Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 41

'O seinte Marie, _benedicite!_ What eyleth this love at me 1975 To binde me so sore?

Me dremed al this night, pardee, An elf-queen shal my lemman be, And slepe under my gore.

An elf-queen wol I love, y-wis, 1980 For in this world no womman is (80) Worthy to be my make [T. 13722 In toune; [T. 13722 Alle othere wommen I forsake, [T. 13723 And to an elf-queen I me take 1985 By dale and eek by doune!'

1980. Hn. Cm. Hl. haue; _rest_ loue.

[193: T. 13726-13755.]

In-to his sadel he clamb anoon, And priketh over style and stoon An elf-queen for tespye, Til he so longe had riden and goon 1990 That he fond, in a privee woon, (90) The contree of Fairye [T. 13731 So wilde; [T. 13734 For in that contree was ther noon That to him dorste ryde or goon, 1995 Neither wyf ne childe.

1989. _So_ E. Hn. Cm.; Cp. Pt. Ln. to aspie; Hl. to spye. 1995. _Not in the best_ MSS.; _supplied from_ MS. Reg. 17 D. 15 (Tyrwhitt).

Til that ther cam a greet geaunt, His name was sir Olifaunt, A perilous man of dede; He seyde, 'child, by Termagaunt, 2000 But-if thou prike out of myn haunt, (100) Anon I slee thy stede [T. 13743 With mace. [T. 13743 Heer is the queen of Fayerye, With harpe and pype and simphonye 2005 Dwelling in this place.'

2000. Hl. swar; _rest_ seyde. 2004. Cp. Hl. fayerye; E. Hn. Cm.

Fairye. 2005. Hl. lute; _rest_ pype _or_ pipe.

The child seyde, 'al-so mote I thee, Tomorwe wol I mete thee Whan I have myn armoure; And yet I hope, _par ma fay_, 2010 That thou shalt with this launcegay (110) Abyen it ful soure; [T. 13752 Thy mawe [T. 13752 Shal I percen, if I may, Er it be fully pryme of day, 2015 For heer thou shalt be slawe.'

2008. E. Hl. meete with; _rest omit_ with. 2012. E. Hn. sowre; Cm.

soure; _rest_ sore. 2014. E. Cm. Thyn hauberk shal I percen, if I may; _but the rest rightly omit_ Thyn hauberk.

[194: T. 13756-13785.]

Sir Thopas drow abak ful faste; This geaunt at him stones caste Out of a fel staf-slinge; But faire escapeth child Thopas, 2020 And al it was thurgh G.o.ddes gras, (120) And thurgh his fair beringe.

2020. E. Cm. sire; _rest_ child.

Yet listeth, lordes, to my tale Merier than the nightingale, For now I wol yow roune 2025 How sir Thopas with sydes smale, Priking over hil and dale, Is come agayn to toune.

2025. Cp. Pt. Ln. _insert_ For now, _which the rest omit_. 2027. hil]

Hl. hul; Cp. Pt. Ln. downe. 2028. E. Cm. comen.

His merie men comanded he To make him bothe game and glee, 2030 For nedes moste he fighte (130) With a geaunt with hevedes three, For paramour and Iolitee Of oon that shoon ful brighte.

2032. E. Hn. heuedes; Hl. heedes; Cm. hedis; Cp. Pt. Ln. hedes.

'Do come,' he seyde, 'my minstrales, 2035 And gestours, for to tellen tales Anon in myn arminge; Of romances that been royales, Of popes and of cardinales, And eek of love-lykinge.' 2040

2038. Hn. Pt. Hl. reales.

They fette him first the swete wyn, (140) And mede eek in a maselyn, And royal spicerye; Of gingebreed that was ful fyn, And lycorys, and eek comyn, 2045 With sugre that is so trye.

2041. E. sette; _rest_ fette _or_ fet. E. Hn. Cm. _omit_ the. 2044.

E. And; Hn. Cm. Hl. Of. Cp. Pt. Ln. _omit_ ll. 2042-4. 2046. E.

_alone retains_ so.

[195: T. 13786-13818.]

He dide next his whyte lere Of clooth of lake fyn and clere A breech and eek a sherte; And next his sherte an aketoun, 2050 And over that an habergeoun (150) For percinge of his herte;

And over that a fyn hauberk, Was al y-wroght of Iewes werk, Ful strong it was of plate; 2055 And over that his cote-armour As whyt as is a lily-flour, In which he wol debate.

2058. Cm. wolde; Hl. wold; _rest_ wol, wole, wil.

His sheeld was al of gold so reed, And ther-in was a bores heed, 2060 A charbocle bisyde; (160) And there he swoor, on ale and breed, How that 'the geaunt shal be deed, Bityde what bityde!'

2061. Hn. Cm. Pt. Hl. by his syde; Cp. him besyde. 2063. Cm. Cp. Ln.

schulde.

His Iambeux were of quirboilly, 2065 His swerdes shethe of yvory, His helm of laton bright; His sadel was of rewel-boon, His brydel as the sonne shoon, Or as the mone light. 2070

2068. Pt. Hl. rowel; Cp. Ln. ruel.

His spere was of fyn ciprees, (170) That bodeth werre, and no-thing pees, The heed ful sharpe y-grounde; His stede was al dappel-gray, It gooth an ambel in the way 2075 Ful softely and rounde [T. 13815 In londe. [T. 13815 Lo, lordes myne, heer is a fit!

If ye wol any more of it, To telle it wol I fonde. 2080

2071. E. it was; _rest omit_ it.

[196: T. 13819-13846.]

[_The Second Fit_.]

Now hold your mouth, _par charitee_, (180) Bothe knight and lady free, And herkneth to my spelle; Of bataille and of chivalry, And of ladyes love-drury 2085 Anon I wol yow telle.

2084. E. batailles; Hn. bataille; _rest_ bataile, batail, batell.

Men speke of romances of prys, Of Horn child and of Ypotys, Of Bevis and sir Gy, Of sir Libeux and Pleyn-damour; 2090 But sir Thopas, he bereth the flour (190) Of royal chivalry.

2089. E. Pt. and of; _rest omit_ of.

His G.o.de stede al he bistrood, And forth upon his wey he glood As sparkle out of the bronde; 2095 Up-on his crest he bar a tour, And ther-in stiked a lily-flour, G.o.d s.h.i.+lde his cors fro shonde!

2094. E. rood; _rest_ glood, glod, glode. 2095. Hl. Pt. spark; Cp.

Ln. sparcles.

And for he was a knight auntrous, He nolde slepen in non hous, 2100 But liggen in his hode; (200) His brighte helm was his wonger, And by him baiteth his dextrer Of herbes fyne and G.o.de.

Him-self drank water of the wel, 2105 As did the knight sir Percivel, So worthy under wede, Til on a day---- (207)

HERE THE HOST STINTETH CHAUCER OF HIS TALE OF THOPAS.

2107. Hl. worthy; E. Hn. worly; Pt. worthely; Cm. Cp. Ln. _omit_ ll.

2105-8. COLOPHON. _From_ E. (E. Heere; Hoost).

[197: T. 13847-13875.]