| |
| His eyen stepe, 1 and rollinge in his heed, | |
| That stemed 2 as a forneys of a leed; 3 | |
| His botes souple, his hors in greet estaat. | |
| Now certeinly he was a fair prelat; | |
| He was nat pale as a for-pyned 4 goost. | 205 |
| A fat swan loved he best of any roost. | |
| His palfrey was as broun as is a berye. | |
| A FRERE ther was, a wantown and a merye, | |
| A limitour, 5 a ful solempne 6 man. | |
| In alle the ordres foure 7 is noon that can 8 | 210 |
| So moche of daliaunce and fair langage. | |
| He hadde maad ful many a mariage | |
| Of yonge wommen, at his owne cost. | |
| Un-to his ordre he was a noble post. | |
| Ful wel biloved and famulier was he | 215 |
| With frankeleyns 9 over-al in his contree, | |
| And eek with worthy wommen of the toun: | |
| For he had power of confessioun, | |
| As seyde him-self, more than a curat, | |
| For of his ordre he was licentiat. | 220 |
| Ful swetely herde he confessioun, | |
| And plesaunt was his absolucioun; | |
| He was an esy man to yeve penaunce | |
| Ther as he wiste to han a good pitaunce; 10 | |
| For unto a povre ordre for to yive | 225 |
| Is signe that a man is wel y-shrive. 11 | |
| For if he 12 yaf, he dorste make avaunt, | |
| He wiste that a man was repentaunt. | |
| For many a man so hard is of his herte, | |
| He may nat wepe al-thogh him sore smerte. | 230 |
| Therfore, in stede of weping and preyeres, | |
| Men moot 13 yeve silver to the povre freres. | |
| His tipet was ay farsed 14 ful of knyves | |
| And pinnes, for to yeven faire wyves. | |
| And certeinly he hadde a mery note; | 235 |
| Wel coude he singe and pleyen on a rote. 15 | |
| Of yeddinges 16 he bar utterly the prys. | |
| His nekke whyt was as the flour-de-lys; | |
| Ther-to he strong was as a champioun. | |
| He knew the tavernes wel in every toun, | 240 |
| And everich hostiler and tappestere | |
| Bet 17 than a lazar 18 or a beggestere; 19 | |
| For un-to swich a worthy man as he | |
| Acorded nat, as by his facultee, 20 | |
| To have with seke lazars aqueyntaunce. | 245 |
| It is nat honest, 21 it may nat avaunce | |
| For to delen with no swich poraille, 22 | |
| But al with riche and sellers of vitaille. | |
| And over-al, 23 ther-as profit sholde aryse, | |
| Curteys he was, and lowly of servyse. | 250 |
| Ther nas no man nowher so vertuous. 24 | |
| He was the beste beggere in his hous; | |
| For thogh a widwe hadde noght a sho, | |
| So plesaunt was his “In principio”, 25 | |
| Yet wolde he have a ferthing, er he wente. | 255 |
| His purchas was wel bettre than his rente. 26 | |
| And rage 27 he coude as it were right a whelpe. | |
| In love-dayes 28 ther coude he mochel helpe. | |
| For ther he was nat lyk a cloisterer, | |
| With a thredbare cope, as is a povre scoler, | 260 |
| But he was lyk a maister or a pope. | |
| Of double worsted was his semi-cope, 29 | |
| That rounded as a belle out of the presse. | |
| Somwhat he lipsed, for his wantownesse, 30 | |
| To make his English swete up-on his tonge; | 265 |
| And in his harping, whan that he had songe, | |
| His eyen twinkled in his heed aright, | |
| As doon the sterres in the frosty night. | |
| This worthy limitour was cleped 31 Huberd. | |
| A MARCHANT was ther with a forked berd, | 270 |
| In mottelee, 32 and hye on horse he sat, | |
| Up-on his heed a Flaundrish bever hat; | |
| His botes clasped faire and fetisly. 33 | |
| His resons 34 he spak ful solempnely, | |
| Sowninge 35 alway thencrees of his winning. | 275 |
| He wolde the see were kept 36 for any thing 37 | |
| Bitwixe Middleburgh and Orewelle. | |
| Wel coude he in eschaunge sheeldes 38 selle. | |
| This worthy man ful wel his wit bisette; 39 | |
| Ther wiste no wight that he was in dette, | 280 |
| So estatly 40 was he of his governaunce, 41 | |
| With his bargaynes, and with his chevisaunce. 42 | |
| For sothe he was a worthy man with-alle, | |
| But sooth to seyn, I noot how men him calle. | |
| A CLERK 43 ther was of Oxenford also, | 285 |
| That un-to logik hadde longe y-go, 44 | |
| As lene was his hors as is a rake, | |
| And he nas nat right fat, I undertake; | |
| But loked holwe, and ther-to soberly. | |
| Ful thredbar was his overest courtepy; 45 | 290 |
| For he had geten him yet no benefice, | |
| Ne was so worldly for to have office. | |
| For him was levere 46 have at his beddes heed | |
| Twenty bokes, clad in blak or reed | |
| Of Aristotle and his philosophye, | 295 |
| Than robes riche, or fithele, 47 or gay sautrye. 48 | |
| But al be that he was a philosophre, | |
| Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre; | |
| But al that he mighte of his frendes hente, 49 | |
| On bokes and on lerninge he it spente | 300 |
| And bisily gan for the soules preye | |
| Of hem that yaf him wher-with to scoleye. 50 | |
| Of studie took he most cure and most hede, | |
| Noght o word spak he more than was nede, | |
| And that was seyd in forme and reverence, | 305 |
| And short and quik, and ful of hy sentence. 51 | |
| Sowninge in 52 moral vertu was his speche, | |
| And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche. | |
| A SERGEANT OF THE LAWE, war 53 and wys, | |
| That often hadde been at the parvys, 54 | 310 |
| Ther was also, ful riche of excellence. | |
| Discreet he was, and of greet reverence: | |
| He seemed swich, his wordes weren so wyse, | |
| Iustice he was ful often in assyse, | |
| By patente, and by pleyn 55 commissioun; | 315 |
| For his science, and for his heigh renoun | |
| Of fees and robes hadde he many oon. | |
| So greet a purchasour 56 was nowher noon. | |
| Al was fee simple to him in effect, 57 | |
| His purchasing 58 mighte nat been infect. 59 | 320 |
| Nowher so bisy a man as he ther nas, | |
| And yet he semed bisier than he was. | |
| In termes hadde he caas and domes alle, 60 | |
| That from the tyme of king William were falle. | |
| Therto he oude endyte, 61 and make a thing, | 325 |
| Ther coude no wight pinche 62 at his wryting; | |
| And every statut coude 63 he pleyn by rote. | |
| He rood but hoomly in a medlee 64 cote | |
| Girt with a ceint 65 of silk, with barres smale; | |
| Of his array telle I no lenger tale. | 330 |
| A FRANKELEYN was in his compaignye; | |
| Whyt was his berd as is the dayesye. | |
| Of his complexioun he was sangwyn. | |
| Wel loved he by the morwe 66 a sop in wyn. | |
| To liven in delyt was evere his wone, 67 | 335 |
| For he was Epicurus owne sone, | |
| That heeld opinioun that pleyn delyt | |
| Was verraily felicitee parfyt. | |
| An householdere, and that a greet, was he; | |
| Seynt Iulian 68 he was in his contree. | 340 |
| His breed, his ale, was alwey after oon; 69 | |
| A bettre envyned 70 man was no-wher noon. | |
| With-oute bake mete was nevere his hous, | |
| Of fish and flesh, and that so plentevous, | |
| It shewed 71 in his hous of mete and drinke, | 345 |
| Of alle deyntees that men coude thinke. | |
| After the sondry sesons of the yeer, | |
| So chaunged he his mete and his soper. | |
| Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in mewe, 72 | |
| And many a breem 73 and many a luce 74 in stewe. 75 | 350 |
| Wo was his cook, but-if 76 his sauce were | |
| Poynaunt and sharp, and redy al his gere. | |
| His table dormant 77 in his halle alway | |
| Stood redy covered al the longe day. | |
| At sessiouns ther was he lord and sire. | 355 |
| Ful ofte tyme he was knight of the shire. | |
| An anlas 78 and a gipser 79 al of silk | |
| Heng at his girdel, whyt as morne milk. | |
| A shirreve hadde he been, and a countour; 80 | |
| Was nowher such a worthy vavasour. 81 | 360 |
| An HABERDASSHER and a CARPENTER, | |
| A WEBBE, 82 a DYERE, and a TAPICER, 83 | |
| Were with us eek, clothed in o liveree, 84 | |
| Of a solempne and greet fraternitee. 85 | |
| Ful fresh and newe hir gere apyked 86 was; | 365 |
| Hir knyves were y-chaped 87 noght with bras, | |
| But al with silver, wroght ful clene and weel, | |
| Hir girdles and hir pouches every-deel. | |
| Wel semed ech of hem a fair burgeys, | |
| To sitten in a yeldhalle 88 on a deys. 89 | 370 |
| Everich, 90 for the wisdom that he can, 91 | |
| Was shaply 92 for to been an alderman. | |
| For catel 93 hadde they ynogh and rente, | |
| And eek hir wyves wolde it wel assente; | |
| And elles certein were they to blame. | 375 |
| It is ful fair to been y-clept 94 “ma dame,” | |
| And goon to vigilyës 95 al bifore, | |
| And have a mantel roialliche 96 y-bore. 97 | |
| A COOK they hadde with hem for the nones, 98 | |
| To boille chiknes with the mary-bones, | 380 |
| And poudre-marchant 99 tart, and galingale. 100 | |
| Wel coude he knowe a draughte of London ale. | |
| He coude roste, and sethe, 101 and broille, and frye, | |
| Maken mortreux, 102 and wel bake a pye. | |
| But greet harm was it, as it thoughte me, | 385 |
| That on his shine a mormal 103 hadde he; | |
| For blankmanger, 104 that made he with the beste. | |
| A SHIPMAN was ther, woning 105 fer by weste: | |
| For aught I woot, he was of Dertemouthe. | |
| He rood up-on a rouncy, 106 as he couthe, 107 | 390 |
| In a gowne of falding 108 to the knee. | |
| A daggere hanging on a laas hadde he | |
| Aboute his nekke under his arm adoun. | |
| The hote somer had maad his hewe al broun; | |
| And, certeinly, he was a good felawe. | 395 |
| Ful many a draughte of wyn had he y-drawe 109 | |
| From Burdeux-ward, whyl that the chapman 110 sleep. | |
| Of nyce 111 conscience took he no keep. 112 | |
| If that he faught, and hadde the hyer hond, | |
| By water he sente hem hoom 113 to every lond. | 400 |
