Wyd was his parische, and houses fer asonder,
But he ne laftë1 not for reyne ne thonder,
In siknesse nor in meschief to visite
The ferreste in his parissche, moche and lite,3
Uppon his feet, and in his hond a staf.
This noble ensample to his scheep he gaf,
That first he wroughte, and afterward he taught.
Out of the gospel he tho wordes caughte,
And this figure he addede eek therto
That if gold rustë, what schal yren doo?
Wel oughte a prest ensample for to give

By his clennesse how that his scheep schulde lyve.
He sette not his benefice to hyre,

And leet his scheep encombred in the myre,
And ran to Londone, unto seyntë Poules,
To seeken him a chaunterie3 for soules,
Or with a bretherhede to ben withholde;
But dwelte at hoom, and keptë wel his folde,
So that the wolf ne made it not myscarye;
He was a schepherde and no mercenarie.
And though he holy were and vertuous,
He was to sinful man nought despitous,"
Ne of his speche daungerous ne digne,8
But in his teching discret and benigne.
To drawe folk to heven by fairnesse,
By good ensample, this was his busynesse:
But it were eny persone obstinat,

What so he were, of high or lowe estat,
Him wolde he snybbel scharply for the nonës.11
A bettre preest I trowe ther nowher non is.
He waytede after no pompe and reverence
Ne makede him a spiced 12 conscience,
But Cristës lore13 and his apostles twelve

He taughte, but first he folwede it himselve.

1 Ceased. 2 Misfortune. 3 Great and small. 4 Let, left. 5 An endowment for the payment of a priest to sing mass. Supported. 7 Merciless. Not affable, dis12 Scrupulous. 13 Teaching.

dainful.

If there were. 10 Reprove. 11 Nonce.

From the Nonne Prestës1 Tale.

A poure wydow somdel stope2 in age
Was whilom dwellyng in a narwe cotage
Bisyde a grove, stondyng in a dale.
This wydwe of which I telle yow my tale
Synë thilke day that sche was last a wif
In pacience ladde a ful symple lyf,

For litel was hire catel and hire rente.5

By housbondrye of such as God hire sente,
Sche fond hireself and eek hire doughtren tuo.8
Thre large sowës hadde sche and no mo,.
Thre kyn and eek a scheep thet hightë Malle.
Ful sooty was hire bour1o and eek hire halle,
In which she eet ful many a sclender meel.
Of poynaunt11 sawce hire needede never a deel. 12
No deynté morsel passede thurgh hire throte;
Hire dyete was accordant to hire cote.13
Repleccioun ne made hire nevere sik;
Attempre14 dyete was al hire phisik
And exercise and hertës suffisaunce. 15
The goute lette16 hire nothing for to daunce.
Hire bord" was served most with whit and blak,
Milk and broun bred, in which sche fond no lak.
A yerd 18 sche hadde, enclosed al aboute
With stikkes and a dryë dich withoute,
In which she hadde a cok, highte Chauntecleer;
In al the lond, of crowyng nas1o his peer.
His vois was merier than the merye orgon20
On masse dayës that in the chirche goon."1
Wel sikerer22 was his crowyng in his logge
Than is a clok or an abbay orlogge.23
By nature knew he ech ascencioun

Of equinoxial 24 in thilkë toun;

For whan degrees fyftenë were ascended,

Thanne crew 25 he that it mighte not ben amended.

Nun's Priest. 2 Somewhat advanced.

7

Economy. Supported. Two daughters.

3 Since that. 4 Wealth.
Was called. 10 Inner room.

5 Income.

11 Pun

gent. 12 Never a whit. 13 Cottage. 14 Spare. 15 Contented mind. 16 Gout hindered.

17 Table.

18 Yard.

22 Much surer.

19 Was not. 20 Organ or organs. 21 Go, sounds or sound.

23 Abbey-clock, clock in the tower. 24 Knew each hour. 25 Then he

crowed, that is, each hour, as the sun climbs 15° an hour.

11

This gentil cok hadde in his governaunce
Sevene hennes for to don al his pleasaunce,
Whiche were his sustres and his paramoures,
And wonder like to him as of coloures,
Of whiche the faireste hewed on hire throte
Was cleped' fayre damoysele Pertelote.
Curteys10 sche was, discret, and debonaire,1
And compainable, 12 and bar hire self ful faire
Syn thilke day that sche was seven night old
That trewely sche hath the herte in hold
Of Chauntecleer loken in every lith;13
He lovede hire so that wel him was therwith.
But such a joye was it to here hem synge,
Whan that the brightë sonnë gan to springe
In swete accord, "my lief is faren on londe."14
For thilke tyme, as I have understonde,
Bestes and briddes cowde speke and synge.
And so byfel that in a dawenynge,
As Chauntecleer among his wyvës alle
Sat on his perche, that was in the halle,
And next him sat this faire Pertelote,
This Chauntecleer gan gronen in his throte
As man that in his dreem is dreeched 15 sore.
And whan that Pertelote thus herde him rore,
Sche was agast, 16 and sayde, "O herte deere,
What eyleth" you to grone in this manere?
Ye ben a verray sleper, fy, for schame!"
And he answerde and sayde thus, "Madame,
I praye you that ye take it nought agrief.
Me mette's how that I romede up and doun

1 Indented, as a castle wall seems to be with its turrets. 2 Bill. 3 Jet. 4 Azure 5 Toes. cious. 12 Sociable. 13 Locked in every limb, bound to her in every muscle. 14 My beloved is gone away-from some popular song. 15 Troubled. 16 Afraid. 17 Ails.

6 Flower. 7 Wonderfully. 8 Colored. 9 Called. 10 Courteous. 11 Gra

18 I dreamed.

on.

1 Where.

Withinne oure yerde, wher as1 I saugh a beest,
Was lik an hound, and wolde han maad areest2
Upon my body and wolde han had me deed.
His colour was bitwixe yelwe and reed;
And tipped was his tail and bothe his eeres
With blak, unlik the remenaunt of his heres;
His snowte smal, with glowyng eyen tweye.3
Yet of his look for feere almost I deye;
This causede me my gronyng douteles."

Avoy!" quod sche, "fy on yow herteles!
Allas!" quod sche, "for, by that God above,
Now han ye lost myn herte and al my love;
I can nought love a coward, by my feith.
For, certes, what so eny womman seith,
We alle desiren, if it mightë be,
To han housbondës hardy, wise, and fre,
And secré, and no nygard, ne no fool,
Ne him that is agast of every tool,'

Ne noon avauntour, by that God above.
How dorste ye sayn for schame unto youre love

That any thing mighte makë yow aferd?

Han ye no mannës herte, and han a berd?"

Whan that the moneth in which the world bigan
That hightë9 March, whan God first madë man,
Was complet, and y-passed were also,
Syn March bygan, thritty days and tuo,
Byfel that Chauntecleer in al his pride,
His seven wyves walkyng him by syde,
Caste up his eyghen to the brightë sonne
That in the signe of Taurus hadde i-ronne
Twenty degrees and oon, and somewhat more;
He knew by kynde,1o and by noon other lore,
That it was prime," and crew with blisful stevene.
"The sonne," he sayde, "is clomben up on hevene
Fourty degrees and oon, and more i-wis. 13

Madame Pertelote, my worldës blis,

Herkneth these blisful briddes how they synge,
And seth the fressche floures how they springe;

2 Attack. 3 Two eyes.

8 Boaster.

12

4 Fie! said. 5 Certainly. • Secret. 7 Weap9 Is called. 10 Nature. 11 Nine o'clock. 12 Voice, 13 Truly.

1 Mishap. 8 Herbs.

Ful is myn hert of revel and solaas."
But sodeinly him fel a sorweful caas;1
For evere the latter ende of joye is wo.
God wot that worldly joye is soone ago.

A col3-fox, ful of sleigh iniquité,
That in the grove hadde woned 4 yerës thre,
By heigh ymaginacioun forncast, 5

The same nighte thurghout the hegges brast
Into the yerd, ther' Chauntecleer the faire
Was wont, and eek his wyvës, to repaire;
And in a bed of wortës stille he lay
Til it was passed undern9 of the day,
Waytyng his tyme on Chauntecleer to falle,
As gladly doon these homicides alle.

66

This Chauntecleer, whan he gan him espye,
He wolde han fled, but that the fox anon
Saide, Gentil sire, allas! wher wol ye goon?
Be ye affrayd of me that am youre freend?
Now, certes, I were worse than a feend,
If I to yow wolde1o harm or vileynye.
I am nought come youre counsail for tespye.
But trewely the cause of my comynge
Was oonly for to herkne how that ye singe.
My lord, youre fader, (God his soule blesse)
And eek youre moder of hire gentilesse
Han in myn hous i-been to my gret ese;
And, certes, sire, ful fayn wolde I yow plese.
But for men speke of syngyng, I wol saye,
So mot I broukell wel myn eyen twaye,
Save you, I herde nevere man so synge
As dede youre fader in the morwenynge.
Certes it was of herte al that he song.
And for to make his vois the more strong,
He wolde so peyne him12 that with bothe his eyen
He moste wynke, so lowde he wolde crien,

2 Knows. 3 Crafty. 4 Dwelt. 5 Preordained. Time of the mid-day meal, 10 Wished, would do. 12 Take such pains,