The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems Part 53

Lordes may finden other manner play Honest enough to drive the day away.

Now will I speak of oathes false and great A word or two, as olde bookes treat.

Great swearing is a thing abominable, And false swearing is more reprovable.

The highe G.o.d forbade swearing at all; Witness on Matthew: <22> but in special Of swearing saith the holy Jeremie, <23> Thou thalt swear sooth thine oathes, and not lie: And swear in doom* and eke in righteousness; *judgement But idle swearing is a cursedness.* *wickedness Behold and see, there in the firste table Of highe G.o.dde's hestes* honourable, *commandments How that the second best of him is this, Take not my name in idle* or amiss. *in vain Lo, rather* he forbiddeth such swearing, *sooner Than homicide, or many a cursed thing; I say that as by order thus it standeth; This knoweth he that his hests* understandeth, *commandments How that the second hest of G.o.d is that.

And farthermore, I will thee tell all plat,* *flatly, plainly That vengeance shall not parte from his house, That of his oathes is outrageous.

"By G.o.dde's precious heart, and by his nails, <24> And by the blood of Christ, that is in Hailes, <25> Seven is my chance, and thine is cinque and trey: By G.o.dde's armes, if thou falsely play, This dagger shall throughout thine hearte go."

This fruit comes of the *bicched bones two,* *two cursed bones (dice)*

Forswearing, ire, falseness, and homicide.

Now, for the love of Christ that for us died, Leave your oathes, bothe great and smale.

But, Sirs, now will I ell you forth my tale.

These riotoures three, of which I tell, Long *erst than* prime rang of any bell, *before Were set them in a tavern for to drink; And as they sat, they heard a belle clink Before a corpse, was carried to the grave.

That one of them gan calle to his knave,* *servant "Go bet," <26> quoth he, "and aske readily What corpse is this, that pa.s.seth here forth by; And look that thou report his name well."

"Sir," quoth the boy, "it needeth never a deal;* *whit It was me told ere ye came here two hours; He was, pardie, an old fellow of yours, And suddenly he was y-slain to-night; Fordrunk* as he sat on his bench upright, *completely drunk There came a privy thief, men clepe Death, That in this country all the people slay'th, And with his spear he smote his heart in two, And went his way withoute wordes mo'.

He hath a thousand slain this pestilence; And, master, ere you come in his presence, Me thinketh that it were full necessary For to beware of such an adversary; Be ready for to meet him evermore.

Thus taughte me my dame; I say no more."

"By Sainte Mary," said the tavernere, "The child saith sooth, for he hath slain this year, Hence ov'r a mile, within a great village, Both man and woman, child, and hind, and page; I trow his habitation be there; To be advised* great wisdom it were, *watchful, on one's guard Ere* that he did a man a dishonour." *lest

"Yea, G.o.dde's armes," quoth this riotour, "Is it such peril with him for to meet?

I shall him seek, by stile and eke by street.

I make a vow, by G.o.dde's digne* bones." *worthy Hearken, fellows, we three be alle ones:* *at one Let each of us hold up his hand to other, And each of us become the other's brother, And we will slay this false traitor Death; He shall be slain, he that so many slay'th, By G.o.dde's dignity, ere it be night."

Together have these three their trothe plight To live and die each one of them for other As though he were his owen sworen brother.

And up they start, all drunken, in this rage, And forth they go towardes that village Of which the taverner had spoke beforn, And many a grisly* oathe have they sworn, *dreadful And Christe's blessed body they to-rent;* *tore to pieces <7> "Death shall be dead, if that we may him hent."* *catch When they had gone not fully half a mile, Right as they would have trodden o'er a stile, An old man and a poore with them met.

This olde man full meekely them gret,* *greeted And saide thus; "Now, lordes, G.o.d you see!"* *look on graciously The proudest of these riotoures three Answer'd again; "What? churl, with sorry grace, Why art thou all forwrapped* save thy face? *closely wrapt up Why livest thou so long in so great age?"

This olde man gan look on his visage, And saide thus; "For that I cannot find A man, though that I walked unto Ind, Neither in city, nor in no village go, That woulde change his youthe for mine age; And therefore must I have mine age still As longe time as it is G.o.dde's will.

And Death, alas! he will not have my life.

Thus walk I like a resteless caitife,* *miserable wretch And on the ground, which is my mother's gate, I knocke with my staff, early and late, And say to her, 'Leve* mother, let me in. *dear Lo, how I wane, flesh, and blood, and skin; Alas! when shall my bones be at rest?

Mother, with you I woulde change my chest, That in my chamber longe time hath be, Yea, for an hairy clout to *wrap in me.'* *wrap myself in*

But yet to me she will not do that grace, For which fall pale and welked* is my face. *withered But, Sirs, to you it is no courtesy To speak unto an old man villainy, But* he trespa.s.s in word or else in deed. *except In Holy Writ ye may yourselves read; 'Against* an old man, h.o.a.r upon his head, *to meet Ye should arise:' therefore I you rede,* *advise Ne do unto an old man no harm now, No more than ye would a man did you In age, if that ye may so long abide.

And G.o.d be with you, whether ye go or ride I must go thither as I have to go."

"Nay, olde churl, by G.o.d thou shalt not so,"

Saide this other hazardor anon; "Thou partest not so lightly, by Saint John.

Thou spakest right now of that traitor Death, That in this country all our friendes slay'th; Have here my troth, as thou art his espy;* *spy Tell where he is, or thou shalt it abie,* *suffer for By G.o.d and by the holy sacrament; For soothly thou art one of his a.s.sent To slay us younge folk, thou false thief."

"Now, Sirs," quoth he, "if it be you so lief* *desire To finde Death, turn up this crooked way, For in that grove I left him, by my fay, Under a tree, and there he will abide; Nor for your boast he will him nothing hide.

See ye that oak? right there ye shall him find.

G.o.d save you, that bought again mankind, And you amend!" Thus said this olde man; And evereach of these riotoures ran, Till they came to the tree, and there they found Of florins fine, of gold y-coined round, Well nigh a seven bushels, as them thought.

No longer as then after Death they sought; But each of them so glad was of the sight, For that the florins were so fair and bright, That down they sat them by the precious h.o.a.rd.

The youngest of them spake the firste word: "Brethren," quoth he, "*take keep* what I shall say; *heed*

My wit is great, though that I bourde* and play *joke, frolic This treasure hath Fortune unto us given In mirth and jollity our life to liven; And lightly as it comes, so will we spend.

Hey! G.o.dde's precious dignity! who wend* *weened, thought Today that we should have so fair a grace?

But might this gold he carried from this place Home to my house, or elles unto yours (For well I wot that all this gold is ours), Then were we in high felicity.

But truely by day it may not be; Men woulde say that we were thieves strong, And for our owen treasure do us hong.* *have us hanged This treasure muste carried be by night, As wisely and as slily as it might.

Wherefore I rede,* that cut** among us all *advise **lots We draw, and let see where the cut will fall: And he that hath the cut, with hearte blithe Shall run unto the town, and that full swithe,* *quickly And bring us bread and wine full privily: And two of us shall keepe subtilly This treasure well: and if he will not tarry, When it is night, we will this treasure carry, By one a.s.sent, where as us thinketh best."

Then one of them the cut brought in his fist, And bade them draw, and look where it would fall; And it fell on the youngest of them all; And forth toward the town he went anon.

And all so soon as that he was y-gone, The one of them spake thus unto the other; "Thou knowest well that thou art my sworn brother, *Thy profit* will I tell thee right anon. *what is for thine Thou knowest well that our fellow is gone, advantage*

And here is gold, and that full great plenty, That shall departed* he among us three. *divided But natheless, if I could shape* it so *contrive That it departed were among us two, Had I not done a friende's turn to thee?"

Th' other answer'd, "I n'ot* how that may be; *know not He knows well that the gold is with us tway.

What shall we do? what shall we to him say?"

"Shall it be counsel?"* said the firste shrew;** *secret **wretch "And I shall tell to thee in wordes few What we shall do, and bring it well about."

"I grante," quoth the other, "out of doubt, That by my truth I will thee not bewray."* *betray "Now," quoth the first, "thou know'st well we be tway, And two of us shall stronger be than one.

Look; when that he is set,* thou right anon *sat down Arise, as though thou wouldest with him play; And I shall rive* him through the sides tway, *stab While that thou strugglest with him as in game; And with thy dagger look thou do the same.

And then shall all this gold departed* be, *divided My deare friend, betwixte thee and me: Then may we both our l.u.s.tes* all fulfil, *pleasures And play at dice right at our owen will."

And thus accorded* be these shrewes** tway *agreed **wretches To slay the third, as ye have heard me say.

The youngest, which that wente to the town, Full oft in heart he rolled up and down The beauty of these florins new and bright.

"O Lord!" quoth he, "if so were that I might Have all this treasure to myself alone, There is no man that lives under the throne Of G.o.d, that shoulde have so merry as I."

And at the last the fiend our enemy Put in his thought, that he should poison buy, With which he mighte slay his fellows twy.* *two For why, the fiend found him *in such living,* *leading such a That he had leave to sorrow him to bring. (bad) life*

For this was utterly his full intent To slay them both, and never to repent.

And forth he went, no longer would he tarry, Into the town to an apothecary, And prayed him that he him woulde sell Some poison, that he might *his rattes quell,* *kill his rats*

And eke there was a polecat in his haw,* *farm-yard, hedge <27> That, as he said, his eapons had y-slaw:* *slain And fain he would him wreak,* if that he might, *revenge Of vermin that destroyed him by night.

Th'apothecary answer'd, "Thou shalt have A thing, as wisly* G.o.d my soule save, *surely In all this world there is no creature That eat or drank hath of this confecture, Not but the mountance* of a corn of wheat, *amount That he shall not his life *anon forlete;* *immediately lay down*

Yea, sterve* he shall, and that in lesse while *die Than thou wilt go *apace* nought but a mile: *quickly*

This poison is so strong and violent."

This cursed man hath in his hand y-hent* *taken This poison in a box, and swift he ran Into the nexte street, unto a man, And borrow'd of him large bottles three; And in the two the poison poured he; The third he kepte clean for his own drink, For all the night he shope him* for to swink** *purposed **labour In carrying off the gold out of that place.

And when this riotour, with sorry grace, Had fill'd with wine his greate bottles three,

To his fellows again repaired he.

What needeth it thereof to sermon* more? *talk, discourse For, right as they had cast* his death before, *plotted Right so they have him slain, and that anon.

And when that this was done, thus spake the one; "Now let us sit and drink, and make us merry, And afterward we will his body bury."

And with that word it happen'd him *par cas* *by chance To take the bottle where the poison was, And drank, and gave his fellow drink also, For which anon they sterved* both the two. *died But certes I suppose that Avicen Wrote never in no canon, nor no fen, <28> More wondrous signes of empoisoning, Than had these wretches two ere their ending.

Thus ended be these homicides two, And eke the false empoisoner also.

O cursed sin, full of all cursedness!

O trait'rous homicide! O wickedness!

O glutt'ny, luxury, and hazardry!

Thou blasphemer of Christ with villany,* *outrage, impiety And oathes great, of usage and of pride!

Alas! mankinde, how may it betide, That to thy Creator, which that thee wrought, And with his precious hearte-blood thee bought, Thou art so false and so unkind,* alas! *unnatural Now, good men, G.o.d forgive you your trespa.s.s, And ware* you from the sin of avarice. *keep Mine holy pardon may you all warice,* *heal So that ye offer *n.o.bles or sterlings,* *gold or silver coins*

Or elles silver brooches, spoons, or rings.

Bowe your head under this holy bull.

Come up, ye wives, and offer of your will; Your names I enter in my roll anon; Into the bliss of heaven shall ye gon; I you a.s.soil* by mine high powere, *absolve <29> You that will offer, as clean and eke as clear As ye were born. Lo, Sires, thus I preach; And Jesus Christ, that is our soules' leech,* *healer So grante you his pardon to receive; For that is best, I will not deceive.

But, Sirs, one word forgot I in my tale; I have relics and pardon in my mail, As fair as any man in Engleland, Which were me given by the Pope's hand.

If any of you will of devotion Offer, and have mine absolution, Come forth anon, and kneele here adown And meekely receive my pardoun.

Or elles take pardon, as ye wend,* *go All new and fresh at every towne's end, So that ye offer, always new and new, n.o.bles or pence which that be good and true.

'Tis an honour to evereach* that is here, *each one That ye have a suffisant* pardonere *suitable T'a.s.soile* you in country as ye ride, *absolve For aventures which that may betide.

Paraventure there may fall one or two Down of his horse, and break his neck in two.

Look, what a surety is it to you all, That I am in your fellowship y-fall, That may a.s.soil* you bothe *more and la.s.s,* *absolve When that the soul shall from the body pa.s.s. *great and small*

I rede* that our Hoste shall begin, *advise For he is most enveloped in sin.

Come forth, Sir Host, and offer first anon, And thou shalt kiss; the relics every one, Yea, for a groat; unbuckle anon thy purse.

"Nay, nay," quoth he, "then have I Christe's curse!

Let be," quoth he, "it shall not be, *so the'ch.* *so may I thrive*

Thou wouldest make me kiss thine olde breech, And swear it were a relic of a saint, Though it were with thy *fundament depaint'.* *stained by your bottom*

But, by the cross which that Saint Helen fand,* *found <30> I would I had thy coilons* in mine hand, *t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es Instead of relics, or of sanctuary.

Let cut them off, I will thee help them carry; They shall be shrined in a hogge's t.u.r.d."

The Pardoner answered not one word; So wroth he was, no worde would he say.

"Now," quoth our Host, "I will no longer play With thee, nor with none other angry man."