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A BOOK OF ENGLISH LITERATURE

A BOOK OF ENGLISH LITERATURE

THE END OF THE MIDDLE AGES

GEOFFREY CHAUCER (1340-1400)

THE PROLOGUE

Whan that Aprille with his shoures sote The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote,

And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth 5
Inspired hath in every holt1 and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,
And smale fowles maken melodye,
That slepen al the night with open yë,
(So priketh hem nature in hir corages2):
Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
(And palmers for to seken straunge
strondes)

ΙΟ

To ferne halwes, couthe5 in sondry londes;

And specially, from every shires ende

15

Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,

The holy blisful martir for to seke,

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45

That fro the tyme that he first bigan
To ryden out, he loved chivalrye,
Trouthe and honour, fredom and cur-
teisye.

Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre,10
And therto hadde he riden (no man ferre11)
As wel in Cristendom as hethenesse,
And ever honoured for his worthinesse. 50
At Alisaundre he was, whan it was wonne;
Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bi-
gonne12

Aboven alle naciouns in Pruce.

In Lettow hadde he reysed13 and in Ruce, No Cristen man so ofte of his degree.

55

That hem hath holpen, whan that they In Gernade at the sege eek hadde he be were seke.

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Of Algezir, and riden in Belmarye.

At Lyeys was he, and at Satalye,
Whan they were wonne; and in the Grete

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I

14 disembarkation.

16 no sort of person.

70

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A lovyere, and a lusty bacheler,
With lokkes crulle, as they were leyd in
presse.

Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse.
Of his stature he was of evene lengthe,7
And wonderly deliver, and greet of
strengthe.

10

And he had been somtyme in chivachye,9
In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Picardye, 86
And born him wel, as of so litel space,
In hope to stonden in his ladyll grace.
Embrouded 12 was he, as it were a mede13
Al ful of fresshe floures, whyte and rede. 90
Singinge he was, or floytinge,14 al the day;
He was as fresh as is the month of May.
Short was his goune, with sleves longe and
wyde.

Wel coude he sitte on hors, and faire ryde.
He coude songes make and wel endyte, 95
Iuste15 and eek daunce, and wel purtreye16

and wryte.

So hote1 he lovede, that by nightertale18 He sleep namore than dooth a nightingale.

Curteys he was, lowly, and servisable, And carf biforn his fader at the table. 100

A YEMAN hadde he, and servaunts namo At that tyme, for him liste19 ryde so; And he was clad in cote and hood of grene; A sheef of pecock-arwes brighte and kene Under his belt he bar ful thriftily, (Wel coude he dresse his takel20 yemanly: His arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe),

105

And in his hand he bar a mighty bowe.
A not-heed 21 hadde he, with a broun
visage.

Of wode-craft wel coude he al the usage.110
Upon his arm he bar a gay bracer,22
And by his syde a swerd and a bokeler,
And on that other syde a gay daggere,

1 horses (plural).

4 coat of mail.

7 ordinary height.

10" considering the short

11 lady's.

15 joust.

12 adorned.

16 draw.

19 it pleased him.

21 cropped head.

2 doublet.

5 voyage.

• spotted. 6 curly. military expedition. time he had served.""

8 active.

13 meadow. 14 fluting.

17 hotly. 18 in the night-time. 20 take care of his weapons. 22 guard.

Harneised 23 wel, and sharp as point of spere;

A Cristofre24 on his brest of silver shene.115 An horn he bar, the bawdrik 25 was of grene; A forster26 was he, soothly, as I gesse.

119

Ther was also a Nonne, a PRIORESSE, That of hir smyling was ful simple and coy; Hir gretteste ooth was but by seynt Loy, And she was cleped27 madame Eglentyne. Ful wel she song the service divyne, Entuned in hir nose ful semely; And Frensh she spak ful faire and fetisly, 28 After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe, 125 For Frensh of Paris was to hir unknowe. At mete wel y-taught was she with-alle; She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle, Ne wette hir fingres in hir sauce depe. Wel coude she carie a morsel, and wel kepe, 130 That no drope ne fille up-on hir brest. In curteisye was set ful moche hir lest.29 Hir over lippe wyped she so clene, That in hir coppe was no ferthing sene Of grece, whan she dronken hadde hir draughte.

30

135

Ful semely after hir mete she raughte,3
And sikerly31 she was of greet disport,32
And full plesaunt, and amiable of port,33
And peyned hir34 to countrefete chere35
Of court, and been estatlich 36 of manere,140
And to ben holden digne37 of reverence.
But, for to speken of hir conscience,38
She was so charitable and so pitous,
She wolde wepe, if that she sawe a mous
Caught in a trappe, if it were deed or
bledde.

145

Of smale houndes had she, that she fedde With rosted flesh, or milk and wastel breed.39

But sore weep she if oon of hem were deed,
Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte:
And al was conscience and tendre herte.150
Ful semely hir wimpel pinched 40 was;
Hir nose tretys;41 hir eyen greye as glas;
Hir mouth ful smal, and ther-to softe and
reed;

But sikerly she hadde a fair forheed;
It was almost a spanne brood, I trowe; 155

23 equipped.
24" figure of St. Christopher used as a brooch."
25 belt. 26 forester. 27 named. 28 elegantly.

pleasure. 30 reached. 31 truly. 32 fond of pleasure.

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