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.

WORDS OF THE HOST.
(T. 12221-12239.)

The wordes of the Host to the Phisicien and the Pardoner.

• OUR Hoste gan to swere as he were wood,
• ‘Harrow!’ quod he, ‘by nayles and by blood!
• This was a fals cherl and a fals Iustyse!
• As shamful deeth as herte may devyse290
• Come to thise Iuges and hir advocats!
• Algate this sely mayde is slayn, allas!
• Allas! to dere boghte she beautee!
• Wherfore I seye al day, as men may see,
• That yiftes of fortune or of nature295
• Ben cause of deeth to many a creature.(10)
• Hir beautee was hir deeth, I dar wel sayn;
• Allas! so pitously as she was slayn!
• Of bothe yiftes that I speke of now
• Men han ful ofte more harm than prow.300
• But trewely, myn owene mayster dere,
• This is a pitous tale for to here.
• But natheles, passe over, is no fors;
• I prey to god, so save thy gentil cors,
• And eek thyne urinals and thy Iordanes,305
• Thyn Ypocras, and eek thy Galianes,(20)
• And every boist ful of thy letuarie;
• God blesse hem, and our lady seinte Marie!
• So mot I theen, thou art a propre man,
• And lyk a prelat, by seint Ronyan!310
• Seyde I nat wel? I can nat speke in terme;
• But wel I woot, thou doost my herte to erme,
• That I almost have caught a cardiacle.
• By corpus bones! but I have triacle,
• Or elles a draught of moyste and corny ale,315
• Or but I here anon a mery tale,(30)
• Myn herte is lost for pitee of this mayde.
• Thou bel amy, thou Pardoner,’ he seyde,
• ‘Tel us som mirthe or Iapes right anon.’
• ‘It shall be doon,’ quod he, ‘by seint Ronyon!320
• But first,’ quod he, ‘heer at this ale-stake
• I wol both drinke, and eten of a cake.’
• But right anon thise gentils gonne to crye,
• ‘Nay! lat him telle us of no ribaudye;
• Tel us som moral thing, that we may lere325
• Som wit, and thanne wol we gladly here.’(40)
• ‘I graunte, y-wis,’ quod he, ‘but I mot thinke
• Up-on som honest thing, whyl that I drinke.

[]Heading.So E. E. Hoost.

[287. ]Ln. oste; rest hoost, ost.

[290. ]E. shameful.

[291. ]So E. Hn. Pt.; but Cp. has—So falle vpon his body and his bones The deuyl I bekenne him al at ones; so also Ln. Hl.

E. (alone) ins. false before Iuges. E. Hn. Aduocatz; Pt. aduocas.

[292. ]So E. Hn. Pt.; but Cp. has—So falle vpon his body and his bones The deuyl I bekenne him al at ones; so also Ln. Hl.

[295. ]E. Hn. and; rest or.

[296. ]E. Hn. to; rest of.

[297. ]So Cp. Ln. Hl; rest omit these lines.

[298. ]So Cp. Ln. Hl; rest omit these lines.

[300. ]E. Hn. for harm; rest om. for.

[303. ]Hl. this is; the rest omit this.

[305. ]Ln. Iordanes; Cp Iurdanes; E. Hn. Iurdones.

[306. ]Cp. Galianes; E. Hn. Galiones.

[307. ]Hl. boist; E. Hn. boyste; Cp. Pt. Ln. box.

[313. ]E. Hn. cardynacle(!).

[322. ]eten of] Hl. byt on.

[323. ]E. Hn. And; the rest But.

[324. ]E. Hn. Cp. Hl. ribaudye; Ln. rebaudie; Pt. rybaudrye.

[326. ]Hl. has—Gladly, quod he, and sayde as ye schal heere: But in the cuppe wil I me bethinke.

[327. ]For ll.

Hl. has—Gladly, quod he, and sayde as ye schal heere: But in the cuppe wil I me bethinke.