Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 54

And whan the fox saugh that he was y-gon, 'Allas!' quod he, 'O Chauntecleer, allas!

I have to yow,' quod he, 'y-doon trespas, 4610 In-as-muche as I maked yow aferd, (601) Whan I yow hente, and broghte out of the yerd; But, sire, I dide it in no wikke entente; Com doun, and I shal telle yow what I mente.

I shal seye sooth to yow, G.o.d help me so.' 4615 [288: T. 15432-15452.]

'Nay than,' quod he, 'I shrewe us bothe two, And first I shrewe my-self, bothe blood and bones, If thou bigyle me ofter than ones.

Thou shalt na-more, thurgh thy flaterye, Do me to singe and winke with myn ye. 4620 For he that winketh, whan he sholde see, (611) Al wilfully, G.o.d lat him never thee!'

'Nay,' quod the fox, 'but G.o.d yeve him meschaunce, That is so undiscreet of governaunce, That Iangleth whan he sholde holde his pees.' 4625

4594. E. _om._ eek. 4598. E. wolde (_for_ sholde). 4601. E. the (_for_ this). 4608. Hl. i-goon; _rest_ gon, goon. 4612. E. Hn. into this (_for_ out of the). 4613. E. of (_for_ in). 4618. E. Hn. Hl.

_ins._ any _before_ ofter.

Lo, swich it is for to be recchelees, And necligent, and truste on flaterye.

But ye that holden this tale a folye, As of a fox, or of a c.o.k and hen, Taketh the moralitee, good men. 4630 For seint Paul seith, that al that writen is, (621) To our doctryne it is y-write, y-wis.

Taketh the fruyt, and lat the chaf be stille.

4630. Pt. good; _rest_ goode.

Now, G.o.de G.o.d, if that it be thy wille, As seith my lord, so make us alle good men; 4635 And bringe us to his heighe blisse. Amen.

HERE IS ENDED THE NONNE PREESTES TALE.

4635. Hl. Pt. Ln. good; _rest_ goode. COLOPHON. Cp. Nonne; E. Hn.

Nonnes. Hl. Here endeth the tale of Chaunteclere and p_er_telote.

[289: T. 15453-15468.]

EPILOGUE TO THE NONNE PREESTES TALE.

'Sir Nonnes Preest,' our hoste seyde anoon, 'Y-blessed be thy breche, and every stoon!

This was a mery tale of Chauntecleer.

But, by my trouthe, if thou were seculer, 4640 Thou woldest been a trede-foul a-right.

For, if thou have corage as thou hast might, Thee were nede of hennes, as I wene, Ya, mo than seven tymes seventene.

See, whiche braunes hath this gentil Preest, 4645 So greet a nekke, and swich a large breest! (10) He loketh as a sperhauk with his yen; Him nedeth nat his colour for to dyen With brasil, ne with greyn of Portingale.

Now sire, faire falle yow for youre tale!' 4650

And after that he, with ful mery chere, Seide to another, as ye shullen here.

_These genuine lines only occur in_ Dd., _in_ MS. Reg. 17 D. xv, _and in_ MS. Addit. 5140 (B. M.). _The text is founded on_ Dd.

4637. Dd. oure hoost. 4639. Dd. murie; Reg. Add. mery. 4641. Dd.

ben. Dd. tredfoul; Reg. Add. trede foule. 4645. Dd. which; Reg.

whiche; Add. suche. 4646. Dd. gret. 4647. Dd. sp_er_hauke; eyen.

4648. Dd. dyghen; Reg. Add. dyen. 4650-2. _I suspect these three lines to be spurious._ 4650. Reg. youre mery tale. 4652. to] _all_ un-to. another] Add. the Nonne.

NOTE. _Three varieties of a_ Doctour's Prologue _are given, respectively, by_ Tyrwhitt, Wright, _and_ Morris; _but are all spurious. Perhaps the best is the very short one in_ Tyrwhitt, _as follows:--_

'Ye, let that pa.s.sen,' quod our Hoste, 'as now.

Sire Doctour of Phisyk, I preye yow, Telle us a tale of som honest matere.'

'It shal be doon, if that ye wol it here,'

Seyde this Doctour, and his tale bigan anon.

'Now, good men,' quod he, 'herkneth everichon.'

[290: T. 11935-11957.]

GROUP C.

THE PHISICIENS TALE.

*** _For a spurious_ Prologue, _see p._ 289.

HERE FOLWETH THE PHISICIENS TALE.

Ther was, as telleth t.i.tus Livius, A knight that called was Virginius, Fulfild of honour and of worthinesse, And strong of freendes and of greet richesse.

2. Hn. called was; E. was called; _rest_ cleped was.

This knight a doghter hadde by his wyf, 5 No children hadde he mo in al his lyf.

Fair was this mayde in excellent beautee Aboven every wight that man may see; For nature hath with sovereyn diligence Y-formed hir in so greet excellence, 10 As though she wolde seyn, 'lo! I, Nature, Thus can I forme and peynte a creature, Whan that me list; who can me countrefete?

Pigmalion noght, though he ay forge and bete, Or grave, or peynte; for I dar wel seyn, 15 Apelles, Zanzis, sholde werche in veyn, Outher to grave or peynte or forge or bete, If they presumed me to countrefete.

For he that is the former princ.i.p.al Hath maked me his vicaire general, 20 To forme and peynten erthely creaturis Right as me list, and ech thing in my cure is Under the mone, that may wane and waxe, [291: T. 11958-11993.]

And for my werk right no-thing wol I axe; My lord and I ben ful of oon accord; 25 I made hir to the wors.h.i.+p of my lord.

So do I alle myne othere creatures, What colour that they han, or what figures.'-- Thus semeth me that Nature wolde seye.

16. E. Hn. Apelles; Hl. Appollus; rest Apollus. E. Hn. Zanzis; rest zephirus (!). 25. E. Hn. ful of oon; _rest_ fully at.

This mayde of age twelf yeer was and tweye, 30 In which that Nature hadde swich delyt.

For right as she can peynte a lilie whyt And reed a rose, right with swich peynture She peynted hath this n.o.ble creature Er she were born, up-on hir limes free, 35 Wher-as by right swiche colours sholde be; And Phebus dyed hath hir tresses grete Lyk to the stremes of his burned hete.

And if that excellent was hir beautee, A thousand-fold more vertuous was she. 40 In hir ne lakked no condicioun, That is to preyse, as by discrecioun.

As wel in goost as body chast was she; For which she floured in virginitee With alle humilitee and abstinence, 45 With alle attemperaunce and pacience, With mesure eek of bering and array.

Discreet she was in answering alway; Though she were wys as Pallas, dar I seyn, Hir facound eek ful wommanly and pleyn, 50 No countrefeted termes hadde she To seme wys; but after hir degree She spak, and alle hir wordes more and lesse Souninge in vertu and in gentillesse.

Shamfast she was in maydens shamfastnesse, 55 Constant in herte, and ever in bisinesse To dryve hir out of ydel slogardye.

Bacus hadde of hir mouth right no maistrye; For wyn and youthe doon Venus encrece, [292: T. 11994-12028.]

As men in fyr wol casten oile or grece. 60 And of hir owene vertu, unconstreyned, She hath ful ofte tyme syk hir feyned, For that she wolde fleen the companye Wher lykly was to treten of folye, As is at festes, revels, and at daunces, 65 That been occasions of daliaunces.

Swich thinges maken children for to be To sone rype and bold, as men may see, Which is ful perilous, and hath ben yore.

For al to sone may she lerne lore 70 Of boldnesse, whan she woxen is a wyf.

49. Cp. Pt. Ln. as; _rest om._ 50. E. a (_for_ and). 55. E.

Shamefast. E. _om._ in. 59. E. Hn. dooth; _rest_ doon. E. Hn.

encresse. 60. E. man; _rest_ men. E. wasten; _rest_ casten. E.

oille; greesse. 67. E. Hn. thyng; _rest_ thinges. 70. E. Hn. they; _rest_ she.

And ye maistresses in your olde lyf, That lordes doghtres han in governaunce, Ne taketh of my wordes no displesaunce; Thenketh that ye ben set in governinges 75 Of lordes doghtres, only for two thinges; Outher for ye han kept your honestee, Or elles ye han falle in freletee, And knowen wel y-nough the olde daunce, And han forsaken fully swich meschaunce 80 For evermo; therfore, for Cristes sake, To teche hem vertu loke that ye ne slake.

A theef of venisoun, that hath forlaft His likerousnesse, and al his olde craft, Can kepe a forest best of any man. 85 Now kepeth hem wel, for if ye wol, ye can; Loke wel that ye un-to no vice a.s.sente, Lest ye be dampned for your wikke entente; For who-so doth, a traitour is certeyn.