Ad1 · London, British Library, Additional MS 5140
Canterbury Tales Project.
talesofcanterbury.org/GP/xml/transcripts/Ad1/
[1r]
Prologue
WHan that Aprylle / wyth hys showres soote The drowhte of Marche / hath ꝑpercede to the rote
And bathed euery veyne / in suche licour
Of whiche vertu / gendred is the flour
Whan zepherus eek / wᵗith his swete breth
Inspired hath / eủery holt and heth
The tendre croppys / and the yong sonne
Hath in the Ram / half cours y ronne
And smale fowles / maketh melodye
That slepyn all the nyght / wᵗith opyn eye
So prykketh hem nature / in here corages
Than longen folke / to gon̄ in pylgrimages
And palmers for to seken / straıı̄unge strondes
To fern halwes couthe in many londys
And specially / fro euery sheris ende
Of englonde / to Cantirbury they wynde
The holy blisfull martir / for to seke
That hem hath holpen / whan they were sieke
Be fell in that sesoıı̄un/ on a day
In southwerke at the tabbarde / as I lay
Redy to wende in my pilgrymage
To Cantirbury wᵗith ful devout corage
That nyght were com / in to that hostelery
Wel .ix and xxᵗⁱ. / in on company
Of sondry folke / by aventure fall
In felawshepe / and pylgrymes were they all
That towarde Cantirbury / wolde they ryde
The Chambres / and the stables were wyde
And wel we werne esed at the beste
And shortly / whanne the son was gon to Reste
So hadde I spokyn / wᵗith hem euerychon
That I was / of her felashepe a noon
And made forwarde / erly forto a ryse
To take our way / ther as y you devyse
But natheles / whil I haue tyme and space
Er that ferther / in this tale pace
Me thynkyth / it accordith on to reasoun
To telle yow / of alle here condicioun .
Of eche of hem / as it semed me .
And whiche they were / and of what degre .
And eke what array / they were Inne .
And at a knyght / than wol I first begynne .
A knyght ther was / and that a worthy man .
That fro the tyme / that he first began .
To rydyn out / he loved cheualrye .
Trewthe and honoʳur / fredom and curtesye .
Well worthy was he / in his lordis werre .
And ther hadde ryden̄ / no man so ferre .
As wel in cristyndom / as in hethnesse .
And euyr honowred / for his worthynesse .
At Alisaundir he was / whan it was wonne .
Ful oft he hadde / the boorde begonne .
A bouen al nacions / in pruce .
In lettowe hadde he rersed / and in Ruce .
No cristen̄ man / so oft of his degre .
In gernade at the sege / eek hadde he be .
Off algizir / and riden in belmarie .
At lyeyes was he / and at Satalye .
Whan they were wonne / and in the grete se .
At many a noble / arme hadde he be .
At mortel batayles / hadde he befyftene .
And fowhten / for our feythe at Tramissene .
In lyhstys thries / and ay slayn his foo .
This ilke worthi knyght / hadde ben also .
Somtyme wᵗith the lorde / of palatye .
A yen a nothir hethene / in Turkye .
And evirmore / he hadde a souereyn prys .
And therto eek / he worthy was and wys .
And of his port / as meke as any maide .
He nevir yit no vylanye ne saide .
In al his lyve / vnto no maner wyght .
He was a verray ꝑperfyht gentyl knyht
But for to telle you / of his array
Prologue
His hors was good / but he ne was nat gay
Of fustian / he werid a gypoun̄
All besmotered / wᵗith his haberioun
For he was late / come fro his viage
And went for to don / his pilgrymage
Wyth hym ther was / his son a yong Sqwyer
Sqyer
A loueer / and a lusty bacheler
Wyth lockes crul. / as they wer leyd in presse
He twenty yer of age / was as I gesse
Off his stature / he was of evene lenghe
And wondirly delyuyr / and grete of strengthe
And he hadde be / somtyme in chyvalrye
In Flaundres . artois . and in Pykardye
And borne him well / as of so lytel space.
In hope to stondyn / in his lady grace
Embroyded was he / as it were a mede
Al ful of freysh flowres / white and reede
Syngyng he was / and floytyng al the day .
He was as freysh / as the moneth of may
Short was his gowne / wᵗith slevys long and wyde
Wel coude he sitt on hors / and faire ryde
He coude songis make / and wel endyte
Iuste and daunce / and wel portrey and wryte
So hoot he louede / that be nyhterdale
He slepe no more / than doth de nyhtyngale
Curteys he was / lovely and seruysable
And craf be forne his Fader / at the table
A yoman he hadde / and ʆseruauntꝭes no moo
At that tyme / for hym lyst ryde so
: yom̄an
And he was clad / in cote and hood grene
A sheff of pokok arwes / bryght and shene
Vndir his belte he bare well thryftely
Well cowde he dresse / his takyl yomanly
His arwes drouped nowht / wᵗith fetheres lowe
And in his hond . he bar / a myhty bowe
A not hed he d hadde / wᵗith a browne visage
Of wode craft / wel coude he all the vsage
Vp on his arme / he bare a gay bracer
And be his side / a swerde and a bokeler
And on that othir side / a gay daggere
Harneysed wel / and sharp as poynt of spere
A crystofir on his brest / of seluyr shene
An horne he bare / the bawdryk was of grene
A Foster was he / sothly as I gesse .
THer was also / a nonne a pryoresse
Nonne
That of here smylyng / was wol symple and coy
Hir grettest oth . / was but by seynt loy
And she was clepid / madame Eglentyne
Full wel she song / the ʆseruice diuine
Entewned in her nose / ful swetely .
And frenshe she spake / wol fair and fetisly
After the scole / of Stratforde at bowe
For frenshe of paris / was to here vnknowe
At mete wel I tawht / was she wᵗith all
She let / no mussell / from hir lyppes fall
Ne wete here fyngres / in hir sauce depe
Wel coude she carye / a morsel and wel kepe
That no drope / falle on here brest
In curtesye was set / wel moche here list
Her ovyr lyppe / wyped she so clene /
That in her cuppe / ther was no ferthyng sene
Of grece / whan she hadde dronke her drawht
Wol semely / aftir her mete she rawht
And sikerly / she was of grete disport
And wel pleasaunt / and amyable of port
And peyned here / to conterfete chere
Off coort / and to be estatlych of manere .
And to be holden / digne of reuerence
Prologus
But for to speke / of her conscience
She was so charitable / and pytous
She wolde wepe / and she sey a movs
Cawht in a trappe / if it were deed or bledde
Off smale houndes / hadde she that she fedde
Wyth Rosted flesh / or mylke or wastylbred .
But sore wept she / yf any of hem were ded
Or if men smyte it / wᵗith a yerde smert
And all was conscience / and tendre hert
Wol semely / here wymple pynched was
Here nose streyht / her eyen grey as glas
Here mouth small / and therto soft and reed
But sekerly / she hadde a fayr forhed
It was all most a spanne brod I trowe
For hardely / she was not vndir growe
Wel fetys was here cloke / as I was warre
Of smal coral / a boute her arme she barre
A peyre of bedis / gavded al wᵗith grene
And theron heng / a broche of golde ful shene
On whiche therwas / first writen a crowned . A .
And aftir / Amor vincit omnia /
A nother nonne also / wᵗith her hadde she
That was her chapeleyn / and prestis . thre
A Monke ther was / a fair for the Maistre
An out ridere / that loved venerye
Monke .
A manly man / to ben an Abbot able
Ful many a deynte hors / hadde he in his stable
And whan he roode / men myht his bridell her
Gynglyng in a whistlyng wynde as clere
And eek as lowde / as doth the chapell belle
Ther as this lorde / was keper of the selle
The rewle of seynt Mavr / othir of seynt benyt
Be causet it was olde / and somdel streyht
This ilk monke / let old thynges pace
And held / aftir the newe worlde the trace .
He yaf not of the tixt / a pulled henne
That seyth that hunters / beth nat holy menne
Not that a monk / whanne he is recheles
Ne likned to a fyssh / that is waterles
This is to seyne . a monke out of his cloistre
But thilk tyxt / held he nat worth an oistre
And I saide / his opynyon was good
What shulde he studye / and make him self wood
Vp on a bok in cloistre / al day to povre
And swynke / wᵗith his handes and labour
As Austyn bit / how shulde the worlde be ʆserued
Lat Austyn haue his swynk / to him reʆserued
Therfor he was / a pⁱrikasowre a ryht
Grehoundes he hadde / / as swyft as foul in flyht
Of prykyng and of hontyng for the hare
Was all his lust / for no cost wolde he spare
I saw his slevis / purfilid at the hond
Wyth grys / and that the fynest of a lond
And for to fastyn / his hood vnder the chyn
He hadde of golde / wrowht a wol coryows pyn
A love knotte in the grettere ther was
His hed was balled / that shon as any glas
And eek his face / as he hadde ben anoynt
He was a lorde / wel fat / and in good poynt
His eyen stepe / and rollyng in his hed
That stremed / as a forneys of a leed
His botys souple / his hors in gret astat
Nowe certenly / he was a faire prelat
He was nat pale / as a for pyned gost
A fat swanne loved he best / of any rost .
His palfrey was as brown / as any bery .
A Frere ther was / a wanton an amery
Frere
A lymytour / a wol solempne man
In all the ordres foure / is noon that kan
So mechel of dalyance / and faire language
Prologus
He hadde made / wol mony a maryage
Of yong women / at his owne cost
Vnto his ordre / he was a noble post
And wel I loved / and famylyarye was he
Wyth frankeleyns / over al in his contre
And worthy women / of the townne
For he hadde power / of confession
As seide him self / more thanne a curat
For of his ordre / he was lycencyat
Wel swetely was herd he confession
And plesaunt was / his absolucion
He was an esy man / to yeve penaunce
Ther he wyst / to haue a good pytaunce
For vnto a pore ordre for to yeue
Is signe that a man / is wel I shreve
For yf he yeue / he durst make avaunt
He wyst that a man / was repentaunt
For many a man / so hard is of his herte
He may nat wepe / thawe he sore smert
And therfore in stede / of wepyng and pᵃrayeris
Men mote yeue silver / to the pore freres
His typet was ay farsed ful of knyves
And pynnes for to yeve faire wyves
And certaynely / he hadde a mery noote
Wel cowde he synge / and pley at the roote
Off yeddynges / he bare vttirly the pris
His necke whit was / as the floure delys
Therto he strong was / as a champion
He knewe the tavernys / wel in eủery toun
And eủery hosteler / and tapstre
Bet than a laȝeer / or a begstre
For vnto suche / a worthy man as he
Accordyth nat / as be his faculte
To haue wᵗith syke / laȝeris acqueyntaunce
It is nat honest / it may not avaunce .
For to delyn / wyth no such Porayle
But al wᵗith ryche / and seleres of vytayle
And ovirall ther / as profit shulde a ryse
Curteys he was / and lovelyche of seruyse
Ther was no man / nowher so vertuous
He was the best / begger of his hows
For thow a wydwe / hadde but a sho
So plesaunt / was his Inprincipio
Yeet wolde he haue a ferthyng er than he wente
His purchas was wel better than his rente
And rage he cowde / ryght as it were a whelp
In love dayes there / kovde he mechel help
For ther he was / nat lyk a cloisterer
Wyth thredbare coope / as is a pore skoler
But he was a maister or a pope
Off dowble worstede / was his semy cope
That was rownded as a belle / out of the presse
Somwhat he lypsed / for his wantounesse
To maken his englysh swete / vpon his tong.
And in his harpyng / whan he hadde song
His eyen twynkelid / in his hed a ryht
As doth the sterres / in the frosty nyht
This worthi lymytour / was cleped hoberd
A Marchaunt was ther / wᵗith a forked berd .
Marchaunt
In motle / and hie on hors he sat
Vp on his hedde / a flaundersh beuer hat
His botys clapsed / faire and fetysly
His resoıı̄uns he spake / ful solempnely
Sownyng al wey / thencrees of his wynnyng
He wold the se / were kept for any thyng
Bi twix middel borwhe / and orewelle
Wel coude he in eschawyng sheedys selle
This worthy man / ful wel his wyt beset
Ther woste no wyht / that he was in Det .
So estatlych was he / of his gouernaunce
Prologus
Wyth his bargayns / and wᵗith his chevesaunce
Forsothe he was / a worthi man wᵗith. all
But soth for to telle / I not howe men him call
A Clerk ther was / of Oxynforde also
Clerk
That vnto logyk / hadde long I go
As leene as was his hors / as is a rake
And he was nat ryht fat / I vndirtake
But loked holowe / and therto sobirly.
Wol thredbare was / his ovirmest courtepye
For he ne hadde get him / yet no benefys
Ne was so wordlych / for to haue offys
For hym was levir to haue / at his beddis hedde
Twenty bokes / clad in blak and reed
Off Aristotele / and his philosophir
Than robys ryche / other fethele other Sawterye
But all by that / he was a philisophre
Yet hadde he / but lytell golde in cofre
But all that he myht / of his frendys hente
On bokes and on lernyng / he it spente
And besili gan / for the sowles preye
Of hem that yaf / wherwyth to scoleye
Off studye tok he / most cure and heed
Nowt on word spake he / more than was nede
And that was seid / in foorme and reuerence
And short and quyk / and ful of hye sentence
Sownyng in mortall / v̉ertu was his speche
And gladly wold he lerne / and gladly teche
A Seriaunt of the lawe / war and wys
Seriaunt of lawe
That oft hadde I be / at the parvys
He was also / wol ryche of excellense
Discret he was / and of grete reuerenee
He semed suche / his wordys were so wyse
Iustice he was often / in assice
By patēnt / and by pleyn commission
For his science / and his hyh renoun
Off feeis and roobis / hadde he many oon
So grete a purchasur / was nowher noon
Al was fee symple / to him in effect
His purchasyng / myht nat be infect
Nowher so besy a man as he / ther nas
And yit he seemed besiere / that he was
In termis hadde he cas / and domys alle
That fro the tyme of kyng william wer falle
Therto he cowde endyte / and make a thyng
Ther cowde no wyht / pynche at his wrytyng
And eủery statute / cowde he pleyn be roote
He rood but homly / in a medly coote
But wᵗith a seynt of silke wᵗith. barres smale
Off his array / telle I no lenger tale
A Frankelyn / was in his companye
Frankelyn
Whit was his berd / as is the dayeseye
Off his complexion / he was sangweyn
Weel loved he bi the morowe / a soppe in wyn
To levyn in delit / was euer his wone
For he was Epicurus / owne sone
That helde opynyon / that pleyn delit
Was verray felycyte / ꝑperfyt
An housholdere and that a grete was he
Seynt Iulian / he was clepid in his contre
His breed his Ale / was alwey aftir oon
A bettir envyned man / was nowher noon
Wyth out bake mete / was neuyr his house
Of fysh of flessh / and that so plentevous
It sewed in his hous / of mete and drynke
Of all deyntee / that men cowde thynke
Aftir the sondry sesons / of the yeer
So chaunged he his mete / and his sopeer
Wel many a fat ꝑpertryche / had he in mewe
Prologꝰus
And many a breme / and many a luce in stewe
Woo was his cook / but if his sauce were
Poynaunt and reedy / al his other gere
His table dormant / in his halle alway
Stood reedy keveryd / al the longe day
At sessioıı̄uns / ther was he lorde and sire
Weel oftyn tyme / he was knyght of the shire
An anlas and a gipser / al of sylke
Heng at his girdell / whit as morowe mylke
A shereve had he be / and a comptour
Was nowher such / a worthy vavasour
AN habirdassher / and a Carpynteer
A Webber a dyere / and a tapyster
habirdassher
And they were clothed / all in oon lyvere
carpynteer
Of a solempne / and a grete fraternyte
webber . dyere
Ful freyssh and newe / here geer pyked was
tapyster
Her knyves were nat / chaped wᵗith bras
But all wᵗith siluer / wrowht ful clene and wel
Here girdelys / and here powches everydell
Wel seemed ech of hem / a fayr burgeys
To sitten in a yelde halle / or at the deys
Eueryche of the wysdam that he can
Was shaply for to be / a aldirman
For catell hadde they I nowe / and rente
And eek her wyves / wolde it wel assente
Or ellys certayn / they were moche to blame
It is wel fair / to be clepid madame
And for to gon to vigiliis / al before
And haue a mantyl / ryally I bore
A Cook they hadde wᵗith hem / for the nonys
To boile the chekenys / wᵗith the mary bonys
cook
And poudre marchaunt / tart and galyngale
Wel coude he knowe / a drauht of london ale
He coude rost and seth / boyle and frye
Make mortrows / and wel bake a pye.
But grete harme was it / as thouht me
That on his shene / a mormale had he
For blanmager / maad he wᵗith the beste
A Shipman was ther / wonnyng ferre bi weste
Shipman
For out I wot he was / of dertemouthe
He rood vppon a rontyn / as he couthe
In a gowne of faldyng to the kne
A daggere hangyng / by a lace had he
A bowten̄ his necke / vndir his arm don
The hote somer / had mad his hew ful bron
And certenly / he was a good felawe
Wol many drawht of wyn / hadde he drawe
Fro Burdeus warde / whill A the shipman sleep
If that he fauht and hadde the heyere hond
Be water he sent hem hom / bi every lond
But of his craftes / to relnen wel his tydes
His stremes and his daıı̄ungeres / ther besides
His heborh and his mone / and his loodmanage
Thes was noon such / fro hull to Cartage
Hardy he was / and wys to vndirtake
Wyth many a tempest hath his berd be shake
He knew all the havenys / as they were
Fro scottlonde / to the cape of fynestre
And eủery creek / in bretayne and in spayne
His barge was clepid / the Magdaleyne
Wyth vs ther was also / a doctour of phisik
doctoʳur of physik
In all this world / was ther noon him lyk
To speke of phisik / and of surgerye
For he was grownded / in astronomye
He kept his pacyent / a wel gret del
In houris bi his magik / naturel
Wel coude he / the fortune accident
Of his ymages / for his pacient
He knewe the cause / of every maladye
Were it of hoot cold / moyst or drye
And were engendred / of what humour
He was a verray / Parfit practisour
The cause he knew / and of his harm the roote
Prologꝰus
A noon he yaf the syke man / his boote
Wel redy reedy hadde he / appotecariis
to sende hym dragmys of his letuariis
For eche of hem / maketh other for to wynne
Here frendshepe / was nat newe to bigynne
Weel knew he tholde / Esculapius
And diascorides / and eke Rufus
Olde ypocras / haly / and Galien
Serapion / Razis / and Auyzen
Auerois / Damascien / and Constantyn
Bernard / and Gatisden / and Gelbertyn
Of his dyet / meserable was he
For it was / of noon suꝑperfluite
But of grete norshyng / and digestible
His study was but litell / on the bybill
In sangvyne and in perce / he clad was al
Lyved wᵗith taffata / and wᵗith sendal
And yet he was but esye / of dispense
He kept that he wan / in the pestelense
For gold in phisik / is a cordyal
Ther he loved gold in special .
A Good wyf was ther / of besyde Bathe
Wyf of Bathe
But she was somdel def / and that was skathe
Of cloth makyng / she hadde such an haunt
She passed hem of ypris and of gamt
In all the paryssh / ne was ther wyf noon
That to thoffryng / before here shuld goon
And if ther dede / certeyn so worth was she
That she was out / of all charyte
Here keuercheues / wel fyne were of groıı̄unde
I durste seyn they weyed / ten pounde
That on a sonday were on hir heede
Here hosyn / were of fyne skarlet reed
Wel streyht y teyd / and shoes good and newe
Boolde was her face / and fair and reed was here hewe .
She was a worthi woman / all here lyve
Husbondes at the chirche dore / she hadde had fyve
Wythoute othir companye / in youthe
But therof nedeth nowt / to speke as nouthe
And thryes hadde ben / at Ierusalem
She hadde passed / many a strong strem
At Rome she hadde be / and at Boleyne
In Galis / at seint Ianys and at coleyne
She cowde moche / of wandryng bi the weye
Cat tothed was she / sothly for to seye
Vp on an amblere / esely she sat
Wel I wympeled / and on here hed an hat
As brood as is a bokeler / or a targe
A foot mantyl / aboute here hepys large
And on here feet / a peire spores sharpe
In felawshepe wel cowde she / lawhe and carpe
Of remedies of love / she knewe ꝑperchaunce
For she cowde of that art / tholde daunce
A Good man was ther / of religion
Person
And was a pore ꝑperson of a toun
But Riche he was / of holy thouht and werk
He was also / a lerned men a clerk
That cristys gospell / treuly wold preche
His paryshenys / devoutly wold he teche
Benygne / he was / and wondir diligent
And in aduersite / wol pacyent
And suche he was p̉erved / oft sythes
For sothe he was / to cursen for his tythes
But rather wold he yeven / out of dowte
Vnto his pore paryshonys / a boute
Of his offryng / and of his sustinaunce
He coude in litel thinges / haue suffisaunce
Wide was his paryshe and housis fer assondir
But he laft nat / for reyn ne for thondir
Prologꝰus
In siknesse ne in myscheff to visite
The ferthest in his paryssh mochill and lyte
Vpon his feet and in his honde / a staff
This noble ensample / to his sheep he yaff
And ferst he wrowht / and aftirward he tawhte
Out of the gospell / he tho wordys cawhte
And this figure / he added eek therto
Yf gold rost / what shall Iren do
For if a prest be foul / on whom we trust
No wondir is / a lewde man to rust
And shame it is / if a prest take kepe
Off a shetene sheperde / and a clene shepe
Wel awht a prest / ensample for to yeven
Bi his clennesse / howe his sheep shuld lyven
He set nat his benefis / to hire
And let his sheep / accombre in the myre
And ran vnto londoıı̄un / vnto seynt poulis
To seken him a chawntrye for sowlys
Or wᵗith a brethirhed / to ben wytholde
But dwellyd at hom / and kep wel his foulde
So that the wolf / maade it nat myskarye
He was a sheperde / and nat a mecennarye
And thauh. he / hooly werk and v̉ertuous
He was nat to synful men / dispitous
Ne of his speche Daungerous / ne digne
But in his speche / discrete and benigne
To drawen folk to heuene / bi fairenesse
Bi good ensample / this was his besynesse
But it were any ꝑpersone / obstynat
What so he were / of hie or lowe estat
Hym wolde he snybbyn / sharply for the noones
A bettir prest / I trowe nowher noon is
He wated aftir no pompe / ne reuerence.
Ne maked him / a spised conscience
But cristis lore / and his appostolys twelve
He tawhte / but first he folwed it him selve
Wyth him ther was / a plowman was his brothir
Plowman
That hadde lad of dong / wel many a rother
A trewe swynker / and a good was he
Lyvyng in pees / and in ꝑperfet charite
God loved he best / wᵗith all his hole herte
At all tymes / thowh he gamed or smert
And than his neighbore / ryght as him selve
He wolde troissh / and therto dyke and delve
For cristis sake / wᵗith eủery pore wyght
Wythouten. hyere / If it lay in his myht
His tithes paid he / ful faire and wel
Both of his propir swynk / and of his catel
In a tabard he rood / vpon a mere
Ther was also a Reve / and a Millere
A sompnore / and a pardoner also
A mancyple and my self / ther was no moo
THe Millere was / a stowt cherl for the nonys
Wel byg he was / of brawn and eke of bonys
That p̉reved wel / for over wher he cam
At wrastelyng he wolde / alwey haue the ram
He was short shuldred / brood and a thykke knarre
Ther was no dorre / that he ne wolde heve of barre
Or breke it at a rennyng / wyth his heed
His berd as any sowe / or fop was reed
And therto brood / as thowh it were a spade
Vpon the cop ryht / on his nose he hade
A werte / theron stood / a toft of herys
Rede as a brestyll / of a sowys erys
His nose ther / blak were and wyde
A swerd and a bokeler / bar he be his syde /
His mouthe as greet / as was a gret furnays
Prologꝰus
He was a greet Iangeler / and a golyardeys
And that was most of synne / and harlatrye
Wel cowde he stele corne / and toll thrye
And yet he hadde / a thombe of gold pardye
A white coote / and a blewe hood wered he
A baggepype wel coude he / blowe and sowne
And therwᵗith. al / he browhte vs out of towne
A Ientyl mancyple / was ther of a temple
Off whiche catowrs myght take ensample
Mancyple
For to be wys in byggyng of vytayle
For whethir that he payde or toke be tayle
Algate he waytet so / in his acaat
That he was ay be fore and in good astat
Now is that nowht / of god a wol faire grace
That suche a lewde mānnys wyt / shall pace
The wysdam of an heepe / of lernyd men
Of maistres hadde he / mo than thryes ten
That were of lawe / expert and curious
Of whiche ther wer / a doseyn in that house
Worthy to haue stywardys / of Rent and lond
Of any lorde that is in Inglond
To make make him lyve / by his propre good
In honowr detteles / but yf he were wood
Or lyve as scarsly / as him lyst desire
And able for to helpyn / al a shire
In any caas / that myht fal or happe
And yet this manciple / set here alder cappe
THe Reve was slender / a coleryk man
Reve
His berd was shave / as nyh as ever he can
His herys were be his erys / rownde and shorn
His top was doked like a prest be forn
Wel long were his leggis and wel lene
Lyk a staff / ther was no calf seene
Wel cowde he kepe / a gerner and a bynne
Ther was no Auditour / that cowd of him wynne
Wel wost he bi the drowhte and by the reyn
The yeldyng of his seed / and of his greyn
His lordys sheep / his neet his deyere
His swyn his hors / hys stoor / and his pultrye
Was holly / in this revys governyng
And bi couenaunt / yaf he reknynge
Syn that his lord / was xxᵗʸ wyntir of age
Ther coude no man / castyııı him in a rerage
Ther nas baylyf / ne herde / ne other hyne
That he ne knewe his sleyhte / and his covyne
They were a drad of him / as of the dethe
His wonyng was wol faire vppon an hethe
Wᵗith. grene trees shadwed / was his place
He coude bettir . than his lord / purchase
Wel ryche he was / astored pryvely
His lorde he covde wel please and sotelly
To yeve and lene him / of his owne good
And haue a thank / and yet a coote and an hoode
In youthe hadde he lerned / a good mister
He was a wol wryhte / and a carpenter
This Reve sat vpon a wol good stot
That was pomly grey / and hyhte scot
A surcote long / of pers vpon he hadde
And by his side / he bare arusty bladde
Of Northfold was this Reve / of which I tell
Biside a town / men clepyn baldyswelle
Tukked he was / as is a frer aboute
And evyr he rood / the hyndyrest of the rowte
A Sompnour was ther / wᵗith vs in that place
Sompnour
That hadde a feyr reed cherubyn̄ is face
For sausflem he was wᵗith eyen narowe .
As hoot he was and lecherous / as any sparowe
Prologꝰus
Wᵗith scalled browes / blak and pyled berd
Of his vysage / children were a ferd
Ther nas quyk syluer / lytarge ne bronston
Boras Ceruce / ne oyle of tartre noon
Ne onyment / that wolde clense or byte
That him myht helpyn / of the welkys white
Ne of the knobbys sittyng on his chekys
Wel loved he garlek onyoıı̄uns and lekys
And for to drynke strong wyn̄ reed as blood
Thanne wold he speke / and crye as he were wood
And whan that he wel Dronken hadde / the wyn
Thanne wold he spekyn / no word but latyn
A fewe termes hadde he / too or thre
That he hadde lerned / out of som decre
No wondir is / he herd it alday
And eek ye knowen wel / that a Iay
Can clepe watte / as wel as the pope
But who so cowde / in other thinge him grope
Than hadde he spent / al his philosophie
Ay . questio que Iuris / wold he crye
He was a Ientyl harlad / and a kynde
A bettir felawe / shuld men nat fynde
He wold suffre / for a quart of wyn
A good felawe / to haue his concubyn
A twelve moneth / and excuse him at the fulle
Wel preuylych a fynch / cowde he pulle
And if he fond owher / any good felawe
He wold techyn him / to haue noon awe
In suche caas / of tharchedekyns curse
But if manys sowle / were in his purs
For in his purs / he shuld punched be
Purs is the th Archedekyns helle seid he
Of cursyng awht / eủery man drede /
And therof / toke the Sompnour lytyl hede
For curs wol she / ryht as soylyng saveth
And also war him / of significauit
In daunger hadde he / at his owne gyse
The yong gerlys / of the Dyocyse
And knew here conseil / and was al here reed
A garlond hadde he / set vpon his heed
As gret as it were / for an ale stake
A bokeler hadde he / made him of a cake
Wyth him Rood / a Ientyl pardoner
pardoner
Of Rouncyvale / his frend and his comper
That streyht was come / from the court of Rome
Wel loved he song / come hedir love to me
This pardoner bar wyth him / a styff bordou
Was neuer trompe / of half so gret a sown
This pardoner hadde heer as yelwe as wex
But smothe it heng / as doth a stryk of flex
Bi vncis huge / his lokkys that he hadde
And therwᵗith he his shuldrys over spradde
But thynne it lay / by culpownys on and oon
But hood for Iolyte / wered he noon
For it was trussed vp / in his walet
Him thoht he rood / al of the newe get
Dischevele save his cappe / he rood all bare
Suche glaryng eyen hadde he / as an hare
A vernycle had he / shewed vpon his cappe
His walet biforn him / in his lappe
Breed ful of pardon / come fro Rome al hoot
A voys hadde as smal as hadde a got
No beede hadde he / ne nevir shuld haue
As moche at it was / as it were late shave
I trow he were / a geldyng or a mare
But of his ch craft / fro Berwyk on to ware
Ne was the such / an nothir pardoner
For in his male he hadde a pelwe bere /
Whiche he seid was / our lady veyl
Prologꝰus
He seid that he hadde / a gobet of the seil
That seynt petir / hadde whan that he wente
Vpon the see / tyl IħuIhesu cryst him hente
He hadde a croys / of latoun ful of stonys
And a glas he hadde / pyggys bonys
But wᵗith. thees relykys / whan that he fond
A pore parson dwellyng / vpon lond
Vpon a daye / he get more moneye
Thanne that person / gat in monethis tweye
And thus wyth feyned flaterye and Iapes
He maad the person / and the petyl his apys
But truly to tellen / at last
He was in chirche a noble ecclesiastre
Wel cowde he reedyn / a lesson or astorye
But all ther best / he song an offertorye
For wel he wyst / whanne that song was song
He must preche / and wele a fyle his tong
To wynne sylver / as he wel cowde
Therfor he song / the meryere and lowde
NOw haue I tolde you sothly / in a clause
Thastat / tharray / the noubre / and eek the cause
Why that assembled / was this companye
In southwerk / at this Ientyl hostlerye
That hyht the tabbard / fast bi the belle
But nowe is tyme / to you for to telle
How that we bar vs / that Ilche nyht
Whanne that we were in that hosterye a lyht
And aftir wol I telle / of our vyage
And all the remenaunt / of owr pylgrimage
BVt first I pray you / of your curtesye
That ye ne rette it noht nowht / my vylanye
Thouh that I plenerly / speke in this maatere
To telle you here mater / and here chere .
Ne thouh I speke here wordys ꝓpropyrly
For this ye knowen / as wel as I .
Who so shal tellyn / a tale aftir a man
He mote reherce / as nyh as he can
Euerych word / if it be in his charge
Al speke he / nevyr so rudly ne large
Or ellys he mot lellyn / his tale vntrue
Or feynyn thyngis / or fynden wordis newe
He may not spare / al thouh he wer his brothir
He mote as wel seyn / o word as a nothir
Cryst spake him self / ryht brood in holy wryt
And wel ye wetyn / no velanye is it
Eeke plato seyth / who so can him rede
The wordys / mot be cosyn to the dede
And also I pray you / for yf it me
Al haue I set folk / nat in her degree
Here in this tale / as they shuld stond
My wyt is short / ye may wel vndirstond
GReet cheer maade / our ost vs euerychoıı̄un
And to the souper / set he vs a noon
He served vs wᵗith. vytayle / at the best
Strong was the wyn / and wel to drynke vs liste
A semely man / our hoost w[…] was wᵗith all
For to haue ben / a marchal in a hall
A large man he was / wᵗith eyen stepe
A fairer burgeys / is ther noon in chepe
Bold of his speche / was and wel I tawht
And of manhood / him lacked ryht nowht
Eeek therto he was / ryht a mery man
And aftir souper / pleyen he bi gan
And spake of mirth / a mong other thynges
What that we hadde maad / oure rekenynges
And said thus / nowe lordynges trewly
Ye ben to me wolcom / Ryght hertely
Prologꝰus
For bi my trouth / if that I shal na lye
I saw nat this yeer / such a companye
Attones in this herberwe / as is nowe
Fayn wolde I doon yow myrthe / wyst I howe
And of a myrth / I am ryht nowe by thoht
To doon you ese / and it shall cost you nowht
Ye gon to Cantirbury / god you spede
The blisful martir / quyte you your mede
And wel I wot / as ye goon by the wey
Ye shapen you / to Iapen and to pley
For truly comford / ne myrthe is it noon
To ryden by the wey / Doomb as the ston
And therfor wol I make / you disport
As I seid erst / and do you som comfort
And if you lyketh al / bi on assent
For to stondyn / as my Iugement
And for to werkyn / as I shall yo seye
To morwyn / whan ye ryden bi the weye
Nowe bi my fadir sowle / that is deede
But ye be mery / y yeve you myn heede
Holdeth vp your handys / wythoutēn more speche
Owr conseil was nat long / for to seche
Vs thouht it was nat worth / to make it wys
And graunted him / wythouten more avys
And bad him sey / his wordys all him leste
Lordynges ꝙquod he / nowe herkeneth for the beste
But takyth it nat / I pray you in disdeyn
This is the poynt / to speke shor and pleyn
That eche of you / / to short wᵗith your wey
In this vyage / shal telle talys twey
To Cantirbury . warde / I mene it so
And homwarde / he shall tellyn othir too /
Of aventurs / that somtyme haue byfall
And whiche of you / bereth him best of all
That is to seye / that telleth in this caas
Talis of sentence / and most solas
Shalhaue a souper at our althir cost
Here in this place / syttyng bi this post
Whanne that ye comyn / ageyn fro Cantirbury
And for to make you / the more mery
I wol my selve goodly / wᵗith. you ryde
Vpon my own cost and be your guyde
And who so wol my /Iugement wᵗith seye
Shal pay al that ye spendyn by the wey
And if that ye vooche saaf / that it be so
Telle me a noon / wythouten wordys moo
And y wol yerly / shape me therfore
This thyng was graunted / and our wothis swore
Wyth wel glad hert / and preyden him also
That he wolde wuche saaf / it for to doo
And that he wolde be / our gouernour
And of our talys / Iuge and reportour
And set a souper / at a certeyn prys
And we wol rewled be / at his devys
In hye and lowe / and thus bi oon assent
We beth accorded / to the Iugement
And thervpon / the wyn was fet a noon
We dronkyn / and to reste wentyn eủerychon
Wythoute any lenger taryynge
A morowe whan the day gan to sprynge
Vp roos our host / and was on alderis cok
And gadered vs to gedir / in a flok
And forth. we redyn / lytyl more than a paas
Vnto the watteryng / of seynt Thomas
And ther our host / bi gan his arreste
And seid lordes / herkenyth yf ye leste
Ye wetyn your forward / and your record
Yif evesong / and morowe song a cord
Lat se who shall telle / the first tale
As ever mot I drynke wyn or ale
Who so ys Rebell / to my Iugement
prologꝰus
Shal paye for al / that bi the wey is spent
Now draweth cut / er we ferther twynne
He that hath the shortest / shall begynne
Sere knyht ꝙquod he / my maist̉er and my lorde
Now draweth cut / for this is myn accorde
Cometh neer ꝙquod he / my lady prioresse
And ye sir clerk / and let be you shamfastnesse
Ne studyeth nat / leyth / hond to / everyman
A noon to drawe / every whiht be gan
And shortly for to tellen / as it was
Wer it bi aventure / or sort or caas
The soth is this / the cut fel to the knyht
Of whiche wel blyyth / and glad was eủery wyht
And telle he must his tale / bi reson
By forward / and bi composicion
As ye han hard / what nedyth wordys moo
And whanne this good man / saw that it was so
As he that wys was / and obedient
To kepe his forward / bi his free assent
He seid syn / I shall begynne this game
What wolcom be the cut / a godys name
Nowe lat vs ryde / and harkeneth what I say
And wᵗith. that word / we redyn forth our way
And he bigan / wᵗith ryht a mery chere
His tale a noon / and seyd as ye may here .
Here begennyth the knyhtys tale.
Som tyme / as olde Storyes tellyn vs
Ther was a duk / that hyht Theseus
knyght
Of Athenes / he was lord and gouernour
And in his tyme / suche a conquerour
That grettere was ther noon vnder the sonne