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At Rome she hadde been, and at Boloigne1,
In Galice at seint Iame2, and at Coloigne3.
She coude moche of wandring by the weye.
Gat-tothed was she, soothly for to seye.
Up-on an amblere5 esily she sat,
Y-wimpled wel, and on hir heed an hat
As brood as is a bokelers or a targe;
A foot-mantel' aboute hir hipes large,
And on hir feet a paire of spores sharpe.
In felaweschip wel coude she laughe and carpes.
Of remedies of love she knew per-chaunce,
For she coude of that art the olde daunce.
A good man was ther of religioun,
And was a povre Persoun10 of a toun;
But riche he was of holy thoght and werk.
He was also a lerned man, a clerk,
That Cristes gospel trewely wolde preche;
His parisshens devoutly wolde he teche.
Benigne he was, and wonder diligent,
And in adversitee ful pacient;

510

520

And ran to London, un-to sëynt Poules,
To seken him a chaunterie25 for soules,
Or with a bretherhed to been withholde26,
But dwelte at hoom, and kepte wel his folde,
So that the wolf ne made it nat miscarie;
470 He was a shepherde and no mercenarie27.
And though he holy were, and vertuous,
He was to sinful man nat despitous28,
Ne of his speche daungerous29 ne digne30,
But in his teching discreet and benigne.
To drawen folk to heven by fairnesse
By good ensample, this was his bisynesse:
But it were any persone obstinat,
What so he were, of heigh or lowe estat,
Him wolde he snibben31 sharply for the nones32.
A bettre preest, I trowe that nowher non is.
He wayted after no pompe and reverence,
Ne maked him a spyced33 conscience,
But Cristes lore, and his apostles twelve,
He taughte, but first he folwed it him-selve.
With him ther was a Plowman, was his
brother,
629
That hadde y-lad34 of dong ful many a fother35,
A trewe swinkere36 and a good was he,
Livinge in pees and parfit charitee.

480

490

And swich he was y-preved11 ofte sythes12.
Ful looth were him to cursen for his tythes13,
But rather wolde he yeven, out of doute,
Un-to his povre parisshens aboute
Of his offring14, and eek of his substaunce15.
He coude in litel thing han suffisaunce.
Wyd was his parisshe, and houses fer a-sonder,
But he ne lafte nat16, for reyn ne thonder,
In siknes nor in meschief17 to visyte
The ferreste18 in his parisshe, moche and lyte1o,
Up-on his feet, and in his hand a staf.

This noble ensample to his sheep he yaf,
That first he wroghte, and afterward
taughte;

Out of the gospel he tho20 wordes caughte;
And this figure he added eek ther-to,
That if gold ruste, what shal yren21 do?
For if a preest be foul, on whom we truste,
No wonder is a lewed22 man to ruste;
And shame it is, if a preest take keep23,

A [spotted] shepherde and a clene sheep.
Wel oghte a preest ensample for to yive,

God loved he best with al his hole herte
At alle tymes, thogh him gamed or smerte37,
And thanne his neighebour right as him-selve.
He wolde thresshe, and ther-to dyke38 and
delve,

For Cristes sake, for every povre wight,
Withouten hyre39, if it lay in his might.
he His tythes payed he ful faire and wel,
Bothe of his propre40 swink and his catel41, 540
In a tabard he rood upon a mere42.
Ther was also a Reve43 and a Millere,
A Somnour44 and a Pardoner45 also,
A Maunciple46, and my-self; there were namo47.
The Miller was a stout carl48, for the
nones49,

560

Ful big he was of braun, and eek of bones;
That proved wel, for over-al ther50 he cam,

By his clennesse, how that his sheep shold live. At wrastling he wolde have alwey the ram51. He sette nat his benefice to hyre24,

And leet his sheep encombred in the myre,

1 Where there was an image of the Virgin.

2 to the shrine of St. James in Galicia in Spain

3 Where according to legend the bones of the Three Wise Men of the East were kept.

4 gap-toothed; i. e., with

5 nag

teeth wide apart

6 shield

7 riding skirt

8 chatter

9 love-charms

10 parson

11 proved

12 times

13 he was loath to ex-
communicate those
who would not pay
their tithes

14 gifts made to him
15 property

16 ceased not

17 trouble

18 farthest

19 rich and poor

20 those

21 iron

He was short-sholdred, brood, a thikke knarre52,

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22 ignorant

23 notice

24 he did not sub-let his

parish

40 own

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Ther nas no dore that he nolde heve of harre1, | His lordes sheep, his neet26, his dayerye,

Or breke it, at a renning, with his heed. 551
His berd as any sowe or fox was reed,
And ther-to brood, as though it were a spade.
Up-on the cop2 right of his nose he hade
A werte3, and ther-on stood a tuft of heres,
Reed as the bristles of a sowes erest;
His nose-thirles5 blake were and wyde.
A swerd and bokeler bar he by his syde;
His mouth as greet was as a greet forneys.
He was a Iangleres and a goliardeys?,
And that was most of sinne and harlotryes8.
Wel coude he stelen corn, and tollen thryes9;
And yet he hadde a thombe of gold1o, pardee.
A whyt cote and a blew hood wered he.

560

A baggepype wel coude he blowe and sowne11,
And therwithal he broghte us out of towne.

A gentil Maunciple was ther of a temple12,
Of which achatours13 mighte take exemple
For to be wyse in bying of vitaille.

569

|

600

His swyn, his hors, his stoor27, and his pultrye,
Was hoolly in this reves governing,
And by his covenaunt yaf the rekening28
Sin29 that his lord was twenty yeer of age;
Ther coude no man bringe him in arrerage30.
Ther nas baillif, ne herde31, ne other hyne32,
That he ne knew his sleighte and his covyne33;
They were adrad of him, as of the deeth.
His woning34 was ful fair up-on an heeth,
With grene trees shadwed was his place.
He coude bettre than his lord purchace.
Ful riche he was astored prively,
His lord wel coude he plesen subtilly,
To yeve and lene him of his owne good,
And have a thank, and yet a cote, and hood35.
In youthe he lerned hadde a good mister36;
He was a wel good wrighte, a carpenter.
This reve sat up-on a ful good stot37,
That was al pomely38 grey, and highte Scot.

For whether that he payde, or took by taille11, A long surcote of pers39 up-on he hade,

Algate he wayted 15 so in his achat16,

That he was ay biforn and in good stat.
Now is nat that of God a ful fair grace,
That swich a lewed17 mannes wit shal pace18
The wisdom of an heep of lerned men?

580

Of maistres hadde he mo19 than thryes ten,
That were of lawe expert and curious;
Of which ther were a doseyn in that hous,
Worthy to been stiwardes of rente and lond
Of any lord that is in Engelond,
To make him live by his propre good,
In honour dettelees, but he were wood20,
Or live as scarsly21 as him list desire;
And able for to helpen al a shire
In any cas that mighte falle or happe;
And yit this maunciple sette hir aller cappe22.
The Reve was a sclendre colerik23 man,
His berd was shave as ny as ever he can.
His heer was by his eres round y-shorn.
His top was dokked24 lyk a preest biforn.
Ful longe were his legges, and ful lene,
Y-lyk a staf, ther was no calf y-sene.
Wel coude he kepe a gerner25 and a binne;
Ther was noon auditour coude on him winne.
Wel wiste he, by the droghte, and by the reyn,
'The yeldyng of his seed, and of his greyn.

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590

14 tally, i. e., on credit

15 always he was

careful

16 purchase

17 ignorant

18 surpass

19 more

20 crazy

21 economically

22 cheated them all

23 irascible

24 cut short

25 granary

And by his syde he bar a rusty blade.
Of Northfolk was this reve, of which I telle,
Bisyde a toun men clepen Baldeswelle.
Tukked 40 he was, as is a frere, aboute,
And evere he rood the hindreste of our route.
A Somnour was ther with us in that place,
That hadde a fyr-reed cherubinnes face,
For sawceflem41 he was, with eyen narwe,

610

620

With scalled42 browes blake, and piled43 berd;
Of his visage children were aferd.

Ther nas quik-silver, litarge44, ne brimstoon,
Boras45, ceruce44, ne oille of tartre noon, 630
Ne oynement that wolde clense and byte,
That him mighte helpen of his whelkes46 whyte,
Ne of the knobbes sittinge on his chekes.
Wel loved he garleek, oynons, and eek lekes,
And for to drinken strong wyn, reed as blood.
Thanne wolde he speke, and crye as he were
wood47.

And whan that he wel dronken hadde the wyn,
Than wolde he speke no word but Latyn.
A fewe termes hadde he, two or thre,
That he had lerned out of som decree;
No wonder is, he herde it al the day;

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SO

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And eek ye knowen wel, how that a lay

Can clepen Watte,' as well as can the pope.
But who-so coude in other thing him grope2,
Thanne hadde he spent al his philosophye;
Ay Questio quid iuris's wolde he crye.
He was a gentil harlot and a kynde;

650

A vernicle28 hadde he sowed on his cappe.
His walet lay biforn him in his lappe,
Bret-ful29 of pardoun come from Rome al hoot.
A voys he hadde as smal as hath a goot.
No berd hadde he, ne nevere sholde have,
As smothe it was as it were late y-shave;

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690

A bettre felawe sholde men noght fynde.
He wolde suffre for5 a quart of wyn
A good felawe to have his [wikked sin]
A twelf-month, and excuse him atte fulle:
And prively a finch eek coude he pulle®.
And if he fond owher? a good felawe,
He wolde techen him to have non awe,
In swich cas, of the erchedeknes curss,
But-if a mannes soule were in his purs10;
For in his purs he sholde y-punisshed be.
'Purs is the erchedeknes helle,' seyde he.
But wel I woot he lyed right in dede;
Of cursing oghte ech gulty man him drede11-
For curs wol slee right as assoilling 12 saveth-Than that the person gat in monthes tweye.
And also war him of a significavit13.
In daunger14 hadde he at his owne gyse15
The yonge girles 16 of the diocyse,

But of his craft, fro Berwik unto Ware30,
Ne was ther swich another pardoner.
For in his male31 he hadde a pilwe-beer32,
Which that, he seyde, was our lady veyl33:
He seyde, he hadde a gobet34 of the sey135
That seynt Peter hadde, whan that he wente
Up-on the see, til Iesu Crist him hente36.
He hadde a croys37 of latoun38, ful of stones,
And in a glas he hadde pigges bones.
But with thise relikes, whan that he fond
A povre person dwelling up-on lond39,
Up-on a day he gat him more moneye

And knew hir counseil, and was al hir reed17.
A gerland hadde he set up-on his heed,
As greet as it were for an ale-stake18;
A bokeler hadde he maad him of a cake.

659

With him ther rood a gentil Pardoner
Of Rouncivale 19, his frend and his compeer, 670
That streight was comen fro the court of Rome.
Ful loude he song, 'Com hider, love, to me.'
This somnour bar to him a stif burdoun20,
Was nevere trompe21 of half so greet a soun.
This pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wex,
But smothe it heng, as doth a strike of flex22;
By ounces23 henge his lokkes that he hadde24,
And ther with he his shuldres overspradde;
But thinne it lay, by colpons25 oon and oon;
But hood, for Iolitee, ne wered he noon,
For it was trussed up in his walet.
Him thoughte26, he rood al of the newe Iet27;
Dischevele, save his cappe, he rood al bare.
Swiche glaringe eyen hadde he as an hare.

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680

15 control
16 young people of
either sex

17 the adviser of them
all

18 sign-pole of an inn
(often a bush hung
up in front)
19 Possibly the Hospi-
tal of Rouncyvalle
in London.

20 accompaniment

21 trumpet

22 handful of flax
23 small portions
24 such as he had
25 shreds

26 it seemed to him
27 fashion

And thus with feyned flaterye and Iapes 40,
He made the person and the peple his apes.
But trewely to tellen, atte laste,

He was in chirche a noble ecclesiaste.
Wel coude he rede a lessoun or a storie,
But alderbest41 he song an offertorie;
For wel he wiste, whan that song was songe,
He moste preche, and wel affyle+2 his tonge,
To winne silver, as he ful wel coude;
Therefore he song so meriely and loude.

700

710

720

Now have I told you shortly, in a clause,
Thestat, tharray, the nombre, and eek the cause
Why that assembled was this compaignye
In Southwerk, at this gentil hostelrye,
That highte the Tabard, faste by the Belle.
But now is tyme to yow for to telle
How that we baren us that ilke night,
Whan we were in that hostelrye alight.
And after wol I telle of our viage,
And al the remenaunt of our pilgrimage.
But first I pray yow of your curteisye,
That ye narette it nat my vileinye43,
Thogh that I pleynly speke in this materc,
To telle yow hir wordes and hir chere+4;
Ne thogh I speke hir wordes proprely 45.
For this ye knowen al-so wel as I,
Who-so shal telle a tale after a man,

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730

i. e., con

39 in the country

40 tricks

41 best of all

42 file, polish

43 attribute it not to

my ill-breeding

44 appearance

45 exactly

He moot reherce, as ny1 as evere he can,
Everich a2 word, if it be in his charge3,
Al speke he never so rudeliche and large5;
Or elles he moot telle his tale untrewe,
Or feyne thing, or fynde wordes newe.
He may nat spare, al-thogh he were his brother;
He moot as wel seye o word as another.
Crist spak him-self ful brode in holy writ,
And wel ye woot, no vileinye is it.
Eek Plato seith, who-so that can him redes,
The wordes mote? be cosin to the dede.
Also I prey yow to foryeve it me,
Als have I nat set folk in hir degree
Here in this tale, as that they sholde stonde;
My wit is short, ye may wel understonde.

740

Greet chere made our hoste us everichon10, And to the soper sette he us anon; And served us with vitaille at the beste. Strong was the wyn, and wel to drinke lestell

us

780

As I seyde erst, and doon yow som confort.
And if yow lyketh alle, by oon assent,
Now for to stonden at26 my Iugement,
And for to werken as I shal yow seye,
To-morwe, whan ye ryden by the weye,
Now, by my fader soule, that is deed,
But27 ye be merye, I wol yeve yow myn heed.
Hold up your hond, withoute more speche.'
Our counseil was nat longe for to seche28;
Us thought it was noght worth to make it
wy829,

And graunted him with-outen more avys30,
And bad him seye his verdit, as him leste.
'Lordinges,' quod he, 'now herkneth for the
beste;

But tak it not, I prey yow, in desdeyn;
This is the poynt, to speken short and pleyn,
That ech of yow, to shorte with our weye31,
In this viage, shal telle tales tweye,
To Caunterbury-ward, I mene it so,

792

800

751 And hom-ward he shal tellen othere two,
Of aventures that whylom han bifalle.
And which of yow that bereth him best of alle,
That is to seyn, that telleth in this cas
Tales of best sentence and most solas32,
Shal han a soper at our aller cost
Here in this place, sitting by this post,
Whan that we come agayn fro Caunterbury.
And for to make yow the more mery,
I wol my-selven gladly with yow ryde,
Right at myn owne cost, and be your gyde.
And who-so wol my Iugement withseye33
Shal paye al that we spenden by the weye.
And if ye vouche-sauf that it be so,
Tel me anon, with-outen wordes mo,
And I wol erly shape34 me therfore.'
This thing was graunted, and Our

A semely man our hoste was with-alle
For to han been a marshal in an halle;
A large man he was with eyen stepe12,
A fairer burgeys13 was ther noon in Chepe14:
Bold of his speche, and wys, and wel y-taught,
And of manhod him lakkede right naught.
Fek therto he was right a mery man,
And after soper pleyen15 he bigan,
And spak of mirthe amonges othere thinges,
Whan that we hadde maad our rekeninges16; 760
And seyde thus: 'Now, lordinges, trewely
Ye ben to me right welcome hertely:
For by my trouthe, if that I shal nat lye,
I ne saugh17 this yeer so mery a compaiguye
At ones in this herberwe18 as is now.
Fayn wolde I doon yow mirthe, wiste I how19.
And of a mirthe I am right now bithoght,
To doon yow ese20, and it shal coste noght.

Ye goon to Caunterbury; God yow spede, 769
The blisful martir21 quyte22 yow your mede23.
And wel I woot, as ye goon by the weye,
Ye shapen24 yow to talen25 and to pleye;
For trewely, confort ne mirthe is noon
To ryde by the weye doumb as a stoon;
And therefor wol I maken yow disport,

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swore

othes 810

With ful glad herte, and preyden him also
That he wold vouche-sauf for to do so,
And that he wolde been our governour,
And of our tales Iuge and reportour,
And sette a soper at a certeyn prys;
And we wold reuled been at his devyss5,
In heigh and lowe; and thus, by oon assent,
We been acorded to his Iugement.
And ther-up-on the wyn was fet38 anoon;
We dronken, and to reste wente echoon,
With-outen any lenger taryinge.
A-morwe, whan that37 day bigan to springe,
Up roos our host, and was our aller cok38,

27 unless

29 a matter of delibera

read Greek

8 although

9 entertainment

10 every one

11 it pleased

12 bright

13 citizen

knew how

fun if I

26 by

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32 amusement

33 gainsay

820

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35 decision

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And gadrede us togidre, alle in a flok,
And forth we riden, a litel more than pas1,
Un-to the watering of seint Thomas2.
And there our host bigan his hors areste,
And seyde; 'Lordinges, herkneth if yow leste.
Ye woot your forward3, and I it yow recorde1.
If even-song and morwe-song acorde, 830
Lat se now who shal telle the firste tale.
As evere mote I drinke wyn or ale,
Who-so be rebel to my lugement

Shal paye for al that by the weye is spent. Now draweth cut5, er that we ferrers twinne7;

He which that hath the shortest shal biginne.' 'Sire knight,' quod he, 'my maister and my lord,

Now draweth cut, for that is myn acords. Cometh neer',' quod he, 'my lady prioresse; And ye, sir clerk, lat be your shamfastnesse,

840

Ne studieth noght10; ley hond to, every man.
Anon to drawen every wight bigan,

And shortly for to tellen, as it was,
Were it by averture11, or sort12, or cas13,
The sothe14 is this, the cut fil to the knight,
Of which ful blythe and glad was every wight;
And telle he moste his tale, as was resoun,
By forward and by composicioun 15,

As ye han herd; what nedeth wordes mo?
And whan this goode man saugh it was so,
As he that wys was and obedient
To kepe his forward by his free assent,
He seyde: 'Sin16 I shal beginne the game,
What, welcome be the cut, a17 Goddes name!
Now lat us ryde, and herkneth what I seye.'

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851

And with that word we riden forth our weye; And he bigan with right a mery chere18 His tale anon, and seyde in this manere.

THE NONNE PREESTES TALE*

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Ful sooty was hir bour, and eek hir halle27,
In which she eet ful many a sclendre meel.
Of poynaunt sauce hir neded28 never a deel.
No deyntee morsel passed thurgh hir throte;
Hir dyete was accordant to hir cote.
Repleccioun29 ne made hir nevere syk;
Attempree dyete was al hir phisyk,
And exercyse, and hertes suffisaunce.

The goute lette30 hir no-thing for to daunce, 20
Ne poplexye shente31 nat hir heed;

No wyn ne drank she, neither whyt ne reed; Hir bord was served most with whyt and blak, Milk and broun breed, in which she fond no lak,

Seynd32 bacoun, and somtyme an ey33 or tweye,

30

For she was as it were a maner deye34.
A yerd she hadde, enclosed al aboute
With stikkes, and a drye dich with-oute,
In which she hadde a cok, hight Chauntecleer,
In al the land of crowing nas35 his peer.
His vois was merier than the merye orgon36
On messe-dayes37 that in the chirche gon;
Wel sikererзs was his crowing in his logge39,
Than is a clokke, or an abbey orlogge40,
By nature knew he ech ascensioun41
Of equinoxial in thilke toun;

For whan degrees fiftene were ascended, Thanne crew he, that it mighte nat ben amended42.

His comb was redder than the fyn coral,
And batailed43, as it were a castel-wal.

40

Here biginneth the Nonne Preestes Tale of the His bile44 was blak, and as the Ieet45 it shoon;

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