The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems Part 92

There saw I sit in other sees, Playing upon sundry glees, Whiche that I cannot neven,* *name More than starres be in heaven; Of which I will not now rhyme, For ease of you, and loss of time: For time lost, this knowe ye, By no way may recover'd be.

There saw I play jongelours,* *jugglers <37> Magicians, and tregetours,<38> And Pythonesses, <39> charmeresses, And old witches, and sorceresses, That use exorcisations, And eke subfumigations; <40> And clerkes* eke, which knowe well *scholars All this magic naturel, That craftily do their intents, To make, in certain ascendents, <41> Images, lo! through which magic To make a man be whole or sick.

There saw I the queen Medea, <42> And Circes <43> eke, and Calypsa.<44> There saw I Hermes Ballenus, <45> Limote, <46> and eke Simon Magus. <47> There saw I, and knew by name, That by such art do men have fame.

There saw I Colle Tregetour <46> Upon a table of sycamore Play an uncouth* thing to tell; *strange, rare I saw him carry a windmell Under a walnut sh.e.l.l.

Why should I make longer tale Of all the people I there say,* *saw From hence even to doomesday?

When I had all this folk behold, And found me *loose, and not y-hold,* *at liberty and unrestrained*

And I had mused longe while Upon these walles of beryle, That shone lighter than any gla.s.s, And made *well more* than it was *much greater To seemen ev'rything, y-wis, As kindly* thing of Fame it is; <48> *natural I gan forth roam until I fand* *found The castle-gate on my right hand, Which all so well y-carven was, That never such another n'as;* *was not And yet it was by Adventure* *chance Y-wrought, and not by *subtile cure.* *careful art*

It needeth not you more to tell, To make you too longe dwell, Of these gates' flourishings, Nor of compa.s.ses,* nor carvings, *devices Nor how they had in masonries, As corbets, <49> full of imageries.

But, Lord! so fair it was to shew, For it was all with gold behew.* *coloured But in I went, and that anon; There met I crying many a one "A largess! largess! <50> hold up well!

G.o.d save the Lady of this pell,* *palace Our owen gentle Lady Fame, And them that will to have name Of us!" Thus heard I cryen all, And fast they came out of the hall, And shooke *n.o.bles and sterlings,* *coins <51> And some y-crowned were as kings, With crownes wrought fall of lozenges; And many ribands, and many fringes, Were on their clothes truely Then at the last espied I That pursuivantes and herauds,* *heralds That cry riche folke's lauds,* *praises They weren all; and ev'ry man Of them, as I you telle can, Had on him throwen a vesture Which that men call a coat-armure, <52> Embroidered wondrously rich, As though there were *naught y-lich;* *nothing like it*

But naught will I, so may I thrive, *Be aboute to descrive* *concern myself with describing*

All these armes that there were, That they thus on their coates bare, For it to me were impossible; Men might make of them a bible Twenty foote thick, I trow.

For, certain, whoso coulde know Might there all the armes see'n Of famous folk that have been In Afric', Europe, and Asie, Since first began the chivalry.

Lo! how should I now tell all this?

Nor of the hall eke what need is To telle you that ev'ry wall Of it, and floor, and roof, and all, Was plated half a foote thick Of gold, and that was nothing wick',* *counterfeit But for to prove in alle wise As fine as ducat of Venise, <53> Of which too little in my pouch is?

And they were set as thick of nouches* *ornaments Fine, of the finest stones fair, That men read in the Lapidaire, <54> As gra.s.ses growen in a mead.

But it were all too long to read* *declare The names; and therefore I pa.s.s.

But in this rich and l.u.s.ty place, That Fame's Hall y-called was, Full muche press of folk there n'as,* *was not Nor crowding for too muche press.

But all on high, above a dais, Set on a see* imperial, <55> *seat That made was of ruby all, Which that carbuncle is y-call'd, I saw perpetually install'd A feminine creature; That never formed by Nature Was such another thing y-sey.* *seen For altherfirst,* sooth to say, *first of all Me thoughte that she was so lite,* *little That the length of a cubite Was longer than she seem'd to be; But thus soon in a while she Herself then wonderfully stretch'd, That with her feet the earth she reach'd, And with her head she touched heaven, Where as shine the starres seven. <56> And thereto* eke, as to my wit, *moreover I saw a greater wonder yet, Upon her eyen to behold; But certes I them never told.

For *as fele eyen* hadde she, *as many eyes*

As feathers upon fowles be, Or were on the beastes four That G.o.dde's throne gan honour, As John writ in th'Apocalypse. <57> Her hair, that *oundy was and crips,* *wavy <58> and crisp*

As burnish'd gold it shone to see; And, sooth to tellen, also she Had all so fele* upstanding ears, *many And tongues, as on beasts be hairs; And on her feet waxen saw I Partridges' winges readily.<59> But, Lord! the pierrie* and richess *gems, jewellery I saw sitting on this G.o.ddess, And the heavenly melody Of songes full of harmony, I heard about her throne y-sung, That all the palace walles rung!

(So sung the mighty Muse, she That called is Calliope, And her eight sisteren* eke, *sisters That in their faces seeme meek); And evermore eternally They sang of Fame as then heard I: "Heried* be thou and thy name, *praised G.o.ddess of Renown and Fame!"

Then was I ware, lo! at the last, As I mine eyen gan upcast, That this ilke n.o.ble queen On her shoulders gan sustene* *sustain Both the armes, and the name Of those that hadde large fame; Alexander, and Hercules, That with a shirt his life lese.* <60> *lost Thus found I sitting this G.o.ddess, In n.o.ble honour and richess; Of which I stint* a while now, *refrain (from speaking) Of other things to telle you.

Then saw I stand on either side, Straight down unto the doores wide, From the dais, many a pillere Of metal, that shone not full clear; But though they were of no richess, Yet were they made for great n.o.bless, And in them greate sentence.* *significance And folk of digne* reverence, *worthy, lofty Of which *I will you telle fand,* *I will try to tell you*

Upon the pillars saw I stand.

Altherfirst, lo! there I sigh* *saw Upon a pillar stand on high, That was of lead and iron fine, Him of the secte Saturnine, <61> The Hebrew Josephus the old, That of Jewes' gestes* told; *deeds of braver And he bare on his shoulders high All the fame up of Jewry.

And by him stooden other seven, Full wise and worthy for to neven,* *name To help him bearen up the charge,* *burden It was so heavy and so large.

And, for they writen of battailes, As well as other old marvailes, Therefore was, lo! this pillere, Of which that I you telle here, Of lead and iron both, y-wis; For iron Marte's metal is, <62> Which that G.o.d is of battaile; And eke the lead, withoute fail, Is, lo! the metal of Saturn, That hath full large wheel* to turn. *orbit Then stoode forth, on either row, Of them which I coulde know, Though I them not by order tell, To make you too longe dwell.

These, of the which I gin you read, There saw I standen, out of dread, Upon an iron pillar strong, That painted was all endelong* *from top to bottom*

With tiger's blood in ev'ry place, The Tholosan that highte Stace, <63> That bare of Thebes up the name Upon his shoulders, and the fame Also of cruel Achilles.

And by him stood, withoute lease,* *falsehood Full wondrous high on a pillere Of iron, he, the great Homere; And with him Dares and Dytus, <64> Before, and eke he, Lollius, <65> And Guido eke de Colempnis, <66> And English Gaufrid <67> eke, y-wis.

And each of these, as I have joy, Was busy for to bear up Troy; So heavy thereof was the fame, That for to bear it was no game.

But yet I gan full well espy, Betwixt them was a little envy.

One said that Homer made lies, Feigning in his poetries, And was to the Greeks favourable; Therefore held he it but a fable.

Then saw I stand on a pillere That was of tinned iron clear, Him, the Latin poet Virgile, That borne hath up a longe while The fame of pious Aeneas.

And next him on a pillar was Of copper, Venus' clerk Ovide, That hath y-sowen wondrous wide The greate G.o.d of Love's fame.

And there he bare up well his name Upon this pillar all so high, As I might see it with mine eye; For why? this hall whereof I read Was waxen in height, and length, and bread,* *breadth Well more by a thousand deal* *times Than it was erst, that saw I weel.

Then saw I on a pillar by, Of iron wrought full sternely, The greate poet, Dan Lucan, That on his shoulders bare up than, As high as that I might it see, The fame of Julius and Pompey; <68> And by him stood all those clerks That write of Rome's mighty works, That if I would their names tell, All too longe must I dwell.

And next him on a pillar stood Of sulphur, like as he were wood,* *mad Dan Claudian, <69> the sooth to tell, That bare up all the fame of h.e.l.l, Of Pluto, and of Proserpine, That queen is of *the darke pine* *the dark realm of pain*

Why should I telle more of this?

The hall was alle fulle, y-wis, Of them that writen olde gests,* *histories of great deeds As be on trees rookes' nests; But it a full confus'd mattere Were all these gestes for to hear, That they of write, and how they hight.* *are called

But while that I beheld this sight, I heard a noise approache blive,* *quickly That far'd* as bees do in a hive, *went Against their time of outflying; Right such a manner murmuring, For all the world, it seem'd to me.

Then gan I look about, and see That there came entering the hall A right great company withal, And that of sundry regions, Of all kinds and conditions That dwell in earth under the moon, Both poor and rich; and all so soon As they were come into the hall, They gan adown on knees to fall, Before this ilke* n.o.ble queen, *same And saide, "Grant us, Lady sheen,* *bright, lovely Each of us of thy grace a boon."* *favour And some of them she granted soon, And some she warned* well and fair, *refused And some she granted the contrair* *contrary Of their asking utterly; But this I say you truely, What that her cause was, I n'ist;* *wist not, know not For of these folk full well I wist, They hadde good fame each deserved, Although they were diversely served.

Right as her sister, Dame Fortune, Is wont to serven *in commune.* *commonly, usually*

Now hearken how she gan to pay Them that gan of her grace to pray; And right, lo! all this company Saide sooth,* and not a lie. *truth "Madame," thus quoth they, "we be Folk that here beseeche thee That thou grant us now good fame, And let our workes have good name In full recompensatioun Of good work, give us good renown "I warn* it you," quoth she anon; *refuse "Ye get of me good fame none, By G.o.d! and therefore go your way."

"Alas," quoth they, "and well-away!

Tell us what may your cause be."

"For that it list* me not," quoth she, *pleases No wight shall speak of you, y-wis, Good nor harm, nor that nor this."

And with that word she gan to call Her messenger, that was in hall, And bade that he should faste go'n, Upon pain to be blind anon, For Aeolus, the G.o.d of wind; "In Thrace there ye shall him find, And bid him bring his clarioun, That is full diverse of his soun', And it is called Cleare Laud, With which he wont is to heraud* *proclaim Them that me list y-praised be, And also bid him how that he Bring eke his other clarioun, That hight* Slander in ev'ry town, *is called With which he wont is to diffame* *defame, disparage Them that me list, and do them shame."

This messenger gan faste go'n, And found where, in a cave of stone, In a country that highte Thrace, This Aeolus, *with harde grace,* *Evil favour attend him!*

Helde the windes in distress,* *constraint And gan them under him to press, That they began as bears to roar, He bound and pressed them so sore.

This messenger gan fast to cry, "Rise up," quoth he, "and fast thee hie, Until thou at my Lady be, And take thy clarions eke with thee, And speed thee forth." And he anon Took to him one that hight Triton, <70> His clarions to beare tho,* *then And let a certain winde go, That blew so hideously and high, That it lefte not a sky* *cloud <71> In all the welkin* long and broad. *sky This Aeolus nowhere abode* *delayed Till he was come to Fame's feet, And eke the man that Triton hete,* *is called And there he stood as still as stone.

And therewithal there came anon Another huge company Of goode folk, and gan to cry, "Lady, grant us goode fame, And let our workes have that name, Now in honour of gentleness; And all so G.o.d your soule bless; For we have well deserved it, Therefore is right we be well quit."* *requited "As thrive I," quoth she, "ye shall fail; Good workes shall you not avail To have of me good fame as now; But, wot ye what, I grante you.

That ye shall have a shrewde* fame, *evil, cursed And wicked los,* and worse name, *reputation <72> Though ye good los have well deserv'd; Now go your way, for ye be serv'd.

And now, Dan Aeolus," quoth she, "Take forth thy trump anon, let see, That is y-called Slander light, And blow their los, that ev'ry wight Speak of them harm and shrewedness,* *wickedness, malice Instead of good and worthiness; For thou shalt trump all the contrair Of that they have done, well and fair."

Alas! thought I, what adventures* *(evil) fortunes Have these sorry creatures, That they, amonges all the press, Should thus be shamed guilteless?

But what! it muste needes be.

What did this Aeolus, but he Took out his blacke trump of bra.s.s, That fouler than the Devil was, And gan this trumpet for to blow, As all the world 't would overthrow.

Throughout every regioun Went this foule trumpet's soun', As swift as pellet out of gun When fire is in the powder run.

And such a smoke gan out wend,* *go Out of this foule trumpet's end, Black, blue, greenish, swart,* and red, *black <73> As doth when that men melt lead, Lo! all on high from the tewell;* *chimney <74> And thereto* one thing saw I well, *also That the farther that it ran, The greater waxen it began, As doth the river from a well,* *fountain And it stank as the pit of h.e.l.l.

Alas! thus was their shame y-rung, And guilteless, on ev'ry tongue.

Then came the thirde company, And gan up to the dais to hie,* *hasten And down on knees they fell anon, And saide, "We be ev'ry one Folk that have full truely Deserved fame right fully, And pray you that it may be know Right as it is, and forth y-blow."

"I grante," quoth she, "for me list That now your goode works be wist;* *known And yet ye shall have better los, In despite of all your foes, Than worthy* is, and that anon. *merited Let now," quoth she, "thy trumpet go'n, Thou Aeolus, that is so black, And out thine other trumpet take, That highte Laud, and blow it so That through the world their fame may go, Easily and not too fast, That it be knowen at the last."

"Full gladly, Lady mine," he said; And out his trump of gold he braid* *pulled forth Anon, and set it to his mouth, And blew it east, and west, and south, And north, as loud as any thunder, That ev'ry wight had of it wonder, So broad it ran ere that it stent.* *ceased And certes all the breath that went Out of his trumpet's mouthe smell'd As* men a pot of balme held *as if Among a basket full of roses; This favour did he to their loses.* *reputations

And right with this I gan espy Where came the fourthe company.

But certain they were wondrous few; And gan to standen in a rew,* *row And saide, "Certes, Lady bright, We have done well with all our might, But we *not keep* to have fame; *care not Hide our workes and our name, For G.o.dde's love! for certes we Have surely done it for bounty,* *goodness, virtue And for no manner other thing."

"I grante you all your asking,"

Quoth she; "let your workes be dead."

With that I turn'd about my head, And saw anon the fifthe rout,* *company That to this Lady gan to lout,* *bow down And down on knees anon to fall; And to her then besoughten all To hide their good workes eke, And said, they gave* not a leek *cared For no fame, nor such renown; For they for contemplatioun And G.o.dde's love had y-wrought, Nor of fame would they have aught.

"What!" quoth she, "and be ye wood?

And *weene ye* for to do good, *do ye imagine*

And for to have of that no fame?

*Have ye despite* to have my name? *do ye despise*

Nay, ye shall lie every one!

Blow thy trump, and that anon,"

Quoth she, "thou Aeolus, I hote,* *command And ring these folkes works by note, That all the world may of it hear."

And he gan blow their los* so clear *reputation Within his golden clarioun, That through the worlde went the soun', All so kindly, and so soft, That their fame was blown aloft.

And then came the sixth company, And gunnen* fast on Fame to cry; *began Right verily in this mannere They saide; "Mercy, Lady dear!

To telle certain as it is, We have done neither that nor this, But idle all our life hath be;* *been But natheless yet praye we That we may have as good a fame, And great renown, and knowen* name, *well-known As they that have done n.o.ble gests,* *feats.

And have achieved all their quests,* *enterprises; desires As well of Love, as other thing; All* was us never brooch, nor ring, *although Nor elles aught from women sent, Nor ones in their hearte meant To make us only friendly cheer, But mighte *teem us upon bier;* *might lay us on our bier Yet let us to the people seem (by their adverse demeanour)*

Such as the world may of us deem,* *judge That women loven us for wood.* *madly It shall us do as muche good, And to our heart as much avail, The counterpoise,* ease, and travail, *compensation As we had won it with labour; For that is deare bought honour, *At the regard of* our great ease. *in comparison with*

*And yet* ye must us more please; *in addition*

Let us be holden eke thereto Worthy, and wise, and good also, And rich, and happy unto love, For G.o.dde's love, that sits above; Though we may not the body have Of women, yet, so G.o.d you save, Let men glue* on us the name; *fasten Sufficeth that we have the fame."

"I grante," quoth she, "by my troth; Now Aeolus, withoute sloth, Take out thy trump of gold," quoth she, "And blow as they have asked me, That ev'ry man ween* them at ease, *believe Although they go in full *bad leas."* *sorry plight*

This Aeolus gan it so blow, That through the world it was y-know.

Then came the seventh rout anon, And fell on knees ev'ry one, And saide, "Lady, grant us soon The same thing, the same boon, Which *this next folk* you have done." *the people just before us*