Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 87

He that misconceyveth, he misdemeth.' 2410 And with that word she leep doun fro the tree.

2397. Cm. Pt. _om._ his. 2405. Cp. Pt. Hl. I-stabled; Ln. stablid.

This Ianuarie, who is glad but he?

He kisseth hir, and clippeth hir ful ofte, And on hir wombe he stroketh hir ful softe, (1170) And to his palays hoom he hath hir lad. 2415 Now, G.o.de men, I pray yow to be glad.

Thus endeth heer my tale of Ianuarie; G.o.d bless us and his moder Seinte Marie!

HERE IS ENDED THE MARCHANTES TALE OF IANUARIE.

2416. E. _om._ to. 2418. Hn. Hl. _add_ Amen. COLOPHON. _So_ E. Hn.; Hl. Here endith the marchauntes tale.

[460: T. 10293-10314.]

EPILOGUE TO THE MARCHANTES TALE.

'Ey! G.o.ddes mercy!' seyde our Hoste tho, 'Now swich a wyf I pray G.o.d kepe me fro! 2420 Lo, whiche sleightes and subtilitees In wommen been! for ay as bisy as bees Ben they, us sely men for to deceyve, And from a sothe ever wol they weyve; By this Marchauntes Tale it preveth weel. 2425 But doutelees, as trewe as any steel I have a wyf, though that she povre be; But of hir tonge a labbing shrewe is she, (10) And yet she hath an heep of vyces mo; Ther-of no fors, lat alle swiche thinges go. 2430 But, wite ye what? in conseil be it seyd, Me reweth sore I am un-to hir teyd.

For, and I sholde rekenen every vyce Which that she hath, y-wis, I were to nyce, And cause why; it sholde reported be 2435 And told to hir of somme of this meynee; Of whom, it nedeth nat for to declare, Sin wommen connen outen swich chaffare; (20) And eek my wit suffyseth nat ther-to To tellen al; wherfor my tale is do.' 2440

HEADING. E. The Prologe of the Squieres Tale; Hn. Here folwen the Wordes of the Worthy Hoost to the Frankeleyn; Pt. The prologe of the Fraunkeleyn. 2419. E. oure Hoost; Hl. our hoste. 2421. Hl.

subtilitees; E. Hn. subtiltees. 2424. E. Hn. sooth; Pt. Hl. soth (_not_ sothe); _see_ G. 167, 662.

[461: T. 10315-10334.]

GROUP F.

THE SQUIERES TALE.

[THE SQUIRE'S PROLOGUE.]

'Squier, com neer, if it your wille be, And sey somwhat of love; for, certes, ye Connen ther-on as muche as any man.'

'Nay, sir,' quod he, 'but I wol seye as I can With hertly wille; for I wol nat rebelle 5 Agayn your l.u.s.t; a tale wol I telle.

Have me excused if I speke amis, My wil is good; and lo, my tale is this.

HERE BIGINNETH THE SQUIERES TALE.

At Sarray, in the land of Tartarye, (1) Ther dwelte a king, that werreyed Russye, 10 Thurgh which ther deyde many a doughty man.

This n.o.ble king was cleped Cambinskan, Which in his tyme was of so greet renoun That ther nas no-wher in no regioun So excellent a lord in alle thing; 15 Him lakked noght that longeth to a king.

As of the secte of which that he was born He kepte his lay, to which that he was sworn; (10) And ther-to be was hardy, wys, and riche, Pitous and Iust, and ever-more y-liche 20 [462: T. 10335-10371.]

Sooth of his word, benigne and honurable, Of his corage as any centre stable; Yong, fresh, and strong, in armes desirous As any bacheler of al his hous.

A fair persone he was and fortunat, 25 And kepte alwey so wel royal estat, That ther was nowher swich another man.

This n.o.ble king, this Tartre Cambinskan (20) Hadde two sones on Elpheta his wyf, Of whiche the eldeste highte Algarsyf, 30 That other sone was cleped Cambalo.

A doghter hadde this worthy king also, That yongest was, and highte Canacee.

But for to telle yow al hir beautee, It lyth nat in my tonge, nin my conning; 35 I dar nat undertake so heigh a thing.

Myn English eek is insufficient; It moste been a rethor excellent, (30) That coude his colours longing for that art, If he sholde hir discryven every part. 40 I am non swich, I moot speke as I can.

HEADING (_after_ l. 8). _So_ E. Hn. Pt. Hl. 20. Hn. Pietous and Iust and euere moore yliche; E. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. And pitous and Iust alwey yliche (_with first syllable deficient_). 23. and strong] E. strong and. 35. nin] Cp. Pt. Ln. ne in; Hl. ne. 38. E. I moste, _miswritten_; Hl. He moste; _rest_ It moste.

And so bifel that, whan this Cambinskan Hath twenty winter born his diademe, As he was wont fro yeer to yeer, I deme, He leet the feste of his nativitee 45 Don cryen thurghout Sarray his citee, The last Idus of March, after the yeer.

Phebus the sonne ful Iory was and cleer; (40) For he was neigh his exaltacioun In Martes face, and in his mansioun 50 In Aries, the colerik hote signe.

Ful l.u.s.ty was the weder and benigne, For which the foules, agayn the sonne shene, What for the seson and the yonge grene, Ful loude songen hir affecciouns; 55 Him semed han geten hem protecciouns Agayn the swerd of winter kene and cold.

46. Hn. thurghout; _rest_ thurgh. 53. E. Hn. foweles.

[463: T. 10372-10408.]

This Cambinskan, of which I have yow told, (50) In royal vestiment sit on his deys, With diademe, ful heighe in his paleys, 60 And halt his feste, so solempne and so riche That in this world ne was ther noon it liche.

Of which if I shal tellen al tharray, Than wolde it occupye a someres day; And eek it nedeth nat for to devyse 65 At every cours the ordre of hir servyse.

I wol nat tellen of hir strange sewes, Ne of hir swannes, ne of hir heronsewes. (60) Eek in that lond, as tellen knightes olde, Ther is som mete that is ful deyntee holde, 70 That in this lond men recche of it but smal; Ther nis no man that may reporten al.

I wol nat tarien yow, for it is pryme, And for it is no fruit but los of tyme; Un-to my firste I wol have my recours. 75

62. E. Hl. _om._ ne. 68. E. nor; _rest_ ne.

And so bifel that, after the thridde cours, Whyl that this king sit thus in his n.o.bleye, Herkninge his minstralles hir thinges pleye (70) Biforn him at the bord deliciously, In at the halle-dore al sodeynly 80 Ther cam a knight up-on a stede of bras, And in his hand a brood mirour of glas.

Upon his thombe he hadde of gold a ring, And by his syde a naked swerd hanging; And up he rydeth to the heighe bord. 85 In al the halle ne was ther spoke a word For merveille of this knight; him to biholde Ful bisily ther wayten yonge and olde. (80)

78. E. Hn. mynstrals. 86. E. spoken; Cm. spokyn; _rest_ spoke.

This strange knight, that cam thus sodeynly, Al armed save his heed ful richely, 90 Salueth king and queen, and lordes alle, By ordre, as they seten in the halle, With so heigh reverence and obeisaunce As wel in speche as in contenaunce, [464: T. 10409-10444.]

That Gawain, with his olde curteisye, 95 Though he were come ageyn out of Fairye, Ne coude him nat amende with a word.

And after this, biforn the heighe bord, (90) He with a manly voys seith his message, After the forme used in his langage, 100 With-outen vyce of sillable or of lettre; And, for his tale sholde seme the bettre, Accordant to his wordes was his chere, As techeth art of speche hem that it lere; Al-be-it that I can nat soune his style, 105 Ne can nat climben over so heigh a style, Yet seye I this, as to commune entente, Thus muche amounteth al that ever he mente, (100) If it so be that I have it in minde.

91. E. Saleweth; Hn. Cm. Salueth; _rest_ salued. 96. E. Cm. comen.

105. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. it; E. Hn. Cm. _omit_.

He seyde, 'the king of Arabie and of Inde, 110 My lige lord, on this solempne day Salueth yow as he best can and may, And sendeth yow, in honour of your feste, By me, that am al redy at your heste, This stede of bras, that esily and wel 115 Can, in the s.p.a.ce of o day naturel, This is to seyn, in foure and twenty houres, Wher-so yow list, in droghte or elles shoures, (110) Beren your body in-to every place To which your herte wilneth for to pace 120 With-outen wem of yow, thurgh foul or fair; Or, if yow list to fleen as hye in the air As doth an egle, whan him list to sore, This same stede shal bere yow ever-more With-outen harm, til ye be ther yow leste, 125 Though that ye slepen on his bak or reste; And turne ayeyn, with wrything of a pin.

He that it wroghte coude ful many a gin; (120) He wayted many a constellacioun Er he had doon this operacioun; 130 [465: T. 10445-10480.]

And knew ful many a seel and many a bond.

110. E. Hn. Arabe. 113, 114. E. feeste, heeste. 115. E. Hn. weel.

116. E. natureel. 123. E. whan at; _rest omit_ at.

This mirour eek, that I have in myn hond, Hath swich a might, that men may in it see Whan ther shal fallen any adversitee Un-to your regne or to your-self also; 135 And openly who is your freend or foo.

And over al this, if any lady bright Hath set hir herte on any maner wight, (130) If he be fals, she shal his treson see, His newe love and al his subtiltee 140 So openly, that ther shal no-thing hyde.

Wherfor, ageyn this l.u.s.ty someres tyde, This mirour and this ring, that ye may see, He hath sent to my lady Canacee, Your excellente doghter that is here. 145

138. E. Pt. in; _rest_ on. 144. E. vn-to; Cm. on-to; _rest_ to.

The vertu of the ring, if ye wol here, Is this; that, if hir l.u.s.t it for to were Up-on hir thombe, or in hir purs it bere, (140) Ther is no foul that fleeth under the hevene That she ne shal wel understonde his stevene, 150 And knowe his mening openly and pleyn, And answere him in his langage ageyn.

And every gras that groweth up-on rote She shal eek knowe, and whom it wol do bote, Al be his woundes never so depe and wyde. 155

This naked swerd, that hangeth by my syde, Swich vertu hath, that what man so ye smyte, Thurgh-out his armure it wol kerve and byte, (150) Were it as thikke as is a branched ook; And what man that is wounded with the strook 160 Shal never be hool til that yow list, of grace, To stroke him with the platte in thilke place Ther he is hurt: this is as muche to seyn, Ye mote with the platte swerd ageyn Stroke him in the wounde, and it wol close; 165 This is a verray sooth, with-outen glose, [466: T. 10481-10516.]