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And certeinly he hadde a murye note: Wel koude he synge, and pleyen on a rote; Of yeddynges he baar outrely the pris. His nekke whit was as the flour-de-lys; Therto he strong was as a champioun. 240 He knew the tavernes wel in every toun And everich hostiler and tappestere Bet than a lazar or a beggestere; For unto swich a worthy man as he Acorded nat, as by his facultee, 245 To have with sike lazars aqueyntaunce. It is nat honeste, it may nat avaunce, For to deelen with no swich poraille, But al with riche and selleres of vitaille. And over al, ther as profit sholde arise, 250 Curteis he was, and lowely of servyse. Ther nas no man nowher so vertuous. He was the beste beggere in his hous; (And yaf a certeyn ferme for the graunt Noon of his brethren cam ther in his haunt;) 255 For thogh a wydwe hadde noght a sho, So plesaunt was his "In principio" Yet wolde he have a ferthyng, er he wente; His purchas was wel bettre than his rente. And rage he koude, as it were right a whelp. 260 In love-dayes ther koude he muchel help, For there he was nat lyk a cloysterer With a thredbare cope, as is a povre scoler, But he was lyk a maister or a pope; Of double worstede was his semycope, 265 That rounded as a belle out of the presse. Somwhat he lipsed for his wantownesse To make his Englissh sweete upon his tonge; And in his harpyng, whan that he hadde songe, Hise eyen twynkled in his heed aryght 270 As doon the sterres in the frosty nyght. This worthy lymytour was cleped Huberd. A MARCHANT was ther with a forked berd, In mottelee, and hye on horse he sat; Upon his heed a Flaundryssh bever hat, 275 His bootes clasped faire and fetisly. His resons he spak ful solempnely, Sownynge alway th'encrees of his wynnyng. He wolde the see were kept for any thyng Bitwixe Middelburgh and Orewelle. 280 Wel koude he in eschaunge sheeldes selle. This worthy man ful wel his wit bisette; Ther wiste no wight that he was in dette, So estatly was he of his governaunce With his bargaynes and with his chevyssaunce. 285 For sothe, he was a worthy man with-alle, But, sooth to seyn, I noot how men hym calle. A CLERK ther was of Oxenford also, That unto logyk hadde longe ygo. As leene was his hors as is a rake, 290 And he nas nat right fat, I undertake, But looked holwe and therto sobrely. Ful thredbare was his overeste courtepy; For he hadde geten hym yet no benefice, Ne was so worldly for to have office. 295 For hym was levere have at his beddes heed Twenty bookes, clad in blak or reed, Of Aristotle and his philosophie, Than robes riche, or fithele, or gay sautrie. But al be that he was a philosophre, 300 Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre; But al that he myghte of his freendes hente, On bookes and on lernynge he it spente, And bisily gan for the soules preye Of hem that yaf hym wherwith to scoleye. 305 Of studie took he moost cure and moost heede. Noght o word spak he moore than was neede, And that was seyd in forme and reverence, And short and quyk, and ful of hy sentence; Sownynge in moral vertu was his speche, 310 And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche. A SERGEANT OF THE LAWE, war and wys, That often hadde been at the Parvys, Ther was also, ful riche of excellence. Discreet he was, and of greet reverence- 315 He semed swich, hise wordes weren so wise. Justice he was ful often in assise, By patente, and by pleyn commissioun. For his science, and for his heigh renoun, Of fees and robes hadde he many oon. 320 So greet a purchasour was nowher noon: Al was fee symple to hym in effect, His purchasyng myghte nat been infect. Nowher so bisy a man as he ther nas, And yet he semed bisier than he was. 325 In termes hadde he caas and doomes alle That from the tyme of Kyng William were falle. Therto he koude endite and make a thyng, Ther koude no wight pynche at his writyng; And every statut koude he pleyn by rote. 330 He rood but hoomly in a medlee cote Girt with a ceint of silk, with barres smale; Of his array telle I no lenger tale. A FRANKELEYN was in his compaignye. Whit was his berd as is a dayesye; 335 Of his complexioun he was sangwyn. Wel loved he by the morwe a sope in wyn,; To lyven in delit was evere his wone, For he was Epicurus owene sone, That heeld opinioun that pleyn delit 340 Was verray felicitee parfit. An housholdere, and that a greet, was he; Seint Julian was he in his contree. His breed, his ale, was alweys after oon, A bettre envyned man was nowher noon. 345 Withoute bake mete was nevere his hous Of fissh and flessh, and that so plentevous, It snewed in his hous of mete and drynke, Of alle deyntees that men koude thynke. After the sondry sesons of the yeer, 350 So chaunged he his mete and his soper. Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in muwe, And many a breem and many a luce in stuwe. Wo was his cook, but if his sauce were Poynaunt and sharp, and redy al his geere. 355 His table dormant in his halle alway Stood redy covered al the longe day. At sessiouns ther was he lord and sire; Ful ofte tyme he was knyght of the shire. An anlaas and a gipser al of silk 360 Heeng at his girdel, whit as morne milk. A shirreve hadde he been, and a countour. Was nowher swich a worthy vavasour. An HABERDASSHERE and a CARPENTER, A WEBBE, a DYERE, and a TAPYCER,- 365 And they were clothed alle in o lyveree Of a solempne and a greet fraternitee. Ful fressh and newe hir geere apiked was; Hir knyves were chaped noght with bras, But al with silver; wroght ful clene and weel, 370 Hire girdles and hir pouches everydeel. Wel semed ech of hem a fair burgeys To sitten in a yeldehalle on a deys. Everich, for the wisdom that he kan, Was shaply for to been an alderman. 375 For catel hadde they ynogh and rente, And eek hir wyves wolde it wel assente; And elles certeyn, were they to blame. It is ful fair to been ycleped "madame," And goon to vigilies al bifore, 380 And have a mantel roialliche ybore. A COOK they hadde with hem for the nones To boille the chiknes with the marybones, And poudre-marchant tart, and galyngale. Wel koude he knowe a draughte of London ale. 385 He koude rooste, and sethe, and broille, and frye, Maken mortreux, and wel bake a pye. But greet harm was it, as it thoughte me, That on his shyne a mormal hadde he. For blankmanger, that made he with the beste. 390 A SHIPMAN was ther, wonynge fer by weste; For aught I woot, he was of Dertemouthe. He rood upon a rouncy, as he kouthe, In a gowne of faldyng to the knee. A daggere hangynge on a laas hadde he 395 Aboute his nekke, under his arm adoun. The hoote somer hadde maad his hewe al broun, And certeinly he was a good felawe. Ful many a draughte of wyn had he ydrawe Fro Burdeux-ward, whil that the chapman sleep. 400 Of nyce conscience took he no keep. If that he faught, and hadde the hyer hond, By water he sente hem hoom to every lond. But of his craft, to rekene wel his tydes, His stremes, and his daungers hym bisides, 405 His herberwe and his moone, his lodemenage, Ther nas noon swich from Hulle to Cartage. Hardy he was, and wys to undertake; With many a tempest hadde his berd been shake. He knew alle the havenes as they were, 410 From Gootlond to the Cape of Fynystere, And every cryke in Britaigne and in Spayne. His barge ycleped was the Maudelayne. With us ther was a DOCTOUR OF PHISIK; In al this world ne was ther noon hym lik, 415 To speke of phisik and of surgerye, For he was grounded in astronomye. He kepte his pacient a ful greet deel In houres, by his magyk natureel. Wel koude he fortunen the ascendent 420 Of his ymages for his pacient. He knew the cause of everich maladye, Were it of hoot, or coold, or moyste, or drye, And where they engendred, and of what humour. He was a verray parfit praktisour: 425 The cause yknowe, and of his harm the roote, Anon he yaf the sike man his boote. Ful redy hadde he hise apothecaries To sende him drogges and his letuaries, For ech of hem made oother for to wynne- 430 Hir frendshipe nas nat newe to bigynne. Wel knew he the olde Esculapius, And Deyscorides and eek Rufus, Olde Ypocras, Haly, and Galyen, Serapioun, Razis, and Avycen, 435 Averrois, Damascien, and Constantyn, Bernard, and Gatesden, and Gilbertyn. Of his diete mesurable was he, For it was of no superfluitee, But of greet norissyng, and digestible. 440 His studie was but litel on the Bible. In sangwyn and in pers he clad was al, Lyned with taffata and with sendal; And yet he was but esy of dispence; He kepte that he wan in pestilence. 445 For gold in phisik is a cordial, Therfore he lovede gold in special. A good WIF was ther, OF biside BATHE, But she was somdel deef, and that was scathe. Of clooth-makyng she hadde swich an haunt, 450 She passed hem of Ypres and of Gaunt. In al the parisshe wif ne was ther noon That to the offrynge bifore hire sholde goon; And if ther dide, certeyn so wrooth was she, That she was out of alle charitee. 455 Hir coverchiefs ful fyne weren of ground; I dorste swere they weyeden ten pound That on a Sonday weren upon hir heed. Hir hosen weren of fyn scarlet reed, Ful streite yteyd, and shoes ful moyste and newe. 460 Boold was hir face, and fair, and reed of hewe. She was a worthy womman al hir lyve: Housbondes at chirche dore she hadde fyve, Withouthen oother compaignye in youthe, - But therof nedeth nat to speke as nowthe. 465 And thries hadde she been at Jerusalem; She hadde passed many a straunge strem; At Rome she hadde been, and at Boloigne, In Galice at Seint-Jame, and at Coloigne. She koude muchel of wandrynge by the weye. 470 Gat-tothed was she, soothly for to seye. Upon an amblere esily she sat, Ywympled wel, and on hir heed an hat As brood as is a bokeler or a targe; A foot-mantel aboute hir hipes large, 475 And on hir feet a paire of spores sharpe. In felaweshipe wel koude she laughe and carpe. Of remedies of love she knew per chaunce, For she koude of that art the olde daunce. A good man was ther of religioun, 480 And was a povre PERSOUN OF A TOUN, But riche he was of hooly thoght and werk. He was also a lerned man, a clerk, That Cristes gospel trewely wol