Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 15

1744. E. Hn. Cm. owene; Hl. Cp. Pt. owne. 1747. Hn. Pt. shul; Cm. Hl.

schul; E. shal. 1753. E. estaat. 1754. E. debaat. 1767. Hn. Cm.

Cp. As; _rest_ And. 1770. Hl. Pt. Ln. had; _rest_ hadde. 1771. Hn.

wepten; _rest_ wepen. 1788. E. hise. 1789. E. Hn. Cm. owene; Cp.

Pt. owne. 1790. E. diuyse. 1797. Hl. I-brought; _rest_ Broght, Brought. 1799. _See note._ Hl. if that; _rest_ but if. 1810. E. Hn.

Cp. of; _rest_ or. 1811. and] Cm. Hl. or. 1817. E. Hn. Cp. Pt.

laas; Cm. las; Hl. Ln. lace. 1818. E. Pt. trespaas. 1822. E. Hn.

Cp. Ln. shal. contree] Cp. Ln. Hl. coroune. 1825, 1826. E. deel, weel; Hn. Cm. Cp. del, wel. Hl. Pt. swore; _rest_ sworen, sworne, sworyn. 1828. Hl. Cm. graunted.

'To speke of royal linage and richesse, Though that she were a quene or a princesse, 1830 Ech of yow bothe is worthy, doutelees, To wedden whan tyme is, but nathelees I speke as for my suster Emelye, For whom ye have this stryf and Ielousye; Ye woot your-self, she may not wedden two 1835 At ones, though ye fighten ever-mo: That oon of yow, al be him looth or leef, He moot go pypen in an ivy-leef; (980) This is to seyn, she may nat now han bothe, Al be ye never so Ielous, ne so wrothe. 1840 And for-thy I yow putte in this degree, That ech of yow shal have his destinee As him is shape; and herkneth in what wyse; Lo, heer your ende of that I shal devyse.

1832. E. _wrongly repeats_ doutelees. 1834. E. Hn. Cp. Ialousye.

1837. E. Hn. Pt. lief. 1838. E. _om._ go. 1840. E. Hn. Cp. Ialouse.

My wil is this, for plat conclusioun, 1845 With-outen any replicacioun, If that yow lyketh, tak it for the beste, That everich of yow shal gon wher him leste (990) Frely, with-outen raunson or daunger; And this day fifty wykes, fer ne ner, 1850 Everich of yow shal bringe an hundred knightes, Armed for listes up at alle rightes, Al redy to darreyne hir by bataille.

And this bihote I yow, with-outen faille, Up-on my trouthe, and as I am a knight, 1855 That whether of yow bothe that hath might, This is to seyn, that whether he or thou [54: T. 1860-1892.]

May with his hundred, as I spak of now, (1000) Sleen his contrarie, or out of listes dryve, Him shal I yeve Emelya to wyve, 1860 To whom that fortune yeveth so fair a grace.

The listes shal I maken in this place, And G.o.d so wisly on my soule rewe, As I shal even Iuge been and trewe.

Ye shul non other ende with me maken, 1865 That oon of yow ne shal be deed or taken.

And if yow thinketh this is wel y-sayd, Seyeth your avys, and holdeth yow apayd. (1010) This is your ende and your conclusioun.'

1856, 7. E. wheither. 1860. Hl. Him; Cp. Ln. That; E. Hn. Thanne; Cm.

Pt. Than. E. Cp. Ln. Emelya; Hl. Hn. Emelye.

Who loketh lightly now but Palamoun? 1870 Who springeth up for Ioye but Arcite?

Who couthe telle, or who couthe it endyte, The Ioye that is maked in the place Whan Theseus hath doon so fair a grace?

But doun on knees wente every maner wight, 1875 And thanked him with al her herte and might, And namely the Thebans ofte sythe.

And thus with good hope and with herte blythe (1020) They take hir leve, and hom-ward gonne they ryde To Thebes, with his olde walles wyde. 1880

1872. E. Cm. Hl. _om._ it. 1876. Hl. thanked; Cm. thankede; Cp. Pt.

Ln. thonked; E. Hn. thonken. 1877. E. often; Ln. oft; Pt. mony; _rest_ ofte.

EXPLICIT SECUNDA PARS. SEQUITUR PARS TERCIA.

I trowe men wolde deme it necligence, If I foryete to tellen the dispence Of Theseus, that goth so bisily To maken up the listes royally; That swich a n.o.ble theatre as it was, 1885 I dar wel seyn that in this world ther nas.

The circuit a myle was aboute, Walled of stoon, and diched al with-oute. (1030) Round was the shap, in maner of compas, Ful of degrees, the heighte of sixty pas, 1890 [55: T. 1893-1928.]

That, whan a man was set on o degree, He letted nat his felawe for to see.

1886. Hl. that; _rest om._ 1889. E. compaas. 1892. E. lette; Cm.

lettyth; _rest_ letted.

Est-ward ther stood a gate of marbel whyt, West-ward, right swich another in the opposit.

And shortly to concluden, swich a place 1895 Was noon in erthe, as in so litel s.p.a.ce; For in the lond ther nas no crafty man, That geometrie or ars-metrik can, (1040) Ne purtreyour, ne kerver of images, That Theseus ne yaf him mete and wages 1900 The theatre for to maken and devyse.

And for to doon his ryte and sacrifyse, He est-ward hath, up-on the gate above, In wors.h.i.+p of Venus, G.o.ddesse of love, Don make an auter and an oratorie; 1905 And west-ward, in the minde and in memorie Of Mars, he maked hath right swich another, That coste largely of gold a fother. (1050) And north-ward, in a touret on the wal, Of alabastre whyt and reed coral 1910 An oratorie riche for to see, In wors.h.i.+p of Dyane of chast.i.tee, Hath Theseus don wroght in n.o.ble wyse.

1893. E. Hn. Hl. marbul. 1899. Hl. Hn. Cp. purtreyour; E.

portreitour. 1900. Cp. Pt. Cm. him; Hl. hem; _rest om._ 1906. _So_ Hl.; E. Hn. Cm. (_wrongly_) And on the west-ward in memorie.

But yet hadde I foryeten to devyse The n.o.ble kerving, and the portreitures, 1915 The shap, the countenaunce, and the figures, That weren in thise oratories three.

First in the temple of Venus maystow see (1060) Wroght on the wal, ful pitous to biholde, The broken slepes, and the sykes colde; 1920 The sacred teres, and the waymenting; The fyry strokes of the desiring, That loves servaunts in this lyf enduren; The othes, that hir covenants a.s.suren; Plesaunce and hope, desyr, fool-hardinesse, 1925 Beautee and youthe, bauderie, richesse, [56: T. 1929-1963.]

Charmes and force, lesinges, flaterye, Dispense, bisynesse, and Ielousye, (1070) That wered of yelwe goldes a gerland, And a c.o.kkow sitting on hir hand; 1930 Festes, instruments, caroles, daunces, l.u.s.t and array, and alle the circ.u.mstaunces Of love, whiche that I rekne and rekne shal, By ordre weren peynted on the wal, And mo than I can make of mencioun. 1935 For soothly, al the mount of Citheroun, Ther Venus hath hir princ.i.p.al dwelling, Was shewed on the wal in portreying, (1080) With al the gardin, and the l.u.s.tinesse.

Nat was foryeten the porter Ydelnesse, 1940 Ne Narcisus the faire of yore agon, Ne yet the folye of king Salamon, Ne yet the grete strengthe of Hercules-- Thenchauntements of Medea and Circes-- Ne of Turnus, with the hardy fiers corage, 1945 The riche Cresus, caytif in servage.

Thus may ye seen that wisdom ne richesse, Beautee ne sleighte, strengthe, ne hardinesse, (1090) Ne may with Venus holde champartye; For as hir list the world than may she gye. 1950 Lo, alle thise folk so caught were in hir las, Til they for wo ful ofte seyde 'allas!'

Suffyceth heer ensamples oon or two, And though I coude rekne a thousand mo.

1922. E. Hl. and; _rest_ of. 1928. E. Hn. Cp. Ialousye. 1929. Hl.

guldes. 1930. Cp. Ln. Cm. his. 1933. Cm. I reken and rekne schal; Hn. Hl. I rekned and rekne shal; E. I rekned haue and rekne shal (_too long_). 1942. E. Cm. And; _rest_ Ne. 1943. E. Cm. And eek; Hn. Cp.

Pt. Ln. Ne yet; Hl. Ne eek. E. Hn. Cm. Ercules. 1948. E. Hn. Pt.

_om._ ne.

The statue of Venus, glorious for to see, 1955 Was naked fleting in the large see, And fro the navele doun all covered was With wawes grene, and brighte as any glas. (1100) A citole in hir right hand hadde she, And on hir heed, ful semely for to see, 1960 A rose gerland, fresh and wel smellinge; [57: T. 1964-1997.]

Above hir heed hir dowves flikeringe.

Biforn hir stood hir sone Cupido, Up-on his shuldres winges hadde he two; And blind he was, as it is ofte sene; 1965 A bowe he bar and arwes brighte and kene.

1965. E. it was; _rest_ it is.

Why sholde I noght as wel eek telle yow al The portreiture, that was up-on the wal (1110) With-inne the temple of mighty Mars the rede?

Al peynted was the wal, in lengthe and brede, 1970 Lyk to the estres of the grisly place, That highte the grete temple of Mars in Trace, In thilke colde frosty regioun, Ther-as Mars hath his sovereyn mansioun.

First on the wal was peynted a foreste, 1975 In which ther dwelleth neither man ne beste, With knotty knarry bareyn trees olde Of stubbes sharpe and hidous to biholde; (1120) In which ther ran a rumbel and a swough, As though a storm sholde bresten every bough: 1980 And downward from an hille, under a bente, Ther stood the temple of Mars armipotente, Wroght al of burned steel, of which thentree Was long and streit, and gastly for to see.

And ther-out cam a rage and such a vese, 1985 That it made al the gates for to rese.

The northren light in at the dores shoon, For windowe on the wal ne was ther noon, (1130) Thurgh which men mighten any light discerne.

The dores were alle of adamant eterne, 1990 Y-clenched overthwart and endelong With iren tough; and, for to make it strong, Every piler, the temple to sustene, Was tonne-greet, of iren bright and shene.

1975. Hl. foreste; E. forest. 1976. Hl. beste; E. best. 1977. E.

Hn. Cm. Cp. bareyne. 1979. E. rumbel; Cm. ru_m_bil; Hn. rombul; Cp.

Ln. rombel; Hl. swymbul. E. Pt. and; _rest_ in. 1980. Ln. berste; Hl. berst. 1981. Hn. Hl. on (_for_ from). 1983. E. Hn. the entree. 1985. Cp. vese; Cm. wese; E. Hn. Ln. veze; Hl. prise. 1986.

E. Hn. Cm. gate. Hl. rise. 1990. E. Hn. Pt. dore was.

Ther saugh I first the derke imagining 1995 [58: T. 1998-2033.]

Of felonye, and al the compa.s.sing; The cruel ire, reed as any glede; The pykepurs, and eek the pale drede; (1140) The smyler with the knyf under the cloke; The shepne brenning with the blake smoke; 2000 The treson of the mordring in the bedde; The open werre, with woundes al bi-bledde; Contek, with blody knyf and sharp manace; Al ful of chirking was that sory place.

The sleere of him-self yet saugh I ther, 2005 His herte-blood hath bathed al his heer; The nayl y-driven in the shode a-night; The colde deeth, with mouth gaping up-right. (1150) Amiddes of the temple sat meschaunce, With disconfort and sory contenaunce. 2010 Yet saugh I woodnesse laughing in his rage; Armed compleint, out-hees, and fiers outrage.

The careyne in the bush, with throte y-corve: A thousand slayn, and nat of qualm y-storve; The tiraunt, with the prey by force y-raft; 2015 The toun destroyed, ther was no-thing laft.

Yet saugh I brent the s.h.i.+ppes hoppesteres; The hunte strangled with the wilde beres: (1160) The sowe freten the child right in the cradel; The cook y-scalded, for al his longe ladel. 2020 Noght was foryeten by the infortune of Marte; The carter over-riden with his carte, Under the wheel ful lowe he lay adoun.

Ther were also, of Martes divisioun, The barbour, and the bocher, and the smith 2025 That forgeth sharpe swerdes on his st.i.th.

And al above, depeynted in a tour, Saw I conquest sittinge in greet honour, (1170) With the sharpe swerde over his heed Hanginge by a sotil twynes threed. 2030 Depeynted was the slaughtre of Iulius, [59: T. 2034-2069.]

Of grete Nero, and of Antonius; Al be that thilke tyme they were unborn, Yet was hir deeth depeynted ther-biforn, By manasinge of Mars, right by figure; 2035 So was it shewed in that portreiture As is depeynted in the sterres above, Who shal be slayn or elles deed for love. (1180) Suffyceth oon ensample in stories olde, I may not rekne hem alle, thogh I wolde. 2040

1995. E. Hn. dirke. 1996. E. Cm. on. al. 1998. E. Cm. _om._ eek.

2012. Cm. outes. 2013. E. Cp. Ln. busk; Cm. bosch; Hn. Pt. bussh.

2014. E. _ins._ oon _after_ nat. 2021. Hl. _om._ by. 2025. E. Cm.

laborer; _rest_ barbour. 2029. Pt. Ln. swerde; _rest_ swerd. 2030.

E. soutil; Hn. Cp. Ln. subtil. 2037. Hl. sterres; E. Pt. certres; _rest_ sertres.

The statue of Mars up-on a carte stood, Armed, and loked grim as he were wood; And over his he'ed ther shynen two figures Of sterres, that been cleped in scriptures, That oon Puella, that other Rubeus. 2045 This G.o.d of armes was arrayed thus:-- A wolf ther stood biforn him at his feet With eyen rede, and of a man he eet; (1190) With sotil pencel was depeynt this storie, In redoutinge of Mars and of his glorie. 2050

2049. Cm. sotyl; E. soutil. _All_ depeynted (_badly_); _see_ C. 950.