MAE602_British Poetry till 17th Century

MASTER OF ARTS (ENGLISH) BRITISH POETRY TILL 17TH CENTURY MAE602 Dr. S.S. Bhandari

CHANDIGARH UNIVERSITY Institute of Distance and Online Learning Course Development Committee Chairman Prof. (Dr.) R.S. Bawa Vice Chancellor, Chandigarh University, Punjab Advisors Prof. (Dr.) Bharat Bhushan, Director, IGNOU Prof. (Dr.) Majulika Srivastava, Director, CIQA, IGNOU Programme Coordinators & Editing Team Master of Business Administration (MBA) Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Co-ordinator - Prof. Pragya Sharma Co-ordinator - Dr. Rupali Arora Master of Computer Applications (MCA) Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) Co-ordinator - Dr. Deepti Rani Sindhu Co-ordinator - Dr. Raju Kumar Master of Commerce (M.Com.) Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) Co-ordinator - Dr. Shashi Singhal Co-ordinator - Dr. Minakshi Garg Master of Arts (Psychology) Bachelor of Science (Travel & TourismManagement) Co-ordinator - Dr. Samerjeet Kaur Co-ordinator - Dr. Shikha Sharma Master of Arts (English) Bachelor of Arts (General) Co-ordinator - Dr. Ashita Chadha Co-ordinator - Ms. Neeraj Gohlan Master of Arts (Mass Communication and Bachelor of Arts (Mass Communication and Journalism) Journalism) Co-ordinator - Dr. Chanchal Sachdeva Suri Co-ordinator - Dr. Kamaljit Kaur Academic and Administrative Management Prof. (Dr.) Pranveer Singh Satvat Prof. (Dr.) S.S. Sehgal Pro VC (Academic) Registrar Prof. (Dr.) H. Nagaraja Udupa Prof. (Dr.) Shiv Kumar Tripathi Director – (IDOL) Executive Director – USB © No part of this publication should be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording and/or otherwise without the prior written permission of the author and the publisher. SLM SPECIALLY PREPARED FOR CU IDOL STUDENTS Printed and Published by: Himalaya Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., E-mail: [email protected], Website: www.himpub.com For: CHANDIGARH UNIVERSITY Institute of Distance and Online Learning CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

British Poetry Till 17th Century Course Code: MAE602 Credits: 3 Course Objectives:  To understand the poetic expressions and develop a critical insight.  To retrieve texts as product of historical importance.  To draw a comparison between the literary works of different poets. Syllabus Unit 1 - Geoffrey Chaucer: The Poet Unit 2 - Geoffrey Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales: ‘The General Prologue’ Unit 3 - William Shakespeare: An Introduction Sonnets 18, 29, 73, 94 Unit 4 - William Shakespeare: Sonnets 110, 116, 129, 130, 138 Unit 5 - Literary Terms: Assonance, Ballad, Blank verse, Neo-classicism and Romanticism, Conceit, Couplet, Elegy, Epic, Figure of speech, Heroic couplet, Iambic Pentameter, Lyric, Metaphor, Simile, Metonymy, Synecdoche, Meter, Ode, Pastoral, Personification, Rhyme, Sonnet Unit 6 - John Donne: Poet and the Age “Satyre: Of Religion” “The Good- Morrow” Unit 7 - John Donne: “The Canonization” “At the Round Earth’s Imagin’d Corners” “Batter My Heart, Three Person’d God” Unit 8 -Alexander Pope: Poet and the Age Unit 9 - Alexander Pope: The Rape of the Lock I CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Unit 10 - Alexander Pope: The Rape of the Lock II Text Books: 1. Chaucer, G. (2017). The Canterbury Tales. Fingerprint! Publishing 2. Shakespeare, W. (2016). Sonnets. India: FB Publishing 3. Donne, J. (2017). Poems. India Fingerprint! Publishing 4. Pope, A. (2011). The Rape of the Lock Book I. India: Penguin Classics Reference Books: 1. Bennett, J. (1964). Five Metaphysical Poets. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2. Gardner, H. ed. (1979). John Donne: A Collection of Critical Essays (Twentieth Century Views Series): New Delhi: Prentice Hall India Ltd. 3. Williamson, G. (1988). A Reader’s Guide to the Metaphysical Poets: Yugoslavia: Thomas & Hudson 4. Abrams, M.H. (1975). English Romantic Poets: Modern Essays in Criticism, 2nd ed. : Oxford: Oxford University Press CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

CONTENTS Unit 1: 1 - 10 Chapter 1 Geoffrey Chaucer – The Poet 11 - 70 Chapter 2 Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales: The General Prologue Unit 2: 71 - 91 Chapter 3 William Shakespeare: An Introduction 92 - 111 Chapter 4 William Shakespeare’s Sonnets Unit 3: 112 - 140 Chapter 5 Literary Terms Unit 4: 141 - 158 Chapter 6 JOHN DONNE: Poet and the Age Satyre: Of Religion 159 - 176 The Good Morrow 177 - 188 Chapter 7 “JOHN DONNE: The Canonization”, “At the Round Earth’s I 189 - 207 208 - 224 magin'd Corners” and “Batter My Heart, Three- Person'd God” Unit 5: Chapter 8 Alexander Pope: Poet and The Age Chapter 9 Alexander Pope: The Rape of The Lock – I Chapter 10 Alexander Pope: The Rape of The Lock – II CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

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Unit 1 CHAPTER 1 GEOFFREY CHAUCER – THE POET Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) Structure: 1.0 Learning Objectives 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Early Years and Marriage Life 1.3 Career 1.4 Relationship and Diplomatic Missions 1.5 Religious Belief 1.6 Major Incidents 1.7 Literary Work 1.8 Early Criticism 1.9 Writing Style 1.10 Later Life and Death

2 British Poetry Till 17th Century 1.11 Unit End Questions (MCQ and Descriptive) 1.12 References 1.0 Learning Objectives After reading this lesson, students will be able to:  To introduce the three main segments of medieval society: the church, the court, and the common people. In addition,  To analyze style and language in the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales  To identify the key characters in The Canterbury Tales  To introduce feudal class structure of fourteenth century England 1.1 Introduction Literature has a history, and this connects with cultural history more widely. English, as we know it, descends from the language spoken by the north Germanic tribes who settled in England from the 5th century A.D. onwards. They had no writing until they learned the Latin alphabet from Roman missionaries. The earliest written works in old English were probably composed orally at first, and may have been passed on from speaker to speaker before being written. Old English literature is mostly chronicle and poetry – lyric, descriptive but chiefly narrative or epic. By the time literacy becomes widespread, Old English is effectively a foreign and dead language. And its forms do not significantly affect subsequent developments in English literature. From 1066 onwards, the language is known to scholars as Middle English. Ideas and themes from French and Celtic literature appear in English writing at about this time, but the first great name in English literature is that of Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400). The period between 1343 and 1450 is known as the Age of Chaucer. It marked the first significant literary age in English literature. It heralded a new era of learning. Chaucer’s age also witnessed many social, political, and religious challenges. The Canterbury Tales became his best known and most acclaimed work. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Poet 3 He died October 25, 1400 in London, England, and was the first to be buried in Westminster Abbey’s Poet’s Corner. Geoffrey Chaucer is widely considered the father of English literature. Chaucer introduces the iambic pentameter line, the rhyming couplet and other rhymes used in Italian poetry. Some of Chaucer's work is prose and some is lyric poetry, but his greatest work is mostly narrative poetry, which we find in Troilus and Criseyde and The Canterbury Tales. Other notable mediaeval works are the anonymous Pearl and Gawain and the Green Knight (probably by the same author) and William Langland’s Piers Plowman. This introduction begins with a review of his life and the cultural milieu of fourteenth- century England and then expands into analyses of such major works as The Parliament of Fowls, Troilus and Criseyde, and, of course, the Canterbury Tales, examining them alongside a selection of lesser known verses. 1.2 Early Years and Marriage Life Geoffrey Chaucer was born between 1340 and 1345, probably in Themes Street London. His father was a prosperous wine merchant. Generally people do not know the exact date of birth and his early education. By 1366, he had married Philippa de Roet, whose sister Katharine was for many years the mistress and later the third wife of John of Gaunt, another of the sons of Edward III, and a powerful patron. Chaucer may also have had a daughter, Elizabeth, and two sons, “little Lewis” (for whom he composed the Astrolabe, a prose work on the use of that instrument of an astronomer) and Thomas. 1.3 Career In 1357, at the age of 17 he became a member of the household of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, a son of Edward III, and in 1359 (19) he accompanied the Duke on a military campaign to France, where he was taken prisoner, but was ransomed by the king. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

4 British Poetry Till 17th Century While records concerning the lives of his contemporary friends, William Langland and the Pearl Poet, are practically non-existent, since Chaucer was a public servant, his official life is very well documented, with nearly five hundred written items testifying to his career. The first of the “Chaucer Life records” appears in 1357, in the household accounts of Elizabeth de Burgh the Countess of Ulster, when he became the noblewoman’s page through his father’s connections, a common medieval form of apprenticeship for boys into knighthood or prestige appointment. Chaucer’s greatest inspirations however were French and Italian sources. Interestingly, Chaucer’s military service in France likely inspired him to begin his literary career. 1.4 Relationship and Diplomatic Missions Chaucer was very much trust worthy to King Edward III so he was sent for the diplomatic missions to France Genoa and Florence. He made further journeys abroad, and was certainly in Italy in 1372 visiting both Genoa and Florence, where it is possible he met both Petrach and Boccaccio. His travels exposed him to the work of authors such as Dante, Boccaccio and Froissart. In 1378 (38) Chaucer made a second visit to France and Northern Italy as a member of the embassy to Bernabo Visconti, the ruler of Milan. In 1374, Chaucer was appointed comptroller of the lucrative London customs. In 1386, he was elected Member of Parliament for Kent, and he also served as a justice of the peace. In 1389, he was made clerk of the King’s work, overseeing royal building projects. He held a number of other royal posts, serving both Edward III and his successor Richard II. Chaucer was a close friend of John of Gaunnt, the wealthy Duke of Lancaster and father of Henry IV and he served under Lancaster’s patronage. Near the end of their lives, Lancaster and Chaucer became brother in law when Chaucer married Philippa de Roet and Lancaster married Phillipa’ssister Katherine Swynford in 1396. 1.5 Religious Belief Chaucer’s attitude towards religion is quite confused. Yet he followed the Christianity. He seems to have respected and admired Christians and to have been one himself, though he also CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Poet 5 recognized that many people in the church were venal and corrupt. He writes in Canterbury Tales, “now I beg all those that listen to this little treatise, or read it, that if there be anything in it that pleases them, they thank our Lord Jesus Christ for it, from whom proceeds all understanding and goodness.” The myth of the Protestant Chaucer continues to have a lasting impact on a large body of Chaucerian scholarship. Though it is extremely rare for a modern scholar to suggest Chaucer supported a religious movement that did not exist until more than a century after his death, the predominance of this thinking for so many centuries left it for granted that Chaucer was at least hostile toward Catholicism. This assumption forms a large part of many critical approaches to Chaucer's works, including neo-Marxism. 1.6 Major Incidents The period from 1340 – 1400 is called the age of Chaucer. It was an age of transition. This transition implies a shift from medieval to the modern times. The most important events took place during Chaucer’s time are,Hundred year’s War, Black Death, Peasant’s Revolt, Collards Movements and Revolutionized Language. The period between 1338 and 1453 is marked by hundred year’s war, a long succession of skirmishes and armed conflict between France and England. The war was a series of short conflicts, broken intermittently by a number of truces and peace treaties. It resulted from disputes between the ruling families of the two countries, the French Capetians and the English Plantagenet, over territories in France and the succession to the French throne. No doubt it was a political battle for the chair. These battles were largely won by English Yeomen. These wars generated the feeling of patriotism and nationalism in the work of Chaucer. In the middle ages, people did not care about sanitation and cleanliness so leprosy and other diseases which breed in dirt were very common. England was often visited by epidemics, especially plague. The severest attack of this dreadful epidemic came in 1377. It was called the Black Death. Within a year 30 to 60 percent people died due to plague. The epidemic swept away of the total population of the England at that time and left the country totally disorganized price, rose and the value of money declined. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

6 British Poetry Till 17th Century The suffering peasants of England became very restless and discontented. They revolts in 1381 because the poll taxes imposed in 1377, 1379 and 1380 were oppressive, Watt Taylor, Jack Straw and John Bull led the peasants revolt. The mob stormed London but Richard II handled the situation very cunningly and got the leaders arrested and then beheaded. 1.7 Literary Work Widespread knowledge of Chaucer’s works is attested by the many poets who imitated or responded to his writing. Chaucer’s work and his writing may be divided in three periods such as French period: Italian Period and English period. Chaucer was always an avid reader of multiple languages. In addition to English he was also well versed in Latin, French and Italian. He was very much interested in photographic and the same photographic memories he made a source of his literary work. Chaucer was one of the most learned men of his time. He made numerous translations of prose and verse, including Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy, saints’ legends, sermons, French poetry by Machaut and Deschamps. Chaucer’s first major work was The Book of the Duchess’, an elegy for the first wife of his patron John of Gaunt. Two other early works were Anelida and Arcite and The House of Fame. He wrote many of his major works in a prolific period when he held the job of customs comptroller for London (1374 to 1386). Other works include ‘Parliament of Fowls’, ‘The Legend of Good Women’ and ‘Troilus and Criseyde’. In 1386 he became Member of Parliament for Kent, and in 1389, Clerk of the King’s work. In 1387, he began his most famous work, ‘The Canterbury Tales’, in which a diverse group of people recount stories to pass the time on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. It appears to be during this period that he completed most of the work on the Canterbury Tales. Chaucer’s Treatise on the Astrolabe describes the form and use of the Astrolabe in detail and is sometimes cited as the first example of technical writing in the English language, and it indicates that Chaucer was versed in science in addition to his literary talents. English poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the unfinished work, The Canterbury Tales. It is considered one of the greatest poetic works in English. After seventy five years of Chaucer’s death, The Canterbury Tales was selected by William Caxton to be one of the first books to be printed in England. Although Chaucer's works had long CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Poet 7 been admired, serious scholarly work on his legacy did not begin until the late 18th century, when Thomas Tyrwhitt edited The Canterbury Tales, and it did not become an established academic discipline until the 19th century. Chaucer is a major character in the 1917 opera The Canterbury Pilgrims by Reginald De Koven which is loosely based on The Canterbury Tales. The Chaucer Review was founded in 1966 and has maintained its position as the pre-eminent journal of Chaucer studies. 1.8 Early Criticism The effect of Chaucer’s poetry is moral, but it is inadequate to describe Chaucer’s moralist, much less as a satirist. He is a genial observer of mankind, a storyteller, as well as a satirist. One whose satire is usually without real bite. He is also a reformer, but he is foremost a celebrator of life who comments shrewdly on human absurdities while being, at the same time, a lover of mankind. It has been said that clergy’s were the most corrupt people during those days and nobody has the daring to criticize them. So John Gower and Geoffrey Chaucer were the writers who criticized clergies in their literary work. Chaucer’s way of criticizing was mild while John Gower criticized harshly. In Chaucer’s own age, as references that term him ‘translator’ suggest, he was viewed as the inheritor of a great tradition as well as the inventor of a new one and his writing makes clear his desire to follow in the footsteps of the great ancient writers, in particular Ovid and Virgil. It is only with Chaucer and his contemporaries that English becomes a sophisticated literary language, and it is striking that Chaucer consistently places himself in the context of classical writers. In the period immediately following his death, he was most commonly viewed as a skilled courtly poet. He would be seen as inspiring a line of courtly poets down to Wyatt. It was often his eloquence that was praised, but also his learning. Thomas Hoccleve’s lament for Chaucer in his Regement of Princes, for example, refers to Chaucer as ‘flour of eloquence’. Dryden compares him favourably to Ovid, Chaucer writ with more simplicity, and followed Nature more closely and praises too his philosophy and philology, his description and translation, he places Chaucer as ‘the father of English poetry but remarks, however, that because of his imperfect metre, though he must always be thought a great poet, he is no longer esteemed a good writer. The art of Chaucer has nothing to CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

8 British Poetry Till 17th Century fear by comparison with anything in modern fiction and over and above the strength of what one may call its prose imagination, it is also poetry. Chaucer has come down with both feet on the real world. Chesterton humorously remarks – “If Chaucer is the father of poetry, he is grandfather of English fiction”. Albert Calls Chaucer – “The earliest of the great moderns”. 1.9 Writing Style Chaucer wrote in continental accentual syllabic meter, a style which had developed since around the 12th century as an alternative to the alliterative Anglo- Saxon meter. Chaucer is known for metrical innovation, inventing the rhyme royal, and he was one of the first English poets to use the five stress line, a decasyllabic cousin to the iambic pentameter, in his work, with only a few anonymous short works using it before him. The arrangement of these five stress lines into rhyming couplets, first seen in his. The Legend of Good Women, was used in much of his later work and became one of the standard poetic forms in English. His early influence as a satirist is also important, with the common humorous device, the funny accent of a regional dialect apparently making its first appearance in The Reev’s Tale. 1.10 Later life and Death In September 1390 records say that Chaucer was robbed and possibly injured while conduction the business and he stopped working in this capacity on 17 June 1391. He began as Deputy Forester in the royal forest of Petherton Park in North Petherton. Richard II granted him an annual pension of 20 pounds in 1394. But there was a complaint from Chaucer that he was not paid. There were financial crises in his life. Chaucer was in great tension as he was living in rented house or on lease. Chaucer died of unknown causes on 25 October 1400, although the only evidence for this date comes from the engraving on his tomb which was erected more than 100 years after his death. There is some speculation that he was murdered by enemies of Richard II or even on the orders of his successor Henry IV, but the case is entirely circumstantial. Chaucer was buried in Westminster abbey in London. A monument was erected to him in 1556 in the reign of Mary Tudor, beginning the tradition of Poet’s Corner. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Poet 9 1.11 Unit End Questions (MCQs and Descriptive) A. Descriptive Types Questions 1. Describe in detail the Age of Chaucer, including background events as well as social, political and literary works. 2. Why Geoffrey Chaucer is called the Father of English Poetry? 3. Discuss salient features in Chaucer’s work that reveal details about the Medieval Age. 4. What should be in a conclusion about the age of Chaucer? 5. What three jobs did Geoffrey Chaucer have? B. Multiple Choice/Objective Type Questions 1. In which century was Chaucer born? (a) 12th (b) 13th (c) 14th (d) 15th 2. What is the title of Chaucer's best-known work? (a) The Canterbury Tales (b) The Salisbury Tales (c) The Winchester Tales (d) The York Tales 3. What is the title of the earliest of Chaucer's poems, written sometime between 1369 and 1372? (a) The Book of the Abbess (b) The Book of the Countess (c) The Book of the Duchess (d) The Book of the Governess 4. In The Canterbury Tales, what is the name of the inn where the pilgrims meet before their journey? (a) The Tabard (b) The Talbot (c) The Tivoli (d) Tolbooth 5. Chaucer's father and grandfather were both what? (a) Bakers (b) Brewers (c) Butchers (d) Vintners CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

10 British Poetry Till 17th Century 6. What name is now given to the language in which Chaucer worked? (a) Early English (b) Middle English (c) New English (d) Old English 7. Which character in The Canterbury Tales is a little deaf following a blow to the head from one of her husbands? (a) The Wife of Bath (b) The Wife of Bristol (c) The Wife of Dorchester (d) The Wife of Exeter 8. Which is the first of The Canterbury Tales? (a) The Cook's Tale (b) The Friar's Tale (c) The Knight's Tale (d) The Merchant's Tale 9. Which of the tale tellers has a conspicuous hairy wart? (a) The Coachman (b) The Miller (c) The Tailor (d) The Weaver 10. Chaucer served in the English army under which king? (a) Henry III (b) Edward II (c) Edward III (d) Richard II Answers 1. (c), 2. (b), 3. (c), 4. (a), 5. (d), 6. (b), 7. (a), 8. (c), 9. (b), 10. (b). 1.12 References 1. Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults. 2. Skeat, W. W. (1899). The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 3. Crow, Martin M.; Olsen, Clair C. (1966). Chaucer: Life-Records. 4. Article – critical exploration. 5. Cosimo Classic, Biography: Chaucer’s Official Life by James Root Hulbert. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Unit 1 CHAPTER 2 GEOFFREY CHAUCER – THE CANTERBURY TALES: THE GENERAL PROLOGUE Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) Structure: 2.0 Learning Objectives 2.1 Introduction 2.2 The Canterbury Tales: Aim of Writing 2.3 Critical Analysis 2.4 Theme of the Canterbury Tales 2.5 Unit End Questions (MCQs and Descriptive) 2.6 References

12 British Poetry Till 17th Century 2.0 Learning Objectives After reading this lesson, students will be able to:  Define ‘frame narrative’ and explain its use in The Canterbury Tales  Identify the key characters in The Canterbury Tales  Analyze style and language in the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales  Students will be aware of the historical context of The Canterbury Tales, including social structure in the Middle Ages and Geoffrey Chaucer's life and poetic concerns, and how that influences the text and informs our interpretation. 2.1 Introduction Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London in around 1343 AD. He was from a family of successful merchants and as a teenager was a page to Elizabeth, countess of Ulster, who was married into the royal family. The royals were fond of Chaucer, so that when he was taken prisoner by the French in 1359. Edward III paid his ransom. The king, further displaying trust in Chaucer, later sent him on diplomatic missions to France, Genoa and Florence. It was on these travels that Chaucer gained exposure to great authors such as Froissart, Dante, and Boccaccio. Chaucer married Philippa Roet when he was aged around 23 and is presumed to have fathered three or four children. Chaucer continued to be successful in his various professions. Several years later, in 1374, Chaucer was appointed controller of customs, and then in 1386 he served as the Kentish MP and the Justice of the Peace. By 1389, he was working as the Clerk of the King’s Works, overseeing projects concerning religious buildings. He held posts serving both Edward III and Richard II, the successor of Edward. It is a great mystery, Chaucer disappears from records in 1400AD, and is thought to have died around this time, aged 57. He was the first poet to be buried in Westminster Abbey’s Poet’s Corner. He was the poet of the Middle Ages, widely known as the Father of English Literature. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales… 13 His literary work is milestone in the history of English Poetry. The Canterbury Tales is the last poem of Chaucer which is written in verse form in Meddle English. 2.2 The Canterbury Tales: Aim of Writing One of the main purposes of writing The Canterbury Tales could be his enchanted desire to shed the light on the problematic morals of those associated with the corrupt church and nobility during the medieval period. If not all, of Chaucer’s time would have readily recognized the pilgrims described in the tales. Chaucer’s tales also possess irony, something that many people can identify and understand. The ironic nature of his tales points out the similarly ironic nature of the pilgrims and their own sets of immoral ideologies. He aims to critique the hypocrisy of the church and the social problems posed by Medieval politics and social custom. Chaucer wanted to enjoy himself and wanted to make happy others as the period was tough for the society. The Canterbury Tales could be divided in two parts: 1. General Prologue 2. The Tale 1. General Prologue The purpose of the prologue is to give readers a general overview of the characters that are present, why they are present there, and what they will be doing. Actually, Chaucer was not a professional writer but wrote for pleasure and for his own amusement and that of his family and friends. Chaucer never thought that he will get such praise or will be remembered by the world readers. Before starting the journey of Canterbury, Chaucer got various ideas in his mind. People were trapped in their houses due to cold and the life become very dull. They eagerly waited for the spring season. The days passed and the spring season approached, the life become very normal. During this period people use to go to their relatives, churches, holy places as we use to go Mansarovar or Char Dham Yatra. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

14 British Poetry Till 17th Century The narrator opens the General Prologue with a description of the return of spring. He describes the April rains, the burgeoning flowers and leaves, and the chirping birds. Around this time of year, the narrator says, people begin to feel the desire to go on a pilgrimage. Many devout English pilgrims set off to visit shrines in distant holy lands, but even more choose to travel to Canterbury to visit the relics of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, where they thank the martyr for having helped them when they were in need. The narrator tells us that as he prepared to go on such a pilgrimage, staying at a tavern in Southwark called the Tabard Inn, a great company of twenty nine travelers entered. The travelers were a diverse group who, like the narrator, were on their way to Canterbury. They happily agreed to let him join them. That night, the group slept at the Tabard, and woke up early the next morning to set off on their journey. Congregating at the Tabard Inn, the Pilgrims decide to tell stories to pass their time on the way to Canterbury. The host of the Tabard Inn sets the rules for the tales. Each of the pilgrims will tell two stories on the way to Canterbury, and two stories on the return trip. The Host will decide whose tale is the best for meaningfulness and for fun. Before continuing the tale, the narrator declares his intent to list and describe each of the members of the group.They decide to draw lots to see who will tell the first tale, and the Knight receives the honor. The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue By Geoffrey Chaucer Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote, The droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne, CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales… 15 And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye, So priketh hem Natúre in hir corages, Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially, from every shires ende Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke. Bifil that in that seson on a day, In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay, Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage To Caunterbury with ful devout corage, At nyght were come into that hostelrye Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye Of sondry folk, by áventure y-falle In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle, That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde. The chambres and the stables weren wyde, And wel we weren esed atte beste. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

16 British Poetry Till 17th Century And shortly, whan the sonne was to reste, So hadde I spoken with hem everychon, That I was of hir felaweshipe anon, And made forward erly for to ryse, To take oure wey, ther as I yow devyse. But nathelees, whil I have tyme and space, Er that I ferther in this tale pace, Me thynketh it acordaunt to resoun To telle yow al the condicioun Of ech of hem, so as it semed me, And whiche they weren and of what degree, And eek in what array that they were inne; And at a Knyght than wol I first bigynne. A Knyght ther was, and that a worthy man, That fro the tyme that he first bigan To riden out, he loved chivalrie, Trouthe and honóur, fredom and curteisie. Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre, And thereto hadde he riden, no man ferre, As wel in cristendom as in hethenesse, CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales… 17 And evere honóured for his worthynesse. At Alisaundre he was whan it was wonne; Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bigonne Aboven alle nacions in Pruce. In Lettow hadde he reysed and in Ruce,— No cristen man so ofte of his degree. In Gernade at the seege eek hadde he be Of Algezir, and riden in Belmarye. At Lyeys was he, and at Satalye, Whan they were wonne; and in the Grete See At many a noble armee hadde he be. At mortal batailles hadde he been fiftene, And foughten for oure feith at Tramyssene In lyste thries, and ay slayn his foo. This ilke worthy knyght hadde been also Somtyme with the lord of Palatye Agayn another hethen in Turkye; And evermoore he hadde a sovereyn prys. And though that he were worthy, he was wys, And of his port as meeke as is a mayde. He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde, CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

18 British Poetry Till 17th Century In al his lyf, unto no maner wight. He was a verray, parfit, gentil knyght. But for to tellen yow of his array, His hors weren goode, but he was nat gay; Of fustian he wered a gypon Al bismótered with his habergeon; For he was late y-come from his viage, And wente for to doon his pilgrymage. With hym ther was his sone, a yong Squiér, A lovyere and a lusty bacheler, With lokkes crulle as they were leyd in presse. Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse. Of his statúre he was of evene lengthe, And wonderly delyvere and of greet strengthe. And he hadde been somtyme in chyvachie In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Pycardie, And born hym weel, as of so litel space, In hope to stonden in his lady grace. Embrouded was he, as it were a meede Al ful of fresshe floures whyte and reede. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales… 19 Syngynge he was, or floytynge, al the day; He was as fressh as is the month of May. Short was his gowne, with sleves longe and wyde; Wel koude he sitte on hors and faire ryde; He koude songes make and wel endite, Juste and eek daunce, and weel purtreye and write. So hoote he lovede that by nyghtertale He sleep namoore than dooth a nyghtyngale. Curteis he was, lowely and servysáble, And carf biforn his fader at the table. A Yeman hadde he and servántz namo At that tyme, for hym liste ride soo; And he was clad in cote and hood of grene. A sheef of pecock arwes bright and kene, Under his belt he bar ful thriftily— Wel koude he dresse his takel yemanly; His arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe— And in his hand he baar a myghty bowe. A not-heed hadde he, with a broun viságe. Of woodecraft wel koude he al the uságe. Upon his arm he baar a gay bracér, CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

20 British Poetry Till 17th Century And by his syde a swerd and a bokeler, And on that oother syde a gay daggere, Harneised wel and sharp as point of spere; A Cristophere on his brest of silver sheene. An horn he bar, the bawdryk was of grene. A forster was he, soothly as I gesse. Ther was also a Nonne, a Prioresse, That of hir smylyng was ful symple and coy; Hire gretteste ooth was but by seinte Loy, And she was cleped madame Eglentyne. Ful weel she soong the service dyvyne, Entuned in hir nose ful semely; And Frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly, After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe, For Frenssh of Parys was to hire unknowe. At mete wel y-taught was she with-alle: She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle, Ne wette hir fyngres in hir sauce depe. Wel koude she carie a morsel and wel kepe Thát no drope ne fille upon hire brist; In curteisie was set ful muchel hir list. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales… 21 Hire over-lippe wyped she so clene That in hir coppe ther was no ferthyng sene Of grece, whan she dronken hadde hir draughte. Ful semely after hir mete she raughte. And sikerly she was of greet desport, And ful plesáunt and amyable of port, And peyned hire to countrefete cheere Of court, and been estatlich of manere, And to ben holden digne of reverence. But for to speken of hire conscience, She was so charitable and so pitous She wolde wepe if that she saugh a mous Kaught in a trappe, if it were deed or bledde. Of smale houndes hadde she, that she fedde With rosted flessh, or milk and wastel breed; But soore wepte she if oon of hem were deed, Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte; And al was conscience and tendre herte. Ful semyly hir wympul pynched was; Hire nose tretys, her eyen greye as glas, Hir mouth ful smal and ther-to softe and reed; CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

22 British Poetry Till 17th Century But sikerly she hadde a fair forheed; It was almoost a spanne brood, I trowe; For, hardily, she was nat undergrowe. Ful fetys was hir cloke, as I was war; Of smal coral aboute hire arm she bar A peire of bedes, gauded al with grene, And ther-on heng a brooch of gold ful sheene, On which ther was first write a crowned A, And after, Amor vincit omnia. Another Nonne with hire hadde she, That was hire chapeleyne, and Preestes thre. A Monk ther was, a fair for the maistrie, An outridere, that lovede venerie; A manly man, to been an abbot able. Ful many a deyntee hors hadde he in stable; And whan he rood, men myghte his brydel heere Gýnglen in a whistlynge wynd als cleere, And eek as loude, as dooth the chapel belle, Ther as this lord was kepere of the celle. The reule of seint Maure or of seint Beneit, CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales… 23 By-cause that it was old and som-del streit,— This ilke Monk leet olde thynges pace, And heeld after the newe world the space. He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen That seith that hunters ben nat hooly men, Ne that a monk, whan he is recchelees, Is likned til a fissh that is waterlees,— This is to seyn, a monk out of his cloystre. But thilke text heeld he nat worth an oystre; And I seyde his opinioun was good. What sholde he studie and make hymselven wood, Upon a book in cloystre alwey to poure, Or swynken with his handes and labóure, As Austyn bit? How shal the world be served? Lat Austyn have his swynk to him reserved. Therfore he was a prikasour aright: Grehoundes he hadde, as swift as fowel in flight; Of prikyng and of huntyng for the hare Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare. I seigh his sleves y-púrfiled at the hond With grys, and that the fyneste of a lond; And for to festne his hood under his chyn CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

24 British Poetry Till 17th Century He hadde of gold y-wroght a curious pyn; A love-knotte in the gretter ende ther was. His heed was balled, that shoon as any glas, And eek his face, as he hadde been enoynt. He was a lord ful fat and in good poynt; His eyen stepe, and rollynge in his heed, That stemed as a forneys of a leed; His bootes souple, his hors in greet estaat. Now certeinly he was a fair prelaat. He was nat pale, as a forpyned goost: A fat swan loved he best of any roost. His palfrey was as broun as is a berye. A Frere ther was, a wantowne and a merye, A lymytour, a ful solémpne man. In alle the ordres foure is noon that kan So muchel of daliaunce and fair langage. He hadde maad ful many a mariage Of yonge wommen at his owene cost. Unto his ordre he was a noble post. Ful wel biloved and famulier was he With frankeleyns over al in his contree, CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales… 25 And eek with worthy wommen of the toun; For he hadde power of confessioun, As seyde hym-self, moore than a curát, For of his ordre he was licenciat. Ful swetely herde he confessioun, And plesaunt was his absolucioun. He was an esy man to yeve penaunce There as he wiste to have a good pitaunce; For unto a povre ordre for to yive Is signe that a man is wel y-shryve; For, if he yaf, he dorste make avaunt He wiste that a man was répentaunt; For many a man so hard is of his herte He may nat wepe al-thogh hym soore smerte. Therfore in stede of wepynge and preyéres Men moote yeve silver to the povre freres. His typet was ay farsed full of knyves And pynnes, for to yeven faire wyves. And certeinly he hadde a murye note: Wel koude he synge and pleyen on a rote; Of yeddynges he baar outrely the pris. His nekke whit was as the flour-de-lys; CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

26 British Poetry Till 17th Century Ther-to he strong was as a champioun. He knew the tavernes wel in every toun, And everich hostiler and tappestere Bet than a lazar or a beggestere; For unto swich a worthy man as he Acorded nat, as by his facultee, To have with sike lazars aqueyntaunce; It is nat honest, it may nat avaunce Fór to deelen with no swich poraille, But al with riche and selleres of vitaille. And over-al, ther as profit sholde arise, Curteis he was and lowely of servyse. Ther nas no man nowher so vertuous. He was the beste beggere in his hous; [And yaf a certeyn ferme for the graunt, Noon of his brethren cam ther in his haunt;] For thogh a wydwe hadde noght a sho, So plesaunt was his In principio, Yet wolde he have a ferthyng er he wente: His purchas was wel bettre than his rente. And rage he koude, as it were right a whelpe. In love-dayes ther koude he muchel helpe, CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales… 27 For there he was nat lyk a cloysterer With a thredbare cope, as is a povre scolér, But he was lyk a maister, or a pope; Of double worstede was his semycope, That rounded as a belle, out of the presse. Somwhat he lipsed for his wantownesse, To make his Englissh sweete upon his tonge; And in his harpyng, whan that he hadde songe, His eyen twynkled in his heed aryght As doon the sterres in the frosty nyght. This worthy lymytour was cleped Hubérd. A Marchant was ther with a forked berd, In motteleye, and hye on horse he sat; Upon his heed a Flaundryssh bevere hat; His bootes clasped faire and fetisly. His resons he spak ful solémpnely, Sownynge alway thencrees of his wynnyng. He wolde the see were kept for any thing Bitwixe Middelburgh and Orewelle. Wel koude he in eschaunge sheeldes selle. This worthy man ful wel his wit bisette; CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

28 British Poetry Till 17th Century Ther wiste no wight that he was in dette, So estatly was he of his gouvernaunce, With his bargaynes and with his chevyssaunce. For sothe he was a worthy man with-alle, But, sooth to seyn, I noot how men hym calle. A Clerk ther was of Oxenford also, That unto logyk hadde longe y-go. As leene was his hors as is a rake, And he nas nat right fat, I undertake, But looked holwe, and ther-to sobrely. Ful thredbare was his overeste courtepy; For he hadde geten hym yet no benefice, Ne was so worldly for to have office; For hym was lévere háve at his beddes heed Twénty bookes, clad in blak or reed, Of Aristotle and his philosophie, Than robes riche, or fíthele, or gay sautrie. But al be that he was a philosophre, Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre; But al that he myghte of his freendes hente On bookes and on lernynge he it spente, CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales… 29 And bisily gan for the soules preye Of hem that yaf hym wher-with to scoleye. Of studie took he moost cure and moost heede. Noght o word spak he moore than was neede; And that was seyd in forme and reverence, And short and quyk and ful of hy senténce. Sownynge in moral vertu was his speche; And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche. A Sergeant of the Lawe, war and wys, That often hadde been at the Parvys, Ther was also, ful riche of excellence. Discreet he was, and of greet reverence— He semed swich, his wordes weren so wise. Justice he was ful often in assise, By patente, and by pleyn commissioun. For his science and for his heigh renoun, Of fees and robes hadde he many oon. So greet a purchasour was nowher noon: Al was fee symple to hym in effect; His purchasyng myghte nat been infect. Nowher so bisy a man as he ther nas, CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

30 British Poetry Till 17th Century And yet he semed bisier than he was. In termes hadde he caas and doomes alle That from the tyme of kyng William were falle. Ther-to he koude endite and make a thyng, Ther koude no wight pynche at his writyng; And every statut koude he pleyn by rote. He rood but hoomly in a medlee cote, Girt with a ceint of silk, with barres smale; Of his array telle I no lenger tale. A Frankeleyn was in his compaignye. Whit was his berd as is the dayesye; Of his complexioun he was sangwyn. Wel loved he by the morwe a sop in wyn; To lyven in delit was evere his wone, For he was Epicurus owene sone, That heeld opinioun that pleyn delit Was verraily felicitee parfit. An housholdere, and that a greet, was he; Seint Julian he was in his contree. His breed, his ale, was alweys after oon; A bettre envyned man was nowher noon. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales… 31 Withoute bake mete was nevere his hous, Of fissh and flessh, and that so plentevous, It snewed in his hous of mete and drynke, Of alle deyntees that men koude thynke, After the sondry sesons of the yeer; So chaunged he his mete and his soper. Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in muwe, And many a breem and many a luce in stuwe. Wo was his cook but if his sauce were Poynaunt and sharp, and redy al his geere. His table dormant in his halle alway Stood redy covered al the longe day. At sessiouns ther was he lord and sire; Ful ofte tyme he was knyght of the shire. An anlaas, and a gipser al of silk, Heeng at his girdel, whit as morne milk. A shirreve hadde he been, and a countour; Was nowher such a worthy vavasour. An Haberdasshere, and a Carpenter, A Webbe, a Dyere, and a Tapycer,— And they were clothed alle in o lyveree CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

32 British Poetry Till 17th Century Of a solémpne and a greet fraternitee. Ful fressh and newe hir geere apiked was; Hir knyves were chaped noght with bras, But al with silver; wroght ful clene and weel Hire girdles and hir pouches everydeel. Wel semed ech of hem a fair burgeys To sitten in a yeldehalle, on a deys. Éverich, for the wisdom that he kan, Was shaply for to been an alderman; For catel hadde they ynogh and rente, And eek hir wyves wolde it wel assente, And elles certeyn were they to blame. It is ful fair to been y-cleped Madame, And goon to vigilies al bifore, And have a mantel roialliche y-bore. A Cook they hadde with hem for the nones, To boille the chiknes with the marybones, And poudre-marchant tart, and galyngale. Wel koude he knowe a draughte of Londoun ale. He koude rooste, and sethe, and broille, and frye, Máken mortreux, and wel bake a pye. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales… 33 But greet harm was it, as it thoughte me, That on his shyne a mormal hadde he; For blankmanger, that made he with the beste. A Shipman was ther, wonynge fer by weste; For aught I woot he was of Dertemouthe. He rood upon a rouncy, as he kouthe, In a gowne of faldyng to the knee. A daggere hangynge on a laas hadde he Aboute his nekke, under his arm adoun. The hoote somer hadde maad his hewe al broun; And certeinly he was a good felawe. Ful many a draughte of wyn hadde he y-drawe Fro Burdeux-ward, whil that the chapman sleep. Of nyce conscience took he no keep. If that he faught and hadde the hyer hond, By water he sente hem hoom to every lond. But of his craft to rekene wel his tydes, His stremes, and his daungers hym bisides, His herberwe and his moone, his lode-menage, Ther nas noon swich from Hulle to Cartage. Hardy he was and wys to undertake; CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

34 British Poetry Till 17th Century With many a tempest hadde his berd been shake. He knew alle the havenes, as they were, From Gootlond to the Cape of Fynystere, And every cryke in Britaigne and in Spayne. His barge y-cleped was the Maudelayne. With us ther was a Doctour of Phisik; In all this world ne was ther noon hym lik, To speke of phisik and of surgerye; For he was grounded in astronomye. He kepte his pacient a ful greet deel In houres, by his magyk natureel. Wel koude he fortunen the ascendent Of his ymáges for his pacient. He knew the cause of everich maladye, Were it of hoot, or cold, or moyste, or drye, And where they engendred and of what humour. He was a verray, parfit praktisour; The cause y-knowe, and of his harm the roote, Anon he yaf the sike man his boote. Ful redy hadde he his apothecaries To sende him drogges and his letuaries; CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales… 35 For ech of hem made oother for to wynne, Hir frendshipe nas nat newe to bigynne. Wel knew he the olde Esculapius, And De{\"y}scorides, and eek Rufus, Old Ypocras, Haly, and Galyen, Serapion, Razis, and Avycen, Averrois, Damascien, and Constantyn, Bernard, and Gatesden, and Gilbertyn. Of his diete mesurable was he, For it was of no superfluitee, But of greet norissyng and digestíble. His studie was but litel on the Bible. In sangwyn and in pers he clad was al, Lyned with taffata and with sendal. And yet he was but esy of dispence; He kepte that he wan in pestilence. For gold in phisik is a cordial; Therfore he lovede gold in special. A Good Wif was ther of biside Bathe, But she was som-del deef, and that was scathe. Of clooth-makyng she hadde swich an haunt CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

36 British Poetry Till 17th Century She passed hem of Ypres and of Gaunt. In al the parisshe wif ne was ther noon That to the offrynge bifore hire sholde goon; And if ther dide, certeyn so wrooth was she That she was out of alle charitee. Hir coverchiefs ful fyne weren of ground; I dorste swere they weyeden ten pound That on a Sonday weren upon hir heed. Hir hosen weren of fyn scarlet reed, Ful streite y-teyd, and shoes ful moyste and newe. Boold was hir face, and fair, and reed of hewe. She was a worthy womman al hir lyve; Housbondes at chirchedore she hadde fyve, Withouten oother compaignye in youthe; But ther-of nedeth nat to speke as nowthe. And thries hadde she been at Jérusalem; She hadde passed many a straunge strem; At Rome she hadde been, and at Boloigne, In Galice at Seint Jame, and at Coloigne. She koude muchel of wandrynge by the weye. Gat-tothed was she, soothly for to seye. Upon an amblere esily she sat, CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales… 37 Y-wympled wel, and on hir heed an hat As brood as is a bokeler or a targe; A foot-mantel aboute hir hipes large, And on hire feet a paire of spores sharpe. In felaweshipe wel koude she laughe and carpe; Of remedies of love she knew per chauncé, For she koude of that art the olde daunce. A good man was ther of religioun, And was a povre Person of a Toun; But riche he was of hooly thoght and werk. He was also a lerned man, a clerk, That Cristes Gospel trewely wolde preche; His parisshens devoutly wolde he teche. Benygne he was, and wonder diligent, And in adversitee ful pacient; And swich he was y-preved ofte sithes. Ful looth were hym to cursen for his tithes, But rather wolde he yeven, out of doute, Unto his povre parisshens aboute, Of his offrýng and eek of his substaunce; He koude in litel thyng have suffisaunce. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

38 British Poetry Till 17th Century Wyd was his parisshe, and houses fer asonder, But he ne lafte nat, for reyn ne thonder, In siknesse nor in meschief to visíte The ferreste in his parisshe, muche and lite, Upon his feet, and in his hand a staf. This noble ensample to his sheep he yaf, That first he wroghte and afterward he taughte. Out of the gospel he tho wordes caughte; And this figure he added eek therto, That if gold ruste, what shal iren doo? For if a preest be foul, on whom we truste, No wonder is a lewed man to ruste; And shame it is, if a prest take keep, A shiten shepherde and a clene sheep. Wel oghte a preest ensample for to yive By his clennesse how that his sheep sholde lyve. He sette nat his benefice to hyre And leet his sheep encombred in the myre, And ran to Londoun, unto Seinte Poules, To seken hym a chaunterie for soules, Or with a bretherhed to been withholde; But dwelte at hoom and kepte wel his folde, CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales… 39 So that the wolf ne made it nat myscarie; He was a shepherde, and noght a mercenarie. And though he hooly were and vertuous, He was to synful man nat despitous, Ne of his speche daungerous ne digne, But in his techyng díscreet and benygne. To drawen folk to hevene by fairnesse, By good ensample, this was his bisynesse. But it were any persone obstinat, What so he were, of heigh or lough estat, Hym wolde he snybben sharply for the nonys. A bettre preest I trowe that nowher noon ys. He waited after no pompe and reverence, Ne maked him a spiced conscience; But Cristes loore and his apostles twelve He taughte, but first he folwed it hymselve. With hym ther was a Plowman, was his brother, That hadde y-lad of dong ful many a fother; A trewe swynkere and a good was he, Lyvynge in pees and parfit charitee. God loved he best, with al his hoole herte, CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

40 British Poetry Till 17th Century At alle tymes, thogh him gamed or smerte. And thanne his neighebor right as hymselve. He wolde thresshe, and therto dyke and delve, For Cristes sake, for every povre wight, Withouten hire, if it lay in his myght. His tithes payede he ful faire and wel, Bothe of his propre swynk and his catel. In a tabard he rood upon a mere. Ther was also a Reve and a Millere, A Somnour and a Pardoner also, A Maunciple, and myself,—ther were namo. The Millere was a stout carl for the nones; Ful byg he was of brawn and eek of bones. That proved wel, for over-al, ther he cam, At wrastlynge he wolde have alwey the ram. He was short-sholdred, brood, a thikke knarre; Ther nas no dore that he nolde heve of harre, Or breke it at a rennyng with his heed. His berd as any sowe or fox was reed, And therto brood, as though it were a spade. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales… 41 Upon the cop right of his nose he hade A werte, and thereon stood a toft of herys, Reed as the brustles of a sowes erys; His nosethirles blake were and wyde. A swerd and a bokeler bar he by his syde. His mouth as greet was as a greet forneys; He was a janglere and a goliardeys, And that was moost of synne and harlotries. Wel koude he stelen corn and tollen thries; And yet he hadde a thombe of gold, pardee. A whit cote and a blew hood wered he. A baggepipe wel koude he blowe and sowne, And therwithal he broghte us out of towne. A gentil Maunciple was ther of a temple, Of which achátours myghte take exemple For to be wise in byynge of vitaille; For, wheither that he payde or took by taille, Algate he wayted so in his achaat That he was ay biforn and in good staat. Now is nat that of God a ful fair grace, That swich a lewed mannes wit shal pace CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

42 British Poetry Till 17th Century The wisdom of an heep of lerned men? Of maistres hadde he mo than thries ten, That weren of lawe expert and curious, Of whiche ther weren a duszeyne in that hous Worthy to been stywardes of rente and lond Of any lord that is in Engelond, To maken hym lyve by his propre good, In honour dettelees, but if he were wood, Or lyve as scarsly as hym list desire; And able for to helpen al a shire In any caas that myghte falle or happe; And yet this Manciple sette hir aller cappe The Reve was a sclendre colerik man. His berd was shave as ny as ever he kan; His heer was by his erys round y-shorn; His top was dokked lyk a preest biforn. Ful longe were his legges and ful lene, Y-lyk a staf, ther was no calf y-sene. Wel koude he kepe a gerner and a bynne; Ther was noon auditour koude on him wynne. Wel wiste he, by the droghte and by the reyn, CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)