1

That held opinion that plein 1 delight
Was verily felicity parfite.

An householder, and that a great, was he;
Saint Julian2 he was in his countree.
His bread, his ale, was alway after one;
A better envined 3 man was never none.
Withouten bake-meat never was his house,
Of fish and flesh, and that so plenteous,
It snewèd in his house of meat and drink.

1 Full.

4 Snowed.

THE WIFE OF BATH.

A good Wife there was of beside 5 Bath;
But she was somedeal deaf, and that was scath.6
Of cloth-making she hadde such an haunt,
She passed them of Ypres and of Gaunt.
In all the parish wife ne was there none
That to the offering before her should gone ;
And, if there did, certain so wroth was she
That she was out of allè charity.

Her coverchiefs full finè were of ground;
I durstè swear they weigheden ten pound
That on a Sunday were upon her head.
Her hosen weren of fine scarlet red,
Full strait y-tied, and shoes full moist and new.
Bold was her face, and fair, and red of hue.
She was a worthy woman all her live:
Husbands at the church door she had five,
Withouten other company in youth;

7

But thereof needeth not to speak as nowth.8
And thrice had she been at Jerusalem;
She haddè passèd many a strangè stream;
At Rome she haddè been, and at Boloigne,
In Galice at Saint Jame, and at Coloigne :10
She couthè much 11 of wandering by the way.
Gat-toothed 12 was she, soothly for to say.
Upon an ambler easily she sat,
Y-wimpled well, and on her head an hat
As broad as is a buckler or a targe;' 13
A foot-mantel14 about her hippès large,

8 At present.

2 The patron saint of travellers.
8 Stocked with wine.
A place near Bath.
6 Misfortune.
7 Besides.
9 The shrine of St. James of Compostello in Galicia,

10 The supposed tomb of the three kings, or wise men of the East.

11 Knew much.

12 Cat-toothed.

13 Shield.

14 A riding skirt.

And on her feet a pair of spurrès1 sharp.
In fellowship well could she laugh and carp ;2
Of remedies of love she knew perchance,
For she couth 3 of that art the oldè dance.1

THE PARSON.

A good man was there of religioun,
That was a poorè Parson of a town;
But rich he was of holy thought and work.
He was also a learned man, a clerk,
That Christès gospel truèly would preach;
His parishens devoutly would he teach.
Benign he was and wonder diligent,
And in adversity full patient;

And such he was y-provèd oftè sithès.
Full loth were him to cursen for his tithès;
But rather would he given, out of doubt,
Unto his poorè parishens about,

Of his offring and eke of his substance :
He couth in little thing have suffisance.
Wide was his parish, and houses far asunder;
But he ne leftè not, for rain ne thunder,
In sickness nor in mischief to visite
The furthest in his parish, much and lite,7
Upon his feet, and in his hand a staff.
This noble ensample to his sheep he gaf,8
That first he wrought and afterward he taught.
Out of the gospel he the wordès caught,
And this figure he added eke thereto,-
That, if gold rusted, what should iron do?
For, if a priest be foul on whom we trust,
No wonder is it lewèd 9 men to rust.
He was a shepherd, and not a mercenary;
And, though he holy were and virtuous,
He was to sinful man nought dispitous,1
Ne of his speechè daungerous ne digne,11
But in his teaching discreet and benign.
To drawen folk to heaven by fairness
By good ensample, this was his business.
4 The old customs.

2 Talk.
5 Parishioners.

3 Knew.

6 Oftentimes.

10

We say the 'old song.' 7 Great and small.

9 Lay, ignorant.
11 Domineering nor disdainful.

10 Without pity.

1 Spurs.

8 Gave.

But,1 if it were any person obstinate,
Whatso he were, of high or low estate,
Him would he snibben sharply for the nonès.2
A better priest I trow there nowhere none is.
He waited after no pomp ne reverence,
Ne maked him a spicèd conscience;
But Christès lore and his apostles twelve
He taught, but first he followed it himselve.

THE PLOWMAN.

WITH him3 there was a Plowman, was his brother, That had y-laid of dong full many a fother ;*

And a true swinker5 and a good was he,

Living in peace and perfit charity.

God loved he best with all his whole heart
At allè timès, were it gain or smart ;
And then his neighèbour right as himselve.
He wolde thresh and thereto dike® and delve,"
For Christès sake, for every poorè wight,
Withouten hire, if it lay in his might.
His tithès payed he full fair and well,
Both of his proper swink and his catel. 9
In a tabard 10 he rode upon a mare.

1 Except.

FROM THE KNIGHT'S TALE.

EMILIE IN THE PRISON-GARDEN.

And in a tower, in anguish and in woe,
Dwellen this Palamon and eke Arcite

For evermore there may no gold them quite.11
This passeth year by year and day by day,
Till it fell onès 12 in a morrow 13 of May

That Emilie, that fairer was to seen
Than is the lily upon his11 stalkè green,

And fresher than the May with flowers new ;—
For with the rosè-colour strove her hue,

I n'ot15 which was the finer of them two ;-
Ere it was day, as she was wont to do,

3 The Parson.

7 Dig. 11 Ransom.

She was arisen and already dight ;1
For May will have no sluggardy a-night.
The season pricketh every gentle heart,
And maketh it out of his sleep to start,
And saith 'Arise, and do thine observance.'
This maketh Emilie have remembrance
To done2 honour to May, and for to rise.
Y-clothed was she fresh for to devise;
Her yellow hair was broided in a tress
Behind her back, a yardè long I guess.
And in the garden at the sun uprist
She walketh up and down, and as her list
She gathereth flowers party white and red,
To make a subtle garland for her head;
And as an angel heavenly she song.
The greatè tower that was so thick and strong,
Which of the castle was the chief dongeon,
Was even joinant3 to the garden wall
There-as this Emilie had her playing.

Bright was the sun and clear in that morning;
And Palamon, this woeful prisoner,
As was his wont, by leave of his gaoler,
Was risen, and roamèd in a chambre on high,
In which he all the noble city sey,

And eke the garden full of branches green
There-as this fresh Emilia the sheen5
Was in her walk and roamèd up and down.
This sorrowful prisoner, this Palamon,
Goeth in the chamber roaming to and fro,
And to himself complaining of his woe:
That he was born, full oft he said, ‘alas !'
And so befell, by aventure or cas,

6

That through a window, thick of many a bar
Of iron, great and square as any spar,
He cast his eyen upon Emilia.

THE TEMPLE OF MARS.

There stood the Temple of Mars armipotent,
Wrought all of burned steel; of which the entree
Was long and strait, and ghastly for to see.
And thereout came a rage, in such a wise
That it made all the gatès for to rise.

1 Dressed.

2 Do.

3 Joining.
6 Chance.

5 The fair (Ger. schön).

4 Saw.
7 Barred door.

The northern light in at the doorès shone ;
For window on the wall ne was there none
Through which men mighten any light discern.
The door was all of adamant eterne,
Y-clenched overthwart and endèlong
With iron tough; and, for to make it strong,
Every pillar the temple to sustene

Was tunnè great, of iron bright and sheen.
There saw I first the dark imagining
Of felony, and all the compassing;

The cruel ire, red as any glede ;'

1

The pick-purse, and eke the palè drede;
The smiler with the knife under the cloak;

The sheep-pen brenning with the blackè smoke;
The treason of the murdering in the bed;
The open war, with woundès all be-bled;
Contek3 with bloody knife, and sharp menace ;
All full of shrieking was that sorry place.
The slayer of himself yet saw I there,
His heartè-blood hath bathèd all his hair;
The nail y-driven in the shod1 a-night;
The coldé death with mouth gaping upright.
In middès of the temple sat Mischance,
With Discomfort and Sorry Countenance.

THE MORNING OF THE TOURNAMENT.

Great was the feast in Athenis that day;
And eke the lusty season of that May
Made every wight to been in such pleasance
That all that Monday jousten 5 they and dance,

And spenden it in Venus' high service.

But, by the causè that they shoulden rise
Early a-morrow for to see the fight,

Unto their restè wenten they at night.

And on the morrow, when the day gan spring,
Of horse and harness noise and clattering

There was in hostelèries all about;
And to the palace rode there many a rout
Of lordès upon steedès and palfreys.
There mayst thou see devising of harneis
So uncouth and so rich, and wrought so weel
Of goldsmithry, of brouding,” and of steel;

Burning. 3 Contention. 4 Forehead, temple.

6 Because.

7 Embroidering.