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.

INTRODUCTION TO THE MAN OF LAW’S PROLOGUE.
(T. 4421-4446.)

The wordes of the Hoost to the companye.

• OUR Hoste sey wel that the brighte sonne
• The ark of his artificial day had ronne
• The fourthe part, and half an houre, and more;
• And though he were not depe expert in lore,
• He wiste it was the eightetethe day5
• Of April, that is messager to May;
• And sey wel that the shadwe of every tree
• Was as in lengthe the same quantitee
• That was the body erect that caused it.
• And therfor by the shadwe he took his wit10
• That Phebus, which that shoon so clere and brighte,
• Degrees was fyve and fourty clombe on highte;
• And for that day, as in that latitude,
• It was ten of the clokke, he gan conclude,
• And sodeynly he plighte his hors aboute.15
• ‘Lordinges,’ quod he, ‘I warne yow, al this route,
• The fourthe party of this day is goon;
• Now, for the love of god and of seint Iohn,
• Leseth no tyme, as ferforth as ye may;
• Lordinges, the tyme wasteth night and day,20
• And steleth from us, what prively slepinge,
• And what thurgh necligence in our wakinge,
• As dooth the streem, that turneth never agayn,
• Descending fro the montaigne in-to playn.
• Wel can Senek, and many a philosophre25
• Biwailen tyme, more than gold in cofre.
• “For los of catel may recovered be,
• But los of tyme shendeth us,” quod he.
• It wol nat come agayn, with-outen drede,
• Na more than wol Malkins maydenhede,30
• Whan she hath lost it in hir wantownesse;
• Lat us nat moulen thus in ydelnesse.
• Sir man of lawe,’ quod he, ‘so have ye blis,
• Tel us a tale anon, as forward is;
• Ye been submitted thurgh your free assent35
• To stonde in this cas at my Iugement.
• Acquiteth yow, and holdeth your biheste,
• Than have ye doon your devoir atte leste.’
• ‘Hoste,’ quod he, ‘depardieux ich assente,
• To breke forward is not myn entente.40
• Biheste is dette, and I wol holde fayn
• Al my biheste; I can no better seyn.
• For swich lawe as man yeveth another wight,
• He sholde him-selven usen it by right;
• Thus wol our text; but natheles certeyn45
• I can right now no thrifty tale seyn,
• But Chaucer, though he can but lewedly
• On metres and on ryming craftily,
• Hath seyd hem in swich English as he can
• Of olde tyme, as knoweth many a man.50
• And if he have not seyd hem, leve brother,
• In o book, he hath seyd hem in another.
• For he hath told of loveres up and doun
• Mo than Ovyde made of mencioun
• In his Epistelles, that been ful olde.55
• What sholde I tellen hem, sin they ben tolde?
• In youthe he made of Ceys and Alcion,
• And sithen hath he spoke of everichon,
• Thise noble wyves and thise loveres eke.
• Who-so that wol his large volume seke60
• Cleped the Seintes Legende of Cupyde,
• Ther may he seen the large woundes wyde
• Of Lucresse, and of Babilan Tisbee;
• The swerd of Dido for the false Enee;
• The tree of Phillis for hir Demophon;65
• The pleinte of Dianire and Hermion,
• Of Adriane and of Isiphilee;
• The bareyne yle stonding in the see;
• The dreynte Leander for his Erro;
• The teres of Eleyne, and eek the wo70
• Of Brixseyde, and of thee, Ladomëa;
• The crueltee of thee, queen Medëa,
• Thy litel children hanging by the hals
• For thy Iason, that was of love so fals!
• O Ypermistra, Penelopee , Alceste,75
• Your wyfhod he comendeth with the beste!
• But certeinly no word ne wryteth he
• Of thilke wikke ensample of Canacee,
• That lovede hir owne brother sinfully;
• Of swiche cursed stories I sey ‘fy’;80
• Or elles of Tyro Apollonius,
• How that the cursed king Antiochus
• Birafte his doghter of hir maydenhede,
• That is so horrible a tale for to rede,
• Whan he hir threw up-on the pavement.85
• And therfor he, of ful avysement,
• Nolde never wryte in none of his sermouns
• Of swiche unkinde abhominaciouns,
• Ne I wol noon reherse, if that I may.
• But of my tale how shal I doon this day?90
• Me were looth be lykned, doutelees,
• To Muses that men clepe Pierides—
• Metamorphoseos wot what I mene:—
• But nathelees, I recche noght a bene
• Though I come after him with hawe-bake;95
• I speke in prose, and lat him rymes make.’
• And with that word he, with a sobre chere,
• Bigan his tale, as ye shal after here.

The Prologe of the Mannes Tale of Lawe.

• O hateful harm! condicion of poverte!
• With thurst, with cold, with hunger so confounded!100
• To asken help thee shameth in thyn herte;
• If thou noon aske, with nede artow so wounded,
• That verray nede unwrappeth al thy wounde hid!
• Maugree thyn heed, thou most for indigence
• Or stele, or begge, or borwe thy despence!105
• Thou blamest Crist, and seyst ful bitterly,
• He misdeparteth richesse temporal;
• Thy neighebour thou wytest sinfully,(10)
• And seyst thou hast to lyte, and he hath al.
• ‘Parfay,’ seistow, ‘somtyme he rekne shal,110
• Whan that his tayl shal brennen in the glede,
• For he noght helpeth needfulle in hir nede.’
• Herkne what is the sentence of the wyse:—
• ‘Bet is to dyën than have indigence;’
• Thy selve neighebour wol thee despyse;115
• If thou be povre, farwel thy reverence!
• Yet of the wyse man tak this sentence:—
• ‘Alle the dayes of povre men ben wikke;’(20)
• Be war therfor, er thou come in that prikke!
• If thou be povre, thy brother hateth thee,120
• And alle thy freendes fleen fro thee, alas!
• O riche marchaunts, ful of wele ben ye,
• O noble, o prudent folk, as in this cas!
• Your bagges been nat filled with ambes as,
• But with sis cink, than renneth for your chaunce;125
• At Cristemasse merie may ye daunce!
• Ye seken lond and see for your winninges,
• As wyse folk ye knowen al thestaat(30)
• Of regnes; ye ben fadres of tydinges
• And tales, bothe of pees and of debat.130
• I were right now of tales desolat,
• Nere that a marchaunt, goon is many a yere,
• Me taughte a tale, which that ye shal here.

[1. ]Hl. Hoste; Ln. oste; rest hoost (oost). On sey, see note.

[2. ]E. Hn. Hl. hath; rest had.

[4. ]Cm. wanting; Cp Pt. Ln. expert; E. Hn. ystert; Hl. om.

[5. ]Hn. xviijthe; Cp. xviije; Pt. Ln. xviij; E. eighte and twentithe; Hl. threttenthe.

[14. ]Cm. Pt. Hl. of the; E. Hn. at the; Cp. atte; Ln. att.

[37. ]Hl. and holdeth; rest now of (badly).

[38. ]E. do.

[43. ]Cm. man; rest a man.

[45. ]E. wole; Hn. wol.

[47. ]MS. Camb. Dd. 4. 24 has But; rest That; see note.

[55. ]Hl. Cm. Epistelles; E. Hn. Cp. Epistles.

[56. ]E. Hn. telle; rest tellen.

[64. ]Hl. sorwe; rest swerd.

[66. ]E. Cm. Hl. Diane; Hn. Cp. Pt Ln. Dianire, or Dyanyre.

[69. ]E. Hn. Ln. Leandre.

[70. ]E. omits eek.

[71. ]E. omits of.

[72. ]Cp. Hl. queen; rest quene.

[74. ]E. Cm. in; rest of.

[75. ]E. Hn. Cm. Penolopee.

[76. ]E. wifhede.

[95. ]Hn. Cp. Pt. Hl. hawe bake; E. hawebake; Cm. aw bake; Ln. halve bake.

[102. ]So Hn.; Cp. Pt. art þou so; Ln. þou art so; Hl. so art thou; but E. so soore artow ywoundid.

[109. ]E. Hn. lite; rest litel.

[118. ]E. om. the.

[119. ]E. Hn. Hl. to; Cp. Pt. Ln. in.

[124. ]E. fild.