The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales

By Geoffrey Chaucer.

Table of Contents

1. Titlepage
2. Imprint
3. The Prologue
4. The Knight’s Tale
5. The Miller’s Tale
   1. The Prologue
   2. The Tale
6. The Reeve’s Tale
   1. The Prologue
   2. The Tale
7. The Cook’s Tale
   1. The Prologue
   2. The Tale
8. The Man of Law’s Tale
   1. The Prologue
   2. The Tale
9. The Wife of Bath’s Tale
   1. The Prologue
   2. The Tale
10. The Friar’s Tale
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
11. The Sompnour’s Tale
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
12. The Clerk’s Tale
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
       1. Pars Prima
       2. Pars Secunda
       3. Pars Tertia
       4. Pars Quarta
       5. Pars Quinta
       6. Pars Sexta
       7. L’Envoy of Chaucer
13. The Merchant’s Tale
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
14. The Squire’s Tale
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
       1. Pars Prima
       2. Pars Secunda
15. The Franklin’s Tale
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
16. The Doctor’s Tale
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
17. The Pardoner’s Tale
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
18. The Shipman’s Tale
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
19. The Prioress’s Tale
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
20. Chaucer’s Tale of Sir Thopas
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
21. Chaucer’s Tale of Meliboeus
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
22. The Monk’s Tale
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
23. The Nun’s Priest’s Tale
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
24. The Second Nun’s Tale
25. The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
26. The Manciple’s Tale
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
27. The Parson’s Tale
    1. The Prologue
    2. The Tale
       1. De Tertia Parte Poenitentioe
       2. Preces de Chauceres
28. Endnotes
29. Colophon
30. Uncopyright

Imprint

This ebook is the product of many hours of hard work by volunteers for Standard Ebooks, and builds on the hard work of other literature lovers made possible by the public domain.

This particular ebook is based on a transcription from Project Gutenberg and on digital scans from the HathiTrust Digital Library.

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The Prologue

When that Aprilis, with his showers swoot,1
The drought of March hath pierced to the root,
And bathed every vein in such licóur,
Of which virtúe engender’d is the flower;
When Zephyrus eke with his swootë breath
Inspired hath in every holt2 and heath
The tender croppës,3 and the youngë sun
Hath in the Ram4 his halfë course y-run,
And smallë fowlës makë melody,
That sleepen all the night with open eye,
(So pricketh them natúre in their coráges5);
Then longë folk to go on pilgrimages,
And palmers6 for to seekë strangë strands,
To fernë hallows couth7 in sundry lands;
And specially, from every shirë’s end
Of Engleland, to Canterbury they wend,
The holy blissful Martyr for to seek,
That them hath holpen, when that they were sick.

Befell that, in that season on a day,
In Southwark at the Tabard8 as I lay,
Ready to wenden on my pilgrimage
To Canterbury with devout coráge,
At night was come into that hostelry
Well nine and twenty in a company
Of sundry folk, by áventure y-fall
In fellowship,9 and pilgrims were they all,
That toward Canterbury wouldë ride.
The chamber, and the stables werë wide,
And well we weren eased at the best.10
And shortly, when the sunnë was to rest,
So had I spoken with them every one,
That I was of their fellowship anon,
And madë forword11 early for to rise,
To take our way there as I you devise.12

But natheless, while I have time and space,
Ere that I farther in this talë pace,
Me thinketh it accordant to reasón,
To tell you allë the condition
Of each of them, so as it seemed me,
And which they weren, and of what degree;
And eke in what array that they were in:
And at a Knight then will I first begin.

A Knight there was, and that a worthy man,
That from the timë that he first began
To riden out, he loved chivalry,
Truth and honoúr, freedom and courtesy.
Full worthy was he in his Lordë’s war,
And thereto had he ridden, no man farre,13
As well in Christendom as in Heatheness,
And ever honour’d for his worthiness.
At Alisandre14 he was when it was won.
Full often time he had the board begun
Above allë natións in Prusse.15
In Lettowe had he reysed,16 and in Russe,
No Christian man so oft of his degree.
In Grenade at the siege eke had he be
Of Algesir,17 and ridden in Belmarie.18
At Leyës was he, and at Satalie,
When they were won; and in the Greatë Sea19
At many a noble army had he be.
At mortal battles had he been fifteen,
And foughten for our faith at Tramissene.20
In listës thriës, and aye slain his foe.
This ilkë21 worthy knight had been also
Some timë with the lord of Palatie,22
Against another heathen in Turkie:
And evermore he had a sovereign price.23
And though that he was worthy he was wise,
And of his port as meek as is a maid.
He never yet no villainy24 ne said
In all his life, unto no manner wight.
He was a very perfect gentle knight.
But for to tellë you of his array,
His horse was good, but yet he was not gay.
Of fustian he weared a