Lc · Staffordshire, Lichfield Cathedral Library MS 29 (olim MS 2)
Canterbury Tales Project.
talesofcanterbury.org/GP/xml/transcripts/Lc/
With hym ther was his sone / aȝong squier
A louier a lusty bacheler
Wit lokkes crulle / as they were leyde in presse
Of xxᵗⁱ . ȝere of age / was he as I gesse
Of his stature / he was of Euene lengthe
And wonderly deliuer / and greet of strengthe
And he had ben somtyme / in Chiuachie
In Flaundres in Artoys / and in Picardie
And born hym wel / as of so litel space
In hope to stonden / in his lady grace
Enbrowded was he / as it were a mede
All ful of fresshe / floures white and rede
Syngynge he was . / or flowtynge al the day
He was as fressh / as is the monthe of May
Short was his gowne / with sleues longe and wyde
Wel cowde he sitte on hors / and fayre ryde
He cowde songes make / and wel endite
Iuste and eek daunce / and wel portreye and write
So hote he loued / that by nyghter tale
He slepte no more / than doth a nyghtyngale
Curteys he was / lowely and seruisable
And carf bifore / his fader atte table
A yeman hadde he / and seruᵃauntes no mo
At that tyme / for hym lust ride so
And he was clad / in coote and hood of grene
A sheef of pecok arwes / brighte and kene
Vnder his belte / he bar ful thriftily
Wel cowde he dresse / his takel ȝomanly
His arwes drouped / nought with fotheres lowe
And in his hand / he bar a mighty bowe
A not heed had he / with a broıı̄un visage
Of wode craft / wel cowde he al the vsage
Vp on his arme / he bar a gay bracer
And by his side / a swerd and a bokeler
And on that other side / a gay daggere
Harneysed wel / and sharp as poynt of spere
A xpofre on his brest / of siluer shene
An horn he bar / the bawdrik was of grene
A foster was he / sothely as I gesse.
¶ libri.
Ther was also a Nonne a Prioresse
That of hir smilynge was ful symple and coy
Hir grettest othe was but by seint loy
And she was cleped / madame Englentyne
Ful wel she song / the seruice diuyne
Entuned in hir nose ful semely
And frenssh she spak / ful faire and fetisly
After the Scole of Stratford atte Bowe
For frenssh of Parys / was to hir vnknowe
At mete wel y taught / was she with alle
She leet no morsel / fro hir lippes falle
Ne wette hir fyngres in hir sauce depe
Wel cowde she carie a morsel / and wel kepe
That no drope / ne fille vpon hir breste
In curtesie was sette / ful moche hir leste
Hir oủrelippe wyped she so clene
That in hir cuppe / ther was no ferthing sene
Of grece whan she / dronken hadde hir draught
Ful semely after hir mete she raught
And sikerly she was of greet disport
And ful plesant / and amyable of port
And peyned hir to countrefete chere
Of court / and to ben estately of man̉ere
And to ben holden / digne of reủerence
But for to speken of hir conscience
She was so charitable / and so pitous
She wolde wepe ȝif she sawe a mous
Kaught in a trappe / ȝif it were ded or bledde
Of smale houndes / hadde she that she fedde
With rosted flessh or mylk or wastel brede
But sore wepte she / ȝif eny of hem were dede
Or ȝif men smote it with a ȝerde smerte
And al was conscience / and tendernesse of herte
Ful semely hir wympel / pinched was
Hir nose was streight / hir eyen grey as glas
Hir mouth ful smal / and ther to softe and rede
But sikerly she hadde a faire forhede
It was almost a spane brode I towe
For hardely she was not vndergrowe
Ful fetys was hir cloke / as I was war
Of smal coral / a boute hir arm she bar
A peire of bedes / gauded al with grene
And ther on heeng / a broche of gold ful shene
On which ther was first / writen a crowned A
And after / Amor vincit omnia .
Another nonne / with hir had she
That was hir Chapeleyn / and prestes thre
A Monk ther was / a fair for the maystrie
An out Rider / that loued venerie
A manly man / to ben an abbot able
Ful many a deynte hors / hadde he in stable
And whan he rood / men myghte his bridel here
Clinkynge in a whistelynge wynd as clere
And eek as lowde / as doth the chapel belle
There as this lord / was keper of the celle
The rewle of seint Maure / or of seint beneit
By cause that it was old / and somdel streit
This ilke monk / leet olde thinges pace
And heeld after the newe world the space
He ȝaf nought of the text / a pulled hen
That seith that hunters / be nouȝt holy men
Ne that a monk / whan he is recheles
Is likned til a fissh / that is waterles
This is to say a monk out of his cloystre
But thilke text / heeld he nought worth an oystre
And I seide his opinioıı̄un / was right good
What shulde he studie / or make hym self wood
Vpon a book / in cloystre alwey to poure
Or swynke with his hondes / or laboure
As Austyn bit / how shal the world be serued
Lat austyn haue / his swynk to hym reserued
Therfore he was / a prikasour aright
Grehoundes he hadde / as swifte as foul in flight
Of prikyng and of huntyng for the hare
Was al his lust / for no cost wolde he spare
I seigh his sleues / y purfiled at the hond
With grys / and that the fynest of a lond
And for to festne his hood / vnder his chynne
¶ libri-
He hadde of gold ywrought a ful curious pynne
A loue knotte in the gretter ende ther was
His heued was balled / that shon as eny glas
And eek his face / as he hadde ben anoynt
He was a lord ful fat and in good poynt
His eyen stepe and / rolled in his hede
That stremed as a furneys of lede
His botes souple his hors in grete astate
Now certeinly he was a faire prelate
He nas not pale as a forpyned gost
A fat swan loued he best of eny rost
His palfrey was as broıı̄un as a berye
A Frere ther was a wantoıı̄un and a merye
A lymitour a ful solempne man
In alle the ordres foure / is ther nouȝt oon that can
So moche of daliance / and faire langage
He hadde maad ful many a mariage
Of ȝonge women at his owene cost
Vn to his ordre he was a noble post
Ful wel biloued and famuler was he
Wᵗith frankeleynes oủre al in his cuntre
And with worthy women of the toıı̄un
For he hadde power of confessioıı̄un
As seide hym self more than a curat
For of his ordre he was licenciat
Ful swetely herde he confessioıı̄un
And plesant was his absolucioıı̄un
He was an esy man to ȝeue penaıı̄unce
¶ There as he wiste to haue a good pitance
For vnto a poủere ordre for to ȝeue
Is signe that a man is wel yshryue
For ȝif he ȝaf he dorste make auaunt
He wiste that a man was repentant
For many a man so hard is of his herte
He may nought wepe / al though hym sore smerte
Therfore in stede of wepyng and prayeres
Men muste ȝeue siluer / to the pouere freres
His typet was ay farsed ful of knyves
And pynnes for to ȝeue faire wyues
And certeinly / he hadde a mery note
Wel cowde he syngen / and pleyen on a rote
Of ȝeddynges / he bar vtterly the pris
His nekke whyt / as is the flour delys
Ther to he was strong as is a champioıı̄un
He knewe the taủerners wel in eủery toıı̄un
And eủery hostiller / and tapster
Bet than a lazar / or a begger
For vn to such a worthy man as he
Accorded nought / as by his faculte
To haue with suche sike lazares acqueyntaıı̄unce
It is nought honest / it may nought auaıı̄unce
For to delen with no such porayle
But al with riche / and sellers of vitayle
And ouer al there / as ꝓprofite shulde arise
Curteys he was / and lowely of seruise
Ther nas no man / nowher so v̉ertuous
He was the beste begger / in his hous
For though a wydewe / hadde nought a sho
So plesant was his In pⁱrincipio
Ȝit wolde he haue / a ferthyng or he wente
His purchas was wel better / than his rente
And rage he cowde / as it were a whelpe
In louedayes / there cowde he moche helpe
For there was he nought / lyk a cloystrer
In a thredbare cope lyk a poủere scoler
But he was lyk / a mayster or a pope
Of double worstede / was his semycope
That rounded was as a belle / out of the presse
Somwhat he lipsed / for his wantownesse
To make his englissh / swete vpon his tonge
And in harpyng whan he hadde ysonge
His eyen twynklede / in his hede a right
As don the sterres / in the frosty nyght
This worthy lymitoᵘur / was cleped huberd
A Marchaunt with a forked berd
In motle / and high on hors he sat
Vpon his heued / a flaundrissh beuere hat
His botes clapsed faire and fetisly .
His resoıı̄uns he spak / ful solempnely
Shewynge alway / the encres of his wynnynge
He wolde the see were kept for eny thynge
Bitwixe Middelburgh and orwelle
Wel cowde he in eschaunge sheeldes selle
This worthy man / ful wel his witte bisette
Ther wiste no wight / that he was in dette
So estately was he of his goủernaıı̄unce
What with his bargeynes / and with his cheuissance
For sothe he was a worthy man with alle
But sothely to seyn / I noot how men hym calle
A Clerk ther was of Oxenforde of Oxenforde also
That vn to logike / longe tyme hadde I go
As lene was his hors / as is a rake
And he nas not right fat I vndertake
But loked holwe / and ther to sobirly
Ful thredbare was his oủerest courtepy
For he hadde geten hym / no benfice
Ne was so worldly / for to haue office
For hym was leuere / haue at his beddes hede
Twenty bokes / clad in blak or rede
Of Aristotil and his philosophie
Than robes riche fithel or gay sawtrie
But al be that he was a philosophre
Ȝit hadde he but lytel gold in cofre
But al that he myghte / of his frendes hente
On bokes and on lernynge he it spente
And besily gan for the soules preye
Of hem that hym ȝaue wherwith to scoleye
Of studie toke he most cure and hede
Nought oo word spak he more than was nede
And that was sayd in forme and reủerence
And short and quik / and ful of high sentence
Sownynge in moral v̉ertue / was his speche
And gladly wolde he lerne / and gladly teche
A Sergeant of the lawe war and wys
That ofte hadde ben at Parvys
That was also ful riche of excellence
Discrete he was / and of greet reủerence
He semed such / his wordes were so wise
Iustice he was ful ofte in assise
By patent and pleyn cōmmissioıı̄un
For his science / and for his high renoıı̄un
Of fees and robes hadde he manyon
So greet a purchasour was nowher non
Al was fe symple to hym in effecte
His purchasyng myghte not ben infecte
Nowher so besy a man . as he ther nas
And ȝit he semed / besier than he was
In termes hadde he caas and domes alle
That fro the tyme of kyng William were falle
Therto he cowde endite and make a thing .
Ther cowde no wight pynche at his writing
And eủery statute / cowde he pleyn by rote
He rode but homely / in a medle cote
Girt with a seint of silk with barres smale
Of his aray / telle I no lenger tale
A Frāmkeleyn was in his companie
White was his berde / as is the dayes eye
Of his complexcioıı̄un / he was sangwyne
Wel louede he by the morwe a sop in wyne
To lyuen in delite / eủere was his wone
For he was epicures owne sone
That heelde opinioıı̄un / that pleyn delite
Was verray felicite ꝑparfite
An housholder / and that a greet was he
Seint Iulian he was in his cuntre
His breed his ale / was alwey after oon
A better envyned man / was nowher noon
Withoute bake mete / was neủere his hous
Of fissh and flessh / and that so plenteuous
It snewed in his hous / of mete and drynke
Of alle deyntes / that men cowde thynke
After the sondry sesoıı̄uns of the ȝere
So chaunged he / his mete and his sopere
Ful many a fat partrich / hadde he in mewe
And many a breme / and many a pyke in stewe
Wo was his cook / but his sawce were
Poynant and sharp / and redy al his gere
His table dormant in his halle alway
Stode redy coủered al the longe day
At Sessions there was he lord and sire
Ful ofte tyme he was knyght of the Shire
An anlas and a gipser al of silk
Heeng at his girdel white as morne milk
A Shirreue hadde he ben and accomptoᵘur
Was nowher such a worthy vauasour
An habirdassher and a carpenter
A Webbe a dyer and a Tapicer
And they were clothed alle in o lyuere
Of a solempne and a greet frat̉ernite
Ful fressh and newe her gere apyked was
Her knyues nere nought chaped with bras
But al with siluer wrought ful clene and wel
Her girdeles and her powches eủerydel
Wel semed ech of hem a fair burgeys
To sitten in yildehalle on a deys
Eủerich for the wisdam that he can
Was shaply for to ben an alderman
For catel hadde they y nough an rente
And eke her wyues / wolde it wel assente
And ellis certeyne they were to blame
It is ful fair to be cleped madame
And gon to vigilies al bifore
And haue a mantel rialliche ybore
A Cook they hadde with hem for the nones
To boyle the chikenes with the maribones
And pouder marchant tart and galingale
Wel cowde he knowe a draught of londoıı̄un ale
He cowde roste and and broyle and frye
Maken mortreux / and wel bake a pye
But greet harme was it as it thoughte me
That on his shyne a mormal hadde he
For blank manger / þat made he with the beste
A Shipman was there wonynge fer by weste
For ought I woot he was of dertemouthe
He rood vpon a Rouncy / as he cowthe
In a gowne of faldyng / to the kne
A dagger hangynge in a lace hadde he
Aboute his nekke / vnder his arme a doıı̄un
The hote sonne hadde maad his hewe al broıı̄un
And certeynely he was a good felawe
Ful many a draught of wyn hadde he drawe
Fro Burdeuxward while the chapmen slepe
Of nyce conscience / toke he no kepe
Ȝif that he faught / and hadde the heigher honde
By water he sente hem hom to eủery londe
But of his craft to rekne wel his tides
His stremes and his daungers hym besides
His herberwe his mone and his lodemenage
Ther nas non such fro hull vn to Cartage
Hardy he was / and wys to vndertake
With many a tempest / hadde his berd ben shake
He knew alle the hauenes as they were
Fro Guthland to the cape of fynystere
And eủery cryke in Britayne and in Spayne
His barge y cleped was the Mawdeleyne
With ther was a doctour of phisik
In al the world / ne was ther non hym lyk
To speke of phisik / and of surgerie
For he was grounded / in astronomie
He kepte his pacient / a ful greet dele
In houres by his magik naturel
Wel cowthe he fortune the ascendent
Of his ymages for his pacient
He knewe the cause of eủery maladye
Were it of hoot or cold or moyst or drye
And where engendred / and of what humoᵘur
He was a v̉erray ꝑparfit practisour
¶ The cause y knowe / and of his harme the roote
Anon he ȝaf the sike man his boote
Ful redy hadde he his apothecaries
To sende hym his drugges and his letuaries
For eche of hem made other for to wynne
Her frendshipe nas nought newe to bigynne
Wel knewe he the olde Esculapius
And diascorides and eke Rusus
Olde ypocras haly A Galien
Serapion Razie and auicen
Auerois damascien ⁊and constantyn
Bernard and Gatesden and gilbertyn
Of his diete mesurable was he
For it was of no suꝑperfluite
But of gret norisshing and digestible
His studie nas but litel in the bible
In sangwyn and in perse / he clad was al
Lyned with taffata and with sendal
And ȝit he was but esy of dispense
He kepte that he wan in pestilence
For gold in phisik is a cordial
Therfore he loued gold in special
A good wyf ther was of biside bathe
But she was somdel deef ⁊and þᵗat was scathe
Of cloth makyng she hadde such an haunt
She passed hem of ypres and of Gaunt
In al the parissh wyf ne was ther noon
That to the offryng bifore hir shulde goon
And ȝif ther dide certeyn so wroth was she
That she was out of all charite
Hir coủerchiefs ful fyne were of grounde
I dorste swere they weyed ten pounde
That vp on a sonday were vpon hir hede
Hir hosen were of fyn scarlet rede
Ful streit y teyed / and shoos ful moiste and newe
Bolde was hir face / and faire and reed of hewe
She was a worthy woman al hir lyue
Housbondes atte chirche dore hadde she had fyve
Withouten other company in ȝowthe
But ther of nedeth nought for to speke as nowthe
And thries hadde she ben at Ierusalem
She hadde passed . many a straunge streem
At Rome hadde she ben / and at Boloyne
In Galice at seint Iame and at Coloyne
She couthe moche of wandryng by the weye
Gat tothed was she sothely for to seye
Vpon an ambler al esily she sat
Ywympled wel and on hir hede an hat
As brood as is a bokeler or a targe
A foot mantel aboute hir hipes large
And on hir feet a peyre of spores sharpe
In felawshipe wel cowthe lawghe and carpe
Of remedies of lowe she knewe ꝑparchaunce
For she cowthe of that art the olde daunce
A good man was there of Religioıı̄un
And was a poủere ꝑpersoıı̄un of a toıı̄un
But riche he was of holy thought and werk
He was also a lerned man and a clerk
And cristes gospell trewely wolde preche
His parisshens deuoutely wolde he teche
Benigne he was / and wonder diligent
And in adủersite ful pacient
And such he was pued ofte sithes
Ful loth were hym to curse for his tithes
But rather wolde he ȝeuen out of doute
Vn to his poủere parisshens a boute
Of his offryng / and of his substance
He cowthe in litel thyng haue suffisance
Wyde was his parissh / and houses fer assonder
But he ne lefte nought / for reyn ne thonder
In syknesse nor in meschief to visite
The ferthest in his parissh moche and lite
Vpon his feet / and in his honde a staf
This noble ensaumple vn to his sheep he ȝaf
That ferst he wroughte / and afterward he taughte
Out of the gospel . he tho wordes kaughte
And this figure / he added ther to
That ȝif gold ruste / what shal Iren do
For ȝif a preest be foul in whom we truste
No wonder is a lewed man to ruste
And shame it is ȝif a preest take kepe
A Shite Sheꝑperde and a clene shepe
Wel oughte a preest ensaumple for to ȝiue
By his clennes / how his sheep shulde liue
He sette nought his benefice to hire
Ne leet his sheep a combred in the myre
And ran to londoıı̄un vn to seint poules
To seke hym a chauntry for soules
Or with a bretherhede to ben witholde
But dwelled at home / and kepte wel his folde
So that the wolf ne made it not miscarie
He was a Shepperde and not a mcernarie
And though he holy were and v̉ertuous
He was not to synfull men dispitous
Ne of his speche daungerous ne digne
But in his speche / discreet and benigne
To drawen folke to heuene by fayrnesse
By good ensaumple / this was his besinesse
But it were ony ꝑpersone obstinate
What so he were of lowe or high estate
Hym wolde he snybbe / sharply for þe nones
A better preest I trowe that nowher non is
He wayted after no pompe and reủerence
Ne maked him a spiced conscience
But cristes lore and his apostelis twelue
He taughte / but first he vsed it hym selue
With him ther was a ploughman was his brother
That hadde ylad of dong ful many a fother
A trewe swynker / and a good was he
Lyuynge in pees and ꝑparfite charite
God loued he best with al his herte
At alle tymes / though him gamed or smte
And than his neyghbore / right as him selue
He wolde thresshe / and ther to dyke and delue
For cristes sake for eủery poủere wight
Withoute hire ȝif it lay in his myght
His tythes paied he ful faire and wel
Bothe of his ꝓpropre swynk and his catel
In a tabbard he rode vpon a mere
Ther was also a Reue / and a Mellere
A Sompnoᵘur and a pardoner also
A Maunciple and my self ther were no mo
The Mellere was a stout carle for the nones
Ful big he was of brawn and eke of bones
That p̉reued wel for oủeral there he cam
Atte wrastlyng / he wolde haue a wey the ram
He was short shuldred a thikke knarre
Ther ne was no dore / that he ne wolde heue of harre
Or breke it at a rennyng with his heed
His berd as eny sowe or fox was reed
And ther to brood as thought it were a spade
Vpon the cop right of his nose he hade
A werte / and ther on stode a tuft of heres
Rede as the bristelis of a sowes eres
His nose thrilles blake were and wyde
A swerd and a bokeler / bar he by his syde
His mowth as gret was as a gret furneys
He was a iangeler and a goliardeys
And that was most of synne and harlotries
Wel cowthe he stele corn . and tollen thries
And ȝit he hadde a thombe of gold parde
A whyt cote and a blew hood wered he
A bagge pipe wel cowthe he blowe and sowne
And ther with al he broughte vs out of towne
A gentil maunciple was there of a temple
Of which achatoᵘurs myghte take exemple
For to ben wise in beyinge of vitayle
For wheither that he payed or toke by tayle
Algate he wayted so in his achat
That he was ay biforn in good astat
Now is not that of god a ful faire grace
That such a lewed mannes wit shal pace
The wisdam of an heep of lerned men
Of maistres hadde he mo than thries ten
That were of lawe expert and curious
Of whiche ther were a doseyne in þᵗat hous
Worthy to ben stywardes of rente and lond
Of eny lord that is in Engelond
To make hym lyue by his ꝓpropre good
In honoᵘur detteles / but ȝif that he were wood
Or lyue as scarcely as hym list desire
And able for to helpen al a Shire
In eny caas that myghte falle or happe
And ȝit this Maunciple sette he alther cappe
The Reue was a sclender colrik man
His berd was shaue as nygh as eủere he can
His her was by his eres ful rounde y shorne
His top was dokked lyk a preest biforne
Ful longe were his legges and ful lene
Y lyk a staf . ther was no calf y sene
Wel cowthe he kepe a gerner or a bynne
Ther was non auditour / cowthe on hym wynne
Wel wiste he by the droughte and by the reyne
The ȝeldynge of his seed / and of his greyne
His lordes sheep his neet his dayerie
His swyn his hors his store and his pulletrie
Was holy in this Reues goủernynge
And by his couenant / ȝaf the reknynge
Syn that his lord was twenty ȝere of age
Ther cowthe no man / brynge hym in arrerage
Ther nas baily . heerde nor other hyne
That he ne knew his sleighte and his covyne
They were a drad of hym as of the deth
His wonynge was ful faire vpon an heth
With grene trees shadwed was his place
He cowthe better than his lord purchace
Ful riche he was astored pⁱriuely
His lord he cowthe wel plesen subtily
To ȝeue and lene him of his owne good
And haue a thank / and ȝit a coote and hood
In ȝowthe he hadde lerned a good mistere
He was a wel good wrighte a carpentere
This Reue sat vpon a ful good stot
That was al pomely grey / and highte Scot
A long surcote of peers vpon he hadde
And by his side he bar a rusty bladde
Of norfolk was this Reue of which I telle
Biside a toıı̄un men clepe Baldeswelle
Tukked he was as is a frere aboute
And eủere he rode the hinderest of oure route
A Sompnoᵘur was ther with vs in þᵗat place
That hadde a firy cherubinnes face
For sawcefleem he was with eyen narwe
As hoot he was and leccherous as a sparwe
With scalled browes blak and piled berd
Of his visage children were afferd
Ther nas quik siluer litarge nor brimston
Borace ceruse ne oyle of trarter non
Ne oynement that wolde clense and byte
That him myghte helpe of his whilkes whyte
Nor of the knobbes sittynge in his chekes
Wel loued he garleek oynons and leekes
And for to drinke strong wyn rede as blood
Than wolde he speke and crie as he were wood
For whan that he wel dronken hadde the wyn
Than wolde he speke no word but latyn
A fewe termes hadde he two or thre
That he hadde y lerned out of som decre
No wonder is he herde it al the day
And eek ȝe knowen wel how þat a iay
Can clepe watte as wel as can the pope
But who so couthe in other þing hym grope
Than hadde he spent al his philosophie
Ay questio quid iuris wolde he crie
He was a gentil harlot and a kynde
A better felawe shulde men not fynde
He wolde suffre for a quart of wyn
A good felawe to haue his concubyn
A twelf monthe and excuse him atte fulle
Ful pⁱriuely eke a fynche couthe he pulle
And ȝif he fond owher a good felawe
He wolde techen him to haue non awe
In such cas of the erchedekenes curs
But ȝif a mannes soule were in his purs
For in his purs he shulde punisshed be
Purs is the erchedekenes helle seide he
But wel I woot he lyed right in dede
Of cursyng oughte ech gilty man to drede
For curs wol sleen right assoilyng saueth
And also war him of a significauit
In daunger hadde he athis owne gyse
The ȝonge gerles / of the diocise
And knew her consaill ⁊and what was al her rede
A garland hadde he / sette vpon his hede
As grete as it were / for an ale stake
A bokeler hadde he / made hym of a cake
With hym ther roode / a gentil pardoner
Of Rouncyvall / his freend and his comper
That streight was come / fro the court of Rome
Ful lowde he song / come hider loue to me
This sompnoᵘur bar to hym / a stif burdoıı̄un
Was neủere trompe / of half so greet a soıı̄un
This ꝑpardoner hadde heer / as ȝelwe as wax
But smothe it heeng / as doth a strike of flax
By ounces henge his lokkes / that he hadde
And ther with he / his shuldres oủerspradde
But thynne it lay / by culpıı̄uns oon and oon
But hood for iolyte / wered he noon
For it was trussed / vp in his walet
Him thoughte he rood / al on the newe iet
Discheuele saaf his cappe / he rood al bare
Suche glaringe eyen / hadde he as an hare
A vernicle hadde he / sewed vpon his cappe
His walet lay bifore hym / in his lappe
Bretfull of pardoıı̄un comen fro Rome al hoot
A voys he hadde / as smal as a goot
No berde ne hadde he / ne neủere shulde haue
As smothe it was / as it ware late shaue
I trowe he were a geldyng or a mare
But of his craft / fro Berwyk in to Ware
Ne was ther such / another ꝑpardoner
For in his male / he hadde a pilweber
Wich that he seide / was oure lady veyl
He seide he hadde a gobet of the seyl
That seint petre hadde / whan þᵗat he wente
Vp on the see / til ihu crist hym hente
He hadde a cros of latoıı̄un / ful of stones
And in a glas / he hadde pigges bones
But with thise relikes / whan that he fond
A poủere ꝑpersoıı̄un / dwellynge vp on lond
Vp on a day he gat hym more moneye
Than the ꝑpersoıı̄un gat / in monthes tweye
And thus with feyned flat̉ering and iapes
He made the ꝑpersoıı̄un / and the peple his apes
But trewely to tellen / at the laste
He was in chirche a noble ecclesiaste
Wel couthe he rede / a lessoıı̄un or a storie
But altherbest / he song an offretorie
For wel he wiste / whan that song was songe
He muste preche / and wel affile his tonge
To wynne siluer as he wel Cowde
Therfore he song / so merily and lowde
Now haue I tolde ȝow / sothely in a clause
The estate the array / the nombre and eke the cause
Why that assembled / was this companye
In Suthwerk / at this gentil hostelrye
That highte the tabbard / fast by the belle
But now is tyme / to ȝow for to telle
How that we baren vs / that ilke nyght
Whan we were / in that hostelrie a lyght
And after wol I tellen of oure viage
And al the remenant / of oure pilgrimage
But first I pray ȝow / of ȝoure curtesie
That ȝe ne rette it nought my vilenie
Though that I pleinly speke / in this mat̉ere
To tellen ȝow / h̉ere wordes / and her chere
Ne though I speke / her wordes proꝑperly
For this ȝe knowen as wel as I
Who so shal shall telle / a tale after a man
He moot reherse / as neygh as eủere he can
Eủery worde / ȝif it be in his charge
Al speke he neủere so rudely or large
Or elles he moot telle / his tale vntrewe
Or feyne thinges / or fynde wordes newe
He may nought spare / al though he were his brother
He moot as wel say / oo worde as a nother
Crist spak hym self / ful brode in holy writ
And wel ȝe woot / no vileny is it
Eke plato seith / who so can hym rede
The wordes mote be cosyn to the dede
Also I pray ȝow forȝeue it me
Al haue I nought sette folk in her degre
Here in this tale as they shulde stonde
My wit is short ȝe may wel vnderstonde
Gret chere made oure host vs eủerychon
And to the soper sette he vs anon
He serued vs with vitayles at the beste
Strong was the wyn and wel to drinke vs leste
A semely man oure host was with alle
For to ben a marchal in a lordes halle
A large man he was with eyen stepe
A fayrer burgeys is ther non in chepe
Bold of his speche and wys ⁊and wel y taught
And of manhode him lakked right naught
¶ Eke ther to he was right a mery man
And after soper to pleyen he bigan
And spak of m̉erthe among other thinges
Whan that we hadde made oure reknynges
And saide thus now lordinges trewely
Ȝe ben to me welcome right hertely
For by my trouthe ȝif that I shal not lye
I sawgh nought this ȝere so mery a companye
At ones in this herberwe as is now
Fayn wolde I done ȝow m̉erthe wiste I how
And of a m̉erthe I am right now bithought
To done ȝow ese and it shal coste nought
¶ Ȝe gon to Caunt̉erbury god ȝow spede
The blisful martir quite ȝow ȝoure mede
And wel I woot as ȝe gon by the weye
Ȝe shapen ȝow to talken and to pleye
For trewely confort ne m̉erthe is noon
To ride by the weye dombe as eny stoon
And therfore wole I maken ȝow disport
As I seide arst and don ȝow som confort
And ȝif ȝow liketh alle by oon assent
For to stonden at my Iugement
And for to werken as I shal ȝow seye
¶ To morwe whan we riden by the weye
Now by my fadres soule / that is ded
But ȝe be merye / I wol ȝeue ȝow myn hed
Holdeth vp ȝoure hondes / withoute more speche
Oure counseill / was nought longe for to seche
Vs thoughte it was not worth / to make it wys
And graunted hym / withoute more avys
And bad hym say / his verdite as hym leste
Lordinges qd he / now herkeneth for the beste
But take it nought / I pray ȝow in disdeyn
This is the poynt / to speke short and pleyn
That ech of ȝow to shorte with oure weye
In this viage / shal telle tales tweye
To Caunt̉erbury ward I mene it so
And homward he shall tellen other two
Of auentures / that whilom haue befalle
And which of ȝow / that bereth hym best of alle
That is to seyn / that telleth in this caas
Tales of best sentence / and of moost solas
Shal haue a soper / at oure alther cost
Here in this place / sittinge by this post
Whan that we comen a geyn / fro Cauntirbury
And for to make ȝow / the more mery
I wol my self / goodly with ȝow ryde
Right at myn owne cost and be ȝoure gyde
And who so wole / my iugement withseye
Shall paie for al / we spende by the weye
And ȝif ȝe vouchesauf / that it be so
Tel me anon / withoute wordes mo
And I wol erly / shape me therfore
This thing was graunted / and oure othes swore
With ful glad herte and prayen hym also
That he wolde vouchesauf for to done so
And he wolde ben oure goủernour
And of oure tales / Iuge and reportour
And sette a soper / at a certeyn prys
And we wol rewled ben / at his deuys
In high and low / and thus by oon assent
We ben accorded / to the iugement
And ther vpon / the wyn was fet anon
We dronke / and to reste wente echon
Withoute eny / lenger tariynge
A morwe whan the day / bigan to sprynge
Vp roos oure host and was oure alther cok
And and gadered vs / to gider in a flok
And forth we riden / a litel more than pas
Vn to the waterynge / of seint thomas
And than oure host / gan his hors areste
And seide lordinges / herkeneth ȝif ȝow leste
Ȝe woot ȝoure forward / and I it recorde
Ȝif euensong and morwe song accorde
Lat se now / who shal telle the firste tale
As eủere mote I drynke / wyn or ale
Who so be rebel / to my iugement
Shal paye for al / that by the way is spent
Now draweth cut / or that we ferther twynne
Which that hath the shortest shal first begynne
¶ Sire knyght qd he / my maister and my lord
Now draweth cut for that is myn accord
Cometh ner qd he / my lady prioresse
And ȝe sir clerk / lat be ȝoure shamefastnesse
Ne studieth nought / ley hand to eủery man
Anon to drawe / eủery wight bigan
And shortly for to tellen / as it was
Were it by auenture / or sort or cas .
The sothe is this / the cut fel to the knyght
Of which ful blithe / and glad was eủery wyght
And tellen he muste his tale / as was resoıı̄un
¶ By forward / and by composicioıı̄un
As ȝe han herd / what nedeth wordes mo
And whan this good man / saugh that it was so
As he that wys was / and obedient
To kepen his forward / by his fre assent
He seide sitthen / I shal begynne the game
What welcome be the cut / in goddes name
Now lat vs ryde / and herkeneth what I seye
And with that word / we riden forth oure weye
And he bigan / right with a mery chere
His tale anon / and seide as ȝe may here
[1ar]
Whan þᵗat Aprill wᵗith his shoures soote
The drouȝht of march hath perced to þe rote
And bathed euery vein in swith licoure
Of which vertue engendred is þe floure
Whan zephirus eke with his swete breth
Inspired hath in euerie holt ⁊and heth
The tendir croppis ⁊and þe yonge sonne
Hath in the ram his halfe cours yronne
And smale fowlis make melodye
That slepen all nyght with open eyghe
So priker hem nature / in here corages
Than longen folke to gon in pilgrymages
And palmers for to seke straunge strondes
To ferne halowes couthe in sondry londes
And specially fram euery shires end
Of engelond to caunterbury they wende
The holy blissefull martir for to seke
That hem hath holpen whan þᵗat þey were seke
Byfille þat in that seson on a day
In southwerk atte tabbard as I lay
Redy to wend on my pilgrymage
To caunterbury / wᵗith full deuout courage
At niht was come into þat hostellerye
Well nyne ⁊and twentie on a company
Of sondry folk by aventure yfalle
In fellashipe ⁊and pilgrymes were they all
That towardes caunterbury wold ryde
The chambres ⁊and stables weren wyde
And well weren esed atte beste
⁊and schortlie whan þᵉ son / was to reste
So had I spoken wᵗith hem euerychone
That I was of here fellaschip a none
And made forwarde erly for to ryse
To take our wey there as I you deuise
But natheles whil I haue tyme ⁊and space
Or þat I ferther in tale pace
Me thinkeþ according to reason
To tell you all the condicion
Of ech of hem so as it semed me .
And whiche they were ⁊and of what degree
And eke in what aray þat they were inne
And at a knight þan I woll first begynne
A knyght þer was ⁊and þat a worthie man
That fro þe tyme þat he first began
To riden out . he loued chyualrye
Trouthe ⁊and honour fredom ⁊and curtesy
Full worthie was he in his lordes warre
⁊and there to hadde he ryden no man farre
As well in cristendom as in hethenesse
And euer honoured for his worthinesse
At alisaundre he was whan it wonne
Full ofte tyme / he hadde the bord bygonne
Aboue alle nations in Pruce
In lettowe had he reysed ⁊and in ruce
No crystene man so ofte of his degree
In gernade at þᵉ sege ek had he bee
Of algezure ⁊and riden in belmarye
At lycio was he ⁊and at satalye
When they were wonne ⁊and in þᵉ grete see
At many a noble armeye had he be
At morteill battailles had he bene fiftene
⁊and foughten for our faith at tramessene
In lystes thryes ⁊and ay slain his foo
This ilk worthie knight had bene also
Somtyme with the lord of Palatye
Ayeyn an other hethen in Turkye
And euermore he had a souereyne prys
And though þat he was worthie he was wys
And of his port as meke as is a mayde
He neuer yet no velonye ne saide
In all his lif vnto no manere wight
He was a very parfite gentill knyght
For to tellen yow of his armey
His hors weren gode ; but he was not gay
Of fustion he werede a gepon
All besmotered with his habirgeon
For he was late ycome from his viage
⁊and went for to done his pylgrymage