Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 51

This Iulius to the Capitolie wente Upon a day, as he was wont to goon, And in the Capitolie anon him hente 3895 This false Brutus, and his othere foon, And stikede him with boydekins anoon With many a wounde, and thus they lete him lye; But never gronte he at no strook but oon, Or elles at two, but-if his storie lye. 3900

So manly was this Iulius at herte (721) And so wel lovede estaatly honestee, That, though his deedly woundes sore smerte, His mantel over his hippes casteth he, For no man sholde seen his privitee. 3905 And, as he lay on deying in a traunce, And wiste verraily that deed was he, Of honestee yit hadde he remembraunce.

3904. Cm. castyth; _rest_ caste, cast. 3906. Cm. on deyinge; Pt. on dyinge; Ln. in deynge; E. Hn. of dyyng.

[267: T. 14637-14668.]

Lucan, to thee this storie I recomende, And to Sweton, and to Valerie also, 3910 That of this storie wryten word and ende, (731) How that to thise grete conqueroures two Fortune was first freend, and sithen fo.

No man ne truste up-on hir favour longe, But have hir in awayt for ever-mo. 3915 Witnesse on alle thise conqueroures stronge.

3910. Hl. Valirien; _rest_ Valerius; ed. 1561, Valerie. 3911. _The MSS. have_ word (_for_ ord); _see the note._ 3913. E. sitthe; Hl.

siththen; Hn. Cm. siththe a.

CRESUS.

This riche Cresus, whylom king of Lyde, Of whiche Cresus Cyrus sore him dradde, Yit was he caught amiddes al his pryde, And to be brent men to the fyr him ladde. 3920 But swich a reyn doun fro the welkne shadde (741) That slow the fyr, and made him to escape; But to be war no grace yet he hadde, Til fortune on the galwes made him gape.

Whan he escaped was, he can nat stente 3925 For to biginne a newe werre agayn.

He wende wel, for that fortune him sente Swich hap, that he escaped thurgh the rayn, That of his foos he mighte nat be slayn; And eek a sweven up-on a night he mette, 3930 Of which he was so proud and eek so fayn, (751) That in vengeaunce he al his herte sette.

Up-on a tree he was, as that him thoughte, Ther Iuppiter him wesh, bothe bak and syde, And Phebus eek a fair towaille him broughte 3935 To drye him with, and ther-for wex his pryde; And to his doghter, that stood him bisyde, Which that he knew in heigh science habounde, He bad hir telle him what it signifyde, And she his dreem bigan right thus expounde. 3940

3936. Cm. Pt. Ln. wex; _rest_ wax.

[268: T. 14669-14684.]

'The tree,' quod she, 'the galwes is to mene, (761) And Iuppiter bitokneth snow and reyn, And Phebus, with his towaille so clene, Tho ben the sonne stremes for to seyn; Thou shalt anhanged be, fader, certeyn; 3945 Reyn shal thee wa.s.she, and sonne shal thee drye;'

Thus warned she him ful plat and ful pleyn, His doughter, which that called was Phanye.

3944. E. bemes; _rest_ stremes. 3947. Pt. Ln. Hl. she; _rest omit_.

Anhanged was Cresus, the proude king, His royal trone mighte him nat availle.-- 3950 Tragedie is noon other maner thing, (771) Ne can in singing crye ne biwaille, But for that fortune alwey wol a.s.saille With unwar strook the regnes that ben proude; For when men trusteth hir, than wol she faille, 3955 And covere hir brighte face with a cloude. [See p. 256.

_Explicit Tragedia_.

HERE STINTETH THE KNIGHT THE MONK OF HIS TALE.

3951. Cm. Tragedy is; _so_ Cp. Pt.; Ln. Tregedrye in; E. Hn. Tragedies; Hl. Tegredis(!). 3953. Cm. Hl. for; _rest omit_. [3956. _Reckoned as 775 in the_ Aldine edition; _but really_ 776.] _After l._ 3956, E.

Hn. Cm. _have_ ll. 3565-3652. COLOPHON. _From_ E. Hn. Here is ended the Monkes tale.

[269: T. 14773-14798.]

THE PROLOGUE OF THE NONNE PRESTES TALE.

THE PROLOGUE OF THE NONNE PREESTES TALE.

'Ho!' quod the knight, 'good sir, na-more of this, That ye han seyd is right y-nough, y-wis, And mochel more; for litel hevinesse Is right y-nough to mochel folk, I gesse. 3960 I seye for me, it is a greet disese Wher-as men han ben in greet welthe and ese, To heren of hir sodeyn fal, allas!

And the contrarie is Ioie and greet solas, As whan a man hath been in povre estaat, 3965 And clymbeth up, and wexeth fortunat, (10) And ther abydeth in prosperitee, Swich thing is gladsom, as it thinketh me, And of swich thing were goodly for to telle.'

'Ye,' quod our hoste, 'by seint Poules belle, 3970 Ye seye right sooth; this monk, he clappeth loude, He spak how "fortune covered with a cloude"

I noot never what, and als of a "Tragedie"

Right now ye herde, and parde! no remedie It is for to biwaille, ne compleyne 3975 That that is doon, and als it is a peyne, (20) As ye han seyd, to here of hevinesse.

Sir monk, na-more of this, so G.o.d yow blesse!

Your tale anoyeth al this companye; Swich talking is nat worth a boterflye; 3980 For ther-in is ther no desport ne game.

Wherfor, sir Monk, or dan Piers by your name, [270: T. 14799-14826.]

I preye yow hertely, telle us somwhat elles, For sikerly, nere clinking of your belles, That on your brydel hange on every syde, 3985 By heven king, that for us alle dyde, (30) I sholde er this han fallen doun for slepe, Although the slough had never been so depe; Than had your tale al be told in vayn.

For certeinly, as that thise clerkes seyn, 3990 "Wher-as a man may have noon audience, Noght helpeth it to tellen his sentence."

And wel I woot the substance is in me, If any thing shal wel reported be.

Sir, sey somwhat of hunting, I yow preye.' 3995 'Nay,' quod this monk, 'I have no l.u.s.t to pleye; (40) Now let another telle, as I have told.'

Than spak our host, with rude speche and bold, And seyde un-to the Nonnes Preest anon, 'Com neer, thou preest, com hider, thou sir Iohn, 4000 Tel us swich thing as may our hertes glade, Be blythe, though thou ryde up-on a Iade.

What though thyn hors be bothe foule and lene, If he wol serve thee, rekke nat a bene; Look that thyn herte be mery evermo.' 4005 'Yis, sir,' quod he, 'yis, host, so mote I go, (50) But I be mery, y-wis, I wol be blamed:'-- And right anon his tale he hath attamed, And thus he seyde un-to us everichon, This swete preest, this goodly man, sir Iohn. 4010

_Explicit._

3982. Pt. or; Hn. o; _rest omit._ 4002. though] Hl. al-though.

4004. Pt. Hl. rek. 4005. E. Hn. murie; _rest_ mery. 4006. Cp. Ln.

Yis, ost, quod he, so mote I ryde or go.

[271: T. 14827-14852.]

THE NONNE PREESTES TALE.

HERE BIGINNETH THE NONNE PREESTES TALE OF THE c.o.k AND HEN, CHAUNTECLEER AND PERTELOTE.

A povre widwe, somdel stope in age, Was whylom dwelling in a narwe cotage, Bisyde a grove, stonding in a dale.

This widwe, of which I telle yow my tale, Sin thilke day that she was last a wyf, 4015 In pacience ladde a ful simple lyf, For litel was hir catel and hir rente; By housbondrye, of such as G.o.d hir sente, She fond hir-self, and eek hir doghtren two.

Three large sowes hadde she, and namo, 4020 Three kyn, and eek a sheep that highte Malle. (11) Ful sooty was hir bour, and eek hir halle, In which she eet ful many a sclendre meel.

Of poynaunt sauce hir neded never a deel.

No deyntee morsel pa.s.sed thurgh hir throte; 4025 Hir dyete was accordant to hir cote.

Repleccioun ne made hir never syk; Attempree dyete was al hir phisyk, And exercyse, and hertes suffisaunce.

The goute lette hir no-thing for to daunce, 4030 Napoplexye shente nat hir heed; (21) No wyn ne drank she, neither whyt ne reed; Hir bord was served most with whyt and blak, Milk and broun breed, in which she fond no lak, Seynd bacoun, and somtyme an ey or tweye, 4035 For she was as it were a maner deye.

4011. E. Hn. stape; Ln. stoupe; _rest_ stope. 4013. E. grene. 4021.

E. keen; Hn. Hl. Cp. kyn. 4031. E. Hn. Napoplexie; _rest_ Ne poplexie.

[272: T. 14853-14887.]

A yerd she hadde, enclosed al aboute With stikkes, and a drye dich with-oute, In which she hadde a c.o.k, hight Chauntecleer, In al the land of crowing nas his peer. 4040 His vois was merier than the mery orgon (31) On messe-dayes that in the chirche gon; Wel sikerer was his crowing in his logge, Than is a clokke, or an abbey orlogge.

By nature knew he ech ascencioun 4045 Of equinoxial in thilke toun; For whan degrees fiftene were ascended, Thanne crew he, that it mighte nat ben amended.

His comb was redder than the fyn coral, And batailed, as it were a castel-wal. 4050 His bile was blak, and as the Ieet it shoon; (41) Lyk asur were his legges, and his toon; His nayles whytter than the lilie flour, And lyk the burned gold was his colour.

This gentil c.o.k hadde in his governaunce 4055 Sevene hennes, for to doon al his plesaunce, Whiche were his sustres and his paramours, And wonder lyk to him, as of colours.