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Front Page  Titles (by Subject) GROUP H. - The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 4 (The Canterbury Tales)
GROUP H. - Geoffrey Chaucer, The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 4 (The Canterbury Tales) [1899]Edition used:The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, edited from numerous manuscripts by the Rev. Walter W. Skeat (2nd ed.) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1899). 7 vols. Vol. 4.
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GROUP H.
THE MANCIPLE’S PROLOGUE.
(T. 16950-16968).
Here folweth the Prologe of the Maunciples Tale.
- WITE ye nat wher ther stant a litel toun
- Which that y-cleped is Bob-up-and-doun,
- Under the Blee, in Caunterbury weye?
- Ther gan our hoste for to Iape and pleye,
- And seyde, ‘sirs, what! Dun is in the myre!5
- Is ther no man, for preyere ne for hyre,
- That wol awake our felawe heer bihinde?
- A theef mighte him ful lightly robbe and binde.
- See how he nappeth! see, for cokkes bones,
- As he wol falle from his hors at ones.10
- Is that a cook of Londoun, with meschaunce?
- Do him come forth, he knoweth his penaunce,
- For he shal telle a tale, by my fey!
- Al-though it be nat worth a botel hey.
- Awake, thou cook,’ quod he, ‘god yeve thee sorwe,15
- What eyleth thee to slepe by the morwe?
- Hastow had fleen al night, or artow dronke,
- Or hastow with som quene al night y-swonke,
- So that thou mayst nat holden up thyn heed?’
- This cook, that was ful pale and no-thing reed,20
- Seyde to our host, ‘so god my soule blesse,
- As ther is falle on me swich hevinesse,
- Noot I nat why, that me were lever slepe
- Than the beste galoun wyn in Chepe.’
- ‘Wel,’ quod the maunciple, ‘if it may doon ese25
- To thee, sir cook, and to no wight displese
- Which that heer rydeth in this companye,
- And that our host wol, of his curteisye,
- I wol as now excuse thee of thy tale;
- For, in good feith, thy visage is ful pale,30
- Thyn yen daswen eek, as that me thinketh,
- And wel I woot, thy breeth ful soure stinketh,
- That sheweth wel thou art not wel disposed;
- Of me, certein, thou shalt nat been y-glosed.
- Se how he ganeth, lo, this dronken wight,35
- As though he wolde us swolwe anon-right.
- Hold cloos thy mouth, man, by thy fader kin!
- The devel of helle sette his foot ther-in!
- Thy cursed breeth infecte wol us alle;
- Fy, stinking swyn, fy! foule moot thee falle!40
- A! taketh heed, sirs, of this lusty man.
- Now, swete sir, wol ye Iusten atte fan?
- Ther-to me thinketh ye been wel y-shape!
- I trowe that ye dronken han wyn ape,
- And that is whan men pleyen with a straw.’45
- And with this speche the cook wex wrooth and wraw,
- And on the maunciple he gan nodde faste
- For lakke of speche, and doun the hors him caste,
- Wher as he lay, til that men up him took;
- This was a fayr chivachee of a cook!50
- Allas! he nadde holde him by his ladel!
- And, er that he agayn were in his sadel,
- Ther was greet showving bothe to and fro,
- To lifte him up, and muchel care and wo,
- So unweldy was this sory palled gost.55
- And to the maunciple thanne spak our host,
- ‘By-cause drink hath dominacioun
- Upon this man, by my savacioun
- I trowe he lewedly wolde telle his tale.
- For, were it wyn, or old or moysty ale,60
- That he hath dronke, he speketh in his nose,
- And fneseth faste, and eek he hath the pose.
- He hath also to do more than y-nough
- To kepe him and his capel out of slough;
- And, if he falle from his capel eft-sone,65
- Than shul we alle have y-nough to done,
- In lifting up his hevy dronken cors.
- Telle on thy tale, of him make I no fors.
- But yet, maunciple, in feith thou art to nyce,
- Thus openly repreve him of his vyce.70
- Another day he wol, peraventure,
- Reclayme thee, and bringe thee to lure;
- I mene, he speke wol of smale thinges,
- As for to pinchen at thy rekeninges,
- That wer not honeste, if it cam to preef.’75
- ‘No,’ quod the maunciple, ‘that were a greet mescheef!
- So mighte he lightly bringe me in the snare.
- Yet hadde I lever payen for the mare
- Which he rit on, than he sholde with me stryve;
- I wol nat wratthe him, al-so mote I thryve!80
- That that I spak, I seyde it in my bourde;
- And wite ye what? I have heer, in a gourde,
- A draught of wyn, ye, of a rype grape,
- And right anon ye shul seen a good Iape.
- This cook shal drinke ther-of, if I may;85
- Up peyne of deeth, he wol nat seye me nay!’
- And certeinly, to tellen as it was,
- Of this vessel the cook drank faste, allas!
- What neded him? he drank y-nough biforn.
- And whan he hadde pouped in this horn,90
- To the maunciple he took the gourde agayn;
- And of that drinke the cook was wonder fayn,
- And thanked him in swich wyse as he coude.
- Than gan our host to laughen wonder loude,
- And seyde, ‘I see wel, it is necessarie,95
- Wher that we goon, good drink we with us carie;
- For that wol turne rancour and disese
- Tacord and love, and many a wrong apese.
- O thou Bachus, y-blessed be thy name,
- That so canst turnen ernest in-to game!100
- Worship and thank be to thy deitee!
- Of that matere ye gete na more of me.
- Tel on thy tale, maunciple, I thee preye.’
- ‘Wel, sir,’ quod he, ‘now herkneth what I seye.’
Thus endeth the Prologe of the Manciple.
THE MAUNCIPLES TALE.
Here biginneth the Maunciples Tale of the Crowe.
- WHAN Phebus dwelled here in this erthe adoun,105
- As olde bokes maken mencioun,
- He was the moste lusty bachiler
- In al this world, and eek the beste archer;
- He slow Phitoun, the serpent, as he lay
- Slepinge agayn the sonne upon a day;110
- And many another noble worthy dede
- He with his bowe wroghte, as men may rede.
- Pleyen he coude on every minstralcye,
- And singen, that it was a melodye,(10)
- To heren of his clere vois the soun.115
- Certes the king of Thebes, Amphioun,
- That with his singing walled that citee,
- Coude never singen half so wel as he.
- Therto he was the semelieste man
- That is or was, sith that the world bigan.120
- What nedeth it his fetures to discryve?
- For in this world was noon so fair on lyve.
- He was ther-with fulfild of gentillesse,
- Of honour, and of parfit worthinesse.(20)
- This Phebus, that was flour of bachelrye,125
- As wel in fredom as in chivalrye,
- For his desport, in signe eek of victorie
- Of Phitoun, so as telleth us the storie,
- Was wont to beren in his hand a bowe.
- Now had this Phebus in his hous a crowe,130
- Which in a cage he fostred many a day,
- And taughte it speken, as men teche a Iay.
- Whyt was this crowe, as is a snow-whyt swan,
- And countrefete the speche of every man(30)
- He coude, whan he sholde telle a tale.135
- Ther-with in al this world no nightingale
- Ne coude, by an hondred thousand deel,
- Singen so wonder merily and weel.
- Now had this Phebus in his hous a wyf,
- Which that he lovede more than his lyf,140
- And night and day dide ever his diligence
- Hir for to plese, and doon hir reverence,
- Save only, if the sothe that I shal sayn,
- Ialous he was, and wolde have kept hir fayn;(40)
- For him were looth by-iaped for to be.145
- And so is every wight in swich degree;
- But al in ydel, for it availleth noght.
- A good wyf, that is clene of werk and thoght,
- Sholde nat been kept in noon await, certayn;
- And trewely, the labour is in vayn150
- To kepe a shrewe, for it wol nat be.
- This holde I for a verray nycetee,
- To spille labour, for to kepe wyves;
- Thus writen olde clerkes in hir lyves.(50)
- But now to purpos, as I first bigan:155
- This worthy Phebus dooth all that he can
- To plesen hir, weninge by swich plesaunce,
- And for his manhede and his governaunce,
- That no man sholde han put him from hir grace.
- But god it woot, ther may no man embrace160
- As to destreyne a thing, which that nature
- Hath naturelly set in a creature.
- Tak any brid, and put it in a cage,
- And do al thyn entente and thy corage(60)
- To fostre it tendrely with mete and drinke,165
- Of alle deyntees that thou canst bithinke,
- And keep it al-so clenly as thou may;
- Al-though his cage of gold be never so gay,
- Yet hath this brid, by twenty thousand fold,
- Lever in a forest, that is rude and cold,170
- Gon ete wormes and swich wrecchednesse.
- For ever this brid wol doon his bisinesse
- To escape out of his cage, if he may;
- His libertee this brid desireth ay.(70)
- Lat take a cat, and fostre him wel with milk,175
- And tendre flesh, and make his couche of silk,
- And lat him seen a mous go by the wal;
- Anon he weyveth milk, and flesh, and al,
- And every deyntee that is in that hous,
- Swich appetyt hath he to ete a mous.180
- Lo, here hath lust his dominacioun,
- And appetyt flemeth discrecioun.
- A she-wolf hath also a vileins kinde;
- The lewedeste wolf that she may finde,(80)
- Or leest of reputacion wol she take,185
- In tyme whan hir lust to han a make.
- Alle thise ensamples speke I by thise men
- That been untrewe, and no-thing by wommen.
- For men han ever a likerous appetyt
- On lower thing to parfourne hir delyt190
- Than on hir wyves, be they never so faire,
- Ne never so trewe, ne so debonaire.
- Flesh is so newefangel, with meschaunce,
- That we ne conne in no-thing han plesaunce(90)
- That souneth in-to vertu any whyle.195
- This Phebus, which that thoghte upon no gyle,
- Deceyved was, for al his Iolitee;
- For under him another hadde she,
- A man of litel reputacioun,
- Noght worth to Phebus in comparisoun.200
- The more harm is; it happeth ofte so,
- Of which ther cometh muchel harm and wo.
- And so bifel, whan Phebus was absent,
- His wyf anon hath for hir lemman sent,(100)
- Hir lemman? certes, this is a knavish speche!205
- Foryeveth it me, and that I yow biseche.
- The wyse Plato seith, as ye may rede,
- The word mot nede accorde with the dede.
- If men shal telle proprely a thing,
- The word mot cosin be to the werking.210
- I am a boistous man, right thus seye I,
- Ther nis no difference, trewely,
- Bitwixe a wyf that is of heigh degree,
- If of hir body dishonest she be,(110)
- And a povre wenche, other than this—215
- If it so be, they werke bothe amis—
- But that the gentile, in estaat above,
- She shal be cleped his lady, as in love;
- And for that other is a povre womman,
- She shal be cleped his wenche, or his lemman.220
- And, god it woot, myn owene dere brother,
- Men leyn that oon as lowe as lyth that other.
- Right so, bitwixe a titlelees tiraunt
- And an outlawe, or a theef erraunt,(120)
- The same I seye, ther is no difference.225
- To Alisaundre told was this sentence;
- That, for the tyrant is of gretter might,
- By force of meynee for to sleen doun-right,
- And brennen hous and hoom, and make al plain,
- Lo! therfor is he cleped a capitain;230
- And, for the outlawe hath but smal meynee,
- And may nat doon so greet an harm as he,
- Ne bringe a contree to so greet mescheef,
- Men clepen him an outlawe or a theef.(130)
- But, for I am a man noght textuel,235
- I wol noght telle of textes never a del;
- I wol go to my tale, as I bigan.
- Whan Phebus wyf had sent for hir lemman,
- Anon they wroghten al hir lust volage.
- The whyte crowe, that heng ay in the cage,240
- Biheld hir werk, and seyde never a word.
- And whan that hoom was come Phebus, the lord,
- This crowe sang ‘cokkow! cokkow! cokkow!’
- ‘What, brid?’ quod Phebus, ‘what song singestow?(140)
- Ne were thow wont so merily to singe245
- That to myn herte it was a reioisinge
- To here thy vois? allas! what song is this?’
- ‘By god,’ quod he, ‘I singe nat amis;
- Phebus,’ quod he, ‘for al thy worthinesse,
- For al thy beautee and thy gentilesse,250
- For al thy song and al thy minstralcye,
- For al thy waiting, blered is thyn yë
- With oon of litel reputacioun,
- Noght worth to thee, as in comparisoun,(150)
- The mountance of a gnat; so mote I thryve!255
- For on thy bed thy wyf I saugh him swyve.’
- What wol ye more? the crowe anon him tolde,
- By sadde tokenes and by wordes bolde,
- How that his wyf had doon hir lecherye,
- Him to gret shame and to gret vileinye;260
- And tolde him ofte, he saugh it with his yën.
- This Phebus gan aweyward for to wryen,
- Him thoughte his sorweful herte brast a-two;
- His bowe he bente, and sette ther-inne a flo,(160)
- And in his ire his wyf thanne hath he slayn.265
- This is theffect, ther is na-more to sayn;
- For sorwe of which he brak his minstralcye,
- Bothe harpe, and lute, and giterne, and sautrye;
- And eek he brak his arwes and his bowe.
- And after that, thus spak he to the crowe:270
- ‘Traitour,’ quod he, ‘with tonge of scorpioun,
- Thou hast me broght to my confusioun!
- Allas! that I was wroght! why nere I deed?
- O dere wyf, o gemme of lustiheed,(170)
- That were to me so sad and eek so trewe,275
- Now lystow deed, with face pale of hewe,
- Ful giltelees, that dorste I swere, y-wis!
- O rakel hand, to doon so foule amis!
- O trouble wit, or ire recchelees,
- That unavysed smytest giltelees!280
- O wantrust, ful of fals suspecioun,
- Where was thy wit and thy discrecioun?
- O every man, be-war of rakelnesse,
- Ne trowe no-thing with-outen strong witnesse;(180)
- Smyt nat to sone, er that ye witen why,285
- And beeth avysed wel and sobrely
- Er ye doon any execucioun,
- Up-on your ire, for suspecioun.
- Allas! a thousand folk hath rakel ire
- Fully fordoon, and brought hem in the mire.290
- Allas! for sorwe I wol my-selven slee!’
- And to the crowe, ‘o false theef!’ seyde he,
- ‘I wol thee quyte anon thy false tale!
- Thou songe whylom lyk a nightingale;(190)
- Now shaltow, false theef, thy song forgon,295
- And eek thy whyte fetheres everichon,
- Ne never in al thy lyf ne shaltou speke.
- Thus shal men on a traitour been awreke;
- Thou and thyn of-spring ever shul be blake,
- Ne never swete noise shul ye make,300
- But ever crye agayn tempest and rayn,
- In tokeninge that thurgh thee my wyf is slayn.’
- And to the crowe he stirte, and that anon,
- And pulled his whyte fetheres everichon,(200)
- And made him blak, and refte him al his song,305
- And eek his speche, and out at dore him slong
- Un-to the devel, which I him bitake;
- And for this caas ben alle crowes blake.—
- Lordings, by this ensample I yow preye,
- Beth war, and taketh kepe what I seye:310
- Ne telleth never no man in your lyf
- How that another man hath dight his wyf;
- He wol yow haten mortally, certeyn.
- Daun Salomon, as wyse clerkes seyn,(210)
- Techeth a man to kepe his tonge wel;315
- But as I seyde, I am noght textuel.
- But nathelees, thus taughte me my dame:
- ‘My sone, thenk on the crowe, a goddes name;
- My sone, keep wel thy tonge and keep thy freend.
- A wikked tonge is worse than a feend.320
- My sone, from a feend men may hem blesse;
- My sone, god of his endelees goodnesse
- Walled a tonge with teeth and lippes eke,
- For man sholde him avyse what he speke.(220)
- My sone, ful ofte, for to muche speche,325
- Hath many a man ben spilt, as clerkes teche;
- But for a litel speche avysely
- Is no men shent, to speke generally.
- My sone, thy tonge sholdestow restreyne
- At alle tyme , but whan thou doost thy peyne330
- To speke of god, in honour and preyere.
- The firste vertu, sone, if thou wolt lere,
- Is to restreyne and kepe wel thy tonge.—
- Thus lerne children whan that they ben yonge.—(230)
- My sone, of muchel speking yvel-avysed,335
- Ther lasse speking hadde y-nough suffysed,
- Comth muchel harm, thus was me told and taught.
- In muchel speche sinne wanteth naught.
- Wostow wher-of a rakel tonge serveth?
- Right as a swerd forcutteth and forkerveth340
- An arm a-two, my dere sone, right so
- A tonge cutteth frendship al a-two.
- A Iangler is to god abhominable;
- Reed Salomon, so wys and honurable;(240)
- Reed David in his psalmes, reed Senekke.345
- My sone, spek nat, but with thyn heed thou bekke.
- Dissimule as thou were deef, if that thou here
- A Iangler speke of perilous matere.
- The Fleming seith, and lerne it, if thee leste,
- That litel Iangling causeth muchel reste.350
- My sone, if thou no wikked word hast seyd,
- Thee thar nat drede for to be biwreyd;
- But he that hath misseyd, I dar wel sayn,
- He may by no wey clepe his word agayn.(250)
- Thing that is seyd, is seyd; and forth it gooth,355
- Though him repente, or be him leef or looth.
- He is his thral to whom that he hath sayd
- A tale, of which he is now yvel apayd.
- My sone, be war, and be non auctour newe
- Of tydinges, whether they ben false or trewe.360
- Wher-so thou come, amonges hye or lowe,
- Kepe wel thy tonge, and thenk up-on the crowe.
Here is ended the Maunciples Tale of the Crowe.
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