always
Algate he wayted so in his achat1,
That he was ay biforn and in good stat 2.
Now is nat that of God a ful fair grace,
That swich a lewed mannes wit shal pace
The wisdom of an heep of lerned men?
Of maistres hadde he mo than thryes ten,
That were 3 of lawe expert and curious;
Of which ther were a doseyn 5 in that hous,
Worthy to been stiwardes of rente and lond
Of any lord that is in Engelond,
To make him live by his propre good,
In honour dettelees, but he were wood,
Or live as scarsly as him list desire;
And able for to helpen al a shire
In any cas 8 that mighte falle or happe;
And yit this maunciple sette hir aller cappe.
The REVE 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 10 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 11 him winne.
Wel wiste he, by the droghte, and by the reyn,
The yeldyng of his seed, and of his greyn.
His lordes sheep, his neet, his dayerye,
His swyn, his hors, his stoor, and his pultrye,
Was hoolly in this reves governing,
4 E. whiche.
6 E. maken.
8 E. Hn. caas. 11 E. of; rest on.
And by his covenaunt yaf the rekening,
Sin that his lord was twenty yeer of age;
Ther coude no man bringe him in arrerage.
Ther nas baillif, ne herde, ne1 other hyne,
That he ne knew his sleighte and his covyne ;
They were adrad of him, as of the deeth.
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, t
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.
In youthe he lerned hadde a good mister 10
He was a wel good wrighte, a carpenter.,
This reve sat up-on a ful good stot,
That was al pomely grey, and highte Scot.
A long surcote of pers 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.
Tukked 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 he was, with eyen narwe.
[And quik] he was, and [chirped] as a sparwe,
1 E. Hn. Cp. Pt. nor; rest ne. Hl. fair; E. faire.
5 E. Hn. shadwed; Hl. i-schadewed; Cm. I-schadewid; Cp. Pt. shadewed; Ln. schadowed.
8 E. gowne; rest cote. 10 Cp. Hl. mester.
9 So Hn. HI.; E. and rest hadde lerned.
Cp. Pt. Somnour; Hl. sompnour; E. Hn. Somonour.
With scalled browes blake, and piled berd;
Of his visage children were aferd.
Ther nas quik-silver, litarge, ne brimstoon 2,
Boras, ceruce, 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 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.
A fewe termes hadde he, two or thre,
That he had lerned out of som decree;
No wonder is, he herde it al the day;
And eek ye knowen wel, how that a lay
Can clepen Watte,' as well as can the pope.
But who-so coude in other thing him grope,
Thanne hadde he spent al his philosophye;
Ay Questio quid iuris' wolde he crye.
He was a gentil harlot 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]
A twelf-month, and excuse him atte fulle:
And prively a finch eek coude he pulle.
And if he fond owher a good felawe,
He wolde techen him to have non awe,
In swich cas, of the erchedeknes curs,
But-if a mannes soule were in his purs;
For in his purs he sholde y-punisshed be.
1 E. Hn. Cm. scaled.
3 E. the; rest his.
Purs is the erchedeknes helle,' seyde he.
But wel I woot he lyed right in dede;
Of cursing oghte ech gulty man him1 drede-
For curs wol slee right as assoilling saveth 2—
And also war him of a significavit.
In daunger hadde he at his owne gyse
The yonge girles of the diocyse,
And knew hir counseil, and was al hir reed.
A gerland hadde he set up-on his heed,
As greet as it were for an ale-stake;
A bokeler hadde he maad him of a cake.
With him ther rood a gentil PARDONER
Of Rouncivale, his frend and his compeer,
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,
Was nevere trompe of half so greet a soun.
This pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wex,
But smothe it heng,
By ounces henge his
And ther-with he his
But thinne it lay, by
But hood, for Iolitee, ne9 wered he noon,
For it was trussed up in his walet.
as doth a strike of flex;
lokkes that he hadde,
shuldres overspradde;
colpons oon and oon;
Him thoughte, he rood al of the newe Iet;
Dischevele 1o, save his cappe, he rood al bare.
Swiche glaringe eyen hadde he as an hare.
A vernicle hadde he sowed
His walet lay 12 biforn him
1 Cp. Ln. him; Hl. Pt. to; rest om. 2 HI. saveth; E. sauith.
3 Hl. owne; E. owene.
E. was; rest rood, rode. 8 E. hise.
4 E. bokeleer.
6 E. soong.
" Hl. Cp. on; rest vp on.
12 Hl. lay; which the rest omit.
Bret-ful of pardoun come1 from Rome al hoot.
A voys he hadde as smal as hath a2 goot.
No berd hadde he, ne nevere sholde have,
As smothe it was as it were late y-shave3;
But of his craft, fro Berwik into Ware,
Ne was ther swich another pardoner.
For in his male he hadde a pilwe-beer,
Which that, he seyde, was our lady veyl:
He seyde, he hadde a gobet of the seyl
That seynt Peter hadde, whan that he wente
Up-on the see, til Iesu Crist him hente.
He hadde a croys of latoun, 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,
Up-on a day he gat him more moneye
Than that the person gat in monthes tweye.
And thus with feyned flaterye and Iapes,
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 he song an offertorie;
For wel he wiste, whan that song was songe,
He moste preche, and wel affyle his tonge,
To winne silver, as he ful5 wel coude;
Therefore he song so meriely and loude.
Now have I told you shortly7, in a clause,
1 HI. Cm. come; rest comen.
eny, Hl. right.
(for hath a).
6 Cp. Pt. Ln. so meriely; E. Hn. Cm. the murierly. 7E. Hl. shortly; rest soothly.
|