Up-on a tree he was, as that hym thoughte,
Ther Juppiter hym wesshe, bothe bak and syde,
And Phebus eek a fair towaille hym broughte
To dryen hym with, and therfore wex his pryde ;
And to his doghter, that stood hym bisyde,
Which that he knew in heigh science habounde,1
He bad hire telle hym what it signyfyde, 8361
And she his dreem bigan right thus expounde:
"The tree," quod she, "the galwes is to meene;
And Juppiter bitokneth snow and reyn,
And Phebus with his towaille so clene,

Tho been the sonne-bemes for to seyn;
Thou shalt anhanged be, fader, certeyn, -
Reyn shal thee wasshe and sonne shal thee

drye;"

2

8368

Thus warned she hym ful plat and ful pleyn,
His doghter which that called was Phanye.
An-hanged was Cresus, the proude kyng;
His roial trone myghte hym nat availle.

2

2

Tragedie3 is noon oother maner thyng ; Ne kan in syngyng crie ne biwaille (14,680 T.) But for that Fortune alwey wole assaille With unwar strook the regnes that been proude; For whan men trusteth hire, thanne wol she faille, And covere hire brighte face with a clowde. 8378

4

1 Great knowledge to abound. 2 Not in Elles. MS. 3 Cf. 1. 7585, and Boethius. 4 Kingdoms.

NOTE. The reader will notice by Tyrwhitt's numbers that he did not arrange the Monk's examples as in the text. The references in the conversation that follows prove that the series should end as above. Tyrwhitt arranged the last examples thus: Zenobia, Nero Holofernes, Antiochus, Alexander, Julius Cæsar, Croesus, Peter of Spain, Peter of Cyprus, Barnabo, and Ugolino of Pisa.

THE KNIGHT AND THE HOST COMPLAIN. 357

The Knight and the Host complain of this Tale.

"Hoo!" quod the Knyght, "good sire, na-
moore of this!
(14,773 T.)

That ye han seyd is right ynough, ywis,
And muchel moore; for litel hevynesse
Is right ynough to muche folk, I gesse.

8380

Where as men han been in greet welthe and ese To heeren of hire sodeyn fal, allas!

8389

And the contrarie is joye and greet solas,
As whan a man hath ben in povre estaat,
And clymbeth up, and wexeth fortunat,
And there abideth in prosperitee;
Swich thyng is gladsom, as it thynketh me,
And of swich thyng were goodly for to telle."
"Ye," quod oure Hoost, "by Seint Poules
belle !

Ye seye right sooth; this Monk he clappeth

lowde;

He spak how 'Fortune covered with

8

clowde,' 2

a

I noot nevere what, -and als of a 'tragedie Right now ye herde, and, pardee, 'no remedie '4 It is for to 'biwaille,' ne compleyne

6

That that is doon; and als, it is a peyne,

As ye han seyd, to heere of hevynesse.

1 Discomfort. 1. 8374. 6 Also.

2 Cf. 1. 8378. 3 Know not.

4 Cf. 1. 7605. 5 Cf.

Sire Monk, namoore of this, so God yow blesse ! Youre tale anoyeth all this compaignye; 8401 Swich talkyng is nat worth a boterflye,

1

For ther-inne is ther no desport ne game. Wherfore, sire Monk, daun Piers by youre (14,798 T.)

name,

I pray yow hertely, telle us somwhat elles,
For sikerly nere 2 clynkyng of youre belles,
That on youre bridel hange on every syde,
By hevene kyng, that for us alle dyde!
I sholde er this han fallen doun for sleepe,
Al-thogh the slough had never been so deepe;
Thanne hadde youre tale al be toold in veyn,
For certeinly, as that thise clerkes seyn, 8412
Where as a man may have noon audience,
Noght helpeth it to tellen his sentence;
And wel I woot the substance is in me,
If any thyng shal wel reported be.

Sir, sey somwhat of huntyng, I yow preye."
"Nay!" quod this Monk, "I have no lust

to pleye;

Now lat another telle, as I have toold."

Thanne spak oure Hoost with rude speche

and boold,

8420

And seyde un-to the Nonnes Preest anon, "Com neer, thou preest, com hyder, thou sir

John.

Telle us swich thyng as may oure hertes glade;

1 Cf. 1. 7540.

The Host has now learned the Monk's name.

3 Cf. 1. 170.

2 Were it not for the.

Be blithe, though thou ryde up-on a jade.
What thogh thyn hors be bothe foule and lene?
If he wol serve thee, rekke nat a bene;
Looke that thyn herte be murie everemo."
"Yis, sir," quod he, "yis, Hoost, so moot I

go,

(14,822 T.) But I be myrie, ywis I wol be blamed." And right anon his tale he hath attamed,1 8430 And thus he seyde un-to us everichon,

This sweete preest, this goodly man, sir John.2

Heere bigynneth The Nonnes Preestes Tale of the Cok and Hen,· Chauntecleer and Pertelote.

A povre wydwe, somdel stape in age, Was whilom dwellyng in a narwe cotage Beside a greve,* stondynge in a dale. (14,829 T.) This wydwe, of which I telle yow my tale, Syn thilke day that she was last a wyf, In pacience ladde a ful symple lyf, For litel was hir catel 5 and hir rente.

8439

By housbondrie of swich as God hire sente
She foond hir self, and eek hire doghtren two.
Thre large sowes hadde she, and namo ;

8

Three keen and eek a sheep that highte Malle. Ful sooty was hir bour,10 and eek hire halle,

1 Begun. 2 The tale of the Cock and the Fox is found in the French Roman du Renart, where it was enlarged from a series of Æsop's fables, translated by Marie de France from the English of King Alfred. Chaucer's version is more picturesque and true to life

than the earlier ones. 3 Advanced, stept. Cf. 1. 13,850. 4 Grove. 5 Wealth. Income. 7 Supplied. 8 Kine. 9 Foul. 10 Chamber.

1

In which she eet ful many a sklendre meel;
Of poynaunt sauce hir neded never a deel.
No deyntee morsel passed thurgh hir throte,
Hir diete was accordant to hir cote; 1
Repleccioun ne made hire nevere sik,
Attempree diete was al hir phisik,
And exercise, and hertes suffisaunce.
The goute lette hire no-thyng 2 for to daunce,
Napoplexie shente nat hir heed;

3

8450

No wyn ne drank she, neither whit ne reed ; Hir bord was served moost with whit and

blak,

Milk and broun breed, in which she foond (14,850 T.) Seynd bacoun and somtyme an ey5 or tweye,

4

no lak ;

For she was, as it were, a maner deye.

6

A yeerd she hadde, enclosed al aboute

With stikkes, and a drye dych with-oute, 8460
In which she hadde a cok, heet Chauntecleer.
In al the land of crowyng nas his peer.

His voys was murier than the murie orgon
On messe dayes that in the chirche gon;

7

8

Wel sikerer was his crowyng in his logge9
Than is a clokke,10 or an abbey orlogge.11
By nature he knew 12 eche ascencioun

Of the equynoxial in thilke toun ;

For whan degrees fiftene weren ascended, Thanne crew he that it myghte nat been

amended.

8470

1 Cottage. 2 Hindered her not at all. Hurt. 4 Broiled. 5 Egg. 6 Female farm servant, or dairy-woman. 7 Mass. 8 Surer. Lodge 10 Bell or clock. 11 Time-keeper. 12 Elles. MS. has "crew."