The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Introduction
• Errata.
• Additions to ‘the Minor Poems’ In Vol. I.
• XXIV.: Womanly Noblesse.
• XXV.: Complaint to My Mortal Foe.
• XXVI.: Complaint to My Lode-sterre.
• Notes to the Preceding Poems.
• The Canterbury Tales. Group A.
• The Prologue.
• The Knightes Tale.
• The Miller’s Prologue.
• The Milleres Tale.
• The Reeve’s Prologue.
• The Reves Tale.
• The Cook’s Prologue.
• The Cokes Tale.
• Group B.
• Introduction to the Man of Law’s Prologue. (t. 4421-4446.)
• The Tale of the Man of Lawe.
• The Shipman’s Prologue.
• The Shipmannes Tale.
• The Prioress’s Prologue. (t. 13365-13382.)
• The Prioresses Tale.
• Prologue to Sir Thopas. (t. 13621-13641.)
• Sir Thopas.
• Prologue to Melibeus. (t. 13847-13875.)
• The Tale of Melibeus.
• The Monk’s Prologue. (t. 13895-13924.)
• The Monkes Tale.
• The Prologue of the Nonne Prestes Tale. (t. 14773-14798).
• The Nonne Preestes Tale.
• Epilogue to the Nonne Preestes Tale.
• Group C.
• The Phisiciens Tale. (t. 11935-11957.)
• Words of the Host. (t. 12221-12239.)
• The Prologue of the Pardoners Tale. (t. 12263-12288).
• The Pardoners Tale. ( Numbered In Continuation of the Preceding. )
• Group D.
• The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. (t. 5583-5602; For T. 5582, See P. 164.)
• The Tale of the Wyf of Bathe.
• The Friar’s Prologue. (t. 6847-6868).
• The Freres Tale.
• The Somnour’s Prologue. (t. 7247-7270.)
• The Somnours Tale.
• Group E.
• The Clerk’s Prologue. (t. 7877-7898.)
• The Clerkes Tale.
• The Merchant’s Prologue. (t. 9089-9120).
• The Marchantes Tale.
• Epilogue to the Marchantes Tale.
• Group F.
• The Squieres Tale. (t. 10315-10334).
• The Franklin’s Prologue. (t. 11021-11040).
• The Frankeleyns Tale.
• Group G.
• The Seconde Nonnes Tale.
• The Canon’s Yeoman’s Prologue. (t. 16022-16043.)
• The Chanouns Yemannes Tale.
• Group H.
• The Manciple’s Prologue. (t. 16950-16968).
• The Maunciples Tale.
• Group I.
• The Parson’s Prologue. (t. 17312-17330).
• The Persones Tale.
• Appendix to Group A.
• The Tale of Gamelyn.

THE REEVE’S PROLOGUE.

The prologe of the Reves tale.

• WHAN folk had laughen at this nyce cas3855
• Of Absolon and hende Nicholas,
• Diverse folk diversely they seyde;
• But, for the more part, they loughe and pleyde,
• Ne at this tale I saugh no man him greve,
• But it were only Osewold the Reve,3860
• By-cause he was of carpenteres craft.
• A litel ire is in his herte y-laft,
• He gan to grucche and blamed it a lyte.
• ‘So theek,’ quod he, ‘ful wel coude I yow quyte(10)
• With blering of a proud milleres yë,3865
• If that me liste speke of ribaudye.
• But ik am old, me list not pley for age;
• Gras-tyme is doon, my fodder is now forage,
• This whyte top wryteth myne olde yeres,
• Myn herte is al-so mowled as myne heres,3870
• But-if I fare as dooth an open-ers;
• That ilke fruit is ever leng the wers,
• Til it be roten in mullok or in stree.
• We olde men, I drede, so fare we;(20)
• Til we be roten, can we nat be rype;3875
• We hoppen ay, whyl that the world wol pype.
• For in oure wil ther stiketh ever a nayl,
• To have an hoor heed and a grene tayl,
• As hath a leek; for thogh our might be goon,
• Our wil desireth folie ever in oon.3880
• For whan we may nat doon, than wol we speke;
• Yet in our asshen olde is fyr y-reke.
• Foure gledes han we, whiche I shal devyse,
• Avaunting, lying, anger, coveityse;(30)
• Thise foure sparkles longen un-to elde.3885
• Our olde lemes mowe wel been unwelde,
• But wil ne shal nat faillen, that is sooth.
• And yet ik have alwey a coltes tooth,
• As many a yeer as it is passed henne
• Sin that my tappe of lyf bigan to renne.3890
• For sikerly, whan I was bore, anon
• Deeth drogh the tappe of lyf and leet it gon;
• And ever sith hath so the tappe y-ronne,
• Til that almost al empty is the tonne.(40)
• The streem of lyf now droppeth on the chimbe;3895
• The sely tonge may wel ringe and chimbe
• Of wrecchednesse that passed is ful yore;
• With olde folk, save dotage, is namore.’
• Whan that our host hadde herd this sermoning,
• He gan to speke as lordly as a king;3900
• He seide, ‘what amounteth al this wit?
• What shul we speke alday of holy writ?
• The devel made a reve for to preche,
• And of a souter a shipman or a leche.(50)
• Sey forth thy tale, and tarie nat the tyme,3905
• Lo, Depeford! and it is half-way pryme.
• Lo, Grenewich, ther many a shrewe is inne;
• It were al tyme thy tale to biginne.’
• ‘Now, sires,’ quod this Osewold the Reve,
• ‘I pray yow alle that ye nat yow greve,3910
• Thogh I answere and somdel sette his howve;
• For leveful is with force force of-showve.
• This dronke millere hath y-told us heer,
• How that bigyled was a carpenteer,(60)
• Peraventure in scorn, for I am oon.3915
• And, by your leve, I shal him quyte anoon;
• Right in his cherles termes wol I speke.
• I pray to god his nekke mote breke;
• He can wel in myn yë seen a stalke,
• But in his owne he can nat seen a balke.3920

[3862. ]E. Pt. om. is.

[3865. ]E. Ln. eye.

[3867. ]E. Hn. no (for not).

[3869. ]Hl. My (for This).

[3870. ]E. mowled also.

[3872. ]E. leng; Ln. longe: rest lenger.

[3876. ]E. ay whil that; Hn. alwey whil þat; rest alwey while.

[3885. ]E. eelde.

[3886. ]E. vnweelde.

[3893. ]Hn. sith; E. sithe.

[3904. ]E. Cm. And; rest Or. All but Hn. om. 2nd a.

[3907. ]Cp. Pt. Ln that (for ther).

[3908. ]Pt. hie (for al).

[3912. ]In margin of E.—vim vi repellere.

[3918. ]Hl. tobreke; Pt. alto-breke.

[3919. ]Pt. ye; Cp. ȝe; rest eye.