This mayde of age twelf yeer was and

30

tweye, In which that Nature hadde swich delyt. For right as she can peynte a lilie whyt And reed a rose, right with swich peynture She peynted hath this noble creature Er she were born, up-on hir limes free, 35 Wher-as by right swiche colours sholde be; And Phebus dyed hath hir tresses grete Lyk to the stremes of his burned hete. And if that excellent was hir beautee, A thousand-fold more vertuous was she. 40 In hir ne lakked no condicioun, That is to preyse, as by discrecioun. As wel in goost as body chast was she; For which she floured in virginitee With alle humilitee and abstinence, With alle attemperaunce and pacience, With mesure eek of bering and array. Discreet she was in answering alway; Though she were wys as Pallas, dar I seyn, Hir facound eek ful wommanly and pleyn, No countrefeted termes hadde she To seme wys; but after hir degree She spak, and alle hir wordes more and lesse

45

51

For wyn and youthe doon Venus encrece,
As men in fyr wol casten oile or grece. 60
And of hir owene vertu, unconstreyned,
She hath ful ofte tyme syk hir feyned,
For that she wolde fleen the companye
Wher lykly was to treten of folye,
As is at festes, revels, and at daunces. 65
That been occasions of daliaunces
Swich thinges maken children for to be
To sone rype and bold, as men may see,
Which is ful perilous, and hath ben yore.
For al to sone may she lerne lore 70
Of boldnesse, whan she woxen is a wyf.
And ye maistresses in your olde lyf,
That lordes doghtres han in governaunce,
Ne taketh of my wordes no displesaunce;
Thenketh that ye ben set in governinges 75
Of lordes doghtres, only for two thinges;

Outher for ye han kept your honestee,
Or elles ye han falle in freletee,
And knowen wel y-nough the olde daunce,
And han forsaken fully swich meschaunce
For evermo; therfore, for Cristes sake, 81
To teche hem vertu loke that ye ne slake.
A theef of venisoun, that hath forlaft
His likerousnesse, and al his olde craft,
Can kepe a forest best of any man. 85
Now kepeth hem wel, for if ye wol, ye can;
Loke wel that ye un-to no vice assente,
Lest ye be dampned for your wikke en-

Now was ther thanne a justice in that toun,

That governour was of that regioun.
And so bifel, this juge his eyen caste
Up-on this mayde, avysinge him ful faste,
As she cam forby ther this juge stood. 125
Anon his herte chaunged and his mood,
So was he caught with beautee of this
mayde;

And to him-self ful prively he sayde,
'This mayde shal be myn, for any man.'

Anon the feend in-to his herte ran, 130 And taughte him sodeynly, that he by slighte

The mayden to his purpos winne mighte. For certes, by no force, ne by no mede, Him thoughte, he was nat able for to spede; For she was strong of freendes, and eek she Confermed was in swich soverayn bountee, That wel he wiste he mighte hir never winne

137 As for to make hir with hir body sinne. For which, by greet deliberacioun, He sente after a cherl, was in the toun, 140 Which that he knew for subtil and for bold.

This juge un-to this cherl his tale hath told
In secree wyse, and made him to ensure,
He sholde telle it to no creature,
And if he dide, he sholde lese his heed. 145
Whan that assented was this cursed reed,
Glad was this juge and maked him greet
chere,

And yaf him yiftes preciouse and dere.
Whan shapen was al hir conspiracye
Fro point to point, how that his lecherye
Parfourned sholde been ful subtilly,
As ye shul here it after openly,
Hoom gooth the cherl, that highte Clau-
dins.

This false juge that highte Apius,

151

And seyde, 'lord, if that it be your wille, 165
As dooth me right up-on this pitous bille,
In which I pleyne up-on Virginius.
And if that he wol seyn it is nat thus,
I wol it preve, and finde good witnesse,
That sooth is that my bille wol expresse."
The juge answerde, of this, in his
absence,
171

174

I may nat yeve diffinitif sentence.
Lat do him calle, and I wol gladly here;
Thou shalt have al right, and no wrong
here.'
Virginius cam, to wite the juges wille,
And right anon was rad this cursed bille;
The sentence of it was as ye shul here.
'To yow, my lord, sire Apius so dere,
Sheweth your povre servant Claudius,
How that a knight, called Virginius, 180
Agayns the lawe, agayn al equitee,
Holdeth, expres agayn the wil of me,
My servant, which that is my thral by
right,

Which fro myn hous was stole up-on a night,

Whyl that she was ful yong; this wol I preve

185

By witnesse, lord, so that it nat yow greve.
She nis his doghter nat, what so he seye;
Wherfore to yow, my lord the juge, I preye,
Yeld me my thral, if that it be your wille.'
Lo! this was al the sentence of his bille.
Virginius gan up-on the cherl biholde,
But hastily, er he his tale tolde,
And wolde have preved it, as sholde
a knight,

192

And eek by witnessing of many a wight,
That it was fals that seyde his adversarie,
This cursed juge wolde no-thing tarie, 196
Ne here a word more of Virginius,
But yaf his jugement, and seyde thus:-

'I demeanon this cherl his servant have; Thou shalt no lenger in thyn hous hir

229

My pitous hand mot smyten of thyn heed.
Allas! that ever Apius thee say!
Thus hath he falsly juged thee to-day-
And tolde hir al the cas, as ye bifore
Han herd; nat nedeth for to telle it more.
'O mercy, dere fader,' quod this mayde,
And with that word she both hir armes
layde

About his nekke, as she was wont to do:
The teres broste out of hir eyen two,
And seyde, gode fader, shal I dye? 235
Is ther no grace? is ther no remedye?'

'No, certes, dere doghter myn,' quod he. "Thanne yif me leyser, fader myn,' quod she,

'My deeth for to compleyne a litel space;
For pardee, Jepte yaf his doghter grace 240
For to compleyne, er he hir slow, allas!
And god it woot, no-thing was hir trespas,
But for she ran hir fader first to see,
To welcome him with greet solempnitee.'
And with that word she fil aswowne anon,
And after, whan hir swowning is agon, 246

Here endeth the

265

For knowen was the false iniquitee.
The peple anon hath suspect of this thing,
By manere of the cherles chalanging,
That it was by th'assent of Apius;
They wisten wel that he was lecherous.
For which un-to this Apius they gon,
And caste him in a prison right anon,
Wher-as he slow him-self; and Claudius,
That servant was un-to this Apius,
Was demed for to hange upon a tree;
But that Virginius, of his pitee,
So preyde for him that he was exyled;
And elles, certes, he had been bigyled.
The remenant were anhanged, more and
lesse,

270

275 That were consentant of this cursed

OUR Hoste gan to swere as he were wood,

'Harrow!' quod he, by nayles and by blood!

295

This was a fals cherl and a fals justyse!
As shamful deeth as herte may devyse 290
Come to thise juges and hir advocats!
Algate this sely mayde is slayn, allas!
Allas! to dere boghte she beautee!
Wherfore I seye al day, as men may see,
That yiftes of fortune or of nature
Ben cause of deeth to many a creature. (10)
Hir beautee was hir deeth, I dar wel sayn;
Allas! so pitously as she was slayn !
Of bothe yiftes that I speke of now
Men han ful ofte more harm than prow.
But trewely, myn owene mayster dere, 301
This is a pitous tale for to here.
But natheles, passe over, is no fors;

I prey to god, so save thy gentil cors, 304
And eek thyne urinals and thy jordanes,
Thyn Ypocras, and eek thy Galianes, (20)
And every boist ful of thy letuarie;

God blesse hem, and our lady seinte Marie !

So mot I theen, thou art a propre man, And lyk a prelat, by seint Ronyan!

310

Seyde I nat wel? I can nat speke in

terme;

But wel I woot, thou doost my herte to

erme,

That I almost have caught a cardiacle. By corpus bones! but I have triacle, 314 Orelles a draught of moyste and corny ale, Or but I here anon a mery tale, (30) Myn herte is lost for pitee of this mayde. Thou bel amy, thou Pardoner,' he seyde, 'Tel us som mirthe or japes right anon.' 'It shall be doon,' quod he, by seint Ronyon! 320

But first,' quod he, 'heer at this alestake

I wol both drinke, and eten of a cake.'

But right anon thise gentils gonne to

'LORDINGS,' quod he, 'in chirches whan I

preche,

Our lige lordes seel on my patente,
That shewe I first, my body to warente, (10)
That no man be so bold, ne preest ne clerk,
Me to destourbe of Cristes holy werk; 340
And after that than telle I forth my tales,
Bulles of popes and of cardinales,
Of patriarkes, and bishoppes I shewe;
And in Latyn I speke a wordes fewe,
To saffron with my predicacioun,
And for to stire men to devocioun.
Than shewe I forth my longe cristal stones,
Y-crammed ful of cloutes and of bones;
Reliks been they, as wenen they echoon.
Than have I in latoun a sholder-boon 350
Which that was of an holy Jewes shepe.
"Good men," seye I, "tak of my wordes
kepe;

345 (18)

If that this boon be wasshe in any welle, If cow, or calf, or sheep, or oxe swelle That any worm hath ete, or worm ystonge, 355 Tak water of that welle, and wash his tonge,

And it is hool anon; and forthermore,
Of pokkes and of scabbe, and every sore (30)

If that the good-man, that the bestes oweth, Wol every wike, er that the cok him croweth,

Fastinge, drinken of this wellea draughte, As thilke holy Jewe our eldres taughte, His bestes and his stoor shal multiplye. 365 And, sirs, also it heleth jalousye;

For, though a man be falle in jalous rage, Let maken with this water his potage, (40) And never shal he more his wyf mistriste, Though he the sooth of hir defaute wiste; Al had she taken preestes two or three. 371

Heer is a miteyn eck, that ye may see. He that his hond wol putte in this miteyn, He shal have multiplying of his greyn, Whan he hath sowen, be it whete or otes, So that he offre pens, or elles grotes. 376 Good men and wommen, o thing warne

I yow,

If any wight be in this chirche now, (50)
That hath doon sinne horrible, that he
Dar nat, for shame, of it y-shriven be, 380
Or any womman, be she yong or old,
That hath y-maad hir housbond cokewold,
Swich folk shul have no power ne no grace
To offren to my reliks in this place.
And who-so findeth him out of swich
blame,
385
He wol com up and offre in goddes name,
And I assoille him by the auctoritee
Which that by bulle y-graunted was to
(60)

me."