The Canterbury Tales

by Geoffrey Chaucer

470 Ywimpled 470 wel, and on hir heed an hat

  As brood as is a bokeler 471 or a targe;

  A foot-mantel 472 aboute hir hipes large,

  And on hir feet a peire of spores473 sharpe.

  In felawshipe wel koude she laughe and carpe 474;

  475 Of remedies of love she knew par chaunce 475,

  For she koude 476 of that art the olde daunce.

  A good man was ther of religioun 477,

  And was a povre PERSOUN 478 of a toun,

  But riche he was of holy thoght and werk.

  480 He was also a lerned man, a clerk,

  That Cristes gospel trewely wolde preche;

  His parisshens devoutly wolde he teche.

  Benigne he was and wonder 483 diligent,

  And in adversitee ful pacient,

  485 And swich he was ypreved 485 ofte sithes.

  Ful looth were him to cursen 486 for his tithes,

  But rather wolde he yeven, out of doute 487,

  Unto his povre parisshens aboute 488

  Of his offringe and eek of his substaunce;489

  490 He koude in litel thing have suffisaunce 490.

  Wid was his parisshe, and houses fer asonder,

  But he ne lafte nat, for rein ne thonder,

  In siknesse nor in meschief 493 to visite

  The ferreste 494 in his parisshe, muche and lite,

  495 Upon his feet, and in his hond a staf 495.

  This noble ensample to his sheep he yaf 496,

  That first he wroghte, and afterward he taughte.

  Out of the gospel he tho 498 wordes caughte;

  And this figure 499 he added eek therto,

  500 That if gold ruste, what sholde iren do?

  For if a preest be foule, on whom we truste,

  No wonder is a lewed man to ruste!502

  And shame it is, if a preest take keep 503,

  A shiten 504 shepherde and a clene sheep.

  505 Wel oghte a preest ensample for to yive

  By his clennesse, how that his sheep sholde live.

  He sette nat his benefice to hire,507

  And leet 508 his sheep encombred in the mire,

  And ran to Londoun unto Seinte Poules

  510 To seken him a chaunterye 510 for soules,

  Or with a bretherhede 511 to been withholde,

  But dwelte at hoom and kepte wel his folde,

  So that the wolf ne made it nat miscarye 513;

  He was a shepherde and noght a mercenarye 514.

  515 And thogh he hooly were and vertuous,

  He was to sinful men noght despitous 516,

  Ne of his speche daungerous ne digne 517,

  But in his teching discreet and benigne;

  To drawen folk to hevene by fairnesse 519,

  520 By good ensample – this was his bisinesse 520.

  But 521 it were any persone obstinat,

  Whatso 522 he were, of heigh or lowe estat,

  Him wolde he snibben 523 sharply, for the nonis.

  A bettre preest I trowe that nowher noon is.

  525 He waited after 525 no pompe and reverence,

  Ne maked him a spiced conscience 526,

  But Cristes loore, and his apostles twelve,

  He taughte, but first he folwed it himselve.

  With him ther was a PLOWMAN, was his brother,

  530 That hadde ylad 530 of donge ful many a fother.

  A trewe swinkere 531 and a good was he,

  Livinge in pees and parfit charitee.

  God loved he best with al his hoole herte

  At alle times, thogh him gamed or smerte 534,

  535 And thanne his neighebore right as himselve.

  He wolde thresshe 536, and therto dike and delve,

  For Cristes sake, for every povre wight 537

  Withouten hire, if it lay in his might.

  His tithes payede he ful faire and wel 539,

  540 Bothe of his propre swink 540 and his catel.

  In a tabard 541 he rood upon a mere.

  Ther was also a REVE, and a MILLERE,

  A SOMNOUR, and a PARDONER also,

  A MAUNCIPLE, and myself – ther were namo 544.

  545 The MILLER was a stout 545 carl for the nones;

  Ful big 546 he was of brawn and eek of bones.

  That proved wel, for overal ther 547 he cam

  At wrastlinge 548 he wolde have alwey the ram.

  He was short-sholdred 549, brood, a thikke knarre;

  550 Ther was no dore that he nolde heve of harre 550,

  Or breke it at a renning 551 with his heed.

  His berd as any sowe or fox was reed,

  And therto brood as though it were a spade.

  Upon the cop 554 right of his nose he hade

  555 A werte 555, and theron stood a tuft of heris,

  Reed as the bristles of a sowes eris.

  His nosethirles blake were and wide;

  A swerd and bokeler 558 bar he by his side.

  His mouth as greet was as a greet fourneis 559.

  560 He was a jangler 560 and a goliardeis,

  And that was moost of sinne and harlotries 561.

  Wel koude he stelen corn and tollen 562 thries;

  And yet he hadde a thombe of gold 563, pardee!

  A whit cote and a blew 564 hood wered hee;

  565 A bagge-pipe wel koude he blowe and sowne,

  And therwithal he broghte us out of towne.

  A gentil MAUNCIPLE 567 was ther of a temple,

  Of which achatours 568 mighte take exemple

  For to be wis in byinge of vitaille 570 569;

  570 For wheither that he paide or took by taille,

  Algate he waited so in his achaat 571,

  That he was ay biforn 572 and in good staat.

  Now is nat that of God a ful fair grace,

  That swich a lewed 574 mannes wit shal pace

  575 The wisdom of an heep of lerned men?

  Of maistres hadde he mo 576 than thries ten,

  That weren of lawe expert 577 and curious,

  Of whiche ther were a dozeine in that hous

  Worthy to been stiwardes of rente and lond

  580 Of any lord that is in Engelond,

  To make him live by his propre good 581

  In honour detteles, but he were wood 582,

  Or live as scarsly as him list583 desire,

  And able for to helpen al a shire

  585 In any caas that mighte falle or happe –

  And yet this maunciple sette hir aller cappe 586.

  The REVE 587 was a sclendre colerik man.

  His berd was shave as neigh as ever he kan 588;

  His heer was by his eris ful round yshorn 589;

  590 His top was dokked 590 lik a preest biforn.

  Ful longe were his legges, and ful lene,

  Ilik a staf – ther was no calf ysene.

  Wel koude he kepe a gerner 593 and a binne;

  Ther was noon auditour koude on him winne 594.

  595 Wel wiste he 595 by the droghte and by the rein

  The yeldinge 596 of his seed and of his grein.

  His lordes sheep, his neet 597, his daierye,

  His swin 598, his hors, his stoor, and his pultrye

  Was hoolly in this Reves governinge 599,

  600 And by his covenant 600 yaf the rekeninge

  Sin that 601 his lord was twenty yeer of age;

  Ther koude no man bringe him in arrerage 602.

  Ther nas baillif, ne hierde 603, nor oother hine,

  That he ne knew his sleighte 604 and his covine;

  605 They were adrad 605 of him as of the deeth.

  His woning 606 was ful faire upon an heeth;

  With grene trees yshadwed 607 was his place.

  He koude bettre than his lord purchace 608;

  Ful riche he was astored609 prively.

  610 His lord wel koude he plesen subtilly,

  To yeve and lene 611 him of his owene good,

  And have a thank, and yet 612 a co
ote and hood.

  In youthe he lerned hadde a good mister 613:

  He was a wel good wrighte, a carpenter.

  615 This Reve sat upon a ful good stot 615

  That was al pomely 616 grey and highte Scot.

  A long surcote 617 of pers upon he hade,

  And by his side he baar a rusty blade.

  Of Northfolk 619 was this Reve of which I telle,

  620 Biside a toun men clepen 620 Baldeswelle.

  Tukked he was as is a frere aboute,621

  And evere he rood the hindreste 622 of oure route.

  A SOMNOUR 623 was ther with us in that place,

  That hadde a fir-reed cherubinnes face 624,

  625 For saucefleem 625 he was with eyen narwe.

  As hoot he was and lecherous as a sparwe,626

  With scaled 627 browes blake and piled berd;

  Of his visage children were aferd 628.

  Ther nas quiksilver 629, litarge, ne brimstoon,

  630 Boras 630, ceruce, ne oille of tartre noon,

  Ne oinement that wolde clense and bite,

  That him mighte helpen of 632 his whelkes white,

  Nor of the knobbes 633 sittinge on his chekes.

  Wel loved he garlek, oinons and eek lekes,

  635 And for to drinke strong win, reed as blood;

  Thanne wolde he speke and crye as he were wood 636.

  And whan that he wel dronken hadde the win,

  Thanne wolde he speke no word but Latin.

  A fewe termes hadde he, two or thre,

  640 That he had lerned out of som decre 640 –

  No wonder is, he herde it al the day,

  And eek ye knowen wel how that a jay

  Kan clepen ‘Watte’ 643 as wel as kan the pope –

  But whoso koude in oother thing him grope 644,

  645 Thanne hadde 645 he spent al his philosophye;

  Ay ‘Questio quid iuris 646’ wolde he crye.

  He was a gentil harlot 647 and a kinde;

  A bettre felawe sholde men noght finde.

  He wolde suffre 649, for a quart of win,

  650 A good felawe to have his concubin 650

  A twelf-monthe, and excuse him atte fulle 651;

  Ful prively a finch eek koude he pulle.652

  And if he foond owher 653 a good felawe,

  He wolde techen him to have noon awe

  655 In swich caas of the ercedekenes curs 655,

  But if 656 a mannes soule were in his purs,

  For in his purs he sholde ypunisshed be.

  ‘Purs is the ercedekenes helle,’ seide he.

  But wel I woot he lied right in dede;

  660 Of cursing oghte ech gilty man him drede,

  For curs wol slee right as assoilling 661 savith,

  And also war him of a significavit 662 .

  In daunger hadde he at his owene gise663

  The yonge gerles 664 of the diocise,

  665 And knew hir counseil 665, and was al hir reed.

  A gerland hadde he set upon his heed,

  As greet 667 as it were for an ale-stake;

  A bokeler hadde he maad him 668 of a cake.

  With him ther rood a gentil PARDONER

  670 Of Rouncival 670, his freend and his comper,

  That streight 671 was comen fro the court of Rome.

  Ful loude he soong ‘Com hider, love, to me!’

  This somnour bar to him a stif burdoun 673;

  Was nevere trompe 674 of half so greet a soun.

  675 This Pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wex,

  But smothe 676 it heeng as dooth a strike of flex.

  By ounces 677 henge his lokkes that he hadde,

  And therwith he his shuldres overspradde 678;

  But thinne 679 it lay, by colpons, oon and oon.

  680 But hood, for jolitee 680, ne wered he noon,

  For it was trussed up 681 in his walet –

  Him thoughte 682 he rood al of the newe jet;

  Dischevelee 683, save his cappe, he rood al bare.

  Swiche glaringe 684 eyen hadde he as an hare.

  685 A vernicle 685 hadde he sowed upon his cappe;

  His walet lay biforn him in his lappe,

  Bret-ful687 of pardoun, come from Rome al hoot.

  A vois he hadde as smal as hath a goot;

  No berd hadde he, ne nevere sholde have;

  690 As smothe 690 it was as it were late yshave –

  I trowe he were a gelding or a mare.691

  But of his craft, fro Berwik into Ware

  Ne was ther swich another pardoner.

  For in his male 694 he hadde a pilwe-beer,

  695 Which that he seide was Oure Lady veil;

  He seide he hadde a gobet 696 of the seil

  That Seinte Peter hadde, whan that he wente

  Upon the see, til Jesu Crist him hente 698.

  He hadde a crois of latoun 699 ful of stones,

  700 And in a glas he hadde pigges bones.

  But with thise relikes, whan that he fond 701

  A povre persoun 702 dwelling upon lond,

  Upon a day 703 he gat him moore moneye

  Than that the persoun gat in monthes tweye 704.

  705 And thus with feined flaterye and japes

  He made 706 the persoun and the peple his apes.

  But trewely to tellen atte laste,

  He was in chirche a noble ecclesiaste.

  Wel koude he rede a lessoun or a storye,

  710 But alderbest 710 he song an offertorye.

  For wel he wiste, whan that song was songe,

  He moste 712 preche and wel affile his tonge

  To winne silver, as he ful wel koude 713;

  Therfore he song the murierly 714 and loude.

  715 Now have I told yow soothly, in a clause715,

  Th’estaat 716, th’array, the nombre, and eek the cause

  Why that assembled was this compaignye,

  In Southwerk, at this gentil 718 hostelrye

  That highte 719 the Tabard, faste by the Belle.

  720 But now is time to yow for to telle

  How that we baren us 721 that ilke night,

  Whan we were 722 in that hostelrye alight;

  And after wol I telle of oure viage,

  And al the remenant of oure pilgrimage.

  725 But first I pray yow, of youre curteisye,

  That ye n’arette it nat my vileinye 726,

  Thogh that I pleinly speke in this matere,

  To telle yow hir wordes and hir cheere 728,

  Ne thogh I speke hir wordes proprely 729;

  730 For this ye knowen also wel as I,

  Whoso shal telle a tale after 731 a man,

  He moot reherce 732 as neigh as evere he kan

  Everich a 733 word, if it be in his charge,

  Al speke he nevere so rudeliche and large,734

  735 Or ellis he moot telle his tale untrewe 735,

  738 Or feine thing or finde 736 wordes newe.