Makes him his God and eke himself to know:
Povert’ a spectacle is,2119 as thinketh me,
Through which he may his very2120 friendës see.
And, therefore, Sir, since that I you not grieve,
Of my povert’ no morë me repreve.
“Now, Sir, of eldë2121 ye reprevë me:
And certes, Sir, though none authority2122
Were in no book, ye gentles of honoúr
Say, that men should an oldë wight honoúr,
And call him father, for your gentleness;
And authors shall I finden, as I guess.
Now there ye say that I am foul and old,
Then dread ye not to be a cokëwold.2123
For filth, and eldë, all so may I thé,2124
Be greatë wardens upon chastity.
But natheless, since I know your delight,
I shall fulfil your wordly appetite.
Choose now,” quoth she, “one of these thingës tway,
To have me foul and old till that I dey,2125
And be to you a truë humble wife,
And never you displease in all my life:
Or ellës will ye have me young and fair,
And take your áventure of the repair2126
That shall be to your house because of me—
Or in some other place, it may well be?
Now choose yourselfë whether that you liketh.”
This knight adviseth2127 him, and sore he siketh,2128
But at the last he said in this mannére;
“My lady and my love, and wife so dear,
I put me in your wisë governance,
Choose for yourself which may be most pleasance
And most honoúr to you and me also;
I do no force2129 the whether of the two:
For as you liketh, it sufficeth me.”
“Then have I got the mastery,” quoth she,
“Since I may choose and govern as me lest.”2130
“Yea, certes wife,” quoth he, “I hold it best.”
“Kiss me,” quoth she, “we are no longer wroth,2131
For by my troth I will be to you both;
This is to say, yea, bothë fair and good.
I pray to God that I may stervë wood,2132
But2133 I to you be all so good and true,
As ever was wife since the world was new;
And but2134 I be to-morrow as fair to seen,
As any lady, emperess or queen,
That is betwixt the East and eke the West,
Do with my life and death right as you lest.2135
Cast up the curtain, and look how it is.”
And when the knight saw verily all this,
That she so fair was, and so young thereto,
For joy he hent2136 her in his armës two:
His heartë bathed in a bath of bliss,
A thousand times on row2137 he gan her kiss:
And she obeyed him in every thing
That mightë do him pleasance or liking.
And thus they live unto their livës’ end
In perfect joy; and Jesus Christ us send
Husbandës meek and young, and fresh in bed,
And grace to overlive them that we wed.
And eke I pray Jesus to short their lives,
That will not be govérned by their wives.
And old and angry niggards of dispence,2138
God send them soon a very pestilence!
The Friar’s Tale
The Prologue2139
This worthy limitour, this noble Frere,
He made always a manner louring cheer2140
Upon the Sompnour; but for honesty2141
No villain word as yet to him spake he:
But at the last he said unto the Wife:
“Damë,” quoth he, “God give you right good life,
Ye have here touched, all so may I thé,2142
In school matter a greatë difficulty.
Ye have said muchë thing right well, I say;
But, Damë, here as we ride by the way,
Us needeth not but for to speak of game,
And leave authorities, in Goddë’s name,
To preaching, and to school eke of clergy.
But if it like unto this company,
I will you of a Sompnour tell a game;
Pardie, ye may well knowë by the name,
That of a Sompnour may no good be said;
I pray that none of you be evil paid;2143
A Sompnour is a runner up and down
With mandements2144 for fornicatioún,
And is y-beat at every townë’s end.”
Then spake our Host; “Ah, sir, ye should be hend2145
And courteous, as a man of your estate;
In company we will have no debate:
Tell us your tale, and let the Sompnour be.”
“Nay,” quoth the Sompnour, “let him say by me
What so him list; when it comes to my lot,
By God, I shall him quiten2146 every groat!
I shall him tellë what a great honoúr
It is to be a flattering limitour
And his offíce I shall him tell y-wis.”2147
Our Host answered, “Peace, no more of this.”
And afterward he said unto the frere,
“Tell forth your tale, mine owen master dear.”
The Tale
Whilom2148 there was dwelling in my countrý
An archdeacon, a man of high degree,
That boldëly did executión,
In punishing of fornicatión,
Of witchëcraft, and eke of bawdery,
Of defamation, and adultery,
Of churchë-reevës,2149 and of testaments,
Of contracts, and of lack of sacraments,
And eke of many another manner2150 crime,
Which needeth not rehearsen at this time,
Of usury, and simony also;
But, certes, lechours did he greatest woe;
They shouldë singen, if that they were hent;2151
And smallë tithers2152 werë foul y-shent,2153
If any person would on them complain;
There might astert them no pecunial pain.2154
For smallë tithës, and small offering,
He made the people piteously to sing;
For ere the bishop caught them with his crook,
They weren in the archëdeacon’s book;
Then had he, through his jurisdictión,
Power to do on them correctión.
He had a Sompnour ready to his hand,
A slier boy was none in Engleland;
For subtlely he had his espiaille,2155
That taught him well where it might aught avail.
He couldë spare of lechours one or two,
To teachë him to four and twenty mo’.
For—though this Sompnour wood2156 be as a hare—
To tell his harlotry I will not spare,
For we be out of their correctión,
They have of us no
