Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 7

He was a verray parfit gentil knight.

But for to tellen yow of his array, His hors were G.o.de, but he was nat gay.

Of fustian he wered a gipoun 75 Al bismotered with his habergeoun; For he was late y-come from his viage, And wente for to doon his pilgrimage.

53. E. nacions. 56. E. seege. 60. Hl. ariue; Cm. aryue; E. Hn.

armee; Cp. Ln. arme. 62. E. oure. 64. Pt. had; _rest_ hadde. 67.

E. -moore. 68. E. Hn. Cm. were; _rest_ was. 74. E. Pt. weren; Hl.

Ln. was; _rest_ were. Hl. Hn. he ne was.

With him ther was his sone, a yong SQUYER, SQUYER.

A lovyere, and a l.u.s.ty bacheler, 80 With lokkes crulle, as they were leyd in presse.

Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse.

Of his stature he was of evene lengthe, And wonderly deliver, and greet of strengthe.

And he had been somtyme in chivachye, 85 In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Picardye, And born him wel, as of so litel s.p.a.ce, In hope to stonden in his lady grace.

Embrouded was he, as it were a mede Al ful of fresshe floures, whyte and rede. 90 Singinge he was, or floytinge, al the day; He was as fresh as is the month of May.

[4: T. 93-127.]

Short was his goune, with sleves longe and wyde.

Wel coude he sitte on hors, and faire ryde.

He coude songes make and wel endyte, 95 Iuste and eek daunce, and wel purtreye and wryte, So hote he lovede, that by nightertale He sleep namore than dooth a nightingale.

Curteys he was, lowly, and servisable, And carf biforn his fader at the table. 100

83. Ln. euen; _rest_ euene. 84. Hl. Ln. delyuer; _rest_ delyuere.

E. Hn. of greet; Cm. of gret; _rest_ gret of. 85. Ln. had. 87. E.

weel. 89, 90. E. meede, reede. 92. E. fressh. E. in; _rest_ is.

E. Hn. Monthe; Cp. month; Hl. Pt. Ln. moneth; Cm. monyth. 96. E.

weel. 98. Hl. Cp. sleep; _rest_ slepte. E. -moore. 99. Hl. Cp.

Ln. lowly; E. Hn. Pt. lowely.

A YEMAN hadde he, and servaunts namo YEMAN.

At that tyme, for him liste ryde so; And he was clad in cote and hood of grene; A sheef of pec.o.k-arwes brighte and kene Under his belt he bar ful thriftily; 105 (Wel coude he dresse his takel yemanly: His arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe), And in his hand he bar a mighty bowe.

A not-heed hadde he, with a broun visage.

Of wode-craft wel coude he al the usage. 110 Upon his arm he bar a gay bracer, And by his syde a swerd and a bokeler, And on that other syde a gay daggere, Harneised wel, and sharp as point of spere; A Cristofre on his brest of silver shene. 115 An horn he bar, the bawdrik was of grene; A forster was he, soothly, as I gesse.

101. E. seruantz. 102. E. soo. 104. Hl. Cp. Pt. Ln. poc.o.k. Cm.

bryghte; _rest_ bright. 107. E. Hise. 108, 111. E. baar. 113. E.

oother. 115. Hn. Cristofre; E. Cristophere. E. sheene.

Ther was also a Nonne, a PRIORESSE, PRIORESSE.

That of hir smyling was ful simple and coy; Hir gretteste ooth was but by seynt Loy; 120 And she was cleped madame Eglentyne.

Ful wel she song the service divyne, Entuned in hir nose ful semely; And Frensh she spak ful faire and fetisly, After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe, 125 For Frensh of Paris was to hir unknowe.

At mete wel y-taught was she with-alle; [5: T. 128-161.]

She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle, Ne wette hir fingres in hir sauce depe.

Wel coude she carie a morsel, and wel kepe, 130 That no drope ne fille up-on hir brest.

In curteisye was set ful muche hir lest.

Hir over lippe wyped she so clene, That in hir coppe was no ferthing sene Of grece, whan she dronken hadde hir draughte. 135 Ful semely after hir mete she raughte, And sikerly she was of greet disport, And ful plesaunt, and amiable of port, And peyned hir to countrefete chere Of court, and been estatlich of manere, 140 And to ben holden digne of reverence.

But, for to speken of hir conscience, She was so charitable and so pitous, She wolde wepe, if that she sawe a mous Caught in a trappe, if it were deed or bledde. 145 Of smale houndes had she, that she fedde With rosted flesh, or milk and wastel-breed.

But sore weep she if oon of hem were deed, Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte: And al was conscience and tendre herte. 150 Ful semely hir wimpel pinched was; Hir nose tretys; hir eyen greye as glas; Hir mouth ful smal, and ther-to softe and reed; But sikerly she hadde a fair forheed; It was almost a spanne brood, I trowe; 155 For, hardily, she was nat undergrowe.

Ful fetis was hir cloke, as I was war.

Of smal coral aboute hir arm she bar A peire of bedes, gauded al with grene; And ther-on heng a broche of gold ful shene, 160 On which ther was first write a crowned A, [6: T. 162-195.]

And after, _Amor vincit omnia._

122. E. soong. 123. E. semeely. 131. Cm. brest; E. Hn. brist.

132. Cp. moche; Cm. meche; E. Hn. muchel. Hl. lest; E. Hn. Cm.

list. 134. Hl. was; _rest_ ther was. 137. E. Hn. desport; _rest_ disport. 140. E. to been; Hl. Hn. _omit_ to. 144. Hl. Hn. Cp. Ln.

sawe; E. saugh; Cm. seye. 146. Pt. Ln. had; _rest_ hadde. 148. Ln.

wepped; _rest_ wepte; _read_ weep; _cf_. l. 2878. E. any; _rest_ oon, on, one. 151. E. semyly. E. wympul; Hn. wympel. 160. E. Hn. brooch; _rest_ broche.

Another NONNE with hir hadde she, NONNE.

That was hir chapeleyne, and PREESTES three. 3 PREESTES.

A MONK ther was, a fair for the maistrye, MONK.

An out-rydere, that lovede venerye; 166 A manly man, to been an abbot able.

Ful many a deyntee hors hadde he in stable: And, whan he rood, men mighte his brydel here Ginglen in a whistling wind as clere, 170 And eek as loude as dooth the chapel-belle, Ther as this lord was keper of the celle.

The reule of seint Maure or of seint Beneit, By-cause that it was old and som-del streit, This ilke monk leet olde thinges pace, 175 And held after the newe world the s.p.a.ce.

He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen, That seith, that hunters been nat holy men; Ne that a monk, whan he is cloisterlees, Is lykned til a fish that is waterlees; 180 This is to seyn, a monk out of his cloistre.

But thilke text held he nat worth an oistre; And I seyde, his opinioun was good.

What sholde he studie, and make him-selven wood, Upon a book in cloistre alwey to poure, 185 Or swinken with his handes, and laboure, As Austin bit? How shal the world be served?

Lat Austin have his swink to him reserved.

Therfore he was a pricasour aright; Grehoundes he hadde, as swifte as fowel in flight; 190 Of priking and of hunting for the hare Was al his l.u.s.t, for no cost wolde he spare.

I seigh his sleves purfiled at the hond With grys, and that the fyneste of a lond; And, for to festne his hood under his chin, 195 [7: T. 196-231.]

He hadde of gold y-wroght a curious pin: A love-knotte in the gretter ende ther was.

His heed was balled, that shoon as any glas, And eek his face, as he had been anoint.

He was a lord ful fat and in good point; 200 His eyen stepe, and rollinge in his heed, That stemed as a forneys of a leed; His botes souple, his hors in greet estat.

Now certeinly he was a fair prelat; He was nat pale as a for-pyned goost. 205 A fat swan loved he best of any roost.

His palfrey was as broun as is a berye.

170. Hl. Cp. whistlyng; E. whistlynge. E. Cm. als; Ln. al-so; Hl. so; _rest_ as. 176. E. Hn. heeld; Cm. held. 178. Hn. Hl. been; E.

beth. 179. Hl. cloysterles; E. Hn. recchelees; Cp. Pt. Ln. recheles; Cm. rekeles (Ten Brink _proposes_ recetlees). 182. E. Hn. heeld; Cm.

held. 188. E. his owene; _rest om._ owene. 190. Hl. swifte; _rest_ swift. 193. Hl. Hn. purfiled; Cm. purfilid; E. ypurfiled. 196. Hl.

a; _rest_ a ful. 196, 218. Ln. had; _rest_ hadde. 199. E. it; _rest_ he. 203, 4. E. estaat, prelaat.

A FRERE ther was, a wantown and a merye, FRERE.

A limitour, a ful solempne man.

In alle the ordres foure is noon that can 210 So muche of daliaunce and fair langage.

He hadde maad ful many a mariage Of yonge wommen, at his owne cost.

Un-to his ordre he was a n.o.ble post.

Ful wel biloved and famulier was he 215 With frankeleyns over-al in his contree, And eek with worthy wommen of the toun: For he had power of confessioun, As seyde him-self, more than a curat, For of his ordre he was licentiat. 220 Ful swetely herde he confessioun, And plesaunt was his absolucioun; He was an esy man to yeve penaunce Ther as he wiste to han a good pitaunce; For unto a povre ordre for to yive 225 Is signe that a man is wel y-shrive.

For if he yaf, he dorste make avaunt, He wiste that a man was repentaunt.

For many a man so hard is of his herte, He may nat wepe al-thogh him sore smerte. 230 Therfore, in stede of weping and preyeres, [8: T. 232-265.]

Men moot yeve silver to the povre freres.

His tipet was ay fa.r.s.ed ful of knyves And pinnes, for to yeven faire wyves.

And certeinly he hadde a mery note; 235 Wel coude he singe and pleyen on a rote.

Of yeddinges he bar utterly the prys.

His nekke whyt was as the flour-de-lys; Ther-to he strong was as a champioun.

He knew the tavernes wel in every toun, 240 And everich hostiler and tappestere Bet than a lazar or a beggestere; For un-to swich a worthy man as he Acorded nat, as by his facultee, To have with seke lazars aqueyntaunce. 245 It is nat honest, it may nat avaunce For to delen with no swich poraille, But al with riche and sellers of vitaille.

And over-al, ther as profit sholde aryse, Curteys he was, and lowly of servyse. 250 Ther nas no man no-wher so vertuous.

He was the beste beggere in his hous; [And yaf a certeyn ferme for the graunt; 252 b Noon of his bretheren cam ther in his haunt;] 252 c For thogh a widwe hadde noght a sho, So plesaunt was his "_In principio_,"

Yet wolde he have a ferthing, er he wente. 255 His purchas was wel bettre than his rente.

And rage he coude, as it were right a whelpe.

In love-dayes ther coude he muchel helpe. (260) For there he was nat lyk a cloisterer, With a thredbar cope, as is a povre scoler, 260 But he was lyk a maister or a pope.