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500

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,

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Ful big he was of braun, and eek of bones; And leet his sheep encombred in the That proved wel, for over-al ther he cam,

myre,

510

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,7
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

nones.

521

A bettre preest I trowe that nowher noon is.

He wayted after no pompe and reverence, Ne maked him a spyced11 conscience, 526 But Cristes lore, and his apostles twelve, He taughte, and first he folwed it himselve.

1 ceased not.

ignorant.

' merciless.

10 reprove,

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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,30 560
And that was most of sinne and harlotryes.
Wel coude he stelen corn, and tollen
thryes;

And yet he hadde a thombe of gold,

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21 bailiff.

pay attention to it.

• confined.

23 steward of a college.

⚫ scornful.

25 a sturdy fellow.

27 top.

28 nostrils.

8 disdainful.

11 over-scrupulous,

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19

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," 615
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,

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*

Wel loved he garleek, oynons, and eek lekes,

And for to drynken strong wyn, reed as blood. 635

Thanne wolde he speke, and crye as he were wood.

And whan that he wel dronken hadde the wyn,

Than wolde he speke no word but Latyn.
A fewe termes hadde he, two or three,
That he had lerned out of som decree; 640
No wonder is, he herde it al the day;
And eek ye knowen wel, how that a lay
Can clepen "Watte,"23 as well as can the

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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 me."

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 over

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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;

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690

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Which that, he seyde, was our lady veyl:16 He seyde, he hadde a gobet17 of the seyl 696 That seynt Peter hadde, whan that he

wente

700

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.

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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.

25

720

26

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,2
Thogh that I pleynly speke in this matere,
To telle yow hir wordes and hir chere,2
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;"
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.

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730

735

24 the estate.

26 behavior.

28 every.

30 freely.

Crist spak him-self ful brode in holy writ, Hold up your hond, withoute more speche."
And wel ye woot, no vileinye is it.
Our counseil was nat longe for to seche;
Us thoughte it was noght worth to make it

740

Eek Plato seith, who-so that can him rede,
The wordes mote be cosin to the dede.
Also I prey yow to foryeve it me,
Al have I nat set folk in hir degree1
Here in this tale, as that they sholde
stonde;

745

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And of a mirthe, I am right now bithoght,
To doon yow ese, and it shal coste noght.
Ye goon to Caunterbury; God yow
spede,

The blisful martir quyte yow your mede.9
And wel I woot, as ye goon by the weye,771
Ye shapen yow to talen10 and to pleye;
For trewely, confort ne mirthe is noon
To ryde by the weye doumb as a stoon;
And therfore wol I maken yow disport, 775
As I seyde erst, and doon yow som confort.
And if yow lyketh alle, by oon assent,
Now for to stonden at my Iugement,
And for to werken as I shal yow seye,
To-morwe, whan ye ryden by the weye,780
Now, by my fader soule, that is deed,
But ye be merye, I wol yeve yow myn
heed.

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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 your weye, 13

790

In this viage, shal telle tales tweye,
To Caunterbury-ward, I mene it so,
And hom-ward he shal tellen othere two,
Of aventures that whylom14 han bifalle.795
And which of yow that bereth him best of
alle,

That is to seyn, that telleth in this cas
Tales of best sentence15 and most solas,16
Shal han a soper at our aller cost17
Here in this place, sitting by this post, 800
Whan that we come agayn fro Caunter-
bury.

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 withseye 805
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 shape me18 therfore."

18

This thing was graunted, and our othes

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815

19

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 devys,
In heigh and lowe; and thus, by oon assent,
We been acorded to his Iugement.
And ther-up-on the wyn was fet20 anon;
We dronken, and to reste wente echon, 820
With-outen any lenger taryinge.

A-morwe, whan that day bigan to springe,

Up roos our host, and was our aller cok,21 And gadrede us togidre, alle in a flok,

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THE NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE Here biginneth the Nonne Preestes Tale of the Cok and Hen, Chauntecleer and Pertelote.

A povre widwe somdel stope17 in age, Was whylom dwelling in a narwe cotage, Bisyde a grove, stondyng in a dale. This widwe, of which I telle yow my tale, Sin thilke 18 day that she was last a wyf, In pacience ladde a ful simple lyf, For litel was hir catel19 and hir rente;20 By housbondrye, of such as God hir sente, She fond21 hir-self, and eek hir doghtren

two.

5

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