510

He sette nat his benefice to hyre
And leet his sheep encombred in the myre,
And ran to London unto Seïnt Poules
To seken hym a chaunterie for soules,
Or with a bretherhed to been withholde; 5
But dwelte at hoom and kepte wel his folde,
So that the wolf ne made it nat myscarie;
He was a shepherde, and noght a mercenarie.
And though he hooly were and vertuous, 515
He was to synful man nat despitous,"
Ne of his speche daungerous ne digne,8
But in his techyng descreet and benygne;
To drawen folk to hevene by fairnesse,
By good ensample, this was his bisynesse.
But it were any persone obstinat,
What so he were, of heigh or lowe estat,
Hym wolde he snybben sharply for the
nonys.1

10

9

7

521

14

551

Or breke it at a rennyng with his heed.
His berd, as any sowe or fox, was reed,
And therto brood, as though it were a spade.
Upon the cop 13 right of his nose he hade
A werte, and theron stood a tuft of herys,555
Reed as the bristles of a sowes erys;
His nosethirles 15 blake were and wyde.
A swerd and a bokeler bar he by his syde.
His mouth as wyde was as a greet forneys;
He was a janglere 16 and a goliardeys,17
And that was moost of synne and harlotries.
Wel coude he stelen corn and tollen thries,
And yet he hadde a thombe of gold,18 pardee!
A whit cote and a blew hood wered he;
A baggepipe wel coude he blowe and sowne,
And therwithal he broghte us out of towne.

560

569

A gentil Maunciple was ther of a temple,19 Of which achatours 20 mighte take exemple For to be wyse in bying of vitaille. For whether that he payde, or took by taille, Algate he wayted 22 so in his achat 23 That he was ay biforn 24 and in good stat. Now is nat that of God a ful fair grace, That swich a lewed 25 mannes wit shal pace The wisdom of an heep of lerned men? Of maistres hadde he mo 27 than thryes ten, That were of lawe expert and curious; Of which ther were a doseyn in that hous, Worthy to been stiwardes of rente and lond Of any lord that is in Engelond,

21

26

575

580

1own 2 labour 3 property 4 short sleeveless jacket 5 foreman of the laborers on a manor 6 bailiff of an ecclesiastical court steward of a college or inn of court for the nones means very, extremely everywhere the prize knot 12 heave off its hinges end 14 ears nostrils 16 loud talker jester As all honest millers have. 19 inn of court buyers tally, i.e. on credit 22 always he watched 25 24 ahead purchase

17

20

23

13

18

21

15

26

27

ignorant surpass more

585

591

To make him live by his propre good,
In honour dettelees, but he were wood,1
Or live as scarsly 2 as him list desire;
And able for to helpen al a shire
In any cas that mighte falle or happe;
And yit this maunciple sette hir aller cappe.3
The Reeve was a sclendre colerik man.
His berd was shave as ny as ever he can;
His heer was by his eres round y-shorn;
His top was dokked lyk a preest biforn.
Ful longe were his legges, and ful lene,
Y-lyk a staf, ther was no calf y-sene.
Wel coude he kepe a gerner 6 and a binne;
Ther was noon auditour coude on him winne.
Wel wiste he, by the droghte, and by the reyn,
The yeldyng of his seed, and of his greyn. 596
His lordes sheep, his neet, his dayerye,
His swyn, his hors, his stoor, and his pultrye,
Was hooly in this reves governing;
And by his covenaunt yaf the rekening
Sin 10 that his lord was twenty yeer of age;
Ther coude no man bringe him in arrerage."1
Ther nas baillif, ne herde, 12 ne other hyne,"
That he ne knew his sleighte and his covyne; 14
They were adrad of him, as of the deeth. 605
His woning was ful fair up-on an heeth;
With grene trees shadwed was his place;
He coude bettre than his lord purchace.
Ful riche he was astored prively;
His lord wel coude he plesen subtilly,
To yeve and lene him of his owne good,
And have a thank, and yet a cote, and hood.16
In youthe he lerned hadde a good mister;
He was a wel good wrighte, a carpenter.
This reve sat up-on a ful good stot,18
That was al pomely 19 grey, and highte Scot.
A long surcote of pers 20 up-on he hade,
And by his syde he bar a rusty blade.

15

600

13

610

17

615

620

Of Northfolk was this reve of which I telle,
Bisyde a toun men clepen Baldeswelle.
Tukked 21 he was, as is a frere, aboute,
And evere he rood the hindreste of our route.
A Somnour was ther with us in that place,
That hadde a fyr-reed cherubinnes face,
For sawceflem 22 he was, with eyen narwe,

1

8

630

Ther nas quik-silver, litarge,3 ne brimstoon,
Boras, ceruce,3 ne oille of tartre noon,
Ne oynement that wolde clense and byte,
That him mighte helpen of his whelkes 5
whyte,

Ne of the knobbes sittinge on his chekes.
Wel loved he garleek, oynons, and eek lekes,
And for to drinken strong wyn, reed as blood.
Thanne wolde he speke and crye, as he were
wood."

And whan that he wel dronken hadde the wyn,

Than wolde he speke no word but Latyn.

7

650

A fewe termes hadde he, two or thre,
That he had lerned out of some decree; 640
No wonder is, he herde it al the day;
And eek ye knowen wel, how that a Jay
Can clepen 'Watte,' as well as can the pope.
But who-so coude in other thing him grope,8
Thanne hadde he spent al his philosophye;
Ay "Questio quid iuris" wolde he crye. 646
He was a gentil harlot 10 and a kynde;
A bettre felawe 11 sholde men noght fynde;
He wolde suffre for a quart of wyn
A good felawe to have his [wikked sin]
A twelf-month, and excuse him atte fulle;
And prively a finch eek coude he pulle.12
And if he fond owher 13 a good felawe,
He wolde techen him to have non awe,
In swich cas, of the erchedeknes curs,11
But-if 15 a mannes soule were in his purs; 16
For in his purs he sholde y-punisshed be.
"Purs is the erchedeknes helle,” seyde he.
But wel I woot he lyed right in dede;
Of cursing oghte ech gulty man him drede 17
For curs wol slee, right as assoilling 18 saveth
And also war him of a significavit.19
In daunger 20 hadde he at his owne gyse
The yonge girles 22 of the diocyse,
And knew hir counseil,23 and was al hir reed.24
A gerland hadde he set up-on his heed,

21

655

659

666

3 2 scraggy a lead ointment 4 borax call "Walter," as a parrot calls 8 test 9"The question is what is the law" "10 rascal 11 good fellow was slang for a "disreputable person." 12 slang for “rob a greenhorn." anywhere excommunication unless 16 purse

servant

18

20

14

15

17 be afraid 18 absolving 19 writ for arresting an excommunicated person 20 under his influence way 2 young people of either sex 23 secrets

21

24 adviser

22

1

As greet as it were for an ale-stake; 1
A bokeler hadde he maad him of a cake.
With him ther rood a gentil Pardoner
Of Rouncivale, his frend and his compeer,670
That streight was comen fro the court of
Rome.

Ful loude he song, 'Com hider, love, to me.'
This somnour bar to him a stif burdoun,2
Was nevere trompe 3 of half so greet a soun.
This pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wex,
But smothe it heng, as doth a strike of flex; 4
By ounces henge his lokkes that he hadde,
And ther-with he his shuldres overspradde;
But thinne it lay, by colpons oon and oon;
But hood, for jolitee,' ne wered he noon, 680
For it was trussed up in his walet.

5

18

15

17

But of his craft, fro Berwik unto Ware,12
Ne was ther swich another pardoner;
For in his male 13 he hadde a pilwe-beer,14
Which that, he seyde, was our lady veyl;
He seyde, he hadde a gobet 16 of the seyl 1
That Seynt Peter hadde, whan that he wente
Up-on the see, til Iesu Crist him hente;
He hadde a croys 19 of latoun,20 ful of stones,
And in a glas he hadde pigges bones.
But with thise relikes, whan that he fond
A povre person dwelling up-on lond,21
Up-on a day he gat him more moneye
Than that the person gat in monthes tweye.
And thus with feyned flaterye and japes,22 705
He made the person and the peple his apes."
But trewely to tellen, atte laste,
He was in chirche a noble ecclesiaste.

3

700

23

1a pole projecting from the wall of an inn and usually bearing a garland 2 accompaniment trumpet hank of flax 5 small portions 6 handfuls for sport it seemed to him 9 new fashion 10 a duplicate of the handkerchief of St. Veronica, on which the face of Jesus was imprinted. " brimful 12 from one end of England to the other 13 bag 14 pillow-case 15 Our Lady's veil 16 bit 17 sail 18 19 seized 20 brass 21 in the country 22 tricks 23 fools

cross

Why that assembled was this compaignye
In Southwerk at this gentil hostelrye,
That highte the Tabard, faste by the Belle.
But now is tyme to you for to telle
How that we baren us that ilke nyght,
Whan we were in that hostelrie alyght;
And after wol I telle of our viage
And al the remenaunt of oure pilgrimage.

But first, I pray yow of youre curteisye, That ye narette it nat my vileynye, Thogh that I pleynly speke in this mateere To telle yow hir wordes and hir cheere, Ne thogh I speke hir wordes proprely; 7 For this ye knowen al-so wel as I, Whoso shal telle a tale after a man, He moote reherce, as ny as evere he can, Everich a word, if it be in his charge,

730

735

Al 8 speke he never so rudeliche and large, Or ellis he moot telle his tale untrewe Or feyne thyng, or fynde wordes newe; He may nat spare, althogh he were his brother,

11

He moot as wel seye o word as another.
Crist spak hymself ful brode in hooly writ,
And wel ye woot no vileynye 10 is it. 740
Eek Plato seith, whoso that can hym rede,
"The wordes moote be cosyn 11 to the dede.”
Also I prey yow to foryeve it me
Al have I nat set folk in hir degree
Heere in this tale, as that they sholde stonde;
My wit is short, ye may wel understonde. 746
Greet chiere made oure hoste us everichon,12
And to the soper sette he us anon,
And served us with vitaille at the beste;
Strong was the wyn, and wel to drynke us
leste.13
'750

A semely man oure Hooste was with-alle
For to han been a marshal in an halle.
A large man he was, with eyen stepe,14
A fairer burgeys was ther noon in Chepe;

15

757

Boold of his speche, and wys and wel y-taught,
And of manhod hym lakkede right naught.
Eek therto he was right a myrie man,
And after soper pleyen he bigan,
And spak of myrthe amonges othere thynges,
Whan that we hadde maad our rekenynges;
And seyde thus: "Now, lordynges, trewely,
Ye been to me right welcome, hertely;
For by my trouthe, if that I shal nat lye,
I ne saugh this yeer so myrie a compaignye
At ones in this herberwe 2 as is now;
Fayn wolde I doon yow myrthe, wiste I how.3
And of a myrthe I am right now bythoght,
To doon yow ese, and it shal coste noght.

762

765

772

775

"Ye goon to Canterbury; God yow speede, The blisful martir quite yow youre meede! 4 And, wel I woot,5 as ye goon by the weye, Ye shapen yow to talen 6 and to pleye; For trewely comfort ne myrthe is noon To ride by the weye doumb as a stoon; And therfore wol I maken yow disport, As I seyde erst,' and doon yow som comfort. And if you liketh alle, by oon assent, Now for to stonden at my juggement, And for to werken as I shal yow seye, To-morwe, whan ye riden by the weye, Now by my fader soule that is deed, But ye be myrie, I wol yeve yow myn heed! Hoold up youre hond withouten moore speche.'

8

780

792

But taak it nought, I prey yow, in desdeyn;
This is the poynt, to speken short and pleyn,
That ech of yow, to shorte with your weye,
In this viage shal telle tales tweye
To Caunterburyward, — I mean it so,
And homward he shal tellen othere two,
Of aventures that whilom 12 han bifalle.
And which of yow that bereth hym beste of
alle,

That is to seyn, that telleth in this caas
Tales of best sentence 13 and moost solaas,
Shal have a soper at oure aller cost,14

795

Heere in this place, sittynge by this post, 800

Amorwe, whan that day bigan to sprynge, Up roos oure Hoost and was oure aller cok,5 And gadrede us togidre alle in a flok, And forth we riden, a litel moore than paas, Unto the Wateryng of Seint Thomas; 826 And there oure Hoost bigan his hors areste, And seyde, "Lordynges, herkneth, if yow leste!

Ye woot youre forward, and I it yow recorde.

830

If even-song and morwe-song accorde,
Lat se now who shal telle the firste tale.
As evere mote I drynke wyn or ale,
Whoso be rebel to my juggement
Shal paye for all that by the wey is spent!
Now draweth cut, er that we ferrer twynne.8
He which that hath the shorteste shal bi-
gynne.
836
Sire Knyght," quod he, "my mayster and my

lord,

5

11

1 merry 2 gainsay 3 prepare myself 4 fetched cock waked us all. 6 a little faster than a

7

walk agreement 8 farther depart 9 come nearer 10 fate 11 chance