FROM THE PROLOGUE

Whan that Aprille with hise shoures soote The droghte of Marche hath perced to the roote

And bathed every veyne 8 in swich' licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt 10 and heeth
The tendre croppes," and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours 12 y-ronne,
And smale foweles 13 maken melodye
That slepen al the nyght with open eye,
So priketh hem Nature in hir corages,14
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,15
To ferne halwes,16 kowthe 17 in sondry londes;
And specially, from every shires ende
Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
That hem hath holpen whan that they were
seeke.

Bifil 18 that in that seson on a day,
In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay,
Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage
To Caunterbury with ful devout corage,19
At nyght was come into that hostelrye
Wel 20 nyne-and-twenty in a compaignye,
Of sondry folk, by aventure 21 y-falle

6

II

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25

1 although know 3 abandon think 5 without doubt do 7 showers sweet 8 vein 9 such 10 forest "twigs 12 In April the sun's course lies partly in the zodiacal sign of the Ram and partly in that of the Bull. 13 birds 14 in their hearts 15 foreign strands 16 distant shrines 17 known 18 it happened 19 heart 20 full 21 chance

13

5

In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle,
That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde.
The chambres and the stables weren wyde,
And wel we weren esed atte beste.1

And, shortly, whan the sonne was to reste, 30
So hadde I spoken with hem everychon,
That I was of hir felaweshipe anon,

And made forward 2 erly for to ryse,
To take oure wey, ther-as I yow devyse.3

But nathelees, whil I have tyme and space, Er that I ferther in this tale pace,

Me thynketh it accordaunt to resoun
To telle yow al the condicioun

36

45

Of ech of hem, so as it semned me, And whiche* they weren and of what degree, And eek in what array that they were inne; And at a knyght than wol I first bigynne. 42 A Knyght ther was and that a worthy man, That fro the tyme that he first bigan To riden out, he lovede chivalrie, Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisie. Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre, And thereto hadde he riden, no man ferre,7 As wel in Cristendom as in hethenesse, And ever honoured for his worthynesse. At Alisaundre he was whan it was wonne; Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bigonne Aboven alle nacions in Pruce.9

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50

175

Gynglen in a whistlynge wynd as cleere 170 And cek as loude as dooth the chapel-belle Ther-as this lord was kepere of the celle." The reule of Seint Maure or of Seint Beneit, By-cause that it was old and som-del streit 10. This ilke monk leet olde thynges pace And heeld after the newe world the space. He yaf nat of that text a pulled " hen That seith that hunters beth nat hooly men, Ne that a monk when he is recchelees 12 Is likned til a fissh that is waterlees; This is to seyn, a monk out of his cloystre. But thilke text heeld he nat worth an oystre; And I seyde his opinioun was good; What sholde he studie and make hym-selven wood,13

180

Upon a book in cloystre alwey to poure, 185
Or swynken 14 with his handes and laboure
As Austyn bit?
15 How shal the world be

21

served? Lat Austyn have his swynk 14 to him reserved. Therfore he was a pricasour 16 aright; Grehoundes he hadde, as swift as fowel in flight: Of prikyng" and of huntyng for the hare 191 Was al his lust,18 for no cost wolde he spare. I seigh 19 his sleves purfiled 20 at the hond With grys, and that the fyneste of a lond; And for to festne his hood under his chyn 195 He hadde of gold y-wroght a curious pyn; A love-knotte in the gretter ende ther was. His heed was balled, that shoon as any glas, And eek his face as it hadde been enoynt. He was a lord ful fat and in good poynt; 1 well-made 2 as I perceived 3 set 4 Every eleventh bead was a large green one. 5 beautiful an extremely fine one 7 hunting 8 fine 9 A cell is a branch monastery. 10 strict 12 vagabond 13

17 tracking 18

crazy pleasure

22

en bon point, fleshy

22

11 plucked

14 work 15 bids edged saw

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3

Hise eyen stepe1 and rollynge in his heed,
That stemed as a forneys of a leed;
His bootes souple, his hors in greet estaat.
Now certeinly he was a fair prelaat.
He was nat pale, as a forpyned1 goost;
A fat swan loved he best of any roost.
His palfrey was as broun as is a berye.

205

A Frere ther was, a wantown and a merye, A lymytour, a ful solempne 6 man.

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9

215

In alle the ordres foure is noon that can 8 So muchel of daliaunce and fair langage; 211 He hadde maad ful many a mariage Of yonge wommen at his owene cost. Unto his ordre he was a noble post; Ful wel biloved and famulier was he With frankeleyns 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 curat, For of his ordre he was licenciat. Ful swetely herde he confessioun, And plesaunt was his absolucioun. He was an esy man to yeve penaunce Ther-as 10 he wiste "1 to have a good pit

Is signe that a man is wel y-shryve. For, if he 13 yaf, he 14 dorste make avaunt He wiste that a man was repentaunt; For many a man so harde is of his herte He may nat wepe al-thogh hym soore smerte. Therfore instede of wepynge and preyeres Men moote yeve silver to the povre freres. His typet was ay farsed 15 full of knyves 233 And pynnes, for to yeven faire wyves. And certeinly he hadde a murye 16 note; Wel coude he synge and pleyen on a rote; Of yeddynges 18 he bar outrely the pris. His nekke whit was as the flour-de-lys; Ther-to he strong was as a champioun. He knew the tavernes well in every toun 240 And everich hostiler and tappestere 19 Bet 20 than a lazar 21 or a beggestere; For unto swich a worthy man as he Acorded nat, as by his facultee, To have with sike lazars aqueyntaunce; It is nat honeste,23 it may nat avaunce

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245

1 large 2 gleamed 3 cauldron tortured to death 5 licensed to beg in a certain district imposing 7 Dominican, Franciscan, Carmelite and Austin friars. 8 knows 9 rich farmers 10 where 11 knew pittance, gift 13 the man 14 the friar 15 stuffed 17 fiddle popular songs 19 bar-maid 22 female beggar beggar

16 hunter grey fur

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16

merry 20 better

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becoming

For to deelen with no swiche poraille,1 But al with riche and selleres of vitaille, And over-al,2 ther-as 3 profit sholde arise Curteis he was and lowely of servyse. Ther nas no man nowher so vertuous; 4 He was the beste beggere in his hous, For thogh a wydwe hadde noght a sho," So plesaunt was his In principio,6

11

250

Yet wolde he have a ferthynger he wente:
His purchas was wel bettre than his rente."
And rage he koude, as it were right a whelpe.10
In love-dayes ther coude he muchel helpe,
For there he was nat lyk a cloysterer
With a thredbare cope, as is a povre scoler,
But he was lyk a maister, or a pope;
Of double worstede was his semi-cope,12
That rounded as a belle, out of the presse.13
Somwhat he lipsed for his wantownesse,1
To make his Englissh swete upon his tonge;
And in his harpyng, whan that he hadde

songe,

14

Hise eyen twynkled in his heed aryght
As doon the sterres in the frosty nyght.
This worthy lymytour was cleped Huberd.

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266

271

A Marchant was ther with a forked berd,
In mottelee,15 and hye on horse he sat ;
Upon his heed a Flaundrish bever hat,
His botes clasped faire and fetisly.16
His resons 17
spak he ful solempnely,18
Souning 19 alway thencrees 20 of his winning.
He wolde the see were kept for anything 21
Betwixe Middelburgh and Orewelle.
Wel coude he in eschaunge 22 sheeldes 23 selle.
This worthy man ful well his wit bisette; 24
Ther wiste 25 no wight that he was in dette,
So estatly was he of his governaunce
With his bargaynes and with his chevisaunce.20
For sothe he was a worthy man withalle,
But sooth to seyn,27 I noot 28 how men him
calle.

A Clerk ther was of Oxenford also
That unto logyk hadde longe y-go.
As leene was his hors as is a rake,
And he nas nat right fat, I undertake,

281

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285

1

But looked holwe 1 and ther-to2 sobrely.
Ful thredbare was his overeste courtepy,3 290
For he hadde geten hym yet no benefice,
Ne was so worldly for to have office;
For hym was levere have at his beddes heed
Twenty bookes clad in blak or reed
Of Aristotle and his philosophie
Than robes riche, or fithele," or gay sautrie."
But al be that he was a philosophre,
Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre;
But al that he myghte of his freendes hente
On bookes and his lernynge he it spente, 300
And bisily gan for the soules preye

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295

Of hem that gaf hym wher-with to scoleye. Of studie took he moost cure and moost heede;

Noght o word spak he moore than was neede,
And that was seyd in forme and reverence,
And short and quyk and ful of hy sentence.
Sownynge in moral vertu was his speche,
And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche.
A Sergeant of the Lawe, war
10 and
That often hadde been at the parvys,"1
wys,
Ther was also, ful riche of excellence.
Discreet he was, and of greet reverence
He semed swich, his wordes weren so wyse.
Justice he was ful often in assyse,12

310

By patente, and by pleyn 13 commissioun; 315 For his science, and for his heigh renoun, Of fees and robes hadde he many oon. So greet a purchasour 14 was nowher noon; Al was fee simple to him in effect, His purchasing mighte nat been infect.15 Nowher so bisy a man as he ther nas,16 And yet he semed bisier than he was. In termes hadde he caas 17 and domes 18 alle That from the tyme of king William were falle.

320

19

Therto he coude endyte and make a thing,"
Ther coude no wight pinche at 20 his wryting;
And every statut coude he pleyn 21 by rote.22
He rood but hoomly in a medlee 23 cote
Girt with a ceint 24 of silk, with barres smale;
Of his array telle I no lenger tale.

A Frankeleyn 25 was in his compaignye;
Whit was his berd as is the dayesye;

330

care

1 hollow 2 besides 3 outer short coat 4 he had rather 5 musical instrument go to school 7 meaning tending to 10 cautious 11 the porch of St. Paul's, where lawyers met clients 12 court of assize 13 full 14 conveyancer 15 invalidated 16.

17

ex

18 cases 20

24

decisions 19.

was not

compose and draw up a document find a defect in 21 fully 22 by heart 23 sober

grey girdle 25 rich landowner