Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 25

[112: T. 3853-3882.]

THE REEVE'S PROLOGUE

THE PROLOGE OF THE REVES TALE.

Whan folk had laughen at this nyce cas 3855 Of Absolon and hende Nicholas, Diverse folk diversely they seyde; But, for the more part, they loughe and pleyde, Ne at this tale I saugh no man him greve, But it were only Osewold the Reve, 3860 By-cause he was of carpenteres craft.

A litel ire is in his herte y-laft, He gan to grucche and blamed it a lyte.

3862. E. Pt. _om._ is.

'So theek,' quod he, 'ful wel coude I yow quyte (10) With blering of a proud milleres ye, 3865 If that me liste speke of ribaudye.

But ik am old, me list not pley for age; Gras-tyme is doon, my fodder is now forage, This whyte top wryteth myne olde yeres, Myn herte is al-so mowled as myne heres, 3870 But-if I fare as dooth an open-ers; That ilke fruit is ever leng the wers, Til it be roten in mullok or in stree.

We olde men, I drede, so fare we; (20) Til we be roten, can we nat be rype; 3875 We hoppen ay, whyl that the world wol pype.

For in oure wil ther stiketh ever a nayl, To have an hoor heed and a grene tayl, As hath a leek; for thogh our might be goon, Our wil desireth folie ever in oon. 3880 For whan we may nat doon, than wol we speke; Yet in our a.s.shen olde is fyr y-reke.

3865. E. Ln. eye. 3867. E. Hn. no (_for_ not). 3869. Hl. My (_for_ This). 3870. E. mowled also. 3872. E. leng; Ln. longe: _rest_ lenger. 3876. E. ay whil that; Hn. alwey whil at; _rest_ alwey while.

Foure gledes han we, whiche I shal devyse, Avaunting, lying, anger, coveityse; (30) [113: T. 3883-3918.]

Thise foure sparkles longen un-to elde. 3885 Our olde lemes mowe wel been unwelde, But wil ne shal nat faillen, that is sooth.

And yet ik have alwey a coltes tooth, As many a yeer as it is pa.s.sed henne Sin that my tappe of lyf bigan to renne. 3890 For sikerly, whan I was bore, anon Deeth drogh the tappe of lyf and leet it gon; And ever sith hath so the tappe y-ronne, Til that almost al empty is the tonne. (40) The streem of lyf now droppeth on the chimbe; 3895 The sely tonge may wel ringe and chimbe Of wrecchednesse that pa.s.sed is ful yore; With olde folk, save dotage, is namore.'

3885. E. eelde. 3886. E. vnweelde. 3893. Hn. sith; E. sithe.

Whan that our host hadde herd this sermoning, He gan to speke as lordly as a king; 3900 He seide, 'what amounteth al this wit?

What shul we speke alday of holy writ?

The devel made a reve for to preche, And of a souter a s.h.i.+pman or a leche. (50) Sey forth thy tale, and tarie nat the tyme, 3905 Lo, Depeford! and it is half-way pryme.

Lo, Grenewich, ther many a shrewe is inne; It were al tyme thy tale to biginne.'

3904. E. Cm. And; _rest_ Or. _All but_ Hn. _om. 2nd_ a. 3907. Cp.

Pt. Ln. that (_for_ ther). 3908. Pt. hie (_for_ al).

'Now, sires,' quod this Osewold the Reve, 'I pray yow alle that ye nat yow greve, 3910 Thogh I answere and somdel sette his howve; For leveful is with force force of-showve.

3912. _In margin of_ E.--vim vi repellere.

This dronke millere hath y-told us heer, How that bigyled was a carpenteer, (60) Peraventure in scorn, for I am oon. 3915 And, by your leve, I shal him quyte anoon; Right in his cherles termes wol I speke.

I pray to G.o.d his nekke mote breke; He can wel in myn ye seen a stalke, But in his owne he can nat seen a balke. 3920

3918. Hl. tobreke; Pt. alto-breke. 3919. Pt. ye; Cp. [gh]e; rest eye.

[114: T. 3919-3943.]

THE REVES TALE.

HERE BIGINNETH THE REVES TALE.

At Trumpington, nat fer fro Cantebrigge, Ther goth a brook and over that a brigge, Up-on the whiche brook ther stant a melle; And this is verray soth that I yow telle.

A Miller was ther dwelling many a day; 3925 As eny pec.o.k he was proud and gay.

Pypen he coude and fisshe, and nettes bete, And turne coppes, and wel wrastle and shete; And by his belt he baar a long panade, And of a swerd ful trenchant was the blade. 3930 A Ioly popper baar he in his pouche; (11) Ther was no man for peril dorste him touche.

A Sheffeld thwitel baar he in his hose; Round was his face, and camuse was his nose.

As piled as an ape was his skulle. 3935 He was a market-beter atte fulle.

Ther dorste no wight hand up-on him legge, That he ne swoor he sholde anon abegge.

A theef he was for sothe of corn and mele, And that a sly, and usaunt for to stele. 3940 His name was hoten deynous Simkin. (21) A wyf he hadde, y-comen of n.o.ble kin; The person of the toun hir fader was.

With hir he yaf ful many a panne of bras, For that Simkin sholde in his blood allye. 3945 [115: T. 3944-3976.]

She was y-fostred in a nonnerye; For Simkin wolde no wyf, as he sayde, But she were wel y-norissed and a mayde, To saven his estaat of yomanrye.

And she was proud, and pert as is a pye. 3950 A ful fair sighte was it on hem two; (31) On haly-dayes biforn hir wolde he go With his tipet bounden about his heed, And she cam after in a gyte of reed; And Simkin hadde hosen of the same. 3955 Ther dorste no wight clepen hir but 'dame.'

Was noon so hardy that wente by the weye That with hir dorste rage or ones pleye, But-if he wolde be slayn of Simkin With panade, or with knyf, or boydekin. 3960 For Ialous folk ben perilous evermo, (41) Algate they wolde hir wyves wenden so.

And eek, for she was somdel smoterlich, She was as digne as water in a dich; And ful of hoker and of bisemare. 3965 Hir thoughte that a lady sholde hir spare, What for hir kinrede and hir nortelrye That she had lerned in the nonnerye.

3923. E. Hn. Cm. which; _rest_ whiche. 3928. Hl. wrastle wel (_om._ and). 3934. Hl. camois; Pt. camoyse. 3939. E. was of corn and eek of Mele. 3941. E. Cp. Hl. hoote; Cm. hotyn; _rest_ hoten. Pt.

deyne[gh]ouse. 3944. panne] Cm. peny. 3948. E. But if; _rest_ But. 3949. Hn. Cm. Pt. yemanrye. 3950. E. Hn. Pt. peert. 3951.

Cm. Hl. on; _rest_ vp-on. 3953. Cm. boundyn; Pt. bounden; Hn. Cp. Ln.

wounden; Hl. ybounde. 3956. Hl. ma dame. 3958. Hl. elles (_for_ ones). 3959. Hl. Symekyn. 3965. Hn. Cm. And; _rest_ As. Hl.

bissemare; Cp. bisemare; E. Hn. Pt. Ln. bismare.

A doghter hadde they bitwixe hem two Of twenty yeer, with-outen any mo, 3970 Savinge a child that was of half-yeer age; (51) In cradel it lay and was a propre page.

This wenche thikke and wel y-growen was, With camuse nose and yen greye as glas; With b.u.t.tokes brode and brestes rounde and hye, 3975 But right fair was hir heer, I wol nat lye.

3974. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. camoys. MSS. eyen, ey[gh]en. 3975. E. Cm.

_om._ With.

The person of the toun, for she was feir, In purpos was to maken hir his heir [116: T. 3977-4012.]

Bothe of his catel and his messuage, And straunge he made it of hir mariage. 3980 His purpos was for to bistowe hir hye (61) In-to som worthy blood of auncetrye; For holy chirches good moot been despended On holy chirches blood, that is descended.

Therfore he wolde his holy blood honoure, 3985 Though that he holy chirche sholde devoure.

3977. E. Cm. This; _rest_ The.

Gret soken hath this miller, out of doute, With whete and malt of al the land aboute; And nameliche ther was a greet collegge, Men clepen the Soler-halle at Cantebregge, 3990 Ther was hir whete and eek hir malt y-grounde. (71) And on a day it happed, in a stounde, Sik lay the maunciple on a maladye; Men wenden wisly that he sholde dye.

For which this miller stal bothe mele and corn 3995 An hundred tyme more than biforn; For ther-biforn he stal but curteisly, But now he was a theef outrageously, For which the wardeyn chidde and made fare.

But ther-of sette the miller nat a tare; 4000 He craketh boost, and swoor it was nat so. (81)

3987. E. Cm. sokene.

Than were ther yonge povre clerkes two, That dwelten in this halle, of which I seye.

Testif they were, and l.u.s.ty for to pleye, And, only for hir mirthe and revelrye, 4005 Up-on the wardeyn bisily they crye, To yeve hem leve but a litel stounde To goon to mille and seen hir corn y-grounde; And hardily, they dorste leye hir nekke, The miller shold nat stele hem half a pekke 4010 Of corn by sleighte, ne by force hem reve; (91) And at the laste the wardeyn yaf hem leve.

Iohn hight that oon, and Aleyn hight that other; Of o toun were they born, that highte Strother, [117: T. 4013-4045.]

Fer in the north, I can nat telle where. 4015

4002. Pt. Ln. Than; _rest_ Thanne. 4004. Pt. Teestif. 4005. Ln.

revelrie; _rest_ reuerye; ed. 1561, reuelry. 4013. E. highte (_1st_); heet (_2nd_). Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. hight.