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.

PROLOGUE TO MELIBEUS.
(T. 13847-13875.)

• ‘NO more of this, for goddes dignitee,’
• Quod oure hoste, ‘for thou makest me2110
• So wery of thy verray lewednesse
• That, also wisly god my soule blesse,
• Myn eres aken of thy drasty speche;
• Now swiche a rym the devel I biteche!
• This may wel be rym dogerel,’ quod he.2115
• ‘Why so?’ quod I, ‘why wiltow lette me
• More of my tale than another man,
• Sin that it is the beste rym I can?’(10)
• ‘By god,’ quod he, ‘for pleynly, at a word,
• Thy drasty ryming is nat worth a tord;2120
• Thou doost nought elles but despendest tyme,
• Sir, at o word, thou shalt no lenger ryme.
• Lat see wher thou canst tellen aught in geste,
• Or telle in prose somwhat at the leste
• In which ther be som mirthe or som doctryne.’2125
• ‘Gladly,’ quod I, ‘by goddes swete pyne,
• I wol yow telle a litel thing in prose,
• That oghte lyken yow, as I suppose,(20)
• Or elles, certes, ye been to daungerous.
• It is a moral tale vertuous,2130
• Al be it told som-tyme in sondry wyse
• Of sondry folk, as I shal yow devyse.
• As thus; ye woot that every evangelist,
• That telleth us the peyne of Iesu Crist,
• Ne saith nat al thing as his felaw dooth,2135
• But natheles, hir sentence is al sooth,
• And alle acorden as in hir sentence,
• Al be ther in hir telling difference.(30)
• For somme of hem seyn more, and somme lesse,
• Whan they his pitous passioun expresse;2140
• I mene of Marke, Mathew, Luk and Iohn;
• But doutelees hir sentence is al oon.
• Therfor, lordinges alle, I yow biseche,
• If that ye thinke I varie as in my speche,
• As thus, thogh that I telle som-what more2145
• Of proverbes , than ye han herd bifore,
• Comprehended in this litel tretis here,
• To enforce with the theffect of my matere,(40)
• And thogh I nat the same wordes seye
• As ye han herd, yet to yow alle I preye,2150
• Blameth me nat; for, as in my sentence,
• Ye shul not fynden moche difference
• Fro the sentence of this tretis lyte
• After the which this mery tale I wryte.
• And therfor herkneth what that I shal seye,2155
• And lat me tellen al my tale, I preye.’(48)

Explicit.

[2118. ]E. tale; rest rym, ryme.

[2131. ]E. take; rest told, tolde, toold.

[2139. ]E. Hn. Ln. somme seyn; but Cp. Pt. Hl. omit 2nd seyn.

[2141. ]Ed. 1561, Marke; E. Cp. Pt. Hl. Marke (?); Hn. Ln. Mark.

[2144. ]E. Hl. yow; rest ye. Cp. Ln. om. as.

[2146. ]Cp. prouerbis.

[2152. ]Cm. Cp. Ln. Ye schal not fynden moche; E. Hn. Pt. Hl. Shul ye nowher fynden.

[2154. ]E. murye; Hn. myry; Hl. litil; rest mery.