The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems Part 54

But right anon the worthy Knight began (When that he saw that all the people lough*), *laughed "No more of this, for it is right enough.

Sir Pardoner, be merry and glad of cheer; And ye, Sir Host, that be to me so dear, I pray you that ye kiss the Pardoner; And, Pardoner, I pray thee draw thee ner,* *nearer And as we didde, let us laugh and play."

Anon they kiss'd, and rode forth their way.

Notes to the Pardoner's Tale

1. The outline of this Tale is to be found in the "Cento Novelle Antiche," but the original is now lost. As in the case of the Wife of Bath's Tale, there is a long prologue, but in this case it has been treated as part of the Tale.

2. Hautein: loud, lofty; from French, "hautain."

3. Radix malorum est cupiditas: "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Tim.vi. 10)

4.All had she taken priestes two or three: even if she had committed adultery with two or three priests.

5. Blackburied: The meaning of this is not very clear, but it is probably a periphrastic and picturesque way of indicating d.a.m.nation.

6. Grisly: dreadful; fitted to "agrise" or horrify the listener.

7. Mr Wright says: "The common oaths in the Middle Ages were by the different parts of G.o.d's body; and the popular preachers represented that profane swearers tore Christ's body by their imprecations." The idea was doubtless borrowed from the pa.s.sage in Hebrews (vi. 6), where apostates are said to "crucify to themselves the Son of G.o.d afresh, and put Him to an open shame."

8. Tombesteres: female dancers or tumblers; from Anglo- Saxon, "tumban," to dance.

9. "Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess." Eph. v.18.

10. The reference is probably to the diligent inquiries Herod made at the time of Christ's birth. See Matt. ii. 4-8

11. A drunkard. "Perhaps," says Tyrwhitt, "Chaucer refers to Epist. Lx.x.xIII., 'Extende in plures dies illum ebrii habitum; nunquid de furore dubitabis? nunc quoque non est minor sed brevior.'" ("Prolong the drunkard's condition to several days; will you doubt his madness? Even as it is, the madness is no less; merely shorter.")

12. Defended: forbidden; French, "defendu." St Jerome, in his book against Jovinian, says that so long as Adam fasted, he was in Paradise; he ate, and he was thrust out.

13. "Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats; but G.o.d shall destroy both it and them." 1 Cor. vi. 13.

14. "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose G.o.d is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things." Phil.

iii. 18, 19.

15. Cod: bag; Anglo-Saxon, "codde;" hence peas-cod, pin-cod (pin-cushion), &c.

16. Compare with the lines which follow, the picture of the drunken messenger in the Man of Law's Tale.

17. Lepe: A town near Cadiz, whence a stronger wine than the Gascon vintages afforded was imported to England. French wine was often adulterated with the cheaper and stronger Spanish.

18. Another reading is "Fleet Street."

19. Attila was suffocated in the night by a haemorrhage, brought on by a debauch, when he was preparing a new invasion of Italy, in 453.

20. "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes strong drink; lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted." Prov.

x.x.xi. 4, 5.

21. Most ma.n.u.scripts, evidently in error, have "Stilbon" and "Calidone" for Chilon and Lacedaemon. Chilon was one of the seven sages of Greece, and flourished about B.C. 590.

According to Diogenes Laertius, he died, under the pressure of age and joy, in the arms of his son, who had just been crowned victor at the Olympic games.

22. "Swear not at all;" Christ's words in Matt. v. 34.

23. "And thou shalt swear, the lord liveth in truth, in judgement, and in righteousness." Jeremiah iv. 2

24. The nails that fastened Christ on the cross, which were regarded with superst.i.tious reverence.

25. Hailes: An abbey in Gloucestershire, where, under the designation of "the blood of Hailes," a portion of Christ's blood was preserved.

26. Go bet: a hunting phrase; apparently its force is, "go beat up the game."

27. Haw; farm-yard, hedge Compare the French, "haie."

28. Avicen, or Avicenna, was among the distinguished physicians of the Arabian school in the eleventh century, and very popular in the Middle Ages. His great work was called "Canon Medicinae," and was divided into "fens," "fennes," or sections.

29. a.s.soil: absolve. compare the Scotch law-term "a.s.soilzie,"

to acquit.

30. Saint Helen, according to Sir John Mandeville, found the cross of Christ deep below ground, under a rock, where the Jews had hidden it; and she tested the genuineness of the sacred tree, by raising to life a dead man laid upon it.

THE SHIPMAN'S TALE.<1>

THE PROLOGUE

Our Host upon his stirrups stood anon, And saide; "Good men, hearken every one, This was a thrifty* tale for the nones. *discreet, profitable Sir Parish Priest," quoth he, "for G.o.dde's bones, Tell us a tale, as was thy *forword yore:* *promise formerly*

I see well that ye learned men in lore Can* muche good, by G.o.dde's dignity." *know The Parson him answer'd, "Ben'dicite!

What ails the man, so sinfully to swear?"

Our Host answer'd, "O Jankin, be ye there?

Now, good men," quoth our Host, "hearken to me.

I smell a Lollard <2> in the wind," quoth he.

"Abide, for G.o.dde's digne* pa.s.sion, *worthy For we shall have a predication: This Lollard here will preachen us somewhat."

"Nay, by my father's soul, that shall he not, Saide the Shipman; "Here shall he not preach, He shall no gospel glose* here nor teach. *comment upon We all believe in the great G.o.d," quoth he.

"He woulde sowe some difficulty, Or springe c.o.c.kle <3> in our cleane corn.

And therefore, Host, I warne thee beforn, My jolly body shall a tale tell, And I shall clinke you so merry a bell, That I shall waken all this company; But it shall not be of philosophy, Nor of physic, nor termes quaint of law; There is but little Latin in my maw."* *belly

Notes to the Prologue to the Shipman's Tale

1. The Prologue here given was transferred by Tyrwhitt from the place, preceding the Squire's Tale, which it had formerly occupied; the Shipman's Tale having no Prologue in the best ma.n.u.scripts.

2. Lollard: A contemptuous name for the followers of Wyckliffe; presumably derived from the Latin, "lolium," tares, as if they were the tares among the Lord's wheat; so, a few lines below, the Shipman intimates his fear lest the Parson should "spring c.o.c.kle in our clean corn."