The Canterbury Tales/Source/The General Prologue: Difference between revisions

His berd as any sowe or fox was reed,

And therto brood, as though it were a spade.

A werte, and thereon stood a toft of heres

Reed as the brustles of a sowes eres;

A swerd and bokeler bar he by his syde.

His mouth as greet was as a greet forneys,

But who so koude in oother thyng hym grope,

Thanne hadde he spent al his plilosophie;

He was a gentil harlot and a kynde,

A bettre felawe sholde men noght fynde;

But hood, for jolitee, wered he noon,

For it was trussed up in his walet.

Dischevele, save his cappe, he rood al bare.

Swiche glarynge eyen hadde he as an hare.

But of his craft, fro Berwyk into Ware,

Ne was ther swich another Pardoner;

Which that he seyde was Oure Lady veyl;

He seyde, he hadde a gobet of the seyl

For by my trouthe, if that I shal nat lye,

I saugh nat this yeer so myrie a compaignye

Fayn wolde I doon yow myrthe, wiste I how-

And of a myrthe I am right now bythoght

When Zephyr quickens with his sweet breath,

Has inspired in every holt and heath,

Into the Ram<ref>Tyrwhitt points out that "the Bull" should be read here, not "the Ram," which would place the time of the pilgrimage in the end of March; whereas, in the Prologue to the Man of Law's Tale, the date is given as the "eight and twenty day of April, that is messenger to May."</ref> one half his course has run,

And little birds make melody

 

There was a housewife come from Bath, or near,

At cloth-making she had such a haunt,

She surpassed those of Ypres and even of Gaunt.<ref>The west of England, especially around Bath, was the seat of the cloth-manufacture, as were Ypres and Ghent (Gaunt) in Flanders.</ref>

Leaving his flock to flounder in the mire,

And ran to London, up to old Saint Paul's

Nor in some brotherhood did he withhold;

But dwelt at home and kept so well the fold

Hardy and big of brawn and big of bone;

Which was well proved, for when he went on lam

He was a chunky fellow, broad of build;

He'd heave a door from hinges if he willed,

A sword and buckler bore he by his side.

His mouth was like a furnace door for size.

But mostly all of sin and ribaldries.

He could steal corn and full thrice charge his fees;

And with that same he brought us out of town.

 

To whom all buyers might quite well resort

To learn the art of buying food and drink;

And yet this manciple outguessed them all.

 

Who shaved his beard as close as razor can.

His hair was cut round even with his ears;

And ever he rode hindmost of our troop.

 

Who had a fiery-red, cherubic face,

For eczema he had; his eyes were narrow

No wonder, for he'd heard it all the day;

And all you know right well that even a jay

But when, for aught else, into him you'd grope,

'Twas found he'd spent his whole philosophy;

A better comrade 'twould be hard to find.

Why, he would suffer, for a quart of wine,

A curse ought every guilty man to dread

(For curse can kill, as absolution save),

In his own power had he, and at ease,

And knew their secrets, and by counsel led.

A garland had he set upon his head,

A buckler had he made of bread they bake.

 

Of Rouncival, his friend and his compeer;

Straight from the court of Rome had journeyed he.

Dishevelled, save for cap, his head all bare.

As shiny eyes he had as has a hare.

His wallet lay before him in his lap,

Stuffed full of pardons brought from Rome all hot.

Of the assembling of this company

In Southwark, at this noble hostelry

But now the time is come wherein to tell

How all we bore ourselves that very night

A seemly man our good host was, withal,

Fit to have been a marshal in some hall;

Bold in his speech, and wise, and right well taught,

And as to manhood, lacking there in naught.

I have not seen, this year, a company

Here in this inn, fitter for sport than now.

And of a game have I this moment thought

To give you joy, and it shall cost you naught.

He gathered us together in a flock,

And forth we rode, a jog-trot being the pace,

And there our host pulled horse up to a walk,

And said: Now, masters, listen while I talk.

Come near, quoth he, my lady prioress:

And you, sir clerk, put by your bashfulness,

At once to draw a cut each one began,

And, to make short the matter, as it was,