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And he had been somtyme in chivachye,"
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
Iuste1 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-heed21 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,

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3 spotted. • 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.

Ther was also a Nonne, a PRIORESSE, That of hir smyling was ful simple and coy;

119

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

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And eek his face, as he had been anoint.
He was a lord ful fat and in good point;15
His eyen stepe,16 and rollinge in his heed,
That stemed17 as a forneys of a leed;18
His botes souple, his hors in greet estat.
Now certeinly he was a fair prelat;
He was nat pale as a for-pyned19 goost. 205
A fat swan loved he best of any roost.
His palfrey was as broun as is a berye.
A FRERE there was, a wantown and a
merye,

A limitour, 20 a ful solempne21 man.

In alle the ordres foure is noon that can22

And, whan he rood, men mighte his brydel So moche of daliaunce and fair langage.211

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This ilke monk leet olde thinges pace,"
And held after the newe world the space.
He yaf3 nat of that text a pulled hen,
That seith, that hunters been nat holy
men;

180

Ne that a monk, whan he is cloisterlees,
Is lykned til a fish that is waterlees;
This is to seyn, a monk out of his cloistre.
But thilke text held he nat worth an oistre.
And I seyde, his opinioun was good.
What sholde he studie, and make him-
selven wood,9

Upon a book in cloistre alwey to poure, 185
Or swinken 10 with his handes, and laboure,
As Austin bit? How shal the world be
served?

Lat Austin have his swink to him reserved. Therfore he was a pricasour11 aright; Grehoundes he hadde, as swifte as fowel in flight;

190

Of priking12 and of hunting for the hare Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare. I seigh his sleves purfiled13 at the hond With grys, 14 and that the fyneste of a lond;

And, for to festne his hood under his chin,

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7 go.

11 hard rider.

23 country gentlemen. 25 give.

14

gray fur.

28 a sort of fiddle.

16 glittering.

21 important.

240

17 glowed. 19 wasted away.

24 licensed to hear confessions.

28 boast.

22 knows.

27 stuffed.

29 songs.

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For sothe he was a worthy man with-alle, But sooth to seyn, I noot18 how men him calle.

A CLERK ther was of Oxenford also, 285
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;
But loked holwe, and ther-to soberly.
Ful thredbar was his overest courtepy;19290
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,20 or gay sau-
trye.21

But al be that he was a philosophre,
Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre;

295

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310

A SERGEANT OF THE LAWE, war26 and wys, That often hadde been at the parvys,2 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;315 For28 his science, and for his heigh renoun, Of fees and robes hadde he many oon. So greet a purchasour29 was nowher noon. Al was fee simple to him in effect, His purchasing mighte nat been infect. 320 Nowher so bisy a man as he ther nas, And yet he semed bisier than he was. In termes hadde he caas30 and domes31 alle, That from the tyme of king William were falle.

3 leper. • profit.

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4 beggar woman. poor people.

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11 regular income.

22 get.

13 guarded.

26 conducing to.

15 employed.

28 because of.

the beginning of the Latin Gospel of St. John.

10 proceeds of his begging.

12 tending towards.

14 shields, French coins.

16 management.

17 dealings.

24 meaning.

27 church-porch. 30 cases.

20 fiddle. 21 psaltery.

23 "with propriety and modesty."

26 cautious.

29 conveyancer.

31 judgments.

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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.6

To liven in delyt was ever his wone,7
For he was Epicurus owne sone,
That heeld opinioun that pleyn delyts
Was verraily felicitee parfyt.

335

340

.9

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 envyned1o 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
mewe,11

And many a breem12 and many a luce13 in stewe.1

14

350

355

Wo was his cook, but-if his sauce were
Poynaunt and sharp, and redy al his gere.
His table dormant 15 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 gipser17 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,

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3 girdle. 7 custom. 10 stored with wine. 13 pike.

15 permanent side table. 16 short dagger.

18 auditor.

21 upholsterer.

19 landed gentleman.

22 one.

24 capped.

But al with silver, wroght ful clene and weel,

370

Hir girdles and hir pouches every-deel.
Wel semed ech of hem a fair burgeys,
To sitten in a yeldhalle25 on a deys.
Everich, for the wisdom that he can,
Was shaply for to been an alderman.
For catel26 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.

375

A Cook they hadde with hem for the nones,2

27

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fyve,

460

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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.

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-mantel22 aboute hir hipes large,
And on hir feet a paire of spores sharpe.
In felaweschip wel coude she laughe and
carpe. 23

474

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;

480

484

And swich he was y-preved25 ofte sythes.26 Ful looth were him to cursen for his tythes,

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