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For gold in phisik is a cordial; Therfore he lovede gold in special.

450

A good WIF was ther or byside BATHE, But sche was somdel deef, and that was skathe. Of cloth-makyng sche hadde such an haunt, Sche passed hem of Ypris and of Gaunt. In al the parisshe wyf ne was ther noon That to the offryng byforn hire schulde goon, And if ther dide, certeyn so wroth was sche, That sche was thanne out of alle charité. Hire keverchefs weren ful fyne of grounde; I durste swere they weyghede ten pounde That on the Sonday were upon hire heed. Hire hosen were of fyn scarlett reed, [newe. Ful streyte y-teyed, and schoos ful moyste and Bold was hir face, and fair, and reed of hewe. 460 Sche was a worthy womman al hire lyfe, Housbondes atte chirche dore hadde sche fyfe, Withouten othur companye in youthe; But therof needeth nought to speke as nouthe. And thries hadde sche ben at Jerusalem; Sche hadde passud many a straunge streem; At Rome sche hadde ben, and at Boloyne, In Galice at seynt Jame, and at Coloyne. Sche cowde moche of wandryng by the weye. Gattothud was sche, sothly for to seye. Uppon an amblere esely sche sat, Wymplid ful wel, and on hire heed an hat As brood as is a bocler or a targe; A foot-mantel aboute hire hupes large, And on hire feet a paire of spores scharpe. In felawschipe wel cowde lawghe and carpe. Of remedyes of love sche knew parchaunce, For of that art sche knew the olde daunce. A good man was ther of religioun, And was a pore PERSOUN of a toun; But riche he was of holy thought and werk. He was also a lerned man, a clerk That Cristes gospel truly wolde preche; His parischens devoutly wold he teche. Benigne he was, and wondur diligent, And in adversité ful pacient; And such he was i-proved ofte sithes. Ful loth were him to curse for his tythes; But rather wolde he geven out of dowte, Unto his pore parisschens aboute,

470

480

490

brated works, the Decameron of Boccaccio, and the Visions

of Piers Ploughman.

449. cloth makyng. The west of England, and especially the neighbourhood of Bath, from which the "good wif" came, was celebrated, till a comparatively recent period,

as the district of cloth-making. Ipres and Ghent were the great clothing marts on the Continent.

456. ten pounde. This is the reading of all the best Mss. I have consulted. Tyrwhitt has a pound. It is a satire on the fashionable head-dresses of the ladies at this time, which appear in the illuminations to be composed of large quantities of heavy wadding; and the satirist takes the liberty of exaggerating a little.

459. moyste. One of the Cambridge Mss. reads softe, which was, perhaps, originally a gloss to moyste.

500

Of his offrynge, and eek of his substaunce.
He cowde in litel thing han suffisance.
Wyd was his parisch, and houses fer asondur,
But he ne lafte not for reyn ne thondur,
In siknesse ne in meschief to visite
The ferrest in his parissche, moche and lite,
Uppon his feet, and in his hond a staf.
This noble ensample unto his scheep he gaf,
That ferst he wroughte, and after that he taughte,
Out of the gospel he tho wordes caughte,
And this figure he addid yit therto,
That if gold ruste, what schulde yren doo?
For if a prest be foul, on whom we truste,
No wondur is a lewid man to ruste;
And schame it is, if that a prest take kepe,
A schiten schepperd and a clene schepe;
Wel oughte a prest ensample for to give,
By his clennesse, how that his scheep schulde
lyve.

He sette not his benefice to huyre,
And lefte his scheep encombred in the myre, 510
And ran to Londone, unto seynte Poules,
To seeken him a chaunterie for soules,
Or with a brethurhede be withholde;
But dwelte at hoom, and kepte wel his folde,
So that the wolf ne made it not myscarye.
He was a schepperde and no mercenarie;
And though he holy were, and vertuous,
He was to senful man nought dispitous,
Ne of his speche daungerous ne digne,
But in his teching discret and benigne.
To drawe folk to heven by fairnesse,
By good ensample, was his busynesse:
But it were eny persone obstinat,
What so he were of high or lowe estat,
Him wolde he snybbe scharply for the nones.
A bettre preest I trowe ther nowher non is.
He waytud after no pompe ne reverence,

Ne maked him a spiced conscience,

But Cristes lore, and his apostles twelve,

520

He taught, and ferst he folwed it himselve. 530
With him ther was a PLOUGHMAN, his brothur,
That hadde i-lad of dong ful many a fothur.
A trewe swynker and a good was hee,
Lyvynge in pees and parfight charitee.
God loved he best with al his trewe herte
At alle tymes, though him gained or smerte,
And thanne his neighebour right as himselve.
He wolde threisshe, and therto dyke and delve,
For Cristes sake, with every pore wight,
Withouten huyre, if it laye in his might.
His tythes payede he ful faire and wel,
Bathe of his owne swynk and his catel.
In a tabbard he rood upon a mere.

540

Ther was also a reeve and a mellere, A sompnour and a pardoner also, A maunciple, and my self, ther was no mo. The MELLERE was a stout carl for the nones, 462 atte chirche dore. The priest formerly joined the Ful big he was of braun, and eek of boones; hands of the couple, and performed a great part of the That prevede wel, for over al ther he cam, marriage-service in the church porch. See Warton's His-At wrastlynge he wolde bere awey the ram. 550 tory of English Poetry, ii. 201 (ed. of 1840).

468. Coloyne. At Cologne the bones of the three Kings of the East were believed to be preserved. 477. remedyes. An allusion to the title and subject of Ovid's book, De Remedio Amoris.

480. Chaucer, in his beautiful character of the parson, sets up the industrious secular clergy against the lazy wicked monks.

483. truly. I have substituted this word, which is found in most of the other mss., for gladly, the reading of the Ms. Harl

He was schort schuldred, broode, a thikke knarre,

521. fairnesse. This is the reading of most of the Mss. The Ms. Harl. has clennesse, which seems not to give so good a sense.

550. the ram. "This was the usual prize at wrestlingmatches. See below, ver. 13671; and Gamelyn, ver. 343 and 555. M. Paris mentions a wrestling-match at Westminster, in the year 1222, at which a ram was the prize." -Tyrwhitt

Ther nas no dore that he nolde heve of harre,
Or breke it with a rennyng with his heed.
His berd as ony sowe or fox was reed,
And therto brood, as though it were a spade.
Upon the cop right of his nose he hade
A werte, and theron stood a tuft of heres,
Reede as the berstles of a souwes eeres.
His nose-thurles blake were and wyde.
A swerd and a bocler baar he by his side.
His mouth as wyde was as a gret forneys.
He was a jangler, and a golyardeys,
And that was most of synne and harlotries.
Wel cowde he stele corn, and tollen thries;
And yet he hadde a thombe of gold pardé.
A whight cote and blewe hood wered he.
A baggepipe cowde he blowe and sowne,
And therwithal he brought us out of towne.
A gentil MAUNCIPLE was ther of a temple,
Of which achatours mighten take exemple
For to be wys in beyyng of vitaille.
For whethur that he payde, or took by taille,
Algate he wayted so in his acate,
That he was ay biforn and in good state.
Now is not that of God a ful fair grace,
That such a lewed mannes wit schal pace
The wisdom of an heep of lernede men?
Of maystres hadde moo than thries ten,
That were of lawe expert and curious;
Of which ther were a doseyn in an hous,
Worthi to be stiwardes of rente and lond
Of any lord that is in Engelond,

His swyn, his hors, his stoor, and his pultrie, 600
Was holly in this reeves governynge,
And by his covenaunt gaf the rekenynge,
Syn that his lord was twenti yeer of age;
Ther couthe noman bringe him in arrerage.
Ther nas ballif, ne herde, ne other hyne,
That they ne knewe his sleight and his covyne;
They were adrad of him, as of the deth.
560 His wonyng was ful fair upon an heth,

570

610

620

With grene trees i-schadewed was his place.
He cowde bettre than his lord purchace.
Ful riche he was i-stored prively,
His lord wel couthe he plese subtilly,
To geve and lene him of his owne good,
And have a thank, a cote, and eek an hood.
In youthe he lerned hadde a good mester;
He was a wel good wright, a carpenter.
This reeve sat upon a wel good stot,
That was a pomely gray, and highte Scot.
A long surcote of pers uppon he hadde,
And by his side he bar a rusty bladde.
Of Northfolk was this reeve of which I telle,
Byside a toun men callen Baldeswelle.
Tukkud he was, as is a frere, aboute,
And ever he rood the hynderest of the route,
A SOMPNOUR was ther with us in that place,
That hadde a fyr-reed cherubynes face,
For sawceflem he was, with eyghen narwe.
580 As hoot he was, and leccherous, as a sparwe,
With skalled browes blak, and piled berd;
Of his visage children weren sore aferd.
Ther nas quyksilver, litarge, ne brimstone,
Boras, ceruce, ne oille of tartre noon,
Ne oynement that wolde clense and byte,
That him might helpen of his whelkes white,
Ne of the knobbes sittyng on his cheekes.
Wel loved he garleek, oynouns, and ek leekes,
And for to drinke strong wyn reed as blood.
Thanne wolde he speke, and crye as he were wood.
And whan that he wel dronken hadde the wyn,
Than wolde he speke no word but Latyn. 640

590

To make him lyve by his propre good,
In honour detteles, but if he were wood,
Or lyve as scarsly as he can desire;
And able for to helpen al a schire
In many caas that mighte falle or happe;
And yit this maunciple sette here aller cappe.
The REEVE was a sklendre colerik man,
His berd was schave as neigh as ever he can.
His heer was by his eres rounde i-schorn.
His top was dockud lyk a preest biforn.
Ful longe wern his leggus, and ful lene,
Al like a staff, ther was no calf y-sene.
Wel cowde he kepe a gerner and a bynne;
Ther was non auditour cowde on him wynne.
Wel wiste he by the drought, and by the reyn,
The yeeldyng of his seed, and of his greyn.
His lordes scheep, his meet, and his dayerie,

552. harre. This is the reading of all the oldest and best мss.; barre, a later reading, adopted by Tyrwhitt, appears to have originated with some one who did not know the meaning of the other word.

564. stele corn. During the middle ages millers enjoyed, above all other tradesmen, the reputation of being thieves; and their depredations were the more generally felt, as people in all classes of society carried their own corn to the mill to be ground, often in small quantities.

565. a thombe of gold. "If the allusion be, as is most probable, to the old proverb-every honest miller has a thumb of gold, this passage may mean, that our miller, notwithstanding his thefts, was an honest miller,-i. e. as honest as his brethren."-Tyrwhitt.

567. a baggepipe. The bagpipe was a very popular instrument of music in the middle ages, and figures in the illuminated manuscripts of various countries. In modern times its use has been restricted to Scotland (probably because minstrelsy was longer preserved there) until it was looked upon as the national music of that country.

588. sette here aller cappe; i. e. outwitted them all. This phrase occurs again in the Miller's Prologue.

591. rounde. The Ms. Harl. has neighe; but all the other мss. I have consulted agree in the reading I have adopted in the text.

630

A fewe termes hadde he, tuo or thre,
That he hadde lerned out of som decree;
No wondur is, he herde it al the day,
And eek ye knowe wel, how that a jay
Can clepe Watte, as wel as can the pope.
But who so wolde in othur thing him grope,
Thanne hadde he spent al his philosophie,
Ay, Questio quid juris, wolde he crye.
He was a gentil harlot and a kynde;
A bettre felaw schulde men nowher fynde. 650
He wolde suffre for a quart of wyn
A twelve moneth, and excuse him atte fulle.
A good felawe to han his concubyn
And prively a fynch eek cowde he pulle.
And if he fond owher a good felawe,

619. pers. The Ms. Harl. alone reads blew; perse was a sky-blue colour.

622. Baldeswelle. A parish in Eynford hundred, Norfolk. 626. cherubynes face. H. Stephens, Apol. Herod. i. 30, quotes the same thought from a French epigram,—

Nos grands docteurs du cherubin visage. 648 Questio quid juris. "This kind of question occurs frequently in Ralph de Hengham. After having stated a case, he adds, quid juris? and then proceeds to give the answer to it. See Heng. Mag., c. xi. Esto autem quod reus nullo modo venerit ad hunc diem, quid juris? &c. See also c. xii."-Tyrwhitt.

649 harlot. Chaucer gives us here an excellent picture of the class of society to which this name was applied in the middle ages. See the Glossary.

He wolde teche him to have non awe
In such a caas of the archedeknes curs;
But if a mannes soule were in his purs;
For in his purs he scholde punyssched be.
"Purs is the ercedeknes helle," quod he.
But wel I woot he lyeth right in dede;
Of cursyng oweth ech gulty man to drede;
For curs wol slee right as assoillyng saveth;
And also ware him of a significavit.
In daunger he hadde at his owne assise
The yonge gurles of the diocise,

And knew here counseil, and was al here red.
A garland had he set upon his heed,
As gret as it were for an ale-stake;
A bokeler had he maad him of a cake.

660

[blocks in formation]

Now have I told you schortly in a clause Thestat, tharray, the nombre, and eek the cause Why that assembled was this companye In Southwerk at this gentil ostelrie, That highte the Tabbard, faste by the Belle. But now is tyme to yow for to telle How that we bare us in that ilke night, 670 Whan we were in that ostelrie alight; And aftur wol I telle of oure viage, And al the remenaunt of oure pilgrimage.

680

690

With him ther rood a gentil PARDONER Of Rouncival, his frend and his comper, That streyt was comen from the court ef Rome. Ful lowde he sang, Come hider, love, to me. This sompnour bar to him a stif burdoun, Was nevere trompe of half so gret a soun. This pardoner hadde heer as yelwe as wex, But smothe it heng, as doth a strike of flex; By unces hynge his lokkes that he hadde, And therwith he his schuldres overspradde. Ful thenne it lay, by culpons on and oon, But hood, for jolitee, ne wered he noon, For it was trussud up in his walet. Him thought he rood al of the newe get, Dischevele, sauf his cappe, he rood al bare. Suche glaryng eyghen hadde he as an hare. A vernicle hadde he sowed on his cappe. His walet lay byforn him in his lappe, Bret ful of pardoun come from Rome al hoot. A voys he hadde as smale as eny goot. No berd ne hadde he, ne never scholde have, As smothe it was as it ware late i-schave; I trowe he were a geldyng or a mare. But of his craft, fro Berwyk unto Ware, Ne was ther such another pardoner. For in his male he hadde a pilwebeer, Which, that he saide, was oure lady veyl: He seide, he hadde a gobet of the seyl That seynt Petur hadde, whan that he wente Uppon the see, till Jhesu Crist him hente. He hadde a cros of latoun ful of stones, And in a glas he hadde pigges bones. But with thise reliques, whanne that he fand A pore persoun dwellyng uppon land, Upon a day he gat him more moneye Than that the persoun gat in monthes tweye. And thus with feyned flaterie and japes, He made the persoun and the people his apes. But trewely to tellen atte laste,

700

664. significavit. "The writ de excommunicato capiendo, commonly called a significavit, from the beginning of the nificavit nobis venerabilis pater H. L., episcopus, &c. Cod. Jur. Ecc., p. 1054."-Tyrwhitt.

writ, which is as follows: Rex vicecomiti L. salutem. Sig

665. in daunger. The old meaning of the word danger was jurisdiction, or dominion whereby persons were liable to fine for certain offences to him in whose danger they were. Most of the MSS. have gise instead of assise.. 674. Come hider, love, to me. Probably the burden of a popular song.

675. bar .a stif burdoun. "Sang the bass. See ver. 4163, and Ducange in v. Burdo."-Tyrwhitt.

684. newe get. New fashion. Tyrwhitt has illustrated this phrase by a passage from Occleve's poem, De regimine principis:

Also ther is another newe gette,
Al foule waste of cloth and excessif.

But ferst I pray you of your curtesie,
That ye ne rette it nat my vilanye,
Though that I speke al pleyn in this matere,
To telle you here wordes and here cheere; 730
Ne though I speke here wordes propurly.
For this ye knowen al so wel as I,

Who so schal telle a tale aftur a man,
He moste reherce, as neigh as ever he can,
Every word, if it be in his charge,

Al speke he never so rudely ne large;
Or elles he moot telle his tale untrewe,
Or feyne thing, or fynde wordes newe.

He may not spare, though he were his brothur;
He moste as wel sey oo word as anothur. 740
Crist spak himself ful broode in holy writ,
And wel ye woot no vilanye is it.

Eke Plato seith, who so that can him rede,
The wordes mot be cosyn to the dede.
Also I pray you to forgeve it me,

Al have I folk nat set in here degré

750

Here in this tale, as that thei schulde stonde;
My witt is schorte, ye may wel undurstonde.
Greet cheere made oure ost us everichon,
And to the souper sette he us anon;
And served us with vitaille atte beste.
Strong was the wyn, and wel to drynke us leste.
A semely man oure ooste was withalle
For to han been a marchal in an halle;
A large man was he with eyghen stepe,
A fairere burgeys is ther noon in Chepe:
Bold of his speche, and wys and well i-taught,
And of manhede lakkede he right naught.
Eke therto he was right a mery man,
And after soper playen he bygan,
And spak of myrthe among othur thinges,
Whan that we hadde maad oure rekenynges;
And sayde thus; "Lo, lordynges, trewely
Ye ben to me right welcome hertily:
For by my trouthe, if that I schal not lye,
I ne saugh this yeer so mery a companye
At oones in this herbergh as is now.
Fayn wold I do yow merthe, wiste I how.
And of a merthe I am right now bythought,

760

721. the Belle. Stowe mentions an inn named the Bull as being near the Tabard; but I have found no mention of the Bell.

743. Plato. Tyrwhitt thinks that Chaucer took this saying of Plato from Boethius, iii. pr. 12.

748. schorte. This is the reading in which the мss. generally agree, and it seems the best; the Ms. Harl. reads thynne.

756. Chepe. Cheapside was, in the middle ages, occupied by the wealthiest and most substantial citizens of London.

770

840

Who so be rebel to my juggement
Schal paye for al that by the weye is spent.
Now draweth cut, er that we forther twynne;
Which that hath the schortest schal bygynne.”
"Sire knight," quoth he, "maister and my lord,
Now draweth cut, for that is myn acord.
Cometh ner, quoth he, my lady prioresse;
And ye, sir clerk, lat be your schamfastnesse,
Ne studieth nat; ley hand to, every man."
Anon to drawen every wight bigan,
780 And schortly for to tellen as it was,
Were it by aventure, or sort, or cas,
The soth is this, the cut fil to the knight,
Of which ful glad and blithe was every wight;
And telle he moste his tale as was resoun,
By forward and by composicioun,
As ye han herd; what needeth wordes moo?
And whan this goode man seigh that it was so,
As he that wys was and obedient
To kepe his forward by his fre assent,
He seyde; "Syn I schal bygynne the game,
What, welcome be thou cut, a Goddus name!
Now lat us ryde, and herkneth what I seye."

To doon you eese, and it schal coste nought.
Ye goon to Caunturbury; God you speede,
The blisful martir quyte you youre meede!
And wel I woot, as ye gon by the weye,
Ye schapen yow to talken and to pleye;
For trewely comfort ne merthe is noon,
To ryde by the weye domb as a stoon;
And therfore wol I make you disport,
As I seyde erst, and do you som confort.
And if yow liketh alle by oon assent
Now for to standen at my juggement;
And for to werken as I schal you seye,
To morwe, whan ye riden by the weye,
Now by my fadres soule that is deed,
But be
ye merye, smyteth of myn heed.
Hold up youre hond withoute more speche."
Oure counseil was not longe for to seche;
Us thoughte it nas nat worth to make it wys,
And graunted him withoute more avys,
And bad him seie his verdite, as him leste. 779
"Lordynges," quoth he, "now herkeneth for the
But taketh not, I pray you, in disdayn; [beste;
This is the poynt, to speken schort and playn,
That ech of yow to schorte with youre weie,
In this viage, schal telle tales tweye,
To Caunturburi-ward, I mene it so,
And hom-ward he schal tellen othur tuo,
Of aventures that ther han bifalle.

And which of yow that bereth him best of alle,
That is to seye, that telleth in this caas

Tales of best sentence and of solas,

800

810

Schal han a soper at your alther cost
Here in this place sittynge by this post,
Whan that we comen ageyn from Canturbery.
And for to make you the more mery,
I wol myselven gladly with you ryde,
Right at myn owen cost, and be youre gyde.
And who so wole my juggement withseie
Schal paye for al we spenden by the weye.
And if ye vouchesauf that it be so,
Telle me anoon, withouten wordes moo,
And I wole erely schappe me therfore."
This thing was graunted, and oure othus swore
With ful glad herte, and prayden him also
That he wolde vouchesauf for to doon so,
And that he wolde ben oure governour,
And of oure tales jugge and reportour,
And sette a souper at a certeyn prys;
And we wolde rewled be at his devys,
In heygh and lowe; and thus by oon assent
We been acorded to his juggement.

And therupon the wyn was fet anoon;
We dronken, and to reste wente echoon,
Withouten eny lengere taryinge.

820

A morwe whan that the day bigan to sprynge,
Up roos oure ost, and was oure althur cok,
And gaderud us togider alle in a flok,
And forth we riden a litel more than paas,
Unto the waterynge of seint Thomas:
And there oure ost bigan his hors areste,
And seyde; "Lordus, herkeneth if yow leste. 830
Ye woot youre forward, and I it you recorde.
If eve-song and morwe-song acorde,
Let se now who schal telle ferst a tale.
As evere I moote drinke wyn or ale,

828. waterynge of seint Thomas. The watering of St. Thomas was at the second mile-stone on the old Canterbury read. It is mentioned not unfrequently in the early dramatists.

850

And with that word we riden forth oure weye;
And he bigan with right a merie chere
His tale, and seide right in this manere.

THE KNIGHTES TALE.

WHILOM, as olde stories tellen us,
Ther was a duk that highte Theseus;
Of Athenes he was lord and governour,
And in his tyme swich a conquerour,
That gretter was ther non under the sonne.
Ful many a riche contré hadde he wonne;
That with his wisdam and his chivalrie
He conquered al the regne of Femynye,
That whilom was i-cleped Cithea;
And weddede the queen Ipolita,

860

870

And brought hire hoom with him in his contré
With moche glorie and gret solempnité,
And eek hire yonge suster Emelye.
And thus with victoric and with melodye
Lete I this noble duk to Athenes ryde,
And al his ost, in armes him biside.
And certes, if it nere to long to heere,
I wolde han told yow fully the manere,
How wonnen was the regne of Femenye
By Theseus, and by his chivalrye;
And of the grete bataille for the nones
Bytwix Athenes and the Amazones;
And how asegid was Ypolita

The faire hardy quyen of Cithea;

And of the feste that was at hire weddynge,
And of the tempest at hire hoom comynge,

880

837. draweth cut. Froissart terms this method of drawing lots tirer à la longue paille.

860. right in this manere. Tyrwhitt reads as ye shul here, and inserts anon after tale.

The Knightes Tale. This story is taken from the Theseida of Boccaccio, which was translated also into French verse; but whether Chaucer used the Italian or the French

is not certain, as I have not been able to compare Chaucer with the French. The English story differs in some parts considerably, and is very much abbreviated, from the poem of Boccaccio. The extracts given in the following notes are repeated from Tyrwhitt. See Tyrwhitt's Introd. and Warton's Hist. of Eng. Poet.

868. Femynye. A medieval name for the kingdom of the Amazons. Gower (Conf. Amant) terms Penthesilea queen of Feminee. Citha is, of course, a corruption of Scythia.

886. temprst. Tyrwhitt has temple, but I think his rea

But al that thing I most as now forbere.
I have, God wot, a large feeld to ere;
And wayke ben the oxen in my plough.
The remenaunt of the tale is long inough,
I wol not lette eek non of al this route.
Lat every felawe telle his tale aboute,
And lat see now who schal the soper wynne.
And ther I lafte, I wolde agayn begynne.

This duk, of whom I make mencioun,
Whan he was comen almost unto the toun,
In al his wele and in his moste pryde,
He was war, as he cast his eyghe aside,
Wher that ther kneled in the hye weye
A companye of ladies, tweye and tweye,
Ech after other, clad in clothes blake;
But such a cry and such a woo they make,
That in this world nys creature lyvynge,
That herde such another waymentynge.
And of that cry ne wolde they never stenten,
Til they the reynes of his bridel henten.
"What folk be ye that at myn hom comynge
Pertourben so my feste with cryenge?"
Quod Theseus, "have ye so gret envye

And lat oure sorwe synken in thyn herte."
This gentil duke doun from his courser sterte
With herte pitous, whan he herde hem speke.
890 Him thoughte that his herte wolde breke,
Whan he seyh hem so piteous and so maat,
That whilom weren of so gret estat.
And in his armes he hem alle up hente,
And hem conforteth in ful good entente;
And swor his oth, as he was trewe knight,
He wolde do so ferforthly his might
Upon the tyraunt Creon hem to wreke,
That all the people of Grece scholde speke
How Creon was of Theseus y-served,
As he that hath his deth right wel deserved.
And right anoon, withoute eny abood
His baner he desplayeth, and forth rood
To Thebes-ward, and al his oost bysyde;
No ner Athenes wolde he go ne ryde,
Ne take his eese fully half a day,
But onward on his way that nyght he lay;
And sente anoon Ypolita the queene,
And Emelye hir yonge suster schene,
Unto the toun of Athenes to dwelle;

900

Of myn honour, that thus compleyne and crie? 910 And forth he ryt; ther is no more to telle.

920

Or who hath yow misboden, or offendid?
And telleth me if it may ben amendid;
And why that ye ben clad thus al in blak?"
The oldest lady of hem alle spak,
Whan sche had swowned with a dedly chere,
That it was routhe for to seen or heere;
And seyde; "Lord, to whom fortune hath geven
Victorie, and as a conquerour lyven,
Nought greveth us youre glorie and honour;
But we beseken mercy and socour.
Have mercy on oure woo and oure distresse.
Som drope of pitee, thurgh youre gentilnesse,
Uppon us wrecchede wommen lat thou falle.
For certus, lord, ther nys noon of us alle,
That sche nath ben a duchesse or a queene;
Now be we caytifs, as it is well seene:
Thanked be fortune, and hire false wheel,
That noon estat assureth to ben weel.
And certus, lord, to abiden youre presence
Here in the temple of the goddesse Clemence
We han ben waytynge al this fourtenight;
Now helpe us, lord, syn it is in thy might.
I wrecche, which that wepe and waylle thus,
Was whilom wyf to kyng Capaneus,
That starf at Thebes, cursed be that day;
And alle we that ben in this array,
And maken alle this lamentacioun,
We leften alle oure housbondes at the toun,
Whil that the sege ther aboute lay.
And yet the olde Creon, welaway!
That lord is now of Thebes the citee,
Fulfilde of ire and of iniquité,
He for despyt, and for his tyrannye,
To do the deede bodyes vilonye,

Of alle oure lordes, which that ben i-slawe,
Hath alle the bodies on an heep y-drawe,
And wol not suffren hem by noon assent
Nother to ben y-buried nor i-brent,
But maketh houndes ete hem in despite."

930

960

970

980

The reede statue of Mars with spere and targe
So schyneth in his white baner large,
That alle the feeldes gliteren up and doun;
And by his baner was born his pynoun
Of gold ful riche, in which ther was i-bete
The Minatour which that he slough in Crete.
Thus ryt this duk, thus ryt this conquerour,
And in his oost of chevalrie the flour,
Til that he cam to Thebes, and alighte
Fayre in a feeld wher as he thoughte to fighte
But schortly for to speken of this thing,
With Creon, which that was of Thebes kyng,
He faught, and slough him manly as a knight
In pleyn bataille, and putte his folk to flight; 990
And by assaut he wan the cité aftur,

And rente doun bothe wal, and sparre, and raftur;
And to the ladies he restored agayn

1000

The bones of here housbondes that were slayn,
To do exequies, as was tho the gyse.
But it were al to long for to devyse
The grete clamour and the waymentynge
Which that the ladies made at the brennynge
Of the bodyes, and the grete honour
That Theseus the noble conquerour
Doth to the ladyes, whan they from him wente;
But schortly for to telle is myn entente.
Whan that this worthy duk, this Theseus,
Hath Creon slayn, and Thebes wonne thus,
Stille in the feelde he took al night his reste,
940 And dide with al the contré as him leste.
To ransake in the cas of bodyes dede
Hem for to streepe of herneys and of wede,
The pilours diden businesse and cure,
After the bataile and discomfiture.
And so byfil, that in the cas thei founde,
Thurgh girt with many a grevous blody wounde,
Two yonge knightes liggyng by and by,
Bothe in oon armes clad ful richely;
Of whiche two, Arcite hight that oon,

And with that word, withoute more respite, 950 And that othur knight hight Palamon.

They fillen gruf, and criden pitously,
"Have on us wrecched wommen som mercy,

sons for this reading are not sufficiently weighty to au-
thorise a departure from the text of the Ms. Harl., sup-
ported, as it is, by most of the good мss.

Nat fully quyk, ne fully deed they were,
But by here coote armure, and by here gere,
Heraudes knewe hem wel in special,

1010

1007. cas. So the other best мss. Tyrwhitt has substituted tas, a heap.

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