A YEMAN hadde he, and servaunts namo At that tyme, for him liste ryde so; And he was clad in cote and hood of grene; A sheef of pecok-arwes brighte and kene Under his belt he bar ful thriftily; (Wel coude he dresse his takel yemanly: His arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe),
And in his hand he bar a mighty bowe. A not-heed hadde he, with a broun visage. Of wode-craft wel coude he al the usage. Upon his arm he bar a gay bracer, And by his syde a swerd and a bokeler, And on that other syde a gay daggere, Harneised wel, and sharp as point of spere; A Cristofre on his brest of silver shene. An horn he bar, the bawdrik was of grene; A forster was he, soothly, as I gesse.
Ther was also a Nonne, a PRIORESSE, That of hir smyling was ful simple and coy;
Hir gretteste ooth was but by sëynt Loy; And she was cleped madame Eglentyne. 121 Ful wel she song the service divyne, Entuned in hir nose ful semely;
And Frensh she spak ful faire and fetisly, After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe, 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. 129 Wel coude she carie a morsel, and wel kepe, That no drope ne fille up-on hir brest. In curteisye was set ful muche hir lest. Hir over lippe wyped she so clene, That in hir coppe was no ferthing sene Of grece, whan she dronken hadde hir draughte.
Ful semely after hir mete she raughte, And sikerly she was of greet disport, And ful plesaunt, and amiable of port, And peyned hir to countrefete chere
Of court, and been estatlich of manere, 140 And to ben holden digne of reverence. But, for to speken of hir conscience,
Of smale houndes had she, that she fedde With rosted flesh, or milk and wastel-breed. 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 was; Hir nose tretys; 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; For, hardily, she was nat undergrowe. Ful fetis was hir cloke, as I was war. Of smal coral aboute hir arm she bar A peire of bedes, gauded al with grene; And ther-on heng a broche of gold ful shene,
Therfore he was a pricasour aright; Grehoundes he hadde, as swifte as fowel in flight;
Of priking and of hunting for the hare Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare. I seigh his sleves purfiled at the hond With grys, and that the fyneste of a lond; And, for to festne his hood under his chin, He hadde of gold y-wroght a curious pin: A love-knotte in the gretter ende ther was. His heed was balled, that shoon as any glas,
And eek his face, as he had been anoint. He was a lord ful fat and in good point; 200 His eyen stepe, and rollinge in his heed, That stemed as a forneys of a leed; His botes souple, his hors in greet estat. Now certeinly he was a fair prelat; He was nat pale as a for-pyned goost. A fat swan loved he best of any roost. His palfrey was as broun as is a berye.
A FRERE ther was, a wantown and a merye,
A limitour, a ful solempne man.
In alle the ordres foure is noon that can 210 So muche of daliaunce and fair langage. He hadde maad ful many a mariage Of yonge wommen, at his owne cost. Un-to his ordre he was a noble post. Ful wel biloved and famulier was he With frankeleyns over-al in his contree, And eek with worthy wommen of the toun: For he had power of confessioun, As seyde him-self, more than a curat, For his ordre he was licentiat. Ful swetely herde he confessioun, And plesaunt was his absolucioun; He was an esy man to yeve penaunce Ther as he wiste to han a good pitaunce; For unto a povre ordre for to yive Is signe that a man is wel y-shrive For if he yaf, he dorste make avaunt, He wiste that a man was repentaunt. For many a man so hard is of his herte, 229 He may nat wepe al-thogh him sore smerte. Therfore, in stede of weping and preyeres, Men moot yeve silver to the povre freres. His tipet was ay farsed ful of knyves And pinnes, for to yeven faire wyves. And certeinly he hadde a mery note; Wel coude he singe and pleyen on a rote. Of yeddinges he bar utterly the prys. His nekke whyt was as the flour-de-lys; Ther-to he strong was as a champioun. He knew the tavernes wel in every toun,
And everich hostiler and tappestere Bet than a lazar or a beggestere; For un-to swich a worthy man as he Acorded nat, as by his facultee, To have with seke lazars aqueyntaunce. It is nat honest, it may nat avaunce For to delen with no swich poraille, But al with riche and sellers of vitaille. And over-al, ther as profit sholde aryse, Curteys he was, and lowly of servyse. Ther nas no man no-wher so vertuous. He was the beste beggere in his hous; [And yaf a certeyn ferme for the graunt; Noon of his bretheren cam ther in his haunt;]
For thogh a wid we hadde noght a sho, So plesaunt was his 'In principio,' Yet wolde he have a ferthing, er he wente. His purchas was wel bettre than his rente. And rage he coude, as it were right a whelpe
In love-dayes ther coude he muchel helpe. For there he was nat lyk a cloisterer, With a thredbar cope, as is a povre scoler, But he was lyk a maister or a pope. Of double worsted was his semi-cope, That rounded as a belle out of the presse. Somwhat he lipsed, for his wantownesse, To make his English swete up-on his tonge;
And in his harping, whan that he had songe,
His eyen twinkled in his heed aright, As doon the sterres in the frosty night. 270 This worthy limitour was cleped Huberd. A MARCHANT was ther with a forked
In mottelee, and hye on horse he sat, Up-on his heed a Flaundrish bever hat; His botes clasped faire and fetisly. His resons he spak ful solempnely, Souninge alway thencrees of his winning. He wolde the see were kept for any thing Bitwixe Middelburgh and Ore welle. Wel coude he in eschaunge sheeldes selle. This worthy man ful wel his wit bisette; 281 Ther wiste no wight that he was in dette, So estatly was he of his governaunce, With his bargaynes, and with his chevi-
For sothe he was a worthy man withalle, But sooth to seyn, I noot how men him calle.
A CLERK ther was of Oxenford also, That un-to logik hadde longe y-go.
As lene was his hors as is a rake, And he nas nat right fat, I undertake; 290 But loked holwe, and ther-to soberly. Ful thredbar was his overest courtepy; For he had geten him yet no benefyce, Ne was so worldly for to have offyce. For him was lever have at his beddes heed Twenty bokes, clad in blak or reed, Of Aristotle and his philosophye, Than robes riche, or fithele, or gay sautrye. But al be that he was a philosophre, Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre; But al that he mighte of his freendes hente, On bokes and on lerninge he it spente, And bisily gan for the soules preye Of hem that yaf him wher-with to scoleye. Of studie took he most cure and most hede. Noght o word spak he more than was nede, And that was seyd in forme and reverence, And short and quik, and ful of hy sentence. Souninge in moral vertu was his speche, 309 And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche.
A SERGEANT OF THE LAWE, war and wys, That often hadde been at the parvys, Ther was also, ful riche of excellence. Discreet he was, and of greet reverence: He semed swich, his wordes weren so wyse. Iustyce he was ful often in assyse, By patente, and by pleyn commissioun; For his science, and for his heigh renoun Of fees and robes hadde he many oon. So greet a purchasour was no-wher noon. 320 Al was fee simple to him in effect, His purchasing mighte nat been infect. No-wher so bisy a man as he ther nas, And yet he semed bisier than he was. In termes hadde he caas and domes alle, That from the tyme of king William were falle.
Therto he coude endyte, and make a thing, Ther coude no wight pinche at his wryting; And every statut coude he pleyn by rote. He rood but hoomly in a medlee cote Girt with a ceint of silk, with barres smale; Of his array telle I no lenger tale.
A FRANKELEYN was in his companye; Whyt was his berd, as is the dayesye. Of his complexioun he was sangwyn. Wel loved he by the morwe a sop in wyn. To liven in delyt was ever his wone, For he was Epicurus owne sone, That heeld opinioun, that pleyn delyt Was verraily felicitee parfyt.
An housholdere, and that a greet, was he; Seint Iulian he was in his contree.
His breed, his ale, was alwey after oon; A bettre envyned man was no-wher noon. With-oute bake mete was never his hous, Of fish and flesh, and that so plentevous, It snewed in his hous of mete and drinke, Of alle deyntees that men coude thinke. After the sondry sesons of the yeer, So chaunged he his mete and his soper. 350 Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in mewe, And many a breem and many a luce in
Wo was his cook, but-if his sauce were Poynaunt and sharp, and redy al his gere. His table dormant in his halle alway Stood redy covered al the longe day. At sessiouns ther was he lord and sire; Ful ofte tyme he was knight of the shire. An anlas and a gipser al of silk Heng at his girdel, whyt as morne milk. 360 A shirreve hadde he been, and a countour; Was no-wher such a worthy vavasour.
AN HABERDASSHER and a CARPENTER, A WEBBE, a DYERE, and a TAPICER, Were with us eek, clothed in o liveree, Of a solempne and greet fraternitee. Ful fresh and newe hir gere apyked was; Hir knyves were y-chaped noght with bras, But al with silver, wroght ful clene and weel
Hir girdles and hir pouches every-deel. 370 Wel semed ech of hem a fair burgeys, To sitten in a yeldhalle on a deys. Everich, for the wisdom that he can, Was shaply for to been an alderman. For catel hadde they y-nogh and rente, And eek hir wyves wolde it wel assente; And elles certein were they to blame. It is ful fair to been y-clept "ma dame," And goon to vigilyës al bifore, And have a mantel royalliche y-bore.
A Cook they hadde with hem for the
In al this world ne was ther noon him lyk To speke of phisik and of surgerye; For he was grounded in astronomye. He kepte his pacient a ful greet del In houres, by his magik naturel. Wel coude he fortunen the ascendent Of his images for his pacient.
He knew the cause of everich maladye, Were it of hoot or cold, or moiste, or drye,
And where engendred, and of what humour;
He was a verrey parfit practisour. The cause y-knowe, and of his harm the rote,
Anon he yaf the seke man his bote. Ful redy hadde he his apothecaries, To sende him drogges and his letuaries, For ech of hem made other for to winne; Hir frendschipe nas nat newe to biginne. Wel knew he the olde Esculapius, And Deiscorides, and eek Rufus, Old Ypocras, Haly, and Galien; Serapion, Razis, and Avicen;
Averrois, Damascien, and Constantyn; Bernard, and Gatesden, and Gilbertyn. Of his diete mesurable was he, For it was of no superfluitee, But of greet norissing and digestible. His studie was but litel on the Bible. In sangwin and in pers he clad was al, Lyned with taffata and with sendal; And yet he was but esy of dispence; He kepte that he wan in pestilence. For gold in phisik is a cordial, Therfore he lovede gold in special.
A good WYF was ther of bisyde Bathe, But she was som-del deef, and that was scathe.
Of clooth-making she hadde swiche an haunt,
She passed hem of Ypres and of Gaunt. 450 In al the parisshe wyf ne was ther noon That to the offring bifore hir sholde goon;
And if ther dide, certeyn, so wrooth was she,
That she was out of alle charitee. Hir coverchiefs ful fyne were of ground; I dorste swere they weyeden ten pound That on a Sonday were upon hir heed. Hir hosen weren of fyn scarlet reed, Ful streite y-teyd, and shoos ful moiste and
Bold was hir face, and fair, and reed of hewe. She was a worthy womman al hir lyve, Housbondes at chirche-dore she hadde fyve, Withouten other companye in youthe; But therof nedeth nat to speke as nouthe. And thryes hadde she been at Ierusalem; She hadde passed many a straunge streem; At Rome she hadde been, and at Boloigne, In Galice at seint Iame, and at Coloigne. She coude muche of wandring by the weye: Gat-tothed was she, soothly for to seye. 470 Up-on an amblere esily she sat,
Y-wimpled wel, and on hir heed an hat As brood as is a bokeler or a targe; A foot-mantel aboute hir hipes large, And on hir feet a paire of spores sharpe. In felawschip wel coude she laughe and
Of remedyes of love she knew perchaunce, For she coude of that art the olde daunce. A good man was ther of religioun, And was a povre PERSOUN of a toun; But riche he was of holy thoght and werk. He was also a lerued 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;
And swich he was y-preved ofte sythes. Ful looth were him to cursen for his tythes, But rather wolde he yeven, out of doute, Un-to his povre parisshens aboute Of his offring, and eek of his substaunce. He coude in litel thing han suffisaunce. Wyd was his parisshe, and houses fer a- sonder,
But he ne lafte nat, for reyn ne thonder, In siknes nor in meschief, to visyte The ferreste in his parisshe, muche and lyte,
Up-on his feet, and in his hand a staf. This noble ensample to his sheep he yaf, That first he wroghte, and afterward he taughte;
Out of the gospel he tho wordes caughte; And this figure he added eek ther-to, That if gold ruste, what shal iren do? For if a preest be foul, on whom we truste, No wonder is a lewed man to ruste; And shame it is, if a preest take keep, A shiten shepherde and a clene sheep. Wel oghte a preest ensample for to yive, By his clennesse, how that his sheep shold live.
He sette nat his benefice to hyre, And leet his sheep encombred in the myre, And ran to London, un-to sëynt Poules, To seken him a chaunterie for soules, Or with a bretherhed to been withholde; But dwelte at hoom, and kepte wel his folde,
So that the wolf ne made it nat miscarie; He was a shepherde and no mercenarie. And though he holy were, and vertuous, He was to sinful man nat despitous, Ne of his speche daungerous ne digne, But in his teching discreet and benigne. 520 To drawen folk to heven by fairnesse By good ensample, was his bisinesse : But it were any persone obstinat, What-so he were, of heigh or lowe estat, Him wolde he snibben sharply for the nones. A bettre preest, I trowe that nowher noon is.
He wayted after no pompe and reverence, Ne maked him a spyced conscience, But Cristes lore, and his apostles twelve, He taughte, and first he folwed it him- selve.
With him ther was a PLOWMAN, was his
That hadde y-lad of dong ful many a fother,
A trewe swinker and a good was he, Livinge in pees and parfit charitee.
God loved he best with al his hole herte At alle tymes, thogh him gamed or smerte, And thanne his neighebour right as him- selve.
He woldo thresshe, and ther-to dyke and delve,
For Cristes sake, for every povre wight, Withouten hyre, if it lay in his might. 540 His tythes payed he ful faire and wel, Bothe of his propre swink and his catel. In a tabard he rood upon a mere.
Ther was also a Reve and a Millere, A Somnour and a Pardoner also, A Maunciple, and my-self; ther were namo. The MILLER was a stout carl, for the
Ther nas no dore that he nolde heve of harre,
Or breke it, at a renning, with his heed. His berd as any sowe or fox was reed, And ther-to brood, as though it were a spade. Up-on the cop right of his nose he hade A werte, and ther-on stood a tuft of heres, Reed as the bristles of a sowes eres; His nose-thirles blake were and wyde. A swerd and bokeler bar he by his syde; 560 His mouth as greet was as a greet forneys. He was a Ianglere and a goliardeys, And that was most of sinne and harlotryes. Wel coude he stelen corn, and tollen thryes; And yet he hadde a thombe of gold, pardee. A whyt cote and a blew hood wered he. A baggepype wel coude he blowe and sowne, And ther-with-al he broghte us out of towne.
A gentil MAUNCIPLE was ther of a temple, Of which achatours mighte take exemple For to be wyse in bying of vitaille. For whether that he payde, or took by taille,
Algate he wayted so in his achat,
That he was ay biforn and in good stat. Now is nat that of God a ful fair grace, That swich a lewed mannes wit shal pace
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