The northern light in at the doorès shone;
For window on the wall ne was there none
Through which men mighten any light discern.
The door was all of adamant eterne,
Y-clenched overthwart and endèlong
With iron tough; and, for to make it strong,
Every pillar the temple to sustene

Was tunnè great, of iron bright and sheen.
There saw I first the dark imagining
Of felony, and all the compassing;
The cruel ire, red as any glede ;

The pick-purse, and eke the palè drede;
The smiler with the knife under the cloak;

2

The sheep-pen brenning with the blackè smoke;
The treason of the murdering in the bed;

The open war, with woundès all be-bled;
Contek3 with bloody knife, and sharp menace;
All full of shrieking was that sorry place.
The slayer of himself yet saw I there,
His heartè-blood hath bathèd all his hair;
The nail y-driven in the shod a-night;
The coldé death with mouth gaping upright.
In middès of the temple sat Mischance,
With Discomfort and Sorry Countenance.

THE MORNING OF THE TOURNAMENT.

Great was the feast in Athenis that day;
And eke the lusty season of that May
Made every wight to been in such pleasance
That all that Monday jousten they and dance,
And spenden it in Venus' high service.

But, by the causè6 that they shoulden rise
Early a-morrow for to see the fight,

Unto their restè wenten they at night.

And on the morrow, when the day gan spring,
Of horse and harness noise and clattering

There was in hostelèries all about;
And to the palace rode there many a rout
Of lordès upon steedès and palfreys.
There mayst thou see devising of harneis
So uncouth and so rich, and wrought so weel
Of goldsmithry, of brouding," and of steel;

1 Live coal.

5 Tilt.

2 Burning

6 Because.

3 Contention. 4 Forehead, temple. 7 Embroidering.

The shieldès brightè, testers, and trappures,
Gold-hewen helms, hauberks, and coat-armures;1
Lordès in paraments 2 on their coursers;
Knightès of retinue; and eke squiers
Nailing the spears, and helmès buckeling,
Gigging of shieldes, with layners lacing,
There-as need is-they weren nothing idle;
The foamy steedes on the golden bridle
Gnawing; and fast the armourers also
With file and hammer pricking to and fro;
Yeomen on foot, and knavès1 many one
With shortè stavès, thick as they may gone;
Pipes, trompets, nakerers, and clariouns,
That in the battle blowen bloody souns;
The palace full of people up and down,
Here three, there ten, holding their question,
Divining of these Theban knightès two.
Some saiden thus; some said it shall be so ;
Some holden with him with the blacke beard,
Some with the bald, and some with the thick-haired;
Some said he looked grim and he would fight,
He hath a sparth of twenty pound of weight.
Thus was the hallè full of divining

Long after that the sun began to spring.

6

FROM THE WIFE OF BATH'S PROLOGUE.

JANKIN'S BOOK.

Now will I say you sooth, by Saint Thomas,
Why that I rent out of his book a leaf,

For which he smote me so that I was deaf.
He had a book that gladly, night and day,
For his disport he woldè read alway:
He cleped 10 it Valerie and Theophrast;
At whiche book he laugh alway full fast.
And eke there was sometime a clerk at Rome,
A cardinal, that hightè 11 Saint Jerome,

1 Embroidered coats worn over armour.

3 Thongs.

5 Kettle-drums.

2 Ornamented clothes. 4 Next lower rank of servants to the yeomen. 6 MSS. berd, herd. 7 An axe. 8 True.

9 This book consisted of a collection of the most popular treatises written by monks in favour of celibacy; also the Letters of Abelard and Heloise, The Parables of Solomon, Ovid's Art of Love, etc. 11 Was named.

E

10 Called.

That made a book Agen Jovinian;1
Which book was there, and eke Tertullian,
Chrysippus, Trotula, and Helois,

That was abbesse not far from Paris;
And eke the Parables of Salomon,
Ovide's Art, and bookès many one :

And alle these were bound in one volume.
And every night and day was his custume,
When he had leisure and vacation
From other worldly occupation,

To readen in this book of wicked wives.2
He knew of them more legends and more lives
Than been of goode wivès in the Bible.
For, trusteth well, it is an impossible

That any clerk shuld speaken good of wives—
But if it be of holy saintès' lives-

Ne of none other woman never the mo.4

Who painted the lion, tell me, who?

By God, if women hadden 5 written stories,

As clerkès have within their oratories,

They would have writ of men more wickedness
Than all the mark of Adam 6
may redress. . . .
But now to purpose, why I tolde thee
That I was beaten for a book, pardie!
Upon a night, Jankin that was our sire
Read on his book as he sat by the fire.

"Bet is," quoth he, "thine habitation
Be with a lion or a foul dragon

Than with a woman using for to chide;
Bet is," quoth he, "high in the roof abide
Than with an angry wife down in the house.
They been so wicked and contrarious,
They haten that 10 their husbands loven aye.".
Who wolde ween or who wolde suppose
The woe that in my heart was, and the pine?
And, when I saw that he would never fine 11
To readen on this cursed book all night,
All suddenly three leavès have I plight 12
Out of his book right as he read, and eke
I with my fist so took him on the cheek
That in our fire he fell backward adown.
And he up stert 13 as doth a wood lioun,"

14

3 Except.

7 My husband. 11 Finish.

14 Mad lion.

4 More. 8 Better. 12 Torn out.

And with his fist he smote me on the head
That in the floor I lay as I were dead..

But at the last, with muchel care and wo,
We fell accorded by ourselven two.

He gave me all the bridle in mine hand,
To have the governance of house and land,
And of his tongue and of his hand also:
I made him burn his book anon right tho.

FROM THE WIFE OF BATH'S TALE.

THE FAIRIES AND THE FRIARS.

In the oldè dayès of the king Artour,
Of which that Britons speaken great honour
All was this land fulfilled1 of faerie;
The Elf-queen, with her jolly company,
Danced full oft in many a green mead.
This was the old opinion, as I read.
I speak of many hundred years ago;
For now can no man see none elvès mo; 2
For now the charity and the prayères
Of limitours, and other holy freres,

That searchen every land and every stream,
As thick as motès in the sunnè-beam,
Blessing hallès, chambers, kitchenès, bowers,
Cities, burghs, castles, highè towers,
Thorpès, barnès, sheep-pens, dairies,
This maketh that there been no fairies.
For there-as wont to walken was an elf,
There walketh now the limitour himself,
In undermealès 6 and in morwenings,
And saith his matins and his holy things,
As he goeth in his limitatioun.7
Women may go now safely up and down;
In every bush and under every tree
There is none other incubus but he.

TRUE GENTILESSE.

But for ye speaken of such gentilesse
As is descended out of old richesse:

1 Filled full. 5 Where.

2 More.

3 Begging friars.
6 Afternoons.

4 Little villagers. 7 District.

That therefore shoulden ye be gentlemen,
Such arrogance is not worthy an hen.
Look whoso is most virtuous alway,
Prive and apert,1 and most intendeth aye
To do the gentle deedès that he can ;
And take him for the greatest gentleman.
Christ, will we claim of him our gentilesse ;
Not of our elders for their old richesse;
For, though they gave us all our heritage,
For which we claim to been of high parage,2
Yet may they not bequeathè for no thing
To none of us their virtuous living,
That made them gentlemen y-called be.

FROM THE SQUIRE'S TALE.

THE HORSE OF BRASS.

And, when this knight hath thus his tale y-told,
He rideth out of hall, and down he light.
His steedè, which that shone as sunnè bright,
Stant in the courtè still as any stone.

This knight is to his chamber led anon,
And is unarmed and to meat y-set.
These presents been full royally y-fet,3
That is to sayn the sword and the mirrour,
And borne anon into the highè tower,
With certain officers ordained therefore.
And unto Canace the ring is bore

4

Solempnely, there she sat at the table.

But sikerly, withouten any fable,

The Horse of Brass, that may not be remued,"
It stant as it were to the ground y-glued;
There may no man out of the place it drive,
For none engine of windas or polive ;7
And cause why, for they ken not the craft,
And therefore in the place they have it laft,

Till that the knight hath taught them the manere
To voiden him, as ye shall after hear.

8

Great was the press that swarmed to and fro
To gowren9 on this horse that standeth so :

1 Secretly and openly. • Certainly.

2 Kindred.
6 Removed.

3 Fetched. 4 Borne with ceremony. 7 Windlass or pulley. 8 Remove. 9 Stare.