The Canterbury Tales and Faerie Queene; with Other Poems of Chaucer and Spenser

Therewith me thought his face shone so bright,
That well unnethës might I him behold;
And in his hand me thought I saw him hold
Two fiery dartës, as the gledës 1 red;
And angel-like his wingës saw I spread.
And all be that men say that blind is he,
Algate me thoughtë that he might well see;
For sternly upon me he gan behold,
So that his looking did my heartë cold.
And by the hand he held this noble queen,
Crowned with white, and clothed all in green,
So womanly, so benign, and so meek,

That in this worldë, though that men would seek,
Half of her beauty shouldë they not find
In creatúre that formed is by Kind ; 5
And therefore may I say, as thinketh me,
This song in praising of this lady free:

"Hide, Absolon, thy gilte tresses clear;
Esther, lay thou thy meekness all adown;
Hide, Jonathan, all thy friendly mannére,
Penelope, and Marcia Catoún,7

Make of your wifehood no comparisoún; Hide ye your beauties, Isoude 8 and Heléne; My lady comes, that all this may distain."

Thy faire body let it not appear,

Lavine; 10 and thou, Lucrece of Romë town;
And Polyxene," that boughtë love so dear,
And Cleopatra, with all thy passioún,
Hide ye your truth of love, and your renown;
And thou, Thisbe, that hadst of love such pain;
My lady comes, that all this may distain.

"Hero, Didó, Laodamia, y-fere,
And Phyllis, hanging for Demophoön,
And Canacé, espied by thy cheer,
Hypsipylé, betrayed by Jasoún,

Make of your truthë neither boast nor soun';
Nor Hypermnestr' nor Ariadne, ye twain;
My lady comes, that all this may distain."

This ballad may full well y-sungen be,
As I have said erst, by my lady free;
For, certainly, all these may not suffice
T' appaire 12 with my lady in no wise;
For, as the sunnë will the fire distain,'
So passeth all my lady sovereign,
That is so good, so fair, so debonair,
I pray to God that ever fall her fair!
For n' hadde comfort been of her presénce, 13
I had been dead, without any defence,
For dread of Love's wordes, and his cheer;
As, when time is, hereafter ye shall hear.
Behind this God of Love, upon the green,

I saw coming of Ladies nineteen,
In royal habit, a full easy pace;

And after them of women such a trace,14
That, since that God Adam had made of earth,
The thirdë part of mankind, or the ferth,15
Ne ween'd I not 16 by possibility,
Had ever in this wide world y-be; 17
And true of love these women were each one.
Now whether was that a wonder thing, or non,18
That, right anon as that they gan espy
This flow'r, which that I call the daïsý,
Full suddenly they stenten 19 all at once,
And kneeled down, as it were for the nonce,
And sangë with one voice, "Heal and honour
To truth of womanhead, and to this flow'r,
That bears our aller prize in figuring; 20
Her white crowně bears the witnessing!"
And with that word, a-compass enviroun 21
They settë them full softěly adown.

First sat the God of Love, and since 22 his queen,
With the white corownë, clad in green;
And sithen 23 all the remnant by and by,
As they were of estate, full courteously;
And not a word was spoken in the place,
The mountance 24 of a furlong way of space.
I, kneeling by this flow'r, in good intent
Abode, to knowë what this people meant,
As still as any stone, till, at the last,
The God of Love on me his eyen cast,
And said, "Who kneeleth there?" and I answer'd
Unto his asking, when that I it heard,
And said, "It am I," and came to him near,
And salued 25 him. Quoth he, "What dost thou

here,

So nigh mine owen flow'r, so bolděly?

It were better worthy, truely,

A worm to nighë 26 near my flow'r than thou."
"And why, Sir,"quoth I, "an' 27 it liketh you?"
"For thou," quoth he, "art thereto nothing able,
It is my relic,28 dign 29 and delectable,
And thou my foe, and all my folk warrayest,"
And of mine oldë servants thou missayest,
And hind'rest them, with thy translation,
And lettest 3 folk from their devotion
To serve me, and holdest it follý

To serve Love; thou may'st it not deny ;
For in plain text, withoutë need of glose, 32
Thou hast trauslated the Romance of the Rose,
That is a heresy against my law,

And maketh wisë folk from me withdraw;
And of Cresside thou hast said as thee list,
That maketh men to women less to trust,
That be as true as e'er was any steel.

love with Achilles, and, when he was killed (note 34, page 219), she fled to the Greek camp, and slew herself on the tomb of her hero-lover.

12 With which to impair, surpass in beauty or honour. 13 If it had not been for the comfort afforded by her presence. 14 Train. 16 I never fancied. 18 Not. 19 Stopped. 20 That in its figure bears the prize from us all. 21 All around in a ring.

15 Fourth.

17 Been.

22 Afterwards.

23 Then. 24 Extent, duration. See note 37, page 245. 25 Saluted. 26 Approach, draw nigh.

27 If.

23 Emblem; or cherished treasure; like the relics at the shrines of saints. 29 Worthy. 31 Preventest.

30 Molestest, censurest.

32 Comment, gloss.

Of thine answer advise thee right weel;1
For though that thou reniëd hast my lay,2
As other wretches have done many a day,
By Saintë Venus, that my mother is,
If that thou live, thou shalt repente this,
So cruelly, that it shall well be seen."

Then spake this Lady, clothed all in green,
And saidë, "God, right of your courtesy,
Ye mightë hearken if he can reply
Against all this, that ye have to him meved;"
A godde shouldë not be thus aggrieved,
But of his deity he shall be stable,
And thereto gracious and merciáble.
And if ye n'ere 5 a god, that knoweth all,
Then might it be, as I you tellë shall,
This man to you may falsely be accused,
Whereas by right him ought to be excused;
For in your court is many a losengeour,"
And many a quaint toteler accusour,?
That tabour in your earës many a soun',
Right after their imaginatioún,
To have your dalliance, and for envý;
These be the causes, and I shall not lie,
Envy is lavender 10 of the Court alway,
For she departeth neither night nor day
Out of the house of Cæsar, thus saith Dant';
Whoso that go'th, algate she shall not want.11
And eke, parauntre, 12 for this man is nice,13
He mightë do it guessing 14 no malice;
For he useth thingës for to make; 15

This is the sentence 23 of the philosopher:
A king to keep his lieges in justíce,
Withoutë doubtë that is his office.
All 24 will he keep his lords in their degree,-
As it is right and skilful 25 that they be,
Enhanced and honoured, and most dear,
For they be halfë gods 26 in this world here,-
Yet must he do both right to poor and rich,
All be 24 that their estate be not y-lich;2
And have of poorë folk compassión.
For lo! the gentle kind 28 of the lión;
For when a fly offendeth him, or biteth,
He with his tail away the flyë smiteth,
All easily; for of his genterý 29
Him deigneth not to wreak him on a fly,
As doth a cur, or else another beast.
In noble corage ought to be arrest,30
And weighen ev'rything by equity,
And ever have regard to his degree.
For, Sir, it is no mastery for a lord
To damn 31 a man, without answer of word;
And for a lord, that is full foul to use. 32
And it be so he may him not excuse, 33
But asketh mercy with a dreadful 34 heart,
And proffereth him, right in his bare shirt,
To be right at your owen judgement,
Then ought a god, by short advisement, 35
Consider his own honoúr, and his trespass;
For since no pow'r of death lies in this case,
You ought to be the lighter merciáble ; 36

Him recketh naught of 16 what mattére he take; Lettë 37 your ire, and be somewhat tractáble!
Or he was bidden makë thilkë tway 17

Of 18 some person, and durst it not withsay; 19
Or him repenteth utterly of this.
He hath not done so grievously amiss,
To translate what olde clerkës write,
As though that he of malice would endite, 20
Despite of Love, and had himself it wrought.
This should a righteous lord have in his thought,
And not be like tyrants of Lombardy,
That have no regard but at tyranny.21
For he that king or lord is naturel,
Him oughtë not be tyrant or cruél,
As is a farmer, 22 to do the harm he can;
He muste think, it is his liegëman,
And is his treasure, and his gold in coffer;

1 Consider right'well,

2 Abjured my law or religion.

3 All this accusation that you have moved, advanced, against him.

4 Merciful.

5 Were not, 6 Deceiver. See note 5, page 170, on a parallel passage in The Nun's Priest's Tale.

Many a strange prating accuser. "Toteler" is an old form of the word "tatler," from the Anglo-Saxon, totalan," to talk much, to tattle. 8 Drum.

9 Pleasant conversation, company.
10 Washerwoman, laundress; the word represents
"meretrice" in Dante's original-meaning a courtezan;
but we can well understand that Chaucer thought it
prudent, and at the same time more true to the moral
state of the English Court, to change the character
assigned to Envy. He means that Envy is perpetually
at Court, like some garrulous, bitter old woman em-
ployed there in the most servile offices, who remains
at her post through all the changes among the courtiers.
The passage cited from Dante will be found in the
"Inferno," canto xiii. 64-69.

11 At all events she will not be wanting.
12 Peradventure.
13 Foolish.

14 Thinking.

15 To compose poetry.

This man hath served you of his cunning, 38
And further'd well your law in his making.39
Albeit that he cannot well endite,
Yet hath he made lewed 40 folk delight
To serve you, in praising of your name.
He made the book that hight the House of Fame,
And eke the Death of Blanchë the Duchess,
And the Parliament of Fowlës, as I guess,
And all the Love of Palamon and Arcite,41
Of Thebes, though the story is known lite; 4
And many a hymnë for your holydays,
That hightë ballads, roundels, virëlays.
And, for to speak of other holiness,
He hath in prosë tránslatéd Boece,43
And made the Life also of Saint Cecile ; 41

He made also, gone is a greate while,
Origenes upon the Magdalene.1

Him oughtë now to have the lessë pain ;2
He hath made many a lay, and many a thing.
Now as ye be a god, and eke a king,
I your Alcestis,3 whilom queen of Thrace,
I askë you this man, right of your grace,
That ye him never hurt in all his life;
And he shall swearë to you, and that blife,
He shall no more aguilten in this wise,
But shall maken, as ye will him devise,
Of women true in loving all their life,
Whereso ye will, of maiden or of wife,
And further you as much as he missaid
Or in the Rose, or ellës in Cresseide."

The God of Love answered her anon:
"Madame," quoth he, "it is so long agone
That I you knew, so charitable and true,
That never yet, since that the world was new,
To me ne found I better none than ye;
If that I wouldë savë my degree,

I may nor will not warnë 7 your request;
All lies in you, do with him as you lest.
I all forgive withoutë longer space; 8
For he who gives a gift, or doth a grace,
Do it betimes, his thank is well the more ;9
And deemë 10 ye what he shall do therefor.
Go thankë now my Lady here," quoth he.
I rose, and down I set me on my knee,
And saidë thus; "Madame, the God above
Foryielde11 you that ye the God of Love
Have made me his wrathë to forgive;
And grace me 12 so longe for to live,
That I may knowë soothly what ye be,

That have me help'd, and put in this degree!
But truely I ween'd, as in this case,

Now will I say what penance thou shalt do
For thy trespass ; 14 and understand it here:
Thou shalt, while that thou livest, year by year,
The mostë partie of thy time spend
In making of a glorious Legénd

Of Goode Women, maidenës and wives,
That were true in loving all their lives;
And tell of false men that them betray,
That all their life do naught but assay
How many women they may do a shame;
For in your world that is now held a game.20
And though thou likë not a lover be, 21
Speak well of love; this penance give I thee.
And to the God of Love I shall so pray,
That he shall charge his servants, by any way,
To further thee, and well thy labour quite: 22
Go now thy way, thy penance is but lite.
And, when this book ye make, give it the queen
On my behalf, at Eltham, or at Sheen."

The God of Love gan smile, and then he said: "Know'st thou," quoth he, "whether this be wife or maid,

Or queen, or countess, or of what degree,
That hath so little penance given thee,
That hath deserved sorely for to smart?
But pity runneth soon in gentle heart; 23
That may'st thou see, she kitheth 24 what she is.'
And I answér'd: "Nay, Sir, so have I bliss,
No more but that I see well she is good."
"That is a true talë, by my hood,"

Quoth Love; "and that thou knowest well,

pardie!

If it be so that thou advisẽ 25 thee.

Hast thou not in a book, li'th 26 in thy chest,
The greate goodness of the queen Alceste,
That turned was into a daïsy?

Naught t' have aguilt,13 nor done to Love tres- She that for her husbandë chose to die,
páss; 14

For why? a true man, withoutě dread,
Hath not to partë 15 with a thieve's deed.
Nor a true lover oughtë me to blame,
Though that I spoke a false lover some shame.
They oughtë rather with me for to hold,
For that I of Cressida wrote or told,

Or of the Rose, what so mine author meant ; 16
Algatë, 17 God wot, it was mine intent
To further truth in love, and it cherice, 18
And to beware from falseness and from vice,
By such example; this was my nieaning."

And she answer'd; "Let be thine arguing,
For Love will not counterpleaded be 19
In right nor wrong, and learnë that of me;
Thou hast thy grace, and hold thee right thereto.

1 A poem entitled "The Lamentation of Mary Magdalene," said to have been "taken out of St Origen," is included in the editions of Chaucer; but its authenticity, and consequently its identity: with the poem here mentioned, are doubted.

3 See note 32, page 201.

5 Offend.

7 Refuse.

2 Penalty.
4 Quickly.
6 Either.
8 Delay.

9 A paraphrase of the well-known proverb, "Bis dat

qui cito dat."

12 Give me grace. 14 Offence.

10 Adjudge.

11 Reward.
13 Offended.
15 Hath no share in.

17 By all ways.

18 Cherish.

And eke to go to hell rather than he ;
And Hercules rescued her, pardie!
And brought her out of hell again to bliss?"
And I answér'd again, and saide; "Yes,
Now know I her; and is this good Alceste,
The daisy, and mine own heartë's rest?
Now feel I well the goodness of this wife,
That both after her death, and in her life,
Her greate bounty 27 doubleth her renown.
Well hath she quit 28 me mine affectioún
That I have to her flow'r the daïsý;
No wonder is though Jove her stellify,29
As telleth Agathon, 30 for her goodness;
Her white crowne bears of it witness;
For all so many virtues haddë she
As smalle flowrons in her crownë be.

20 Considered a sport.

21 Chaucer is always careful to allege his abstinence from the pursuits of gallantry; he does so prominently in "The Court of Love," "The Assembly of Fowls," and "The House of Fame." 22 Requite. The same is said page 34; and of Tale, page 120. 25 Bethink. 27 Virtue.

23 Into the heart of one nobly born. of Theseus, in The Knight's Tale, Canacé, by the falcon, in The Squire's 24 Showeth.

26 (That) lies.

28 Recompensed.

29 Assign to her a place among the stars; as he did to Andromeda and Cassiopeia.

30 There was an Athenian dramatist of this name, who might have made the virtues and fortunes of

19 The same prohibition occurs in the Fifteenth Statute Alcestis his theme; but the reference is too vague for of "The Court of Love," page 204.

the author to be identified with any confidence.

In rémembránce of her, and in honour,
Cybelé made the daisy, and the flow'r,
Y-crowned all with white, as men may see,
And Mars gave her a crowně red, pardie!
In stead of rubies set among the white."

And in thy book ës all thou shalt them find;
Have them in thy Legénd now all in mind;
I mean of them that be in thy knowing.
For here be twenty thousand more sitting
Than that thou knowest, goodë women all,

Therewith this queen wax'd red for shame a lite And true of love, for aught that may befall

When she was praised so in her presence.
Then saidë Love: "A full great negligence
Was it to thee, that ilkë1 time thou made
'Hide Absolon thy tresses,' in balláde,
That thou forgot her in thy song to set,
Since that thou art so greatly in her debt,
And knowest well that calendar 2 is she
To any woman that will lover be:

For she taught all the craft of true loving,
And namely 3 of wifehood the living,
And all the boundës that she ought to keep:
Thy little wit was thilke time asleep.
But now I charge thee, upon thy life,
That in thy Legend thou make of this wife,
When thou hast other small y-made before;
And fare now well, I charge thee no more.
But ere I go, thus much I will thee tell,-
Never shall no true lover come in hell.
These other ladies, sitting here a-row,
Be in my ballad, if thou canst them know,

Make the metres of them as thee lest;

;

I must go home,-the sunnë draweth west,-
To Paradise, with all this companý:
And serve alway the freshë daïsý.
At Cleopatra I will that thou begin,
And so forth, and my love so shalt thou win ;
For let see now what man, that lover be,
Will do so strong a pain for love as she.
I wot well that thou may'st not all it rhyme,
That suchě lovers didden in their time;
It were too long to readen and to hear;
Sufficë me thou make in this mannére,
That thou rehearse of all their life the great,5
After these old authors list for to treat;
For whoso shall so many a story tell,
Say shortly, or he shall too longë dwell."

And with that word my bookës gan I take, And right thus on my Legend gan I make.

Thus endeth the Prologue.

CHAUCER'S

CALLED

A. B. C.

LA PRIERE DE NOSTRE DAME"

Comfort is none, but in you, Lady dear!
For lo! my sin and my confusión,
Which ought not in thy presence to appear,
Have ta'en on me a grievous actión,17
|Of very right and desperatión!
And, as by right, they mightë well sustene
That I were worthy my damnatión,
Ne were it mercy of you, blissful Queen!
D.

Doubt is there none, Queen of misericorde,18
That thou art cause of grace and mercy here;
God vouchësaf'd, through thee, with us t
accord; 19

For, certes, Christë's blissful mother dear!
Were now the bow y-bent, in such mannére
As it was first, of justice and of ire,

The rightful God would of no mercy hear;
But through thee have we grace as we desire.
ligion very devout." It was first printed in Speght's
edition of 1597.
8 All-merciful.
10 Gracious, gentle.

9 Affliction.

11 Goodness, charity.

12 Thou canst not refuse (the prayer of him) that. 13 Thou art the liberal bestower. 14 Full.

16 Be broken to pieces. 18 Compassion.

15 The seven deadly sins. 17 Control.

19 To be reconciled.

Ever hath my hope of refuge in thee be';
For herebefore full oft in many a wise
Unto mercy hast thou received me.
But mercy, Lady! at the great assize,
When we shall come before the high Justíce!
So little fruit shall then in me be found,
That, but thou ere that day correctë me,
Of very right my work will me confound.

Flying, I flee for succour to thy tent,
Me for to hide from tempest full of dread;
Beseeching you, that ye you not absent,
Though I be wick'. O help yet at this need!
All 2 have I been a beast in wit and deed,
Yet, Lady! thou me close in with thy grace;
Thine enemy and mine,3-Lady, take heed!-
Unto my death in point is me to chase.

Gracious Maid and Mother! which that never
Wert bitter nor in earthë nor in sea,
But full of sweetness and of mercy ever,
Help, that my Father be not wroth with me!
Speak thou, for I ne darë Him not see;
So have I done in earth, alas the while!
That, certes, but if thou my succour be,
To sink etern He will my ghost exile.

He vouchësaf'd, tell Him, as was His will,
Become a man, as for our álliánce,5
And with His blood He wrote that blissful bill
Upon the cross, as general ácquittance
To ev'ry penitent in full creance;

And therefore, Lady bright! thou for us pray;
Then shalt thou stenten 6 allë His grievance,
And make our foe to failen of his prey.

I wote well thou wilt be our succoúr,
Thou art so full of bounty in certain;
For, when a soulé falleth in erroúr,
Thy pity go'th, and haleth? him again;
Then makest thou his peace with his Sov'réign,
And bringest him out of the crooked street:
Whoso thee loveth shall not love in vain,
That shall he find as he the life shall lete.8
K.

Kalendarës illumined be they

That in this world be lighted with thy name;
And whoso goeth with thee the right way,
Him shall not dread in soule to be lame;
Now, Queen of comfort! since thou art the

Queen of comfórt, right when I me bethink
That I aguilt 21 have bothë Him and thee,
And that my soul is worthy for to sink,
Alas! I, caitiff, whither shall I flee?
Who shall unto thy Son my meanë 22 be?

12 That he hath entangled in his wiles that (soul) which ye both redeemed at such a cost. 13 Burned. 14 Unblemished. 15 Weened, supposed. 16 A typical representation. See The Prioress's Tale, page 144. 17 Pleasure.

18 Handmaid. The reference evidently is to Luke i. 38-"Ecce ancilla Domini," the Virgin's humble answer to Gabriel at the Annunciation. 19 To offer up our petitions or prayers. 20 To "warray" or afflict.

22 Medium of approach, intercessor.

21 Offended.

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