Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 29

1. Hl. Hoste; Ln. oste; _rest_ hoost (oost). _On_ sey, see note. 2.

E. Hn. Hl. hath; _rest_ had. 4. Cm. _wanting_; Cp. Pt. Ln. expert; E.

Hn. ystert; Hl. _om._ 5. Hn. xviijthe; Cp. xviije; Pt. Ln. xviij; E.

eighte and twent.i.the; Hl. threttenthe. 14. Cm. Pt. Hl. of the; E. Hn.

at the; Cp. atte; Ln. att.

'Lordinges,' quod he, 'I warne yow, al this route, The fourthe party of this day is goon; Now, for the love of G.o.d and of seint Iohn, Leseth no tyme, as ferforth as ye may; Lordinges, the tyme wasteth night and day, 20 And steleth from us, what prively slepinge, And what thurgh necligence in our wakinge, As dooth the streem, that turneth never agayn, Descending fro the montaigne in-to playn.

Wel can Senek, and many a philosophre 25 Biwailen tyme, more than gold in cofre.

[131: T. 4447-4483.]

"For los of catel may recovered be, But los of tyme shendeth us," quod he.

It wol nat come agayn, with-outen drede, Na more than wol Malkins maydenhede, 30 Whan she hath lost it in hir wantownesse; Lat us nat moulen thus in ydelnesse.

Sir man of lawe,' quod he, 'so have ye blis, Tel us a tale anon, as forward is; Ye been submitted thurgh your free a.s.sent 35 To stonde in this cas at my Iugement.

Acquiteth yow, and holdeth your biheste, Than have ye doon your devoir atte leste.'

37. Hl. and holdeth; _rest_ now of (_badly_). 38. E. do.

'Hoste,' quod he, '_depardieux_ ich a.s.sente, To breke forward is not myn entente. 40 Biheste is dette, and I wol holde fayn Al my biheste; I can no better seyn.

For swich lawe as man yeveth another wight, He sholde him-selven usen it by right; Thus wol our text; but natheles certeyn 45 I can right now no thrifty tale seyn, But Chaucer, though he can but lewedly On metres and on ryming craftily, Hath seyd hem in swich English as he can Of olde tyme, as knoweth many a man. 50 And if he have not seyd hem, leve brother, In o book, he hath seyd hem in another.

For he hath told of loveres up and doun Mo than Ovyde made of mencioun In his Epistelles, that been ful olde. 55 What sholde I tellen hem, sin they ben tolde?

In youthe he made of Ceys and Alcion, And sithen hath he spoke of everichon, Thise n.o.ble wyves and thise loveres eek.

Who-so that wol his large volume seek 60 Cleped the Seintes Legende of Cupyde, Ther may he seen the large woundes wyde Of Lucresse, and of Babilan Tisbee; [132: T. 4484-4518.]

The swerd of Dido for the false Enee; The tree of Phillis for hir Demophon; 65 The pleinte of Dianire and Hermion, Of Adriane and of Isiphilee; The bareyne yle stonding in the see; The dreynte Leander for his Erro; The teres of Eleyne, and eek the wo 70 Of Brixseyde, and of thee, Ladomea; The crueltee of thee, queen Medea, Thy litel children hanging by the hals For thy Iason, that was of love so fals!

O Ypermistra, Penelopee, Alceste, 75 Your wyfhod he comendeth with the beste!

43. Cm. man; _rest_ a man. 45. E. wole; Hn. wol. 47. MS. Camb. Dd.

4. 24 _has_ But; _rest_ That; _see note_. 55. Hl. Cm. Epistelles; E.

Hn. Cp. Epistles. 56. E. Hn. telle; _rest_ tellen. 64. Hl. sorwe; _rest_ swerd. 66. E. Cm. Hl. Diane; Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln. Dianire, _or_ Dyanyre. 69. E. Hn. Ln. Leandre. 70. E. _omits_ eek. 71. E.

_omits_ of. 72. Cp. Hl. queen; _rest_ quene. 74. E. Cm. in; _rest_ of. 75. E. Hn. Cm. Penolopee. 76. E. wifhede.

But certeinly no word ne wryteth he Of thilke wikke ensample of Canacee, That lovede hir owne brother sinfully; Of swiche cursed stories I sey 'fy'; 80 Or elles of Tyro Apollonius, How that the cursed king Antiochus Birafte his doghter of hir maydenhede, That is so horrible a tale for to rede, Whan he hir threw up-on the pavement. 85 And therfor he, of ful avys.e.m.e.nt, Nolde never wryte in none of his sermouns Of swiche unkinde abhominaciouns, Ne I wol noon reherse, if that I may.

But of my tale how shal I doon this day? 90 Me were looth be lykned, doutelees, To Muses that men clepe Pierides-- _Metamorphoseos_ wot what I mene:-- But nathelees, I recche noght a bene Though I come after him with hawe-bake; 95 I speke in prose, and lat him rymes make.'

And with that word he, with a sobre chere, Bigan his tale, as ye shal after here.

95. Hn. Cp. Pt. Hl. hawe bake; E. hawebake; Cm. aw bake; Ln. halve bake.

[133: T. 4519-4553.]

THE PROLOGE OF THE MANNES TALE OF LAWE.

O hateful harm! condicion of poverte!

With thurst, with cold, with hunger so confounded! 100 To asken help thee shameth in thyn herte; If thou noon aske, with nede artow so wounded, That verray nede unwrappeth al thy wounde hid!

Maugree thyn heed, thou most for indigence Or stele, or begge, or borwe thy despence! 105 Thou blamest Crist, and seyst ful bitterly, He misdeparteth richesse temporal; Thy neighebour thou wytest sinfully, (10) And seyst thou hast to lyte, and he hath al.

'Parfay,' seistow, 'somtyme he rekne shal, 110 Whan that his tayl shal brennen in the glede, For he noght helpeth needfulle in hir nede.'

Herkne what is the sentence of the wyse:-- 'Bet is to dyen than have indigence;'

Thy selve neighebour wol thee despyse; 115 If thou be povre, farwel thy reverence!

Yet of the wyse man tak this sentence:-- 'Alle the dayes of povre men ben wikke;' (20) Be war therfor, er thou come in that prikke!

If thou be povre, thy brother hateth thee, 120 And alle thy freendes fleen fro thee, alas!

O riche marchaunts, ful of wele ben ye, O n.o.ble, o prudent folk, as in this cas!

Your bagges been nat filled with _ambes as_, But with _sis cink_, than renneth for your chaunce; 125 At Cristema.s.se merie may ye daunce!

Ye seken lond and see for your winninges, As wyse folk ye knowen al thestaat (30) Of regnes; ye ben fadres of tydinges And tales, bothe of pees and of debat. 130 I were right now of tales desolat, Nere that a marchaunt, goon is many a yere, Me taughte a tale, which that ye shal here.

102. _So_ Hn.; Cp. Pt. art ou so; Ln. ou art so; Hl. so art thou; _but_ E. so soore artow ywoundid. 109. E. Hn. lite; _rest_ litel.

118. E. _om._ the. 119. E. Hn. Hl. to; Cp. Pt. Ln. in. 124. E.

fild.

[134: T. 4554-4579.]

THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE.

HERE BEGINNETH THE MAN OF LAWE HIS TALE.

In Surrie whylom dwelte a companye Of chapmen riche, and therto sadde and trewe, 135 That wyde-wher senten her spycerye, Clothes of gold, and satins riche of hewe; Her chaffar was so thrifty and so newe, (40) That every wight hath deyntee to chaffare With hem, and eek to sellen hem hir ware. 140

Now fel it, that the maistres of that sort Han shapen hem to Rome for to wende; Were it for chapmanhode or for disport, Nan other message wolde they thider sende, But comen hem-self to Rome, this is the ende; 145 And in swich place, as thoughte hem avantage For her entente, they take her herbergage.

Soiourned han thise marchants in that toun (50) A certein tyme, as fel to hir plesance.

And so bifel, that thexcellent renoun 150 Of themperoures doghter, dame Custance, Reported was, with every circ.u.mstance, Un-to thise Surrien marchants in swich wyse, Fro day to day, as I shal yow devyse.

150. E. And; _rest_ But. 153. E. swich a wyse; _the rest omit_ a.

This was the commune vois of every man-- 155 'Our Emperour of Rome, G.o.d him see, A doghter hath that, sin the world bigan, To rekne as wel hir goodnesse as beautee, (60) Nas never swich another as is she; [135: T. 4580-4616.]

I prey to G.o.d in honour hir sustene, 160 And wolde she were of al Europe the quene.

In hir is heigh beautee, with-oute pryde, Yowthe, with-oute grenehede or folye; To alle hir werkes vertu is hir gyde, Humblesse hath slayn in hir al tirannye. 165 She is mirour of alle curteisye; Hir herte is verray chambre of holinesse, Hir hand, ministre of fredom for almesse.' (70)

And al this vois was soth, as G.o.d is trewe, But now to purpos lat us turne agayn; 170 Thise marchants han doon fraught hir s.h.i.+ppes newe, And, whan they han this blisful mayden seyn, Hoom to Surrye been they went ful fayn, And doon her nedes as they han don yore, And liven in wele; I can sey yow no more. 175

Now fel it, that thise marchants stode in grace Of him, that was the sowdan of Surrye; For whan they came from any strange place, (80) He wolde, of his benigne curteisye, Make hem good chere, and bisily espye 180 Tydings of sondry regnes, for to lere The wondres that they mighte seen or here.

Amonges othere thinges, specially Thise marchants han him told of dame Custance, So gret n.o.blesse in ernest, ceriously, 185 That this sowdan hath caught so gret plesance To han hir figure in his remembrance, That al his l.u.s.t and al his bisy cure (90) Was for to love hir whyl his lyf may dure.

Paraventure in thilke large book 190 Which that men clepe the heven, y-writen was With sterres, whan that he his birthe took, That he for love shulde han his deeth, allas!

For in the sterres, clerer than is glas, Is writen, G.o.d wot, who-so coude it rede, 195 The deeth of every man, withouten drede.

[136: T. 4617-4651.]

In sterres, many a winter ther-biforn, Was writen the deeth of Ector, Achilles, (100) Of Pompey, Iulius, er they were born; The stryf of Thebes; and of Ercules, 200 Of Sampson, Turnus, and of Socrates The deeth; but mennes wittes been so dulle, That no wight can wel rede it atte fulle.

This sowdan for his privee conseil sente, And, shortly of this mater for to pace, 205 He hath to hem declared his entente, And seyde hem certein, 'but he mighte have grace To han Custance with-inne a litel s.p.a.ce, (110) He nas but deed;' and charged hem, in hye, To shapen for his lyf som remedye. 210

Diverse men diverse thinges seyden; They argumenten, casten up and doun; Many a subtil resoun forth they leyden, They speken of magik and abusioun; But finally, as in conclusioun, 215 They can not seen in that non avantage, Ne in non other wey, save mariage.

212. Hl. Cp. argumentes.