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and soon all are talking and joking.

Causen offt[e] myrthis for to be I-mevid,
And eke it was no tyme tho for to be I-grevid:
Euery man in his wise made hertly chere,
Talyng [to] his felowe of sportis & of chere,
And of othir myrthis þat fyllyn by the wey,

200

As custom is of pilgryms, & hath been many a day. 204

The Host thanks The hoost leyd to his ere, of Southwork as ye knowe,
And thenkid al the company, both[en] hize & lowe,

the Pilgrims

for having told Tales on the way down;

and says each man must tell

another Tale on the way back,

[leaf 183]

and he'll give

them all a supper
at Southwark,
as he promist.

agree.

'So wele kepeing the covenaunt, in Southwork þat was
made,

That euery man shuld, by the wey, with a tale glade 208
Al the hole company in shorting of þe wey;'

212

"And al is wele perfourmed. but þan nowe pus I sey,
That wee must so homward, eche man tel a-noþir;
Thus we were accordit, And I shuld be a rothir
To set[ten] 3ewe in governance by riztful Iugement.”
"Trewly, hoost," quod the ffrer', "þat was al our/ assent,
With a litiH more pat I shal sey ther-to.

216

220

Yee grauntid of yeur/ curtesy, þat wee shuld also,
Al the hole company, sope with zewe at nyzte:
Thus I trow[e] pat it was: what sey yee, sir knyзte?"
"It shal nat nede," quod the hoost, "to axe no witnes;
Yeur' record is good I-nowe; & of yeur gentilnes
3it I prey 3ewe efft ageyn: for, by seynt Thomas shryne,
And
yee wol hold [yeur] covenaunt, I wol hold[en] myne."
"Now trewly, hoost," quod the knyzt, "yee have rizt wel
I-sayd;

All the Pilgrims And, as towching my persone, I hold me [wel a]payde;
And so I trowe pat al doith. sirs, what sey[e] yee?" 225
The Monke, & eke the Marchaunte, & al seid, "3e!"
"Then al this aftir-mete I hold it for the best

The Host says,

'Now go and amuse your

selves.'

To sport & pley vs," quod the hoost, "eche man as hym

lest,

And go by tyme to soper, & [thanne] to bed also;

So mowe wee erly rysen, our iourney for to do."

228

The knyzt arose ther-with-al, & cast on a fressher gown,

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And his sone a-nothir, to walk[en] in the town);

And so did al the remnaunt þat were of þat aray,

232 The Knight and his Son change their clothes,

That had hir chaungis with hem; they made hem fressh

& gay,

Sortid hem to-gidir, rizte as hir' lustis lay,

1

236

As þey were [the] more vsid, traveling by the wey.
The kny3t [tho] with his meyne went to1 se the wall,
And pe wardes of the town), as to a knyзt be-fall;
Devising' ententiflich pe strengthis al a-bout,
And a-poyntid to his sone pe peret & pe dout,
ffor shot of Arblast & of bowe, & eke for shot of
Vn-to be wardis of the town, & howe it my3t be wone;
And al defence ther a-geyn, aftir his entent

240

gonne,

He declarid compendiously. & al that evir he ment, 244
His 2 sone perseyvid every poynt, as he was ful abil
To Armes, & to travail, and persone covenabil;

He was of al factur, aftir fourm) of kynde;

and go to see the wall and defences of the town.

The Knight shows how it can

be won, and defended.

The Squire understands it

all,

his lady-love.

And for to deme his governaunce, it semed þat his mynde but is thinking of Was [set] much in his lady þat he lovid best,

249

That made hym offt to wake, when he shuld have his rest.
The Clerk þat was of Oxinforth, on-to pe Sompnore seyd,

252 The Clerk tells

the Summoner
that the Friar
is justified in
knowing of evil
things, as he

"Me semeth of grete clerge þat þow art a mayde; ffor pow puttist on the ffrer, in maner of repreff, That he knowith falshede, vice, & eke a theff'; And I it hold vertuouse and right commendabiH [leaf 183, bk] can then avoid

256

them;

To have verry knowlech of thingis reprouabit.
ffor who so [doth,] may eschew it, and let it pas[sen] by,
And els he my3te fall ther'-on, vnware & sodenly.
And thouze the ffrere told a tale of a [false] Sompnour,
Thowe ouztist for to take[n] it for no dishonour;

260

ffor, of alle crafftis, and of eche degre,

They be nat al perfite; but som [ful] nyce be."

"Lo! what is worthy," seyd the knyzte, "for to be a clerk!
To sommon a-mong vs hem3, þis mocioune was ful derk;
I comend his wittis, & eke his [grete] clerge,

265

1 MS wentto. 2 MS He. 3 ? To some men among us here.

and so the Summoner oughtn't to be angry with the Friar for his tale.

The Monk asks the Parson and Friar to visit an acquaintance with him.

ffor of ethir parte he savith honeste."

The monke toke the person pen, & pe grey[e] ffrer',
And preyd[e] hem ful1 curteysly for to go in fere :
"I have ther a queyntaunce, þat al this yeris thre
Hath preyd me 2 by his lettris pat I hym wold[e] se:
And yee [be] my brothir in habit & in possessioune.
And now [pat] I am her, me thinkith it is to doon,
To preve[n] it in dede, what cher he wold me make,
And to 3ewe, my frende, also for my sake."

The Monk, Par- They went forth to-gidir, talking of holy matere :
son, and Friar,
drink wine
together.

The Wife of Bath takes the Prioress

268

Somm 13

272

275

But woot ye wele, in certeyn, they had no mynd on water
To drynk[en] at that tyme, when they wer' met in fere;
ffor of the best pat my3t be found, & per-with mery cher
They had, it is no doute; for spycys & eke wyne
Went round aboute, pe gascoyn, & eke the ruyne.3

to see the inngarden at Canterbury, full of pot-herbs, &c.,

[leaf 184]

280

The wyff of bath was so wery, she had no wiłł to walk;
She toke the Priores by the hond: "madam! wol ye stalk
Pryuely in-to pe garden, to se the herbis growe?
And aftir, with our hostis wyff, in hir parlour rowe,
I wohl gyve 3ewe the wyne, & yee shut me also;
ffor tył wee go to soper wee have nauzt ellis to do."
The Priores, as vomman tauzt of gentil blood, & hend,
Assentid to hir counsel; and forth [tho] gon they wend,
Passyng forth [ful] sofftly in-to the herbery:

284

289

ffor many a herbe grewe, for sew1 & surgery;

And al the Aleyis feir' I-parid, I-raylid, & I-makid;

The sauge, & the Isope, I-frethid & I-stakid;
And othir beddis by & by [ful] fressh I-dight:
ffor comers to the hoost, rizte a sportful sight.

292

a pretty sight. The Merchant, &c., go into the town.

The Marchaunt, & pe mancipiH, pe Miller, & pe Reve,
And the Clerk of Oxinforth, to townward gon they meve,
And al the othir meyne; & lafft noon at home,

297

But the Pardoner Save the Pardoner, þat pryvelich, when al they wer' goon,
Stalkid in-to the tapstry: for no thing wold he leve,

stalks into the

taproom after

his Kit,

1 MS for.

p. 202.

4

soup, cooking: potherbs.

2 MS hym. 36 'wyne de Ryne', Babees Book,

To make his covenaunte in certen, þat same eve

300 to secure her for

304

He wold be loggid with hir; þat was his hole entencioun).
(But hap, & eke ffortune, & al the constellacioune,
Was clenè hym ageyns, as yee shuH aftir here;
ffor hym had better be I-loggit al ny3t in a myere,
Then he was pe same ny3te, or the sonne was vp:
ffor such was his fortune, he drank with-out þe cupp;
But pereof wist[e] he no dele; ne no man of vs alle
May have pat hize connyng, to know what shal be-falle.)
He stappid in-to the tapstry wondir pryuely,
And fond hir liggyng lirylong; with half[e] sclepy eye
Pourid fellich vndir hir hood, & sawe al his comyng',
And lay ay stil, as nauzt she knewe, but feynyd hir sclep-
ing'.
312

He put his hond to hir brest: "a-wake!" quod he,
wake!"

309

66

the eve.

(But he gets sold.)

The Pardoner finds Kit halfasleep,

a- puts his hand on her,

"A! benedicite, sir, who wist zewe here? out! pus I my3t be take

Prisoner," quod the tapstere, "being' al aloon;"

And perwith breyd vp in a frizte, & be-gan to groon.

66

316

320

?

324

She says she must;

but he was rude,

& ought to have cought before

Nowe, sith yee be my prisoner', 3eld zewe now!" quod he, and says ‘Yield.” "I must[e] nedis," quod she, "I may no thing' fle; And eke I have no strengith, & am but yong' of Age, And also it is no mastry to cach a mouse in a cage, That may no where stert out, but closid wondir fast; And eke, Sir, I teł 3ewe, pouz I had grete hast, Yee shuld have couzid when ye com. wher' lern ye curtesy Now trewlich I must chide, for of rizte pryuyte Vommen been som tyme of day, when they be aloon. Wher coud I ([1] 3ewe prey) when yee com efft-sone?" "Nowe mercy, dere sweting! I wol do so no more: I thank[e] 3ew an hundrit sithis! & also by yeur/ lore I wołł do here-aftir, in what place þat I com. But lovers, Kitt, ben evit avisid ful offt & to lom; Wherfor I prey 3ew hertlich, hold[ith] me excusid, And I be-hote 3ew trewly, it shal no more be vsid.

he came in.

The Pardoner begs her pardon, [leaf 184, back]

329

332

and asks how she's been getting

on.

He's very fond of her.

Kit says

she's sure the Pardoner's

conjured her,

But nowe to our purpose: how have yee [i]farc
Sith I was with zew
last? þat is my most[e] care.
ffor yf yee eylid eny thing othir-wise þen good,
Trewly it wold chaunge my chere & [eke] my blood." 336

"I have I-farid the wers for 3ewe," quod Kitt, "do ye no
drede

God pat is a-bove? & eke yee had no nede

ffor to congir me, god woot, with yeur/ nygromancy,

That have no more to vaunce me, but oonly my body; 340
And yf it were disteynyd, pen wer I on-do.

I-wis I trowe, Ienkyn, ye be nat to trust to!

and made her in ffor evir-more yee clerkis con so much in book, Yee wołł wyn a vomman, atte first[e] look."

love with him.

He asks if he may lie with

her that night.

344

Thou3t the Pardoner, 'this goith wele'; & made hir
better chere,

And axid of hir sofft[e]ly: "lord, who shall ligge[n] here
This ny3te pat is to comyng? I prey 3ewe telle me!"
"Iwis it is grete nede to telle 3ew," quod she:

348

"Make it nat ovir queynt, pouze yee be a clerk!

She says, 'Yes,

but come late, and open the door quietly.'

They drink to seal the bargain,

and the Pardoner

gives her money

for a late supper,

353

Ye know wele I-nou3 I-wis, by loke, by word, by work!"
"Shal I com pen, Cristian, & fese a-wey þe Cat?"
"Shul yee com, sir? benedicite! what question is that?
Where-for I prey 3ew hertly, do be my counsaille;
Comyth somwhat late, & for no thing faille;
The dorr shall stond char vp; put it from 3ew sofft:
But, be wel avisid, ye wake nat them on lofft."
"Care ye nat," quod Ienken, "I can there-on atte best;
Shal no man for my stering be wakid of his rest."

356

360

Anoon they dronk the beuerage, & wer of oon accord
As it semed by hir' chere, & also by hir/ word:
And al a-scaunce she lovid hym wele, she toke hym by the

swere,

As pouze she had lernyd cury fauel, of som old[e] ffrere.
The pardonere plukkid out of his purs, I trow, pe dow[e]ry,
And toke it Kit, in hir hond, & bad hir pryuely

'To orden a rere soper for hem both[e] to,—

[leaf 185]

365

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