Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 81

_It seems to have been Chaucer's intention, in the first instance, to end this_ Tale _here. Hence, we find, in_ MSS. E. Hn. Cm. Dd., _the following genuine, but rejected stanza, suitable for insertion at this point_:--

BIHOLD THE MERYE WORDES OF THE HOSTE.

This worthy Clerk, whan ended was his tale, Our hoste seyde, and swoor by G.o.ddes bones, 'Me were lever than a barel ale My wyf at hoom had herd this legende ones; This is a gentil tale for the nones, 5 As to my purpos, wiste ye my wille; But thing that wol nat be, lat it be stille.'

HERE ENDETH THE TALE OF THE CLERK OF OXENFORD.

HEADING. E. Bihoold; murye; Hoost. 2. E. Oure hoost. 3. E. leuere.

Dd. barel of ale. 5. E. Hn. Dd. is; Cm. was. 6. E. Hn. wiste; Dd.

wyst; Cm. woste. N.B. _With_ 1. 3, _compare_ B. 3083.

But o word, lordinges, herkneth er I go:-- It were ful hard to finde now a dayes In al a toun Grisildes three or two; 1165 For, if that they were put to swiche a.s.sayes, (1110) The gold of hem hath now so badde alayes With bras, that thogh the coyne be fair at ye, It wolde rather breste a-two than plye.

For which heer, for the wyves love of Bathe, 1170 Whos lyf and al hir secte G.o.d mayntene In heigh maistrye, and elles were it scathe, I wol with l.u.s.ty herte fresshe and grene Seyn yow a song to glade yow, I wene, And lat us stinte of ernestful matere:-- 1175 Herkneth my song, that seith in this manere. (1120)

LENVOY DE CHAUCER.

Grisilde is deed, and eek hir pacience, And bothe atones buried in Itaille; For which I crye in open audience, [425: T. 9056-9088.]

No wedded man so hardy be ta.s.saille 1180 His wyves pacience, in hope to finde Grisildes, for in certein he shall faille!

O n.o.ble wyves, ful of heigh prudence, Lat noon humilitee your tonge naille, Ne lat no clerk have cause or diligence 1185 To wryte of yow a storie of swich mervaille (1130) As of Grisildis pacient and kinde; Lest Chichevache yow swelwe in hir entraille!

Folweth Ekko, that holdeth no silence, But evere answereth at the countretaille; 1190 Beth nat bidaffed for your innocence, But sharply tak on yow the governaille.

Emprinteth wel this lesson in your minde For commune profit, sith it may availle.

Ye archewyves, stondeth at defence, 1195 Sin ye be stronge as is a greet camaille; (1140) Ne suffreth nat that men yow doon offence.

And sclendre wyves, feble as in bataille, Beth egre as is a tygre yond in Inde; Ay clappeth as a mille, I yow consaille. 1200

Ne dreed hem nat, do hem no reverence; For though thyn housbonde armed be in maille, The arwes of thy crabbed eloquence Shal perce his brest, and eek his aventaille; In Ialousye I rede eek thou him binde, 1205 And thou shalt make him couche as dooth a quaille.

1201. Cm. Ln. Hl. do; rest doth.

If thou be fair, ther folk ben in presence Shew thou thy visage and thyn apparaille; If thou be foul, be free of thy dispence, To gete thee freendes ay do thy travaille; 1210 Be ay of chere as light as leef on linde, And lat him care, and wepe, and wringe, and waille!

HERE ENDETH THE CLERK OF OXONFORD HIS TALE.

1211. E. chiere; Hn. cheere. COLOPHON. _From_ Cp.

[426: T. 9089-9120.]

THE MERCHANT'S PROLOGUE.

THE PROLOGE OF THE MARCHANTES TALE.

'Weping and wayling, care, and other sorwe I know y-nogh, on even and a-morwe,'

Quod the Marchaunt, 'and so don othere mo 1215 That wedded been, I trowe that it be so.

For, wel I woot, it fareth so with me.

I have a wyf, the worste that may be; For thogh the feend to hir y-coupled were, She wolde him overmacche, I dar wel swere. 1220 What sholde I yow reherce in special Hir hye malice? she is a shrewe at al. (10) Ther is a long and large difference Bitwix Grisildis grete pacience And of my wyf the pa.s.sing crueltee. 1225 Were I unbounden, al-so moot I thee!

I wolde never eft comen in the snare.

We wedded men live in sorwe and care; a.s.saye who-so wol, and he shal finde I seye sooth, by seint Thomas of Inde, 1230 As for the more part, I sey nat alle.

G.o.d shilde that it sholde so bifalle! (20)

A! good sir hoost! I have y-wedded be Thise monthes two, and more nat, pardee; And yet, I trowe, he that all his lyve 1235 Wyflees hath been, though that men wolde him ryve Un-to the herte, ne coude in no manere Tellen so muchel sorwe, as I now here Coude tellen of my wyves cursednesse!'

'Now,' quod our hoost, 'Marchaunt, so G.o.d yow blesse, 1240 Sin ye so muchel knowen of that art, Ful hertely I pray yow telle us part.' (30)

'Gladly,' quod he, 'but of myn owene sore, For sory herte, I telle may na-more.'

[427: T. 9121-9147.]

THE MARCHANTES TALE.

HERE BIGINNETH THE MARCHANTES TALE.

Whylom ther was dwellinge in Lumbardye 1245 A worthy knight, that born was of Pavye, In which he lived in greet prosperitee; And sixty yeer a wyflees man was he, And folwed ay his bodily delyt On wommen, ther-as was his appetyt, 1250 As doon thise foles that ben seculeer.

And whan that he was pa.s.sed sixty yeer, Were it for holinesse or for dotage, I can nat seye, but swich a greet corage (10) Hadde this knight to been a wedded man, 1255 That day and night he dooth al that he can Tespyen where he mighte wedded be; Preyinge our lord to granten him, that he Mighte ones knowe of thilke blisful lyf That is bitwixe an housbond and his wyf; 1260 And for to live under that holy bond With which that first G.o.d man and womman bond, 'Non other lyf,' seyde he, 'is worth a bene; For wedlok is so esy and so clene, (20) That in this world it is a paradys.' 1265 Thus seyde this olde knight, that was so wys.

HEADING. _So_ E. Hn. Pt. 1246. Pt. at; Ln. in (_for_ of).

And certeinly, as sooth as G.o.d is king, To take a wyf, it is a glorious thing, And namely whan a man is old and hoor; Thanne is a wyf the fruit of his tresor. 1270 Than sholde he take a yong wyf and a feir, [428: T. 9148-9180.]

On which he mighte engendren him an heir, And lede his lyf in Ioye and in solas, Wher-as thise bacheleres singe 'allas,' (30) Whan that they finden any adversitee 1275 In love, which nis but childish vanitee.

And trewely it sit wel to be so, That bacheleres have often peyne and wo; On brotel ground they builde, and brotelnesse They finde, whan they wene sikernesse. 1280 They live but as a brid or as a beste, In libertee, and under non areste, Ther-as a wedded man in his estaat Liveth a lyf blisful and ordinaat, (40) Under the yok of mariage y-bounde; 1285 Wel may his herte in Ioye and blisse habounde.

For who can be so buxom as a wyf?

Who is so trewe, and eek so ententyf To kepe him, syk and hool, as is his make?

For wele or wo, she wol him nat forsake. 1290 She nis nat wery him to love and serve, Thogh that he lye bedrede til he sterve.

And yet somme clerkes seyn, it nis nat so, Of whiche he, Theofraste, is oon of tho. (50) What force though Theofraste liste lye? 1295 'Ne take no wyf,' quod he, 'for housbondrye, As for to spare in houshold thy dispence; A trewe servant dooth more diligence, Thy good to kepe, than thyn owene wyf.

For she wol clayme half part al hir lyf; 1300 And if that thou be syk, so G.o.d me save, Thy verray frendes or a trewe knave Wol kepe thee bet than she that waiteth ay After thy good, and hath don many a day. (60) And if thou take a wyf un-to thyn hold, [T. _om._ Ful lightly maystow been a c.o.kewold.' [T. _om._ [429: T. 9181-9216.]

This sentence, and an hundred thinges worse, Wryteth this man, ther G.o.d his bones corse!

But take no kepe of al swich vanitee; Deffye Theofraste and herke me. 1310

1271. E. Thanne. 1274, 1278. E. bacheleris. 1281, 2. E. Pt. beest, arreest; Cm. Ln. beste, areste. 1285. E. Hn. this; _rest_ the.

1293. E. Cp. nis; _rest_ is. 1301. E. Hn. Cm. _om._ that. 1305, 6.

_Not in_ Cp. Ln.; _in a spurious form in _Hn. Pt. Hl. 1310. Cp. Hl.

herkne; Pt. Ln. herkeneth.

A wyf is G.o.ddes yifte verraily; Alle other maner yiftes hardily, As londes, rentes, pasture, or commune, Or moebles, alle ben yiftes of fortune, (70) That pa.s.sen as a shadwe upon a wal. 1315 But dredelees, if pleynly speke I shal, A wyf wol laste, and in thyn hous endure, Wel lenger than thee list, paraventure.

1316. Cm. dredles; Hn. Hl. dreed nat; Cp. Ln. drede nought; Pt. drede it nou[gh]t.