Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 46

HEADING. _From_ E.; Hn. Here bigynneth The Prologe of the Monkes tale. E. murye. 3082. the] E. Hn. that. 3085. E. Hn. _omit_ For. 3094. Pt. hoom; Hl. hom; Cp. Ln. home; E. Hn. _omit._ 3099. E.

Hn. euere that I. 3110. E. Cp. Ln. hire nat; Hn. Cm. Pt. Hl. nat hire.

My lord the Monk,' quod he, 'be mery of chere; For ye shul telle a tale trewely. 3115 Lo! Rouchestre stant heer faste by!

Ryd forth, myn owene lord, brek nat our game, But, by my trouthe, I knowe nat your name, (40) Wher shal I calle yow my lord dan Iohn, Or dan Thomas, or elles dan Albon? 3120 Of what hous be ye, by your fader kin?

I vow to G.o.d, thou, hast a ful fair skin, It is a gentil pasture ther thou goost; Thou art nat lyk a penaunt or a goost.

Upon my feith, thou art som officer, 3125 Som worthy s.e.xteyn, or som celerer, For by my fader soule, as to my doom, Thou art a maister whan thou art at hoom; (50) No povre cloisterer, ne no novys, But a governour, wyly and wys. 3130 And therwithal of brawnes and of bones A wel-faring persone for the nones.

I pray to G.o.d, yeve him confusioun That first thee broghte un-to religioun; Thou woldest han been a trede-foul aright. 3135 Haddestow as greet a leve, as thou hast might To parfourne al thy l.u.s.t in engendrure, Thou haddest bigeten many a creature. (60) Alas! why werestow so wyd a cope?

G.o.d yeve me sorwe! but, and I were a pope, 3140 Not only thou, but every mighty man, Thogh he were shorn ful hye upon his pan, Sholde have a wyf; for al the world is lorn!

Religioun hath take up al the corn Of treding, and we borel men ben shrimpes! 3145 Of feble trees ther comen wrecched impes.

[243: T. 13963-13996.]

This maketh that our heires been so sclendre And feble, that they may nat wel engendre. (70) This maketh that our wyves wol a.s.saye Religious folk, for ye may bettre paye 3150 Of Venus payements than mowe we; G.o.d woot, no lussheburghes payen ye!

But be nat wrooth, my lord, for that I pleye; Ful ofte in game a sooth I have herd seye.'

3114. E. Hn. myrie. 3119, 20. E. daun. 3129. E. Hn. Pt. Ln.

cloistrer. 3138. E. Hn. ful many. 3147, 8. E. _om. these lines; from_ Hn.; Hn. Cm. sklendre; Cp. Pt. sclendre (sclender_e_). 3151. E.

paiementz. 3152. E. Hn. lussheburgh; Cp. lussheburghes; Hl.

lusscheburghes.

This worthy monk took al in pacience, 3155 And seyde, 'I wol doon al my diligence, As fer as souneth in-to honestee, To telle yow a tale, or two, or three. (80) And if yow list to herkne hiderward, I wol yow seyn the lyf of seint Edward; 3160 Or elles first Tragedies wol I telle Of whiche I have an hundred in my celle.

Tragedie is to seyn a certeyn storie, As olde bokes maken us memorie, Of him that stood in greet prosperitee 3165 And is y-fallen out of heigh degree Into miserie, and endeth wrecchedly.

And they ben versifyed comunly (90) Of six feet, which men clepe _exametron_.

In prose eek been endyted many oon, 3170 And eek in metre, in many a sondry wyse.

Lo! this declaring oughte y-nough suffise.

3160. E. _omits_ yow. 3163. Cp. Pt. Ln. for to; _rest omit_ for.

3168. E. communely; Cm. comounly; Hn. Hl. comunly.

Now herkneth, if yow lyketh for to here; But first I yow biseke in this matere, Though I by ordre telle nat thise thinges, 3175 Be it of popes, emperours, or kinges, After hir ages, as men writen finde, But telle hem som bifore and som bihinde, (100) As it now comth un-to my remembraunce; Have me excused of myn ignoraunce.' 3180

_Explicit_.

[244: T. 13997-14016.]

THE MONKES TALE.

HERE BIGINNETH THE MONKES TALE, DE CASIBUS VIRORUM ILl.u.s.tRIUM.

I wol biwayle in maner of Tragedie The harm of hem that stode in heigh degree, And fillen so that ther nas no remedie To bringe hem out of hir adversitee; For certein, whan that fortune list to flee, 3185 Ther may no man the cours of hir withholde; Lat no man truste on blind prosperitee; Be war by thise ensamples trewe and olde.

HEADING. _From_ E. (E. Heere). 3188. E. Pt. of; _rest_ by.

LUCIFER.

At Lucifer, though he an angel were, And nat a man, at him I wol biginne; 3190 For, thogh fortune may non angel dere, (11) From heigh degree yet fel he for his sinne Doun in-to h.e.l.le, wher he yet is inne.

O Lucifer! brightest of angels alle, Now artow Sathanas, that maist nat twinne 3195 Out of miserie, in which that thou art falle.

3191. E. though; Hn. thogh.

ADAM.

Lo Adam, in the feld of Dama.s.sene, With G.o.ddes owene finger wroght was he, And nat bigeten of mannes sperme unclene, And welte al Paradys, saving o tree. 3200 [245: T. 14017-14048.]

Had never worldly man so heigh degree (21) As Adam, til he for misgovernaunce Was drive out of his hye prosperitee To labour, and to h.e.l.le, and to meschaunce.

3197. Cm. Hl. Dama.s.sene; E. Hn. Damyssene.

SAMPSON.

Lo Sampson, which that was annunciat 3205 By thangel, longe er his nativitee, And was to G.o.d almighty consecrat, And stood in n.o.blesse, whyl he mighte see.

Was never swich another as was he, To speke of strengthe, and therwith hardinesse; 3210 But to his wyves tolde he his secree, (31) Through which he slow him-self, for wrecchednesse.

3206. Hl. Cp. thangel; Hn. Pt. Ln. the aungel; E. Cm. angel.

Sampson, this n.o.ble almighty champioun, Withouten wepen save his hondes tweye, He slow and al to-rente the leoun, 3215 Toward his wedding walking by the weye.

His false wyf coude him so plese and preye Til she his conseil knew, and she untrewe Un-to his foos his conseil gan biwreye, And him forsook, and took another newe. 3220

Three hundred foxes took Sampson for ire, (41) And alle hir tayles he togider bond, And sette the foxes tayles alle on fire, For he on every tayl had knit a brond; And they brende alle the cornes in that lond, 3225 And alle hir oliveres and vynes eek.

A thousand men he slow eek with his hond, And had no wepen but an a.s.ses cheek.

Whan they were slayn, so thursted him that he Was wel my lorn, for which he gan to preye 3230 That G.o.d wolde on his peyne han som pitee, (51) And sende him drinke, or elles moste he deye; [246: T. 14049-14080.]

And of this a.s.ses cheke, that was dreye, Out of a w.a.n.g-tooth sprang anon a welle, Of which he drank y-nogh, shortly to seye, 3235 Thus heelp him G.o.d, as _Iudic.u.m_ can telle.

3235. E. anon; _rest_ ynogh, ynough, ynouhe, &c.

By verray force, at Gazan, on a night, Maugree Philistiens of that citee, The gates of the toun he hath up-plight, And on his bak y-caried hem hath he 3240 Hye on an hille, that men mighte hem see. (61) O n.o.ble almighty Sampson, leef and dere, Had thou nat told to wommen thy secree, In al this worlde ne hadde been thy pere!

This Sampson never sicer drank ne wyn, 3245 Ne on his heed cam rasour noon ne shere, By precept of the messager divyn, For alle his strengthes in his heres were; And fully twenty winter, yeer by yere, He hadde of Israel the governaunce. 3250 But sone shal he wepen many a tere, (71) For wommen shal him bringen to meschaunce!

3245. E. Hn. ciser (_for_ sicer); Hl. siser; Cm. Pt. Ln. sythir; Cp.

cyder.

Un-to his lemman Dalida he tolde That in his heres al his strengthe lay, And falsly to his fo-men she him solde. 3255 And sleping in hir barme up-on a day She made to clippe or shere his heer awey, And made his fo-men al his craft espyen; And whan that they him fonde in this array, They bounde him faste, and putten out his yen. 3260

3257. E. Hl. heres; _rest_ heer, here. 3258. E. Hn. this craft; _rest_ his craft.

But er his heer were clipped or y-shave, (81) Ther was no bond with which men might him binde; But now is he in prisoun in a cave, Wher-as they made him at the querne grinde.

[247: T. 14081-14112.]

O n.o.ble Sampson, strongest of mankinde, 3265 O whylom Iuge in glorie and in richesse, Now maystow wepen with thyn yen blinde, Sith thou fro wele art falle in wrecchednesse.

3261. E. were; _rest_ was; _see l._ 3328.

Thende of this caytif was as I shal seye; His fo-men made a feste upon a day, 3270 And made him as hir fool bifore hem pleye, (91) And this was in a temple of greet array.

But atte laste he made a foul affray; For he two pilers shook, and made hem falle, And doun fil temple and al, and ther it lay, 3275 And slow him-self, and eek his fo-men alle.

3271. E. Cm. a; _rest_ hire, here. 3274. E. the; _rest_ two.