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From The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue Here bygynneth the Book of the Tales of Caunterbury Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote And bathed every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertu engendred is the flour; 5 Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, 10 That slepen al the nyght with open eye- (So priketh hem Nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; 15 And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seeke. Bifil that in that seson, on a day, 20 In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage To Caunterbury with ful devout corage, At nyght was come into that hostelrye Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye 25 Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle, That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde. The chambres and the stables weren wyde, And wel we weren esed atte beste; 30 And shortly, whan the sonne was to reste, So hadde I spoken with hem everichon That I was of hir felaweshipe anon, And made forward erly for to ryse To take our wey, ther as I yow devyse. 35 But nathelees, whil I have tyme and space, Er that I ferther in this tale pace, Me thynketh it acordaunt to resoun To telle yow al the condicioun Of ech of hem, so as it semed me, 40 And whiche they weren, and of what degree, And eek in what array that they were inne; And at a knyght than wol I first bigynne. A KNYGHT ther was, and that a worthy man, That fro the tyme that he first bigan 45 To riden out, he loved chivalrie, Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisie. Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre, And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre, As wel in cristendom as in hethenesse, 50 And evere honoured for his worthynesse. At Alisaundre he was, whan it was wonne. Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bigonne Aboven alle nacions in Pruce; In Lettow hadde he reysed, and in Ruce, 55 No Cristen man so ofte of his degree. In Gernade at the seege eek hadde he be Of Algezir, and riden in Belmarye. At Lyeys was he and at Satalye, Whan they were wonne; and in the Grete See 60 At many a noble armee hadde he be. At mortal batailles hadde he been fiftene, And foughten for oure feith at Tramyssene In lystes thries, and ay slayn his foo. This ilke worthy knyght hadde been also 65 Somtyme with the lord of Palatye Agayn another hethen in Turkye. And everemoore he hadde a sovereyn prys; And though that he were worthy, he was wys, And of his port as meeke as is a mayde. 70 He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde In al his lyf unto no maner wight. He was a verray, parfit gentil knyght. But, for to tellen yow of his array, His hors were goode, but he was nat gay. 75 Of fustian he wered a gypon Al bismotered with his habergeoun, For he was late ycome from his viage, And wente for to doon his pilgrymage. With hym ther was his sone, a yong SQUIER, 80 A lovyere and a lusty bacheler; With lokkes crulle, as they were leyd in presse. Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse. Of his stature he was of evene lengthe, And wonderly delyvere, and of greet strengthe. 85 And he hadde been somtyme in chyvachie In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Pycardie, And born hym weel, as of so litel space, In hope to stonden in his lady grace. Embrouded was he, as it were a meede, 90 Al ful of fresshe floures, whyte and reede; Syngynge he was, or floytynge, al the day, He was as fressh as is the monthe of May. Short was his gowne, with sleves longe and wyde. Wel koude he sitte on hors, and faire ryde. 95 He koude songes make, and wel endite, Juste, and eek daunce, and weel purtreye and write. So hoote he lovede, that by nyghtertale He slepte namoore than dooth a nyghtyngale. Curteis he was, lowely, and servysable, 100 And carf biforn his fader at the table. A YEMAN hadde he and servantz namo At that tyme, for hym liste ride soo; And he was clad in cote and hood of grene. A sheef of pecok arwes, bright and kene 105 Under his belt he bar ful thriftily, (Wel koude he dresse his takel yemanly: Hise arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe) And in his hand he baar a myghty bowe. A not heed hadde he, with a broun visage, 110 Of woodecraft wel koude he al the usage. Upon his arm he baar a gay bracer, And by his syde a swerd and a bokeler, And on that oother syde a gay daggere Harneised wel and sharpe as point of spere. 115 A Cristopher on his brest of silver sheene. An horn he bar, the bawdryk was of grene; A forster was he, soothly, as I gesse. Ther was also a Nonne, a PRIORESSE, That of hir smylyng was ful symple and coy; 120 Hir gretteste ooth was but by Seinte Loy; And she was cleped Madame Eglentyne. Ful weel she soong the service dyvyne, Entuned in hir nose ful semely, And Frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly, 125 After the scole of Stratford-atte-Bowe, For Frenssh of Parys was to hir unknowe. At mete wel ytaught was she with alle: She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle, Ne wette hir fyngres in hir sauce depe; 130 Wel koude she carie a morsel, and wel kepe That no drope ne fille upon hir brist. In curteisie was set ful muche hir list. Hire over-lippe wyped she so clene That in hir coppe ther was no ferthyng sene 135 Of grece, whan she dronken hadde hir draughte. Ful semely after hir mete she raughte. And sikerly, she was of greet desport, And ful plesaunt, and amyable of port, And peyned hir to countrefete cheere 140 Of court, and been estatlich of manere, And to ben holden digne of reverence. But, for to speken of hir conscience, She was so charitable and so pitous She wolde wepe, if that she saugh a mous 145 Kaught in a trappe, if it were deed or bledde. Of smale houndes hadde she, that she fedde With rosted flessh, or milk and wastel-breed. But soore weep she if oon of hem were deed, Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte; 150 And al was conscience, and tendre herte. Ful semyly hir wympul pynched was, Hire nose tretys, hir eyen greye as glas, Hir mouth ful smal, and therto softe and reed; But sikerly she hadde a fair forheed; 155 It was almoost a spanne brood, I trowe; For, hardily, she was nat undergrowe. Ful fetys was hir cloke, as I was war; Of smal coral aboute hir arm she bar A peire of bedes, gauded al with grene, 160 An theron heng a brooch of gold ful sheene, On which ther was first write a crowned A, And after Amor vincit omnia. Another NONNE with hir hadde she, That was hire chapeleyne, and preestes thre. 165 A MONK ther was, a fair for the maistrie, An outridere, that lovede venerie, A manly man, to been an abbot able. Ful many a deyntee hors hadde he in stable, And whan he rood, men myghte his brydel heere 170 Gynglen in a whistlynge wynd als cleere And eek as loude, as dooth the chapel belle. Ther as this lord was keper of the celle, The reule of Seint Maure, or of Seint Beneit, By cause that it was old and somdel streit 175 This ilke Monk leet olde thynges pace, And heeld after the newe world the space. He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen, That seith that hunters beth nat hooly men, Ne that a monk, whan he is recchelees, 180 Is likned til a fissh that is waterlees,- This is to seyn, a monk out of his cloystre But thilke text heeld he nat worth an oystre; And I seyde his opinioun was good. What sholde he studie, and make hymselven wood, 185 Upon a book in cloystre alwey to poure, Or swynken with his handes and laboure, As Austyn bit? How shal the world be served? Lat Austyn have his swynk to him reserved! Therfore he was a prikasour aright: 190 Grehoundes he hadde, as swift as fowel in flight; Of prikyng and of huntyng for the hare Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare. I seigh his sleves purfiled at the hond With grys, and that the fyneste of a lond; 195 And, for to festne his hood under his chyn, He hadde of gold ywroght a curious pyn; A love-knotte in the gretter ende ther was. His heed was balled, that shoon as any glas, And eek his face, as it hadde been enoynt. 200 He was a lord ful fat and in good poynt, Hise eyen stepe, and rollynge in his heed, That stemed as a forneys of a leed; His bootes souple, his hors in greet estaat. Now certeinly he was a fair prelaat; 205 He was nat pale as a forpyned goost. A fat swan loved he best of any roost. His palfrey was as broun as is a berye, A FRERE ther was, a wantowne and a merye, A lymytour, a ful solempne man. 210 In alle the ordres foure is noon that kan So muchel of daliaunce and fair langage. He hadde maad ful many a mariage Of yonge wommen at his owene cost. Unto his ordre he was a noble post, 215 And wel biloved and famulier was he With frankeleyns overal in his contree, And eek with worthy wommen of the toun; For he hadde power of confessioun, As seyde hymself, moore than a curat, 220 For of his ordre he was licenciat. Ful swetely herde he confessioun, And plesaunt was his absolucioun: He was an esy man to yeve penaunce, Ther as he wiste to have a good pitaunce. 225 For unto a povre ordre for to yive Is signe that a man is wel yshryve; For, if he yaf, he dorste make avaunt, He wiste that a man was repentaunt; For many a man so harde is of his herte, 230 He may nat wepe, al thogh hym soore smerte; Therfore in stede of wepynge and preyeres Men moote yeve silver to the povre freres. His typet was ay farsed ful of knyves And pynnes, for to yeven yonge wyves. http://htxt.it/xze6