To lyven in delit was evere his wone,
For he was Epicurus owne sone,
That heeld opinioun that pleyn delit
Was verraily felicitee parfit.

An housholdere, and that a greet, was he;
Seint Julian he was in his contree;

6

335

340

His breed, his ale, was alwey after oon; "
A bettre envyned' man was no-wher noon.
Withoute bake-mete 8 was nevere his hous,
Of fissh and flessh, and that so plentevous
It snewed in his hous of mete and drynke,
Of alle deyntees that men coude thynke. 346
After the sondry sesons of the yeer,
So chaunged he his mete and his soper.
Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in muwe,10
And many a breem 11 and many a luce" in
stuwe.12
350

355

17

360

Wo was his cook but-if 13 his sauce were Poynaunt and sharpe, and redy al his geere. His table dormant 14 in his halle alway Stood redy covered al the longe day. At sessiouns ther was he lord and sire; Ful ofte tyme he was knyght of the shire. An anlaas,15 and a gipser 16 al of silk Heeng at his girdel whit as morne milk. A shirreve hadde he been and a countour; Was no-wher such a worthy vavasour.18 An haberdassher 19 and a carpenter, A webbe,20 a dyere, and a tapicer, 21 And they were clothed alle in o liveree,22 Of a solempne and greet fraternitee. Ful fresh and newe hir gere 23 apyked 24 was; Hir knyves were y-chaped 25 noght with bras, But al with silver; wroght ful clene and weel Hir girdles and hir pouches everydeel. Wel semed ech of hem a fair burgeys, To sitten in a yeldhalle 26 on a deys.27 Everich, for the wisdom that he can,28 Was shaply for to been an alderman; For catel 29 hadde they ynogh and rente,3 And eek hir wyves wolde it wel assente;

30

370

1 temperament 2 in the morning 3 sop custom 5 patron saint of hospitality always of the same quality provided with wines pasties snowed 11 coop a kind of fish 12 12 pond 13 unless 14 manent table 15 knife 16 pouch treasurer 18 landholder 19

10

20

17

a per

keeper of a shop for hats or furnishings upholsterer weaver

21

22

23

one uniform apparel 24 trimmed 25 sheathed 26 guild-hall 27 dais 28 knows

29

30 property income

For aught I woot 13 he was of Dertemouthe.
He rood upon a rouncy as he couthe,15
In a gowne of faldyng 16 to the knee.
A daggere hangynge on a laas 17 hadde he
Aboute his nekke under his arm adoun.
The hoote somer hadde maad his hewe al
broun.

And certeinly he was a good felawe; 18 395 Ful many a draughte of wyn hadde he idrawe

Fro Burdeuxward, whil that the chapman 19 sleep.

Of nyce conscience took he no keep.20

If that he faught, and hadde the hyer hond, By water he sente hem hoom to every lond.21

2

585

591

9 600

To make him live by his propre good,
In honour dettelees, but he were wood,1
Or live as scarsly 2 as him list desire;
And able for to helpen al a shire
In any cas that mighte falle or happe;
And yit this maunciple sette hir aller cappe.3
The Reeve was a sclendre colerik 1 man.
His berd was shave as ny as ever he can;
His heer was by his eres round y-shorn;
His top was dokked lyk a preest biforn.
Ful longe were his legges, and ful lene,
Y-lyk a staf, ther was no calf y-sene.
Wel coude he kepe a gerner and a binne;
Ther was noon auditour coude on him winne.
Wel wiste he, by the droghte, and by the reyn,
The yeldyng of his seed, and of his greyn. 596
His lordes sheep, his neet, his dayerye,
His swyn, his hors, his stoor, and his pultrye,
Was hooly in this reves governing;
And by his covenaunt yaf the rekening
Sin 10 that his lord was twenty yeer of age;
Ther coude no man bringe him in arrerage.11
Ther nas baillif, ne herde,12 ne other hyne,13
That he ne knew his sleighte and his covyne; 14
They were adrad of him, as of the deeth. 605
His woning 1 was ful fair up-on an heeth;
With grene trees shadwed was his place;
He coude bettre than his lord purchace.
Ful riche he was astored prively;
His lord wel coude he plesen subtilly,
To yeve and lene him of his owne good,
And have a thank, and yet a cote, and hood.16
In youthe he lerned hadde a good mister;
He was a wel good wrighte, a carpenter.
This reve sat up-on a ful good stot,"
18
That was al pomely 19 grey, and highte Scot.
A long surcote of pers up-on he hade,
And by his syde he bar a rusty blade.
Of Northfolk was this reve of which I telle,
Bisyde a toun men clepen Baldeswelle.
Tukked 21 he was, as is a frere, aboute,
And evere he rood the hindreste of our route.
A Somnour was ther with us in that place,
That hadde a fyr-reed cherubinnes face,
For sawceflem 22 he was, with eyen narwe,

1 crazy

15

20

7

servant

610

17

615

620

2 economically 3 cheated them all (slang) 4 irascible 5 cut short 6 granary cattle 8 stock of tools, etc. rendered account 10 since 11 find him in arrears 12 herdsman 13 14 whose craft and deceit he did not know 15 dwelling 16 lend his lord's own property to him and receive thanks and gifts 17 trade 18 cob dappled 20 blue 21 his coat was tucked up with a girdle 22 pimpled

19

With scalled browes blake, and piled? berd;

Of his visage children were aferd.

Ther nas quik-silver, litarge, ne brimstoon,
Boras, ceruce, ne oille of tartre noon, 630
Ne oynement that wolde clense and byte,
That him mighte helpen of his whelkes
whyte,

Ne of the knobbes sittinge on his chekes.
Wel loved he garleek, oynons, and eek lekes,
And for to drinken strong wyn, reed as blood.
Thanne wolde he speke and crye, as he were
wood.&

And whan that he wel dronken hadde the wyn,

650

Than wolde he speke no word but Latyn.
A fewe termes hadde he, two or thre,
That he had lerned out of some decree; 640
No wonder is, he herde it al the day;
And eek ye knowen wel, how that a Jay
Can clepen 'Watte,'' as well as can the pope.
But who-so coude in other thing him grope,
Thanne hadde he spent al his philosophye;
Ay "Questio quid iuris" wolde he crye. 646
He was a gentil harlot 10 and a kynde;
A bettre felawe "sholde men noght fynde;
He wolde suffre for a quart of wyn
A good felawe to have his [wikked sin]
A twelf-month, and excuse him atte fulle;
And prively a finch eek coude he pulle.12
And if he fond owher 13 a good felawe,
He wolde techen him to have non awe,
In swich cas, of the erchedeknes curs,14
But-if 15 a mannes soule were in his purs;
For in his purs he sholde y-punisshed be.
"Purs is the erchedeknes helle," seyde he.
But wel I woot he lyed right in dede;
659
Of cursing oghte ech gulty man him drede -
For curs wol slee, right as assoilling " saveth
And also war him of a significavit.19
In daunger 20 hadde he at his owne gyse
The yonge girles 22 of the diocyse,
And knew hir counseil,23 and was al hir reed."
A gerland hadde he set up-on his heed,

1

18

21

655

16

17

666

2 scurfy scraggy 3 a lead ointment 4 borax 5 bumps mad call "Walter," as a parrot calls "Poll" 8 test 9"The question is what is the law" 10 rascal 11 good fellow was slang for a “disreputable person." 12 slang for "rob a greenhorn." anywhere excommunication 15 unless 16 purse 17 be afraid 18 absolving 19 writ for arresting an excommunicated person 20 under his influence way 22 young people of either sex secrets 24 adviser

13

21

14

23

1

As greet as it were for an ale-stake; 1
A bokeler hadde he maad him of a cake.
With him ther rood a gentil Pardoner
Of Rouncivale, his frend and his compeer,670
That streight was comen fro the court of
Rome.

Ful loude he song, 'Com hider, love, to me.'
This somnour bar to him a stif burdoun,2
Was nevere trompe 3 of half so greet a soun.
This pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wex,
But smothe it heng, as doth a strike of flex; ^
By ounces henge his lokkes that he hadde,
And ther-with he his shuldres overspradde;
But thinne it lay, by colpons oon and oon;
But hood, for jolitee, ne wered he noon, 680
For it was trussed up in his walet.

Him thoughte8 he rood al of the newe jet; 9
Dischevele, save his cappe, he rood al bare.
Swiche glaringe eyen hadde he as an hare.
A vernicle 10 hadde he sowed on his cappe. 685
His walet lay biforn him in his lappe,
Bret-ful of pardoun come from Rome al
hoot.

A voys he hadde as smal as hath a goot.
No berd hadde he, ne nevere sholde have,
As smothe it was as it were late y-shave; 690

18

15

But of his craft, fro Berwik unto Ware,12
Ne was ther swich another pardoner;
For in his male 13 he hadde a pilwe-beer,14
Which that, he seyde, was our lady veyl;
He seyde, he hadde a gobet 16 of the seyl 17
That Seynt Peter hadde, whan that he wente
Up-on the see, til Iesu Crist him hente;
He hadde a croys 19 of latoun,20 ful of stones,
And in a glas he hadde pigges bones.
But with thise relikes, whan that he fond
A povre person dwelling up-on lond,"
Up-on a day he gat him more moneye
Than that the person gat in monthes tweye.
And thus with feyned flaterye and japes,22 705
He made the person and the peple his apes.23
But trewely to tellen, atte laste,
He was in chirche a noble ecclesiaste.

7

5

700

new

1 a pole projecting from the wall of an inn and usually bearing a garland 2 accompaniment 3 trumpet hank of flax small portions handfuls for sport it seemed to him fashion a duplicate of the handkerchief of St. Veronica, on which the face of Jesus was im11 brimful 12 from one end of England to printed. pillow-case

10

13

bag

14

15

the other Our Lady's veil 16 bit 17 sail 18 seized 19 cross 20 brass 21 in the country tricks

22

23 fools

4

716

720

Why that assembled was this compaignye
In Southwerk at this gentil hostelrye,
That highte3 the Tabard, faste by the Belle.
But now is tyme to you for to telle
How that we baren us that ilke nyght,
Whan we were in that hostelrie alyght;
And after wol I telle of our viage
And al the remenaunt of oure pilgrimage.
But first, I pray yow of youre curteisye,
That ye narette it nat my vileynye,"
Thogh that I pleynly speke in this mateere
To telle yow hir wordes and hir cheere,
Ne thogh I speke hir wordes proprely; 7
For this ye knowen al-so wel as I,
Whoso shal telle a tale after a man,
He moote reherce, as ny as evere he can,
Everich a word, if it be in his charge,

Al speke he never so rudeliche and large,
Or ellis he moot telle his tale untrewe
Or feyne thyng, or fynde wordes newe;
He may nat spare, althogh he were his
brother,

He moot as wel seye o word as another.
Crist spak hymself ful brode in hooly writ,
And wel ye woot no vileynye 10 is it.
740
Eek Plato seith, whoso that can hym rede,
"The wordes moote be cosyn 11 to the dede."
Also I prey yow to foryeve it me
Al have I nat set folk in hir degree
Heere in this tale, as that they sholde stonde;
My wit is short, ye may wel understonde. 746
Greet chiere made oure hoste us everichon,12
And to the soper sette he us anon,
And served us with vitaille at the beste;
Strong was the wyn, and wel to drynke us
leste.13

757

762

765

Boold of his speche, and wys and wel y-taught,
And of manhod hym lakkede right naught.
Eek therto1 he was right a myrie man,
And after soper pleyen he bigan,
And spak of myrthe amonges othere thynges,
Whan that we hadde maad our rekenynges;
And seyde thus: "Now, lordynges, trewely,
Ye been to me right welcome, hertely;
For by my trouthe, if that I shal nat lye,
I ne saugh this yeer so myrie a compaignye
At ones in this herberwe 2 as is now;
Fayn wolde I doon yow myrthe, wiste I how.3
And of a myrthe I am right now bythoght,
To doon yow ese, and it shal coste noght.
"Ye goon to Canterbury; God yow speede,
The blisful martir quite yow youre meede!
And, wel I woot," as ye goon by the weye,
Ye shapen yow to talen 6 and to pleye;
For trewely comfort ne myrthe is noon
To ride by the weye doumb as a stoon;
And therfore wol I maken yow disport,
As I seyde erst,' and doon yow som comfort.
And if you liketh alle, by oon assent,
Now for to stonden at my juggement,
And for to werken as I shal yow seye,
To-morwe, whan ye riden by the weye,
Now by my fader soule that is deed,
But ye be myrie, I wol yeve yow myn heed!
Hoold up youre hond withouten

772

775

780

moore

Amorwe, whan that day bigan to sprynge, Up roos oure Hoost and was oure aller cok, And gadrede us togidre alle in a flok, And forth we riden, a litel moore than paas," Unto the Wateryng of Seint Thomas; 826 And there oure Hoost bigan his hors areste, And seyde, "Lordynges, herkneth, if yow leste !

Ye woot youre forward,' and I it yow recorde.

830

If even-song and morwe-song accorde, Lat se now who shal telle the firste tale. As evere mote I drynke wyn or ale, Whoso be rebel to my juggement Shal paye for all that by the wey is spent! Now draweth cut, er that we ferrer twynne. He which that hath the shorteste shal bigynne. 836 Sire Knyght," quod he, "my mayster and my lord,

Now draweth cut, for that is myn accord. Cometh neer, 199 quod he, "my lady Prioresse, And ye, sire Clerk, lat be your shamefast840

nesse,

Ne studieth noght; ley hond to, every man.'
Anon to drawen every wight bigan,
And, shortly for to tellen, as it was,
Were it by aventure, or sort,10 or cas,11

11

merry gainsay prepare myself fetched 5 cock-waked us all. 6a little faster than a