In Lettow hadde he reysed1 and in Ruce,-2 55 Whan they were wonne; and in the Grete See At many a noble aryves hadde he be. At mortal battailles hadde he been fiftene, And evermoore he hadde a sovereyn prys. He never yet no vileynye11 ne sayde, 60 65 70 In al his lyfe, unto no maner wight. He was a verray parfit, gentil knyght. But for to tellen yow of his array, His hors weren goode, but he ne was nat gay; Of fustian he wered a gypón12 75 Al bismotered 13 with his habergeon14 For he was late y-come from his viáge, And wente for to doon his pilgrymage. With hym ther was his sone, a yong SQUIER, A lovyere and a lusty bacheler, 15 80 With lokkes crulle16 as they were leyd in presse. Wel koude he sitte on hors and fairė ryde; 90 105 Under his belt he bar ful thriftily - And Frenssh she spake ful faire and fetisly33 In curteisie was set ful muchel hir leste.30 Hire over-lippe wyped she so clene, Of Court, 39 and been estatlich40 of manére, 150 Ful semyly hir wympul44 pynched was; Hire nose tretys, 45 hir eyen greye as glas, Hir mouth ful smal and there-to softe and reed, But sikerly she hadde a fair forheed; It was almost a spannė brood I trowe, For, hardily, she was not undergrowe. 26 Cropped head. 28 Arm guard. 46 27 Knew. 29 A brooch with a figure of St. Christopher. 30 Shoulder belt. 155 31 St. Eloy, or Eligius, patron saint of goldsmiths and farriers. 34 After the style (scole) of those in or about Stratfordat-Bow; i. e. the Prioresse spoke the provincial, or AngloNorman, and not the Parisian French. The priory over which she presided is supposed to have been near Stratford-at-Bow, then a village only a few miles from London. 35 Fell. 36 Pleasure. 37 Reached. 36 Surely. 39 Cheere of Court, imitate courtly behaviour. 40 Stately, dignified. 41 Sympathy. Surely Ful fetys1 was hir cloke, as I was war; 166 170 Another Nonnė with hire hadde she That was hir Chapeleyne, and Preestės thre. A MONK ther was, a fair for the maistrie,* An outridere, that lovede venerie;5 A manly man, to been an abbot able. Ful many a deyntee hors hadde he in stable, And whan he rood men myghte his brydel heere Gýnglen in a whistlynge wynd als cleere, And eeke as loude as dooth the chapel belle. Ther as this lord was keepere of the celle, The reule of seint Maures or of seint Benéit, By-cause that it was olde and som-del streit," This ilkė Monk leet oldė thyngės pace,8 And heeld after the newė world a space. He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen10 That seith that hunters beth nat hooly men, Ne that a Monk whan he is reechelees11 Is likned til a fissh that is waterlees: This is to seyn, a Monk out of his cloystre. But thilkė12 text heeld he nat worth an oystre; And I seyde his opinioun was good. What sholde he studie and make hymselven wood, 13 175 180 185 Upon a book in cloystre alwey to poure, 191 195 Lat Austyn have his swynk17 to him reserved. 1 Neat. 200 2 A string of beads. Here the beads were coral, gauded with green, i. e., the larger beads or gawdies, were of green. 3A," probably stood for Amor, or Charity, crowned as the greatest of Christian virtues. 4i. e. as we should say, one well fitted to succeed. 5 Hunting. St. Maur, or Maurus, a follower and successor of St. Benedict who was founder of the Benedictine Order. His rules of monastic discipline (reule of Seint Beneil), came to be widely followed throughout Europe. 7 Somewhat strict. 8 Pass. Not necessarily a fert from the Bible. Supposed here to refer to the belief or legend that Nimrod, the mighty hunter, was a bad man. 10 Plucked hen. 12 That same. 13 Mad. 11 Cloisterless. 14 Work, toil. and author of the 22 Glowed like a fire under a cauldron. 18 Hard rider. 21 Protruding. Now certeinly he was a fair prelaat. 210 215 220 225 229 A Frere ther was, a wantowne and a merye, A lymytour, 24 a ful solempné 25 man; In alle the ordrės foure26 is noon that kan So muchel of daliaunce and fair langage; He hadde maad ful many a marïage Of yonge wommen at his owenė cost: Unto his ordre he was a noble post. Ful wel biloved and famuliér was he With frankėleyns27 over al in his contree; And eek with worthy wommen of the toun, For he hadde power of confessioun, As seyde hym-self, moore than a curát, For of his ordre he was licenciat.28 Ful swetely herde he confessioun, And pleasaunt was his absolucioun. He was an esy man to yeve penáunce Ther as he wiste to have a good pitaunce; For unto a poure ordre for to yive Is signe that a man is wel y-shryve; For, if he yaf, he dorstė make avaunt29 He wiste that a man was répentaunt: For many a man so harde is of his herte He may nat wepe al thogh hym soorė smerte, Therefore in stede of wepynge and preyéres Men moote yeve silver to the poure freres. His typet30 was ay farsed full31 of knyves And pynnės for to yeven yonge wyves; And certeinly he hadde a murey note; Wel koude he synge and pleyen on a rote:32 Of yeddynges33 he baar outrėly the pris; His nekke whit was as the flour-de-lys, Ther-to34 he strong was as a champioun. He knew the tavernes well in al the toun And everich hostiler and tappestere35 Bet than a lazar36 or a beggéstere;37 For unto swich a worthy man as he Acorded nat, as by his facultee, To have with siké lazars áqueyntáunce; It is nat honeste, it may nat avaunce Fór to deelen with no swiche poraille;38 But al with riche and selleres of vitaille. And over al, ther as profit sholde arise, Curteis he was and lowely of servyse, Ther nas no man nowher so vertuous! He was the bestė beggere in his hous, For thogh a wydwe hadde noght a sho," So plesaunt was his In principio,40 271 A MARCHANT was ther with a forked berd, In motteleye, and hye on horse he sat; Upon his heed a Flaunderyssh bevere hat; His bootės clasped faire and fetisly; His resons he spake ful solempnély, Sowynge alway thencreés of his wynnýng. 275 He wolde the see were kept for any things Bitwixé Middelburgh and Orewelle." Wel koude he in eschaungė sheeldės selle. This worthy man ful wel his wit bisette, Ther wisté no wight that he was in dette, So estatly was he of his governaunce With his bargaynes and with his chevyssaunce," 280 For sothe he was a worthy man with-alle, A CLERK ther was of Oxenford also Of Aristotle and his philosophie, 285 .11 290 Than robės riche, or fithele, 12 or gay sautrie:13 295 300 But al that he myghte of his freendės hente15 Of hem that yaf hym wher-with to scoleye.18 Of studie took he moost cure and moost heed, Noght o1s word spak he moore than was neede, His purchase (or gain from begging) was larger than hia rente (or income). 1 Romp, play. Days set apart for the settlement of disputes by arbitration or amicable agreement. 'Short cloak. At any cost. A port on the island of Walcheren in the Netherlands. 'Orwell (now Harwich), a port on the English coast nearly opposite Middleburgh. A French coin, so called because they had a shield stamped on one side. 11 Short over-coat. 14 Although. 17 Care. Loans. 12 Fiddle. Get. 10 Know not. 13 Harp. 16 To study. 18 One. 305 And that was seyd in forme and reverence, 310 315 A SERGEANT OF THE LAWE, war and wys,21 A FRANKELEYN29 was in his compaignye. 22 Here, the porch, or portico in front of St. Paul's Cathedral, London, where the lawyers were accustomed to meet for consultation. 23 A Session (or sitting) of the Circuit Court. About forty years before Chaucer wrote his Prologue, in order to provide for the administration of justice in remote places, a law was passed, providing that an assize might be held, by a Judge of King's Bench, or of the Common Pleas, or by a King's Sergeant sworn. Chaucer's sergeant held this high office "by patent and by pleyn (or full) Commission.' 24 A money-maker, or perhaps a buyer of land. The Sergeant is so skilled in the law of real estate, that he is able, by a legal process, to effect the conveyance of land held under restrictions which would ordinarily interfere with its sale or transfer. Hence, all land was in fee simple to him i. e. as though free from such restrictions. 26 Find fault. 351 After the sondry sesons of the yeer, 5 355 360 An HABERDASSHERE, and a CARPENTER, 370 375 401 If that he faught, and hadde the hyer hond, With us ther was a DOCTOUR OF PHISIK; 405 410 415 He knew the cause of everich maladye, 425 The cause y-knowe and of his harm the roote, Averrois, Damascien and Constantyn, 43 45 430 435 440 445 A GOOD WIF was ther of bisidė Bathe, 34 i. e. he pitched them over-board. 35 Pilotage. 27 Watched. 36 Jutland. 38 Astrological hours. 39 He knew well how to make a fortunate horoscope (fortunen the ascendent) of his patient by making images or characters stamped in metals, or wax, at a time when the stars were favorable. 40 Remedy. 41 Syrup and powders. 42 Aesculapius was the reputed founder of the art of medicine, the following names are those of famous physicians and medical writers of the Middle Ages. 43 Red and blue. 45 Moderate in spending. 47 A pity. 16 Guildhall. 19 He knew. 22 Be called. 24 Royally carried-by a servant. 25 Marrow-bones. 27 Mix in a mortar. 30A nag. 44 Silk. 46 The plague known as the "Black Death," which devastated England in Chaucer's century. 48 Skill. That to the offrynge1 bifore hire sholde goon; 455 459 Ful streite y-teyd, and shoes ful moyste and 470 480 485 490 Of his offryng and eek of his substaunce: 505 A shiten shepherde and a clene sheepe. 510 515 And leet his sheepe encombred in the myre, nonys. A bettre preest I trowe that nowher noon ys; 520 525 With hym ther was a PLOWMAN, was his brother, 529 That hadde y-lad of dong ful many a fother, 18 Ther was also a REVE23 and a MILLER. The MILLERE was a stout carl for the nones, Ful byg was he of brawn and eek of bones; That proved wel, for over-al ther, he cam, At wrastlynge he wolde have awey the ram.27 He was short-sholdred, brood, a thikké knarre, 28 13 Either an endowment for the payment of a priest to sing or say mass for the dead; or else the church or chapel in which such masses were celebrated. After the plague, many parish priests deserted their parishes and went to London to make money by officiating in the chaunteries. 14 Supported. 15 Scornful. 16 Reprove. 17 Here to mean "scrupulous." "overfastidious" or over-particular about non-essentials. 18 Cart-load. the Reve of a manor. Here 24 An officer who summoned delinquents before the ecclesiastical courts. 25 One empowered to sell indulgences, or pardons. 26 A caterer for a college or for one of the Inns of Court. 27 The usual prize at wrestling matches. 28 Knot. |