"God forbede it els!" quod she, "but it were som-what

lassid,

44

I myзte nat lyve els, powe wotist, & it shuld longe endure." "Now blessid be God of mendement, of hele & eke of

cure!"

Quod the Pardoner tho a-noon, & toke hir by the Chynne, chucks her chin, And seyd to hir pese wordis tho: "Allas! pat love ys syn!

50

So kynde a lover as yee be oon, & [eke] so trew of hert, (ffor, be my trewe conscience, 3it for 3ewe I smert, And shal this month hereaftir, for yeur soden disese :) Now wele wer' hym ye lovid, so [pat] he coude 3ewe plese! and wishes he I durst[e] swere oppon a book, pat trewe he shuld zewe fynd;

53

ffor he pat is so 3ore dede, is green [3it] in yeur/ mynde. Ye made me a sory man; I dred yee wold have stervid." "Graunt mercy, gentil Sir!" quod she, "pat1 yee [been]

vnaservid;

Yee be a nobił man! I-blessid mut yee be!

57

could please her.

Sit[tith] down, [and] ye shul drynk!" "nay .I.-wis" (quod She offers him

he,)

"I am fastyng zit, myne owne hertis rote!"

66

ffasting 3it! allas!" quod she, "perof I can good bote." She stert in-to the town, & fet a py al hote,

drink,

61

then buys
him a pie,

And set to-fore the Pardoner; "Ienken, I ween? I note: Is that yeur/ name, I 30w prey?" "3e, I-wis myne owne sustir;

So was I enformyd of hem þat did me foster.

64

asks him his name,

hers is Kit.

And what is yeurs ?" "Kitt, I-wis; so cleped me my dame." and tells him "And Goddis blessing have pow, Kitt! now broke wel thy

name!"

And pryuelich vnlasid his both[en] eyen liddes,
And lokid hir' in the visage paramour' a-myddis;
And sizhid pere-with a litil tyme, pat she it here myзte,

And

gan to trown & feyn this song", "now, loue, pou do me
rizte !"

her,

' for 'but.'

[leaf 181]

"Ete & be merry," quod she, "why breke yee nowt1 yeur/

fast'?

To waite more feleshipp, it were but work in wast.

Why make yee so dul chere? for yeur/ love at home?" and says he's in "Nay forsoth, myne own) hert! it is for 3ewe a-loon!"

love with her.

Kit doubts;

a burnt cat dreads the fire:

loving has done her harm.

72

"ffor me? allas! what sey yee? that wer' a sympiłł prey."
"Trewlich zit," quod the pardoner', "It is as I 3ewe sey."
"3e etith & beith mery, we wol speke pere-of [ful] sone;
'Brennyd Cat dredith feir/'; it is mery to be aloon :
ffor, by our/ lady mary, pat bare Ihesu on hir' arm,
I coud nevir love 3it, but it did me harm);

78

ffor evir my maner hath be to love[n] ovir much."
"Now Cristis blessing," quod the pardoner, "go with al[le]

81

The Pardoner

gives her a groat.

She refuses it at first,

then takes it,

and asks him to explain a Dream

she has had,

such!

84

Lo! howe the clowdis worchyn, eche man to mete his mach!
ffor trewly, gentil Cristian, I vse þe same tach,
And have I-do [ful] many a 3er'; I may it nat for-ber';
ffor kynde woH have his cours,' pouz men pe contrary

swer."

And perwith he stert vp smertly, & cast [a]down) a grote,
"What shal this do, gentiH Sir? Nay, sir! for my cote
I nold yee payde a peny her, & [tho] so sone pas !" 89
The Pardonere swore his gretter othe, he wold[e] pay no las.
"I-wis, sir, it is ovir-do! but sith it is yeur/ will,

92

I wołł put it in my purs, lest yee it take in it
To refuse your/ curtesy:" And pere-with she gan to bowe.
"Now trewly," quod the Pardoner, "yeur/ maners been to

alowe ;

ffor had ye countid streytly, & no thing lefft be-hynde,

I myзte have wele I-demed þat yee be vnkynde,
And eke vntrewe of hert, & sonner me forzete,
But ye list be my tresorer; for we shut offter mete."

96

"Now certen," quod the tapster, "yee have a red ful even, As wold to God yee couth as wele vndo my sweven

That I my selff did mete this ny3t þat is I-passid :

1 MS nowe.

100

103

How I was in a chirch, when it was al I-massid ;
And was in my devocioune tyl service was al doon,
TyH the Preest & the clerk [ful] boystly bad me goon,
And put me out of the chirch with [right] an egir mode." church.
"Now, seynt Danyel," quod pe pardonere, "yeur/ swevyn

turne to good!

that she was turned out of

And I woH halsow it to the best, have it in yeur/ mynd; The Pardoner

109

:

says her Dream

ffor comynly of these swevenys pe contrary men shul fynde 'Yee have be a lover glad, & litil Ioy I-had; Pluk vp a lusty hert, & be mery & glad; !ffor yee shul have an husbond, þat shal zewe That shal love 3ewe as hert[e]ly, as his owne lyve. The preest þat put zewe out of Chirch, shal lede 3ew in and the priest

ageyn),

[leaf 181, back]

wed to wyve,

means that she'll have a husband,

112

117

And help[en] to yeur/mariage, with 'al his my3te & mayn) :'
This is the sweven al & som; Kit, how likith the?"
"Be my trowith, wondir wele; blessid mut powe be!"
Then toke he leve at þat tyme, tył he com efft sone,
And went [un]to 2 his feleshippe, as it was [for] to doon.
(Thouze it be no grete holynes to prech þis ilk matere,
And pat som list [not] to her' it; zit, sirs,3 ner þe latter
Endurith for a while, & suffrith hem þat woł,

121

will lead her into church again.

(It's not a particularly holy story, this;

And yee shu here howe pe Tapster made pe Pardoner puł but you'll soon Garlik al the longe ny3te, til it was nere end day;

ffor pe more cher she made of love, pe falsher' was hir lay;
But litil charge gaff she ther-of', pouze she aquyt his while,
ffor ethir-is pou3t & tent was, othir to begile,

As yee shuH here her-aftir, when tyme comyth & spase
To meve such mater. but nowe a liti spase
I wol retourne me ageyn) [un]to the company.)

The knyzt & al the feleshipp, & no þing for to ly,
When they wer' aH I-loggit, as ski wold, & reson,
Everich aftir his degre, to Chirch pen was seson
To pas[sen] & to wend, to make[n] hir' offringis,
Rizte as hir' devocioune was, of sylvir broch & ryngis.

128

see how the Tapster sold the Pardoner.)

All the Pilgrims

132 go to Canterbury Cathedral, to make their offerings.

3 MS zit sir zit sirs near hand, nearly.

The Knight

settles who's to go-in first.

them with holy

Then atte Chirch[e] dorr the curtesy gan to ryse,
Tyl þe knyzt, of gentilnes, pat knewe rizte wele pe guyse,
Put forth pe Prelatis, pe Person, & his fere.

A monk sprinkles A monk, þat toke pe spryngił with a manly chere,
And did [right] as the maner is, moillid al hir/ patis,
Everich aftir othir, rizte as þey wer of states.

water,

and won't let the The ffrere feynyd fetously the spryngil for to hold,

Friar take the

sprinkler,

137

140

To spryng' oppon the remnaunt,-pat for his cope he nold
Have lafft that occupacioune in þat holy plase,-

as he so wants to so longid his holy conscience to se pe Nonnys fase.

see the Nun's

face.

The Knight goes
to the Shrine.

The Pardoner,
Miller, &c.,

make funny guesses as to

glass window

144

The knyzte went with his compers toward pe holy shryne,
To do þat they were com fore, & aftir for to dyne; [leaf 182]
The Pardoner & pe Miller, & opir lewde sotes,
Sou3t hem selff[en] in the Chirch, rist as lewd[e] gotes;
Pyrid fast, & pourid, hize oppon the glase,
Countirfeting gentilmen, þe armys for to blase,

149

Diskyueryng' fast the peyntour, & for þe story mourned,

what the stained- And a red [it] also right as [wolde] Rammys hornyd: 152 "He berith a balstaff," quod the toon, " & els a rakis ende." "Thow faillist," quod the Miller, "powe hast nat wel þy

means.

The Host scolds them, and sends them to the

Shrine.

and pray;

mynde;

It is a spere, yf powe canst se, [right] with a prik to-fore, To bussh adown) his enmy, & purh the Sholdir bore." 156 "Pese!" quod the hoost of Southwork, "let stond þe wyndow glasid!

Goith

vp, & doith yeur/ offerynge! yee semeth half amasid! Sith yee be in company of honest men & good, Worchith somwhat aftir, & let pe kynd of brode

Pas for a tyme! I hold it for the best;

160

ffor who doith after company, may lyve the bet in rest."

Then passid they forth boystly, goglyng with hir hedis, There they kneel Knelid a down) to-fore the shryne, & hert[i]lich hir' bedis They preyd to Seynt Thomas, in such wise as þey couth; And sith, the holy relikis, ech man with his mowith 166 Kissid, as a goodly monke þe names told & tauzt. And sith to othir placis of holynes þey rauzte,

kiss the relics,

168

And were in hir' devocioun tyl service wer' al doon;
And sith þey drow3 to dynerward, as it drew to noon.
Then, as manere & custom is, signes pere þey bouzte,-
ffor men of contre shuld[e] know whom þey had[de]
ouzte,-

172

176

and hear all the service.

Then they buy
Pilgrims' Tokens.

The Miller steals a lot of Canterbury brooches.

Ech man set his sylvir in such thing as þey likid : And in pe meen[e] while, the Miller' had I-pikid His bosom ful of signys of Cauntirbury brochis: Huch pe Pardoner, & he, pryuely in hir pouchis þey put hem aftirward, þat noon of hem it' wist, Save pe Sompnour' seid somwhat, & seyd[e] to ham "list! The Summoner Halff part!" quod he, pryuely rownyng' on hir' ere: "Hussht! pees!" quod pe Miller, "seist' powe nat frere,

cries halves!'

the The Miller says,

'Hush! look at 180 the Friar!

Howe he lowrith vndir his hood with a doggissh ey?
Hit shuld be a pryuy thing that he coude nat a-spy:
Of euery crafft he can somwhat, our lady gyve hym sorowe!"
"Amen!" tho quod the Sompnour, "on eve & eke on

morowe !

184

188

So cursid a tale he told of me, the devil of het hym spede!
And me, but yf I pay hym wele, & quyte wele his mede,
Yf it happene] homward þat ech man teĦ his tale,
As wee did hidirward, pouze wee shuld set at sale,
Al the shrewdnes that I can, I wol hym no thing' spare,
That I nol touch his taberd, somwhat of1 his care!"
They set hir signes oppon hir hedis, & som oppon

cappe,

He's looking.

[leaf 182, back]

Curse him!'
Amen! Devil

take him!

I'll pay him out, the next tale I

tell!'

hir They stick their

191

And sith[then] to the dynerward, they gan [nè] for to stappe.
Euery man in his degre, wissh, & toke his sete

As they were wont to doon at soper & at mete,
And wer in scilence for a tyme, tiH girdiH2 gon a-rise ;
But then, as nature axith, (as these old wise
Knowen wele,) when veynys been som-what replete,
The spiritis wol stere, & also metis swete

196

1 ? to. 2 Urry reads 'good ale'; but 'girdill' makes good sense: 'till their bellies swelled.'

Tokens in their

caps,

wash, and sit down to dinner.

Silence is kept at first;

but full bellies

make men merry