'What may I conclude of this longe serie, But, after wo, I rede us to be merie, (2210) And thanken Jupiter of al his grace? And, er that we departen from this place, 3070
I rede that we make, of sorwes two, O parfyt joye, lasting ever-mo;
And loketh now, wher most sorwe is herinne,
Ther wol we first amenden and biginne.
'Suster,' quod he, this is my fulle assent, With alth'avys heer of my parlement, 3076 That gentil Palamon, your owne knight, That serveth yow with wille, herte, and might, (2220) And ever hath doon, sin that ye first him knewe, 3079 That ye shul, of your grace, up-on him rewe, And taken him for housbonde and for lord:
Leen me your hond, for this is our acord. Lat see now of your wommanly pitee. He is a kinges brother sone, pardee; And, though he were a povre bacheler, 3085 Sin he hath served yow so many a yeer,
And had for yow so greet adversitee, It moste been considered, leveth me; (2230) For gentil mercy oghte to passen right.'
Than seyde he thus to Palamon ful.right; 'I trowe ther nedeth litel sermoning 3091 To make yow assente to this thing. Com neer, and tak your lady by the hond.' Bitwixen hem was maad anon the bond, That highte matrimoine or mariage, 3095 By al the counseil and the baronage. And thus with alle blisse and melodye Hath Palamon y-wedded Emelye. (2240) And God, that al this wyde world hath wroght,
Sende him his love, that hath it dere a-boght. 3100
For now is Palamon in alle wele, Living in blisse, in richesse, and in hele; And Emelye him loveth so tendrely, And he hir serveth al-so gentilly, That never was ther no word hem bitwene Of jelousye, or any other tene.
Thus endeth Palamon and Emelye; And God save al this faire companye!-- Amen.
Here is ended the Knightes Tale.
Here folwen the wordes bitwene the Host and the Millere.
WHAN that the Knight had thus his tale 'Sumwhat, to quyte with the Knightes
With which I wol now quyte the Knightes +And ever a thousand gode ayeyns oon tale.'
3155 +That knowestow wel thy-self, but-if thou
Why artow angry with my tale now?
I have a wyf, pardee, as well as thou, (50) Yet nolde I, for the oxen in my plogh, Taken up-on me more than y-nogh, 3160 As demen of my-self that I were oon; I wol beleve wel that I am noon. An housbond shal nat been inquisitif Of goddes privetee, nor of his wyf. So he may finde goddes foyson there, 3165 Of the remenant nedeth nat enquere.'
What sholde I more seyn, but this Millere
Henolde his wordes for no man forbere, (60) But tolde his cherles tale in his manere ; Methinketh that Ishal reherce it here. 3170 And ther-fore every gentil wight I
Here biginneth the Millere his tale.
If that men axed him in certein houres, 3195 Whan that men sholde have droghte or elles shoures,
(10) Or if men axed him what sholde bifalle Of every thing, I may nat rekene hem alle. This clerk was cleped hende Nicholas; Of derne love he coude and of solas; 3200 And ther-to he was sleigh and ful privee, And lyk a mayden meke for to see. A chambre hadde he in that hostelrye Allone, with-outen any companye, Ful fetisly y-dight with herbes swote; 3205 And he him-self as swete as is the rote (20) Of licorys, or any cetewale.
His Almageste and bokes grete and smale, His astrelabie, longinge for his art, His augrim-stones layen faire a-part 3210 On shelves couched at his beddes heed: His presse y-covered with a falding reed. And al above ther lay a gay sautrye, On which he made a nightes melodye So swetely, that al the chambre rong; 3215 And Angelus ad virginem he song; And after that he song the kinges note; Ful often blessed was his mery throte. And thus this swete clerk his tyme spente After his freendes finding and his rente.
For she was wilde and yong, and he was old, (39) 3225
And demed him-self ben lyk a cokewold. He knew nat Catoun, for his wit was rude, That bad man sholde wedde his similitude. Men sholde wedden after hir estaat, For youthe and elde is often at debaat. 3230 But sith that he was fallen in the snare, He moste endure, as other folk, his care.
Fair was this yonge wyf, and ther-with-al As any wesele hir body gent and smal. A ceynt she werede barred al of silk, 3235 A barmclooth eek as whyt as morne milk Up-on hir lendes, ful of many a gore. (51) Whyt was hir smok and brouded al bifore And eek bihinde, on hir coler aboute, Of col-blak silk, with-inne and eek with- oute.
She was ful more blisful on to see Than is the newe pere-jonette tree; 3248 And softer than the wolle is of a wether. And by hir girdel heeng a purs of lether Tasseld with silk, and perled with latoun. In al this world, to seken up and doun, There nis no man so wys, that coude thenche
So gay a popelote, or swich a wenche. 3254 Ful brighter was the shyning of hir hewe Than in the tour the noble y-forged newe. But of hir song, it was as loude and yerne As any swalwe sittinge on a berne. (72) Ther-to she coude skippe and make game, As any kide or calf folwinge his dame. 3260
This Carpenter had wedded newe a wyf Which that he lovede more than his lyf; Of eightetene yeer she was of age. Jalous he was, and heeld hir narwe in cage,
Hir mouth was swete as bragot or the meeth,
Or hord of apples leyd in hey or heeth. Winsinge she was, as is a joly colt, Long as a mast, and upright as a bolt. A brooch she baar up-on hir lowe coler, 3265 As brood as is the bos of a bocler. (80) Hir shoes were laced on hir legges hye; She was a prymerole, a pigges-nye For any lord to leggen in his bedde, Or yet for any good yeman to wedde. 3270 Now sire, and eft sire, so bifel the cas, That on a day this hende Nicholas Fil with this yonge wyf to rage and pleye, Whyl that hir housbond was at Oseneye, As clerkes ben ful subtile and ful queynte; And prively he caughte hir by the queynte, And seyde, 'y-wis, but if ich have my wille, (91) 3277 For derne love of thee, lemman, I spille.' And heeld hir harde by the haunche-bones, And seyde, 'lemman, love me al at-ones, Or I wol dyen, also god me save!' And she sprong as a colt doth in the trave, And with hir heed she wryed faste awey, And seyde, I wol nat kisse thee, by my fey, Why, lat be,' quod she, 'lat be, Nicholas, Or I wol crye out "harrow" and "allas." Do wey your handes for your curteisye!'
This Nicholas gan mercy for to crye, And spak so faire, and profred hir so faste, That she hir love him graunted atte laste,
And swoor hir ooth, by seint Thomas of Kent,
That she wol been at his comandement, Whan that she may hir leyser wel espye. Myn housbond is so ful of jalousye, That but ye wayte wel and been privee, 3295 I woot right wel I nam but deed,' quod she. 'Ye moste been ful derne, as in this cas.' Nay ther-of care thee noght,' quod Nicholas, (112)
'A clerk had litherly biset his whyle, But-if he coude a carpenter bigyle.' 3300 And thus they been acorded and y-sworn To wayte a tyme, as I have told biforn. Whan Nicholas had doon thus everydeel, And thakked hir aboute the lendes weel, He kist hir swete, and taketh his sautrye, And pleyeth faste, and maketh melodye,
Cristes owne werkes for to wirche, This gode wyf wente on an haliday; Hir forheed shoon as bright as any day, 3310 So was it wasshen whan she leet hir werk. Now was ther of that chirche a parish- clerk,
The which that was y-cleped Absolon. Crul was his heer, and as the gold it shoon, And strouted as a fanne large and brode; Ful streight and even lay his joly shode. His rode was reed, his eyen greye as goos; With Powles window corven on his shoos, In hoses rede he wente fetisly. (133) Y-clad he was ful smal and proprely, 3320 Al in a kirtel of a light wachet; Ful faire and thikke been the poyntes set. And ther-up-on he hadde a gay surplys As whyt as is the blosme up-on the rys. A mery child he was, so god me save, 3325 Wel coude he laten blood and clippe and shave, (140) And make a chartre of lond or acquitaunce. In twenty manere coude he trippe and daunce
After the scole of Oxenforde tho, And with his legges casten to and fro, 3330 And pleyen songes on a small rubible; Ther-to he song som-tyme a loud quinible; And as wel coude he pleye on his giterne. In al the toun nas brewhous ne taverne That he ne visited with his solas, Ther any gaylard tappestere was. But sooth to seyn, he was somdel squaymous Of farting, and of speche daungerous.
This Absolon, that jolif was and gay, Gooth with a sencer on the haliday, 3340 Sensinge the wyves of the parish faste; And many a lovely look on hem he caste, And namely on this carpenteres wyf. To loke on hir him thoughte a mery lyf, She was so propre and swete and likerous. I dar wel seyn, if she had been a mous, (160) And he a cat, he wolde hir hente anon.
This parish-clerk, this joly Absolon, Hath in his herte swich a love-longinge, That of no wyf ne took he noon offringe; For curteisye, he seyde, ho wolde noon. The mone, whan it was night, ful brighte shoon, 3352
So woweth hir, that him is wo bigon. He waketh al the night and al the day; He kempte hise lokkes brode, and made him gay; 3374
He woweth hir by menes and brocage, And swoor he wolde been hir owne page; (190) He singeth, brokkinge as a nightingale ; He sente hir piment, meeth, and spyced ale,
And wafres, pyping hote out of the glede; And for she was of toune, he profred mede. 3380
For som folk wol ben wonnen for richesse, And som for strokes, and som for gentillesse.
Somtyme, to shewe his lightnesse and maistrye,
He pleyeth Herodes on a scaffold hye. But what availleth him as in this cas? 3385 She loveth so this hende Nicholas, (200) That Absolon may blowe the bukkes horn; He ne hadde for his labour but a scorn; And thus she maketh Absolon hir ape, And al his ernest turneth til a jape. 3390 Ful sooth is this proverbe, it is no lyc, Men seyn right thus, 'alwey the nye slye
By-cause that he fer was from hir sighte, This nye Nicholas stood in his lighte. (210) Now bere thee wel, thou hende Nicholas!
For Absolon may waille and singe 'allas.' And so bifel it on a Saterday,
This carpenter was goon til Osenay; 3400 And hende Nicholas and Alisoun Acorded been to this conclusioun, That Nicholas shal shapen him a wyle This sely jalous housbond to bigyle; And if so be the game wente aright, 3405 She sholde slepen in his arm al night, For this was his desyr and hir also. (221) And right anon, with-outen wordes mo, This Nicholas no lenger wolde tarie, But doth ful softe un-to his chambre carie
3410 Bothe mete and drinke for a day or tweye,
And to hir housbonde bad hir for to seye, If that he axed after Nicholas,
She sholde seye she niste where he was, Of al that day she saugh him nat with yë; She trowed that he was in maladye, (230)' For, for no cry, hir mayde coude him calle;
He nolde answere, for no-thing that mighte falle.
This passeth forth al thilke Saterday, That Nicholas stille in his chambre lay, And eet and sleep, or dide what him leste, 3421 Til Sonday, that the sonne gooth to reste. This sely carpenter hath greet merveyle Of Nicholas, or what thing mighte him eyle, 3424 And seyde, 'I am adrad, by seint Thomas, It stondeth nat aright with Nicholas. (240) God shilde that he deyde sodeynly! This world is now ful tikel, sikerly; I saugh to-day a cors y-born to chirche That now, on Monday last, I saugh him wirche.
Go up,' quod he un-to his knave anoon, 'Clepe at his dore, or knokke with a stoon, Loke how it is, and tel me boldely.'
This knave gooth him up ful sturdily,
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