Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 57

I preche no-thing but for coveityse; Of this matere it oughte y-nogh suffyse.

425. E. Hn. theme; _rest_ teme (teem).

Than telle I hem ensamples many oon 435 Of olde stories, longe tyme agoon: For lewed peple loven tales olde; Swich thinges can they wel reporte and holde. (110) What? trowe ye, the whyles I may preche, And winne gold and silver for I teche, 440 That I wol live in povert wilfully?

Nay, nay, I thoghte it never trewely!

For I wol preche and begge in sondry londes; I wol not do no labour with myn hondes, Ne make baskettes, and live therby, 445 Because I wol nat beggen ydelly.

I wol non of the apostles counterfete; I wol have money, wolle, chese, and whete, (120) Al were it yeven of the povrest page, Or of the povrest widwe in a village, 450 Al sholde hir children sterve for famyne.

Nay! I wol drinke licour of the vyne, And have a Ioly wenche in every toun.

But herkneth, lordings, in conclusioun; Your lyking is that I shal telle a tale. 455 Now, have I dronke a draughte of corny ale, By G.o.d, I hope I shal yow telle a thing That shal, by resoun, been at your lyking. (130) For, though myself be a ful vicious man, A moral tale yet I yow telle can, 460 Which I am wont to preche, for to winne.

Now holde your pees, my tale I wol beginne.

439. E. Pt. the whiles; Cm. that whilis that; Cp. Ln. whiles that; Hl.

whiles; Hn. that whiles. 449. Hl. prestes (_for_ povrest).

[305: T. 12397-12422.]

THE PARDONERS TALE.

(_Numbered in continuation of the preceding_.)

HERE BIGINNETH THE PARDONERS TALE.

In Flaundres whylom was a companye Of yonge folk, that haunteden folye, As ryot, hasard, stewes, and tavernes, 465 Wher-as, with harpes, lutes, and giternes, They daunce and pleye at dees bothe day and night, And ete also and drinken over hir might, (140) Thurgh which they doon the devel sacrifyse With-in that develes temple, in cursed wyse, 470 By superfluitee abhominable; Hir othes been so grete and so dampnable, That it is grisly for to here hem swere; Our blissed lordes body they to-tere; Hem thoughte Iewes rente him noght y-nough; 475 And ech of hem at otheres sinne lough.

And right anon than comen tombesteres Fetys and smale, and yonge fruytesteres, (150) Singers with harpes, baudes, wafereres, Whiche been the verray develes officeres 480 To kindle and blowe the fyr of lecherye, That is annexed un-to glotonye; The holy writ take I to my witnesse, That luxurie is in wyn and dronkenesse.

HEADING; _from_ E. Hn. 465. E. Hl. stywes. 475. _So_ Cp. Ln. Hl.; E. Hn. Cm. that Iewes; Pt. e Iwes. 478, 479. Hl. _omits._

Lo, how that dronken Loth, unkindely, 485 Lay by his doghtres two, unwitingly; So dronke he was, he niste what he wroghte.

Herodes, (who-so wel the stories soghte), (160) [306: T. 12423-12459.]

Whan he of wyn was replet at his feste, Right at his owene table he yaf his heste 490 To sleen the Baptist Iohn ful giltelees.

488. E. Hn. Cm. P. Hl. _agree here_; Cp. Ln. _have two additional (spurious) lines; see_ note.

Senek seith eek a good word doutelees; He seith, he can no difference finde Bitwix a man that is out of his minde And a man which that is dronkelewe, 495 But that woodnesse, y-fallen in a shrewe, Persevereth lenger than doth dronkenesse.

O glotonye, ful of cursednesse, (170) O cause first of our confusioun, O original of our dampnacioun, 500 Til Crist had boght us with his blood agayn!

Lo, how dere, shortly for to sayn, Aboght was thilke cursed vileinye; Corrupt was al this world for glotonye!

492. Hl. Seneca (_for_ Senek). Cp. Ln. eek; _rest omit._ 495. which that] Hl. the which; Cp. Pt. Ln. _om._ which. 496. E. Hl. fallen; Hn.

Cm. y-fallen.

Adam our fader, and his wyf also, 505 Fro Paradys to labour and to wo Were driven for that vyce, it is no drede; For whyl that Adam fasted, as I rede, (180) He was in Paradys; and whan that he Eet of the fruyt defended on the tree, 510 Anon he was out-cast to wo and peyne.

O glotonye, on thee wel oghte us pleyne!

O, wiste a man how many maladyes Folwen of excesse and of glotonyes, He wolde been the more mesurable 515 Of his diete, sittinge at his table.

Allas! the shorte throte, the tendre mouth, Maketh that, Est and West, and North and South, (190) In erthe, in eir, in water men to-swinke To gete a glotoun deyntee mete and drinke! 520 Of this matere, o Paul, wel canstow trete, 'Mete un-to wombe, and wombe eek un-to mete, Shal G.o.d destroyen bothe,' as Paulus seith.

Allas! a foul thing is it, by my feith, To seye this word, and fouler is the dede, 525 [307: T. 12460-12496.]

Whan man so drinketh of the whyte and rede, That of his throte he maketh his privee, Thurgh thilke cursed superfluitee. (200)

519. E. Hl. man; _rest_ men.

The apostel weping seith ful pitously, 'Ther walken many of whiche yow told have I, 530 I seye it now weping with pitous voys, That they been enemys of Cristes croys, Of whiche the ende is deeth, wombe is her G.o.d.'

O wombe! O bely! O stinking cod, Fulfild of donge and of corrupcioun! 535 At either ende of thee foul is the soun.

How greet labour and cost is thee to finde!

Thise c.o.kes, how they stampe, and streyne, and grinde, (210) And turnen substaunce in-to accident, To fulfille al thy likerous talent! 540 Out of the harde bones knokke they The mary, for they caste noght a-wey That may go thurgh the golet softe and swote; Of spicerye, of leef, and bark, and rote Shal been his sauce y-maked by delyt, 545 To make him yet a newer appetyt.

But certes, he that haunteth swich delyces Is deed, whyl that he liveth in tho vyces. (220)

532. That they _is_ Tyrwhitt's _reading_; Hl. Thay; _but the rest have_ Ther, _probably repeated by mistake from_ l. 530. 534. Hl. o stynking is thi cod.

A lecherous thing is wyn, and dronkenesse Is ful of stryving and of wrecchednesse. 550 O dronke man, disfigured is thy face, Sour is thy breeth, foul artow to embrace, And thurgh thy dronke nose semeth the soun As though thou seydest ay 'Sampsoun, Sampsoun'; And yet, G.o.d wot, Sampsoun drank never no wyn. 555 Thou fallest, as it were a stiked swyn; Thy tonge is lost, and al thyn honest cure; For dronkenesse is verray sepulture (230) Of mannes wit and his discrecioun.

In whom that drinke hath dominacioun, 560 He can no conseil kepe, it is no drede.

Now kepe yow fro the whyte and fro the rede, [308: T. 12497-12533.]

And namely fro the whyte wyn of Lepe, That is to selle in Fish-strete or in Chepe.

This wyn of Spayne crepeth subtilly 565 In othere wynes, growing faste by, Of which ther ryseth swich fumositee, That whan a man hath dronken draughtes three, (240) And weneth that he be at hoom in Chepe, He is in Spayne, right at the toune of Lepe, 570 Nat at the Rochel, ne at Burdeux toun; And thanne wol he seye, 'Sampsoun, Sampsoun.'

But herkneth, lordings, o word, I yow preye, That alle the sovereyn actes, dar I seye, Of victories in the olde testament, 575 Thurgh verray G.o.d, that is omnipotent, Were doon in abstinence and in preyere; Loketh the Bible, and ther ye may it lere. (250)

573. E. lordes; _rest_ lordinges, lordynges, lordyngs.

Loke, Attila, the grete conquerour, Deyde in his sleep, with shame and dishonour, 580 Bledinge ay at his nose in dronkenesse; A capitayn shoulde live in sobrenesse.

And over al this, avyseth yow right wel What was comaunded un-to Lamuel-- Nat Samuel, but Lamuel, seye I--- 585 Redeth the Bible, and finde it expresly Of wyn-yeving to hem that han Iustyse.

Na-more of this, for it may wel suffyse. (260)

And now that I have spoke of glotonye, Now wol I yow defenden hasardrye. 590 Hasard is verray moder of lesinges, And of deceite, and cursed forsweringes, Blaspheme of Crist, manslaughtre, and wast also Of catel and of tyme; and forthermo, It is repreve and contrarie of honour 595 For to ben holde a commune hasardour.

And ever the hyer he is of estaat, The more is he holden desolaat. (270) If that a prince useth hasardrye, [309: T. 12534-12569.]

In alle governaunce and policye 600 He is, as by commune opinoun, Y-holde the la.s.se in reputacioun.

589. E. Hl. _omit_ that. 593. E. Blasphemyng; _rest_ Blaspheme.

Stilbon, that was a wys emba.s.sadour, Was sent to Corinthe, in ful greet honour, Fro Lacidomie, to make hir alliaunce. 605 And whan he cam, him happede, par chaunce, That alle the grettest that were of that lond, Pleyinge atte hasard he hem fond. (280) For which, as sone as it mighte be, He stal him hoom agayn to his contree, 610 And seyde, 'ther wol I nat lese my name; Ne I wol nat take on me so greet defame, Yow for to allye un-to none hasardours.

Sendeth othere wyse emba.s.sadours; For, by my trouthe, me were lever dye, 615 Than I yow sholde to hasardours allye.

For ye that been so glorious in honours Shul nat allyen yow with hasardours (290) As by my wil, ne as by my tretee.'

This wyse philosophre thus seyde he. 620

606. Cm. Cp. Hl. happede; _rest_ happed. 612. Hn. Ny; Cm. Nay (_both put for_ Ne I) _which shews the scansion._ Hl. I nyl not. 614. _So all_.

Loke eek that, to the king Demetrius The king of Parthes, as the book seith us, Sente him a paire of dees of gold in scorn, For he hadde used hasard ther-biforn; For which he heeld his glorie or his renoun 625 At no value or reputacioun.

Lordes may finden other maner pley Honeste y-nough to dryve the day awey. (300)

621. E. Ln. Hl. _omit_ to.

Now wol I speke of othes false and grete A word or two, as olde bokes trete. 630 Gret swering is a thing abhominable, And false swering is yet more reprevable.

The heighe G.o.d forbad swering at al, Witnesse on Mathew; but in special Of swering seith the holy Ieremye, 635 [310: T. 12570-12605.]

'Thou shalt seye sooth thyn othes, and nat lye, And swere in dome, and eek in rightwisnesse;'

But ydel swering is a cursednesse. (310) Bihold and see, that in the firste table Of heighe G.o.ddes hestes honurable, 640 How that the seconde heste of him is this-- 'Tak nat my name in ydel or amis.'

Lo, rather he forbedeth swich swering Than homicyde or many a cursed thing; I seye that, as by ordre, thus it stondeth; 645 This knowen, that his hestes understondeth, How that the second heste of G.o.d is that.