The canterbury tales by chaucer

The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Canterbury Tales and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer Copyright laws are changing all over the world, be sure to check the copyright laws for your country before posting these files!! Please take a look at the important information in this header We encourage you to keep this file on your own disk, keeping an electronic path open for the next readers Do not remove this **Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** **Etexts Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** *These Etexts Prepared By Hundreds of Volunteers and Donations* Information on contacting Project Gutenberg to get Etexts, and further information is included below We need your donations The Canterbury Tales and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer November, 2000 [Etext #2383] **The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Canterbury Tales and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer** *****This file should be named cbtls12.txt or cbtls12.zip****** Corrected EDITIONS of our etexts get a new NUMBER, cbtls13.txt VERSIONS based on separate sources get new LETTER, cbyls10a.txt This Gutenberg Etext prepared by Donal O'Danachair Project Gutenberg Etexts are usually created from multiple editions, all of which are in the Public Domain in the United States, unless a copyright notice is included Therefore, we usually NOT keep any of these books in compliance with any particular paper edition We are now trying to release all our books one month in advance of the official release dates, leaving time for better editing Please note: neither this list nor its contents are final till midnight of the last day of the month of any such announcement The official release date of all Project Gutenberg Etexts is at Midnight, Central Time, of the last day of the stated month A preliminary version may often be posted for suggestion, comment and editing by those who wish to so To be sure you have an up to date first edition [xxxxx10x.xxx] please check file sizes in the first week of the next month Since our ftp program has a bug in it that scrambles the date [tried to fix and failed] a look at the file size will have to do, but we will try to see a new copy has at least one byte more or less Information about Project Gutenberg (one page) We produce about two million dollars for each hour we work The time it takes us, a rather conservative estimate, is fifty hours to get any etext selected, entered, proofread, edited, copyright searched and analyzed, the copyright letters written, etc This projected audience is one hundred million readers If our value per text is nominally estimated at one dollar then we produce $2 million dollars per hour this year as we release thirty-six text files per month, or 432 more Etexts in 1999 for a total of 2000+ If these reach just 10% of the computerized population, then the total should reach over 200 billion Etexts given away this year The Goal of Project Gutenberg is to Give Away One Trillion Etext Files by December 31, 2001 [10,000 x 100,000,000 = Trillion] This is ten thousand titles each to one hundred million readers, which is only ~5% of the present number of computer users At our revised rates of production, we will reach only one-third of that goal by the end of 2001, or about 3,333 Etexts unless we manage to get some real funding; currently our funding is mostly from Michael Hart's salary at Carnegie-Mellon University, and an assortment of sporadic gifts; this salary is only good for a few more years, so we are looking for something to replace it, as we don't want Project Gutenberg to be so dependent on one person We need your donations more than ever! 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FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.04.29.93*END* This e-text look best in a monospaced font, such as Courier or Arial Maximum line length is 72 characters Transcriber's Notes: Credits: This e-text was scanned, re-formatted and edited with extra notes by Donal O' Danachair (kodak_seaside@hotmail.com) I would like to acknowledge the help of Edwin Duncan, Juris Lidaka and Aniina Jokinnen in identifying some of the poems no Longer attributed to Chaucer This e-text, with its notes, is hereby placed in the public domain Preface: The preface is for a combined volume of poems by Chaucer and Edmund Spenser The Spenser poems will shortly be available as a separate E-text Spelling and punctuation: These are the same as in the book as far as possible Accents have been removed Diereses (umlauts) have been removed from English words and replaced by "e" in German ones The AE and OE digraphs have been transcribed as two letters The British pound (currency) sign has been replaced by a capital L Greek words have been transliterated Footnotes: The original book has an average of 30 footnotes per page These were of three types: (A) Glosses or explanations of obsolete words and phrases These have been treated as follows: In the poems, they have been moved up into the right-hand margin Some of them have been shortened or paraphrased in order to fit Explanations of single words have a single asterisk at the end of the word and at the beginning of the explanation* *like this If two words in the same line have explanations the first* has one and the second**, two *like this **and this Explanations of phrases have an asterisk at the start and end *of the phrase* and of the explanation *like this* Sometimes these glosses wrap onto the next line, still in the right margin If you read this e-text using a monospaced font (like Courier in a word processor such as MS Word, or the default font in most text editors) then the marginal notes are right-justified In the prose tales, they have been imbedded into the text in square brackets after the word or phrase they refer to [like this] (B) Etymological explanations of these words These are indicted by a number in angle brackets in the marginal gloss.* The note will be found at the *like this end of the poem or section (C) Longer notes commenting on or explaining the text These are indicated in the text by numbers in angle brackets thus: The note will be found at the end of the poem or section Latin: Despite his declared aim of editing the tales "for popular perusal", Purves has left nearly all Latin quotations untranslated I have translated them as well as I could — any errors are my fault, not his THE CANTERBURY TALES And other Poems of GEOFFREY CHAUCER Edited for Popular Perusal by D Laing Purves CONTENTS PREFACE LIFE OF CHAUCER THE CANTERBURY TALES The General Prologue The Knight's Tale The Miller's tale The Reeve's Tale The Cook's Tale The Man of Law's Tale The Wife of Bath's Tale The Friar's Tale The Sompnour's Tale The Clerk's Tale The Merchant's Tale The Squire's Tale The Franklin's Tale The Doctor's Tale The Pardoner's Tale The Shipman's Tale The Prioress's Tale Chaucer's Tale of Sir Thopas Chaucer's Tale of Meliboeus The Monk's Tale The Nun's Priest's Tale The Second Nun's Tale The Canon's Yeoman's Tale The Manciple's Tale The Parson's Tale Preces de Chauceres THE COURT OF LOVE THE CUCKOO AND THE NIGHTINGALE THE ASSEMBLY OF FOWLS THE FLOWER AND THE LEAF THE HOUSE OF FAME TROILUS AND CRESSIDA CHAUCER'S DREAM THE PROLOGUE TO THE LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN CHAUCER'S A.B.C MISCELLANEOUS POEMS Transcriber's Note Modern scholars believe that Chaucer was not the author of these poems PREFACE THE object of this volume is to place before the general reader our two early poetic masterpieces — The Canterbury Tales and The Faerie Queen; to so in a way that will render their "popular perusal" easy in a time of little leisure and unbounded temptations to intellectual languor; and, on the same conditions, to present a liberal and fairly representative selection from the less important and familiar poems of Chaucer and Spenser There is, it may be said at the outset, peculiar advantage and propriety in placing the two poets side by side in the manner now attempted for the first time Although two centuries divide them, yet Spenser is the direct and really the immediate successor to the poetical inheritance of Chaucer Those two hundred years, eventful as they were, produced no poet at all worthy to take up the mantle that fell from Chaucer's shoulders; and Spenser does not need his affected archaisms, nor his frequent and reverent appeals to "Dan Geffrey," to vindicate for himself a place very close to his great predecessor in the literary history of England If Chaucer is the "Well of English undefiled," Spenser is the broad and stately river that yet holds the tenure of its very life from the fountain far away in other and ruder scenes The Canterbury Tales, so far as they are in verse, have been printed without any abridgement or designed change in the sense But the two Tales in prose — Chaucer's Tale of Meliboeus, and the Parson's long Sermon on Penitence — have been contracted, so as to exclude thirty pages of unattractive prose, and to admit the same amount of interesting and characteristic poetry The gaps thus made in the prose Tales, however, are supplied by careful outlines of the omitted matter, so that the reader need be at no loss to comprehend the whole scope and sequence of the original With The Faerie Queen a bolder course has been pursued The great obstacle to the popularity of Spencer's splendid work has lain less in its language than in its length If we add together the three great poems of antiquity — the twenty-four books of the Iliad, the twenty-four books of the Odyssey, and the twelve books of the Aeneid — we get at the dimensions of only one-half of The Faerie Queen The six books, and the fragment of a seventh, which alone exist of the author's contemplated twelve, number about 35,000 verses; the sixty books of Homer and Virgil number no more than 37,000 The mere bulk of the poem, then, has opposed a formidable barrier to its popularity; to say nothing of the distracting effect produced by the numberless episodes, the tedious narrations, and the constant repetitions, which have largely swelled that bulk In this volume the poem is compressed into twothirds of its original space, through the expedient of representing the less interesting and more mechanical passages by a condensed prose outline, in which it has been sought as far as possible to preserve the very words of the poet While deprecating a too critical judgement on the bare and constrained precis standing in such trying juxtaposition, it is hoped that the labour bestowed in saving the reader the trouble of wading through much that is not essential for the enjoyment of Spencer's marvellous allegory, will not be unappreciated As regards the manner in which the text of the two great works, especially of The Canterbury Tales, is presented, the Editor is aware that some whose judgement is weighty will differ from him This volume has been prepared "for popular perusal;" and its very raison d'etre would have failed, if the ancient orthography had been retained It has often been affirmed by editors of Chaucer in the old forms of the language, that a little trouble at first would render the antiquated spelling and obsolete inflections a continual source, not of difficulty, but of actual delight, for the reader coming to the study of Chaucer without any preliminary acquaintance with the English of his day — or of his copyists' days Despite this complacent assurance, the obvious fact is, that Chaucer in the old forms has not become popular, in the true sense of the word; he is not "understanded of the vulgar." In this volume, therefore, the text of Chaucer has been presented in nineteenth-century garb But there has been not the slightest attempt to "modernise" Chaucer, in the wider meaning of the phrase; to replace his words by words which he did not use; or, following the example of some operators, to translate him into English of the modern spirit as well as the modern forms So far from that, in every case where the old spelling or form seemed essential to metre, to rhyme, or meaning, no change has been attempted But, wherever its preservation was not essential, the spelling of the monkish transcribers — for the most ardent purist must now despair of getting at the spelling of Chaucer himself — has been discarded for that of the reader's own day It is a poor compliment to the Father of English Poetry, to say that by such treatment the bouquet and individuality of his works must be lost If his masterpiece is valuable for one thing more than any other, it is the vivid distinctness with which English men and women of the fourteenth century are there painted, for the study of all the centuries to follow But we wantonly balk the artist's own purpose, and discredit his labour, when we keep before his picture the screen of dust and cobwebs which, for the English people in these days, the crude forms of the infant language have practically become Shakespeare has not suffered by similar changes; Spencer has not suffered; it would be surprising if Chaucer should suffer, when the loss of popular comprehension and favour in his case are necessarily all the greater for his remoteness from our day In a much smaller degree — since previous labours in the same direction had left far less to — the same work has been performed for the spelling of Spenser; and the whole endeavour in this department of the Editor's task has been, to present a text plain and easily intelligible to the modern reader, without any injustice to the old poet It would be presumptuous to believe that in every case both ends have been achieved together; but the laudatores temporis acti - the students who may differ most from the plan pursued in this volume — will best appreciate the difficulty of the enterprise, and most leniently regard any failure in the details of its accomplishment With all the works of Chaucer, outside The Canterbury Tales, it would have been absolutely impossible to deal within the scope of this volume But nearly one hundred pages, have been devoted to his minor poems; and, by dint of careful selection and judicious abridgement — a connecting outline of the story in all such cases being given — the Editor ventures to hope that he has presented fair and acceptable specimens of Chaucer's workmanship in all styles The preparation of this part of the volume has been a laborious task; no similar attempt on the same scale has been made; and, while here also the truth of the text in matters essential has been in nowise sacrificed to mere ease of perusal, the general reader will find opened up for him a new view of Chaucer and his works Before a perusal of these hundred pages, will melt away for ever the lingering tradition or prejudice that Chaucer was only, or characteristically, a coarse buffoon, who pandered to a base and licentious appetite by painting and exaggerating the lowest vices of his time In these selections — made without a thought of taking only what is to the poet's credit from a wide range of poems in which hardly a word is to his discredit — we behold Chaucer as he was; a courtier, a gallant, pure-hearted gentleman, a scholar, a philosopher, a poet of gay and vivid fancy, playing around themes of chivalric convention, of deep human interest, or broad-sighted satire In The Canterbury Tales, we see, not Chaucer, but Chaucer's times and neighbours; the artist has lost himself in his work To show him honestly and without disguise, as he lived his own life and sung his own songs at the brilliant Court of Edward III, is to his memory a moral justice far more material than any wrong that can ever come out of spelling As to the minor poems of Spenser, which follow The Faerie Queen, the choice has been governed by the desire to give at once the most interesting, and the most characteristic of the poet's several styles; and, save in the case of the Sonnets, the poems so selected are given entire It is manifest that the endeavours to adapt this volume for popular use, have been already noticed, would imperfectly succeed without the aid of notes and glossary, to explain allusions that have become obsolete, or antiquated words which it was necessary to retain An endeavour has been made to render each page self- explanatory, by placing on it all the glossarial and illustrative notes required for its elucidation, or — to avoid repetitions that would have occupied space — the references to the spot where information may be found The great advantage of such a plan to the reader, is the measure of its difficulty for the editor It permits much more flexibility in the choice of glossarial explanations or equivalents; it saves the distracting and time- consuming reference to the end or the beginning of the book; but, at the same time, it largely enhances the liability to error The Editor is conscious that in the 12,000 or 13,000 notes, as well as in the innumerable minute points of spelling, accentuation, and rhythm, he must now and again be found tripping; he can only ask any reader who may detect all that he could himself point out as being amiss, to set off against inevitable mistakes and Then shalt thou stenten* alle His grievance, *put an end to And make our foe to failen of his prey I I wote well thou wilt be our succour, Thou art so full of bounty in certain; For, when a soule falleth in errour, Thy pity go'th, and haleth* him again; *draweth Then makest thou his peace with his Sov'reign, And bringest him out of the crooked street: Whoso thee loveth shall not love in vain, That shall he find *as he the life shall lete.* *when he leaves life* K *Kalendares illumined* be they *brilliant exemplars* That in this world be lighted with thy name; And whoso goeth with thee the right way, Him shall not dread in soule to be lame; Now, Queen of comfort! since thou art the same To whom I seeke for my medicine, Let not my foe no more my wound entame;* *injure, molest My heal into thy hand all I resign L Lady, thy sorrow can I not portray Under that cross, nor his grievous penance; But, for your bothe's pain, I you pray, Let not our *aller foe* make his boastance, *the foe of us all — That he hath in his listes, with mischance, Satan* *Convicte that* ye both have bought so dear; *ensnared that which* As I said erst, thou ground of all substance! Continue on us thy piteous eyen clear M Moses, that saw the bush of flames red Burning, of which then never a stick brenn'd,* *burned Was sign of thine unwemmed* maidenhead *unblemished Thou art the bush, on which there gan descend The Holy Ghost, the which that Moses wend* *weened, supposed Had been on fire; and this was in figure Now, Lady! from the fire us defend, Which that in hell eternally shall dure N Noble Princess! that never haddest peer; Certes if any comfort in us be, That cometh of thee, Christe's mother dear! We have none other melody nor glee,* *pleasure Us to rejoice in our adversity; Nor advocate, that will and dare so pray For us, and for as little hire as ye, That helpe for an Ave-Mary or tway O O very light of eyen that be blind! O very lust* of labour and distress! *relief, pleasure O treasurer of bounty to mankind! The whom God chose to mother for humbless! From his ancill* he made thee mistress *handmaid Of heav'n and earth, our *billes up to bede;* *offer up our petitions* This world awaiteth ever on thy goodness; For thou ne failedst never wight at need P Purpose I have sometime for to enquere Wherefore and why the Holy Ghost thee sought, When Gabrielis voice came to thine ear; He not to war* us such a wonder wrought, *afflict But for to save us, that sithens us bought: Then needeth us no weapon us to save, But only, where we did not as we ought, Do penitence, and mercy ask and have Q Queen of comfort, right when I me bethink That I aguilt* have bothe Him and thee, *offended And that my soul is worthy for to sink, Alas! I, caitiff, whither shall I flee? Who shall unto thy Son my meane* be? *medium of approach Who, but thyself, that art of pity well?* *fountain Thou hast more ruth on our adversity Than in this world might any tongue tell! R Redress me, Mother, and eke me chastise! For certainly my Father's chastising I dare not abiden in no wise, So hideous is his full reckoning Mother! of whom our joy began to spring, Be ye my judge, and eke my soule's leach;* *physician For ay in you is pity abounding To each that will of pity you beseech S Sooth is it that He granteth no pity Withoute thee; for God of his goodness Forgiveth none, *but it like unto thee;* *unless it please He hath thee made vicar and mistress thee* Of all this world, and eke governess Of heaven; and represseth his justice After* thy will; and therefore in witness *according to He hath thee crowned in so royal wise T Temple devout! where God chose his wonning,* *abode From which, these misbeliev'd deprived be, To you my soule penitent I bring; Receive me, for I can no farther flee With thornes venomous, O Heaven's Queen! For which the earth accursed was full yore, I am so wounded, as ye may well see, That I am lost almost, it smart so sore! V Virgin! that art so noble of apparail,* *aspect That leadest us into the highe tow'r Of Paradise, thou me *wiss and counsail* *direct and counsel* How I may have thy grace and thy succour; All have I been in filth and in errour, Lady! *on that country thou me adjourn,* *take me to that place* That called is thy bench of freshe flow'r, There as that mercy ever shall sojourn X Xpe thy Son, that in this world alight, Upon a cross to suffer his passioun, And suffer'd eke that Longeus his heart pight,* *pierced And made his hearte-blood to run adown; And all this was for my salvatioun: And I to him am false and eke unkind, And yet he wills not my damnation; *This thank I you,* succour of all mankind! *for this I am indebted to you* Y Ysaac was figure of His death certain, That so farforth his father would obey, That him *ne raughte* nothing to be slain; *he cared not* Right so thy Son list as a lamb to dey:* *die Now, Lady full of mercy! I you pray, Since he his mercy 'sured me so large, Be ye not scant, for all we sing and say, That ye be from vengeance alway our targe.* *shield, defence Z Zachary you calleth the open well That washed sinful soul out of his guilt; Therefore this lesson out I will to tell, That, n'ere* thy tender hearte, we were spilt.** *were it not for Now, Lady brighte! since thou canst and wilt, *destroyed, undone* Be to the seed of Adam merciable;* *merciful Bring us unto that palace that is built To penitents that be *to mercy able!* *fit to receive mercy* Explicit.* *The end Notes to Chaucer's A B C Chaucer's A B C — a prayer to the Virgin, in twenty three verses, beginning with the letters of the alphabet in their order — is said to have been written "at the request of Blanche, Duchess of Lancaster, as a prayer for her private use, being a woman in her religion very devout." It was first printed in Speght's edition of 1597 La Priere De Nostre Dame: French, "The Prayer of Our Lady." Thieves seven: i.e the seven deadly sins Mary's name recalls the waters of "Marah" or bitterness (Exod xv 23), or the prayer of Naomi in her grief that she might be called not Naomi, but "Mara" (Ruth i 20) Mary, however, is understood to mean "exalted." A typical representation See The Prioress's Tale, third stanza The reference evidently is to Luke i 38 — "Ecce ancilla Domini," ("Behold the handmaid of the Lord") the Virgin's humble answer to Gabriel at the Annunciation "Xpe" represents the Greek letters chi rho epsilon, and is a contraction for "Christe." According to tradition, the soldier who struck the Saviour to the heart with his spear was named Longeus, and was blind; but, touching his eyes by chance with the mingled blood and water that flowed down the shaft upon his hands, he was instantly restored to sight "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness" (Zech xiii 1) A GOODLY BALLAD OF CHAUCER. MOTHER of nurture, best belov'd of all, And freshe flow'r, to whom good thrift God send Your child, if it lust* you me so to call, *please *All be I* unable myself so to pretend, *although I be To your discretion I recommend My heart and all, with ev'ry circumstance, All wholly to be under your governance Most desire I, and have and ever shall, Thinge which might your hearte's ease amend Have me excus'd, my power is but small; Nathless, of right, ye oughte to commend My goode will, which fame would entend* *attend, strive To you service; for my suffisance* *contentment Is wholly to be under your governance Mieux un in heart which never shall apall, Ay fresh and new, and right glad to dispend My time in your service, what so befall, Beseeching your excellence to defend My simpleness, if ignorance offend In any wise; since that mine affiance Is wholly to be under your governance Daisy of light, very ground of comfort, The sunne's daughter ye light, as I read; For when he west'reth, farewell your disport! By your nature alone, right for pure dread Of the rude night, that with his *boistous weed* *rude garment* Of darkness shadoweth our hemisphere, Then close ye, my life's lady dear! Dawneth the day unto his kind resort, And Phoebus your father, with his streames red, Adorns the morrow, consuming the sort* *crowd Of misty cloudes, that would overlade True humble heartes with their mistihead.* *dimness, mistiness New comfort adaws,* when your eyen clear *dawns, awakens Disclose and spread, my life's lady dear Je voudrais* — but the greate God disposeth, *I would wish And maketh casual, by his Providence, Such thing as manne's fraile wit purposeth, All for the best, if that your conscience Not grudge it, but in humble patience It receive; for God saith, withoute fable, A faithful heart ever is acceptable Cauteles* whoso useth gladly, gloseth;** *cautious speeches To eschew such it is right high prudence; **deceiveth What ye said ones mine heart opposeth, That my writing japes* in your absence *jests, coarse stories Pleased you much better than my presence: Yet can I more; ye be not excusable; A faithful heart is ever acceptable Quaketh my pen; my spirit supposeth That in my writing ye will find offence; Mine hearte welketh* thus; anon it riseth; *withers, faints Now hot, now cold, and after in fervence; That is amiss, is caus'd of negligence, And not of malice; therefore be merciable; A faithful heart is ever acceptable L'Envoy Forthe, complaint! forth, lacking eloquence; Forth little letter, of enditing lame! I have besought my lady's sapience On thy behalfe, to accept in game Thine inability; thou the same Abide! have more yet! *Je serve Joyesse!* *I serve Joy* Now forth, I close thee in holy Venus' name! Thee shall unclose my hearte's governess Notes To a Goodly Ballad Of Chaucer This elegant little poem is believed to have been addressed to Margaret, Countess of Pembroke, in whose name Chaucer found one of those opportunities of praising the daisy he never lost (Transcriber's note: Modern scholars believe that Chaucer was not the author of this poem) Mieux un in heart which never shall apall: better one who in heart shall never pall — whose love will never weary A BALLAD SENT TO KING RICHARD SOMETIME this world was so steadfast and stable, That man's word was held obligation; And now it is so false and deceivable,* *deceitful That word and work, as in conclusion, Be nothing one; for turned up so down Is all this world, through meed* and wilfulness, *bribery That all is lost for lack of steadfastness What makes this world to be so variable, But lust* that folk have in dissension? *pleasure For now-a-days a man is held unable* *fit for nothing *But if* he can, by some collusion,** *unless* *fraud, trick Do his neighbour wrong or oppression What causeth this but wilful wretchedness, That all is lost for lack of steadfastness? Truth is put down, reason is holden fable; Virtue hath now no domination; Pity exil'd, no wight is merciable; Through covetise is blent* discretion; *blinded The worlde hath made permutation From right to wrong, from truth to fickleness, That all is lost for lack of steadfastness L'Envoy O Prince! desire to be honourable; Cherish thy folk, and hate extortion; Suffer nothing that may be reprovable* *a subject of reproach To thine estate, done in thy region;* *kingdom Show forth the sword of castigation; Dread God, law, love thorough worthiness, And wed thy folk again to steadfastness! L'ENVOY OF CHAUCER TO BUKTON My Master Bukton, when of Christ our King Was asked, What is truth or soothfastness? He not a word answer'd to that asking, As who saith, no man is all true, I guess; And therefore, though I highte* to express *promised The sorrow and woe that is in marriage, I dare not write of it no wickedness, Lest I myself fall eft* in such dotage.** *again **folly I will not say how that it is the chain Of Satanas, on which he gnaweth ever; But I dare say, were he out of his pain, As by his will he would be bounden never But thilke* doated fool that eft had lever *that Y-chained be, than out of prison creep, God let him never from his woe dissever, Nor no man him bewaile though he weep! But yet, lest thou worse, take a wife; Bet is to wed than burn in worse wise; But thou shalt have sorrow on thy flesh *thy life,* *all thy life* And be thy wife's thrall, as say these wise And if that Holy Writ may not suffice, Experience shall thee teache, so may hap, That thee were lever to be taken in Frise, Than eft* to fall of wedding in the trap *again This little writ, proverbes, or figure, I sende you; take keep* of it, I read! *heed "Unwise is he that can no weal endure; If thou be sicker,* put thee not in dread."** *in security **danger The Wife of Bath I pray you that you read, Of this mattere which that we have on hand God grante you your life freely to lead In freedom, for full hard is to be bond Notes to L'Envoy of Chaucer to Bukton Tyrwhitt, founding on the reference to the Wife of Bath, places this among Chaucer's latest compositions; and states that one Peter de Bukton held the office of king's escheator for Yorkshire in 1397 In some of the old editions, the verses were made the Envoy to the Book of the Duchess Blanche — in very bad taste, when we consider that the object of that poem was to console John of Gaunt under the loss of his wife "But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn." Cor vii Lever to be taken in Frise: better to be taken prisoner in Friesland — where probably some conflict was raging at the time A BALLAD OF GENTLENESS THE firste stock-father of gentleness, What man desireth gentle for to be, Must follow his trace, and all his wittes dress,* *apply Virtue to love, and vices for to flee; For unto virtue longeth dignity, And not the reverse, safely dare I deem, *All wear he* mitre, crown, or diademe *whether he wear* This firste stock was full of righteousness, True of his word, sober, pious, and free, *Clean of his ghost,* and loved business, *pure of spirit* Against the vice of sloth, in honesty; And, but his heir love virtue as did he, He is not gentle, though he riche seem, All wear he mitre, crown, or diademe Vice may well be heir to old richess, But there may no man, as men may well see, Bequeath his heir his virtuous nobless; That is appropried* to no degree, *specially reserved But to the first Father in majesty, Which makes his heire him that doth him queme,* *please All wear he mitre, crown, or diademe Notes to A Ballad of Gentleness The firste stock-father of gentleness: Christ THE COMPLAINT OF CHAUCER TO HIS PURSE To you, my purse, and to none other wight, Complain I, for ye be my lady dear! I am sorry now that ye be so light, For certes ye now make me heavy cheer; Me were as lief be laid upon my bier For which unto your mercy thus I cry, Be heavy again, or elles must I die! Now vouchesafe this day, ere it be night, That I of you the blissful sound may hear, Or see your colour like the sunne bright, That of yellowness hadde peer Ye be my life! Ye be my hearte's steer!* *rudder Queen of comfort and of good company! Be heavy again, or elles must I die! Now, purse! that art to me my life's light And savour, as down in this worlde here, Out of this towne help me through your might, Since that you will not be my treasurere; For I am shave as nigh as any frere But now I pray unto your courtesy, Be heavy again, or elles must I die! Chaucer's Envoy to the King O conqueror of Brute's Albion, Which by lineage and free election Be very king, this song to you I send; And ye which may all mine harm amend, Have mind upon my supplication! Notes to The Complaint of Chaucer to his Purse "I am shave as nigh as any frere" i.e "I am as bare of coin as a friar's tonsure of hair." Brute, or Brutus, was the legendary first king of Britain GOOD COUNSEL OF CHAUCER FLEE from the press, and dwell with soothfastness; Suffice thee thy good, though it be small; For hoard hath hate, and climbing tickleness,* *instability Press hath envy, and *weal is blent* o'er all, *prosperity is blinded* Savour* no more than thee behove shall; *have a taste for Read* well thyself, that other folk canst read; *counsel And truth thee shall deliver, it is no dread.* *doubt Paine thee not each crooked to redress, In trust of her that turneth as a ball; Great rest standeth in little business: Beware also to spurn against a nail; Strive not as doth a crocke* with a wall; *earthen pot Deeme* thyself that deemest others' deed, *judge And truth thee shall deliver, it is no dread What thee is sent, receive in buxomness;* *submission The wrestling of this world asketh a fall; Here is no home, here is but wilderness Forth, pilgrim! Forthe beast, out of thy stall! Look up on high, and thank thy God of all! *Weive thy lust,* and let thy ghost* thee lead, *forsake thy And truth thee shall deliver, it is no dread inclinations* *spirit Notes to Good Counsel of Chaucer This poem is said to have been composed by Chaucer "upon his deathbed, lying in anguish." Her that turneth as a ball: Fortune To spurn against a nail; "against the pricks." PROVERBS OF CHAUCER WHAT should these clothes thus manifold, Lo! this hot summer's day? After great heate cometh cold; No man cast his pilche* away *pelisse, furred cloak Of all this world the large compass Will not in mine arms twain; Who so muche will embrace, Little thereof he shall distrain.* *grasp The world so wide, the air so remuable,* *unstable The silly man so little of stature; The green of ground and clothing so mutable, The fire so hot and subtile of nature; The water *never in one* — what creature *never the same* That made is of these foure thus flitting, May steadfast be, as here, in his living? The more I go, the farther I am behind; The farther behind, the nearer my war's end; The more I seek, the worse can I find; The lighter leave, the lother for to wend; The better I live, the more out of mind; Is this fortune, *n'ot I,* or infortune;* *I know not* *misfortune Though I go loose, tied am I with a loigne.* *line, tether Notes to Proverbs of Chaucer (Transcriber's Note: Modern scholars believe that Chaucer's may have been the author of the first stanza of this poem, but was not the author of the second and third) These foure: that is, the four elements, of which man was believed to be composed The lighter leave, the lother for to wend: The more easy (through age) for me to depart, the less willing I am to go VIRELAY ALONE walking In thought plaining, And sore sighing; All desolate, Me rememb'ring Of my living; My death wishing Both early and late Infortunate Is so my fate, That, wot ye what? Out of measure My life I hate; Thus desperate, In such poor estate, Do I endure Of other cure Am I not sure; Thus to endure Is hard, certain; Such is my ure,* *destiny I you ensure; What creature May have more pain? My truth so plain Is taken in vain, And great disdain In remembrance; Yet I full fain Would me complain, Me to abstain From this penance But, in substance, None alleggeance* *alleviation Of my grievance Can I not find; Right so my chance, With displeasance, Doth me advance; And thus an end Notes to Virelay (Transcriber's note: Modern scholars believe that Chaucer was not the author of this poem) Ure: "heur," or destiny; the same word that enters into "bonheur" and "malheur." (French: happiness & unhappiness) "SINCE I FROM LOVE." SINCE I from Love escaped am so fat, I ne'er think to be in his prison ta'en; Since I am free, I count him not a bean He may answer, and saye this and that; I *do no force,* I speak right as I mean; *care not* Since I from Love escaped am so fat Love hath my name struck out of his slat,* *slate, list And he is struck out of my bookes clean, For ever more; there is none other mean; Since I from Love escaped am so fat Notes to "Since I from Love" (Transcriber's note: Modern scholars believe that Chaucer was not the author of this poem) CHAUCER'S WORDS TO HIS SCRIVENER ADAM Scrivener, if ever it thee befall Boece or Troilus for to write anew, Under thy long locks thou may'st have the scall* *scab But *after my making* thou write more true! *according to my So oft a day I must thy work renew, composing* It to correct, and eke to rub and scrape; And all is through thy negligence and rape.* *haste CHAUCER'S PROPHECY WHEN priestes *failen in their saws,* *come short of their And lordes turne Godde's laws profession* Against the right; And lechery is holden as *privy solace,* *secret delight* And robbery as free purchase, Beware then of ill! Then shall the Land of Albion Turne to confusion, As sometime it befell Ora pro Anglia Sancta Maria, quod Thomas Cantuaria Sweet Jesus, heaven's King, Fair and best of all thing, You bring us out of this mourning, To come to thee at our ending! Notes to Chaucer's Prophecy (Transcriber's note: Modern scholars believe that Chaucer was not the author of this poem) "Holy Mary, pray for England, as does Thomas of Canterbury" (i.e St Thomas a Beckett) The end of the Project Gutenberg e-text of The Canterbury Tales and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer ... CHAUCER THE CANTERBURY TALES The General Prologue The Knight's Tale The Miller's tale The Reeve's Tale The Cook's Tale The Man of Law's Tale The Wife of Bath's Tale The Friar's Tale The Sompnour's... and further information is included below We need your donations The Canterbury Tales and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer November, 2000 [Etext #2383] * *The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Canterbury. .. Tale The Clerk's Tale The Merchant's Tale The Squire's Tale The Franklin's Tale The Doctor's Tale The Pardoner's Tale The Shipman's Tale The Prioress's Tale Chaucer' s Tale of Sir Thopas Chaucer' s