A KNYGHT ther was and that a worthy man, That fro the tyme that he first bigan To riden out, he loved chivalrie, Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisie. Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre, And therto hadde he riden no man ferre,1 As wel in cristendom as in hethenesse, And evere honoured for his worthynesse. At Alisaundre2 he was whan it was wonne ; Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bigonne Aboven alle nacions i Pruce.

6.

8

In Lettow 5 hadde he reysed and in Ruce,"
No cristen man so ofte of his degree.

8

In Gernade, at the seege eek hadde he be

Of Algezit, and riden in Belmarye.

At Lyeys 10 was he, and at Satalye,"

50

Whan they were wonne; and in the Grete See
At many a noble armee hadde he be.

At mortal batailles hadde he been fiftene,
And foughten for oure feith at Tramyssene
In lystes_thries, and ay slayn his foo.
This ilke worthy knyght hadde been also
Somtyme with the lord of Palatye 12
Agayn another hethen in Turkye;

12

9

60

And everemoore he hadde a sovereyn prys.18 And though that he were worthy, he was wys,' And of his port as meeke as is a mayde.

sia.

4 Prus

1 Further. 2 Alexandria. Cf. 1. 8004. Taken the lead. 5 Lithuania. • Made inroad. 7 Russia. 8 Granada. Afri can kingdom. Belmarye is, perhaps, Palmyra. 10 In Armenia. Attalia. 12 In Anatolia. 13 Praise, renown.

He nevere yet no vileynye1 ne sayde
In al his lyf un-to no maner wight.
He was a verray parfit, gentil knyght.
But for to tellen yow of his array,
His hors was goode but he was nat gay,
Of fustian he wered a gypoun 2
Al bismotered with his habergeoun, 8
For he was late ycome from his viage,1
And wente for to doon his pilgrymage.

70

With hym ther was his sone, a yong SQUIER,

A lovyere and a lusty bacheler,

5

80

With lokkes crulle as they were leyd in presse. Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse.

Of his stature he was of evene lengthe, 6

7

And wonderly delyvere and of greet strengthe,
And he hadde been somtyme in chyvachie,

In Flaundres, in Artoys and Pycardie,
And born hym weel, as of so litel space,
In hope to stonden in his lady grace.
Embrouded was he, as it were a meede
Al ful of fresshe floures whyte and reede;
Syngynge he was or floytynge,10 al the day;
He was as fressh as in the monthe of May.
Short was his gowne, with sleves longe and
wyde.

Wel koude he sitte on hors and faire ryde ;

He koude songes make and wel endite,

90

1 Nothing unbecoming, 2 Short cassock. 3 Hauberk. 4 Travels. Curled. 6 Average height. 7 Agile 8 Active training on raids for knighthood. Embroidered. 10 Playing on the flute.

THE PILGRIMS.

5

Juste and eek daunce and weel purtreye and

write.

So hoote he lovede that by nyghtertale1
He slepte namoore than dooth a nyghtyngale;
Curteis he was, lowely and servysable,

And carf biforn his fader at the table.

A YEMAN2 hadde he and servantz namo At that tyme, for hym liste ride soo; And he was clad in cote and hood of grene. A sheef of pecok arw bright and kene Under his belt he bar ful thriftily.

8

100

Wel koude he dresse his takel yemanly;
His arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe,
And in his hand he baar a myghty bowe;
A not-heed hadde he with a broun visage ;
Of woodecraft wel koude 5 he al the usage ; 110
Up-on his arm he baar a gay bracer,

6

And by his syde a swerd and a bokeler,
And on that oother syde a gay daggere
Harneised wel and sharpe as point of spere ;
A Cristophere on his brest of silver sheene;
An horn he bar, the bawdryk was of grene.
A forster was he, soothly as I gesse.

Ther was also a Nonne, a PRIORESSE, That of hir smylyng was ful symple and coy; Hire gretteste ooth was but by seint Loy, 120 1 Night. 2 Yeoman. 8 Arrows. 4 Round head. 6 Arm armor. 7 Image of St. Christopher. 8 Forester. Louis, probably.

5 Knew. 9 St.

And she was cleped madame Eglentyne.
Ful weel she soonge the service dyvyne,
Entuned in hir nose ful semeely,

And Frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly1
After the scole of Stratford-atte-Bowe,2
For Frenssh of Parys was to hire unknowe.
At mete wel ytaught was she with alle,
She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle,

Ne wette hir fyngres in hir sauce depe.

Wel koude she carie a morsel and wel kepe, 130
That no drope ne fille up-on hire breste;
In curteisie was set ful muchel hir leste.
Hire over-lippe wyped she so clene,

That in hir coppe ther was no ferthyng3 sene
Of grece, whan she dronken hadde hir draughte.
Ful semely after hir mete she raughte,
And sikerly she was of greet desport,

And ful plesaunt and amyable of port,
And peyned hire to countrefete cheere"

6

Of Court, and to been estatlich of manere, 140
And to ben holden digne of reverence ;
But for to speken of hire conscience,
She was so charitable and so pitous

She wolde wepe if that she saugh a mous
Kaught in a trappe, if it were deed or bledde.
Of smale houndes hadde she that she fedde
With rosted flessh, or milk and wastel breed;"
But soore wepte she if any of hem were deed,

1 Fastidiously. 2 Proverbial for poor French, or none at all. 8 Morsel. 4 Surely. 5 Took pains to imitate courtly manners. Worthy. 7 Bread-cake.

THE PILGRIMS.

Or if men smoot it with a yerde1 smerte,2
And al was conscience and tendre herte. 150
Ful semyly hir wympul pynched was;
Hire nose tretys, hir eyen greye as glas,
Hir mouth ful smal and ther to softe and reed,
But sikerly she hadde a fair forheed ;
It was almoost a spanne brood I trowe,
For hardily she was nat undergrowe.
Ful fetys was hir cloke as I was war;
Of smal coral aboute hire arm she bar
A peire of bedes gauded al with grene,

6

5

159

And ther-on heng a brooch of gold ful sheene,
On which ther was first write a crowned A,
And after Amor vincit omnia.

Another NONNE with hire hadde she
That was hire Chapeleyne," and preestes thre.

A MONK ther was a fair for the maistrie,

An outridere that lovede venerie,?

A manly man to been an abbot able.

8

Ful many a deyntee hors hadde he in stable, And whan he rood men myghte his brydel

heere

Gynglen 10 in a whistlynge wynd als cleere, 170
And eek as loude, as dooth the chapel belle.
Ther as
11 this lord was kepere of the celle 12
The reule of seint Maure or of seint Beneit,18

1 Rod. 2 Sharply. 3 Wimple plaited. 4 Well-proportioned. Surely. Neat, nice. 7 Attendant, secretary. 8 A fair one for the superiority 9 Hunting. 10 Cf. 1. 8406. 11 Where that. 12 Re igious house.

13 Benedict.