Hg · Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales Peniarth 392 D
Canterbury Tales Project.
talesofcanterbury.org/GP/xml/transcripts/Hg/
[1r]
Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunt̉erbury.
"Chauc" written above the initial rubric
Whan that Aueryll wᵗith his shoures soote
The droghte of March / hath ꝑperced to the roote
And bathed euery veyne in swich lycour
Of which v̉ertu engendred is the flour
Whan zephirus eek wᵗith his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in euery holt and heeth
The tendre croppes / and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram / his half cours yronne
And smale foweles / maken melodye
That slepen al the nyght with open Iye
So priketh hem nature / in hir corages
Thanne [longen] folk to goon on pilgrymages
And Palmeres for to seeken straunge strondes
To ferne halwes / kouthe in sondry londes
And specially / from euery shyres ende
Of Engelond / to Caunterbury they wende
The holy blisful martir / for to seke
That hem hath holpen whan þᵗat they weere seeke
Bifel þᵗat in that sesoūn on a day
In Southwerk at the Tabard / as .I. lay
Redy to weenden / on my pilgrymage
To Caunterbury / with ful deuout corage
At nyght was come / in to that hostelrye
Wel .xxix. in a compaignye
Of sondry folk / by auenture yfalle
In felaweshipe / and pilgrymes weere they alle
That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde
The chambres and the stables / weeren wyde
And wel we weeren esed / at the beste
And shortly whan the sonne was to reste
So hadde I spoken with hem euerichoon
That I was of hir felaweshipe ano[…]n
And maade forward / erly for to ryse
To take oure wey / ther as .I. yow deuyse
¶ But nathelees / while .I. haue tyme and space
Er that .I ferther / in this tale pace
Me thynketh it / acordant to resouıı̄un
To telle yow / al the condicioıı̄un
Of eech of hem / so as it seemed me
And whiche they weere / and of what degree
And eek in what array / þᵗat they weere Inne
And at a knyght thanne wol I first bigynne
¶ A knyght ther was / and that a worthy man
Knyght/
That fro the tyme / þᵗat he first bigan
To ryden out he loued chiualrye
Trouthe and honoᵘur / fredom and curteisye
Ful worthy was he / in his lordes werre
And ther to hadde he ryden / no man ferre
As wel in cristendom / as hethenesse
And euere honured / for his worthynesse
¶ At Alisaundre he was / whan it was wonne
Ful ofte tyme / he hadde the bord bigonne
Abouen alle nacions / in Pruce
In lectow / hadde he reysed / and in Ruce
No cristen man so ofte / of his degree
In Gernade at the seege eek hadde he be
At Algizir / and ryden in Belmarye
At lyeys was he / and at Satalye
Whan they weere wonne / and in the grete see
At many a noble armee / hadde he bee
¶ At mortal batailles / hadde he been fiftene
And foghten for oure feyth / at Tramyssene
In lystes thryes / and ay slayn his foo
¶ This ilke worthy knyght / hadde been also
Somtyme / with the lord of Palatye
Agayn another hethen in Turkye
And eủere moore / he hadde a souereyn prys
And thogh þᵗat he weere worthy / he was wys
And of his poort as meke / as is a mayde
Ne neuere yet no vileynye he sayde
In al his lyf vn to no manere wight
He was a verray ꝑperfit gentil knyght
But for to tellen yow / of his array
Hise hors weere goode / but he ne was nat gay
Of Fustian / he wered a gypoıı̄un
Al bismotered / with his haubergeoıı̄un
For he was laate / comen from his viage
And wente / for to doon his pilgrymage
¶ With hym / ther was his sone a yong Squyer
Squyer.
A louere / and a lusty Bachiler
With lokkes crulle / as they weere leyd in p̉resse
Of .xx. yeer / he was of age I gesse
Of his stature / he was of euene lengthe
And wonderly delyuere / and of greet strengthe
And he hadde been som tyme / in chiuachye
In Flaundres / in Artoys / and Picardye
And been hym wel / as in so litel space
In hope / to stonden / in his lady grace
¶ Embrouded was he / as it weere a meede
Al ful of fresshe floures / white and reede
Syngynge he was / or floytynge al the day
He was as fressh / as is the Monthe of May
Short was his gowne / with sleues / longe ⁊and wyde
Wel koude he sitte on hors / and faire ryde
He koude songes wel make / and endite
Iuste and eek daunce / and wel portreye and write
So hoote he loued / that by nyghtertale
He slepte namoore / than dooth a nyghtyngale
Curteys he was / lowely / and seruysable
And carf biforn his fader / at the table
¶ A Yeman he hadde / and seruantz namo
Yeman.
At that tyme / for hym liste ryde so
And he was clad / in coote and hood of greene
A sheef of Pecok arwes / bright and keene
Vnder his belt / he bar ful thriftily
Wel koude he dresse his takel yemanly
His arwes drowped noght with fetheres lowe
And in his hand / he bar a myghty bowe
A not heed hadde he / with a broun visage
Of wodecraft / koude he wel al the vsage
Vp on his arm / he bar a gay bracer
And by his syde / a swerd and a Bokeler
And on that oother syde / a gay daggere
Harneysed wel / and sharp̄ / as poynt of spere
A xp̄christofre on his brest of siluer sheene
An horn he bar / the bawdryk was of greene
A Forster was he / soothly as I gesse
¶ Ther was also / a Nonne a Prioresse
Prioresse.
That of hir smylyng was ful symple and coy
Hir gretteste ooth / was but by Seint Loy
And she was clepyd / madame Eglentyne
Ful wel she soong / the seruyce dyuyne,
Entuned in hir nose / ful semely
And frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly
After the scole / of Stratford at the Bowe
For frenssh of Parys / was to hire vnknowe
At mete / wel ytaught was she with alle
She leet no morsel / from hir lyppes falle
Ne wette hir fyngres / in hir sauce deepe
Wel koude she carye a morsel / and wel keepe
That no drope / fille vp on hir brist
In curteisye / was set muchel hir list
Hir ouer lyppe / wyped she so cleene
That in hir coppe / ther was no ferthyng seene
Of grece / whan she dronken hadde hir draghte
Ful semely / after hir mete she raghte
And sikerly / she was of greet desport
And ful plesaunt and amyable of port
And peyned hire / to countrefete chiere
Of Court and been estatlich of manere
And to been holden / digne of reủerence
But for to speken / of hir conscience
She was so charitable / and so pitous
She wolde wepe / if þᵗat she sawe a Mous
Caught in a trappe / if it weere deed / or bledde
Of smale houndes / hadde she / þᵗat she fedde
With rosted flessh / or mylk / and wastel breed
But soore wepte she / if oon of hem weere deed
Or if men smoot it / with a yerde smerte
And al was conscience / and tendre herte
Ful semely / hir wympel pynched was
Hir nose tretez / hir eyen / greye as glas
Hir mouth ful smal / and ther to / softe and reed
But sikerly / she hadde a fair forheed
It was almoost a spanne brood I trowe
For hardily / she was nat vndergrowe
Ful fetys was hir cloke / as I was war
Of smal Coral / aboute hir arm she bar
A peyre of bedes / gauded al with greene
And ther on heeng / a brooch of gold ful sheene
On which / was first writen / a crowned .A.
And after / amor vincit / omnia.
¶ Another Nonne / with hire hadde she
Nonne Chap|eleyne and thre prestes.
That was hire Chapeleyne / and preestes thre.
¶ A Monk ther was / a fair for the maystrye
Monk/.
An outrydere / that louede venerye
A manly man / to been an Abbot able
Ful many a deyntee hors / hadde he in stable
And whanne he rood / men myghte his brydel heere
Gyngle in a whistlynge wynd / as cleere
And eek as loude / as dooth the Chapel belle
There as this lord / is kepere of the selle
The rule of Seint Maure / or of seint Beneyt
By cause þᵗat it was oold / and som deel streyt
This ilke Monk / leet oolde thynges pace
And heeld / after the newe world the space
He yaf noght of that text a pulled hen
That seith / þᵗat hunterys been none holy men
Ne þᵗat a Monk. whan he is recchelees
Is likned / til a fissh / þᵗat is waterlees
This is to seyn / a Monk out of his Cloystre
But thilke text heeld he nat worth an Oystre
And I seyde / his opynyon was good
What sholde he studie / and make hym seluen wood
Vp on a book in Cloystre alwey to poure
Or swynke with his handes / and laboure
As Austyn bit / how shal the world be serued
Lat Austyn haue his swynk / to hym reserued
Ther fore / he was a prykasour aryght
Grehoundes he hadde / as swift as fowel in flyght
Of prikyng and of huntyng for the haare
Was al his lust. for no cost wolde he spaare
I saugh his sleues / pᵘurfiled at the hond
With grys / and that the fyneste of a lond
And for to festne his hood / vnder his chyn
He hadde / of gold / wroght a ful curious pyn
A loue knotte / in the gretter ende ther was
His heed was balled / that shoon as any glas
And eek his face / as he hadde been enoynt
He was a lord ful fat and in good poynt
Hise eyen steepe / and rollynge in his heed
That stemed / as a fourneys of a leed
Hise bootes souple / his hors / in greet estaat
Now certeynly / he was a fair p̉relat
He was nat paale / as is a forpyned goost
A fat swan / loued he / best of any roost
His palfrey / was as broun as any berye
¶ A frere ther was / a wantowne and a merye
¶ Frere.
A lymytour / a ful solempne man
In alle the ordres foure / is noon þᵗat kan
So muche of daliaunce / and fair langage
He hadde maked / ful many a mariage
Of yonge wommen / at his owene cost
Vn to his ordre / he was a noble post
Ful wel biloued / and famylier was hee
With Frankeleyns / ouer al in his contree
And eek with worthy wommen / of the town
For he hadde / power of confessioun
As seyde him self / moore than a curaat
For of his ordre / he was licenciaat
Ful swetely / herde he confessioıı̄un
And plesant. was his absolucioıı̄un
He was an esy man / to yeue penaunce
Ther as he wiste / to haue a good pitaunce
For vn to a poure ordre / for to yeue
Is signe / that a man / is wel yshryue
For if he yaf he dorste make auaunt
He wiste / þᵗat a man was repentaunt
For many a man / so hard is of his herte
He may nat weepe / thogh þᵗat he soore smerte
Ther fore / in stede of wepynge / and preyeres
Men moote yeue siluer / to the poure freres
¶ His typet was ay farsed ful of knyues
And pynnes / for to yeuen faire wyues
And certeynly / he hadde a murye noote
Wel koude he synge / and pleyen on a roote
Of yeddynges / he bar outrely the prys
His nekke whit was / as the flour delys
Ther to he stroong was / as a Champioun
He knew the tauernes wel in euery town
And euery hostiler / and Tappestere
Bet / than a lazer / or a beggestere
For vn to swich a worthy man / as he
Acorded nat / as by his facultee
To haue / with syke lazers aqueyntaunce
It is nat honeste / it may noght auaunce
For to deelen / with no swich poraille
But al with riche / and sellerys of vitaille
And ouer al / ther as ꝓprofit sholde aryse
Curteys he was / and lowely of seruyse
Ther was no man / nowheer / so v̉ertuous
He was the beste beggere / of his hous
And yaf a c̉erteyn ferme / for the graunt
Noon of his bretheren / cam ther in his haunt
For thogh a wydwe / hadde noght a sho
So plesant was his In principio
Yet wolde he haue a ferthyng er he wente
His purchaas / was wel bettre than his rente
And rage he koude / as it weere right a whelpe
In louedayes / koude he muchel helpe
For there / he was nat lyk a Cloystrer
With a threedbare cope / as is a poure scoler
But he was lyk a maister / or a Pope
Of double worstede / was his semycope
And rounded as a belle / out of the presse
Somwhat he lypsed / for his wantownesse
To make his englyssh / sweete vp on his tonge
And in his harpyng whan þᵗat he hadde songe
Hise eyen twynkled / in his heed aryght
As doon the sterres / in the frosty nyght
This worthy lymytour / was cleped Huberd
¶ A Marchant was ther / with a forked berd
Marchaunt.
In Motlee / and hye on hors he sat
Vp on his heed / a Flaundryssh Beủere hat
His bootes clasped / faire and fetisly
Hise resons / he spak ful solempnely
Sownyng alway / thencrees of his wynnyng
He woolde / the see weere kept for any thyng
Bitwixen Myddelburgh / and Orewelle
Wel koude he / in eschaunge / sheeldes selle
This worthy man / ful wel his wit bisette
Ther wiste no wight. that he was in dette
So estaatly was he / of his goủernaunce
With his bargaynes / and wᵗith his cheuysaunce
For soothe / he was a worthy man with alle
But sooth to seyn / I noot how men hym calle
¶ A Clerc ther was / of Oxenford also
¶ Clerc/ of Oxenforde.
That vn to logyk. hadde longe ygo
As leene was his hors / as is a rake
And he was noght right fat I vndertake
But looked holwe / and ther to sobrely
Ful threedbaare / was his oủereste Courtepy
For he hadde / geten hym yet no benefice
Ne was so worldly / for to haue office
For hym was leuere / haue at his beddes heed
Twenty bookes / 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 myghte / of his frendes hente
On bookes / and on lernynge / he it spente
And bisily / gan for the soules preye
Of hem / that yaf hym / wher with to scoleye
Of studye / took he moost cure and moost heede
Noght oo word spak he / moore than was neede
And that was spoke / in forme / and reuerence
And short and quyk and ful of heigh sentence
Sownynge in moral v̉ertu / was his speche
And gladly wolde he lerne / and gladly teche
¶ A Sergeaunt of lawe / waar / and wys
¶ Sergeaunt of Lawe.
That often / hadde been at the Parvys
Ther was also / ful ryche of excellence
Discreet he was / and of greet reủerence
He seemed swich / hise wordes weeren so Wyse
Iustice he was / ful often in Assise
By patente / and by pleyn cōmmissioıı̄un
For his science / and for his heigh renoun
Of fees and robes / hadde he many oon
So greet a purchasour / was nowher noon
Al was fee symple / to hym / in effect
His purchasyng myghte nat been infect
Nowher so bisy a man as he / ther nas
And yet he seemed / bisyer than he was
In t̉ermes / hadde he caas / and doomes alle
That from tyme of kyng william / weere falle
Ther to / he koude endite / and make a thyng
Ther koude no wight pynchen at his writyng
And euery statut. koude he pleyn by roote
He rood but hoomly / in a medlee coote
Girt with a ceynt of sylk. with barres smale
Of his array / telle I no lenger tale
¶ A Frankeleyn / was in his compaignye
¶ Frankeleyn.
Whit was his berd / as is the dayesye
Of his complexcion / he was sangwyn
Wel loued he by the morwe / a sope in wyn
To lyuen in delyt was euere his wone
For he was / Epicurus owene sone
That heeld opynyon / þᵗat pleyn delit
Was verray / felicitee parfit
An housholdere / and that a greet was hee
Seint Iulyan he was / in his contree
His breed / his ale / was alweys after oon
A bettre envyned man / was neuere noon
With outen bake mete / was neuere his hous
Of fresshe fisshe / and flesshe / and that so plentevous
It snewed in his hous / of mete and drynke
Of alle deyntees / þᵗat men koude bithynke
After / the sondry sesons / of the yeer
So chaunged he / his mete / and his soper
Ful many a fat partrych / hadde he in Muwe
And many a breem / and many a luce in Stuwe
Wo was his Cook / but if his Sauce weere
Poynaunt and sharp̄ / and redy al his geere
His table dormaunt in his halle alway
Stood redy couered / al the longe day
At sessions / ther was he / lord and sire
Ful ofte tyme / he was knyght of the Shire
An Anlaas / and a Gipser / al of Sylk
Heeng at his girdel / whit as morne mylk
A Shirreue hadde he been / and Countour
Was nowheer / swich a worthy vauasour
¶ An haberdasshere / and a Carpenter
Haberdasshere Carpenter. Webbe. Dyere. Tapycer.
A Webbe / a Dyere / and a Tapycer
And they weere clothed alle / in oo lyủeree
Of a solempne / and a greet frat̉ernytee
Ful fressh and newe / hir geere apyked was
Hir knyues weere chaped / noght with bras
But al with siluer / wroght ful clene and wel
Hir girdles / and hir pouches / euerydel
Wel seemed eech of hem / a fair Burgeys
To sitten in a yeldehalle / on a deys
Euerych / for the wisdom / þᵗat he kan
Was shaply / for to been an Alderman
For catel / hadde they ynogh / and rente
And eek hir wyues / wolde it wel assente
And ellis certeyn / they weere to blame
It is ful fair / to been yclepyd madame
And goon to vigilies / al bifore
And haue a Mantel / realliche ybore
¶ A Cook they hadde with hem / for the nones
Cook/.
To boille the chiknes / with the Marybones
And poudre marchaunt. tart and / Galyngale
Wel koude he knowe / a draghte of london ale
He koude rooste / and seethe / and broille / ⁊and frye
Maken Mortreux / and wel bake a pye
But greet harm was it as it thoughte me
That on his Shyne / a Mormal hadde he
For Blankmanger / that maade he with the beste
¶ A Shipman was ther / wonyng fer by weste
Shipman.
For aught I woot he was of Dertemouthe
He rood vp on a Rouncy / as he kouthe
In a gowne of faldyng to the knee
A daggere hangynge on a laas / hadde he
Aboute his nekke / vnder his arm adown
The hoote Somer / hadde maad his hewe al brown
And certeynly / he was a good felawe
Ful many a draghte of wyn / hadde he drawe
Fro Burdeuxward / whil þᵗat the Chapman sleepe
Of nyce conscience / took he no keepe
If þᵗat he faght and hadde the hyer hond
By watre he sente hem hoom / to euery lond
But of his craft to rekene wel his tydes
His stremys / and his daungers hym bisydes
His herberwe and his moone / his lodmenage
Ther was noon swich / from hulle to Cartage
Hardy he was / and wys to vndertake
With many a tempest hadde his beerd been shake
He knew alle the hauenes / as they weere
Fro Gootlond / to the cape of Fynysteere
And euery cryke / in Britaigne / and in Spaigne
His barge / y-clepyd was the Mawdelayne
¶ With vs / ther was / a Doctour of Phisyk
Doctour of Phisyk/.
In al this world / ne was ther noon hym lyk
To speken of Phisyk and of Surgerye
For he was grounded / in Astronomye
He kepte his pacient a ful greet deel
In houres / by his magyk natureel
Wel koude he fortunen / the ascendent
Of hise ymages / for his pacient
He knew the cause / of euery maladye
Weere it of hoot or coold / or moyste / or drye
And where it engendred / and of what humour
He was a verray / ꝑperfit practisour
The cause yknowe / and of his harm the roote
Anoon he yaf / the sike man his boote
¶ Ful redy hadde he / hise Apothecaryes
To senden hym / his drogges / and his letuaryes
For eech of hem / maade oother for to wynne
Hir frendshipe / was noght newe to bigynne
Wel knew he / the oolde Esculapyus
And Discorides / and eek Rusus
Olde ypocras / Haly / and Galyen
Serapion / Razis / and Avycen
Auerroys / Damascien / and Constantyn
Bernard / and Gatesden / and Gilbertyn
Of his diete / mesurable was hee
For it was / of no suꝑperfluytee
But of greet norissynge / and digestible
His studye / was but litel on the Bible
In sangwyn and in Pers / he clad was al
Lyned with Taffata / and with Sendal
And yet he was / but esy of dispence
He kepte / þᵗat he wan in pestilence
For gold in Phisyk. is a Cordial
Ther fore / he loued gold in special
¶ A good wyf was ther / of bisyde Bathe
The Goode Wyf of bisyde Bathe.
But she was som del deef and that was scathe
Of clooth makynge / she hadde swich an haunt
She passed hem / of Ipres / and of Gaunt
In al the parysshe / wyf ne was ther noon
That to the offrynge / bifore hire sholde goon
And if ther dide / certeyn / so wrooth was shee
That she was / out of alle charitee
Hir Coủerchiefes / ful fyne weere of grownd
I dorste swere / they weyeden. ten pownd
That on a Sonday / weeren vp on hir heed
Hir hosen weeren / of fyn Scarlet reed
Ful streyte yteyd / and shoes / ful moyste ⁊ newe
Boold was hir face / and fair and reed of hewe
She was a worthy wōmman / al hir lyue
Housbondes at chirche dore / she hadde fyue
With outen oother compaignye / in yowthe
But ther of / nedeth noght to speke as nowthe
And thries / hadde she been at Ierusalem
She hadde passed / many a straunge strem
At Rome she hadde been / and at Boloyne
In Galyce at Seint Iame / and at Coloyne
She koude muchel / of wandrynge by the weye
Gattothed was she / soothly for to seye
Vp on an Amblere / esily she sat
Ywympled wel / and on hir heed an hat
As brood as is / a Bokeler / or a Targe
A foot mantel / aboute hir hypes large
And on hir feet a peyre of spores sharpe
In felaweshipe / wel koude she laughe. and carpe
Of remedies of loue / she knew ꝑpar chaunce
For she koude of that art the olde daunce
¶ A good man / was ther / of Religioun
And was a poure ꝑparson / of a toun
Parson of a town.
But riche he was / of holy thoght and werk
He was also / a lerned man a Clerk
That Cristes gospel / trewely wolde pʳreche
His parisshens / deuoutly wolde he teche
Benygne he was / and wonder diligent
And in aduersitee / ful pacient
And swich he was proeued / ofte sythes
Ful looth weere hym / to cursen for his tythes
But rather wolde he yeuen / out of doute
Vn to his poure parisshens aboute
Of his offrynge / and eek of his substaunce
He koude in litel thyng haue suffisaunce
Wyd was his parisshe / and houses fer a sonder
But he ne lafte noght for reyn ne thonder
In siknesse / nor in meschief to visite
The ferreste in his parisshe / muche and lyte
Vp on his feet and in his hond 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 sholde Iren do
For if a preest be foul / in whom we truste
No wonder is / a lewed man to ruste
And shame it is / if a preest take keepe
A shiten shepherde / and a clene sheepe
Wel oghte a preest ensample for to yiue
By his clennesse / how þᵗat his sheep sholde lyue
He sette noght. his benefice to hyre
And leet his sheep / encombred in the Myre
And ran to Londūn / vn to Seint Poules
To seeken hym / a Chauntrye for soules
Or with a breetherede / to been withhoolde
But dwelte at hoom / and kepte wel his foolde
So þᵗat the wolf ne maade it noght myscarye
He was a sheepherde / and noght a Mercenarye
And thogh he hooly weere / and vertuous
He was noght to synful men despitous
Ne of his speche / daungerous / ne digne
But in his techyng discreet and benygne
To drawen folk to heuene / wᵗith fairnesse
By good ensample / this was his bisynesse
But it weere / any ꝑpersone obstynaat
What so he weere / of heigh / or lowe estaat
Hym wolde he snybben / sharply for the nonys
A bettre preest I trowe ther nowher noon ys
He wayted / after no pompe / and reuerence
Ne maked hym / a spyced conscience
But Cristes loore / and hise Apostles twelue
He taughte / but first he folwed it hym selue
¶ With hym ther was a Plowman / was his broother
Plowman.
That hadde ylad of donge / ful many a Foother
A trewe swynkere / and a good was he
Lyuynge in pees / and ꝑperfit charitee
God loued he best with al his hoole herte
At alle tymes / thogh hym gamed / or smerte
And thanne his Neighebore / right as hym selue
He wolde thresshe / and ther to / dyke and delue
For Cristes sake / with euery poure wight
With outen hyre / if it laye in his myght
His tythes payde he / ful faire and wel
Bothe of his ꝓpropre swynk and his catel
In a Tabard he rood / vp on a Mere
Ther was also / a Reue / and a Millere
A Somonour / and a Pardoner also
A Maunciple / and my self ther weere namo
¶ The Millere / was a stout carl / for the nones
Millere.
Ful byg he was / of brawen / and eek of bones
That proeued wel / for ouer al ther he cam
At wrastlynge / he wolde haue alwey the Ram
He was short shuldred / brood / a thikke knarre
Ther was no dore / that he noolde heue of harre
Or breke it at a rennynge / with his heed
His beerd / as any sowe / or fox / was reed
And ther to brood / as thogh it weere a spaade
Vp on the cope right of his nose he haade
A werte / and ther on stood / a tuft of heerys
Reede / as the bristles / of a Sowes eerys
Hise nosethirles / blake weere and wyde
A swerd and a bokeler / baar he by his syde
His mouth as greet was / as a greet fourneys
He was a Ianglere / a Golyardeys
And that was moost of synne and harlotryes
Wel koude he stelen corn / and tollen thryes
And yet he hadde / a thombe of gold ꝑpardee
A whit coote / and a blew hood wered hee
A Baggepipe / wel koude he / blowe and sowne
And ther with al / he broghte vs out of towne
¶ A gentil Maunciple / was ther / of a Temple
Maunciple.
Of which / Achatours myghte take exemple
For to been wyse / in byynge of vitaille
For wheither þᵗat he payde / or took by taille
Algate he wayted so / in his achaat
That he was ay biforn / and in good staat
¶ Now is nat that of god / a ful greet grace
That swich a lewed mannes wit shal pace
The wysdom / of an heepe / of lerned men
Of Maistres hadde he mo / than thryes ten
That weeren of lawe / expert and curious
Of whiche / ther weere a dozeyne / in that hous
Worthy / to been stywardes / of rente / and lond
Of any lord / that is in Engelond
To make hym lyue / by his ꝓpropre good
In honour dettelees / but if he weere wood
Or lyue as scarsly / as hym lyst desire
And able / for to helpen al a Shire
In any caas / that myghte falle or happe
And yet this Maunciple / sette hir aller cappe
¶ The Reue / was a sclendre coleryk man
Reue
His beerd was shaue / as neigh as euer he kan
His heer was by his eerys / ful rownd yshorn
His tope was dokked / lyk a preest byforn
Ful longe weere hise legges / and ful leene
Ylik a staf. ther was no calf yseene
Wel koude he keepe / a Gerner and a Bynne
Ther was noon Auditour / koude on hym wynne
Wel wiste he / by the droghte and by the reyn
The yeldynge / of his seed / and of his greyn
His lordes sheepe / his neet / his dayerye
His swyn / his hors / his stoor / and his pultrye
Was hooly / in this Reues goủernynge
And by his couenant. yaf the rekenynge
Syn that his loord / was twenty yeer of age
Ther koude no man / brynge hym in arrerage
Ther nas Baillyf. hierde / nor oother hyne
That he ne knew / his sleyghte / and his couyne
They weere adrad of hym / as of the deeth
His wonyng was ful faire vp on an heeth
With greene trees / shadwed was his place
He koude bettre / than his lord purchace
Ful riche / he was astoored pryuely
His lord / wel koude he plesen subtilly
To yeue / and leene hym / of his owene good
And haue a thank. and yet a coote and hood
In youthe / he lerned hadde / a good Mister
He was a wel good wrighte / a Carpenter
This Reue sat vp on a wel good Stot
That was a Pomely gray / and highte Scot
A long Surcote of Pers / vp on he haade
And by his syde / he baar a rusty blaade
Of Northfolk was this Reue / of which I telle
Bisyde a town / men clepyn Baldeswelle
Tukked he was / as is a Frere aboute
And euere he rood / the hyndreste of oure route
¶ A Somonour / was ther with vs / in that place
Somonour
That hadde / a fyr-reed Cherubynnes face
For Sawceflewm he was / with eyen narwe
And hoot he was / and lecherous as a Sparwe
With scaled browes blake / and pyled berd
Of his visage / children weere aferd
Ther nas quyk siluer / lytarge / ne Brymstoon
Borace / Ceruce / ne Oille of Tartre noon
Ne oynement Ne oynement. that wolde clense and byte
That hym myghte helpen / of his whelkes whyte
Nor of the knobbes / sittynge on his chekes
Wel loued he garlek oynons and eek lekes
And for to drynke strong wyn / reed as blood
Thanne wolde he speke / and crye as he were wood
A fewe tꝰermes hadde he / two / or thre
That he hadde lerned / out of som decree
No wonder is / he herde it al the day
And eek ye knowe wel / how þᵗat a Iay
Kan clepen watte / as wel as kan the Pope
But who so koude / in oother thyng hym grope
Thanne hadde he spent al his philosophie
Ay Questio quid iuris wolde he crye
¶ He was a gentil harlot and a kynde
A bettre felawe / sholde men noght fynde
He wolde suffre / for a quart of wyn
A good felawe / to haue his concubyn
A twelf monthe / and excusen hym at the fulle
Ful pryuely / a fynch eek koude he pulle
And if he foond owher / a good felawe
He wolde techen hym / to haue noon awe
In swich caas / of the Ercedeknes curs
But if a mannes soule / were in his purs
For in his purs / he sholde ypunysshed be
Purs is the Ercedeknes helle / seyde he
¶ But wel I woot he lyed right in dede
Of cursyng oghte ech gilty man drede
For curs wol sle / right as assoillyng sauyth
And also / war hym of a significauit /
¶ In daunger hadde he / at his owene gyse
The yonge gerles / of the diocise
And knew hir conseil / and was al hir reed
A gerland / hadde he set vp on his heed
As greet. as it were / for an Ale stake
A bokeler / hadde he maad hym of a cake
¶ With hym ther rood / a gentil Pardoner
Pardoner.
Of Rouncyual / his freend / and his comper
That streight was comen / fro the Court of Rome
Ful loude he soong com hyder loue to me
This Somonoᵘur baar to hym / a styf burdoun
Was neủere trompe / of half so greet a soun
¶ This ꝑpardoner / hadde heer / as yelow as wex
But smothe it heeng as dooth a stryke of flex
By ounces / henge his lokkes þᵗat he hadde
And ther with / he his shuldres ouerspradde
But thynne it lay / by colpons oon and oon
But hood for Iolitee / wered he noon
For it was trussed vp / in his walet
Hym thoughte / he rood al of the newe Iet
Discheuele saue his cappe / he rood al bare
Swiche glarynge eyen / hadde he as an hare
A vernycle / hadde he sowed / vp on his cappe
His walet biforn hym / in his lappe
Bretful of pardoıı̄un / comen from Rome al hoot
A voys he hadde / as smal / as hath a Goot
No berd hadde he / ne neuere sholde haue
As smothe it was / as it were late yshaue
I trowe he were a geldyng or a Mare
But of his craft. fro Berwyk in to Ware
Ne was ther / swich another Pardoner
For in his Male / he hadde a pilwe beer
Which þᵗat he seyde / was oure lady veyl
He seyde he hadde / a gobet of the seyl
That seint Peter hadde / whan þᵗat he wente
Vp on the see / til Ihesu Crist hym hente
He hadde a cros of laton / ful of stones
And in a glas / he hadde pigges bones
But with thise relykes / whan þᵗat he foond
A poure ꝑparson / dwellyng vp on lond
Vp on a day / he gat hym moore moneye
Than þᵗat the ꝑparson gat / in Monthes tweye
And thus / with feyned flaterye and Iapes
He made the ꝑparson / and the peple his apes
But trewely / to tellen at the laste
He was in chirche / a noble Ecclesiaste
Wel koude he / rede a lesson / and a Storie
But alderbest he soong an Offertorie
For wel he wiste / whan þᵗat soong was songe
He moste p̉reche / and wel affyle hys tonge
To wynne siluer / as he ful wel koude
Ther fore he soong the muryerly and loude
¶ Now haue I toold yow / soothly in a clause
Thestaat / tharray / the nombre / and eek the cause
Why þᵗat assembled was this compaignye
In Southwerk. at this gentil hostelrye
That highte the tabard / faste by the belle
But now is tyme / to yow for to telle
How þᵗat we baren vs / that ilke nyght
Whan we weere / in that hostelrye alyght
And after wol I telle / of oure viage
And al the remenant of oure pilgrymage
¶ But first I pray yow / of youre curteisye
That ye narette it / noght my vileynye
Though þᵗat I pleynly speke / in this matere
To telle yow / hir wordes / and hir cheere
Ne thogh I speke / hir wordes ꝓproprely
For this ye knowen / also wel as I
Who so shal telle a tale / after a man
He moot reherce / as neigh as eủere he kan
Euerich a word / if it be in his charge
Al speke he / neuer so rudeliche and large
Or ellis / he moot telle his tale vntrewe
Or feyne thyng or fynde wordes newe
He may noght spare / althogh he weere his brother
He moot as wel / seye o word / as another
Crist spak hym self ful brode in holy writ
And wel ye woot no vileynye is it
Ek Plato seith / who so kan hym rede
The wordes / mote be cosyn / to the dede
¶ Also I pray yow / to foryeue it me
Al haue I nat set folk / in hir degree
Here in this tale / as þᵗat they sholde stonde
My wit is short ye may wel vnderstonde
¶ Greet cheere / made oure hoost vs euerichon
And to the souper / sette he vs anon
He serued vs / with vitaille / at the beste
Strong was the wyn / and wel to drynke vs leste
A semely man / oure hoost was with alle
For to been / a Marchal in an halle
A large man he was / with eyen stepe
A fairer burgeys / was ther noon in Chepe
Boold of his speche / and wys / and well ytaught
And of manhode / hym lakked right naught
Eke ther to / he was right a murye man
And after souper / pleyen he bigan
And spak of murthe / amonges othere thynges
Whan þᵗat we hadde maad oure rekenynges
And seyde thus / now lordes trewely
Ye been to me / right wel come hertely
For by my trouthe / if þᵗat I shal nat lye
I seigh noght this yeer / so mury a compaignye
At ones in this herberwe / as is now
Fayn wolde I doon yow myrthe / wiste I how
And of a myrthe / I am right now bithoght
To doon yow ese / and it shal coste noght
¶ Ye goon to Caunt̉erbury / god yow spede
The blisful Martir / quyte yow youre mede
And wel I woot as ye goon by the weye
Ye shapen yow / to talen and to pleye
For trewely / confort / ne murthe is noon
To ryde by the weye / domb as stoon
And ther fore / wol I maken yow desport
As I seyde erst and doon yow som confort
And if yow liketh alle / by oon assent
For to stonden / at my Iuggement
And for to werken / as I shal yow seye
Tomorwe / whan ye ryden by the weye
Now by my fader soule / þᵗat is deed
But ye be murye / I wol yeue yow myn heed
Hoold vp youre hondes / with outen moore speche
¶ Oure conseil / was nat longe for to seche
Vs thoughte / it was nat worth / to make it wys
And graunted hym / with outen moore avys
And bade hym seye / his voirdit as hym leste
¶ Lordynges quod he / now herkneth for the beste
But taketh it noght I pray yow in desdeyn
This is the poynt to speken short and pleyn
That ech of yow / to shorte with oure weye
In this viage / shal tellen tales tweye
To Caunterburyward / I mene it so
And homward / he shal tellen othere two
Of auentures / þᵗat whilom haue bifalle
And which of yow / þᵗat bereth hym best of alle
That is to seyn / that telleth in this cas
Tales of best sentence / and moost solas
Shal haue a Souper / at oure aller cost
Here in this place / sittynge by this post
Whan that we come agayn / fro Caunt̉erbury
And for to make yow / the moore mury
I wol my self goodly wit yow ryde
Right at myn owene cost and be youre gyde
And who so wole / my Iuggement with seye
Shal paye / al that we spende by the weye
And if ye vouche sauf / þᵗat it be so
Tel me anoon / with outen wordes mo
And I wol erly / shape me ther fore
¶ This thyng was graunted / and oure othes swore
With ful glad herte / and preyden hym also
That he wolde vouche sauf / for to do so
And that he wolde been / oure goủernour
And of oure tales / Iuge and reportour
And sette a souper / at a certeyn prys
And we wol ruled been / at his deuys
In heigh and logh / and thus by oon assent
We been acorded / to his Iuggement
And ther vp on / the wyn was fet anoon
We dronken / and to reste wente echon
With outen / any lenger taryynge
¶ A morwe / whan þᵗat day bigan to sprynge
Vp roos oure hoost and was oure aller cok
And gadred vs / togydres in a flok
And forth we ryden / a litel moore than pas
Vn to the wateryng of Seint Thomas
And there oure hoost bigan his hors areste
And seyde / lordes / herkneth if yow leste
¶ Ye woot youre forward / and it yow recorde
If euensong / and morwesong acorde
Lat se now / who shal telle the firste tale
As euere mote I drynke wyn / or Ale
Who so be rebel / to my Iuggement
Shal paye / for al / that by the wey is spent
Now draweth cut er þᵗat we ferrer twynne
He which þᵗat hath the shorteste / shal bigynne
¶ Sire knyght quod he / my mayster and my lord
Now draweth cut for that is myn acord
Cometh neer quod he / my lady Prioresse
And ye sire Clerc. lat be your shamefastnesse
Ne studieth noght ley hond to / euery man
¶ Anoon to drawen / euery wight bigan
And shortly / for to tellen / as it was
Were it by auenture / or sort or cas
The sothe is this / the Cut fil to the knyght
Of which ful blithe and glad was euery wight
And telle he moste his tale / as was resoun
By forward / and by composicioun
As ye han herd / what nedeth wordes mo
And whan this goode man / sawgh þᵗat it was
As he / þᵗat wys was / and obedient
To kepe his forward / by his free assent
He seyde / syn I shal bigynne the game
What wel come be the Cut in goddes name
Now lat vs ryde / and herkneth what I seye
And with that word / we ryden forth oure weye
And he bigan / with right a murye cheere
His tale anoon / and seyde as ye may heere
¶ Iamque domos patria Scithice post asꝑpera gentis
prelia laurigero.
prelia laurigero.
Here bigynneth the knyghtes tale.
Whilom / as olde stories tellen vs
Ther was a Duc þᵗat highte Theseus
Of Atthenes / he was lord and gouernour
And in his tyme / swich a conquerour
That gretter was ther noon vnder the sonne
Ful many a riche contree / hadde he wonne
What with his wysdom / and his chiualrye
He conquered / al the regne of femenye