BMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) WJ.i :/. 1.0 I.I 12.8 2.5 2.2 1^ 1^ ^ 1^ 12.0 11-25 II 1.4 18 1.6 V] <^ /a ^>. % '> Photographic Sciences Corporation a? V «^ # <^ V ^.^ «^A. ^\ 23 WEST MAIl; STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716) ti72-4S03 'o- ^ ' ■<^" 4> CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CtHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. D n n □ □ D Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur I I Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagee Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restiur^e et/ou pellicul6e I I Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque □ Bin Coloured maps/ Cartes g^ographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ ere de couleur (i.e. auire que bleue ou noire) □ Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ ianches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Reli6 avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ L^ reliure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge intdrieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Wh.'^never possible, these have been omitted from .'v';iing/ II se peut que certcines pages blanches ajouties iors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 filmdes. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppldmentaires; L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t4 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui pecvent modifier una image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger una modification dans la mdthode normale de filmage sont indiqu6s ci-dessous. I I Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagdes □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaur6es et/ou pelliculdes r~~V^Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ I ■■-I Pagas ddcolordes, tachet^es ou piqu^es I I Pages detached/ D D Pages d6tach6es Showthrough/ Transparence Q jality of prir Qualitj in6gale de I'impression Includes supplementary materia Comprend du materiel supplementaire r~/ Showthrough/ I I Q jality of print varies/ I I Includes supplementary material/ Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillat d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont dti filmdes i nouveau de fa^on d obtenir la meilleure image possible. This item is filmed nt the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmd au taux da reduction indiqui ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X y 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the ganerosity of: National Library of Canada L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grdce A la g6n6rc8it6 de: Bibliothdque nationale du Canada The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract spacifications. Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compta tenu de la condition et de la nettetd de I'nxemplaire film6, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. Les e^ijmplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimie sont filmds e.i commenpant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreintG d'impression ou d'illustration- soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont film6s en commenpant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreints d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qu: comporte une telle emprointe. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol — ^ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole —^ signifie "A SUIVRE". le symbole V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc.. may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one expos::re are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film4s d des taux de reduction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Stre reproduit en un seul clich6. il est filmd d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche ti droite. et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cossaire. Les diagrammes sui^/ants illustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 Xv m.- CANADA NATIONAL LIBRARY BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE ». -*? ■fj . ' *■ ^0 ■ #"»« •• vS^ '# . Jf. (Sage & e to incUcat^ Xlk^ Qorr^t m^tre and pronunoift* THE CANTERBURY TA..ES. tion, 80 far at least as is essential to the scanning of the verse. Thia qualification is necessary, for we have few means of knowing how the individual vowels and consonants were sounded. We can, for example, generally appreciate the poetry of the Elizabethan and seventeenth century writers without sti'ictly following even what we know to have been their own pronunciation. Wo must, indeed, occasionally read Itoom for Rome in Shakespeare, when he plays on the words — "Now it is Rome indeed and room enough." —J\iliu8 Ccesar, act i. sc. 2, line 156 (Globe). and in this poem, lines 670-1, where " Rome " rimes with '* to me," and must plainly be pronounced like "roomy ;" or " achies in one's jintes" in Butler; but it is not necessary to read of " resaving stcrvices of goold and yallow chiney" or of "being obkeged to poonish a marohant," since these peculiarities do not affect the verso. The signs I have employed are explained in the notice on the Versifi- cation. I may, however, take this opportunity of justifying an idea of my own with regard to Chaucer's verse, in which I fear all will not agree. Rime and metre were not indigenous among the Teutonic nations, but derived from the Romance languages, and I believe that before they were completely naturalized among us they were adopted with the peculi- arities of Fi'ench poetry, and that consequently when a line ended with a syl-able containing a silent "e" that vowel was alnm/s sounded, though not so full or decidedly as others. I mean, to take a simple illustration, that though the word pil(/nmar/e occurring in the middle of a line had but three syllables, yet when it ended a line it was read as of four; not so strongly pronounced as in the plural pilgrimages, but still it was pronounced. I had thought of using some special mark, as a single dot over the letter, but I have foregone this refinement, and written it, as I have other e's which I wish the reader to sound, thus, 8. For the Life of Chaucer and the Grammar of the Language in his time I am greatly indebted to Dr. Morris' edition of the Prologue and Knightes Tale in the Clarendon Press Series, from which I have also borrowed freely in the notes; but I have had recourse to every historical and philological authority within my reach , in the hope of rendering this little work as perfect and useful as I could. < 13 , TWE ARGUMENT. 6v TilE ARGUMENT AND CHARACTERS OF THE PROLOGUE. Tke general plan of Chaucer's Canterhunj Tales seems to have been suggested by the Decameron of Boccaccio, which had Jippeared soino thirty years before. Each is a collection of stories more or leas romantic, drawn from the French and Proven9al literature of the Troubadours, and the older Italian writers ; some again being trace- able through these to Arabian, or, though oddly metamorphosed in transmission, to classic sources, the who] 3 strung together by the simple artifice of being supposed to be told in turn by the members of a company who, having no present employment, agree thus to pass away their time. But in the conception of their plots Boccaccio and Chaucer differ as strongly as did their individual characters or those of their respec- tive societies. The Italian imagines five elegant dilettanti nobles with a like number of accomplished and youthful ladies retiring to the beautiful gardens of a villa in the country in order to escape the dangers and to avoid the horrors of the pestilence which in 1348 ravaged the city of jFlorence. Gay, selfish, and callous to the sufferings of their poorer fellow- citizens, they spend their time in a round of feasting and revelry, or in walking amid the enchanting scenery of the Apennines, regard- less of aught but their own enjoyment. Chaucer, on the contrary, was full of human sympathy, and though familiar with the lan- guages, literature, and society of France and Italy, intensely Eng- lish. Sprung from the middle class, but thrown by his varied avocations into contact with men and women of every rank, he had ample opportunities for cultivating a natural insight into character, he could appreciate whatever was good and true whether in "gentil Knight" or "poure Persoun" and his "Plowman brother," and had a no less keen perception of the vices, the faults, and the foibles of high and low. Yet his satire, though unsparing, is rather of the nature of kindly ridicule than stern invective j he aims rather at making its objects appear ludicrous, or at the worst con- temptible, than as exciting hatred, indignation, or disgust; he laughs them down, and we, if not they themselves, enjoy the laugh. THE CAK*EftBURY TALlSS. Extremely happy is the little incident which brings together a motley crowd from every grade except the highest and the very lowest. A mere accident, but one which 8er\ ds his purpose better than the most elaborate plot, and so probable and natural that one can scarcely believe it hac^ no foundation in fact. One fine evening in April, while he is staying at the Tabard, an old inn in Southwark, a company of pilgrims assemble, for the most part strangers to one another, with no other common purpose than that of mutual protection from the perils of the road, in their journey to the shrine of St. Thomas h, Becket at Canterbury. At supper their host, a jolly and sociable fellow, offers to accompany them as their guide, having, he says, often conducted such parties in that capacity ; and at the same time proposes that in order to enliven the tedium of the journey each shall tell a couple of tales on the way thither and the same number on their return. This advice is promptly agreed to, the order in which they shall speak determined by drawing lots, ana the poet, anticipating much enjoyment from the study of characters so various and under circumstances so free from restraint, resolves on joining the party himself, and on writing an account of what he should see and hear. The several personages are described with consummate skill. In a few lines we are made acquainted with their features and dress, their manners and characters ; they stand out before us in strong individuality, not like portraits in a picture-gallery, but as men and women living, acting, talking with us. Though Chaucer never wrote a drama in the common acceptation of the word, he evinces in this Prologue the possession of dramatic powers of the highest order. He never aims at effect by contrast or exaggeration, the most trivial features are consistent with the rest; an under-current of fun pervades the whole, and the most telling hits often appear as by or after thoughts, adding greatly to their force. First, we have the "verray perfight gentil Knight," a repre- sentative of the old chivalry, then fast passing away, a veteran warrior, but " of his port as meke as is a mayde," in short, the ideal knight sans peur et sans reproche. His son, a young " Squyer," as gay as he was brave, more accom- plished than his father in the arts of peace, but having already proved his prowess in the last French war, was followed by a single attendant, an honest and trusty " yeman " from among his father'd tenantry. CHARACTERS OF THE PROLOGUE. Next comes the Lady Prioresse, who makes no pretensions to religfous au8terit3', but on the contrary, 8he " Peyaeile hire to countrcf Cite chere Of court, and ben cstatlich of manere." A woman of fashion, her heart still clings to the world, she lavishes her affections on her lap-dogs, unmindful of the sick and poor, and her very brooch bears the significant motto of gallantry, ^^ Amor vincit omniay In her suite are a nun and three priests. Then we meet a type of which we Htill have a representative in the fox-hunting country parson, a Monk proud of his horsemanship and his hounds, richly attired and fond of good living rather than of study, certain, as Chaucer slyly hints, of early promotion to an abbacy, just one of those luxurious idle monks who roused the indignant denunciations of Wycliff. After him comes a Friar, who under the cloke of mendicancy covers a deep-rooted love of money and selfish indulgence, being " the bests beggere in his hous," who " knew the tavomes wel in every toun," and by his power of confession and absolution exerted unbound»;d influence over women old and young. Scarcely less odious and more contemptible is the hypocritical Pardoner or seller of indulgences, one of the class whose bare-faced impostures first aroused the spirits of Luther and the German refoiiners. His wallet is " bretful of pardouns come from Rome al hoot," and he has an inexhaustible stock of reliques and bones, which the poet insinu- ates are those of pigs, not saints. His especial friend and companion is a Sompnour or Summoner, an officer of the ecclesiastical courts, a low ignorant and dissolute bully, who holds a terrible power over " the yonge gurles of his diocese " in spite of his repulsive appearance and character. Chancer was not at heart an irreligious man, and waged no war with the clergy as ministers of religion, but he was a Protestant in the sense that he wished to expose the vices, the hypocrisy, and the worldliness of the ecclesiastical orders, universally abandoned as they were to corruption and venality. These, from which the prelates were in general selected, were recruited from the higher ranks of society; the secular clergy, on the contrary, for the most part drawn from the humbler classes, were often men of deep and earnest piety, and, thanks to tiie foundations at the universities, of far greater learning than the former.C Connected by ties of blood and sympathy with the poor among whom they lftboured| and than 8 THE CANTERBURY TALES. whom they were ioo often little richer, they used the influence which their spiritual character gave them in their behalf; and to their ministrations at the death-beds of the proud nobles we owe more than to anything else the gradual emancipation of the English peasantry from a state of absolute serfdom. Chaucer was far too genei'ous to ignore such goodness, and he has left us in the character of the " poure Persoun of a toun " a picturs of simple, unselfish piety, such as has never been surpassed. Poor in this world's goods, "but riche of holy thought and werk," brother to a plowman, but " a lerned man, a clerk " {i.e., a university man), " that Cristes gospel trewely wolde preche ; " liberal to the poor, though poor himself ; self-denying and contented with his lot, he did not seek preferment, but endeavoured hj gentleness and sympathy, by well-judged remonstrance, and above all by his own good example, "to drawe folk to heven," his character is beautifully summed up in the last couplet, " But Cristfis lore, and his apostles twelv6 He taughte, but flrut he folwede it himselvg." To the same class we must refer the "Clerk of Oxenford," though as yet he had not got a benefice. He lived apart from the world, spending his little money on books, a poor but earnest scholar, grave and thoughtful in speech. After the clergy the other learned professions are represented by one member of each. The " Doctour of Phisik " is a capital sketch of the physician of the day. A learned ostentatious charlatan, deeply versed in astrology, magic, and all the useless lore of the dark ages, though " His studie was but litel on tiiC Bibel." .Gorgeously attired to command resprct, temperate in his habits, and not wanting in worldly wisdom, for " ful redy hadde he his apote- caries," and "ech of hem made other for to wynne;" a practice which is not quite extinct in our own time, though repudiated by every honourable practitioner. The "Sergeant of Lawe" is a clever and favourable picture of the shrewd and successful pleader, with every statute and precedent by rote, and possessing that element of success, the art of appearing even busier and wiser than he really was. With him there was a wealthy FranKleyn or country gentleman, the prototype of the port-wine-loving squire of a bygone genwfttionj a^ whose ampl^ ftad ^ CHARACTERS OP THE PROLOGUE. 9 hospitable board the lawyer had often sat when associated in the work of the sessions. He was a county magistrate, and had sat in parliament as knight of his shire. Turning now to the middle classes we meet a '* Marchaunt," acute in his dealings, and if not always prosperous, able to impress others with the belief that he is so. He can speak of little else than his business, but is cautious not to say too much. Four well- to-do Burgesses, whose dress bespeaks their wealth, and members of their respective guilds, at a time \vhen the city companies were really haberdashers, weavers, &c., as indicated by their names. Like the traditional alderman, they are fond of good living, and bring with th^m a professed cook. The gentle upright " Maunciple," ever mindful of his employer a interests; the not less able but utterly unscrupulous "Reeve" or Bailiff, an " unjust steward," overbearing to his inferiors but serving his master efficiently, though from motives purely selfish, and abusing the confidence which his ability earned h\m. for the purpose of lining his own nest; the coarse, vulgar, and brutal " Mellere;" and the humble "Plowman," who in his narrower field exhibits the same simple Christian life and example of charity as his clerical brother; with the "Schipman" and the "Wyf of Buthe," complete the motley company. ' ■ "The Schipman" is a genuine sailor, brave, hardy, and master of his craft, more in his element in a storm in the Bay of Biscay than on a horse. Not troubled with an over-nice conscience, he was ready to combine the character of a freebooter with that of trader, not unlike the Ealeighs and other privateer captains of a later aj;e. The " Wyf of Bathe " is, besides the " Lady Pt irresse," and her cittendant nun, of whom, however, we have no description — the only female personage in the company. It seems strange that Chaucer, who elsewhere shows his high estimation of womanly virtue, and especially of good wives, should not have given some other female characters, corresponding, for example, to the Manciple or the Frankleyn. If not a caricature, and there is no reason to suppose her to be such, she presents a dark picture of the morality of women of hei" class. A weH-to-do cloth-worker from the west of Tingland, trading on her own account, she belongs to the same grade of society as the group of city liverymen. •?; Violent in temper, bold and wanton in dress and manners, loud, coarse, and loose in her language, and as loose in her n: jrals, she is a living satire on the mere conventional observance of the externals of religion^ having visited 10 THE CANTERBtJRY TALES. Borne and the Holy Sepulchre, as well as the chief shrines of the Continent, and being regular in her attendance at the church in the superstitious rites of Eelic Sunday, on which occasion she often gave way to her proud and overbearing disposition. Such are the dramatis personce of this matchless Prologue, which in less than nine hundred lines brings before our eyes nearly the whole of English society in the fourteenth century more vividly than the most laborious history. The tales which follow reflect the minds of the narrators, but that part of the work Chaucer did not live to complete. The Pro- logue is, however, the mjst valuable as the most original portion, and from the light it throws on the manners and thoughts of our countrymen of that generation, deserves the moat careful study. LIFE OF CHAUCER. w LIFE OF CHAUCER The father and grandfather of Geoffrey Chaucer were well-to>do citizeos and vintners of the city of London. The guilds and city companies were at that time what their names imply, associations of men engaged in the same trade or industry, and, accordingly, we find John Chaucer, the father of the poet, keeping a wine-shop and hostelrie on the banks of the Thames, near the outfall of the Wall Brook, probably where the Cannon Street Station now stands, and here Geoffrey was bom and spent his early years. What education he gave his son, and whether he intended hirj for the professions of the law or the church, or for the less ambitiuua career of a citizen, we do not know. The author of the " Court of Love " represents himself as " of Cambridge, clerk ; " but even if this could be proved to mean that he was a student of that university, there are very strong grounds for believing that the poem has been wrongly attributed to Chaucer. Tliere is, in fact, not a shadow of evidence that Chaucer studied at either Oxford or Cambridge, though Leland asserts that he had been at each. u . Young men designed for secular callings frequently finished their education by attaching Uiemselves to the households or retinue of some nobleman, with whom they enjoyed the advantages of intro- duction to good society, and sometimes of foreign travel on political or military enterprises. John Chaucer attended Edward IIL and his Queen Philippa in 1338 in their expedition to Flanders, but in what capacity we have no means of learning. In 1357 we find a Geoffrey Chaucer in the household of Elizabeth, wif« of Lionel, third son of Edward, and if he were our poet he doubtless owed his appointment to his father's former connection with the court. In 1359 he served, still pro- bably in attendance on Lionel, with the army of Edward in France, and was, as he himself informs us, taken prisoner, but ransomed in tibc following year pt the ignominious peace of Bretigny. In 1367 and the following years we find entries in the Issue Rolls of the Court of Exchequer and in the Tower BoUs of the paymeDt to hip o^ a pension of tweo^ marks {or f onner and present servioeQ 12 THE CANTERBURY TALES. as one of the valets of the king's chamber. While in attendance on the members of the royal family he had formed an unretumed and hopeless attachment to some lady of far higher social rank, which inspired his first original poem, the "Compleynt to Fite;" and since, in his elegy on the death of Blanche, the young -viie of John of Gaunt, entitled " The Dethe of Blaunche the Duchesse," he con> f esses that the "sickeness" that he "had suffred this eight yeere" is now past, there can be little doubt that she was the object of his affection. ) From 1370 to 1380 he was engaged in not less than seven diplo- matic missions to Italy, France, and Flanders,' for which he received various sums of money, as well as a valuable appointment in the customs; in 1374 he obtained the lease oi the house above the Aldgate from the corporation of London, and i^ this year the Duke of Lancaster granted him a pension of £10 for services ren- dered by himself and his wife Philippa. We hear of a Philippa Chaucer as one of the Ladies of the Bedchamlier to the Queen Philippa as early as 1366; but since in the "Compleynteto Pite" in 1367 he expresses % hope that his high-laom lady love may yet accept hit love, it is probable that she. was k namesake or cousin of Geoffrey, and thdt he did not marry her until the nuptials of the Lady Blanche with the duke had extinguished his hopes of ever making Imt his wife, perhaps, indeed, not until after her death. in 187S-73 he remained in Italy for nearly a year on the king's busineM^ where, if he did not make the acquaintance of Petrarch and Bpooaccio, as is supposed by some, it is certain that the study of the ItaliMi poetry and literature exerted a marked influence on his own writings, as seen in the works composed during this middle period of. his literary career, the "Lyfe of Seynte Cecile," " Parla- ment d Foules," "Compleynt of Mars," "Anelide and Arcite," "Boec^* * Former Ag^" "Troylus and Cresseide," and the "ftoiise'olFame." At a, later period he wrote his "Truth," "Lfegende of Good Womeiit** his " Moder of God," and began the "Canterbury Tales.-- ;■•■;• '■■" ^^^ ■■ ;; ' In 1886 ke was elected a knight of the shire for the county of Kent, and in this year we obtain the only authentic evidence of his Age.] In a deposition i^ade by him ai Westirin^ter, where the parliament was met, in the famous trial between Richard, tiord Scrope, and Sir Bobert Grosvenor, tae coun(^ clerk eniiered him, doubtless on his own tttatement, as forty years 'blcl and upwardS| „ V f:.v'/T U- .•* J'l-P ••» LIFE OF CHAUCEIU IS and SpS having borne arms for twenty-seven years. We may there* fore conclude that he was bom in 1339, which would make him at that time forty-seven years old, and the twenty-seven years would count from his coming of age. He would thus have been eighteen when he became page to the Princess Elizabeth, and twenty in the French war. His patron, John of Gaunt, was now abroad, and John's rival, the Duke of Gloucester, in power. The commission appointed by the parliament to inquire into the 4tdministration of the customs and subsidies, dismissed him from his. two appointments in the customs, and soon after even his pensions were revoked. He was thus reduced from affluence to poverty, and his feelings are expressed in his beautiful " Balade of Truth ; " to add to his troubles his wife died next year (1389), yet amid grief and penury he went on with his inerry " Canterbury Tales." With the reassumpticn of the government by Richard II, in 1389 and the return of the Lancastrian party to power, fortune smiled once more on the poor poet, but his income was at best small and Uncertain, and his tenure of some petty offices short and precarious. He wrote about this time his translation of a "Treatise on the Astrolabe, for his son Lewis," his "Compleynt of Venus," "Envoy to Skogan," "Marriage," "Gentleness," "Lack of Stead- fastness," "Fortune and his Compleynt to his Purse," be.sides carrying on his greatest work, the " Tales," which was left unfinished at his death. This ^vent occurred in 1400 at a house in the garden of the Chapel of St. Mary, Westmi.<:'jter, the lease of which he had taken in the previous year. > ." :^. He was probably in his sixty-first or sixty-second year when he died. In the carefully executed portrait by Occleve, preserved among the Harl. MSS., and the words which he puts into the mouth of " mine host " of the Tabard, as well as from admissions no less than deliberate expressions of feeling scattered through his works, ve can form a pretty complete notion of his personal appearance, habits, and character. . Stout in body but small and fair of face, shy and reserved with strangers, but fond — perhaps too fond — of "good fclaweschip,"of wine and song; passionately given to study, often after his day's labours at the customs sitting up half the night poring over old musty MSS., French, Latin. Italian, or English, till his head ached, and bis eyes were dull and dazed But his love of nature was as strong 14 TBB OANTERBURT TALES. M his love of books. He is fond of dwelling on the beauties of tkt ^ring-time in the country. " Herkneth these blisful briddSs how they synge, And seth the f resschfi flourfii how they springe 1 " he bids us on a bright April mom. And more fully describes his own feelings in the " Legend of Grood Women." " And as for me, though that I konne but lyte, On bokfis for to rede I me delyte, . .-., ^ And to hem give I feyth and ful credencS, And in myn herte have hem in reverencd S. So hertfily that there is gamfi noon v That fro my bokfis maketh me to goon, *"* . But yt be seldom on the holy day. Save certeynly whan that the monethe of Maj Is comen, and that I here the foulfis synge. And that the flourSs gynnen for to sprynge, - ' Faire wel my boke, and my devocioun 1 " He was thoroughly English, one of the educated middle class, the elass to which England owes so much ; he had by his connection with court acquired the refinement and culture of the best French and Italian society, without rising above or severing himself from the people to whom he belonged. He could appreciate genuine worth in squire or ploughman, purity and courtesy whether in knight or in the poor country parson. All were his fellowmen, and he sympathized with alL He had known every change of fortune, of wealth and want, and his poetry often reflects his state for the time being; but even in his old age, when poor, infirm, and alone, h's irrepressible buoyancy of spirts did not desert him. Freshness and simplicity of style, roguish humour, quaint fun, hearty praise of what is good and true, kindly ridicule of weakness and foibles, and earnest denunciation of injustioe and oppressioD, are Mnong Ua most marked oharacteristioa, ESSAY ON THE LAMGUAOE. ill ESSAY ON THE LANGUAGE OF CHAUCEB. The age of Chaucer marks an epoch in the history of our language, when what is called the New English arose from the complete lusion of the Norman French with the speech of the common people. So long as our kings retained their continental possession^, and our nobles ruled England as a conquered country, looking to Normandy, Picardy, and Anjou as their fatherland, whence they continually recruited their numbers, the union of the races was impossible ; but with the final loss of Normandy by King John in 1204 the relations of the two countries were changed, and in the reign of Edward I. and Edward III. the Norman barons were compelled by circumstances to consider this their home, and France a land to be reconquered by the arms of their English fellow- citizens and subjects. The change of sentiment required, however, time for its completion. For two or three generations the nobles felt themselves a "uperior race and clung to their own language, dis- daining to adopt one which they had been accustomed to look on as fit only for " villans and burghers." Though they could not abstain from intercourse with the common people, the separation of language persisted, and served to mark the man of rank from thQ plebeian. In the metrical chronicle of Robert of Gloucester, which from internal evidence must have been written later than A,D. 1280, and is referred by Mr. K. Oliphant to about a.d. 1300, it is plainly asserted, that to speak French was in his time considered a mark of good breeding: *' Vor bote a man couthc French me tolth of hym wel lute, Ac lowe men holdeth to Eugliss, and to her owe speche yute; Ich wane ther ne be man in world contveyes none That ne holdeth to her kunde speche bote Engelond one ; Ac wel me wot vor to conue bothe wel yt ys, Yor the more that a man can the more worthe he is." [For unless a man know French one thinks but little of him. But low men hold to English, and to their own ■pe««b w«U S 1 m 5*1 m 16 THE CANTERBURY TALES. I believe there are no men in tlie countries of the world That do not hold to their native speech but England only; But well 1 know that it is well to understand both, For the more that a man knows the more worth (able) he is.] la The blending of the languages began with the fourteenth century. "* The ballads of Lawrence Minot, composed probably at intervals between 1330 and 1360, and the "Vision of Piers Plowman," which seems to have been written soon after 1365, contain an infusion of French words; but the effects of the complete coalescence of the two peoples, and the impulse it gave to the development of th# common language, are to be seen in the poems of Gower and his frien(> Chaucer, which belong to the latter part of the fourteenth centuryi The translation of the Bible into Er.j^iish by Wycliffe at the same time served to raise the literary character and to fix the grammatical forms of the language- 'vhich had been passing through a period of rapid changes. ^ The old system of inflexions had been rnJergoing a process of disintegration, the several endings in e, a, en, and an, by which cases and numbers, moods and adverbs, had hitherto been distin- guished, were fast being for the most part replaced by the single form of e, partly as a result of a law in every language that words become worn down by use, like pebbles in a water-course smoothed and rounded by friction, — a change which proceeds most rapidly in the absence of a written literature, and tends to convert synthetic or in- flected into analytic or uninflected languages; and partly in obedience to a law less general, only because its conditions are not universal, viz. that when two races speaking different languages are merged into one, they, though freely using one another's words, being unable to agree as to their inflections, end by discarding such syllables altogether so . far as can be done without loss of perspicuity. To this law may be referred the triumph of the plural sign s or es over en or an, since French and English found themselves here at least at one, and the same may be said of the prefixes un and tn^ and the suffixes able and ible. This detrition of inflexions, as we may call it, culminated in the Elizabethan era in the almost total loss of the final e, before the expedients for distinguishing infinitives from participles, adverbs from adjectives, &c., had been reduced to rule. Its loss becomes a stumbling-block to readers of Shakespeare and his contemporaries scarcely less grievous than its retention does to those of Chaucer, appearing in the guise of inexplicable anomalies, and of seeming (59) fiSSAY ON THE LANGUAGE. 17 violations of the most ordinary grammatical rules, which have been laboriously cleared up by Dr. Abbott in his admirable Shakespearian Orammar. But though the new English had fairly established itself as a national and literary language it was still in a state of rapid growth and development, destined to undergo considerable changes in grammar, and even more in orthography, ere it settled down into the form which it has retained without any material alteration from the tirae of the Stuarts to the present day. ^ When Chaucer wrote printing was not yet invented ; a number of scribes, whose attainments did not perhaps go beyond the mere mechanical art of writing, were accustomed to work together while one read aloud the book to be copied, anu each spelling as he was in the habit of pronouncing, and probably not seldom misapprehending the meaning of the author, it was inevitable that countless variations should arise in the text, some representing the sound of the spoken word, others the changes which had taken place in the pronuncia- tion between the dates of the original MS. and the particular copy, and others still such clerical blunders as are even now familiar to every one who has had to correct the proofs of any literary work. After the sixteenth century, when our language had become stereotyped as it. were in grammar and orthography, various attempts were made to modernize the spelling of so popular a poet as Chaucer so as to make him intelligible to ordinary readers, but with the most unhappy results ; the men who undertook the task being almost entirely ignorant of the essential features of the language of the original work. With a prose writer the consequences might not have been more serious than the loss to posterity of an invaluable philological land- mark; but where metre and rime were involved, the result has been the entire destruction of all that constitutes the outward form of poetry ; while by the subsequent attempts of editors to restore to the mangled verses something like metrical rhythm, the language itself has been wrested and corrupted to an extent which would have rendered hopeless all idea of its restoration, were it not that in the Harleian MS. 7334 v;e possess a copy executed by a com- petent hand very shortly after the author's death, and though not free from clerical errors, on the whole remarkably correct. The late learned , antiquary Mr. Thomas Wright adopted it in his edition, with a few emendations ; but since the publication by Mr. F. T. Fumivall of his six-text edition of Chaucer we have the (69) B 18 THE CANTERBURT TALES. means of collating it with the EUesmere, Hengwrt, Corpus, Lam- downe, Petworth, and Cambridge MSS. Dr. Morris has availed himself of the first three in his edition of the "Prologue, the Knightes and the Nonnes Tales" (Clarendon Press Series); but though he has consulted the last three also in cases of difficulty, he has found them of little real use. Chaucer himself seems to have had forebodings of the mutilations which were to befall his works, having already suffered from the negligence of his amanuensis, for in the closing stanzas of his " Troilus and Cressida," he says, " Oo litel booke, go litel tragedie, And for ther is so grete diversity In Englisch and in writing of our tong. So pray I Ood that non miswrit^ thee, Ne thee mismetre for defant of tong. And rede wherso thou be or eles song That thou be underatond." And in language more forcible than elegant he imprecates a curse on this unlucky man — " Adam Scrivener, if evere it thee bifal Boece or Troilus for to write new, Under thy long lokkes maist thou have the scall, But after my making thou write more trew. So ofte a day I mote thy werke renew. It to correct and eke to rubbe and scrape, And al is thorow thy negligence and rape." HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TO THE TIME OF CHAUCER. The term Anglo-Saxon, which is currently used to designate the language supposed to have been spoken by our forefathers before the Norman Conquest, is an invention of modem times, and has not even th advantage of convenience to recommend it. It wbd not until the close of the thirteenth and beginning of the fourteenth century, when the fusion of races was followed by the rise of a truly national spirit and an outburst of literary activity, that a national language had any existence. The greater part of tl^ thirteenth century was a pekiod of dearth and degradation, a niSTORT OF THE KNOLISII LANGUAOfi. 10 dark age to the student and lover of our glorious tongue. What littiv^ wrxs written was in Latin or French, English being considered not only by the proud nobles, but unhappily also by a pedantic priesthood, as unworthy of cultivation, and consequently, being relegated to the ignorant peasantry, it suffered the loss of thousands of good old words. Hitherto the clergy had written in the language of the people to whom they belonged, and had produced many works of great literary merit. ITiese, however, may be easily recognized as belonging to two great dialectic divisions — a north- eastern and south-western, besides minor subdivisions. The great sundering line may roughly be drawn from Shrewsbury through Northampton and Bedford to Colchester, and represents the original partition of the country between the Angles and the Saxons. On the former fell the full force uf the Danish invasions, and as we go further north we find the proportion of Scandinavian words and forms to increase. In the earliest times these languages were almost as distinct as High German and Low German (Piatt Deutsch), and the so-called Anglo-Saxon dictionaries confound and mingle the two without dis- tinction. The infusion of Danish or Norse into the Anglian led natur- ally to a clipping and paring down of inflections, a feature common to all mixed languages; whereas the speech of Wessex, the kingdom of Alfred, preserved much longer its rich inflectional character. Yet even these south-western people seem to have called themselves English rather than Saxons. At any rate King Alfred tells us that his people called their speech English, and Robert of Gloucester says of English, "The Saxones speche yt was, and thorw hem yeome jrt ys." Be'^e, an Angle, calls them Saxons, but the word is of rare occiurrence i.efore th, A.V. Acts xiiL 86) (cf. im kontinff^ % hunting, &,c.). 7. There and t t))e ^nals -es^ -m^ an^ -I Elf ll 36 THE CANTERBURY TALES. -ed, being Saxon inflections, are, unless the contrary be indicated as above, to be .sounded as distinct syllables, and that the -ede of the past tense is t(^ be pronou: "-^d -ed, and that, with the exception of the few nine-syllabled verses, every line is either a perfect or a catalcctic iambic, a little practice will enable the student to scan the poetry of Chaucer witV ease. A very few irregular contractions, either poetic licenses or anticipation 3 of future pronunciations, may be fotmd, as in Prol. 4C3. where *'©n hf»«pitality. 855. Sessiouns. — The county court*. 357. Anlas or anla^x, a knife ; an>i gipser, a pouch usbd in hawking or worn by gentlemen in ci\il attire. 359. Schirreve — shire reve, Bhr of accounts or treasurer. 880. VavoMmr. — A subvassal, one who held, as did most of the old English freeholders, under a tenant of the kin- A middle class of landholder*. 861. Haberdamthert. -kdaaXetm small articles, hats, buttonsjsilks, &c. &c. Probably from O.Fr. haberd'acf-etz, avoir d'acketer, to keep on sale. 8^ W«66e.— Webber,now weaver. Ger.tre^'^. Properly u«6«^er is the f em. Tapicer. — A deaimr in rugs, &o. Fr. tapisy » carpet, from Ii. kupeU, a carpet, tapes* ' y. 1 PROLOOUB. 6d And theywere clothSd alle iu 00 ly ver6, Of a solempne and gret fraternity. Ful freissh and newe here gere apikM was; 366 Here knyf6s were i-chap^d nat with bras, But al with silver wrought ful clene and wel, Here gurdles and here pouches every del. Wel semed eche of hem a fair bu ;, ^s, To sitten in a ^eldehalle on the deys. 370 363. Lyveri — livery. The dress worn by servants and members of guilds. It means anything, whether clothing or food, delivered by a superior to his dependants. A man-servant's livery is not his own, but lent to him by his master ; a livery stable is one where the fodder is served out from a common store. A baron was said to have livery of his manors and feudal holdings, that is, to have them formally delivered to him by the king on his making proof of age, legitimacy, &c. Distinctive badges, called liveries, in the form of hats, scarves, hoods, and so on, were adopted not only by the retainers but by the entire faction and supporters of the turbulent barons in their private quarrels, a practice forbidden by several statutes in the reigns of Edward III., Richard II., and Henry IV., which per- mitted their use only by bond fide servants and the members of trade guilds, to one of which these citizens belonged. **A solempne (see note on line 274) and gret fratetniti." 365. Here gere apiked teas. — Their dress, or rather their accoutrements as one might say, were cleaned and polished. " Purgatns =■ pykyd or jnirgyd frofiilihe and other thynges grevows." Prompt. Parvul. 366. I-chaped. — With chapes or pla^^s of metal; theirs were not brass but silver, they were therefore not petty tradesmen or artisans, to whom the use of the precious metals and jewels was forbidden. 368. Del = part or portion, Cf. dole, 370. To sit on a dais in a guildhall. — ^The etymology of the French dais or deis is doubtful. It seems originally to have meant a canopy over a state seat or table, then the seat or table itself, and lastly the raljed platform on which the taUe stood. Cotgrave defines " dais or daiz^ a cloth of estate, canopy or heaven, over the heads of princes' thrones ; also the whole state or seat of estate ; " and Matthew Paris, De VU. Abbat. St. Albani, says that the newly elected abbot dined alone in the refectory, the prior dining at the great table which we commonly call the dai$. i 70 f tifi CANTiJRBURt TALES. Everych man for the wisdom that he can, ' ' • Was schaply for to ben an alderman. • For catel haddS they inough and rentS, And eek here wyf Ss wolde it wel assentS ; And ellSs certeyn hadde thei ben to blamg. 375 It is fill fair for to be clept madamS^ And for to gon to vigilies byforS, *•• And han a mantel riallyche i-borS. A Cook thei haddS with hem for the nonSs, . To boyllS chikn6s with the mary bonSs, 380 And poudre-marchaunt tart, and galyngale. Wel cowde he knowe a dran^t of Jiondone ale. / He cowdS rostS, sethS, broille, and frie, Maken mortreiix, and wel bakg a pye. 371. 2V/che=roya\\y. 379. For the nones. — For the nonce, for that once. The n belongs to the def. pronoun, of which it is an old dative sign. 380. Mar}! hones. — MaiTow-bones. 381. Poudre-7narcha^'nt tart—sx tart or acid flavouring powder. Galyngale. — 'The aromatic and astring'^nt root of the Cypervs longns, a kind of sedge found, though now rarely, in the south of England. Tlie genus is abundantly represented in warmer climates. 382. London ale was at that time held in high esteem, as Burton is now. The earliest mention of the latter that I have met is in Ray and Willoughby's Itinerary. 884. Mortreux, mortrewes or mortress. So called from being pounded in a mortar. Mortreux de chare, a kind of thick soup of which the chief ingredients were fowl, fresh pork, bread crumbs, eggs, and saffron ; and mortrewes of fysshe, containing the roe or milt of fish, bread, pepper, and ale. PROLOGUE. :71 But gret harm was it, as it thoughts me, 386 That ou his schyue a mormal hacldtS he ; For blankmanger that made lie with the bestS. A ScHiPMAN was ther, wonyng fer by west6; For ought I woot, he was of Dertfimouthe. He rood upon a rouncy, as he couthe, ^ 390 In a gowne of faldyng to the kne. A dagger hangyng on a laas hadde he Aboute his nekke under his arm adouu. The hotte somer had maad his hew al broun; And certeinly he was a good felawe. 395 Ful many a draught of wyn had he y-drawe 385. It ihoiighte vie. — Methought, it seemed to me. 386. Schyne = shin or skin, Moi'vial^zmoi't vial, a deadly disease, a cancer, or more pro- bably an ulcerated leg. 887. Blankmanger = blanc mange, white food, a compound of minced chioken, eggs, flour, sugar, and milk, that he could make with (or against) the best (of his fellow-cooks). 388. Wonyng. — Living or dwelling. A.S. wunianf Ger. wohiien, to dwell. A loss to our language. By ueste. — In the west, westward. 889. Dertemoiitfie. —To be pronounced Dartymouth, bo Derby is Darby, 390. Rouncy.— Yt. roncin, a heavy road or cart horse. As he couthe.— Ab well as he could. With fewer conveniences of travelling, riding was a more general accomplishment than it is now among lands- men, but Chaucer cannot resist a joke at the expense of the sailor. 391. Faldyng. — A coarse rough napped cloth ir.ade in Northern Europe. 392. Laas. — O.Fr. laz or lacqs (L. laqiieus), a Ukc or strap. Cf. anlas^ line 357. 394. Perhaps an allusion to the unusually hot summer of 1351. Hew, now hue, originally meant form but afterwards was • limited to colour. 395. Ooodfelaioe. — A jovial companion. 396-400. Many a cask of wine had he stolen by night from Bordeaux, though not always without meeting resistance. Chapman. — ^The merchant (Ger. kaufmann) to whom the wine belonged. O.H.G. chaufan, M.H.G. kaiifen, O.N. kaupan, A.S. J . ceapian — to buy or barter; chaffer, to make a bargain; chopf in <( chop and change ; " and cheap, axe all from the same root. ^ 72 THE CANTERBURY TALES. From Burdeux-ward, whil that the chapman sleep. Of nycS conscience took he no keep. If that he foughte, and hadde the heiher hand, By water he sente hem hoom to every land. But of his craft to reknd wel his tydSs, His stremSs and his daungers him bisidSs, His herbergh and his mone, his lodemeii.*g-^, Ther was non such from HuUS to Cartag& Hardy he was, and wys to undei'takS ; With many a tempest hadde his herd ben schakS. He knew wel alle the havenes, as thei were, - From Gootlond to the cape of Fynystere, 400 405 401. There was none of his craft besHes him between Hull and Cartagena in Spain who could so well reckon on, or was so well . acquainted with the details of seamanship. The ki» before tydes seems to refer to craft, in other words to mean ita, ■ * 403. Herbergh. — Harbour. The primary idea contained in this word is that of accommodation, and it is only in English that it is used of a port or haven for ships. In every other language it means a lodging or inn for travellers. The It. albergo, Sp. alberp^ie, and the O.Tr. herlcrge are from the Low L. herebergium; but this has no origin from the classic language, and was like many ' other words borrowed from the German mercenaries in Rome, or the Gothic conquerors of the later empire. Her is an army, bergen is to shelter or hide. In Dr. Kremsier's UHeutsche Spracke, kerebirga is defined as heerlager = a camp, and herberga or alberga as inquartirung, gastvng = quarters or inn. Our English verb to Juirbour retains the original sense of to afford lodging. The French havre, from the same root as our haven, is a different word. Havan in O.H.G. = a pot or vessel of any kind. Mone. — ^The moons as affecting the tides. Lodemenage. — Art of steering or piloting his ship into port; lode = to lead or guide, as in lodest&r the pole-star, and ^orfestone the magnet. Lode manage occurs in statute 8 Geo. I. o. xiii., by which courts of lode manage are to be held at Dover for the appointment of the CHnque Port pilots. Menage or managet through the French from L. manus, a hand = handling. i06. Berd = beard. i08. Qootlond.—-3\it\BXid (j pronounced as y), or Gothland in Sweden, chiof town GottenbUrg. PROLOaUB. And every cryk in Bretayne and in SpaynS ; His barge y-cleped was the Maude.layng. Ther was with us a Doctour of Phisik, In al this world ne was ther non him lyk To speke of phisik and of sur^erye; For lie was grounded in astroiiomye. He kepte his pacient wonderly wel In hourSs by his magik naturel. Wel cowde he fortunen the ascendant Of his ymh,ges for his pacient. He knew the cause of every maladye. Were it of cold, or hoot, or moyste, or drye, 73 410 415 420 409. Cri/i:- Creek, harbour. 410. Jjar:redients. Since the word is now at least applied to medicines made in the form of a paste or jam, Holland would propose as the etymology, Gr. ekleigma, something to bo licked, thus making it equivalent to our lindtcs, a thick medicated syrup. 427. The doctor and the apothecaries mutually recommended and helped one another, a practice now expressly forbidden to members of tha London College of Physicians. 429-4S 4. — ^The writers here mentioned were the chief medical authorities iii the middle ages, with the exception of ^sculapius, the reputfed founder and patron divinity of the medical art, though, according " " "to Hoimer, he was simply tire ** blameless physician," whose ions Machaon and Podalirius practised with the Grecian ixrmy before FROLOaUB. Of his diets mcsurable was he, For it waa of no superfluity, But of floret noriachiug and digestible. His studie was but litel on the Bible. 7B 435 Troy. His dc ootuhuits formed ti el he tho wordSs caughtC, And this figiire he addede eek therto, That if gohl ruat(5, wliat schulde yren doo? 500 For if a prest be foid, on whom we trusts, No wonder is a lewed man to rustS ; And schame it is if that a jnest take kepe, A. [foulG] schepperd and a clene schepe ; Wei oughte a prest ensamjtle for to give, 505 By his clennesse, how that his scheep schulde lyve. 489. Off'ri/iiffe.— Tho voluntary contributions of his parishioners. tSuhstauuce. — Tho income of his hving. 490. He found sufficient for his simple wants in a snuill cm lupctonce. 492. Ne iafte not. Did not leave thtm or neglect to visit them. 493. Mcscldff. — Misfortune. There was an old word boncliief, correlative to this. 494. Moche and lite — great and small. 495. Uppon /us feet. — Unlike the monk. 502. Leiced man. — A layman. Leird = fnj/ (A.S. lanced, from a verb meaning to weaken), as Ofwsed to denial or ecclesiastical {clericus, see on line 285), had not the secondary meaning of immoral which it has acquired, in precisely the same way that villain has been depfradod. Tlie word lay, L. laicus, Gr. laos = the people, though synonymous with Icmd in old, and having superseded it iu modern English, is of a quite distinct origin, and is used by the meml^ers of each learned profession of the Iteople outside. 603. Take /e/jc. Guard or take care. 604. St. Chrysostom said, " It is a great shame for priests when laymen be found faith fuller and more righteous than they." See Bacon'rf hivective against iSweariiia. PROLOGUE. 81 He settC not his lienefice to liyrS, And leet his scheep enconibieil in the myr§, And ran to LondoLe, unto scyntC Ponies, ' To seeken him a chaunterie for soulcs, 510 Or with a bretherhedu to ben witldiolde; But dweltc at houni, and keptu wel his folded, . So that the wolf ne niatle it not niyscarye. He was a schep[)eid and no mercen.arie; And though he holy were, and vertuous, 515 He was to sinful man nought desi)itou3, Ne of liis spechc dauugerous ne digne, liUt in his teehing dkcret and benignS. To drawe folk to heven by fairnesse. By goofl ensnmple, was his busynessS : 520 507. Did not Icivc his [uirish in charge of a deputy whiio he went in search of more lucrative enjploynient. 510. Clumnierle for sanies. — An endowment in cathedral and great churches by which a jiriest was paid for sin^injjf masses for souls according to the will of the founder. There were thij*ty-five such at St. Paul's Cathedral, served by lifty-four priests. — Diujdale. 511. Withholde. — P. part., maintained. 516. Despifons. — Scornful, contemptuous. 517. Dannjcrons ne r^/V/yH^.— Domineering nor digniticd or haughty; for dmuifjer, sec Earle's PldMoyn of the Euyluh T hasten the Reformation, ■644, MavMciple. — Caterer to a college. L. maveps, a contractor. 646. Varl. — A.S. ceorl, Icel. karl, Ger. kerl, a countryman, then a strong 84 THE CANTERBURY TALES. That prevede wel, for overal ther he cam, At wrastlynge he wolde bare alvvey the ram. He was schort schuldrod, broode, a thikk'> knarrS, Ther iias no dore that he nolde heve of harrfi, 650 Or breke it with a rennviifr witli Ins heed. His beid as ouy sowe or fox was reed, And thereto brood, as though it were a spade. ^ *Upou the cop right of his nose he hade A werte, and thereon stood a tuft of heres, 555 Beede as the berstles of a souwCs eerea. His nosS-thurl6s blake were and wydS. A swerd and bocler baar he by his sidg. hardy fellow, lastly degraded into citvrl, like the corresponding term villaui. The proper name Charles, Ger, Carl or Karl, is the same word. 546. Braiui. — Ongiually, as hero, pimply muscle, but row used only of a , particular dish of pork ; the adjective hrawuy, however, retains the primary meaning. 547. That prevede wel. — Literally, proved well, i.e. served him well. Cf. L. multum valere, Fr. beaucotip valoir. Overal ther. — Wherever. Overal, like the Ger. ulmrall ~ every- where, ther — where. Literally, everwhere where he came. 548. The ram. — The usual, prize at wrestling-matches. 549. Knarre. — A thick-set fellow. O.E. ijuarr, a knot, retained in the expression (jnarled, said of an oak or other tree. 650. llarre. — O.E. herre, A.S. hear, a hinge. Nolde. — Past tense of the verb nyllan, the negative of u'illan, as L. nolle, to bo unwilling, of velle, to be willing; it is now obsolete. J. Wesley is perhaps the latest writer who has used the phrase, '* whether he will or nill." The meaning of the line is, "There was no door that he would not heave off its hinges. 551. Ren)ujng. — Running, at a run. 554. Coy).— Tip or top. Cf. Ger. kopf, head. Cvh nuts are the best, or as we might say colloquially, " tiptop nuts." Coping of a wall, rap on the head, cobs or large pitcoals, are kindred words. Rich and powerful men are called by Udall " the rich cobs of this world." 556. Berstles — bristles, by a common transposing of the letters. In German a brush is burst e. hf>l. Nose-thurles. — Now corrupted into nosfrils. A.S. thirllan, to drill or pierce; thirel, f^holo. JJrill, thrill, through, and even door, ar« all from the same root. PROLOGUE. 85 His mouth aa wyde was as a great forueys. He was a jaiiglere, and a golyardeys, 560 And that was most of synne and harlotries. Wei cowde he stelC corn, and tollen thries ; And yet he had a thombe of gold pard6. A whit cote and a blew hood wered he. A baggSpipe wel cowde he blowe and sownC, 565 And therwithal he brought iis out of JowiiC. A gentil Maunciplj? wjis ther of a temple, Of which achktours mighteu take exemple 559. Forneys. — Mr. Earlo remarks that to Chaucor as a Kcntisli man furnaces were familiar objects, for the ironstone which abounds in the weald of Kent and Sussex was largely smelted, until the substitution of coal for wood as fuel transferred the industry to the Black Country and to Wales. 560. Jamjlere ~ a talker, babbler. An Old French word. Golyardei/s.—A buffoon at rich men's tables. Etymology unknown, unless from Golias, the assumed author of the Apocalypm Golice and other pieces in burlesque Latin rime. The authorship has been attributed to one Walter Map. It was a popular jest-book of the twelfth century. That, viz. his talk and jokes. Stele. — Steal or appropriate part of the com intrusted to him to grind, a practice common in the trade. Tollen thnes. — Demand payment over again. —An immense amount of ingenuity has been expended in endeav- ours at explaining the proverb, "Every honest miller has a golden thumb;" but, "After all, is not the old proverb satirical, infer- ring that all millers who have not yoldcn thumbs are rogues — argal, « as Shakespeare says, that all millers are rogues?" (Notes and Quenes, May, 1869, p. 407. Dr. Morris). If not, the most plau- sible notion involves an allusion to the advantage derived from a highly cultivated sense of touch in judging of the qtiality of meal by rubbing it between the fore finger and thumb, which latter becoming broad and flattened, has suggested the name of millcr's- thumb for a well-known fish whose head has that peculiju" form. Pardi. — Fr. par iJieu, by God. Vet may imply that in spite of his roguery he was most prosporous. 565. JJii(jf/r/npe. — We are accustomed to look on this instrument as peculiarly Scottish, only because it has been retained longer by that people than by others. The earliest mention of the bagpipe in Scotland is an item for the pay of "Inglis pyparis" in the 561 562 563.- 80 THE CANTERUURY TALES. For to be wys in byynge of vitjiilltJ. For whether tliat he payde, or took by taillS, 670 Algate lie waytede so in his achate, That he was ay biforn and in good state. Now is not that of God a ful fair gracS, That such a lewCd niann(5s wit schal pac6 The wisdom of an heep of lernede men? 676 Of maysft'es hadde moo than thries ten, That were of lawe expert and curious ; Of which ther were a doseyn in that hous, Hi < court of James TV. On a Orcck sculpture now at Rome, and of groat antiquity, is a representation of a man playing on a genuine bagpipe, and instruments made on the same principle u^o still used in Calabria and Transylvania. iSojPTic.— Sound, a different word from somien, to tend or con- duce to, occurring in line 307. 667. A temple. —The Inns of Court, so called, were anciently the residence of the Knights Templars. At the suppression of that order their buildings were purchased by the professors of common law, and divided into the Inner and Middle Temples, in relation to Essex House, which, though not appropriated by the lawyers, was long known as the Outer Temple. By the expression "a temple," he would seem to moan simply any one of the Inns of Court. 508. Achatonr. — A jmrchaser or caterer. Fr. acheter = to buy. 570. Took by laille. — Bought on credit or by tall;/, originally an account scored in notches on a piece of wood, from Fr. tailler to cut, whence also our word tailor, as Ger. schvcidev, from sc/niei'den, tocut. ^71. A lo mn i\ m an adverb : overall, outside. 620. liymie — near ; not living in the town but in the country near it. 621. Tidied almite. — Dressed up, from A.S. tucian, to clothe; L.K. tuck, Ger. tuch, cloth. 622. Ilyndreste — hindmost. Cf. orereste, 1. 290. Route.- An O.Fr. word, Gor. rotte, a crowd; not the Mod. Fr. route^ road or course. 623. Sovijmmir. — See lino 543. G2i. Fip'-reed cheruhynes fiwe. H, Stephens, Ajiol. Herod, i. cap. 30, quot<>8 the same expression from a French epigram : " Nos grands doctours au cheinibin visa^'o." Com p. "His face waa red as any cherubyn:" Thynne (ob. 1611 a.d. ), IKbate between Pride and Lowlines. Properly the singtilar is dumb, the plural cherubim. 625. Sdieceflem (or 8aw.\fleum). — liKv'mg a red pimpled face. Tyrwhitt in his Olossary fdvca a quotation from the Bodl. MS. 2463 which ex- plains the etymology of the word. " Unguentum contra nalsiim fiegma, scabiem," &c. , that is, on ointment against the salt phlegm, scab, &c. So Galen in Hippocrat. De Aliment. Comment . iii. p. 227, plainly points to a skin disease produced by the exces- sive use of salt food, so general among our forefathers. In the Prompt. Parv. we have ilew and Jlewme as equivalents of ilegma. Tyrwhitt quotes the term from an old French physic book, and also from the old work A Thousand Notable Things, **a sovereign ointment for san. .Si*'. ^>, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^/ '/i^ 1.0 I.I ■50 ""^ nra^B no 111112.0 18 1.25 III U II ,6 ■^ 6" ► p> Vl >^^ ^'^^ -^ ^r/.< f o / Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 145S0 (716) 872-4503 \ NJ '^;<«^'V^ 1 O'^ no THE CANTERBURY TALES. With skallgd browSs blake and pilSd berd; Of his visag8 children weren aferd. Ther nas quyksilver, litarge, ne bremstoon, Boras, ceruce, ne oille of tartrS noon, - 630 •■ ' Ne oyngment that woldg clens^ and bytS, f That him might helpen of his whelkSs whitS, Ne of the knobbSs sittyng on his cheek^s. Wei loved he garleek, oyiiouns, aud ek leekes, And for to drinkS strong wyn reed as blood. 635 Thanne wolde he speke, and crye as he were wood. And whan that he wel dronken hadde the wyn, Than wolde he spekg no word but Latyn. A fewS termSs hadde he, tuo or thre, That he hadde lernM out of som decree; 640 No wonder is, he herde it al the day, " ■ ,, ■ And eek i/e knowen wel, how that a jay ^ * ^ 627. Skallei. — Having the scall or scales, scurfy. Cf. vulg. *' scald heaa." Piled. — Bald or bare in patches. Noraepila, to pluck, thence the Fr. pillr, to pillage. Cf. line 177, and note. 629. Quyksilver. — Quicksilver or mercury = living silver, so called from its mobility. Litarge^ or oxide of lead, 6r. lithargyros {lithos, a stone, and argyrosy silver), silver-stone, from the presence in the ore of a certain amount of silver. J5j'ewisc excomnmnlcaln capirndo," which usually began " Significavit nobis venerabilis fratei'," &c. 063. In dauiiger. — In his jurisdiction, or here rather in his power. See 1. 517. At his otcne gise. — After his own fashion. Guixe is the same as n'ise in Wkewise, oiXxevicise. 665. Al here reed. — The adviser of them all. Cf. Ger. rath, gehehnrath. 666. 667. A garland. — Pi'obably of ivy. An ivy bush was affixed to the signboard (the ah-stalce) of taverns, for a picture of which see Hotten's Booh of Signhoards. The proverb " Goo(i wine needs no bush " means, no sign to recommend or call attention to it. 668. A burlesque fancy in keeping with his roistering jovial character. 670. Tyrwhitt has this note : " I can hardly think that Chaucer meant to bring his pardoner from Iloncevaux 'a Navarre, and yet I cannot find («iy place of that name in England. An hospital Beatae MaritB de Rouncyvalle, in Charing, London, is mentioned in the Monaat. tom. ii. p. 443 ; and there was a Runceval Hall in Oxford (Stevens, vol. ii. p. 262). So that it was perhaps the name of some fraternity." His frend and his comper. — A sly Ixit at the character of the pardoner. 672. Com£ hider, &c. — Probably the burden of some song. 673. Sang to him or accompanied him in a deep bass. Fr. bourdon, the name of a deep organ -stop. 674. There was never a trumpet of so deep a sound as the sompnour's voice. 676. Strike or hank of flax, as if stroked or spread out. *♦.: wmmmmimmmmmM 94 THE CANTERBURY TALES. By unces hynge his lokkgs that he haddS, And therwith he his schuldres overspraddS. Ful thinne it lay, by culpons on and oon, But hood, for jolitee, ne werede he noon, 680 For it was trussM up in his wal^t. Him thought he rood al of the newg get, Dischevel6, sauf his cappe, he rood al bare. ' ' Suche glaryng ey^ren hadde he as an hare. A vernicle hadde he sowSd on his cappS. 686 His walet lay byforn him in his lappS, » Bret ful of pardouns come from Rome al hoot. A voy s he hadde as smale as eny goot. 677. Unces. — Uncia, in Latin, is the twelfth part of anything; an ounce = one twelfth of a pound, an inch one-twelfth of a foot. Then ' unce in English, as uncia in Latin, was used for a small quantity. Here it means probably tufts. b 679. Culpcns. — Shreds, bimdles. Fr. coupon, from couper, 0. Fr. colper, to cut. 682. Him thought. — The old impors., retained only in methiiiks; the pronoun is in the dative, and the meaning is, it seea.ed to him, not he thought. He rood. — He rode. A I of the newe get. — All in the newest fashion. 683. Dischevele — . Fr. dechevelS, with the hair {cheveux, L. capilla) hanging loose. Savfhis cappe. — Saving or except his cap, for he woi-e no hood, as was explained in line 680. 685. Vet-nicle. — A veronicle or miniature copy of the likeness of our Lord on a relic known as St. Veronica's handkerchief, preserved in St. Peter's at Rome. The legend is that she was a holy woman who follov/ed our Lord to Calvary wiping the sweat from his brow with a napkin, on which a picture of his features afterwards miraculously appeared. Facsimiles or copies of relics were sold or given to pilgrims, who kept them as evidences of the various shrines they had visited. See Piers Plowman (ed. Skeat), A. p. 67 : — " A boUe and a bagge he bar by his syde ; An hundred of ampulles on his hat seten, Signes of Synay, and slielles of Galice, And many a crouche on his cloke, and Keyes of Rome, And the vemicle bifore, for men sbolde kuowe And se bi hiae signes, whom he sought hadde." 687. J^ret Jul of pardouns — brimful of indulgences. A Norse word : Sw. hritddfull, A.S. brerd, brim. PROLOaUB. 95 No berd hadde he, ne never schoIdS havg, As smothe it was as it were late i-scbavg; 690 X But of his craft, fro Berwyk into Ware, Ne was ther such another pardoner. For in his male he hadde a pilwebeer, Which that he saide, was ourC lady veyl: 695 He seide, he hadde a gobet of the seyl That seynt Peter haddS, whan that he wentS Uppon the see, till Jhesu Crist him hentS. He hadde a croys of latoun ful of stongs, And in a glas he haddg piggSs bongs. VOO But with thise reliques, whanng that he fond A pourg persoun d welly ng uppon lond, , ' Upon a day he gat him more moneye Than that the persoun gat in monthgs tweye. And thus with feyn^d flaterie and japes, 706 He made the persoun and the people his apes. But trewgly to tellen attg laste, He was in churche a noble ecclesiaste. Wei cowde he rede a lessoun or a storye, But altherbest he sang an ofFertorie ; 710 For wel he wystS, whan that song was song8, He mcstg preche, and wel afFyle his tongg. 692. Benvyh into Ware, — If this be really what CLaucer wrote it is not easy to understand why he did not name some town further south. 694. Male. — O.Fr., malle, Mod. Fr., a bag or large package. Cf. maiU coach or train. It has in English become so associated with the postal service that we use the repetition mailAya^, as if mail meant letters. Pibcebeer. — A pillow-case. Cf. Dan. vaar, a cover. 696. Oohet. — Dim. of gob, a piece. 698. Hente. — Seized or took hold of. A.S. hanten, 699. Croys of latoun. — A cross of brass. Fr. laiton, brass. 702. Persoun = parson, not person. 705. Japei. — Tricks, impostures. 709. Storye. — From the lives of the saints or such like legends. 712. 4/^fe.— File or poUsh. Fr. affiler. 96 THE CANTERBURY TALES. To wynnS silver, as he right wel cowdS : Therfore he sang fill meriely and lowdg. Now have I told you schortly in a clause 715 Thestat, tharray, the nombre, and eek the cause Why that assembled was this coEipanye In Southwerk at this gentil ostelrie, That highte the Tabbard, faatg by the Bells. . . But now is tymS to yow for to .ellS 720 How that we bare us in that ilk6 night, ' Whan we were in that ostelrie alight ; And after wol I telle of oure viagS, And al the remenaunt of oure pilgrimagS. But fer^t I pray ^^ou of your curtesie, 725 That ye ne rette it nat my vileinye, > Though that I speke al pleyn in this mature, To tell8 you here "vordSs and here cheere ; * . Ne though I speke hero wordSs proprely. For this ye knowen al so wel as I, . 730 Who so schal telle a tale after a man, He moot reherce, as neigh as evere he can, > Everych a word, if it be in his chargg, • Al speke he nevere so mdelychS and largS ; Or ellgs he moot telle his tale untrewS, 735 Or feyuS thing, or fyndg wordSs new8. 713. Wynne = gain. Cowde. — Knew how to. 716. Thestat, tharray. — The estate, the array, i.e. the social position, and the dress, &c., of each. 719. The Belle. — Thomas Wright says that he can find no mention of such an inn in that place, though Stowe speaks of one near the Tabard with the sign of the Bull. 721. How wo conducted ourselves in that same night. A.S. ylc, Scot. ilk. 722. Were alight = had alighted at. A.S. alihtan, to descend. 726. Ne rette. — The Ellesm. MS. has " narrette ;" rette or arette means to ascribe, deem, impute. Icel. retta, to set right (from rettr — right), in A.S. areiaii. It has Uo connection with arrest, Fr. arriter (from L. restare), which means to cause to stop, in O.E. arresten. The sense of this line is, ** that you do not asf^ribe it to my ill- breeding or coarseness " — vildnye, as we should say vulgarity. 728. Here cheere. — Their expression or behaviour. 734, .4W.-»-Here as in 1. 744 = although. Zar<^e,— Same as hroodct 1. 739. PROLOGUE. 97 He may not spare, although he were his brother; He moot as wel sey oo word as another. Crist spake himself ful broode in holy writ, And wel y% woot no vileinye is it. 740 Eke Plato seith, who so that can him redS, The wordSs mot be cosyn to the dedS. Also I pray you to for^eve it me, Al have I nat set folk in here degr6 Here in this tale, as that thei schuldS stondS ; 745 My wit is schorte, ye may wel understondg. Greet cheerg made oure host us everichon. And to the souper sette he us anon ; And servede us with vitaille attS bestS. Strong was the wyn, and wel to drynke us lestS. 750 A semely man our boost he was withall8 For to ban been a marschal in an hallS ; A largS man was he with ey^en stepe, A fairer burgeys was ther noon in Chepg : 739. Broode. — We still speak of a "broad joke," meaning one rather coarse or vulgar. 741. Chaucer drew this saying of Plato from Boethius de Cons. Phil. lib. iii. par. 12. 742. Cosyn, —Kindred, i.e. the words must correspond to the things described. Chaucer's purpose in writing these tales being to depict the manners, morals, and character of every class in the middle grades of society, and at the same time to expose the vices and hold up to ridicule the impostures of the religious orders, he felt himself constrained to give a plain and unvarnished description without reticence or disguise, although he might by so doing unavoidably lay himself open to the charge of coarseness and even of obscenity. 744, 745. He has not concerned himself with questions of precedence, or at least has attempted only an approximate order, 750. Wel u^ leste. — It pleased (lusted) us well to, &c, 752. Marschal in an kalle. — Steward in a college or hall. Marshal = Fr. marechal, from L.L. mariscalcus, and that from 0. Ger. marah, a horse, and scale (Mod. Ger. schalk), an attendant, is one of those titles which have undergone the most diverse changes of meaning. 764. The wealthiest bui^sses or citizens of London Uved in Cheapside. ^ (69) G 98 THE CANTERBURY TALES, Bold of his speche, and wya and well i-taught, 765 And of nianhedi:^ him lakkede riglit naught. Eke therto he was right a mery man, And after aoper play en he bygan, And apak of myrthe amongt5s othre thingCs, Whan that we haddS maad oure rekenyngCs ; 760 And saydS thus; "Lo, lordynges, trew<5ly ye ben to me right welcome hertily : For by my trouthe, if that I schal not lye, I saugh no^t this ^eer so mery a companye At oonSs in this herbergh as is now. 765 Fayn wold I don yow mirthS, wiste 1 how. And of a mirthe I am right now bythought. To doon 1/0X1 eese, aiid it schal costS nought. " Ye goon to Caunturbury ; God i/ou speedS, • The blisful martir quytS you youre meedS ! 770 And wel I woot, as ye gon by the weyS, Ye schapen yow to talen and to pleyS; ■ » . For trewSly comfort ne merthe is noon, To rydS by the weye domb as a stoon; And therfore wol I maken you disport, 775 As I seyde erst, and do you som confort. And if yow liketh alle by oon assent Now for to standen at my juggSment ; 761. Lordynges. — A dim. of lords. Not an uncommon term of civility, when we should now say gentlemen. 765. Herbergh. — Inn. See line 403, and note. 766. Fayn. — Gladly. A.S. fuegan, O.E. fawen, to be glad. Don yow mirthe. — Entertain you. Don, inf. of do — do-en. 770. Quyte you youre meede — give you your reward. Blisful martir, see line 17. Med, mede, or meede — reward, is akin to Ger. mietfie, and is seen in midvfife, a woman paid (for a certain duty). Quyte, in requite and acquit, and in the expression "to get or be qtiit of," is the L. quietus, quiet, at rest, thence free of (all claims). 771. Ye gon. — You go, pres. plural. 772. Ye schapen yow. — You will purpose or prepare yourselves. A.S. scapan, to create or form. Oesceap, creation. Cf . Ger. schSpfung, creation. To taUn = to tell ♦^^'»» ^ROLOat;^. 09 And for to werken as I schal you sey8, To morwS, whan ye riden by the wey8, 780 Now by my fader soulS that is deed, But yQ be merye, I wol yeve myn heed. Hold up youre houd witlioutS morS spechS." Oure counseil was not longS for to secliS ; Us thoughte it nas nat worth to make it wys, 785 And graunted hira withoutg more avys, And bad him seie his verdite, as him lestS. "Lordynges," quoth he, "now herkneth for the bestS; But taketh it not, I pray you, in disdayn ; This is the poynt, to speken schort and j)layn, 790 That ech of ;/ow to schortS with oure weiS, In this viage, schal tellS talSs tweyfi. To Caunturburi-ward, I mene it so. And hom-ward he schal tellen other tao, Of aventilres that whilom han bifallS. 795 And which of yow that bereth him best of allS, That is to seyn, that telleth in this caas Tales of best sentence and of most solas, 782. J5jt^ = unless, if you be not. ^ . Heed = head = my sense or advice, not caution, as in the phrase •* to give or take heed," although that may be originally from tho same word. Cf . lieed in this line with hond in the next. 782. / wol yeve. — Harl. MS. only reads smytcth of. 783. Hond, so Harl. Ellesmere, and Corpus ; all others read hondes, 784. Seche = seek. Ger. sucJien. 786. To make it wys = to make it a matter of wisdom or seiious delib- eration. 786. Grmmted. — Assented or yielded. Avys = advice, consideration. O.Fr. advis, It. awiso, from L. ad, to, and video, visum, to see. 787. Verdite. — Verdict, opinion. L, vcrum dictum, 788. 789. Herkneth, tahth. — Second pers. plu. » 791. To schorte — shorten. 7db. Whilom. — A. S. hwilum, from A.S. hwile = time. The um or om is an adverbial termination or old case-ending, seen in seldom, and O.B. /errwm, from afar. Whilom means, therefore, "once on a time." 798. Sentejux. — L. sententiaf judgment, good sense. loo THB CANl-EnBURt TALES. Schal hail a boper at oure alther cost V ' Here in tliia plac^ tiittynge by this post, 800 Whau tliat we comen ageyn from Canturbury. And for to maken ^ou the morC mery, I wol myselven gladly with ?/ou rydS, Bight at myn owSn cost, and be youre gydS. And who so wole my juggCment witliseiS 805 Schal paye for al we spendeu by the weyS. And if ye voiichSsauf that it be so, Telle me aiioon, withouten wordt^s moo, And I wole erely schapS me therfore." This thing was graunted, and oure othcs swore 810 With ful glad herte, and prayden him also That he wolde vonchSsauf for to doon so, And that he woldS ben oure goveruour, And of oure talSs jugge and reportour, ■ And sette a souper at a certeyn prys ; 815 And we wolde rewind be at his devys. In heygh and lowe ; and thus by oon assent We been accorded to his juggSment. And therupon the wyn was f et anoon ; We dronken, and to rests wente echoon, • 820 799. Oure alther cost = at the cost of us all. Oure and alt/ier are genitives plur. 805. Withseie. — The prefix is not our prep, with, but ^D^th (of which vnther was a comparative form), the A.S. prefix meaning against^ as in witlistand, vrithdraio. Cf. gainsay. 807. Vowhesauf. — Vouchsafe, grant. O.Fr. vouclier is not simply to vouch for or attest, but rather to cite a matter in a lawsuit, to call to one's aid. Vouchsafe too meant originally to promise or grant secure possession, and was written as two words. "The king oou^loes it safe" (Rob. Brunne). 810. Oure othes sicore. — We swore our oaths. 816. Devys. — Decision, direction. 817. In heygh and lowe. — Law Latin in or de alto et hasso, Fr. de haut en bos, were expressions of entire submission on one side and sovereignty on the other. SIQ. Fet=z {etched. A.S.fettan, 820. Echoon. — Each one. PROLOOUB. 101 Withouten eny lengere taryingS. A morwfi v;haii the day bigan to spryngS, Up roos oure host, and was our alther cok, And gadered us togidre &\\e in a ilok, And forth we riden a litel more than paas, 825 Unto the waterynge of seint Thomas : And there oure host bigan his hors arestS, < And seydS ; " Lordea, herkneth if i/ow lestS. Ye woot youre forward, and I it ?/ou records. If even-song and morwS-song acordg, 830 Lat se now who schal tellS ferst a tale. As evere I moote drinkS wyn or ale, Who so be rebel to my juggCment * Schal paye for al that by the weye is spent. Now uraweth cut, er that we ferrer twynnS ; 835 He which that hath the schortest schal bygynnC." "Sire knight," quoth he, "my maister and my lord, Now draweth cut, for that is myn acord. Cometh ner," quoth he, "my lady prioress^; And ye, sir clerk, lat be your schamfastnessg, 840 Ne studieth nat; ley hand to, ev^ery man." Anon to drawen e.very wight bigan, * 822. A viorwe. — On the morrow, the 18th of April. 823. Oure att/ier cok.— Cook for us all. See .lote on line 799. 825. At little more than a foot or walking pace. 826. The watering of St. Thomas was at the second milestone on the old Canterbury road. It is frequently mentioned by the early dramatists. 827. Areste. — To pull up, bring to rest. 829. Ye woot youre forward. — You know your promise. Forward:^ A.S. foreweard, a covenant or agreement made beforehand. 831. Lat se. — Let us see. 835. Draweth cut — Draw lots ; second pers. plur. Froissart says ** tirer a lonffue paille," lots dravn by puUing the longest straw from a stack ; so cuts mean the broken lengths of the straws. 835. Feri'er, so Ellesmere and Hcng., others read fei'ther. Twynne. — To depart, literally to part in twain. 840. Sir was a common appellation of clergy, at least of the secular, who were not Father or Brother. Let be your modesty or shyness. Sham^'^if modest, i« like 102 THB OAKTBRBVET TALES. And schortly for to tellen as it was, Were it by aventtlre, or sort, or cas, The soth is this, the cut fil to the knight, 845 Of which ful glad and blithe was every wight; And telle he mocte his tale as was resoun. By forward and by composicioun. As ye han herd ; what needeth wordSs moo? And whui this goode man seigh that it was so, 850 As he that wys was and obedient To kepe his forward by his fre assent, . ; He seydg; "Syn I £■ hal bygynne the game, • ' What, welcome be thou cut, a Goddes name ! Now lat us ryde, and herkneth what I seyS." 855 And with that word we riden forth oure weyS j And he bigau with right a mer.'e chere His tale anon, and seide in this manere. ' steadfast, and has been erroneously spelled shamefacedncss in ITim. ii. 9. 842. Wight.— ^GQ on line 71. 844. Aventure, or sort, or cm. — Sort (L. sors), cas (L. casus), are almost synonymous words, as luck and chance. 845. Soth. — The truth. Cf. sootka&yQr, 847. He must, as was reasonable. 848. Forward.— See line 829. Composicioun. — Agreement or arrangement. This sensw is still retained in speaking of bankruptcy : compounding or effecting a composition with one's creditors. 850. Seigh — saw. The final w (as in saw) often points to a guttural either in ^.^.S. or allied Teutonic languages. 853. Syn. — Since. Schal bears here its original meaning of moral compulsion or duty, as in German, where also tchuld is a debt or obligation. 854. A Ooddes name, — In God's name. QLOSSARlf. 103 GLOSSARY. A, on, In. A morwe, line 822. A Ooddes naine, line 854. Able, fit, capable, 167. Acorde, agreement, 244, 830. Achate, achatour, purchase, purchaser, 671, 568. Adrad, in dread, 605. , Aferd, afraid, 62a Aflfyle, to polish, 712. Al, although, 734. Al be, 297. Ale-stake, sign of a tavern, 667. Algate, always, 571. Al so, as, 730. Alther, aller, of all On con>posi- tion), 586, 710, 799, 823. Amblere, a nag, 469. A morwe, to-morrow, or in the morning, 822. Anlas, a dagger, 357. Anon, anoon, in one (in ' mt), 82. Anoynt, anointed, 1P9. Ape, ape, or metaphorically a fool, a dupe, 708. Apiked, trimmed, 365. Areste, to stop (a horse), 827. Arivo, disembarkation (of troops), 60. Arrerage, arrears, 602. Arwe, arrow, 104. As nouthe, as now, at present, 462. Assoillyng, absolution, 661. Atte, at the, 29, 193, 651, 707, 749. Avaunce, to be of advantage, to profit, 246. Avaunt, boast, 227. Aventure, luck, chance, adven- ture, 25, 795. Avys, consideration, 783. Ay, ever, 63. Bacheler, an unmarried man, 80. The other uses of the word are dis- cussed in the note. Bar, baar, bore, 158, 558, 618; con- ducted, 106, 72L Barres, ornaments of a girdle, 829. Bawdrik, a "rossbelt, 116. Bede, bead (prayer), 169. Beggere, beggestere, a beggar (lit. one who carries a bag), 242, 252. {Beggestere, prop, a female beggar.) Berd, beard, 270. Bere, to bear, carry, conduct one's self, 7r*{. Berstles, bristlei , 666. Besy, busy, 321. Bet, better, 242. Betwixe, betwixt, jetwocn, 277. Bifalle, befallen. 795. Bisette, to employ, use, 279. Blak, black, 557. Blankmanger, blancmange, a compound, minced fowl, cream, sugar, and flour, 387. Bledde, bled 145. Blisftil, blessed, 17, 770. Bokeler, bocler, buckler, 112, 471, 668. Boon, bone, 546. Boot, boote, remedy, 424. Boras, borax, 630. Bord, joust, tournament, or table. See note 52. Bom, conducted, 87. Botes, bootes, boots, 203, 273. Bracer, armour for the arms. 111. Braun, muscle, 646. Breed, bred, bread, 147. Breke, to break, 651. Brem, a bream, 350. Bremstoon, brimstone, 629. BretL ,, breste, breast, 115. Bret fill, brimful, 687. Breth, breethe, breath, 6. Bretherhede, brotherhood, 511. Broch, broach, 160. Brood, broode, brode, broad, 156, 471, 649. Broode, broadly, plainly, 7391 Broun, brown, 109. 164 THE CANTERBURt TALES. Burdoun, a musical accompani- ment* 673. Burgeys, burgess, 369. Busynesse, care, anxiety, labour, 620. But-if, unless, 361, 682. Byfel, byfll, befell, 19. Bjrfore, byfom, before, 377, 450. Bygan, bigan, began, 44. Bygonne, begun, 62. Byfgyraie, to begin, 42. Byrme, bin, chest. 693. Byside, besiile, near, 445. Bysmc^ered, oe^iin uttered, 76. Byt, bids, 187. Bythought, have called to mind, 767. Bj^ynge, buying, 569. Caas, cas, chance, 685, 844. Caas, case in law, 323. Cappe, oap, hood, 686. Carf, carved, 100. Carl, churl, 645. Carpe, to talk, 474. Catel, wealth, chattels, 373, 540. Cemce, ceruse, white-lead, 630. Chapeleyn, a chaplain, 164. See u. Chapman, a merchant, 807. Chaunge, change, 348. Chaunterie. See note 510. Cheere, appearance, manners, face, cheer, 139, 728. Chevysaunce, gain, profit, an agreement foi borrowing money, 282. See note. Chikne, chicken, 380. Chivachie, a militai'y expedition, raid, 86. Chy^alrye, chivalry, exercises and exploits of knighthood, 45. elapsed, clasped, 273. Cleere, clearly, 170. Clene, cleanly, 133. Clem asse, cleanness, purity of life, >06. Olenae, to cleanse, 631. Clepen, to call, 121, 648. Clopt. called, 876. Clerk, a learned man, stadent at the unlveraity, 286. Cofre, coffer, chest, 298. Comper, a close companion, 070. Composicioun, bargain, agree*. ment, 848. Confort, comfort, 776. Conscience, feeling, pity, 142, 150. Coote, cote, coat, 103, 612. Cop, top or tip of anything, 654. Cope, cape, 260. Corage, heart, 11 ; spirit, 22. Cours, course, 8. Courtepy, a short coav,, 290. See n. Couthe, cowtbe, cowde, could, 236, 326; knew, 467; knew how to, 95, 106, 110. Covjme, deceit, fraud, 604. See n. Coy, quiet, 119. Croys, cross, 699. Crulle, curly, 81. Cryk, creek, 409. Culpons, shreds, bundles, 679. Cuntre, country, 216. Cuppe, cup, 134. Curat, one who has "cure of souls," 219. See note. Cure, care, 303. Curious, careful, 677. See note. Curteys, courteous, 99, 260. Cut, lot, 835. See note. Daliaunce, gossip, small talk, 211. Daunger, position of danger, hence jurisdiction or power, 402. See n. Daungerous, domineering, 517. Dayerie, dairy, 597. Dayesye, daisy, 332. Dede, deed, 742. Deed, dead, 145. De6f, deaf, 446. Degre, station in life, 40. Delite, delyt, luxury, pleasure, 835 and note, 337. Delve, to dig, 636. Del3ryer, active, nimble, 84. Despitous, cruel, merciless, 516 Dethe, death, 605. Dette, debt, 280. Detteles, free from debt, 682. Devys, opinion, decision, 81& Devyse, descilbe, 84. Deyere, dyer, 862. OLOSSAftY. i05 Deys, table of state, 370. See note. Dejrnte, dainty, valuable, 168. Lit. toothsome. Diete, diet, 435. Dif?ne, worthy, 141; proud, dis- dainful, 517. Dischevele, with hair hanging loose, 683. Dispence, expenditure, 441. Docked, cut short, 690. Domb, dumb, 774. Dome, decision, judgment, 323. Don, doon, to do, cause, make, 78, 268, 768. Dong, dung, 580. Dore, door, 460. Dorste, durst, dare, 227. Dosejm, a dozen, 578. DoTVte, doubt, fear, 487. Dragges, drugs, 426. See note. Drede, to dread, 660. Dresse, to set in order, 106. See n. Dronken, drunk, 135, 637. Drope, a drop, 181. Dyke, to make ditches, 536. See n. Ecclesiaste, an ecclesiastic, 70&- Ech, eche, each, 39, 869. Echoon, each one, 820. Eek, also, 6, 41. Eeres, ears, 556. Eese, pleasure (ease), 768. Elles, else, 875. Embrowded, embroidered, 89. Encombred, troubled, in danger, 508. Endite, to dictate, 95. Enfecte, tainted (by bribery), 320. Entuned, intoned, 123. Envyned, stored with wine, 342. Ercedekne, archdeacon, 658. Eschaunge, exchange, 278. Esed, accommodated, entertained, 29. Estat, estate, state, condition, 203, 522. Estatlich,estatly,stately,i40,28l. Esy, easy, 223 ; moderate, 441. Hverych, everich, every, 241; each, 371. Bveryoh a» each» every, 783. Everychon, everichon, every- one, 31, 747. Eyen, eyghen, eyes, 162, 627. Fader, father, 100, 781 (genitive). Paire, neatly, gracefully, 94, 124, 273. Falmesse. honesty of life, 519. Paldyng", coarse cloth, 391. See note, Falle, befell 585. Famulier, familiar, homely, 216. Parsed, stuffed, 233. See note. Fa3ni, gladly, 766. Pedde, fed, 146. Pelawe, fellow, companion, 660. See note. Pelaweschipe, company, 32. Per, fai-, 388, 491. Ferrejerrer, far- ther, 48, 835. Ferrest, farthest, 494. Feme, either distant or ancient, 14. See note. Perthing, fourth part, hence a very small portion of anything, 134, 255. Pestne, to fasten, 195. Pet, fetched, 819. Petys, neat, well-made, 157. See n. Petysly, neatly, properly, 124. Feyne, to feign, 705. Pil, fell, 131. 845. Pithel, fiddle, 296. See note. Flex, flax, 676. Floyt3mge, playing on a flute, 91. Poo, foe, 63. For, because, 443 ; for fear of, 276. Forgeve, forgive, 743. Porheed, forehead, 154. Forneys, furnace, 202. Por-psmed, wasted away, torment- ed, 205. Forster, forester, 117. Porther, further, 36. Portunen, to make fortunate, 417. Forward, compact, agreement, 83, 829. Pother, a load, 530. Poughten, fought (p. part), 62. Powie, fowel, fowl, 9, 190. Fredom, liberality, 46. Prend, friend, 299. Pro, from, 324. F3n:-reed, fiery red, 62i. m *HE CANTfiRBlJRY TALES. Oader, to gather, 824. Qaf, gave, 177. ^ Galyngale, sweet cyperus, 381 Qamede, pleased, 534 Gat, got, 703, 704. Oat-tothed. See note on 468. Gauded, ornamented, 159. Geldehalle, guildhall, 370. See n. Gentil, noble, 72. Gepoun, a short cassock, 75. Gere, gear, 352. Gerner, gamer, 593. Gesse, to guess, suppose, 82, 117 Get, fashion, 682. Gete, to get, 291. Geve, give, 223, 225. Gipser, a pouch, 357. Gise, fashion, way, 663. Gobet, morsel, piece, 696. Golyardeys. See note on 560. Goost, ghost, spirit, 205. Goot, goat, 688. Goune, gown, 93. Govemaunce, management of affairs, control, 281. Govem3mge, control, 599. Graunte, grant, consent to, 786. Greece, grease, 135. Gret, grreet, great (comp. grettcr, sup. gretteste), 84, 120, 137, 197. Greyn, grain, 596. Grope, to try, test, 644. Grys, a gray fur, 194. Gulty, guilty, 6G0. Gurles, young people of either sex, 664. Gsmglyng, Jingling, 170. Haberdasshere, a hatter (Gas- coigne), 361. See note. Haburgeoun, a small hauberk or coat-of-mail, 76. See note. Hade, had, 554. Halwes, saints, 14. See note. Happe, to happen, befall, 585. Hardily, cert-xinly, 156. Harlot, a young person of either sex, or more probably a hireling, 647. See note. Harlotries, ribaldries, 661. Hameysed, equipped, ill See Harre, a hinge, 650. Haue, to have, 245. Haunt, practice, skill, 447. Heed, head, 198, 455, 782. Heeld, held, 337. Heep, assembly, host, 576. Heer, here, hair, 555, 589. Heere, to hear, 169. Heetbe, hethe, a heath, 6, 606. Heih, &c., high, 316. Heiher, upper, 399. Helpen of, to get rid of, 632. Heng, hanged, 160, 358. Hente, get, take hold of, 299, Herbergh, lodging, 403, 765. note. Herde, a herdsman, 603. See note. Here, of them, their, 11, &c. Hem, them, 18, &c. Herkne, to hearken, 823. Herte, heart, 150. Hertily, heartily, 762. Hethen, heathen, 66. See note. Hethenesse, heathen lands, 49. Heve, to heave, raise, 550. Hider, hither, 672. Higrhte, was called, 616, 719. Hipes, hips, 472. Hire, her, 120, &c. Hit, it, 345, &c. Holden, esteemed, held, 141. Holly, wholly, 599. Holte, wood, grove, 6. Holwe, hollow, 289. Hond, hand, 108. Honest, creditable, respectable, becoming, 246. Hoole, whole, 533. Hoom, home, 400. Hoomly, homely, 328. Hoost, host, 751. Hote, hotly, 97. Hors, horse, 74, (plur.) 698. Hostelrie, an inn, 23. Hostiler, innkeeper, 241. Hotte, hot, 394. HOUS, house, 343. Househaldere, householder, 8881 Hsmdreste, hindmost, 622. Hyne, servant, hind, 60S. Hynge, hung, 677.^ GLOSSARY. 107 If a prefix denoting the past part of verbs, and represented in other Teutonic languages by y, ge, &c. I-bore, borne, carried, 378. I-chaped, having chapes or plates of metal, 3(3G. I-falle, fallen, 25. I-gO, gone, 286. I-knowe, known, 42a I-lad, led, 530. I-pynched, plaited, 151. I-schadwed, shaded, 007. I-schave, shaven, COO. I-schom, shorn, 689. I-schreve, shriven, 2Z0. I-stored, stored, 609. ' * I-\ aught, 127. I-proved, 486. I-write, 161. See also Y. nke, same, 64, 175. Inne, in, 41. Inough, enough, 373. Jangler, a prater, babbler, 500. Jape, trick, jest, 706. Jolitee, joy, 680. Jug-ge, judge, 814. Juste, to joust or tilt, in tour- nament, 96. Keep, kepe, care, attention, heed, 398, 503. Kene, keen, sharp, 104. Kept, guarded, taken care of, 276. Keverchef, kerchief, 453. Knarre, a thick-set fellow, 549. Knobbe, a pimple, 633. Kouthe, known, renowned, 14. Kynde, natural, genial, 6'*7. Lafte, left (past, sing.), 492. Larg-e, free, 734. Lat, imperative of let, cease, 188. Late, lately, recently, 77, 690. Lazer, lazar, a leper, 242, 245. Leed, a cauldron, 202. Leet, let, 128, 508. Lene, lean, poor, 287, 591. Lenger, lengere, longer, 830, 821. Leme, to letim, 308. Lestes pleasure, 132. Letuaries, electuaries, 428. See n. Lewed, ignorant, lay, 502. See note. Ley, to lay, 81, 841. Licenciat. See note 220. Llcour, liquor, 3. Lipsede, lisped, 264. List, Leste, it please, vb. impers., 583, 750. Litarge, litharge, 629. See note. Lite, little, humble. 494. Lodemenage, pilotage, 403. See n. Lokkes, locks of hair, 81. Lond, londe. land, 14, 194, 702. Longen, to desire, long for, 12. Lore,doctrine,precepts,learnjng,527. Loth, unvyilling, 486. Luce, a pike flsh, 35'". . Lust, pleasure, 192. Lust, pleased, 102. Lusty, pleasant, merry, 80!. Jjyf, life, 71. Lyk, like, alike, 59a Lymytour. See note 209. Lystes, place of encounter at tour- naments, 63. See note. Lyvere. See note 363. Maad, made, 394, 668. Maister,iiiaystre,master,2Gl,576. Maistrie, power, superiority, 165. Male, a bag, 694. See note. Maner, manere, manner, kind, sort of, 71, 858. Manhede, manliness, 756. Many oon, many a one, 317. Marschal, marshal, 752. See note. Mary, marrow, 380. Mat ere, matter, 727. Maunciple, caterer of a college, 544. Mede, a meadow. 89. Mede, meed, meede, &c., reward, 770. Medl^, of a mixed colour, medley, 828. Meke, meek, 69. Mellere, miller, 542. Men, one (as "one calls it"), 149. Mene, to mean, intend, 793. Mere, mare, 541. Merie, mery. merye, Ac, merry, pleasant, 208, 767. 103 THE CANTERBURY TALES. Meideiy-) pleasantly, 714. Merthe, mirthe, pleasure, amusement 766, 767, 773. Mescheef, meschief, misfortune, 493. Mester, trade, occupation, 613. Mesurable, moderate, 435. Mete, food, 136. See note. Mewe, coop for fattening fowls, 349. 3VIo, moo, more, 544. Moehe, mochil, much, great, greatly, 132, 258, 467. iMOne, moone, moon, 403. Moneth, mouth, 92. Moot, mot, must, may, ought, 232, 735, 742. Mormal, an ulcer, 386. See note. Mortreux, a kind of soup, 384. See note. Morwe, morning, morrow, 334, *<80. Moate, must, 712. Motteleye, motley, 271. Naoioun, nation, 63. Narwe, narrow, 625. Kas, ne was, was not, 251. Nat, not, 366, «&c. Natheles, nevertheless, 35. Ne, not, 70, running, 551. Rents, income, profits, 37?. Repentaunt, penitent, 2?8. Reportour, reporter, 814. Resons, reasons, opinions, 274. Rette, ascribe, impute, 726. Reule, rule, 173, Reverence, respect, 141. Rewle, to rule, 816. Reyn, reyne, to rain, 492, 595. Reyse, to make a military expe- dition, 54. Rially, riallyche, royally, 378. Riden, to ride, 780, 825. Rood, rode, 109, &c. Roos, rose, 828. Roost, a roast, 206. Roote, rote, 327. See note on 236, Roste, to roast, 147, 383. Rote, a guitar, or some stringed instrument, 236. Rouncy, a hack horse, 390. Route, a company, 622. Rudelyche, rudely, 734. Sangwyn, blood-red colour, 333. Sauce, saucer, deep plate, 129. • Sauf, save, except, 083. Saugh, saw, 193, 764. Sawceflem, pimpled, 625. See n. Sawtrie, a psaltery or harp, 296. Sayn, to say, 284. Scarsly, sparingly, 583. Schamfastnesse, modesty, 840. Schape, to plan, purpose, 772, 809. Schaply, fit, likely, 372. Schave, shaven, 588. Scheeldes, crowns (a coin), 278. Schene, bright, fair, 115. Schipman, a seaman, sailor, 388. Schire, shire, county, 15. Schirreve, sheriff, or governor of a snire, 359. Scholde, sclLulde, should, 249, 506, &c. Schon, shone, 198. Schoo, shoe, 258. Schorte, to shorten, 791. Schuldre, shoulder, 678. Schuldred, having (such) shoul* ders, 649. no THE OANTERBURT TALES. Schime, shin, leg, 886. Scole, school, 125. Scoler, scholar, 260. Scoley,to attend school, study, 320. Seche, seeke, to seek, 17, 784, &c. Seek, seeke, sick, 18. Seide, said, 183, «S;c. Seie, seye, to say, 787. Seigrh, saw, 85a Seint, saint, 173. Seith, saith, 17& Selle, to give, sell, 278. Selle, a cell or house, 172. See note. Seinely,seenily,el6gant,123,130,751. Sen, sene, seen, seene, to see or be seen, 134, &c. Sendal, a thin silk, 4i0. See note. Sentence, sense, meaning, judg- ment, 306, 798. Serv3rsable, willing to be of service, 09. Sesoun, season, 19. Sethe, to boil, 383. Sey, seye, S33m, tosay, 181,468,738. Seyl, sail, 696. Sesmt, seynte, sain^ 173, 697. Seynt, a girdle, 329. Shef, sheaf, 104. Sik, sick, 245. . Sikerly, surely, certainly, 187. Sith, sithe, sithes, time,times,486. Skalled, scabby, 627. Skathe, loss, misfortune, 446. See n. Sklendre, slender, slim, 587. Slee, sleen, slen, to slay, 661. Sleight, contrivance, craft, 604. Slepen, to sleep, 10. Sieves, sleeves, 193. Smal, smale, small, 9, 146, 153. Smerte, smartly, 149. Smerte, to pain, displease, hurt, 230, 534. Smot, smoot, smote, 149. Smothe, smooth, smoothly, 676. Snewed, abounded (lit. snowed)345. Snybbe, to snub, reprove, 623. Soberly, sad, solemn, 289. Solas, solaasr mirth, 798. SolttXipne, festive, 209; Important, 864 See note. Solempnely, pon^osly, 271 Som, some, 640, Ac Somdel, somewhat, 174. Somer, summer, 394. Sompnour, apparitor, 543. See n. Sondry, sundry, li Sone, son, 79. Songe, sung, 711. Sonne, the sun, 7. Soo, so, 102. Soper, supper, 848. Sore, sorely, 230. Soth, sothe, sooth, true, truly, 845, &0. Sothly, truly, 117, 468. Soun, a sound, 674. Souper, supper, 74& Souple, supple, 203. Sovere3m,supreme,high,67. See n. Sowne, to sound, 275, 565. Sown3mere in, tending to, 307. Spak, spake, 124. Spare, abstain, or refrain from, 19% 737. Sparwe, sparrow, 626. Sp6Cia\ in special, specially, 444. Speede, to speed, succeed, 769. Speken, to speak, 142. Spiced, over-scrupulous, 526. Spores, spurs, 473. Squyer, squire, 79. Stele, to steal, 562. Stemede, shone, 202. Stepe, steep, bright, glaring, 201. Sterre, star, 268. Stewe, a fish-pond, 850. Stiward, steward, 579. See note. Stonde, stonden, to stand, 88, 745. Stoon, stone, 774. Stoor, store, farm stock, 59& Stbt, a stallion, 615. Straunge, foreign,13. See note 464. Stream, stream, river, 464. Stre3rt, close, strict, 174. Streyte, closely, 457. Strike, a hank (of flax), 676. Strond, strqnde, strand, shore, iH, Sufflsance, sufficiency, 4S0. Sur^pte, overcoat, 617. Swerd, sword, 112. Swere. to swear, 464. Swet, Qweteswee^ 6, aobk Swich Swink Swoot Swyn, Swynl SwynJ Syke. Syn, 8i Tabar note. Taffati Taille, Takel, meat, Talen, Tapic( Tappe Targe Teche Thanr Tharri Thei, t Thenc Thar, There Thert( Thesti Thilkt Think impel thouj 682, I * Thise, The, t Thom Thorn Three Thriei To, at, ToUei Tong( Top, t Toun, Trety 152. Trew 531, 1 Trom Trout Trow GLOSSARY. Ill Swich, such, 3, &c. Swinke, swynke, to labour, 180. Swoote, sweet, 1. Swyn, swine, 598. Swjmk, labour, 188, 540. Swynkere, labourer, 531. Syke, sick, 424. Syn, since, COl, 853. Tabard, a sleeveless frock, 541. See note. Taffata, taffeta, 440. . Taille, a tally, h70. See note. Takel, an arrow, literally any imple- ment, 100. See note. Talen, to tell tales, 772. Tapicer, an upholsterer, 302, See n. Tappestere, a barmaid, 241. Targe, a target or shield, 471. Techen, to teach, 308. Thanne, then, 12. Tharray, the array, 716. Thei, they, 745, &c. Thencres, the increase, 275. Ther, there, where, 34, 43. Ther as, where that, 172. ThertO, besides, 153, 757. Thestat, the estate or rank, 716. Thilke, the like, that, 182, &c. Thinke, tlijmke, to seem, vb. impers., me thinketh, 37, it thoughte me, 385, him thought, 682, us thoughte, 785. ♦ Thise, these (pL), 701. Tho, those, 498, &c. Thombe, thumb, 563. Thonder, thunder, 492. ■ Thresshe, to thrash, 536. Thries, thrice^ 63, 562. To, at, 30. • Tollen, to take toll or payment, 662. . Tonge, tongue, 712. Top, head, 590. Toun, town, 478. Tretys, long and well proportioned, 152. See note. Trewe, trewely, true, truly, 481, 531, 707. Trompe, a trumpet, 674. Trouthe, truth, 46, 763. Trowe, to believe, 155, 524. Trussed up, packed up. Qui. Tukked,coated,cl(jthed,G21. See n. Tunge, tongue, 266. TUO, two, 639. Tweye, .tu., two, twain, 704, 792, &c. Twynne, to depart, separate, 836. Typet, tippet, 233. Unce, a small portion, 677. Undergrowe, undergrown, 156. Undertake, to affirm, 288. Unknowe, unknown, 126. Vavasour. See note on 360. Venerye, hunting, 160. See note. Verdite, verdict, sentence, 787. Vernicle. See note on 685. Verray, vorrey, verraily, true, truly, very, 72, 338, 422. Viage, travels, 77, 723. Vigilles, vigils, 377. Vileinye, unbecoming conduct, disgrace, 70, 726. Vitaille, victuals, 569, 749. Vouchesauf, vouchsafe, grant, 807, 812. Walet, wallet, 681, 686. Wantoun, wanton, 208. See note. Wantounesse, wantonness, 264. War, waar, wary, cautious, 309; aware, 157. Ware, to warn, 662. Wastel breed, cake, 147. See n. Waterles, out of the water, 180. Wayte, to be on the look-out for, 525, 571. Webbe, weaver, 362. Wende, wenden, to go, lo, 21. Wepe, wepen, to weep, 230. Wered, wore, 75, 564, Werre, war, 47. Werte, wart, 555. Wette, wetted, 129. Wex, wax, 675. Wey, weye, way, 34, 467, Whan, whanne, when, 5, 18, 179. What, as an interjection, 854. What, why, wherefore, 184. Whelkes, blotches, 632. Whil, TVhiles, whilst, 35, 397. I^ i i 112 THE CANTERBURY TALES. Whit, white, 238. Widewe, widow, 25S. Wifirht, a person male or female, 71, 32G. Wit, understanding, wi8dom,279, 746. Wtthholde, maintained, 511. Withouten, without, 538; besides, 461. Wlthseie, to gainsay, 805. Woo, woeful, sorrowful, 351. Wol, wole, will, 42 ; pi. wolden, 27. Wolde, would, 548, &c. Wonder, wondurly, wonder- fully, 84, 483. Wone, custom, usage, 335. Wone, to dwell, 388. Wonyngr, dwelling, 606. Wonne, won, conquered, 51. Wood, WOde, mad, 184, 582. Woot (Ist pers.), know, 389, 659. Worthinesse, bravery, 50. Worthy, worthi, brave, 47, 459. Wrastlynge, wrestling, 548. Wrigrhte, carpenter (literally a workman), 614. See note. Wyd, wide, 401. W3rf, Wlf, woman, wife, 234, 446. Wympel, neck haudkercliief, 151. Wyn, wino, 384. Wynnynges, gains, profits, 276 Wys, wis, wise, 68, 309, 669. Y, a prefix of past parxiciples, arother form of i (which see). Y-Cleped, called, 410. Y-come, come, 77. Y-drawe, drawn, 396. Y-sene, to be seen, 502. Y-teyed, tied, 457. Y-wympled, having a wiinpcl. See noto 151. Y-wroujarht, wrought, 196. Yeddynges, songs, 2.37. Yeeldyngr, return, produce, 596. Yeer, year, yen.rs, 82, 347, 601. Yeman, yeoman, 101. See notf . Yerde, rod, 149. Yit. yet, 70. Yong, yonge, young, 7, 79, 218 Yow, you, 34, 38, &c. THE END. :#• .#.' #•