500

Out of the gospel he tho wordes caughte;
And this figure he added eek ther-to,
That if gold ruste, what shal iren do?
For if a preest be foul, on whom we truste,
No wonder is a lewed1 man to ruste;
And shame it is, if a preest take keep,5
A [spotted] shepherde and a clene sheep.
Wel oghte a preest ensample for to yive,505
By his clennesse, how that his sheep shold
live.

He sette nat his benefice to hyre,

And leet his sheep encombred in the myre,

And ran to London, un-to sëynt Poules, To seken him a chaunterie for soules,

510

Ful big he was of braun, and eek of bones; That proved wel, for over-al ther he cam, At wrastling he wolde have alwey the ram.24

He was short-sholdred, brood, a thikke knarre, 25

Ther nas no dore that he nolde26 heve of harre, 26

550

Or breke it, at a renning, with his heed.
His berd as any sowe or fox was reed,
And ther-to brood, as though it were a
spade.

Up-on the cop27 right of his nose he hade
A werte, and ther-on stood a tuft of heres,
Reed as the bristles of a sowes eres; 556
His nose-thirles28 blake were and wyde.
A swerd and bokeler bar he by his syde;
His mouth as greet was as a greet forneys.
He was a Ianglere29 and a goliardeys,30 560
And that was most of sinne and harlotryes.
Wel coude he stelen corn, and tollen
thryes;

And yet he hadde a thombe of gold, pardee.

A whyt cote and a blew hood wered he.

12 carried in a cart. 15 it pleased.

18 labor.

22 summoner for an ecclesiastical court. 24 win the prize, a ram.

23 steward of a college.

2 high.

3 low.

21 bailiff.

5

pay attention to it.

6 confined.

⚫ scornful.

27 top.

⚫ disdainful.

11 over-scrupulous.

25 a sturdy fellow.

28 nostrils.

26 could not lift off its hinges. 30 buffoon.

29 talker.

They were adrad of him, as of the deeth.
His woning16 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 lene1 him of his owne good,
And have a thank, and yet a cote and
hood.

19

610

.18

615

In youthe he lerned hadde a good mister;1
He was a wel good wrighte, a carpenter.
This reve sat up-on a ful good stot,'
That was al pomely20 grey, and highte Scot.
A long surcote of pers21 up-on he hade,
And by his syde he bar a rusty blade.
Of Northfolk was this reve, of which I telle,
Bisyde a toun men clepen Baldeswelle.620
Tukked22 he was, as is a frere, aboute,
And evere he rood the hindreste of our
route.

A SOMNOUR was ther with us in that w place,

That hadde a fyr-reed cherubinnes face,

Thanne hadde he spent al his philosophye;
Ay "Questio quid iuris" wolde he crye. 646
He was a gentil harlot 25 and-a kynde;

A bettre felawe sholde men noght fynde.
He wolde suffre for a quart of wyn
A good felawe to have his [wikked sin] 650
A twelf-month, and excuse him atte fulle:
And prively a finch eek coude he pulle.
And if he fond owher26 a good felawe,
He wolde techen him to have non awe,

14

10 granary. trickery.

15 deceit.

25 rogue.

24 "test him in any other point." 26 anywhere.

But hood, for Iolitee, ne wered he noon,680
For it was trussed up in his walet.
Him thoughte,11 he rood al of the newe
Iet:12

Dischevele, save his cappe, he rood al bare.
Swiche glaringe eyen hadde he as an hare.
A vernicle hadde he sowed on his cappe.685
His walet lay biforn him in his lappe,
Bret-ful13 of pardoun come from Rome al
hoot.

A voys he hadde as smal as hath a goot.
No berd hadde he, ne never sholde have,
As smothe it was as it were late
y-shave;

*

690

And thus with feyned flaterye and Iapes,2
He made the person and the peple his apes.
But trewely to tellen, atte laste,
He was in chirche a noble ecclesiaste.
Wel coude he rede a lessoun or a storie,
But alderbest 22 he song an offertorie;
For wel he wiste, whan that song was
songe,

710

He moste preche, and wel affyle23 his tonge, To winne silver, as he ful wel coude; Therefore he song so meriely and loude. Now have I told you shortly, in a clause, Thestat,24 tharray, the nombre, and eek the cause

716 Why that assembled was this companye In Southwerk, at this gentil hostelrye, That highte the Tabard, faste by the Belle.

720

But now is tyme to yow for to telle
How that we baren us that ilke night,
Whan we were in that hostelrye alight.
And after wol I telle of our viage,
And al the remenaunt of our pilgrimage.
But first I pray yow, of your curteisye, 725
That ye narette it nat my vileinye,25
Thogh that I pleynly speke in this matere,
To telle yow hir wordes and hir chere,26
Ne thogh I speke hir wordes properly.27
For this ye knowen al-so wel as I,
Who-so shal telle a tale after a man,
He moot reherce, as ny as ever he can,
Everich a28 word, if it be in his charge,
Al speke he29 never so rudeliche and large;"
Or elles he moot telle his tale untrewe, 735
Or feyne thing, or fynde wordes newe.
He may nat spare, al-thogh he were his
brother;

He moot as wel seye o word as another.
17 piece. 18 took.

16 the Virgin Mary's veil. 19 brass.

20 in the country. 23 sharpen. breeding.'

730

24 the estate. 28 behavior.

28 every.

30 freely.

.30

And of a mirthe, I am right now bithoght, To doon yow ese, and it shal coste noght. Ye goon to Caunterbury; God yow spede,

10

The blisful martir quyte yow your mede.9
And wel I woot, as ye goon by the weye,771
Ye shapen yow to talen10 and to pleye;
For trewely, confort ne mirthe is noon
To ryde by the weye doumb as a stoon;
And therfore wol I maken yow disport, 775
As I seyde erst, and doon yow som confort.
And if yow lyketh alle, by oon assent,
Now for to stonden at my Iugement,
And for to werken as I shal yow seye,
To-morwe, whan ye ryden by the weye,780
Now, by my fader soule, that is deed,
But ye be merye, I wol yeve yow myn
heed.

But tak it not, I prey yow, in desdeyn; This is the poynt, to speken short and pleyn, That ech of yow, to shorte with your weye, 13

790

In this viage, shal telle tales tweye,
To Caunterbury-ward, I mene it so,
And hom-ward he shal tellen othere two,
Of aventures that whylom11 han bifalle.795
And which of yow that bereth him best of
alle,

That is to seyn, that telleth in this cas
Tales of best sentence15 and most solas, 16
Shal han a soper at our aller cost17
Here in this place, sitting by this post, 800
Whan that we come agayn fro Caunter-
bury.

And for to make yow the more mery,
I wol my-selven gladly with yow ryde,
Right at myn owne cost, and be your gyde.
And who-so wol my Iugement withseye 805
Shal paye al that we spenden by the weye.
And if ye vouche-sauf that it be so,
Tel me anon, with-outen wordes mo,
And I wol erly shape me18 therfore."

This thing was graunted, and our othes

815

With ful glad herte, and preyden him also
That he wold vouche-sauf for to do so,
And that he wolde been our governour,
And of our tales Iuge and reportour,
And sette a soper at a certeyn prys;
And we wold reuled been at his devys,19
In heigh and lowe; and thus, by oon assent,
We been acorded to his Iugement.
And ther-up-on the wyn was fet20 anon;
We dronken, and to reste wente echon, 820
With-outen any lenger taryinge.

A-morwe, whan that day bigan to springe,

Up roos our host, and was our aller cok,2 And gadrede us togidre, alle in a flok,

21

THE NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE Here biginneth the Nonne Preestes Tale of the Cok and Hen, Chauntecleer and Pertelote.

A povre widwe somdel stope17 in age, Was whylom dwelling in a narwe cotage, Bisyde a grove, stondyng in a dale. This widwe, of which I telle yow my tale, Sin thilke18 day that she was last a wyf, In pacience ladde a ful simple lyf, For litel was hir catel19 and hir rente;20 By housbondrye, of such as God hir sente, She fond21 hir-self, and eek hir doghtren

two.

5