A FRANKELEYN was in his companye;
Whyt was his berd, as is the dayesye.
Of his complexioun he was sangwyn.1
Wel loved he by the morwes a sop in
wyn.6
To liven in delyt was ever his wone,?
For he was Epicurus owne sone,
That heeld opinioun that pleyn delyts
Was verraily felicitee parfyt.
An housholdere, and that a greet, was he;
Seynt Iulian he was in his contree.
His breed, his ale, was alwey after oon;9
A bettre envyned10 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.346
After the sondry sesons of the yeer,
So chaunged he his mete and his soper.
Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in
And many a breem12 and many a luce13 in stewe.14
Wo was his cook, but-if his sauce were
Poynaunt and sharp, and redy al his gere.
His table dormant15 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 anlas16 and a gipser1 al of silk
Heng at his girdel, whyt as morne milk.
A shirreve hadde he been, and a countour;18
Was no-wher such a worthy vavasour.19 360
An HABERDASSHER and a CARPENTER,
A WEBBE,20 a DYERE, and a TAPICER,21
Were with us eek, clothed in o22 liveree,
Of a solempne and greet fraternitee.
Ful fresh and newe hir gere apyked23 was;
Hir knyves were y-chaped24 noght with
bras,
10 stored with wine. 13 pike.
14 fish-pond. 15 permanent side table. 16 short dagger.
19 landed gentleman. 22 one.
But al with silver, wroght ful clene and weel,
fyve, Withouten other companye in youthe; But therof nedeth nat to speke as nouthe. 19 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 467 Gat-tothed 20 was she, soothly for to seye. Up-on an amblere esily she sat, Y-wimpled21 wel, and on hir heed an hat 470 As brood as is a bokeler or a targe; A foot-mantel 22 aboute hir hipes large, And on hir feet a paire of spores sharpe. In felaweschip wel coude she laughe and carpe. 23
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 PERSOUN24 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;
And swich he was y-preved25 ofte sythes.26 Ful looth were him to cursen for his tythes,
2 position of the moon. watched for his patient's favorable star. On the five following lines consult the notes. 7 remedy. 8 remedies. • temperate. 11 blue cloth. 12 thin silk. 13 expenditure.
• root, origin. 10 red cloth.
15 skill. 16 head-dresses. 19 at present. 20 with teeth far apart. 21 her head well covered with a wimple. 22 cloth to protect the skirt. 24 parish priest.
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 lewed1 man to ruste;
And shame it is, if a preest take keep,5
A [spotted] shepherde and a clene sheep.
Wel oghte a preest ensample for to yive,505
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,515
He was to sinful man nat despitous,"
Ne of his speche daungerous ne digne,
But in his teching discreet and benigne.
To drawen folk to heven by fairnesse
By good ensample, this was his bisinesse:
But it were any persone obstinat,
What so he were, of heigh or lowe estat, Him wolde he snibben10 sharply for the
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 cop27 right of his nose he hade
A werte, and ther-on stood a tuft of heres,
Reed as the bristles of a sowes eres; 556
His nose-thirles28 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 Ianglere29 and a goliardeys,30
And that was most of sinne and harlotryes.
Wel coude he stelen corn, and tollen
thryes;
And yet he hadde a thombe of gold,
A whyt cote and a blew hood wered he.
The yelding of his seed, and of his greyn.
His lordes sheep, his neet, his dayerye,
His swyn, his hors, his stoor,12 and his
pultrye,
Was hoolly in this reves governing,
And by his covenaunt yaf the rekening,600
Sin that his lord was twenty yeer of age;
Ther coude no man bringe him in arrerage.
Ther nas baillif, ne herde, ne other hyne,13
That he ne knew his sleighte1 and his
covyne; 15
604
1 caterers. 2 on credit. always. took precautions.
5 buying. • ignorant.
7 free from debt.
over-reached them all. 10 granary.
13 servant.
In youthe he lerned hadde a good mister;18
He was a wel good wrighte, a carpenter.
This reve sat up-on a ful good stot,19
That was al pomely20 grey, and highte Scot.
A long surcote of pers21 up-on he hade,
And by his syde he bar a rusty blade.
Of Northfolk was this reve, of which I telle,
Bisyde a toun men clepen Baldeswelle.620
Tukked22 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,
Thanne hadde he spent al his philosophye;
Ay "Questio quid iuris" wolde he crye. 646
He was a gentil harlot 25 and a kynde;
A bettre felawe sholde men noght fynde.
He wolde suffre for a quart of wyn
A good felawe to have his [wikked sin] 650
A-twelf-month, and excuse him atte fulle:
And prively a finch eek coude he pulle.
And if he fond owher26 a good felawe,
He wolde techen him to have non awe,
24 "test him in any other point," 26 anywhere.
And also war him3 of a significavit.
In daunger hadde he at his owne gyse
The yonge girles of the diocyse,
And knew hir counseil, and was al hir reed.7 665
A gerland hadde he set up-on his heed,
As greet as it were for an ale-stake;
A bokeler hadde he maad him of a cake.
With him ther rood a gentil PARDONER Of Rouncival, his freend and his compeer, That streight was comen fro the court of Rome. 671
Ful loude he song, "Com hider, love, to
This somnour bar to him a stif burdoun, Was never trompe of half so greet a soun. This pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wex, But smothe it heng, as doth a strikes of flex; 676 By ounces henge his lokkes that he hadde, And ther-with he his shuldres overspradde;
But thinne it lay, by colpons10 oon and
But hood, for Iolitee, ne wered he noon,680
For it was trussed up in his walet.
Him thoughte," he rood al of the newe
Iet;12
Dischevele, save his cappe, he rood al bare.
Swiche glaringe eyen hadde he as an hare.
A vernicle hadde he sowed on his cappe.685
His walet lay biforn him in his lappe,
Bret-ful13 of pardoun come from Rome al
hoot.
A voys he hadde as smal as hath a goot.
No berd hadde he, ne never sholde have,
As smothe it was as it were late
y-shave;
Which that, he seyde, was our lady veyl:16 He seyde, he hadde a gobet1 of the seyl 696 That seynt Peter hadde, whan that he wente
Up-on the see, til Iesu Crist him hente.18
He hadde a croys of latoun,19 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 lond, 20
Up-on a day he gat him more moneye
Than that the person got in monthes
tweye.
And thus with feyned flaterye and Iapes,21
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 alderbest 22 he song an offertorie;
For wel he wiste, whan that song was
songe,
He moste preche, and wel affyle23 his tonge, To winne silver, as he ful wel coude; Therefore he song so meriely and loude. Now have I told you shortly, in a clause, Thestat,24 tharray, the nombre, and eek the cause
716 Why that assembled was this companye 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, 725
That ye narette25 it nat my vileinye,25
Thogh that I pleynly speke in this matere,
To telle yow hir wordes and hir chere,26
Ne thogh I speke hir wordes properly.27
For this ye knowen al-so wel as I,
Who-so shal telle a tale after a man,
He moot reherce, as ny as ever he can,
Everich a28 word, if it be in his charge,
Al speke he29 never so rudeliche and large;3
Or elles he moot telle his tale untrewe, 735
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.
17 piece. 18 took.
16 the Virgin Mary's veil. 19 brass.
20 in the country. 23 sharpen.
24 the estate. 20 behavior.
23 every.
30 freely.
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