it nat myscarie,-
He was a shepherde, and noght a mercenarie
And though he hooly were and vertuous,
He was to synful man nat despitous, 15
Ne of his speché daungerous ne digne,
But in his techyng déscreet and benygne,
To drawen folk to hevene by fairnesse,
By good ensample, this was his bisynesse;
But it were any persone obstinat,
What so he were, of heigh or lough estat,
Hym wolde he snybben1s sharply for the
nonys.

A bettre preest I trowe that nowher noon ys;
He waited after no pompe and reverence,
Ne marked him a spiced17 conscience,
But Cristės loore, and his Apostles twelve,
He taughte, but first he folwed it hymselve.

That hadde y-lad of dong ful many a fother, 18
A trewė swynkere19 and a good was he,
Lyvynge in pees and parfit charitee.
God loved he best, with all his hoole herte,
At alle tymės, thogh him gamed or smerte,20 534
And thanne his neighėbore right as hymselve.
He wolde thresshe, and therto dyke and delve,
For Cristės sake, for every poure wight,
Withouten hire if it lay in his myght.
His tithes paydė he ful faire and wel,

* Bothe of his propre swynk and his catel.21
In a tabárd22 he rood upon a mere.

Ther was also a REVE23 and a MILLER. A SOMNOUR24 and a PARDONER25 also, MAUNCIPLE 26 and myself,-ther

560

A werte, and thereon stood a toft of herys, 555
Reed as the brustles of a sowes erys;
His nosethirlės blake were and wyde;
A swerd and a bokeler bar he by his syde;
His mouth as wyde was as a greet forneys,
He was a janglere and a goliardeys,3
And that was moost of synne and harlotries.
Wel koude he stelen corn and tollen thries,*
And yet he hadde a thombe of golde,5 pardee,
A whit cote and a blew hood wered he.
A baggepipe wel koude he blowe and sowne,
And therwithal he broghte us out of towne.

564

569

A gentil MAUNCIPLE was ther of a temple, Of which achatours myghte take exemple For to be wise in byynge of vitaille; For, wheither that he payde or took by taille,7 Algates he wayted' so in his achaat 10 That he was ay biforn11 and in good staat. Now is nat that of God a ful fair grace That swich a lewed 12 mannės wit shal pace The wisdom of an heepe of lerned men? Of maistres hadde he mo than thries ten, That weren of lawe expert and curious, Of wiche ther weren a duszeyne in that hous Worthy to been stywardes of rente and lond Of any lord that is in Engelond,

To maken hym lyve by his propre good13 In honour dettelees, 14 but he were wood, 15 Or lyve as scarsly as hym list desire;

And able for to helpen al a shire

575

580

590

The REVE was a sclendré colerik man His berd was shave as ny as ever he kan; His heer was by his crys round y-shorn, His top was doked lyk a preest biforn, Ful longé were his legges and ful lene, Y-lyk a staf, ther was no calf y-sene. Wel koude he kepe a gerner and a bynne, Ther was noon auditour koude on him wynne. Wel wiste he, by the droghte and by the reyn, The yeldynge of his seed and of his greyn. His lordės sheepe, his neet, 17 his dayérye, His swyn, his hors, his stoor, 18 and his pultrye, Was hoolly in this revės governyng, And by his covenant yaf the rekenyng

1 Heave off its hinges.

Loud and ribald jester.

596

600

2 Tip.

4 Millers were allowed as toll a certain proportion of the grain in payment for the grinding. This miller tolled thrice, i. e. took three times the legal quantity of grain.

An allusion to the proverb "An honest miller has a thumb of gold." The line may be ironical,-he stole corn, he tolled thrice, and yet was honest enough for a miller. The proverb itself is ambiguous, and the passage obscure.

Syn that his lord was twenty yeer of age; Ther koude no man brynge hym in arrerage. There nas baillif, ne hierde, 19

hyne, 20

nor oother

605

That he ne knew his sleighte and his covyne;21
They were adrad of hym as of the deeth.
His wonyng22 was ful faire upon an heeth,
With grene trees y-shadwed was his place.
He koudė bettrẻ than his lord purchase.
Ful riche he was a-stored 23 pryvely,
His lord wel koude he plesen subtilly

610

Nor of the knobbės sittynge on his chekes.
Wel loved he garleek, oynons, and eke lekes,634
And for to drynken strong wyn, reed as blood;
Thanne wolde he speke, and crie as he were
wood.36

And whan that he wel dronken hadde the wyn,

640

Than wolde he speke no word but Latyn.
A fewė termes37 hadde he, two or thre,
That he had lerned out of som decree,-
No wonder is, he herde it al the day,
And eek ye knowen wel how that a jay
Kan clepen WATTE38 as wel as kan the pope.
But whoso koude in oother thyng hym grope,39
Thanne hadde he spent all his philosophie;
Ay Questio quid juris wolde he crie.
He was a gentil harlot and a kynde;
A bettre felawe sholde men noght fynde. .
A gerland" hadde he set upon his heed,

As greet as it were for an ale stake;

A bokeleer hadde he maad him of a cake.1

With hym ther rood a gentil PARDONER Of Rouncivale, his freend and his compeer, 670 That streight was comen fro the court of Rome.

675

Ful loude he soong Com hider, love to me!
This Somonour bar to hym a stif burdoun,3
Was never trompe of half so greet a soun.
This Pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wex
But smothe it heeng as dooth a strike of flex;'
By ounces henge his lokkes that he hadde,
And therwith he his shuldres overspradde.
But thynne it lay by colpons oon and oon;
But hood, for jolitee, ne wered he noon,
For it was trussed up in his walet.
Hym thoughte he rood al of the newė jet;"
Dischevelee, save his cappe, he rood al bare.
Swiche glarynge eyen hadde he as an hare,

680

A vernycle hadde he sowed upon his cappe; 685
His walet lay biforn hym in his lappe
Bret-fuls of pardon, comen from Rome al
hoot.

692

695

A voys he hadde as smal as hath a goot;
But of his craft, fro Berwyk unto Ware
Ne was ther swich another pardoner,
For in his male he hadde a pilwe-beer, 10
Which that, he seyde, was oure lady veyl;
He seyde he hadde a gobet11 of the seyl
That Seinte Peter hadde, whan that he wente
Upon the see, til Jhesu Crist hym hente.12
He hadde a croys of latoun,13 ful of stones,
And in a glas he hadde piggės bones.
But with thise relikės, whan that he fond
A pouré person dwellynge upon lond,
Upon a day he gat hym moore moneye
Than that the person gat in monthes tweye;
And thus with feyned flaterye and japes14 705
He made the person and the peple his apes.
But, trewėly to tellen atté laste,

He was in chirche a noble ecclesiaste;
Wel koude he rede a lessoun or a storie,

But alderbest he song an Offertorie;

700

710

For wel he wistė whan that song was songe,
He mosté preche, and wel affile his tonge
To wynne silver, as he ful wel koude;
Therefore he song the murierly 15 and loude.

Now have I toold you shortly, in a clause, 715 The staat, tharray, the nombre, and eek the

Whan we were in that hostelrie alyght;
And after wol I telle of our viage
And al the remenaunt of oure pilgrimage.

730

But first, I pray yow of youre curteisye, 725 That ye narette it nat my vileynye,17 Thogh that I pleynly speke in this mateere To telle yow hir wordes and hir cheere, 18 Ne thogh I speke hir wordes proprely; 19 For this ye knowen al-so wel as I, Whoso shal telle a tale after a man, He moote reherce, as ny as ever he kan, Everich a word, if it be in his charge, Al speke he never so rudėliche 20 or large; Or ellis he moot telle his tale untrewe, Or feyne thyng, or fynde wordės newe. He may nat spare, althogh he were his brother; He moot as wel seye o word as another. Crist spak hymself ful brode in hooly writ, And wel ye woot no vileynye is it.

735

740

Boold of his speche, and wys and well y-taught, And of manhod hym lakkede right naught. Eek therto he was right a myrie man,

And after soper pleyen he bigan,

And spak of myrthe amonges othere thynges,
Whan that we hadde maad our rekenynges; 760
And seyde thus: “Now, lordynges, trewėly,
Ye been to me right welcome, hertély;
For by my trouthe, if that I shal nat lye,
I ne saugh this yeer so myrie a compaignye
At ones in this herberwe23 as is now;
Fayn wolde I doon yow myrthe, wiste I how.
And of a myrthe I am right now bythoght,
To doon yow ese, and it shal coste noght.

765

775

"Ye goon to Canterbury-God yow speede, The blisful martir quite yow youre meede!24 770 And, wel I woot, as ye goon by the weye, Ye shapen yow to talen25 and to pleye; For trewely confort ne myrthe is noon To ride by the weye doumb as a stoon; And therfore wol I maken yow disport, As I seyde erste, and doon yow som confort. And if you liketh alle, by oon assent, Now for to stonden at my juggement, And for to werken as I shal yow seye, To-morwė, whan ye riden by the weye, Now, by my fader soulé, that is deed, But ye be myrie, smyteth of myn heed!

17 Impute it not to my coarseness. 19 Literally, exactly.

• Wallet. 12 Caught.

is The more merrily.

21 Pleased.

23 Inn.

1 Pinchbeck, a cheap imitation of gold.

16 Presumably the name of an Inn.

20 Freely.

780

18 Behavior.

24 Pay.

22 Cheapside in London. 25 Prepare to tell stories.

We dronken, and to resté wente echon, Withouten any lenger taryynge.

820

824

Amorwė, whan that day gan for to sprynge,
Up roos oure Hoost and was oure aller cok,
And gadrede us togidre alle in a flok,
And forth we riden, a little moore than paas,5
Unto the warteryng of Seint Thomas;
And there oure Hoost bigan his hors areste
And seydė, Lordynges, herkneth, if yow leste:
Ye woot youre forward' and I it yow recorde.
If even-song and morwé-song accorde,
Lat se now who shal telle the firstė tale.
As ever mote I drynke wyn or ale,
Whoso be rebel to my juggement

830

834

Shal paye for all that by the wey is spent!
Now draweth cut, er that we ferrer twynne."
He which that hath the shorteste shal bigynne.

1 "To make it a matter of wisdom or deliberation." 2 Advice.

4 Cock for us all.

3 Wisdom. A foot-pace.

• St. Thomas a-Watering; a brook where horses were watered, which crossed the road taken by the pilgrims to St. Thomas' shrine, i. e. to Canterbury.

7 Know your promise.

8i. e. draw lots; pieces of straw, paper, etc. of unequal lengths, and used for the drawing of lots, were called cuts.

Depart.

"Sire Knyght," quod he, "my mayster and my lord,

Now draweth cut, for that is myn accord.
Cometh neer," quod he, "my lady Prioresse, 839
And ye sire Clerk, lat be your shamefastnesse,
Ne studieth noght; ley hond to, every man."
Anon to drawen every wight bigan,
And, shortly for to tellen as it was,
Were it by áventure, or sort, or cas,
The sothe is this, the cut fil to the knyght,
Of which ful blithe and glad was every wyght:
And telle he moste his tale, as was resoun,11
By foreward12 and by composicioun,

10

845

849

As he han herd; what nedeth wordės mo?
And whan this goode man saugh that it was so,
As he that wys was and obedient

To kepe his foreward by his free assent,
He seydė, "Syn I shal bigynne the game,
What, welcome be the cut, a Goddės name! 854
Now lat us ryde, and herkneth what I seye."
And with that word we ryden forth oure weye;
And he bigan with right a myrie cheere
His tale anon, and seyde in this manere.

THE PARDONER'S TALE

665

Thise riotourės thre, of whiche I telle, Longe erst er prime13 rong of any belle, Were set hem in a taverne for to drynke; And as they sat they herde a belle clynke Biforn a cors, was carried to his grave. That oon of hem gan callen to his knave:14 "Go bet," quod he, “and axé redily15 What cors is this that passeth heer forby, And looke that thou reporte his name weel.” "Sire," quod this boy, "it nedeth never a deel, It was me toold er ye cam heere two houres; 671 He was, pardee, an old felawe of youres, And sodeynly he was y-slayn to-nyght, For-dronke, as he sat on his bench upright; Ther cam a privee theef, men clepeth Deeth,675 That in this contree al the peple sleeth, And with his spere he smoot his herte atwo, And wente his wey withouten wordės mo. He hath a thousand slayn this pestilence, 18 And maister, er ye come in his presence, Me thynketh that it were necessarie For to be war of swich an adversarie; Beth redy for to meete hym evermoore; Thus taughtė me my dame; I sey na-moore." "By Seinte Marie!" seyde this taverner, 685 "The child seith sooth, for he hath slayn this

yeer,

680

Henne1 over a mile, withinne a grect village, Bothe man and womman, child, and hyne, 18

and page;

I trowe his habitacioun be there;

To been avysed1 greet wysdom it were, 690 10 Chance, destiny or luck.

12 Agreement.

11 Right.