Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 11

Anon to drawen every wight bigan, And shortly for to tellen, as it was, Were it by aventure, or sort, or cas, The sothe is this, the cut fil to the knight, 845 Of which ful blythe and glad was every wight; And telle he moste his tale, as was resoun, By forward and by composicioun, (850) As ye han herd; what nedeth wordes mo?

And whan this G.o.de man saugh it was so, 850 As he that wys was and obedient To kepe his forward by his free a.s.sent, He seyde: 'Sin I shal biginne the game, What, welcome be the cut, a G.o.ddes name!

Now lat us ryde, and herkneth what I seye.' 855

848, 852. E. foreward (_badly_). 850. _All insert_ that _after_ saugh (_needlessly_). 854. Hl. thou (_for_ the).

And with that word we riden forth our weye; And he bigan with right a mery chere His tale anon, and seyde in this manere. (860)

HERE ENDETH THE PROLOG OF THIS BOOK; AND HERE BIGINNETH THE FIRST TALE, WHICH IS THE KNIGHTES TALE.

857. Cm. mery; E. myrie. 858. _So_ E. Hl.; _rest_ as ye may here.

COLOPHON: _from_ MS. Sloane 1685, _which has_ Heere endith, heere, knyghte (_sic_).

[26: T. 861-885.]

THE KNIGHTES TALE.

_Iamque domos patrias, Scithice post aspera gentis_ _Prelia, laurigero, &c._ [Statius, _Theb._ xii. 519.]

Whylom, as olde stories tellen us, Ther was a duk that highte Theseus; 860 Of Athenes he was lord and governour, And in his tyme swich a conquerour, That gretter was ther noon under the sonne.

Ful many a riche contree hadde he wonne; What with his wisdom and his chivalrye, 865 He conquered al the regne of Femenye, That whylom was y-cleped Scithia; And weddede the quene Ipolita, (10) And broghte hir hoom with him in his contree With muchel glorie and greet solempnitee, 870 And eek hir yonge suster Emelye.

And thus with victorie and with melodye Lete I this n.o.ble duk to Athenes ryde, And al his hoost, in armes, him bisyde.

QUOTATION; _so in_ E. Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln. 865. E. Hl. That; _rest_ What. 868. Cp. Hl. weddede; Slo. weddide; _rest_ wedded. 871. E.

faire; Pt. yenge; _rest_ yonge.

And certes, if it nere to long to here, 875 I wolde han told yow fully the manere, How wonnen was the regne of Femenye By Theseus, and by his chivalrye; (20) And of the grete bataille for the nones Bitwixen Athenes and Amazones; 880 And how a.s.seged was Ipolita, The faire hardy quene of Scithia; And of the feste that was at hir weddinge, [27: T. 886-921.]

And of the tempest at hir hoom-cominge; But al that thing I moot as now forbere. 885 I have, G.o.d woot, a large feeld to ere, And wayke been the oxen in my plough.

The remenant of the tale is long y-nough. (30) I wol nat letten eek noon of this route; Lat every felawe telle his tale aboute, 890 And lat see now who shal the soper winne; And ther I lefte, I wol ageyn biginne.

876. Hl. han told [gh]ow; E. yow haue toold; _rest_ haue toold (told). 880. Tyrwhitt _inserts_ the _after_ and; _but see_ 968, 973, 1023, &c. 889. Hl. lette eek non of al; _rest_ letten, _and omit_ al. 892. Hl. agayn; E. Hn. Cp. Pt. ayeyn.

This duk, of whom I make mencioun, When he was come almost unto the toun, In al his wele and in his moste pryde, 895 He was war, as he caste his eye asyde, Wher that ther kneled in the hye weye A companye of ladies, tweye and tweye, (40) Ech after other, clad in clothes blake; But swich a cry and swich a wo they make, 900 That in this world nis creature livinge, That herde swich another weymentinge; And of this cry they nolde never stenten, Til they the reynes of his brydel henten.

897. E. _om._ hye; _rest_ hye, heighe, hihe, highe, high.

'What folk ben ye, that at myn hoom-cominge 905 Perturben so my feste with cryinge?'

Quod Theseus, 'have ye so greet envye Of myn honour, that thus compleyne and crye? (50) Or who hath yow misboden, or offended?

And telleth me if it may been amended; 910 And why that ye ben clothed thus in blak?'

The eldest lady of hem alle spak, When she hadde swowned with a deedly chere, That it was routhe for to seen and here, And seyde: 'Lord, to whom Fortune hath yiven 915 Victorie, and as a conquerour to liven, Noght greveth us your glorie and your honour; But we biseken mercy and socour. (60) Have mercy on our wo and our distresse.

[28: T. 922-957.]

Som drope of pitee, thurgh thy gentillesse, 920 Up-on us wrecched wommen lat thou falle.

For certes, lord, ther nis noon of us alle, That she nath been a d.u.c.h.esse or a quene; Now be we caitifs, as it is wel sene: Thanked be Fortune, and hir false wheel, 925 That noon estat a.s.sureth to be weel.

And certes, lord, to abyden your presence, Here in the temple of the G.o.ddesse Clemence (70) We han ben waytinge al this fourtenight; Now help us, lord, sith it is in thy might. 930

912. Cm. eldest; E. eldeste. 914. E. routhe; Ln. rewthe; Slo.

reuthe. Hl. or; _rest_ and. 915. Hn. yiuen; E. yeuen. 916. Hn.

conquerour; E. conqueror. 917. Hn. Hl. Noght; E. Pt. Ln. Nat. Hl.

_om. 2nd _ your. 922. Hl. nys; _rest_ is. 923. E. Hn. Pt. Ln. ne hath. 924. Cp. Hl. caytifs; E. Hn. Pt. caytyues.

I wrecche, which that wepe and waille thus, Was whylom wyf to king Capaneus, That starf at Thebes, cursed be that day!

And alle we, that been in this array, And maken al this lamentacioun, 935 We losten alle our housbondes at that toun, Whyl that the sege ther-aboute lay.

And yet now the olde Creon, weylaway! (80) That lord is now of Thebes the citee, Fulfild of ire and of iniquitee, 940 He, for despyt, and for his tirannye, To do the dede bodyes vileinye, Of alle our lordes, whiche that ben slawe, Hath alle the bodyes on an heep y-drawe, And wol nat suffren hem, by noon a.s.sent, 945 Neither to been y-buried nor y-brent, But maketh houndes ete hem in despyt.'

And with that word, with-outen more respyt, (90) They fillen gruf, and cryden pitously, 'Have on us wrecched wommen som mercy, 950 And lat our sorwe sinken in thyn herte.'

931. E. crie; Hn. Hl. waille; Cp. Pt. weile. 938. _Only_ Hl. _om._ now. 943. Hl. i-slawe. 944. E. He hath; _rest_ Hath.

This gentil duk doun from his courser sterte With herte pitous, whan he herde hem speke.

Him thoughte that his herte wolde breke, Whan he saugh hem so pitous and so mat, 955 [29: T. 958-995.]

That whylom weren of so greet estat.

And in his armes he hem alle up hente, And hem conforteth in ful good entente; (100) And swoor his ooth, as he was trewe knight, He wolde doon so ferforthly his might 960 Up-on the tyraunt Creon hem to wreke, That al the peple of Grece sholde speke How Creon was of Theseus y-served, As he that hadde his deeth ful wel deserved.

And right anoon, with-outen more abood, 965 His baner he desplayeth, and forth rood To Thebes-ward, and al his host bisyde; No neer Athenes wolde he go ne ryde, (110) Ne take his ese fully half a day, But onward on his wey that night he lay; 970 And sente anoon Ipolita the quene, And Emelye hir yonge suster shene, Un-to the toun of Athenes to dwelle; And forth he rit; ther nis namore to telle.

955. E. maat. 956. E. estaat. 974. Hn. Cp. nys; _rest_ is.

The rede statue of Mars, with spere and targe, 975 So shyneth in his whyte baner large, That alle the feeldes gliteren up and doun; And by his baner born is his penoun (120) Of gold ful riche, in which ther was y-bete The Minotaur, which that he slough in Crete. 980 Thus rit this duk, thus rit this conquerour, And in his host of chivalrye the flour, Til that he cam to Thebes, and alighte Faire in a feeld, ther as he thoghte fighte.

But shortly for to speken of this thing, 985 With Creon, which that was of Thebes king, He faught, and slough him manly as a knight In pleyn bataille, and putte the folk to flight; (130) And by a.s.saut he wan the citee after, And rente adoun bothe wal, and sparre, and rafter; 990 And to the ladyes he restored agayn The bones of hir housbondes that were slayn, To doon obsequies, as was tho the gyse.

[30: T. 996-1031.]

But it were al to long for to devyse The grete clamour and the waymentinge 995 That the ladyes made at the brenninge Of the bodyes, and the grete honour That Theseus, the n.o.ble conquerour, (140) Doth to the ladyes, whan they from him wente; But shortly for to telle is myn entente. 1000 Whan that this worthy duk, this Theseus, Hath Creon slayn, and wonne Thebes thus, Stille in that feeld he took al night his reste, And dide with al the contree as him leste.

984. Hn. thoghte; E. thoughte. 992. E. weren. 996. Hl. Which that.

To ransake in the tas of bodyes dede, 1005 Hem for to strepe of harneys and of wede, The pilours diden bisinesse and cure, After the bataille and disconfiture. (150) And so bifel, that in the tas they founde, Thurgh-girt with many a grevous blody wounde, 1010 Two yonge knightes ligging by and by, Bothe in oon armes, wroght ful richely, Of whiche two, Arcita hight that oon, And that other knight hight Palamon.

Nat fully quike, ne fully dede they were, 1015 But by hir cote-armures, and by hir gere, The heraudes knewe hem best in special, As they that weren of the blood royal (160) Of Thebes, and of sustren two y-born.

Out of the tas the pilours han hem torn, 1020 And han hem caried softe un-to the tente Of Theseus, and he ful sone hem sente To Athenes, to dwellen in prisoun Perpetuelly, he nolde no raunsoun.

And whan this worthy duk hath thus y-don, 1025 He took his host, and hoom he rood anon With laurer crowned as a conquerour; And there he liveth, in Ioye and in honour, (170) Terme of his lyf; what nedeth wordes mo?

[31: T. 1032-1066.]

And in a tour, in angwish and in wo, 1030 Dwellen this Palamoun and eek Arcite, For evermore, ther may no gold hem quyte.

1005, 1009, 1020. E. Hn. Cm. taas; Hl. cas; Cp. Pt. Ln. caas; _read_ tas. 1005. Hn. Cm. Hl. of; _rest_ of the. 1013, 1014. Hl. hight; E.

highte. 1022. E. Hl. ful soone he. 1023. Hl. Tathenes for to.

1029. E. Cm. _om._ his. E. lyue; _rest_ lyf, lif. 1031. E. Cm. Hl.

This Palamon and his felawe Arcite.

This pa.s.seth yeer by yeer, and day by day, Til it fil ones, in a morwe of May, That Emelye, that fairer was to sene 1035 Than is the lilie upon his stalke grene, And fressher than the May with floures newe-- For with the rose colour stroof hir hewe, (180) I noot which was the fairer of hem two-- Er it were day, as was hir wone to do, 1040 She was arisen, and al redy dight; For May wol have no slogardye a-night.

The sesoun priketh every gentil herte, And maketh him out of his sleep to sterte, And seith, 'Arys, and do thyn observaunce.' 1045 This maked Emelye have remembraunce To doon honour to May, and for to ryse.

Y-clothed was she fresh, for to devyse; (190) Hir yelow heer was broyded in a tresse, Bihinde hir bak, a yerde long, I gesse. 1050 And in the gardin, at the sonne up-riste, She walketh up and doun, and as hir liste She gadereth floures, party whyte and rede, To make a sotil gerland for hir hede, And as an aungel hevenly she song. 1055 The grete tour, that was so thikke and strong, Which of the castel was the chief dongeoun, (Ther-as the knightes weren in prisoun, (200) Of whiche I tolde yow, and tellen shal) Was evene Ioynant to the gardin-wal, 1060 Ther as this Emelye hadde hir pleyinge.

Bright was the sonne, and cleer that morweninge, And Palamon, this woful prisoner, As was his wone, by leve of his gayler, [32: T. 1067-1103.]

Was risen, and romed in a chambre on heigh, 1065 In which he al the n.o.ble citee seigh, And eek the gardin, ful of braunches grene, Ther-as this fresshe Emelye the shene (210) Was in hir walk, and romed up and doun.

This sorweful prisoner, this Palamoun, 1070 Goth in the chambre, roming to and fro, And to him-self compleyning of his wo; That he was born, ful ofte he seyde, 'alas!'

And so bifel, by aventure or cas, That thurgh a window, thikke of many a barre 1075 Of yren greet, and square as any sparre, He caste his eye upon Emelya, And ther-with-al he bleynte, and cryde 'a!' (220) As though he stongen were un-to the herte.

And with that cry Arcite anon up-sterte, 1080 And seyde, 'Cosin myn, what eyleth thee, That art so pale and deedly on to see?

Why crydestow? who hath thee doon offence?

For G.o.ddes love, tak al in pacience Our prisoun, for it may non other be; 1085 Fortune hath yeven us this adversitee.