Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 67

And whan the knight saugh verraily al this, 1250 That she so fair was, and so yong ther-to, For Ioye he hente hir in his armes two, His herte bathed in a bath of blisse; A thousand tyme a-rewe he gan hir kisse.

And she obeyed him in every thing 1255 That mighte doon him plesance or lyking. (400)

1254. E. Hn. Ln. a rewe; Hl. on rowe; _rest_ a rowe.

And thus they live, un-to hir lyves ende, In parfit Ioye; and Iesu Crist us sende Housbondes meke, yonge, and fresshe a-bedde, And grace toverbyde hem that we wedde. 1260 And eek I preye Iesu shorte hir lyves That wol nat be governed by hir wyves; And olde and angry nigardes of dispence, G.o.d sende hem sone verray pestilence.

HERE ENDETH THE WYVES TALE OF BATHE.

1259. E. _om._ and Ln. fresshe; E. fressh. 1260. E. Hn. touerbyde; Cm. Hl. to ouerbyde; Cp. Pt. Ln. to ouerlede (!). 1261. Cm. preye; Hn. praye; E. pray. 1262. E. Hn. nat wol; _rest transpose_.

COLOPHON. _So_ E. Hn.

[357: T. 6847-6868.]

THE FRIAR'S PROLOGUE.

THE PROLOGE OF THE FRERES TALE.

This worthy limitour, this n.o.ble Frere, 1265 He made alwey a maner louring chere Upon the Somnour, but for honestee No vileyns word as yet to him spak he.

But atte laste he seyde un-to the Wyf, 'Dame,' quod he, 'G.o.d yeve yow right good lyf! 1270 Ye han heer touched, al-so moot I thee, In scole-matere greet difficultee; Ye han seyd muchel thing right wel, I seye; But dame, here as we ryden by the weye, (10) Us nedeth nat to speken but of game, 1275 And lete auctoritees, on G.o.ddes name, To preching and to scole eek of clergye.

But if it lyke to this companye, I wol yow of a somnour telle a game.

Pardee, ye may wel knowe by the name, 1280 That of a somnour may no good be sayd; I praye that noon of you be yvel apayd.

A somnour is a renner up and doun With mandements for fornicacioun, (20) And is y-bet at every tounes ende.' 1285

HEADING. _So_ E. Hn. 1266. E. chiere. 1267. E. Somonour; Hn.

Somnour. 1273. E. Hn. muche; Ln. muchel; _rest_ mochel. 1274. E.

ryde; _rest_ ryden. 1277. Hl. scoles. E. Hn. Hl. _om._ eek. 1278.

K. And; _rest_ But. 1284. E. Hn. mandementz.

Our host tho spak, 'a! sire, ye sholde be hende [358: T. 6869-6882.]

And curteys, as a man of your estaat; In companye we wol have no debaat.

Telleth your tale, and lat the Somnour be.'

1286. Hl. oste (_om._ tho).

'Nay,' quod the Somnour, 'lat him seye to me 1290 What so him list; whan it comth to my lot, By G.o.d, I shal him quyten every grot.

I shal him tellen which a greet honour (29) It is to be a flateringe limitour; [T. 6876 And his offyce I shal him telle, y-wis.' [T. 6879

_After_ l. 1294 _all but_ Hl. _wrongly insert_ ll. 1307 _and_ 1308; _which see_. Tyrwhitt _also inserts them._

Our host answerde, 'pees, na-more of this.' 1296 And after this he seyde un-to the Frere, 'Tel forth your tale, leve maister deere.'

HERE ENDETH THE PROLOGE OF THE FRERE.

1298. E. Hn. leeue; Hl. my; Cp. Ln. my leue; Pt. my owen. COLOPHON.

_From_ Hn.; _so_ Pt.(_with_ Thus _for_ Here).

[359: T. 6883-6902.]

THE FRERES TALE.

HERE BIGINNETH THE FRERES TALE.

Whilom ther was dwellinge in my contree An erchedeken, a man of heigh degree, 1300 That boldely dide execucioun In puniss.h.i.+nge of fornicacioun, Of wicchecraft, and eek of bauderye, Of diffamacioun, and avoutrye, Of chirche-reves, and of testaments, 1305 Of contractes, and of lakke of sacraments, And eek of many another maner cryme [T. _om._ Which nedeth nat rehercen at this tyme; [T. _om._ Of usure, and of symonye also. (11) But certes, lechours dide he grettest wo; 1310 They sholde singen, if that they were hent; And smale tytheres weren foule y-shent.

If any persone wolde up-on hem pleyne, Ther mighte asterte him no pecunial peyne.

For smale tythes and for smal offringe, 1315 He made the peple pitously to singe.

For er the bisshop caughte hem with his hook, They weren in the erchedeknes book. (20) Thanne hadde he, thurgh his Iurisdiccioun, Power to doon on hem correccioun. 1320 [360: T. 6903-6937.]

He hadde a Somnour redy to his hond, A slyer boy was noon in Engelond; For subtilly he hadde his espiaille, That taughte him, wher that him mighte availle.

He coude spare of lechours oon or two, 1325 To techen him to foure and twenty mo.

For thogh this Somnour wood were as an hare, To telle his harlotrye I wol nat spare; (30) For we been out of his correccioun; They han of us no Iurisdiccioun, 1330 Ne never shullen, terme of alle hir lyves.

HEADING. _So_ E. Pt. 1306. E. Hn. and eek; _rest_ and. 1307, 1308.

_Wrongly inserted after_ l. 1294 _in all but_ Hl. 1307. E. Hn. Ln.

_om._ eek. 1308. E. Hn. for; _rest_ at. 1310. Ln. lychoures; _rest_ lecchours. 1315. Hn. Hl. for; Cp. eek for; Pt. Ln. eek; E. _om._ 1317. E. Hl. him. 1318. Cp. Pt. Hl. weren; _rest_ were. 1319. Hl.

And; _rest_ And thanne; _read_ Thanne. 1321. E. Somonour; Hl.

Sompnour; _rest_ Somnour. 1322. E. Pt. Ln. boye. 1324. _Read_ taughten(?), _or_ taught-e. Cp. Pt. that; _rest om._ 1325. E.

lecchours. 1327. E. was; _rest_ were. 1331. E. Hn. _om._ alle.

'Peter! so been the wommen of the styves,'

Quod the Somnour, 'y-put out of my cure!'

1332. E. Cm. _om. 1st_ the.

'Pees, with mischance and with misaventure,'

Thus seyde our host, 'and lat him telle his tale. 1335 Now telleth forth, thogh that the Somnour gale, Ne spareth nat, myn owene maister dere.'

This false theef, this Somnour, quod the Frere, (40) Hadde alwey baudes redy to his hond, As any hauk to lure in Engelond, 1340 That tolde him al the secree that they knewe; For hir acqueyntance was nat come of-newe.

They weren hise approwours prively; He took him-self a greet profit therby; His maister knew nat alwey what he wan. 1345 With-outen mandement, a lewed man He coude somne, on peyne of Cristes curs, And they were gladde for to fille his purs, (50) And make him grete festes atte nale.

And right as Iudas hadde purses smale, 1350 And was a theef, right swich a theef was he; His maister hadde but half his duetee.

He was, if I shal yeven him his laude, A theef, and eek a Somnour, and a baude.

He hadde eek wenches at his retenue, 1355 [361: T. 6938-6971.]

That, whether that sir Robert or sir Huwe, Or Iakke, or Rauf, or who-so that it were, That lay by hem, they tolde it in his ere; (60) Thus was the wenche and he of oon a.s.sent.

And he wolde fecche a feyned mandement, 1360 And somne hem to the chapitre bothe two, And pile the man, and lete the wenche go.

Thanne wolde he seye, 'frend, I shal for thy sake Do stryken hir out of our lettres blake; Thee thar na-more as in this cas travaille; 1365 I am thy freend, ther I thee may availle.'

Certeyn he knew of bryberyes mo Than possible is to telle in yeres two. (70) For in this world nis dogge for the bowe, That can an hurt deer from an hool y-knowe, 1370 Bet than this Somnour knew a sly lechour, Or an avouter, or a paramour.

And, for that was the fruit of al his rente, Therfore on it he sette al his entente.

1343. Ln. approwers; Cm. apprououris; Pt. aprouers; _rest_ approuwours. 1348. Cp. gladde; E. Hn. glade. 1349. Cm. at the nale; (atte nale = atten ale). 1352. Hl. not (_for_ but). Cp. dewete.

1356. E. wheither. 1364. E. Hn. hir; _rest_ e. 1367. E.

bribryes. 1370. Hl. y-knowe; _rest_ knowe [_perhaps read_ hole knowe). 1371. Cm. lechour; E. Hn. lecchour. 1372. Hn. Cp. Pt.

auouter; E. Hl. auowtier.