In six feet equal of proportión.
Therewith the moonë’s exaltatión,5028
In meanë5029 Libra, gan alway ascend,
As we were ent’ring at a thorpë’s5030 end.
For which our Host, as he was wont to gie,5031
As in this case, our jolly company,
Said in this wisë; “Lordings every one,
Now lacketh us no morë tales than one.
Fulfill’d is my senténce and my decree;
I trow that we have heard of each degree.5032
Almost fulfilled is mine ordinance;
I pray to God so give him right good chance
That telleth us this talë lustily.
Sir Priest,” quoth he, “art thou a vicary?5033
Or art thou a Parson? say sooth by thy fay.5034
Be what thou be, breakë thou not our play;5035
For every man, save thou, hath told his tale.
Unbuckle, and shew us what is in thy mail.5036
For truëly me thinketh by thy cheer
Thou shouldest knit up well a great mattére.
Tell us a fable anon, for cockë’s bones.”
This Parson him answered all at ones;
“Thou gettest fable none y-told for me,
For Paul, that writeth unto Timothy,
Reproveth them that weivë soothfastness,5037
And tellë fables, and such wretchedness.
Why should I sowë draff5038 out of my fist,
When I may sowë wheat, if that me list?
For which I say, if that you list to hear
Morality and virtuous mattére,
And then that ye will give me audiénce,
I would full fain at Christë’s reverénce
Do you pleasáncë lawful, as I can.
But, trustë well, I am a southern man,
I cannot gest,5039 rom, ram, ruf,5040 by my letter;
And, God wot, rhyme hold I but little better.
And therefore if you list, I will not glose,5041
I will you tell a little tale in prose,
To knit up all this feast, and make an end.
And Jesus for his gracë wit me send
To shewë you the way, in this voyáge,
Of thilkë perfect glorious pilgrimage,5042
That hight Jerusalem celestiál.
And if ye vouchësafe, anon I shall
Begin upon my tale, for which I pray
Tell your advice,5043 I can no better say.
But natheless this meditatión
I put it aye under correctión
Of clerkës,5044 for I am not textuel;
I take but the senténcë,5045 trust me well.
Therefore I make a protestatión,
That I will standë to correctión.”
Upon this word we have assented soon;
For, as us seemed, it was for to do’n,5046
To enden in some virtuous senténce,5047
And for to give him space and audiénce;
And bade our Host he shouldë to him say
That allë we to tell his tale him pray.
Our Hostë had the wordës for us all:
“Sir Priest,” quoth he, “now fairë you befall;
Say what you list, and we shall gladly hear.”
And with that word he said in this mannére;
“Tellë,” quoth he, “your meditatioún,
But hasten you, the sunnë will adown.
Be fructuous,5048 and that in little space;
And to do well God sendë you his grace.”
The Tale5049
[The Parson begins his “little treatise” (which, if given at length, would extend to about thirty of these pages, and which cannot by any stretch of courtesy or fancy be said to merit the title of a “Tale”) in these words:—]
Our sweet Lord God of Heaven, that no man will perish, but will that we come all to the knowledge of him, and to the blissful life that is perdurable,5050 admonishes us by the prophet Jeremiah, that saith in this wise: “Stand upon the ways, and see and ask of old paths, that is to say, of old sentences, which is the good way, and walk in that way, and ye shall find refreshing for your souls,”5051 etc. Many be the spiritual ways that lead folk to our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the reign of glory; of which ways there is a full noble way, and full convenable, which may not fail to man nor to woman, that through sin hath misgone from the right way of Jerusalem celestial; and this way is called penitence. Of which men should gladly hearken and inquire with all their hearts, to wit what is penitence, and whence it is called penitence, and in what manner, and in how many manners, be the actions or workings of penitence, and how many species there be of penitences, and what things appertain and behove to penitence, and what things disturb penitence.
[Penitence is described, on the authority of Saints Ambrose, Isidore, and Gregory, as the bewailing of sin that has been wrought, with the purpose never again to do that thing, or any other thing which a man should bewail; for weeping and not ceasing to do the sin will not avail—though it is to be hoped that after every time that a man falls, be it ever so often, he may find grace to arise through penitence. And repentant folk that leave their sin ere sin leave them, are accounted by Holy Church sure of their salvation, even though the repentance be at the last hour. There are three actions of penitence; that a man be baptized after he has sinned; that he do no deadly sin after receiving baptism; and that he fall into no venial sins from day to day. “Thereof saith St. Augustine, that penitence of good and humble folk is the penitence of every day.” The species of penitence are three: solemn, when a man is openly expelled from Holy Church in Lent, or is compelled by Holy Church to do open penance for an open sin openly talked of in the country; common penance, enjoined by priests in certain cases, as to go on pilgrimage naked or barefoot; and privy penance, which men do daily for private sins, of which they confess privately and receive private penance. To very perfect penitence are behoveful and necessary three things: contrition of heart, confession of mouth, and satisfaction; which are fruitful penitence against delight in thinking, reckless
