And ouer that his cote-armour

As whyt as is a lily flour,

In which he wol1 debate.

His sheeld was al of gold so reed,

And ther-in was a bores heed,

A charbocle bisyde 2;

And there he swoor, on ale and breed,

How that the geaunt shal3 be deed,

Bityde what bityde!'

1 Cm. wolde; Hl. wold; the rest wol, wole, wil.
2 Hn. Cm. Pt. by his syde; Cp. him besyde.
Pt. Hl. rowel; Cp. Ln. ruel.
5 E. it was;

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2065

2070

2075

2080

3 Cm. Cp. Ln. schulde.

the rest omit it.

1 E. batailles; Hn. bataille; the rest bataile, batail, batell.

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2 HI. Of ladys loue and drewery. 3 E. Pt. and of; the rest omit of. E. rood; but the rest glood, glod, glode.

Him-self drank water of the wel,

As did the knyght sir Percyuel,
So worthy vnder wede,

Til on a day

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Heere the Hoost stynteth Chaucer of his tale of Thopas.

'No more of this, for goddes dignitee,'
Quod our hoste, for thou makest me
So wery of thy verray lewednesse
That, also wisly god my soule blesse,
Myn eres aken of thy drasty speche;

This may wel be rym dogerel,' quod he.
'Why so?' quod I, 'why wiltow lette me
More of my tale than another man,

Sin that it is the beste rym2 I can?'

Thou dost nought elles but despendest tyme,
Sir, at o word, thou shalt no lenger ryme.
Lat se wher thou canst tellen ought in geste,
Or telle in prose somwhat at the leste

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In which ther be som mirthe or som doctrine.'

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Gladly,' quod I, '[for Cristes] swete pyne,

I wol yow telle a litel thing in prose,
That oughte lyken yow, as I suppose,
Or elles, certes ye ben to daungerous.

It is a moral tale vertuous,

Al be it told som tyme in sondry wyse

Of sondry folk, as I shal yow deuyse.

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1 Hl. worthy; E. Hn. worly; Pt. worthely; Cm. Cp. Ln. omit ll. 2105-8.

2 E. tale; the rest rym, ryme.

3 E. take; the rest told, tolde, toold.

As thus; ye wot that euery Euangelist,
That telleth vs the peyne of lesu Crist,
Ne saith nat al thing as his felaw dooth,
But natheles, her sentence is al sooth,

And alle accorden as in her sentence,
Al be ther in her telling difference.

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For somme of hem seyn more, and somme1 lesse,
Whan they his pitous passioun expresse;

1

2140

.

I mene of Mark and Mathew, Luk and Iohn;
But douteles hir sentence is al oon.

Therfor, lordinges alle, I yow biseche,

3

If that ye thinke I varie as in my speche,

As thus, though that I telle som-what more
Of prouerbes, than ye han herd bifore,
Comprehended in this litel tretis heer,
To enforce with the theffect of my mateer,
And though I nat the same wordes seye
As ye han herd, yet to yow alle I preye,
Blameth me nat; for, as in my sentence,
Ye shul not fynden moche difference
Fro the sentence of this tretis lyte

4

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After the which this mery tale I wryte.

And therfor herkneth what that I shal seye,

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And lat me tellen al my tale, I preye.'

Explicit.

[Here follows in prose, the long and dull Tale of Melibeus; numbered 11. 2157-3078 in the Six-Text edition. After which comes The Monk's Prologue.]

1 E. Hn. Cm. Ln. somme seyn; but Cp. Pt. Hl. omit seyn.

2 HI. and; which the rest omit.

3 E. HI. yow; the rest ye.

4 Cm. Cp. Ln. Ye schal not fynden moche; E. Hn. Pt. Hl. Shul ye nowher fynden.

GROUP B. THE MONK'S PROLOGUE.

The murye wordes of the Hoost to the Monk.

Whan ended was my tale of Melibee,
And of Prudence and hir benignitee,

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Our hoste seyde, as I am faithful man,

And by the precious corpus Madrian,

I hadde leuer than a barel ale

That goode lief my wyf hadde herd this tale!

For she nis no-thing of swich pacience

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As was this Melibeus wyf Prudence.

[So mot I thryue !] whan I bete my knaues,

She bringth me forth the grete clobbed staues,

And cryeth, slee the dogges euerichoon,

And brek hem, bothe bak and euery boon.'

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And if that any neighebor of myne

Wol nat in chirche to my wyf enclyne,

Or be so hardy to hir to trespace,

Whan she comth hoom2, she rampeth in my face,
And cryeth, false coward, wreek thy wyf,

[So mot I thryuen!] I wol haue thy knyf,
And thou shalt haue my distaf and go spinne !'
Fro day to nyght ryght thus she wol biginne;-
'Allas!' she seith, that euer I was shape
To wedde a milksop or a coward ape.

1 E. Hn. omit For; the rest have it.

2 Pt. hoom; Hl. hom; Cp. Ln. home; E. Hn, omit.

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