105

At that time, for him luste to ride so;
And he was cladde in cote and hode of grene.
A shefe of peacock arwes bright and kene
Under his belt he bare ful thriftily.
Wel coude he dresse his takel yemanly:
His arwes drouped not with fetheres lowe.
And in his hond he bare a mighty bowe.

A not-hed hadde he, with a broune visage.
Of wood-craft coude he wel alle the usage.
Upon his arme he bare a gaie bracer,
And by his side a swerd and a bokeler,
And on that other side a gaie daggere,
Harneised wel, and sharpe as point of
A Cristofre on his brest of silver shene.
An horne he bare, the baudrik was of grene.
A forster was he sothely as I gesse.

spere:

110

115

* So I designate this character, in opposition to Mr. Tyr

whitt's assertion.

See my remarks on Chaucer's pilgrims.

THE PRIORESSE.

Ther was also a Nonne, a PRIORESSE,

That of hire smiling was ful simple and coy;

Hire gretest othe n'as but by Seint Eloy;

120

And she was cleped madame Eglentine.

Ful wel she sange the service devine,
Entuned in hire nose ful swetely;

And Frenche she spake ful fayre and fetisly,
After the scole of Stratford atte bowe,

125

For Frenche of Paris was to hire unknowe.

At mete was she wel ytaughte withalle;
She lette no morsel from hire lippes falle,

Ne wette hire fingres in hire sauce depe.

Wel coude she carie a morsel, and wel kepe, 130
Thatte no drope ne fell upon hire brest.

In curtesie was sette ful moche hire lest.
Hire over lippe wiped she so clene,
That in hire cuppe was no ferthing sene

Of grese, whan she dronken hadde hire draught.

Ful semely after hire mete she raught.

136

140

And sikerly she was of grete disport,
And ful plesant, and amiable of port,
And peined hire to contrefeten chere
Of court, and ben estatelich of manere,
And to ben holden digne of reverence.
But for to speken of hire conscience,
She was so charitable and so pitous,
She wolde wepe if that she saw a mous
Caughte in a trappe, if it were ded or bledde. 145

Of smale houndes hadde she, that she fedde

With rosted flesh, and milk, and wastel brede.
But sore wept she if on of hem were dede,
Or if men smote it with a yerde smert:
And all was conscience and tendre herte. 150
Ful semely hire wimple ypinched was;
Hire nose tretis; hire eyen grey as glas;

Hire mouth ful smale, and therto soft and red;

But sikerly she hadde a fayre forehed.
It was almost a spanne brode I trowe;
For hardily she was not undergrowe.

Ful fetise was hire cloke, as I was ware.

Of smale corall aboute hire arm she bare

A pair of bedes, gauded all with grene;

155

And theron heng a broche of gold ful shene, 160 On whiche was first ywriten a crouned A,

And after, Amor vincit omnia.

Another NONNE also with hire hadde she, That was hire chapelleine, and PREESTES thre.

THE MONK.

A MONK ther was, a fayre for the maistrie, 165

An out-rider, that loved venerie;

A manly man, to ben an abbot able.

Ful many a deinte hors hadde he in stable:

And whan he rode, men mighte his bridel here
Gingeling in a whistling wind as clere,
And eke as loude, as doth the chapell belle,

170

Ther as this lord was keper of the celle.

The reule of seint Maure and of seint Beneit,

да

Because that it was olde and somdele streit,
This ilke monk lette olde thinges pace,

And held after the newe' world the trace.

He yave not of the text a pulled hen,
That saith, that hunters ben not holy men;

Ne that a monk, whan he is rekkeles,

Is like to a fish that is waterles;

175

180

This is to say, a monk out of his cloistre.

This ilke text held he not worth an oistre.

And I say his opinion was good.

What shulde he studie, and make himselven wood,

Upon a book in cloistre alway to pore,

185

Or swinken with his hondes, and laboure,

190

As Austin bit? how shal the world be served?
Let Austin have his swink to him reserved.
Therfore he was a prickasoure a right:
Greihoundes he hadde as swift as foul of flight:
Of pricking and of hunting for the hare
Was all his lust, for no cost wolde he spare.
I saw his sleves purfiled at the hond
With gris, and that the finest of the lond.
And for to fasten his hood under his chinne,
He hadde of gold ywrought a curious pinne:
A love-knotte in the greter end ther was.
His hed was balled, and shone as any glas,
And eke his face, as it hadde ben anoint.
He was a lord ful fat and in good point.
His eyen stepe, and rolling in his hed,

195

200

That stemed as a forneis of a led.

His botes souple, his hors in gret estat,

Now certainly he was a fayre prelat.

He was not pale as a forpined gost,

205

A fat swan loved he best of any rost.

His palfrey was as broune as is a bery.

THE FRERE.

A FRERE ther was, a wanton and a mery, A Limitour, a ful solempne man.

In all the ordres foure is non that can
So moche of daliance and fayre langage.
He hadde ymade ful many a mariage
Of yonge wimmen, at his owen cost.

210

Until his ordre he was a noble post.

Ful wel beloved, and familier was he

215

With frankeleins over all in his contree,

And eke with worthy wimmen of the toun:
For he had power of confession,

As saide himselfe, more than a curat,

For of his ordre he was licenciat.

220

Ful swetely herde he confession,

And plesant was his absolution.

He was an esy man to give penance,
Ther as he wiste to han a good pitance:
For unto a poure ordre for to give
Is signe that a man is wel yshrive.
For if he gave, he dorste make avant,
He wiste that a man was repentant.

225

For many a man so hard is of his herte,

He may not wepe although him sore smerte. 230 Therfore in stede of weping and praieres,

Men mote give silver to the poure freres.

His tippet was ay farsed ful of knives,