Vp-on a tree he was, as that him thoughte, 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; Reyn shal thee wasshe, and sonne shal thee drye;' Anhanged was Cresus, the proude king, 3 Tragedie is noon other maner thing, 3945 3950 Ne can in singing crye ne biwaille, With vnwar strook the regnes that ben proude; 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, Swich thing is gladsom, as it thinketh me, That that is doon, and als it is a peyne, 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. 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, 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 Sir clerk of Oxenford,' our hoste sayde, Telle vs som merie thing of auentures;- 1 E. HI. that ye; the rest omit that. 2 E. Hn. we; the rest I. 5 IO 15 20 |