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And if ther dide, certeyn so wrooth was she That she was out of alle charitee.

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Hir coverchiefs ful fyne weren of ground;
I dorste swere they weyeden ten pound,
That on a Sonday weren upon hir heed.
Hir hosen weren of fyn scarlet reed,
Ful streite y-teyd, and shoes ful moyste1
and newe.

Boold was hir face and fair and reed of hewe.
She was a worthy womman al hir lyve;
Housbondes at chirche dore she hadde fyve,
Withouten oother compaignye in youthe, 461
But ther-of nedeth nat to speke as nowthe.2
And thries hadde she been at Jerusalem;
She hadde passed many a straunge strem;
At Rome she hadde been and at Boloigne,
In Galice at Seint Jame, and at Coloigne ;466
She coude muche of wandrynge by the
weye:

Gat-tothed was she, soothly for to seye.
Upon an amblere esily she sat,

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Y-wympled wel, and on her heed an hat 470
As brood as is a bokeler or a targe;
A foot-mantel 7 aboute hir hipes large,
And on hire feet a paire of spores sharpe.
In felaweshipe wel coude she laughe and

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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.
A bettre preest I trowe that no-wher noon ys;
He waited after no pompe and reverence, 525
Ne maked him a spiced conscience,
But Cristes loore, and his apostles twelve,
He taughte, but first he folwed it hym-selve.
With him ther was a Plowman, was 11
brother,
That hadde y-lad 12 of dong ful many a
fother, 13

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his

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A trewe swinkere 14 and a good was he, Livinge in pees and parfit 1 charitee. God loved he best with al his hole herte At alle tymes, thogh him gamed or smerte,1 And thanne his neighebour right as himselve. 535

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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; 14
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,17 560
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.

A gentil Maunciple was ther of a temple,19
Of which achatours 20 mighte take exemple
For to be wyse in bying of vitaille. 569
For whether that he payde, or took by taille,21
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,

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1own 2 labour 3 property 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 9 everywhere 10 the price 11 knot 12 heave off its hinges 13 end 14 ears 15 nostrils 16 loud talker jester As all honest millers have. 19 inn of court buyers 21 tally, i.e. on credit 22 always he watched ahead 25 purchase 20 25 ignorant surpass 27 more

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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 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."
Ther nas baillif, ne herde,12 ne other hyne,13
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 up-on he hade,
And by his syde he bar a rusty blade.

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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,

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With scalled browes blake, and piled berd;

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Of his visage children were aferd.
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
whyte,

Ne of the knobbes sittinge on his chekes.
Wel loved he garleck, 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,

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Than wolde he speke no word but Latyn.
A fewe termes hadde he, two or thre,
That he had lerned out of some decree;
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," 655
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."
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,

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1 scurfy 2 scraggy a lead ointment 4 borax bumps mad call "Walter," as a parrot calls 8 test 9 "The question is what is the law" rascal good fellow was slang for a "disreputable person." 12 slang for "rob a greenhorn." anywhere 14 excommunication 15

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"Poll" crazy 2 economically 3 cheated them all (slang) 4 irascible 5 cut short 6 granary cattle stock find

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of tools, etc. 9 rendered account 10 since him in arrears servant craft and deceit he did not know 15 16 lend his lord's own property to him and receive thanks and gifts 21 his coat was tucked up with a girdle 22 pimpled

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unless 16 purse 17 be afraid 18 absolving 19 writ for arresting an excommunicated person 20 under his influence 23 secrets

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cob

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dappled 20 blue

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way young people of either sex 24 adviser

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.

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Him thought he rood al of the newe jet; 9
Dischevele, save his cappe, he rood al bare.
Swiche glaringe eyen hadde he as an hare.
A vernicle 10 hadde he sowed on his cappe. 685
His walet lay biforn him in his lappe,
Bret-ful of pardoun come from Rome al
hoot.

A voys he hadde as smal as hath a goot.
No berd hadde he, ne nevere sholde have,
As smothe it was as it were late y-shave; 690

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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; 15
He seyde, he hadde a gobet 16 of the sey
That Seynt Peter hadde, whan that he wente
Up-on the see, til Iesu Crist him hente; 18
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.2
But trewely to tellen, atte laste,
He was in chirche a noble ecclesiaste.

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la pole projecting from the wall of an inn and usually bearing a garland accompaniment trumpet hank of flax small portions 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. 11 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 seized 19 20 brass 21 in the coun

try

22 tricks 23 fools

cross

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Why that assembled was this compaignye
In Southwerk at this gentil hostelrye,
That highte3 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;
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,
Al speke he never so rudcliche 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,

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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.
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

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Boold of his speche, and wys and wel y-taught,
And of manhod hym lakkede right naught.
Eek therto1 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.
"Ye goon to Canterbury; God yow speede,
The blisful martir quite yow youre meede!
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.'

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Oure conseil was nat longe for to seche; Us thoughte it was noght worth to make it 785 And graunted hym withouten moore avys," And bad him seye his verdit, as hym leste.10 "Lordynges," quod he, "now herkneth for the beste,

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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.
He which that hath the shorteste shal bi-
gynne.
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Sire Knyght," quod he, "my mayster and my

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Now draweth cut, for that is myn accord. Cometh neer, quod he, "my lady Prioresse, And ye, sire Clerk, lat be your shamefast840

nesse,

Ne studieth noght; ley hond to, every man."
Anon to drawen every wight bigan,

And, shortly for to tellen, as it was,
Were it by aventure, or sort,10 or cas,11

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- waked us agreement

10 fate 11 chance

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all. a little faster than a

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