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.

SIR THOPAS.

Here biginneth Chaucers Tale of Thopas.

• • LISTETH, lordes, in good entent,
  • And I wol telle verrayment
  • Of mirthe and of solas;
  • Al of a knyght was fair and gent1905
  • In bataille and in tourneyment,
  • His name was sir Thopas.
• • Y-born he was in fer contree,
  • In Flaundres, al biyonde the see,
  • At Popering, in the place;1910
  • His fader was a man ful free,(10)
  • And lord he was of that contree,
  • As it was goddes grace.
• • Sir Thopas wex a doghty swayn,
  • Whyt was his face as payndemayn,1915
  • His lippes rede as rose;
  • His rode is lyk scarlet in grayn,
  • And I yow telle in good certayn,
  • He hadde a semely nose.
• • His heer, his berd was lyk saffroun,1920
  • That to his girdel raughte adoun;(20)
  • His shoon of Cordewane.
  • Of Brugges were his hosen broun,
  • His robe was of ciclatoun,
  • That coste many a Iane.1925
• • He coude hunte at wilde deer,
  • And ryde an hauking for riveer,
  • With grey goshauk on honde;
  • Ther-to he was a good archeer,
  • Of wrastling was ther noon his peer,1930
  • Ther any ram shal stonde.(30)
• • Ful many a mayde, bright in bour,
  • They moorne for him, paramour,
  • Whan hem were bet to slepe;
  • But he was chast and no lechour,1935
  • And sweet as is the bremble-flour
  • That bereth the rede hepe.
• • And so bifel up-on a day,
  • For sothe, as I yow telle may,
  • Sir Thopas wolde out ryde;1940
  • He worth upon his stede gray,(40)
  • And in his honde a launcegay,
  • A long swerd by his syde.
• • He priketh thurgh a fair forest,
  • Ther-inne is many a wilde best,1945
  • Ye, bothe bukke and hare;
  • And, as he priketh north and est,
  • I telle it yow, him hadde almest
  • Bitid a sory care.
• • Ther springen herbes grete and smale,1950
  • The lycorys and cetewale,(50)
  • And many a clowe-gilofre;
  • And notemuge to putte in ale,
  • Whether it be moyste or stale,
  • Or for to leye in cofre.1955
• • The briddes singe, it is no nay,
  • The sparhauk and the papeiay,
  • That Ioye it was to here;
  • The thrustelcok made eek his lay,
  • The wodedowve upon the spray1960
  • She sang ful loude and clere.(60)
• • Sir Thopas fil in love-longinge
  • Al whan he herde the thrustel singe,
  • And priked as he were wood:
  • His faire stede in his prikinge1965
  • So swatte that men mighte him wringe,
  • His sydes were al blood.
• • Sir Thopas eek so wery was
  • For prikinge on the softe gras,
  • So fiers was his corage,1970
  • That doun he leyde him in that plas(70)
  • To make his stede som solas,
  • And yaf him good forage.
• • ‘O seinte Marie, benedicite!
  • What eyleth this love at me1975
  • To binde me so sore?
  • Me dremed al this night, pardee,
  • An elf-queen shal my lemman be,
  • And slepe under my gore.
• • An elf-queen wol I love, y-wis,1980
  • For in this world no womman is(80)
  • Worthy to be my make

    [T. 13722

  • In toune;

    [T. 13722

  • Alle othere wommen I forsake,

    [T. 13723

  • And to an elf-queen I me take1985
  • By dale and eek by doune!’
• • In-to his sadel he clamb anoon,
  • And priketh over style and stoon
  • An elf-queen for tespye,
  • Til he so longe had riden and goon1990
  • That he fond, in a privee woon,(90)
  • The contree of Fairye

    [T. 13731

  • So wilde;

    [T. 13734

  • For in that contree was ther noon
  • That to him dorste ryde or goon,1995
  • Neither wyf ne childe.
• • Til that ther cam a greet geaunt,
  • His name was sir Olifaunt,
  • A perilous man of dede;
  • He seyde, ‘child, by Termagaunt,2000
  • But-if thou prike out of myn haunt,(100)
  • Anon I slee thy stede

    [T. 13743

  • With mace.

    [T. 13743

  • Heer is the queen of Fayerye,
  • With harpe and pype and simphonye2005
  • Dwelling in this place.’
• • The child seyde, ‘al-so mote I thee,
  • Tomorwe wol I mete thee
  • Whan I have myn armoure;
  • And yet I hope, par ma fay,2010
  • That thou shalt with this launcegay(110)
  • Abyen it ful soure;

    [T. 13752

  • Thy mawe

    [T. 13752

  • Shal I percen, if I may,
  • Er it be fully pryme of day,2015
  • For heer thou shalt be slawe.’
• • Sir Thopas drow abak ful faste;
  • This geaunt at him stones caste
  • Out of a fel staf-slinge;
  • But faire escapeth child Thopas,2020
  • And al it was thurgh goddes gras,(120)
  • And thurgh his fair beringe.
• • Yet listeth, lordes, to my tale
  • Merier than the nightingale,
  • For now I wol yow roune2025
  • How sir Thopas with sydes smale,
  • Priking over hil and dale,
  • Is come agayn to toune.
• • His merie men comanded he
  • To make him bothe game and glee,2030
  • For nedes moste he fighte(130)
  • With a geaunt with hevedes three,
  • For paramour and Iolitee
  • Of oon that shoon ful brighte.
• • ‘Do come,’ he seyde, ‘my minstrales,2035
  • And gestours, for to tellen tales
  • Anon in myn arminge;
  • Of romances that been royales,
  • Of popes and of cardinales,
  • And eek of love-lykinge.’2040
• • They fette him first the swete wyn,(140)
  • And mede eek in a maselyn,
  • And royal spicerye;
  • Of gingebreed that was ful fyn,
  • And lycorys, and eek comyn,2045
  • With sugre that is so trye.
• • He dide next his whyte lere
  • Of clooth of lake fyn and clere
  • A breech and eek a sherte;
  • And next his sherte an aketoun,2050
  • And over that an habergeoun(150)
  • For percinge of his herte;
• • And over that a fyn hauberk,
  • Was al y-wroght of Iewes werk,
  • Ful strong it was of plate;2055
  • And over that his cote-armour
  • As whyt as is a lily-flour,
  • In which he wol debate.
• • His sheeld was al of gold so reed,
  • And ther-in was a bores heed,2060
  • A charbocle bisyde;(160)
  • And there he swoor, on ale and breed,
  • How that ‘the geaunt shal be deed,
  • Bityde what bityde!’
• • His Iambeux were of quirboilly,2065
  • His swerdes shethe of yvory,
  • His helm of laton bright;
  • His sadel was of rewel-boon,
  • His brydel as the sonne shoon,
  • Or as the mone light.2070
• • His spere was of fyn ciprees,(170)
  • That bodeth werre, and no-thing pees,
  • The heed ful sharpe y-grounde;
  • His stede was al dappel-gray,
  • It gooth an ambel in the way2075
  • Ful softely and rounde

    [T. 13815

  • In londe.

    [T. 13815

  • Lo, lordes myne, heer is a fit!
  • If ye wol any more of it,
  • To telle it wol I fonde.2080

• [The Second Fit.]

  • Now hold your mouth, par charitee,(180)
  • Bothe knight and lady free,
  • And herkneth to my spelle;
  • Of bataille and of chivalry,
  • And of ladyes love-drury2085
  • Anon I wol yow telle.
• • Men speke of romances of prys,
  • Of Horn child and of Ypotys,
  • Of Bevis and sir Gy,
  • Of sir Libeux and Pleyn-damour;2090
  • But sir Thopas, he bereth the flour(190)
  • Of royal chivalry.
• • His gode stede al he bistrood,
  • And forth upon his wey he glood
  • As sparkle out of the bronde;2095
  • Up-on his crest he bar a tour,
  • And ther-in stiked a lily-flour,
  • God shilde his cors fro shonde!
• • And for he was a knight auntrous,
  • He nolde slepen in non hous,2100
  • But liggen in his hode;(200)
  • His brighte helm was his wonger,
  • And by him baiteth his dextrer
  • Of herbes fyne and gode.
• • Him-self drank water of the wel,2105
  • As did the knight sir Percivel,
  • So worthy under wede,
  • Til on a day—(207)

Here the Host stinteth Chaucer of his Tale of Thopas.

[]Heading.From E. (E. Heere).

[1922. ]E. shoos; Hn. Pt. shoon; rest schoon, schon, schone.

[1927. ]E. Hn. Cm. Hl. for; Cp. by þe; Pt. Ln. for þe.

[1931. ]E. Hn. Cm. Hl. shal; Cp. schulde; Pt. shulde; Ln. scholde.

[1938. ]Hn. Hl. it fel; Cm. it fil.

[1949. ]Cm. Hl. Bytid; rest Bitidde, Betydde (!).

[1959. ]E. hir; rest his.

[1960. ]E. a; rest the.

[1980. ]Hn. Cm. Hl. haue; rest loue.

[1989. ]So E. Hn. Cm.; Cp. Pt. Ln. to aspie; Hl. to spye.

[1995. ]Not in the best MSS.; supplied from MS. Reg. 17 D. 15 (Tyrwhitt).

[2000. ]Hl. swar; rest seyde.

[2004. ]Cp. Hl. fayerye; E. Hn. Cm. Fairye.

[2005. ]Hl. lute; rest pype or pipe.

[2008. ]E. Hl. meete with; rest omit with.

[2012. ]E. Hn. sowre; Cm. soure; rest sore.

[2014. ]E. Cm. Thyn hauberk shal I percen, if I may; but the rest rightly omit Thyn hauberk.

[2020. ]E. Cm. sire; rest child.

[2025. ]Cp. Pt. Ln. insert For now, which the rest omit.

[2027. ]hil] Hl. hul; Cp. Pt. Ln. downe.

[2028. ]E. Cm. comen.

[2032. ]E. Hn. heuedes; Hl. heedes; Cm. hedis; Cp. Pt. Ln. hedes.

[2038. ]Hn. Pt. Hl. reales.

[2041. ]E. sette; rest fette or fet. E. Hn. Cm. omit the.

[2044. ]E. And; Hn. Cm. Hl. Of. Cp. Pt. Ln. omit ll. 2042-4.

[2046. ]E. alone retains so.

[2058. ]Cm. wolde; Hl. wold; rest wol, wole, wil.

[2061. ]Hn. Cm. Pt. Hl. by his syde; Cp. him besyde.

[2063. ]Cm. Cp. Ln. schulde

[2068. ]Pt Hl. rowel; Cp. Ln. ruel.

[2071. ]E. it was; rest omit it.

[2084. ]E. batailles; Hn. bataille; rest bataile, batail, batell.

[2089. ]E. Pt. and of; rest omit of.

[2094. ]E. rood; rest glood, glod, glode.

[2095. ]Hl. Pt. spark; Cp. Ln. sparcles.

[2107. ]Hl. worthy; E. Hn. worly; Pt. worthely; Cm. Cp. Ln. omit ll. 2105-8.

Colophon.From E. (E. Heere; Hoost).