Vp-on a tree he was, as that him thoughte,
Ther Iuppiter him wesh, bothe bak and syde,
And Phebus eek a fair towaille him broughte
To drye him with, and ther-for wex his pryde;
And to his doughter, that stood him bisyde,
Which that he knew in hy science habounde,
He bad hir telle him what it signifyde,

3935

And she his dreem bigan ryght thus expounde.

3940

The tree,' quod she, 'the galwes is to mene, And Iuppiter bitokneth snow and reyn,

And Phebus, with his towaille so clene,

Tho ben the sonne stremes1 for to seyn;
Thou shalt anhanged be, fader, certeyn;

Reyn shal thee wasshe, and sonne shal thee drye;'
Thus warned she 2 him ful plat and ful pleyn,
His doughter, which that called was Phanye.

Anhanged was Cresus, the proude king,
His roial trone myghte him nat auaille,

3

Tragedie is noon other maner thing,

3945

3950

Ne can in singing crye ne biwaille,
But for that fortune alwey wol assaille

With vnwar strook the regnes that ben proude;
For when men trusteth hir, than wol she faille,
And couere hir bryghte face as with a cloude.

3955

Explicit Tragedia.

Heere stynteth the Knyght the Monk of his tale.

1 E. bemes; the rest stremes.

2 Pt. Ln. Hl. she; which the rest omit.

3 Cm. Tragedy is; so Cp. Pt.; Ln. Tregedrye in; E. Hn. Tragedies; HI. Tregedis.

+ Cm. for; which the rest omit.

GROUP B. PROLOGUE OF THE NONNE

PRESTES TALE.

The prologue of the Nonne preestes tale.

'Ho!' quod the knyght, good sir, no more of this, That ye han seyd is right ynow, ywis,

And mochel more; for litel heuinesse

Is ryght ynow to mochel folk, I gesse.

3960

I seye for me, it is a greet disese

Wher as men han ben in greet welthe and ese,

To heren of her sodeyn fal, allas!

And the contrarie is Ioie and greet solas,

As when a man hath ben in poure estaat,

3965

And clymbeth vp, and wexeth fortunat,
And ther abydeth in prosperitee,

Swich thing is gladsom, as it thinketh me,
And of swich thing were goodly for to telle.'
'Ye,' quod our hoste; 'by seint Poules belle,
Ye seye ryght sooth; this monk, he clappeth loude,
He spak how "fortune couered with a cloude"
I noot neuer what, and als of a Tragedie'
Ryght now ye herde, and parde! no remedie
It is for to biwaille, ne compleyne

That that is doon, and als it is a peyne,
As ye han seyd, to here of heuynesse.

Sir monk, no more of this, so god yow blesse !

3970

3975

Your tale anoyeth al this companye;

Swich talking is nat worth a boterflye;

3980

For ther-in is ther no disport ne game.
Wherfor, sir Monk, or1 dan Piers by your name,
I preye yow hertely, telle vs somwhat elles,
For sikerly, nere clinking of your belles,
That on your brydel hange on euery syde,
By heuen king, that for vs alle dyde,
I sholde er this han fallen doun for slepe
Although the slough had neuer ben so depe;
Than had your tale al be told in vayn.
For certeinly, as that thise clerkes seyn,
Wher as a man may haue noon audience,
Nought helpeth it to tellen his sentence.
And wel I woot the substance is in me,
If any thing shal wel reported be.

3985

3990

Sir, sey somwhat of hunting, I yow preye.'

3995

'Nay,' quod this monk, 'I haue no lust to pleye;

Now let another telle, as I haue told.'

Than spak our host, with rude speche and bold,

And seyde vn-to the nonnes preste anon,

'Com neer, thou prest, com hider, thou sir Iohn, 4000 Tel vs swich thing as may our hertes glade,

Be blythe, though thou ryde vp-on a Iade.

What though thyn hors be bothe foule and lene,
If he wol serue thee, rek nat a bene;
Look that thyn herte be merie euermo.'
Yis, sir,' quod he, 'yis, host, so mote I go,
But I be merie, ywis I wol be blamed: '-
And ryght anon his tale he hath attamed,

1 Pt. or; Hn. o; which the rest omit.

4005

And thus he seyde vn-to vs euerichon,

This swete prest, this goodly man sir Iohn.

Explicit.

4010

[Here follows The Nonne Prestes Tale, printed in Chaucer's Prologue, &c., ed. Morris (Clar. Press Series) pp. 97–116; lines numbered 4011-4636 in the Six-Text; next comes The Nuns' Priest's End-link, ll. 4637-4652, with which Group B ends.

Group C begins with The Doctor's Tale, l. 1-286; after which come The Wordes of the Hoost to the Phisicien and the Pardoner, ll. 287-328, and then The Pardoner's Preamble and Tale, ll. 329-968.

Group D contains The Wife of Bath's Tale, the Friar's Tale, and the Summoner's Tale.]

GROUP E. THE CLERK'S PROLOGUE

AND TALE.

Heere folweth the Prologe of the clerkes tale of
Oxenford.

Sir clerk of Oxenford,' our hoste sayde,
'Ye ryde as coy and stille as dooth a mayde,
Were newe spoused, sitting at the bord;
This day ne herde I of your tonge a word.
I trowe ye studie aboute som sophyme,
But Salomon seith, "euery thyng hath tyme."
For goddes sake, as beth of bettre chere,
It is no tyme for to studien here.
Telle vs som merie tale, by your fey;
For what man that is entred in a pley,
He nedes moot vnto the pley assente.
But precheth nat, as freres doon in lente,
To make vs for our olde synnes wepe,
Ne that thy tale make vs nat to slepe.

Telle vs som merie thing of auentures;-
Your termes, your colours, and your figures,
Keepe hem in stoor til so be ye1 endyte
Hy style, as whan that men to kinges wryte.
Speketh so pleyn at this tyme, I2 yow preye,
That we may vnderstonde what ye seye.'

1 E. HI. that ye; the rest omit that.

2 E. Hn. we; the rest I.

5

IO

15

20