552 Ther nas no dore that he nolde heve of harre,1 560 A werte, and thereon stood a toft of herys, 555 5 564 569 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 biforn" 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, In honour dettelees, 14 but he were wood,15 To maken hym lyve by his propre good13 575 580 585 And yet this Manciple sette hir aller cappe.16 590 The REVE was a sclendré colerik man His berd was shave as ny as ever he kan; His heer was by his erys round y-shorn, His top was doked lyk a preest biforn, Ful longe 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 revés governyng, And by his covenant yaf the rekenyng 1 Heave oft ne hinges. a 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. 640 Than wolde he speke no word but Latyn. 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! 680 A vernycle hadde he sowed upon his cappe; 685 10 692 695 A voys he hadde as smal as hath a goot; He was in chirche a noble ecclesiaste; But alderbest he song an Offertorie; 700 710 For wel he wistė whan that song was songe, 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; 730 But first, I pray yow of youre curteisye, 725 That ye narette it nat my vileynye," Thogh that I pleynly speke in this mateere To telle yow hir wordes and hir cheere, 18 Ne thogh I speke hir wordės 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 rudéliche20 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 A semely man OUR HOOSTE was with-alle For to han been a marchal in an halle. A large man he was, with eyen stepe, A fairer burgeys is ther noon in Chepe;22 754 Boold of his speche, and wys and well y-taught, And spak of myrthe amonges othere thynges, 765 775 "Ye goon to Canterbury-God yow speede, The blisful martir quite yow youre meede!2* 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 juggėment, And for to werken as I shal yow seye, To-morwė, whan ye riden by the weye, Now, by my fader soule, that is deed, But ye be myrie, smyteth of myn heed! We dronken, and to resté wente echon, Withouten any lenger taryynge. And therupon the wyn was fet anon; 820 824 Amorwė, whan that day gan for to sprynge, Whoso be rebel to my juggement 830 834 Shal paye for all that by the wey is spent! 1 "To make it a matter of wisdom or deliberation." 4 Cock for us all. Anon to drawen every wight bigan, 849 As he han herd; what nedeth wordės mo? To kepe his foreward by his free assent, THE PARDONER'S TALE 665 Thise riotoures 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 axe 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," 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, 16 680 Henne1 over a mile, withinne a greet village, Bothe man and womman, child, and hyne, is and page; I trowe his habitacioun be there; To been avysed1 greet wysdom it were, 10 Chance, destiny or luck. 12 Agreement. 690 11 Right. 13 In general the interval between 6 and 9 A. M. More specifically, one of the seven stated times or hours of devotion. From the ringing of the bell, it refers here to the canonical hour for service. 15 Quickly. 14 Boy. 16 Probably the plague of 1348-9, the earliest of the four great plagues in the 14th century. 19 Forewarned. 17 Hence. 18 Hind. Whan they han goon nat fully half a mile, Right as they wolde han troden over a stile, An cold man and a poure with hem mette; This oldė man ful mekély hem grette And seyed thus: "Now, lordės, God yow see!" The proudeste of thise riotoures three Answerde agayn, "What, carl with sory grace, Why artow al for-wrapped, save thy face? Why lyvestow so longe in so greet age?" This olde man gan looke in his visage, And seyde thus: "For I ne kan nat fynde A man, though that I walked into Ynde, Neither in citee, ne in no village, 716 720 725 That wolde chaunge his youthẻ for myn age; Ne Deeth, allas! ne wol nat han my lyf; Thus walke I, lyk a restėless kaityf, And on the ground which is my moodress gate, 730 735 I knokke with my staf, erly and late, 740 And God be with yow, where ye go or ryde; I moote go thider as I have to go.' * Started. "Nay, olde cherl, by God, thou shalt nat so!" Seyde this oother hasardouri anon; 751 Thou partest nat so lightly, by Seint John! Thou spak right now of thilke traytour, Deeth, That in this contree alle oure freendės sleeth; Have heer my trouthe, as thou art his espye, 755 Telle where he is, or thou shalt it abye,14 By God and by the hooly sacrement! For soothly, thou art oon of his assent To sleen us yonge folk, thou false theef!" "Now, sires," quod he, "if that ye so be leef To fynde Deeth, turne up this croked wey, For in that grove I lafte hym, by my fey, Under a tree, and there he wole abyde; Noght for youre boost he wole him no thyng hyde. 759 Se ye that ook? Right there ye shal hym fynde. 765 God save yow that boghte agayn mankynde, And yow amende!" thus seyde this oldė man; And everich of thise riotourés ran This tresor hath Fortúne unto us yeven And it fil on the yongeste of hem alle, 795 800 805 That oon of hem spak thus unto that oother: 13 Gambler. Dear Mother. 12 Advice. 14 Pay for. Weemed, know. 19 Fist. He woot how that the gold is with us tweye; What shal we doon, what shal we to hym seye?" "Shal it be conseil?" seyde the firtse shrewe,1 "And I shal tellen thee in wordės fewe What we shal doon, and bryngen it wel aboute." "I graunte," quod that oother, "out of doute, That by my trouthe I shal thee nat biwreye.' "Now," quod the firste, "thou woost wel we be tweye, 825 831 And two of us shul strenger be than oon. Ful oft in herte he rolleth up and doun The beautee of thise floryns newe and brighte; "O Lord,"quod he, "if so were that I myghte 840 Have al this tresor to myself allone, Ther is no man that lyveth under the trone3 845 850 With which he myghtė sleen his felawes tweye; 855 And eek ther was a polcat in his hawe," 865 Ye, sterve he shal, and that in lasse while 870 This cursed man hath in his hond y-hent This poysoun in a box, and sith he ran Into the nextė strete unto a man, And borwed hym largé botéllés thre, And in the two his poyson poured he; The thridde he kepte clene for his owené drynke; For al the nyght he shoopell hym for to swynke 875 In cariynge of the gold out of that place. What nedeth it to sermone of it moore? For right as they hadde cast his deeth bifoore, Right so they han hym slayn, and that anon,881 And whan that this was doon thus spak that oon; "Now lat us sitte and drynke, and make us merie, And afterward we wol his body berie;" 890 But certès, I suppose that Avycen12 Wroot never in no Canón, 13 ne in no fen Mo wonder signės of empoisonyng Than hadde thise wrecches two, er hir endyng. Thus ended been thise homycides two, And eek the false empoysonere also. O cursed synne of alle cursednesse! O traytorous homycide! O wikkednesse! O glotonye, luxúrie, and hasardrye!14 Thou blasphemour of Crist with vileynye, And othės grete, of usage and of pride! Allas! mankyndé, how may it bitide 895 900 THE COMPLEYNT OF CHAUCER TO HIS To you, my purse, and to noon other wyght I am so sory now that ye been light; 11 Planned. 5 12. e., Avicenna (980-1037), a celebrated Arabian physician. is A section in The Canon, Avicenna's work on medicine, is called (from an Arabic word) a fen. No more wonderful signs of poisoning are described in the Canon of Medicine, or in any fen, or part of that book;-not even the fen which specifically treats of poisons. 15 Heal. 14 Gambling. |