Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 31

But this scorpioun, this wikked gost, [142: T. 4825-4859.]

The sowdanesse, for al hir flateringe, 405 Caste under this ful mortally to stinge.

402. E. or; _rest_ ne. E. curius.

The sowdan comth him-self sone after this So royally, that wonder is to telle, (310) And welcometh hir with alle Ioye and blis.

And thus in merthe and Ioye I lete hem dwelle. 410 The fruyt of this matere is that I telle.

Whan tyme cam, men thoughte it for the beste That revel stinte, and men goon to hir reste.

411. E. Cm. Cp. matiere; Hn. Pt. matere. 413. E. The; _rest_ That.

The tyme cam, this olde sowdanesse Ordeyned hath this feste of which I tolde, 415 And to the feste cristen folk hem dresse In general, ye! bothe yonge and olde.

Here may men feste and royaltee biholde, (320) And deyntees mo than I can yow devyse, But al to dere they boughte it er they ryse. 420

418. E. bihold.

O sodeyn wo! that ever art successour To worldly blisse, spreynd with bitternesse; Thende of the Ioye of our worldly labour; Wo occupieth the fyn of our gladnesse.

Herke this conseil for thy sikernesse, 425 Up-on thy glade day have in thy minde The unwar wo or harm that comth bihinde.

423. _So_ Cm.; _rest_ The ende.

For shortly for to tellen at o word, (330) The sowdan and the cristen everichone Ben al to-hewe and stiked at the bord, 430 But it were only dame Custance allone.

This olde sowdanesse, cursed crone, Hath with hir frendes doon this cursed dede, For she hir-self wolde al the contree lede.

428. E. soothly; _rest_ shortly. 432. Pt. Hl. this cursed; _rest omit_ this.

Ne ther was Surrien noon that was converted 435 That of the conseil of the sowdan woot, That he nas al to-hewe er he asterted.

And Custance han they take anon, foot-hoot, (340) And in a s.h.i.+ppe al sterelees, G.o.d woot, [143: T. 4860-4889.]

They han hir set, and bidde hir lerne sayle 440 Out of Surrye agaynward to Itayle.

435. E. _omits_ ther. 440. Hn. Cm. bidde; Cp. Pt. bidden; Ln. beden; E. biddeth; Hl. bad.

A certein tresor that she thider ladde, And, sooth to sayn, vitaille gret plentee They han hir yeven, and clothes eek she hadde, And forth she sayleth in the salte see. 445 O my Custance, ful of benignitee, O emperoures yonge doghter dere, He that is lord of fortune be thy stere! (350)

442. E. with hir_e_; _rest_ thider.

She blesseth hir, and with ful pitous voys Un-to the croys of Crist thus seyde she, 450 'O clere, o welful auter, holy croys, Reed of the lambes blood full of pitee, That wesh the world fro the olde iniquitee, Me fro the feend, and fro his clawes kepe, That day that I shal drenchen in the depe. 455

451. E. woful; _rest_ welful, wilful, weleful. 453. E. wesshe; Cm.

wesch; Pt. wessh.

Victorious tree, proteccioun of trewe, That only worthy were for to bere The king of heven with his woundes newe, (360) The whyte lamb, that hurt was with the spere, Flemer of feendes out of him and here 460 On which thy limes feithfully extenden, Me keep, and yif me might my lyf tamenden.'

462. Cm. Ln. kep; Hn. Pt. Hl. kepe; Cp. keepe; E. helpe.

Yeres and dayes fleet this creature Thurghout the see of Grece un-to the strayte Of Marrok, as it was hir aventure; 465 On many a sory meel now may she bayte; After her deeth ful often may she wayte, Er that the wilde wawes wole hir dryve (370) Un-to the place, ther she shal arryve.

463. E. fleteth; but Hn. Cp. Pt. fleet. 469. _Read_ place; Hl. _alone inserts_ as _after_ ther.

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Men mighten asken why she was not slayn? 470 Eek at the feste who mighte hir body save?

And I answere to that demaunde agayn, Who saved Daniel in the horrible cave, Ther every wight save he, maister and knave, Was with the leoun frete er he asterte? 475 No wight but G.o.d, that he bar in his herte.

473. Hl. thorrible.

G.o.d liste to shewe his wonderful miracle In hir, for we sholde seen his mighty werkes; (380) Crist, which that is to every harm triacle, By certein menes ofte, as knowen clerkes, 480 Doth thing for certein ende that ful derk is To mannes wit, that for our ignorance Ne conne not knowe his prudent purveyance.

Now, sith she was not at the feste y-slawe, Who kepte hir fro the drenching in the see? 485 Who kepte Ionas in the fisshes mawe Til he was spouted up at Ninivee?

Wel may men knowe it was no wight but he (390) That kepte peple Ebraik fro hir drenchinge, With drye feet thurgh-out the see pa.s.singe. 490

489. Pt. Ln. _om._ hir.

Who bad the foure spirits of tempest, That power han tanoyen land and see, 'Bothe north and south, and also west and est, Anoyeth neither see, ne land, ne tree?'

Sothly, the comaundour of that was he, 495 That fro the tempest ay this womman kepte As wel whan [that] she wook as whan she slepte.

497. _I insert_ that; Hl. awok.

Wher mighte this womman mete and drinke have? (400) Three yeer and more how lasteth hir vitaille?

Who fedde the Egipcien Marie in the cave, 500 Or in desert? no wight but Crist, sans faille.

Fyve thousand folk it was as gret mervaille With loves fyve and fisshes two to fede.

G.o.d sente his foison at hir grete nede.

[145: T. 4925-4959.]

She dryveth forth in-to our occean 505 Thurgh-out our wilde see, til, atte laste, Under an hold that nempnen I ne can, Fer in Northumberlond the wawe hir caste, (410) And in the sond hir s.h.i.+p stiked so faste, That thennes wolde it noght of al a tyde, 510 The wille of Crist was that she shulde abyde.

The constable of the castel doun is fare To seen this wrak, and al the s.h.i.+p he soghte, And fond this wery womman ful of care; He fond also the tresor that she broghte. 515 In hir langage mercy she bisoghte The lyf out of hir body for to twinne, Hir to delivere of wo that she was inne. (420)

A maner Latin corrupt was hir speche, But algates ther-by was she understonde; 520 The constable, whan him list no lenger seche, This woful womman broghte he to the londe; She kneleth doun, and thanketh G.o.ddes sonde.

But what she was, she wolde no man seye, For foul ne fair, thogh that she shulde deye. 525

She seyde, she was so mased in the see That she forgat hir minde, by hir trouthe; The constable hath of hir so greet pitee, (430) And eek his wyf, that they wepen for routhe, She was so diligent, with-outen slouthe, 530 To serve and plesen everich in that place, That alle hir loven that loken on hir face.

531. MSS. plese. 532. E. Cm. in; _rest_ on.

This constable and dame Hermengild his wyf Were payens, and that contree every-where; But Hermengild lovede hir right as hir lyf, 535 And Custance hath so longe soiourned there, In orisons, with many a bitter tere, Til Iesu hath converted thurgh his grace (440) Dame Hermengild, constablesse of that place.

536. soiourned] Hl. herberwed.

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In al that lond no cristen durste route, 540 Alle cristen folk ben fled fro that contree Thurgh payens, that conquereden al aboute The plages of the North, by land and see; To Walis fled the cristianitee Of olde Britons, dwellinge in this yle; 545 Ther was hir refut for the mene whyle.

But yet nere cristen Britons so exyled That ther nere somme that in hir privetee (450) Honoured Crist, and hethen folk bigyled; And ny the castel swiche ther dwelten three. 550 That oon of hem was blind, and mighte nat see But it were with thilke yen of his minde, With whiche men seen, after that they ben blinde.

553. E. whan; _rest_ after.

Bright was the sonne as in that someres day, For which the constable and his wyf also 555 And Custance han y-take the righte way Toward the see, a furlong wey or two, To pleyen and to romen to and fro; (460) And in hir walk this blinde man they mette Croked and old, with yen faste y-shette. 560

561. E. olde; Hl. old; _rest_ blynde, blynd.