THE KNIGHT AND THE HOST COMPLAIN. 357

The Knight and the Host complain of this Tale.

"Hoo!" quod the Knyght, "good sire, na-
moore of this!
(14,773 T.)

That ye han seyd is right ynough, ywis,
And muchel moore; for litel hevynesse
Is right ynough to muche folk, I gesse.

I

seye for me it is a greet disese1

8380

Where as men han been in greet welthe and ese To heeren of hire sodeyn fal, allas!

8389

And the contrarie is joye and greet solas,
As whan a man hath ben in povre estaat,
And clymbeth up, and wexeth fortunat,
And there abideth in prosperitee;
Swich thyng is gladsom, as it thynketh me,
And of swich thyng were goodly for to telle."
"Ye," quod oure Hoost, "by Seint Poules
belle !

Ye seye right sooth; this Monk he clappeth lowde;

He spak how 'Fortune covered with a

clowde,' 2

I noot nevere what, -and als of a 'tragedie ' Right now ye herde, and, pardee, 'no remedie "4 It is for tobiwaille,' ne compleyne

That that is doon; and als, it is a peyne,

As ye han seyd, to heere of hevynesse.

1 Discomfort. L8374. Also.

2 Cf. 1. 8378.

Know not. Cf. 1. 7605. a

Sire Monk, namoore of this, so God yow blesse ! Youre tale anoyeth all this compaignye; 8401 Swich talkyng is nat worth a boterflye,

name,

1

For ther-inne is ther no desport ne game.
Wherfore, sire Monk, daun Piers by youre
(14,798 T.)
I pray yow hertely, telle us somwhat elles,
For sikerly nere 2 clynkyng of youre belles,
That on youre bridel hange on every syde,
By hevene kyng, that for us alle dyde!
I sholde er this han fallen doun for sleepe,
Al-thogh the slough had never been so deepe;
Thanne hadde youre tale al be toold in veyn,
For certeinly, as that thise clerkes seyn, 8412
Where 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 thyng shal wel reported be.

Sir, sey somwhat of huntyng, I yow preye."

66

"Nay!" quod this Monk, "I have no lust

to pleye;

Now lat another telle, as I have toold.”

Thanne spak oure Hoost with rude speche

and boold,

And seyde un-to the Nonnes Preest anon,

8420

• Com neer, thou preest, com hyder, thou sir

John.

Telle us swich thyng as may oure hertes glade,

The Host has now learned the Monk's name

1 Ct. 1. 7540.
Were it not for the.

8 Cf. 1. 170.

Be blithe, though thou ryde up-on a jade.
What thogh thyn hors be bothe foule and lene?
If he wol serve thee, rekke nat a bene;
Looke that thyn herte be murie everemo."
"Yis, sir," quod he, "yis, Hoost, so moot I

go,

(14,822 T.) But I be myrie, ywis I wol be blamed.” And right anon his tale he hath attamed,1 8430 And thus he seyde un-to us everichon,

This sweete preest, this goodly man, sir John."

Heere bigynneth The Nonnes Preestes Tale of the Cok and Hen, Chauntecleer and Pertelote.

A povre wydwe, somdel stape in age, Was whilom dwellyng in a narwe cotage Beside a greve,* stondynge in a dale. (14,829 T.) This wydwe, of which I telle yow my tale,

8439

Syn thilke day that she was last a wyf,
In pacience ladde a ful symple lyf,
For litel was hir catel and hir rente."
By housbondrie of swich as God hire sente
She foond' hir self, and eek hire doghtren two.
Thre large sowes hadde she, and namo ;

8

Three keen and eek a sheep that highte Malle. Ful sooty was hir bour,10 and eek hire halle,

1 Begun. The tale of the Cock and the Fox is found in the French Roman du Renart, where it was enlarged from a series of Esop's fal les, translated by Marie de France from the English of King Alfred. Chaucer's version is more picturesque and true to life han the earlier ones 3 Adranced, stept. Cf. 1. 13,850. 4 Grove. Wealth. 6 Income. 7 Supplied. 8 Kine. 9 Foul. 10 Chamber

In which she eet ful many a sklendre meel;
Of poynaunt sauce hir neded never a deel.
No deyntee morsel passed thurgh hir throte,
Hir diete was accordant to hir cote;1
Repleccioun ne made hire nevere sik,
Attempree diete was al hir phisik,
And exercise, and hertes suffisaunce.
The goute lette hire no-thyng2 for to daunce,
Napoplexie shente nat hir heed;

8450

No wyn ne drank she, neither whit ne reed; Hir bord was served moost with whit and

blak,

no lak ;

Milk and broun breed, — in which she foond (14,850 T.) Seynd bacoun and somtyme an ey❝ or tweye,

4

For she was, as it were, a maner deye."

A yeerd she hadde, enclosed al aboute With stikkes, and a drye dych with-oute, 8460 In which she hadde a cok, heet Chauntecleer. In al the land of crowyng nas his peer. His voys was murier than the murie orgon On messe dayes that in the chirche gon; Wel sikerer was his crowyng in his logge Than is a clokke, 10 or an abbey orlogge.11 By nature he knew 12 eche ascencioun Of the equynoxial in thilke toun;

7

8

For whan degrees fiftene weren ascended, Thanne crew he that it myghte nat been

amended.

8476

1 Cottage. Hindered her not at all. 3 Hurt. Broiled. Egg Female farm servant, or dairy-woman. Mass. 8 Surer. Beli or clock, 11 Time-keeper. 12 Elles. MS. has "crew."

Lodge

'THIS GENTIL COK."

His coomb was redder than the fyn coral,
And batailled as it were a castel wal;

361

His byle1 was blak, and as the jeet 2 it shoon;
Lyk asure were hise legges and his toon;
Hise nayles whiter than the lylye flour,
And lyk the burned gold was his colour.

8480

This gentil cok hadde in his governaunce Sevene hennes for to doon al his plesaunce, Whiche were hise sustres and his paramours, And wonder lyk to hym, as of colours; Of whiche the faireste hewed on hir throte Was cleped faire damoysele Pertelote. Curteys she was, discreet and debonaire, And compaignable, and bar hyr-self so faire Syn thilke day that she was seven nyght oold, That trewely she hath the herte in hoold Of Chauntecleer, loken in every lith ; He loved hire so that wel was hym therwith; But swiche a joye was it to here hem synge, Whan that the brighte sonne bigan to 8.490

sprynge,

In sweete accord, "My lief is faren in londe;"

6

For thilke tyme, as I have understonde,
Beestes and briddes koude speke and synge.
And so bifel, that in the dawenynge,
As Chauntecleer among hise wyves alle
Sat on his perche, that was in the halle,
And next hym sat this faire Pertelote,

1 Bill. wery limb.

Jet. 8 Some MSS. have "burnished."
My love is gone away. At that time

4 Locked in