THE MAN OF LAW'S PRologue. 171 To Muses that men clepe Pierides,1 Methamorphosios woot what I mene, But nathelees, I recche noght a bene Though I come after hym, with halvebake;2 I speke in prose, and lat him rymes make." And with that word, he with a sobre cheere Bigan his tale, as ye shal after heere.

4520

The Prologe of the Manne of Lawes Tale.

foundid! 3

O hateful harm! condicion of poverte! With thurst, with coold, with hunger so con(4520 T.) To asken help thee shameth in thyn herte; If thou noon aske so soore artow ywoundid, That verray nede unwrappeth al thy wounde

hid!

Maugree thyn heed thou most for indigence
Or stele, or begge, or borwe thy despence!
Thow blamest Crist, and seist ful bitterly,
He mysdeparteth richesse temporal;
Thy neighebore thou wytest synfully,
And seist thou hast to lite 6 and he hath al.
"Parfay," seistow, "somtyme he rekene shal
Whan that his tayl shal brennen in the gleede,"
For he noght helpeth needfulle in hir neede."

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The daughters of Pierus are symbols of tiresome chatterers. They dared to contend with the real Muses, and, being defeated, were changed into magpies, as says Ovid, Metamorphoses, book v., fable 2. 2 Crudities. The word is from the Lansdowne MS. Others have "hawebake," which has no meaning that can be determined. 3 Perplexed. Despite. Blamest. 6 Little. 7 Coals.

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Herkne,1 what is the sentence of the wise: "Bet is to dyen than have indigence;" Thy-selve neighebor wol thee despise, If thou be povre, farwel thy reverence! Yet of the wise man take this sentence: "Alle dayes of povre men been wikke; Be war therfore, er thou come to that prikke! If thou be povre thy brother hateth thee, And alle thy freendes fleen from thee, allas! O riche marchauntz, ful of wele been yee, O noble, o prudent folk, as in this cas! Youre bagges been nat fild with ambes as,2 But with sys cynk, that renneth for youre chaunce;

At Cristemasse myrie may ye daunce!

Ye seken lond and see for yowre wynnynges ;

As wise folk ye knowen all thestaat

4

Of regnes ; ye been fadres of tidynges

And tales, bothe of pees and of debaat.

I were right now of tales desolaat,

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(4551 T.)

Me taughte a tale, which that

shal heere."

1 Elles. MS. has "herke." 2 Both aces. Cf. All's Well that Ends Well, act ii., sc. 3, 1. 84. A six-and-five throw. Cf. 1. 8273. 4 Kingdoms. 5 Were it not. 6 The following story is composed of incidents that frequently occur in ancient authors. Chaucer follows Nicholas Trivet, whose version has been published by the Chaucer Society (1872), with a translation by Edmund Brock. In the Gesta Romanorum it is called The Tale of the Wife of Merelaus the Emperor.

THE CHAPMEN GO TO ROME. 173

Heere begynneth The Man of Lawe his Tale.

FIRST PART.

In Surrye1 whilom dwelte a compaignye Of chapmen riche, and therto sadde and

trewe,

2

4

(4555 T.)

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That wyde-where senten hir spicerye,
Clothes of gold, and satyns riche of hewe.
Hir chaffare was so thrifty and so newe
That every wight hath deyntee 5 to chaffare
With hem, and eek to sellen hem hire ware.
Now fil it that the maistres of that sort
Han shapen hem to Rome for to wende,
Were it for chapmanhode, or for disport,
Noon oother message wolde they thider

sende,

6

But comen hem-self to Rome, this is the ende; And in swich place as thoughte hem avantage For hire entente, they take hir herbergage." Sojourned han thise marchantz in that toun A certein tyme, as fil to hire plesance; 4571 And so bifel that thexcellent renoun

8

Of the Emperoures doghter, dame Custance,
Reported was, with every circumstance,
Un-to thise Surryen marchantz in swich wyse
Fro day to day, as I shal yow devyse.

6 Mes

1 Syria. 2 Merchants. 3 Staid. Widely. 5 Pleasure. senger. 7 Lodging 8 The emperor is said to have been Tiberius Constantine (578-582).

This was the commune voys of every man : "Oure Emperour of Rome, God hym see!1 A doghter hath that syn the world bigan, To rekene as wel hir goodness as beautee, Nas nevere swich another as is shee.

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I prey to God, in honour hire susteene,

And wolde she were of all Europe the queene!
In hire is heigh beautee with-oute pride,
Yowthe with-oute grenehede 2 or folye ;
To alle hire werkes vertu is hir gyde ;
Humblesse hath slayn in hire al tirannye;
She is mirour of alle curteisye,

Hir herte is verray chambre of hoolynesse,
Hir hand ministre of fredam for almesse." 4590
And al this voys was sooth, as God is trewe;
But now to purpos lat us turne agayn.

Thise marchantz han doon fraught hir shippes

newe,

And whan they han this blisful mayden sayn,
Hoom to Surrye been they went 3 ful fayn,
And doon hir nedes as they han doon yoore,
And lyven in wele, I kan sey yow namoore.
Now fil it that thise marchantz stode in

grace

4

Of hym that was the sowdan of Surrye,
For whan they cam from any strange place
He wolde of his benigne curteisye

Make hem good chiere and bisily espye

Tidynges of sondry regnes, for to leere

5

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1 Preserve. 2 Childishness. 3 Turned. 4 Sultan. 5 Learn.

THE NOBLESSE OF DAME CUSTANCE.

175

The wondres that they myghte seen or heere. Amonges othere thynges specially, (4603 T.) Thise marchantz han hym toold of dame Custance

So greet noblesse in ernest ceriously,

That this sowdan hath caught so greet plesance
To han hir figure in his remembrance,
That all his lust, and al his bisy cure,

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Was for to love hire while his lyf may dure.
Paraventure in thilke large book,

1

Which that men clipe 1 the hevene, ywriten was

2

With sterres, whan that he his birthe took,

That he for love sholde han his deeth, allas!
For in the sterres, clerer than is glas,

Is written, God woot, who-so koude it rede,
The deeth of every man, withouten drede.
In sterres many a wynter ther biforn

Was writen the deeth of Ector, Achilles, 4620
Of Pompei, Julius, er they were born,
The strif of Thebes, and of Ercules,
Of Sampson, Turnus, and of Socrates
The deeth; but mennes wittes ben so dulle
That no wight kan wel rede it atte fulle.
This sowdan for his privee conseil sente,
And, shortly of this matiere for to pace,3
He hath to hem declared his entente,

And seyde hem, certein but he myghte have grace

To han Custance with-inne a litel space, 4630

1 Call. 2 His fortune was written in the stars. 3 Pass.