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At night was come into that hostelry
Well nine and twenty in a company
Of sundry folk, {{alttext|by aventure y-fall
OfIn sundry folk, {{alttext|by aventure y-fallfellowship|who had by chance fallen into company}}<ref>In y-fall," "y" is a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon "ge" prefixed to participles of verbs. It is used by Chaucer merely to help the metre In German, "y-fall," or y-falle," would be "gefallen", "y-run," or "y-ronne", would be "geronnen."</ref>, and pilgrims were they all,
{{alttext|In fellowship|into company}}, and pilgrims were they all,
That toward Canterbury woulde ride.
The chamber, and the stables were wide,
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With him there was his son, a younge SQUIRE,
A lover, and a lusty bacheler,
With lockes {{alttext|crulle*|curled}} as they were laid in press. *curled
Of twenty year of age he was I guess.
Of his stature he was of even length,
And *{{alttext|wonderly deliver*|wonderfully nimble}}, and great of strength. *wonderfully nimble*
And he had been some time in {{alttext|chevachie*, *|cavalry raids}},
In Flanders, in Artois, and Picardie,
And borne him well, *{{alttext|as of so little space*, *|in such a short time*}},
In hope to standen in his lady's grace.
Embroider'd was he, as it were a mead
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He coulde songes make, and well indite,
Joust, and eke dance, and well pourtray and write.
So hot he loved, that by {{alttext|nightertale* *|night-time}}
He slept no more than doth the nightingale.
Courteous he was, lowly, and serviceable,
And carv'd before his father at the table.<10ref>It was the custom for squires of the highest degree to carve at their fathers' tables.</ref>
 
A YEOMAN had he, and servants no mo'
At that time, for *{{alttext|him list ride so* *|it pleased him so to ride*}}
And he was clad in coat and hood of green.
A sheaf of peacock arrows<11ref>Peacock Arrows: Large arrows, with peacocks' feathers.</ref> bright and keen
Under his belt he bare full thriftily.
Well could he dress his tackle yeomanly:
His arrows drooped not with feathers low;
And in his hand he bare a mighty bow.
A nut-head<ref>A nut-head: With nut-brown hair; or, round like a nut, the hair being cut short.<12/ref> had he, with a brown visiage:
Of wood-craft {{alttext|coud*|knew}} he well all the usage: *knew
Upon his arm he bare a gay {{alttext|bracer*, *|small shield}},
And by his side a sword and a buckler,
And on that other side a gay daggere,
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A Christopher on his breast of silver sheen.
An horn he bare, the baldric was of green:
A forester was he {{alttext|soothly*|certainly}} as I guess. *certainly
 
There was also a Nun, a PRIORESS,
That of her smiling was full simple and coy;
Her greatest oathe was but by Saint Loy;
And she was {{alttext|cleped*|called}} Madame Eglentine. *called
Full well she sang the service divine,
Entuned in her nose full seemly;
And French she spake full fair and {{alttext|fetisly* *|properly}}
After the school of Stratford atte Bow,
For French of Paris was to her unknow.
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Well could she carry a morsel, and well keep,
That no droppe ne fell upon her breast.
In courtesy was set full much her {{alttext|lest*. *|pleasure}}.
Her over-lippe wiped she so clean,
That in her cup there was no {{alttext|farthing*|speck}} seen *speck
Of grease, when she drunken had her draught;
Full seemely after her meat she {{alttext|raught*: *|reached out her hand}}:
And *{{alttext|sickerly she was of great disport*, *|surely she was of a lively disposition}},
And full pleasant, and amiable of port, disposition*
And *{{alttext|pained her to counterfeite cheer *took pains to assume
Of court|took pains to assume a courtly disposition}},* and be estately of mannere, a courtly disposition*
And to be holden {{alttext|digne*|worthy}} of reverence. *worthy
But for to speaken of her conscience,
She was so charitable and so {{alttext|pitous,* *|full of pity}},
She woulde weep if that she saw a mouse
Caught in a trap, if it were dead or bled.
Of smalle houndes had she, that she fed
With roasted flesh, and milk, and *{{alttext|wastel bread.* *|finest white bread*}}.
But sore she wept if one of them were dead,
Or if men smote it with a {{alttext|yarde*|staff}} smart: *staff
And all was conscience and tender heart.
Full seemly her wimple y-pinched was;
Her nose {{alttext|tretis|well-formed}};* her eyen gray as glass;<13ref>Grey *well-formedeyes appear to have been a mark of female beauty in Chaucer's time.</ref>
Her mouth full small, and thereto soft and red;
But sickerly she had a fair forehead.
It was almost a spanne broad I trow;
For *{{alttext|hardily she was not undergrow*. *|certainly she was not small*}}.
Full {{alttext|fetis*|neat}} was her cloak, as I was ware. *neat
Of small coral about her arm she bare
A pair of beades, gauded all with green;
And thereon hung a brooch of gold full sheen,
On which was first y-written a crown'd A,
And after, *{{alttext|Amor vincit omnia.* *|love conquers all*}}.
Another Nun also with her had she,
[That was her chapelleine, and PRIESTES three.]
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10. It was the custom for squires of the highest degree to carve
at their fathers' tables.
 
11. Peacock Arrows: Large arrows, with peacocks' feathers.
 
12. A nut-head: With nut-brown hair; or, round like a nut, the
hair being cut short.
 
13. Grey eyes appear to have been a mark of female beauty in
Chaucer's time.
 
14. "for the mastery" was applied to medicines in the sense of
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