Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 74

2245. _So_ Hn. Cp. Ln.; E. which that I haue. 2246. E. Cp. beth; Ln.

be; _rest_ be ye. 2249. E. euene delt shal; Hl. euen departed schuld; _rest as above_.

'Tel,' quod the lord, 'and thou shall have anon A goune-cloth, by G.o.d and by Seint Iohn!'

'My lord,' quod he, 'whan that the weder is fair, With-outen wind or perturbinge of air, Lat bringe a cartwheel here in-to this halle, 2255 But loke that it have his spokes alle.

Twelf spokes hath a cartwheel comunly.

And bring me than twelf freres, woot ye why? (550) For thrittene is a covent, as I gesse.

The confessour heer, for his worthinesse, 2260 Shal parfourne up the nombre of his covent.

[388: T. 7844-7876.]

Than shal they knele doun, by oon a.s.sent, And to every spokes ende, in this manere, Ful sadly leye his nose shal a frere.

Your n.o.ble confessour, ther G.o.d him save, 2265 Shal holde his nose upright, under the nave.

Than shal this cherl, with bely stif and toght As any tabour, hider been y-broght; (560) And sette him on the wheel right of this cart, Upon the nave, and make him lete a fart. 2270 And ye shul seen, up peril of my lyf, By preve which that is demonstratif, That equally the soun of it wol wende, And eek the stink, un-to the spokes ende; Save that this worthy man, your confessour, 2275 By-cause he is a man of greet honour, Shal have the firste fruit, as reson is; The n.o.ble usage of freres yet is this, (570) The worthy men of hem shul first be served; And certeinly, he hath it weel deserved. 2280 He hath to-day taught us so muchel good With preching in the pulpit ther he stood, That I may vouche-sauf, I sey for me, He hadde the firste smel of fartes three, And so wolde al his covent hardily; 2285 He bereth him so faire and holily.'

2255. E. Hl. _om._ here. Hl. a large wheel. 2257. Hn. Hl. Twelf; E.

Cm. Twelue. 2258. E. thanne. xij. 2259. E. Ln. twelue (_for_ thrittene). 2262, 7. E. Thanne. 2268. E. Cm. been hyder. 2272.

Hl. By verray proef. 2274. E. eke; Hn. eek. 2278. _So_ Hn. Cp. Ln.; Pt. it (_for_ yet); Hl. _om._ yet; E. As yet the n.o.ble vsage of freres is. 2280. E. Hn. Cp. disserued. 2281. Hn. muchel; Hl. Cp. mochil; E. Ln. muche. 2285. E. the (_for_ his).

The lord, the lady, and ech man, save the frere, Seyde that Iankin spak, in this matere, (580) As wel as Euclide or [as] Ptholomee.

Touchinge this cherl, they seyde, subtiltee 2290 And heigh wit made him speken as he spak; He nis no fool, ne no demoniak.

And Iankin hath y-wonne a newe goune.-- My tale is doon; we been almost at toune. 2294

HERE ENDETH THE SOMNOURS TALE.

2287. E. alle men. 2289. E. Euclude. _I supply 2nd_ as (Hl.

_supplies_ elles); Ln. _has_ ptholome; E. Hn. Protholomee; Cp. Hl.

p_ro_tholome. 2291. Hl. speken; _rest_ speke. COLOPHON. _So_ E. Hn.

Cp. Hl.; E. Somonours.

[389: T. 7877-7898.]

GROUP E

THE CLERK'S PROLOGUE.

HERE FOLWETH THE PROLOGE OF THE CLERKES TALE OF OXENFORD.

'Sir clerk of Oxenford,' our hoste sayde, 'Ye ryde as coy and stille as dooth a mayde, Were newe spoused, sitting at the bord; This day ne herde I of your tonge a word.

I trowe ye studie aboute som sophyme, 5 But Salomon seith, "every thing hath tyme."

1. Hl. hoste; Cp. Ln. oste; E. Hn. hoost.

For G.o.ddes sake, as beth of bettre chere, It is no tyme for to studien here.

Telle us som mery tale, by your fey; For what man that is entred in a pley, 10 He nedes moot unto the pley a.s.sente.

But precheth nat, as freres doon in Lente, To make us for our olde sinnes wepe, Ne that thy tale make us nat to slepe.

Telle us som mery thing of aventures;-- 15 Your termes, your colours, and your figures, Kepe hem in stoor til so be ye endyte Heigh style, as whan that men to kinges wryte.

Speketh so pleyn at this tyme, I yow preye, That we may understonde what ye seye.' 20

17. E. Hl. that ye; _rest omit_ that. 19. E. Hn. we; _rest_ I.

This worthy clerk benignely answerde, 'Hoste,' quod he, 'I am under your yerde; [390: T. 7899-7932.]

Ye han of us as now the governaunce, And therfor wol I do yow obeisaunce, As fer as reson axeth, hardily. 25 I wol yow telle a tale which that I Lerned at Padowe of a worthy clerk, As preved by his wordes and his werk.

He is now deed and nayled in his cheste, I prey to G.o.d so yeve his soule reste! 30

22. Ln. Oste; E. Hn. Pt. Hoost; Hl. Sir host.

Fraunceys Petrark, the laureat poete, Highte this clerk, whos rethoryke sweete Enlumined al Itaille of poetrye, As Linian dide of philosophye Or lawe, or other art particuler; 35 But deeth, that wol nat suffre us dwellen heer But as it were a twinkling of an ye, Hem bothe hath slayn, and alle shul we dye.

32. Hl. rethorique; Cp. retorique; Pt. retorike; E. Hn. Ln. rethorik.

36. E. _omits_ suffre us.

But forth to tellen of this worthy man, That taughte me this tale, as I bigan, 40 I seye that first with heigh style he endyteth, Er he the body of his tale wryteth, A proheme, in the which discryveth he Pemond, and of Saluces the contree, And speketh of Apennyn, the hilles hye, 45 That been the boundes of West Lumbardye, And of Mount Vesulus in special, Where as the Poo, out of a welle smal, Taketh his firste springing and his sours, That estward ay encresseth in his cours 50 To Emelward, to Ferrare, and Venyse: The which a long thing were to devyse.

And trewely, as to my Iugement, Me thinketh it a thing impertinent, Save that he wol convey en his matere: 55 But this his tale, which that ye may here.'

51. E. Hn. Emele; Hl. Emyl; Cp. Pt. Ln. Emel. 55. E. Hn. conuoyen; _rest_ conueyen (-eye). 56. E. Hn. this his tale (_where_ this _is a contraction for_ this is; _cf. mod._ E. 'tis); Hl. Pt. this is the tale; Ln. this is tale.

[391: T. 7933-7957.]

THE CLERKES TALE.

HERE BIGINNETH THE TALE OF THE CLERK OF OXENFORD.

Ther is, at the west syde of Itaille, Doun at the rote of Vesulus the colde, A l.u.s.ty playne, habundant of vitaille, Wher many a tour and toun thou mayst biholde, 60 That founded were in tyme of fadres olde, And many another delitable sighte, And Saluces this n.o.ble contree highte.

A markis whylom lord was of that londe, As were his worthy eldres him bifore; 65 And obeisant and redy to his honde (10) Were alle his liges, bothe la.s.se and more.

Thus in delyt he liveth, and hath don yore, Biloved and drad, thurgh favour of fortune, Bothe of his lordes and of his commune. 70

Therwith he was, to speke as of linage, The gentilleste y-born of Lumbardye, A fair persone, and strong, and yong of age, And ful of honour and of curteisye; Discreet y-nogh his contree for to gye, 75 Save in somme thinges that he was to blame, (20) And Walter was this yonge lordes name.

76. E. Saue that; _rest omit_ that.

I blame him thus, that he considereth noght In tyme cominge what mighte him bityde, But on his l.u.s.t present was al his thoght, 80 As for to hauke and hunte on every syde; [392: T. 7958-7988.]

Wel ny alle othere cures leet he slyde, And eek he nolde, and that was worst of alle, Wedde no wyf, for noght that may bifalle.

79. _So_ Hn. Ln.; E. hym myghte; Pt. my[gh]t; Hl. mighte. 84. Pt. Ln.

ou[gh]t; E. Hn. noght; Hl. no thing.

Only that point his peple bar so sore, 85 That flokmele on a day they to him wente, (30) And oon of hem, that wysest was of lore, Or elles that the lord best wolde a.s.sente That he sholde telle him what his peple mente, Or elles coude he shewe wel swich matere, 90 He to the markis seyde as ye shul here.

'O n.o.ble markis, your humanitee a.s.sureth us and yeveth us hardinesse, As ofte as tyme is of necessitee That we to yow mowe telle our hevinesse; 95 Accepteth, lord, now for your gentillesse, (40) That we with pitous herte un-to yow pleyne, And lete your eres nat my voys disdeyne.