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 CLERK’S PROLOGUE.
(T. 7877-7898.)

Here folweth the Prologe of the Clerkes Tale of Oxenford.

• ‘SIR clerk of Oxenford,’ our hoste sayde,
• ‘Ye ryde as coy and stille as dooth a mayde,
• Were newe spoused, sitting at the bord;
• This day ne herde I of your tonge a word.
• I trowe ye studie aboute som sophyme,5
• But Salomon seith, “every thing hath tyme.”
• For goddes sake, as beth of bettre chere,
• It is no tyme for to studien here.
• Telle us som mery tale, by your fey;
• For what man that is entred in a pley,10
• He nedes moot unto the pley assente.
• But precheth nat, as freres doon in Lente,
• To make us for our olde sinnes wepe,
• Ne that thy tale make us nat to slepe.
• Telle us som mery thing of aventures;—15
• Your termes, your colours, and your figures,
• Kepe hem in stoor til so be ye endyte
• Heigh style, as whan that men to kinges wryte.
• Speketh so pleyn at this tyme, I yow preye,
• That we may understonde what ye seye.’20
• This worthy clerk benignely answerde,
• ‘Hoste,’ quod he, ‘I am under your yerde;
• Ye han of us as now the governaunce,
• And therfor wol I do yow obeisaunce,
• As fer as reson axeth, hardily.25
• I wol yow telle a tale which that I
• Lerned at Padowe of a worthy clerk,
• As preved by his wordes and his werk.
• He is now deed and nayled in his cheste,
• I prey to god so yeve his soule reste!30
• Fraunceys Petrark, the laureat poete,
• Highte this clerk, whos rethoryke sweete
• Enlumined al Itaille of poetrye,
• As Linian dide of philosophye
• Or lawe, or other art particuler;35
• But deeth, that wol nat suffre us dwellen heer
• But as it were a twinkling of an yë,
• Hem bothe hath slayn, and alle shul we dyë.
• But forth to tellen of this worthy man,
• That taughte me this tale, as I bigan,40
• I seye that first with heigh style he endyteth,
• Er he the body of his tale wryteth,
• A proheme, in the which discryveth he
• Pemond, and of Saluces the contree,
• And speketh of Apennyn, the hilles hye,45
• That been the boundes of West Lumbardye,
• And of Mount Vesulus in special,
• Where as the Poo, out of a welle smal,
• Taketh his firste springing and his sours,
• That estward ay encresseth in his cours50
• To Emelward, to Ferrare, and Venyse:
• The which a long thing were to devyse.
• And trewely, as to my Iugement,
• Me thinketh it a thing impertinent,
• Save that he wol conveyen his matere:55
• But this his tale, which that ye may here.’

[1. ]Hl. hoste; Cp. Ln. oste; E. Hn. hoost.

[17. ]E. Hl. that ye; rest omit that.

[19. ]E. Hn. we; rest I.

[22. ]Ln. Oste; E. Hn. Pt. Hoost; Hl. Sir host.

[32. ]Hl. rethorique; Cp. retorique; Pt. retorike; E. Hn. Ln. rethorik.

[36. ]E. omits suffre us.

[51. ]E. Hn. Emele; Hl. Emyl; Cp. Pt. Ln. Emel.

[55. ]E. Hn. conuoyen; rest conueyen (-eye).

[56. ]E. Hn. this his tale (where this is a contraction for this is; cf. mod. E. ’tis); Hl. Pt. this is the tale; Ln. this is tale.