Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 90

So atte laste he moste forth his weye, And forth he fleeth, til he cam ther him leste. 605 Whan it cam him to purpos for to reste, I trowe he hadde thilke text in minde, That "alle thing, repairing to his kinde, (600) Gladeth him-self"; thus seyn men, as I gesse; Men loven of propre kinde newfangelnesse, 610 As briddes doon that men in cages fede.

For though thou night and day take of hem hede, And strawe hir cage faire and softe as silk, And yeve hem sugre, hony, breed and milk, Yet right anon, as that his dore is uppe, 615 He with his feet wol spurne adoun his cuppe, And to the wode he wol and wormes ete; So newefangel been they of hir mete, (610) And loven novelryes of propre kinde; No gentillesse of blood [ne] may hem binde. 620 So ferde this tercelet, allas the day!

Though he were gentil born, and fresh and gay, And goodly for to seen, and humble and free, He saugh up-on a tyme a kyte flee, And sodeynly he loved this kyte so, 625 That al his love is clene fro me ago, [479: T. 10941-10974.]

And hath his trouthe falsed in this wyse; Thus hath the kyte my love in hir servyse, (620) And I am lorn with-outen remedye!'

And with that word this faucon gan to crye, 630 And swowned eft in Canacees barme.

585. Cp. _om._ that. 601. Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. wel seyd; Cm. I-seyd; E. seyd. 602. E. Hn. Cm. hire; _rest_ him. 616. Hl. _has here lost 8 leaves, to_ 1. 1223. 619. E. nouelrie; _the rest have the plural, except_ Ln. none leueres, _a corruption of_ nouelries. 620. _I supply_ ne. 622. Hn. and fressh; _rest omit_ and. 623. E. Hn.

goodlich; _rest_ goodly. E. Pt. _om._ and _before_ humble.

Greet was the sorwe, for the haukes harme, That Canacee and alle hir wommen made; They niste how they mighte the faucon glade.

But Canacee hom bereth hir in hir lappe, 635 And softely in plastres gan hir wrappe, Ther as she with hir beek had hurt hir-selve.

Now can nat Canacee but herbes delve (630) Out of the grounde, and make salves newe Of herbes precious, and fyne of hewe, 640 To helen with this hauk; fro day to night She dooth hir bisinesse and al hir might.

And by hir beddes heed she made a mewe, And covered it with veluettes blewe, In signe of trouthe that is in wommen sene. 645 And al with-oute, the mewe is peynted grene, In which were peynted alle thise false foules, As beth thise tidifs, tercelets, and oules, (640) Right for despyt were peynted hem bisyde, And pyes, on hem for to crye and chyde. 650

632, 633. E. Hn. Cp. barm, harm; _rest_ barme, harme. 639. E. Hn.

saues; _the rest_ salues. 642. E. hire fulle; _the rest_ al hir.

644. Slo. velowetys. 647. E. ther were ypeynted; _rest_ were peynted. 648. E. Hn. tidyues; Ln. tideues; _rest_ tidifs. 649, 650.

_Transposed by_ Tyrwhitt. 650. And] Cp. Pt. Ln. _om._

Thus lete I Canacee hir hauk keping; I wol na-more as now speke of hir ring, Til it come eft to purpos for to seyn How that this faucon gat hir love ageyn Repentant, as the storie telleth us, 655 By mediacioun of Cambalus, The kinges sone, of whiche I yow tolde.

But hennes-forth I wol my proces holde (650) To speke of aventures and of batailles, That never yet was herd so grete mervailles. 660

657. Slo. Ln. whiche; _rest_ which. Hn. of which I to yow tolde.

[480: T. 10975-10998.]

First wol I telle yow of Cambynskan, That in his tyme many a citee wan; And after wol I speke of Algarsyf, How that he wan Theodora to his wyf, For whom ful ofte in greet peril he was, 665 Ne hadde he ben holpen by the stede of bras; And after wol I speke of Cambalo, That faught in listes with the bretheren two (660) For Canacee, er that he mighte hir winne.

And ther I lefte I wol ageyn biginne. 670

664. E. Theodera.

EXPLICIT SECUNDA PARS. INCIPIT PARS TERCIA.

Appollo whirleth up his char so hye, [T. _om._ Til that the G.o.d Mercurius hous the slye-- [T. _om._ . . . . . .

672. _Here the_ MSS. _fail_. Ln. _has 8 spurious lines in place of_ ll.

671, 672.

HERE FOLWEN THE WORDES OF THE FRANKELIN TO THE SQUIER, AND THE WORDES OF THE HOST TO THE FRANKELIN.

'In feith, Squier, thou hast thee wel y-quit, And gentilly I preise wel thy wit,'

Quod the Frankeleyn, 'considering thy youthe, 675 So feelingly thou spekest, sir, I allow the!

As to my doom, there is non that is here Of eloquence that shal be thy pere, If that thou live; G.o.d yeve thee good chaunce, And in vertu sende thee continuaunce! 680 For of thy speche I have greet deyntee.

I have a sone, and, by the Trinitee, (10) I hadde lever than twenty pound worth lond, Though it right now were fallen in myn hond, He were a man of swich discrecioun 685 As that ye been! fy on possessioun [481: T. 10999-11020.]

But-if a man be vertuous with-al.

I have my sone snibbed, and yet shal, For he to vertu listeth nat entende; But for to pleye at dees, and to despende, 690 And lese al that he hath, is his usage.

And he hath lever talken with a page (20) Than to comune with any gentil wight Ther he mighte lerne gentillesse aright.'--

HEADING. _So_ E.; Hn. The prologe of the Marchauntes tale. 676. E.

allowethe; Hn. allowthe. 689. E. listneth; _rest_ listeth, l.u.s.teth.

'Straw for your gentillesse,' quod our host; 695 'What, frankeleyn? pardee, sir, wel thou wost That eche of yow mot tellen atte leste A tale or two, or breken his biheste.'

695, 696. Laud 600 _has_ host, wost; E. Hn. Pt. hoost, woost.

'That knowe I wel, sir,' quod the frankeleyn; 'I prey yow, haveth me nat in desdeyn 700 Though to this man I speke a word or two.'

'Telle on thy tale with-outen wordes mo.' (30) 'Gladly, sir host,' quod he, 'I wol obeye Un-to your wil; now herkneth what I seye.

I wol yow nat contrarien in no wyse 705 As fer as that my wittes wol suffyse; I prey to G.o.d that it may plesen yow, Than woot I wel that it is good y-now.'

[_The_ Frankleyn's Prologue _follows immediately; see_ p. 482.]

[482: T. 11021-11040.]

THE FRANKLIN'S PROLOGUE.

THE PROLOGE OF THE FRANKELEYNS TALE.

[_This_ Prologue _follows immediately after the_ Words _on_ p. 481.]

Thise olde gentil Britons in hir dayes Of diverse aventures maden layes, 710 Rymeyed in hir firste Briton tonge; Which layes with hir instruments they songe, (40) Or elles redden hem for hir plesaunce; And oon of hem have I in remembraunce, Which I shal seyn with good wil as I can. 715

HEADING. _So_ E.; Ln. Incipit prologus de le Frankeleyne; Hn. Pt. Here bigynneth the Frankeleyns tale. Hl. _omits_ ll. 709-1223. 712. E.

whiche.

But, sires, by-cause I am a burel man, At my biginning first I yow biseche Have me excused of my rude speche; I lerned never rethoryk certeyn; Thing that I speke, it moot be bare and pleyn. 720 I sleep never on the mount of Pernaso, Ne lerned Marcus Tullius Cithero. (50) Colours ne knowe I none, with-outen drede, But swiche colours as growen in the mede, Or elles swiche as men dye or peynte. 725 Colours of rethoryk ben me to queynte; My spirit feleth noght of swich matere.

But if yow list, my tale shul ye here.

722. E. Hn. Scithero. 726. Cp. Ln. ben me to; Pt. bene to me; Hn.

they ben to; E. been to.

[483: T. 11041-11068.]

THE FRANKELEYNS TALE.

HERE BIGINNETH THE FRANKELEYNS TALE.

In Armorik, that called is Britayne, Ther was a knight that loved and dide his payne 730 To serve a lady in his beste wyse; And many a labour, many a greet empryse He for his lady wroghte, er she were wonne.

For she was oon, the faireste under sonne, And eek therto come of so heigh kinrede, 735 That wel unnethes dorste this knight, for drede, Telle hir his wo, his peyne, and his distresse.

But atte laste, she, for his worthinesse, (10) And namely for his meke obeysaunce, Hath swich a pitee caught of his penaunce, 740 That prively she fil of his accord To take him for hir housbonde and hir lord, Of swich lords.h.i.+pe as men han over hir wyves; And for to lede the more in blisse hir lyves, Of his free wil he swoor hir as a knight, 745 That never in al his lyf he, day ne night, Ne sholde up-on him take no maistrye Agayn hir wil, ne kythe hir Ialousye, (20) But hir obeye, and folwe hir wil in al As any lovere to his lady shal; 750 Save that the name of soveraynetee, That wolde he have for shame of his degree.