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 MONK’S PROLOGUE.
(T. 13895-13924.)

The mery wordes of the Host to the Monk.

• WHAN ended was my tale of Melibee,
• And of Prudence and hir benignitee,3080
• Our hoste seyde, ‘as I am faithful man,
• And by the precious corpus Madrian,
• I hadde lever than a barel ale
• That goode lief my wyf hadde herd this tale!
• For she nis no-thing of swich pacience3085
• As was this Melibeus wyf Prudence.
• By goddes bones! whan I bete my knaves,
• She bringth me forth the grete clobbed staves,(10)
• And cryeth, “slee the dogges everichoon,
• And brek hem, bothe bak and every boon.”3090
• And if that any neighebor of myne
• Wol nat in chirche to my wyf enclyne,
• Or be so hardy to hir to trespace,
• Whan she comth hoom, she rampeth in my face,
• And cryeth, “false coward, wreek thy wyf,3095
• By corpus bones! I wol have thy knyf,
• And thou shalt have my distaf and go spinne!”
• Fro day to night right thus she wol biginne;—(20)
• “Allas!” she seith, “that ever I was shape
• To wedde a milksop or a coward ape,3100
• That wol be overlad with every wight!
• Thou darst nat stonden by thy wyves right!”
• This is my lyf, but-if that I wol fighte;
• And out at dore anon I moot me dighte,
• Or elles I am but lost, but-if that I3105
• Be lyk a wilde leoun fool-hardy.
• I woot wel she wol do me slee som day
• Som neighebor, and thanne go my wey.(30)
• For I am perilous with knyf in honde,
• Al be it that I dar nat hir withstonde,3110
• For she is big in armes, by my feith,
• That shal he finde, that hir misdooth or seith.
• But lat us passe awey fro this matere.
• My lord the Monk,’ quod he, ‘be mery of chere;
• For ye shul telle a tale trewely.3115
• Lo! Rouchestre stant heer faste by!
• Ryd forth, myn owene lord, brek nat our game,
• But, by my trouthe, I knowe nat your name,(40)
• Wher shal I calle yow my lord dan Iohn,
• Or dan Thomas, or elles dan Albon?3120
• Of what hous be ye, by your fader kin?
• I vow to god, thou hast a ful fair skin,
• It is a gentil pasture ther thou goost;
• Thou art nat lyk a penaunt or a goost.
• Upon my feith, thou art som officer,3125
• Som worthy sexteyn, or som celerer,
• For by my fader soule, as to my doom,
• Thou art a maister whan thou art at hoom;(50)
• No povre cloisterer , ne no novys,
• But a governour, wyly and wys.3130
• And therwithal of brawnes and of bones
• A wel-faring persone for the nones.
• I pray to god, yeve him confusioun
• That first thee broghte un-to religioun;
• Thou woldest han been a trede-foul aright.3135
• Haddestow as greet a leve, as thou hast might
• To parfourne al thy lust in engendrure,
• Thou haddest bigeten many a creature.(60)
• Alas! why werestow so wyd a cope?
• God yeve me sorwe! but, and I were a pope,3140
• Not only thou, but every mighty man,
• Thogh he were shorn ful hye upon his pan,
• Sholde have a wyf; for al the world is lorn!
• Religioun hath take up al the corn
• Of treding, and we borel men ben shrimpes!3145
• Of feble trees ther comen wrecched impes.
• This maketh that our heires been so sclendre
• And feble, that they may nat wel engendre.(70)
• This maketh that our wyves wol assaye
• Religious folk, for ye may bettre paye3150
• Of Venus payements than mowe we;
• God woot, no lussheburghes payen ye!
• But be nat wrooth, my lord, for that I pleye;
• Ful ofte in game a sooth I have herd seye.’
• This worthy monk took al in pacience,3155
• And seyde, ‘I wol doon al my diligence,
• As fer as souneth in-to honestee,
• To telle yow a tale, or two, or three.(80)
• And if yow list to herkne hiderward,
• I wol yow seyn the lyf of seint Edward;3160
• Or elles first Tragedies wol I telle
• Of whiche I have an hundred in my celle.
• Tragedie is to seyn a certeyn storie,
• As olde bokes maken us memorie,
• Of him that stood in greet prosperitee3165
• And is y-fallen out of heigh degree
• Into miserie, and endeth wrecchedly.
• And they ben versifyed comunly(90)
• Of six feet, which men clepe exametron.
• In prose eek been endyted many oon,3170
• And eek in metre, in many a sondry wyse.
• Lo! this declaring oughte y-nough suffise.
• Now herkneth, if yow lyketh for to here;
• But first I yow biseke in this matere,
• Though I by ordre telle nat thise thinges,3175
• Be it of popes, emperours, or kinges,
• After hir ages, as men writen finde,
• But telle hem som bifore and som bihinde,(100)
• As it now comth un-to my remembraunce;
• Have me excused of myn ignoraunce.’3180

Explicit.

[]Heading.From E.; Hn. Here bigynneth The Prologe of the Monkes tale E. murye.

[3082. ]the] E. Hn. that.

[3085. ]E. Hn. omit For.

[3094. ]Pt. hoom; Hl. hom; Cp. Ln. home; E. Hn. omit.

[3099. ]E. Hn. euere that I.

[3110. ]E. Cp. Ln. hire nat; Hn. Cm. Pt. Hl. nat hire.

[3114. ]E. Hn. myrie.

[3119. ]E. daun.

[3120. ]E. daun.

[3129. ]E. Hn. Pt. Ln. cloistrer.

[3138. ]E. Hn. ful many.

[3147. ]E. om. these lines; from Hn.; Hn. Cm. sklendre; Cp. Pt sclendre (sclendere).

[3148. ]E. om. these lines; from Hn.; Hn. Cm. sklendre; Cp. Pt sclendre (sclendere).

[3151. ]E. paiementz.

[3152. ]E. Hn. lussheburgh; Cp. lussheburghes; Hl. lusscheburghes.

[3160. ]E. omits yow.

[3163. ]Cp. Pt. Ln. for to; rest omit for.

[3168. ]E. communely; Cm. comounly; Hn. Hl. comunly.