In alle his lif, unto no manere wight.
He was a veray parfit gentil knight.
But for to tellen you of his araie,
His hors was good, but he ne was not gaie.
Of fustian he wered a gipòn',
Alle besmotred with his habergeon3,
For he was late ycome fro his viàge,
And wentè for to don his pilgrimage.
With him ther was his sone a yongè Squier, A lover and a lusty bacheler,
With lockès crull as they were laide in presse.
Of twenty yere of age he was I gesse.
Of his stature he was of even lengthe,
And wonderly deliver, and grete of strengthe.
And he hadde be somtime in chevachie,
In Flaundres, in Artois, and in Picardie,
And borne him wel, as of SO litel space,
In hope to stonden in his ladies grace.
Embrouded was he, as it were a mede Alle ful of fresshè flourès, white and rede. Singing he was, or floyting alle the day, He was as fresshe, as is the moneth of May. Short was his goune, with slevès long and wide. Well coude he sitte on hors, and fayrè ride.
He coudè songès make, and wel endite,
Juste and eke dance, and wel pourtraie and write.
1 Wore a short cassock.
4 Curled. 6 Nimble.
7 Embroidered.
• Horse skirmishing.
Playing the flute.
So hote he loved, that by nightertale 1.
He slep no more than doth the nightingale.
Curteis he was, lowly, and servisable,
And carf before his fader at the table.
A Yeman hadde he, and servantes no mo
At that time, for him luste3 to ridè so;
And he was cladde in cote and hode of grene.
A shefe of peacock arwes bright and kene
Under his belt he bare ful thriftily.
Well coude he dresse his takel' yemanly:
His arwes drouped not with fetheres low.
And in his hond he bare a mighty bowe.
A not-hed hadde he, with a broune visage.
Of wood-craft coude he wel alle the usage.
Upon his arme he bare a gaie bracèr3,
And by his side a swerd and a bokeler,
And on that other side a gaie daggère,
Harneised wel, and sharpe as point of spere:
A Cristofre on his brest of silver shene.
An horne he bare, the baudrik was of grene,
A forster was he sothely as I gesse.
Ther was alsò a Nonne, a Prioresse,
That of hire smiling was full simple and coy;
Hire gretest othe n'as but by Seint Eloy ;
And she was cleped Madame Eglentine.
Ful wel she sangè the service devine,
Entuned in hire nose ful swetely;
And Frenche she spake ful fayre and fetisly',
After the scole of Stratford attè Bowe,
For Frenche of Paris was to hire unknowe.
At metè was she wel ytaughte withalle;
She lette no morsel from her lippès fall,
Ne wette hire fingres in hire saucè depe.
Wel coude she carie a morsel, and wel kepe,
Thattè no drope ne fell upon hire brest.
In curtesie was sette ful moche hire lest.
Hire over lippè wiped she so clene,
That in hire cuppè was no ferthing sene3
Of gresè, whan she dronken hadde hire draught.
Ful semely after her mete she raught'.
And sikerly she was of grete disport,
And ful plesant, and amiable of port,
And peined hire to contrefeten" chere
Of court, and ben estatelich of manère,
And to ben holden digne" of reverence.
But for to speken of hire conscience,
She was so charitable and so pitoùs,
She wolde wepe if that she saw a mous
Caughte in a trappe, if it were ded or bledde.
Of smalè houndès hadde she, that she fedde
With rosted flesh, and milk, and wastel brede.
But sore wept she if on of hem were dede,
. Her pleasure. • Took pains.
3 Smallest spot.
, Worthy.
Or if men smote it with a yerdè1 smert3,
And all was conscience and tendre herte.
Ful semely hire wimple ypinched was;
Hire nose tretis3; hire eyen grey as glas;
Hire mouth ful smale, and therto soft and red;
But sikerly she hadde a fayre forehèd.
It was almost a spannè brode I trowe;
For hardily she was not undergrowe1.
Ful fetise was hire cloke, as I was ware.
Of smale corail aboute hire arm she bare
A pair of bedès, gauded all with grene;
And theron heng a broche of gold ful shene,
On whiche was first ywriten a crouned A,
And after, Amor vincit omnia.
Another Nonne also with hire hadde she,
That was hire chapelleine, and Preestès thre.
A Monk ther was, a fayre for the maistrìe,
An outrider, that loved venerie;
A manly man, to ben an abbot able.
Ful many a deintè hors hadde he in stable:
And whan he rode, men might his bridel here
Gingèling in a whistling wind as clere,
And eke as loude, as doth the chapell belle,
Ther as this lord was keeper of the celle.
The reule of Seint Maure and of Seint Beneit,
Because that it was olde and somdele streit,
This ilkè monk lette oldè thingès pace,
And held after the newè worlde the trace.
1 Stick. 9 Smartly, adv. 5 Neat.
3 Straight. 4 Of low stature.
He yave not of the text a pulled hen,
That saith, that hunters ben not holy men;
Ne that a monk, whan he is rekkěles2,
Is like to a fish that is waterles;
This is to say, a monk out of his cloistre.
This ilkè text held he not worth an oistre.
And I say his opinion was good.
What shulde he studie, and make himselven wood3 Upon a book in cloistre alway to pore,
Or swinken with his hondès, and laboure,
As Austin bit? how shal the world be served?
Let Austin have his swink to him reserved.
Therfore he was a prickasoure a right:
Greihoundes he hadde as swift as foul of flight:
Of pricking and of hunting for the hare
Was all his lust, for no cost wolde he spare.
I saw his sleves purfiled' at the hond
With gris, and that the finest of the lond.
And for to fasten his hood under his chinne,
He hadde of gold ywrought a curious pinne;
A love-knotte in the greter end ther was.
His hed was balled, and shone as any glas,
And eke his face, as it hadde ben anoint.
He was a lord ful fat and in good point.
His eyen stepe', and rolling in his hed,
That stemed as a fornëis of led.
Mr. Tyrwhitt supposes, that this should be righelles, i. e. out of the rules by which the monks were bound.
3 Mad. 4 Toil.
'Wrought on the edge.
6 Hard rider.
8 A fine kind of fur.
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