Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 45

-- 57. Whanne Melibee hadde herd dame Prudence maken semblant of wratthe, he seyde in this wyse, / 'dame, I prey yow that ye be nat displesed of thinges that I seye; / for ye knowe wel that I am angry and wrooth, and that is no wonder; / and they that been wrothe witen nat wel what they doon, ne what they seyn. /2890 Therfore the prophete seith: that "troubled eyen han no cleer sighte." / But seyeth and conseileth me as yow lyketh; for I am redy to do right as ye wol desyre; / and if ye repreve me of my folye, I am the more holden to love yow and to preyse yow. / For Salomon seith: that "he that repreveth him that doth folye, / he shal finde gretter grace than he that deceyveth him by swete wordes."' /2895

2893. to preyse] E. _om._ to.

-- 58. Thanne seide dame Prudence, 'I make no semblant of wratthe ne anger but for your grete profit. / For Salomon seith: "he is more worth, that repreveth or chydeth a fool for his folye, shewinge him semblant of wratthe, / than he that supporteth him and preyseth him in his misdoinge, and laugheth at his folye." / And this same Salomon seith afterward: that "by the sorweful visage of a man," that is to seyn, by the sory and hevy countenaunce of a man, / "the fool correcteth and amendeth him-self."'

/2900

2898. E. peyseth (_for_ preyseth).

-- 59. Thanne seyde Melibee, 'I shal nat conne answere to so manye faire resouns as ye putten to me and shewen. / Seyeth shortly your wil and your conseil, and I am al ready to fulfille and parfourne it.' /

[234] -- 60. Thanne dame Prudence discovered al hir wil to him, and seyde, / 'I conseille yow,' quod she, 'aboven alle thinges, that ye make pees bitwene G.o.d and yow; / and beth reconsiled un-to him and to his grace.

/2905 For as I have seyd yow heer-biforn, G.o.d hath suffred yow to have this tribulacioun and disese for your sinnes. / And if ye do as I sey yow, G.o.d wol sende your adversaries un-to yow, / and maken hem fallen at your feet, redy to do your wil and your comandements. / For Salomon seith: "whan the condicioun of man is plesaunt and likinge to G.o.d, / he chaungeth the hertes of the mannes adversaries, and constreyneth hem to biseken him of pees and of grace." /2910 And I prey yow, lat me speke with your adversaries in privee place; / for they shul nat knowe that it be of your wil or your a.s.sent. / And thanne, whan I knowe hir wil and hir entente, I may conseille yow the more seurly.' /

2913. E. seurely; Hn. Cp. Hl. seurly.

-- 61. 'Dame,' quod Melibee, 'dooth your wil and your lykinge, / for I putte me hoolly in your disposicioun and ordinaunce.' /2915

-- 62. Thanne Dame Prudence, whan she saugh the G.o.de wil of her housbonde, delibered and took avys in hir-self, / thinkinge how she mighte bringe this nede un-to a good conclusioun and to a good ende. / And whan she saugh hir tyme, she sente for thise adversaries to come un-to hir in-to a privee place, / and shewed wysly un-to hem the grete goodes that comen of pees, / and the grete harmes and perils that been in werre; /2920 and seyde to hem in a goodly manere, how that hem oughte have greet repentaunce / of the iniurie and wrong that they hadden doon to Melibee hir lord, and to hir, and to hir doghter. /

2921. Cm. oughte; Cp. Hl. aughte; _rest_ oughten.

-- 63. And whan they herden the goodliche wordes of dame Prudence, / they weren so surprised and ravisshed, and hadden so greet Ioye of hir, that wonder was to telle. / 'A! lady!' quod they, 'ye han shewed un-to us "the blessinge of swetnesse," after the sawe of David the prophete; /2925 for the reconsilinge which we been nat worthy to have in no manere, / but we oghte requeren it with greet contricioun and humilitee, / ye of your grete goodnesse have presented unto us. / Now see we wel that the science and the conninge of Salomon is ful trewe; / for he seith: that "swete wordes multiplyen and encresen freendes, and maken shrewes to be debonaire and meke." /2930

2924. Hl. surprised; Cm. suppreysed; _rest_ supprised.

[235] -- 64. 'Certes,' quod they, 'we putten our dede and al our matere and cause al hoolly in your goode wil; / and been redy to obeye to the speche and comandement of my lord Melibee. / And therfore, dere and benigne lady, we preyen yow and biseke yow as mekely as we conne and mowen, / that it lyke un-to your grete goodnesse to fulfillen in dede your goodliche wordes; / for we consideren and knowlichen that we han offended and greved my lord Melibee out of mesure; /2935 so ferforth, that we be nat of power to maken hise amendes. / And therfore we oblige and binden us and our freendes to doon al his wil and hise comandements. / But peraventure he hath swich hevinesse and swich wratthe to us-ward, by-cause of our offence, / that he wole enioyne us swich a peyne as we mowe nat here ne sustene. / And therfore, n.o.ble lady, we biseke to your wommanly pitee, /2940 to taken swich avys.e.m.e.nt in this nede, that we, ne our freendes, be nat desherited ne destroyed thurgh our folye.' /

-- 65. 'Certes,' quod Prudence, 'it is an hard thing and right perilous, / that a man putte him al outrely in the arbitracioun and Iuggement, and in the might and power of hise enemys. / For Salomon seith: "leveth me, and yeveth credence to that I shal seyn; I seye," quod he, "ye peple, folk, and governours of holy chirche, / to thy sone, to thy wyf, to thy freend, ne to thy brother /2945 ne yeve thou never might ne maistrie of thy body, whyl thou livest." / Now sithen he defendeth, that man shal nat yeven to his brother ne to his freend the might of his body, / by a strenger resoun he defendeth and forbedeth a man to yeven him-self to his enemy. / And nathelees I conseille you, that ye mistruste nat my lord. / For I wool wel and knowe verraily, that he is debonaire and meke, large, curteys, /2950 and nothing desyrous ne coveitous of good ne richesse. / For ther nis no-thing in this world that he desyreth, save only worship and honour. / Forther-more I knowe wel, and am right seur, that he shal no-thing doon in this nede with-outen my conseil. / And I shal so werken in this cause, that, by grace of our lord G.o.d, ye shul been reconsiled un-to us.' /

-- 66. Thanne seyden they with o vois, 'worshipful lady, we putten us and our goodes al fully in your wil and disposicioun; /2955 and been redy to comen, what day that it lyke un-to your n.o.blesse to limite us or a.s.signe us, / for to maken our obligacioun and bond as strong as it lyketh un-to your goodnesse; / that we mowe fulfille the wille of yow and of my lord Melibee.' /

[236] -- 67. Whan dame Prudence hadde herd the answeres of thise men, she bad hem goon agayn prively; / and she retourned to hir lord Melibee, and tolde him how she fond hise adversaries ful repentant, /2960 knowlechinge ful lowely hir sinnes and trespas, and how they were redy to suffren al peyne, / requiringe and preyinge him of mercy and pitee. /

-- 68. Thanne seyde Melibee, 'he is wel worthy to have pardoun and foryifnesse of his sinne, that excuseth nat his sinne, / but knowlecheth it and repenteth him, axinge indulgence. / For Senek seith: "ther is the remissioun and foryifnesse, where-as confessioun is;" /2965 for confession is neighebore to innocence. / And he seith in another place: "he that hath shame for his sinne and knowlecheth it, is worthy remissioun." And therfore I a.s.sente and conferme me to have pees; / but it is good that we do it nat with-outen the a.s.sent and wil of our freendes.' /

2967. E. Cm. _omit from_ And he _to_ remissioun; Hn. Cp. Hl. _om. only_ is worthy remissioun, _which occurs in_ Pt., _where_ Ln. _has_ is worthi haue mercy. E. corforme (_sic_); _rest_ conferme.

-- 69. Thanne was Prudence right glad and loyeful, and seyde, / 'Certes, sir,' quod she, 'ye han wel and goodly answered. /2970 For right as by the conseil, a.s.sent, and help of your freendes, ye han been stired to venge yow and maken werre, / right so with-outen hir conseil shul ye nat accorden yow, ne have pees with your adversaries. / For the lawe seith: "ther nis no-thing so good by wey of kinde, as a thing to been unbounde by him that it was y-bounde."' /

-- 70. And thanne dame Prudence, with-outen delay or taryinge, sente anon hir messages for hir kin, and for hir olde freendes whiche that were trewe and wyse, / and tolde hem by ordre, in the presence of Melibee, al this matere as it is aboven expressed and declared; /2975 and preyden hem that they wolde yeven hir avys and conseil, what best were to doon in this nede.

/ And whan Melibees freendes hadde taken hir avys and deliberacioun of the forseide matere, / and hadden examined it by greet bisinesse and greet diligence, / they yave ful conseil for to have pees and reste; / and that Melibee sholde receyve with good herte hise adversaries to foryifnesse and mercy. /2980

2976. E. _om._ hem.

-- 71. And whan dame Prudence hadde herd the a.s.sent of hir lord Melibee, and the conseil of hise freendes, / accorde with hir wille and hir entencioun, / she was wonderly glad in hir herte, and [237] seyde: / 'ther is an old proverbe,' quod she, 'seith: that "the goodnesse that thou mayst do this day, do it; / and abyde nat ne delaye it nat til to-morwe." /2985 And therfore I conseille that ye sende your messages, swiche as been discrete and wyse, / un-to your adversaries; tellinge hem, on your bihalve, / that if they wole trete of pees and of accord, / that they shape hem, with-outen delay or tarying, to comen un-to us.' / Which thing parfourned was in dede.

/2990 And whanne thise trespa.s.sours and repentinge folk of hir folies, that is to seyn, the adversaries of Melibee, / hadden herd what thise messagers seyden un-to hem, / they weren right glad and Ioyeful, and answereden ful mekely and benignely, / yeldinge graces and thankinges to hir lord Melibee and to al his companye; / and shopen hem, with-outen delay, to go with the messagers, and obeye to the comandement of hir lord Melibee. /2995

-- 72. And right anon they token hir wey to the court of Melibee, / and token with hem somme of hir trewe freendes, to maken feith for hem and for to been hir borwes. / And whan they were comen to the presence of Melibee, he seyde hem thise wordes: / 'it standeth thus,' quod Melibee, 'and sooth it is, that ye, / causeless, and with-outen skile and resoun, /3000 han doon grete iniuries and wronges to me and to my wyf Prudence, and to my doghter also. / For ye han entred in-to myn hous by violence, / and have doon swich outrage, that alle men knowen wel that ye have deserved the deeth; / and therfore wol I knowe and wite of yow, / whether ye wol putte the puniss.e.m.e.nt and the chastysinge and the vengeance of this outrage in the wil of me and of my wyf Prudence; or ye wol nat?' /3005

3003. E. disserued.

-- 73. Thanne the wyseste of hem three answerde for hem alle, and seyde: / 'sire,' quod he, 'we knowen wel, that we been unworthy to comen un-to the court of so greet a lord and so worthy as ye been. / For we han so greetly mistaken us, and han offended and agilt in swich a wyse agayn your heigh lordshipe, / that trewely we han deserved the deeth. / But yet, for the grete goodnesse and debonairetee that all the world witnesseth of your persone, /3010 we submitten us to the excellence and benignitee of your gracious lordshipe, / and been redy to obeie to alle your comandements; / bisekinge yow, that of your merciable pitee ye wol [238] considere our grete repentaunce and lowe submissioun, / and graunten us foryevenesse of our outrageous trespas and offence. / For wel we knowe, that your liberal grace and mercy strecchen hem ferther in-to goodnesse, than doon our outrageouse giltes and trespas in-to wikkednesse; /3015 al-be-it that cursedly and dampnably we han agilt agayn your heigh lordshipe.' /

3005. E. wheither. 3009. E. disserued. 3010. of] E. in. 3013. E.

lough; _rest_ lowe. 3016. E. Hn. dampnablely.

-- 74. Thanne Melibee took hem up fro the ground ful benignely, / and receyved hir obligaciouns and hir bondes by hir othes up-on hir plegges and borwes, / and a.s.signed hem a certeyn day to retourne un-to his court, / for to accepte and receyve the sentence and Iugement that Melibee wolde comande to be doon on hem by the causes afore-seyd; /3020 whiche thinges ordeyned, every man retourned to his hous. /

-- 75. And whan that dame Prudence saugh hir tyme, she freyned and axed hir lord Melibee, / what vengeance he thoughte to taken of hise adversaries? /

-- 76. To which Melibee answerde and seyde, 'certes,' quod he, 'I thinke and purpose me fully / to desherite hem of al that ever they han, and for to putte hem in exil for ever.' /3025

-- 77. 'Certes,' quod dame Prudence, 'this were a cruel sentence, and muchel agayn resoun. / For ye been riche y-nough, and han no nede of other mennes good; / and ye mighte lightly in this wyse gete yow a coveitous name, / which is a vicious thing, and oghte been eschewed of every good man. / For after the sawe of the word of the apostle: "coveitise is rote of alle harmes." /3030 And therfore, it were bettre for yow to lese so muchel good of your owene, than for to taken of hir good in this manere. / For bettre it is to lesen good with worshipe, than it is to winne good with vileinye and shame. / And every man oghte to doon his diligence and his bisinesse to geten him a good name. / And yet shal he nat only bisie him in kepinge of his good name, / but he shal also enforcen him alwey to do som-thing by which he may renovelle his good name; /3035 for it is writen, that "the olde good loos or good name of a man is sone goon and pa.s.sed, whan it is nat newed ne renovelled." / And as touchinge that ye seyn, ye wole exile your adversaries, / that thinketh me muchel agayn resoun and out of mesure, / considered the power that they han yeve yow [239] up-on hem-self. / And it is writen, that "he is worthy to lesen his privilege that misuseth the might and the power that is yeven him." /3040 And I sette cas ye mighte enioyne hem that peyne by right and by lawe, / which I trowe ye mowe nat do, / I seye, ye mighte nat putten it to execucioun per-aventure, / and thanne were it lykly to retourne to the werre as it was biforn. / And therfore, if ye wole that men do yow obeisance, ye moste demen more curteisly; /3045 this is to seyn, ye moste yeven more esy sentences and Iugements. / For it is writen, that "he that most curteisly comandeth, to him men most obeyen." / And therfore, I prey yow that in this necessitee and in this nede, ye caste yow to overcome your herte. / For Senek seith: that "he that overcometh his herte, overcometh twyes." / And Tullius seith: "ther is nothing so comendable in a greet lord /3050 as whan he is debonaire and meke, and appeseth him lightly." / And I prey yow that ye wole forbere now to do vengeance, / in swich a manere, that your goode name may be kept and conserved; / and that men mowe have cause and matere to preyse yow of pitee and of mercy; / and that ye have no cause to repente yow of thing that ye doon. /3055 For Senek seith: "he overcometh in an yvel manere, that repenteth him of his victorie." / Wherfore I pray yow, lat mercy been in your minde and in your herte, / to theffect and entente that G.o.d almighty have mercy on yow in his laste Iugement. / For seint Iame seith in his epistle: "Iugement withouten mercy shal be doon to him, that hath no mercy of another wight."' /

3026. E. crueel. 3032. E. _om._ good (_twice_). 3036. or] E. and.

3051. E. _om._ him. 3057. E. in youre mynde and; _rest om._

-- 78. Whanne Melibee hadde herd the grete skiles and resouns of dame Prudence, and hir wise informaciouns and techinges, /3060 his herte gan enclyne to the wil of his wyf, consideringe hir trewe entente; / and conformed him anon, and a.s.sented fully to werken after hir conseil; / and thonked G.o.d, of whom procedeth al vertu and alle goodnesse, that him sente a wyf of so greet discrecioun. / And whan the day cam that hise adversaries sholde apperen in his presence, / he spak unto hem ful goodly, and seyde in this wyse: /3065 'al-be-it so that of your pryde and presumpcioun and folie, and of your necligence and unconninge, / ye have misborn yow and trespa.s.sed un-to me; / yet, for as much as I see and biholde your grete humilitee, / and that ye [240] been sory and repentant of your giltes, / it constreyneth me to doon yow grace and mercy. /3070 Therfore I receyve yow to my grace, / and foryeve yow outrely alle the offences, iniuries, and wronges, that ye have doon agayn me and myne; / to this effect and to this ende, that G.o.d of his endelees mercy / wole at the tyme of our dyinge foryeven us our giltes that we han trespa.s.sed to him in this wrecched world. / For doutelees, if we be sory and repentant of the sinnes and giltes whiche we han trespa.s.sed in the sighte of our lord G.o.d, /3075 he is so free and so merciable, / that he wole foryeven us our giltes, / and bringen us to his blisse that never hath ende. Amen.' /3078

HERE IS ENDED CHAUCERS TALE OF MELIBEE AND OF DAME PRUDENCE.

3064 E. Hn., appieren. 3078. E. his; Hn. Pt. Hl. the; Cp. Ln.

thilke. _After_ ende, Cp. Ln. _have this spurious couplet_:--

To whiche blisse he us bringe That blood on crosse for us gan springe,

followed by--_Qui c.u.m patre_, &c.

COLOPHON. _From_ E.; Hn. _has_--Here is endid Chaucers tale of Melibe; Hl. _has_--Here endith Chaucer his tale of Melibe.

[241: T. 13895-13924.]

THE MONK'S PROLOGUE.

THE MERY WORDES OF THE HOST TO THE MONK.

Whan ended was my tale of Melibee, And of Prudence and hir benignitee, 3080 Our hoste seyde, 'as I am faithful man, And by the precious _corpus Madrian_, I hadde lever than a barel ale That goode lief my wyf hadde herd this tale!

For she nis no-thing of swich pacience 3085 As was this Melibeus wyf Prudence.

By G.o.ddes bones! whan I bete my knaves, She bringth me forth the grete clobbed staves, (10) And cryeth, "slee the dogges everichoon, And brek hem, bothe bak and every boon." 3090 And if that any neighebor of myne Wol nat in chirche to my wyf enclyne, Or be so hardy to hir to tres.p.a.ce, Whan she comth hoom, she rampeth in my face, And cryeth, "false coward, wreek thy wyf, 3095 By _corpus_ bones! I wol have thy knyf, And thou shalt have my distaf and go spinne!"

Fro day to night right thus she wol biginne;-- (20) "Allas!" she seith, "that ever I was shape To wedde a milksop or a coward ape, 3100 That wol be overlad with every wight!

Thou darst nat stonden by thy wyves right!"

This is my lyf, but-if that I wol fighte; And out at dore anon I moot me dighte, Or elles I am but lost, but-if that I 3105 Be lyk a wilde leoun fool-hardy.

I woot wel she wol do me slee som day Som neighebor, and thanne go my wey. (30) [242: T. 13925-13962.]

For I am perilous with knyf in honde, Al be it that I dar nat hir withstonde, 3110 For she is big in armes, by my feith, That shal he finde, that hir misdooth or seith.

But lat us pa.s.se awey fro this matere.