The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems Part 61

For by my father's soul, *as to my dome,* *in my judgement*

Thou art a master when thou art at home; No poore cloisterer, nor no novice, But a governor, both wily and wise, And therewithal, of brawnes* and of bones, *sinews A right well-faring person for the nonce.

I pray to G.o.d give him confusion That first thee brought into religion.

Thou would'st have been a treade-fowl* aright; *c.o.c.k Hadst thou as greate leave, as thou hast might, To perform all thy l.u.s.t in engendrure,* *generation, begettting Thou hadst begotten many a creature.

Alas! why wearest thou so wide a cope? <3> G.o.d give me sorrow, but, an* I were pope, *if Not only thou, but every mighty man, Though he were shorn full high upon his pan,* <4> *crown Should have a wife; for all this world is lorn;* *undone, ruined Religion hath ta'en up all the corn Of treading, and we borel* men be shrimps: *lay Of feeble trees there come wretched imps.* *shoots <5> This maketh that our heires be so slender And feeble, that they may not well engender.

This maketh that our wives will a.s.say Religious folk, for they may better pay Of Venus' payementes than may we: G.o.d wot, no lusheburghes <6> paye ye.

But be not wroth, my lord, though that I play; Full oft in game a sooth have I heard say."

This worthy Monk took all in patience, And said, "I will do all my diligence, As far as *souneth unto honesty,* *agrees with good manners*

To telle you a tale, or two or three.

And if you list to hearken hitherward, I will you say the life of Saint Edward; Or elles first tragedies I will tell, Of which I have an hundred in my cell.

Tragedy *is to say* a certain story, *means*

As olde bookes maken us memory, Of him that stood in great prosperity, And is y-fallen out of high degree In misery, and endeth wretchedly.

And they be versified commonly Of six feet, which men call hexametron; In prose eke* be indited many a one, *also And eke in metre, in many a sundry wise.

Lo, this declaring ought enough suffice.

Now hearken, if ye like for to hear.

But first I you beseech in this mattere, Though I by order telle not these things, Be it of popes, emperors, or kings, *After their ages,* as men written find, *in chronological order*

But tell them some before and some behind, As it now cometh to my remembrance, Have me excused of mine ignorance."

Notes to the Prologue to The Monk's Tale

1. The Corpus Madrian: the body of St. Maternus, of Treves.

2. That her misdoth or saith: that does or says any thing to offend her.

3. Cope: An ecclesiastcal vestment covering all the body like a cloak.

4. Though he were shorn full high upon his pan: though he were tonsured, as the clergy are.

5. Imps: shoots, branches; from Anglo-Saxon, "impian,"

German, "impfen," to implant, ingraft. The word is now used in a very restricted sense, to signify the progeny, children, of the devil.

6. Lusheburghes: base or counterfeit coins; so called because struck at Luxemburg. A great importation of them took place during the reigns of the earlier Edwards, and they caused much annoyance and complaint, till in 1351 it was declared treason to bring them into the country.

THE TALE. <1>

I will bewail, in manner of tragedy, The harm of them that stood in high degree, And felle so, that there was no remedy To bring them out of their adversity.

For, certain, when that Fortune list to flee, There may no man the course of her wheel hold: Let no man trust in blind prosperity; Beware by these examples true and old.

At LUCIFER, though he an angel were, And not a man, at him I will begin.

For though Fortune may no angel dere,* *hurt From high degree yet fell he for his sin Down into h.e.l.l, where as he yet is in.

O Lucifer! brightest of angels all, Now art thou Satanas, that may'st not twin* *depart Out of the misery in which thou art fall.

Lo ADAM, in the field of Damascene <2> With G.o.dde's owen finger wrought was he, And not begotten of man's sperm unclean; And welt* all Paradise saving one tree: *commanded Had never worldly man so high degree As Adam, till he for misgovernance* *misbehaviour Was driven out of his prosperity To labour, and to h.e.l.l, and to mischance.

Lo SAMPSON, which that was annunciate By the angel, long ere his nativity; <3> And was to G.o.d Almighty consecrate, And stood in n.o.bless while that he might see; Was never such another as was he, To speak of strength, and thereto hardiness;* *courage But to his wives told he his secre, Through which he slew himself for wretchedness.

Sampson, this n.o.ble and mighty champion, Withoute weapon, save his handes tway, He slew and all to-rente* the lion, *tore to pieces Toward his wedding walking by the way.

His false wife could him so please, and pray, Till she his counsel knew; and she, untrue, Unto his foes his counsel gan bewray, And him forsook, and took another new.

Three hundred foxes Sampson took for ire, And all their tailes he together band, And set the foxes' tailes all on fire, For he in every tail had knit a brand, And they burnt all the combs of that lend, And all their oliveres* and vines eke. *olive trees <4> A thousand men he slew eke with his hand, And had no weapon but an a.s.s's cheek.

When they were slain, so thirsted him, that he Was *well-nigh lorn,* for which he gan to pray *near to peris.h.i.+ng*

That G.o.d would on his pain have some pity, And send him drink, or elles must he die; And of this a.s.s's check, that was so dry, Out of a w.a.n.g-tooth* sprang anon a well, *cheek-tooth Of which, he drank enough, shortly to say.

Thus help'd him G.o.d, as Judic.u.m <5> can tell.

By very force, at Gaza, on a night, Maugre* the Philistines of that city, *in spite of The gates of the town he hath up plight,* *plucked, wrenched And on his back y-carried them hath he High on an hill, where as men might them see.

O n.o.ble mighty Sampson, lefe* and dear, *loved Hadst thou not told to women thy secre, In all this world there had not been thy peer.

This Sampson never cider drank nor wine, Nor on his head came razor none nor shear, By precept of the messenger divine; For all his strengthes in his haires were; And fully twenty winters, year by year, He had of Israel the governance; But soone shall he weepe many a tear, For women shall him bringe to mischance.

Unto his leman* Dalila he told, *mistress That in his haires all his strengthe lay; And falsely to his foemen she him sold, And sleeping in her barme* upon a day *lap She made to clip or shear his hair away, And made his foemen all his craft espien.

And when they founde him in this array, They bound him fast, and put out both his eyen.

But, ere his hair was clipped or y-shave, There was no bond with which men might him bind; But now is he in prison in a cave, Where as they made him at the querne* grind. *mill <6> O n.o.ble Sampson, strongest of mankind!

O whilom judge in glory and richess!

Now may'st thou weepe with thine eyen blind, Since thou from weal art fall'n to wretchedness.

Th'end of this caitiff* was as I shall say; *wretched man His foemen made a feast upon a day, And made him as their fool before them play; And this was in a temple of great array.

But at the last he made a foul affray, For he two pillars shook, and made them fall, And down fell temple and all, and there it lay, And slew himself and eke his foemen all;

This is to say, the princes every one; And eke three thousand bodies were there slain With falling of the great temple of stone.

Of Sampson now will I no more sayn; Beware by this example old and plain, That no man tell his counsel to his wife Of such thing as he would *have secret fain,* *wish to be secret*

If that it touch his limbes or his life.

Of HERCULES the sov'reign conquerour Singe his workes' land and high renown; For in his time of strength he bare the flow'r.

He slew and reft the skin of the lion He of the Centaurs laid the boast adown; He Harpies <7> slew, the cruel birdes fell; He golden apples reft from the dragon He drew out Cerberus the hound of h.e.l.l.

He slew the cruel tyrant Busirus. <8> And made his horse to fret* him flesh and bone; *devour He slew the fiery serpent venomous; Of Achelous' two hornes brake he one.

And he slew Cacus in a cave of stone; He slew the giant Antaeus the strong; He slew the grisly boar, and that anon; And bare the heav'n upon his necke long. <9>

Was never wight, since that the world began, That slew so many monsters as did he; Throughout the wide world his name ran, What for his strength, and for his high bounte; And every realme went he for to see; He was so strong that no man might him let;* *withstand At both the worlde's ends, as saith Trophee, <10> Instead of boundes he a pillar set.

A leman had this n.o.ble champion, That highte Dejanira, fresh as May; And, as these clerkes make mention, She hath him sent a s.h.i.+rte fresh and gay; Alas! this s.h.i.+rt, alas and well-away!

Envenomed was subtilly withal, That ere that he had worn it half a day, It made his flesh all from his bones fall.

But natheless some clerkes her excuse By one, that highte Nessus, that it maked; Be as he may, I will not her accuse; But on his back this s.h.i.+rt he wore all naked, Till that his flesh was for the venom blaked.* *blackened And when he saw none other remedy, In hote coals he hath himselfe raked, For with no venom deigned he to die.

Thus sterf* this worthy mighty Hercules. *died Lo, who may trust on Fortune *any throw?* *for a moment*

For him that followeth all this world of pres,* *near <11> Ere he be ware, is often laid full low; Full wise is he that can himselfe know.

Beware, for when that Fortune list to glose Then waiteth she her man to overthrow, By such a way as he would least suppose.