That seith that hunters been noon holy men ;
Ne that a monk, whan he is reccheles,1

Is likned to a fissch that is waterles;

This is to seyn, a monk out of his cloystre.

180

But thilke 2 text held he not worth an oystre.

And I seide his opinioun was good.

What 3 schulde he studie, and make himselven wood,4
Uppon a book in cloystre alway to powre; 5

185

6

Or swynke with his handës and laboúre,

As Austyn byt?? How schal the world be served?
Lat Austyn have his swynk to him reserved.
Therfore he was a pricasour 8 aright;

Greyhoundes he hadde as swifte as fowel in flight;
Of prikyng 10 and of huntyng for the hare

190

Was al his lust,11 for no cost wolde he spare.12
I saugh 13 his slevës purfiled 14 atte 15 honde
With grys,16 and that the fyneste of a londe.
And for to festne his hood under his chynne
He hadde of gold y-wrought a curious pynne:
A love-knotte in the grettere ende ther was.
His heed was balled, and schon as eny glas,
And eek his face as he hadde ben anoynt.
He was a lord ful fat and in good poynt;
His eyen steepe,17 and rollyng in his heede,
That stemede 18 as a forneys 19 of a leede;
His bootës souple,21 his hors in gret estate.
Now certeinly he was a fair preláte;
He was not pale as a for-pynèd 22 goost.2
A fat swan lovede he best of eny roost.
His palfray was as broun as is a berye.

20

11

Pleasure.

195

200

205

1 Reckless. 2 The like, that. Why. Mad. 5 Pore. 6Work, toil. 7 Bids. 8 Hard rider. 9 Bird. 10 Spurring, riding (fast). abstain.

12 Refrain, 17 Bright.

18 Saw. 14 Trimmed, fringed. 15 At the. 16 Fur.
20 Cauldron. 21 Supple, pliant. 22 Wasted away (with

18 Shone. 19 Furnace. pine, torment). 23 Ghost.

NOTES.

165. A fair, a fair (monk): good, excellent-in mind as well as in person. For the maistrie is the French pour la maistrie,' which in old medical books is applied to such medicines as we usually call sove

reign, excellent above all others. (Tyrwhitt.)'. (Morris.)

167. To ben &c., able to be an abbot. 173. St Maur, disciple of St Benet.

St Benet, or Benedict (about 480543 A.D.), was born in Umbria, and

went to Rome to study. At fifteen, however, being disgusted with the vices he saw there, he retired to the solitude of a mountain cavern. In 529 he became Abbot of Monte Cassino, in the kingdom of Naples, and founded several other religious houses. He inculcated absolute obedience as the basis of a very rigid (somdel streyt) system of living. In the 10th century, Dunstan did much for the progress of the Benedictine order in England. 178. Hunters, &c. St Benet forbade the use of animal food. 179 Reccheles, reckless, careless; when

EMILY ON A MAY MORNING.

(From The Knight's Tale.)

This passeth zeer by zeer, and day by day,

175

Til it fel oonës1 in a morwe2 of May

And fresscher than the May with flourës newe-
For with the rose colour strof hire hewe, 3

180

I not which was the fayrere of hem5 two

8

Er it were day, as was hire wone to do,
She was arisen, and al redy dight;7
For May wole han no sloggardye anight.
The sesoun priketh every gentil herte,
And maketh him out of his sleepë sterte,
And seith, Arys, and do thin observance.'9
This makede Emelye han rémembrance
To don honour to May, and for to ryse.
I-clothed was sche fresshe for to devyse.10
Hire zelwe heer was browded in a tresse,'
Behynde hire bak, a zerde long I gesse.
And in the gardyn at the sonne upriste 12
Sche walketh up and down, and as hire liste 13

11

185

190

8 Will have.(brook)

11 Her yellow

1 Once. 2 Morrow, morning. 3 Strove (vied) her hue (complexion). Ne wot, know not. 5 Them. 6 Wont, custom. 7 Dressed. no sloth. 9 Shew thy respect. 10 To relate, describe, tell. hair was braided in a tress (plait). 12 The sun's uprising. pleases.

13 As her (it)

Sche gadereth flourës, party1 whyte and reede,
To make a sotil2 garland for hire heede,

And as an aungel hevenly sche song.

1 Partly.

Subtle, lit. finely woven.

NOTES.

179. Fresscher than the May. Cf. the description of the Squire, Prol. 92 (above).

184. May wole han &c. Cf. Dunbar, The Thrissil (Thistle) and the Rois (Rose), lines 15 and 22:

'Me thocht fresche May befoir my bed up stude.

195

"Slugird," scho said, "awalk

annone for schame.""

187. And seith, &c. Cf. again Dunbar, The Thrissil and the Rois, 36-7: With that, this Lady [May] sobirly did smyle,

And said "Upryse, and do thy observance."

THE COCK, CHANTICLEER
(From The Nun's Priest's Tale.)

A 5erd sche1 hadde, enclosed al aboute

With stikkes, and a dryë dich withoute,

In which she hadde a cok, highte2 Chauntecleere,
In al the lond of3 crowyng nas1 his peere.5
His vois was merier than the mery orgon,?

6

On massë dayes that in the chirche goon;

Wel sikerer was his crowyng in his logge9

30

Than is a clok, or an abbay orologge.10

By nature knew he ech ascensioun

35

Of equinoxial in thilke toun;

For whan degrees fiftene were ascended,

Thanne crew he, that" it mighte not ben amended.
His comb was redder than the fyn corál,
And batayld,12 as it were a castel wal.

40

His bile 13 was blak, and as the geet 14 it schon;
Lik asure 15 were his leggës, and his ton; 16

ant.

His nayles whitter than the lily flour,
And lik the burnischt gold was his coloúr.

1 A poor widow. 2 Called. 3 For. Ne was, was not.
7 Organs. 8 Surer, more to be relied on. 9 Lodge.
ologe (clock). 11 (So well) that. 12 Battled, embattled.
15 Azure. 16 Toes.

NOTES.

29. Chauntecleere, Chanticleer, the bird that chants (sings) with loud and clear notes. As if from Fr. chanter,

5 Equal. 6 Pleas 10 An abbey hor13 Bill, neb. 14 Jet.

Lat. cantare (to sing), and Fr. cler, clair, Lat. clarus, Eng. 'clear.' Perhaps really a corruption of Lat.

the sun). Lat. ascendo (mount up), from ad (to), and scando (climb). 36. Of, from, or above.- -Equinoxial, equinoctial (circle), the apparent path of the sun round the earth when day and night are equal. Lat. æquus (equal), and noct- (night). 40. Batayld refers to the notched, indented, or tooth-like edge, as in battlements.

42. Ton, or toon (486), toes. The old plur. in en. In 510 we find 'toos.'

THE COCK AND THE FOX.

(From The Nun's Priest's Tale.)

THE FOX FLATTERS THE COCK, DISASTROUSLY.
This Chaunteclere, whan he gan1 him aspye,
He wolde han fled, but that the fox anon
Saide, 'Gentil sire, allas! wher wol ze goon?
Be se affrayd of me that am 30ure freend?
Now certes, I were worse than a feend,
If I to 30w wolde 2 harm or vileynye.
I am nouzt come zoure counsail for tespye.3
But trewely the cause of my comуnge
Was oonly for to herkne how that ze singe.
For trewely ze have als mery a steven1
As eny aungel hath that is in heven;
Therwith ze han in music more felynge
Than hadde Boëce, or eny that can synge.
My lord 30ure fader (God his soulë blesse)
And eek zoure moder of hire gentilesse
Han in myn hous ibeen, to my gret ese; 8
And certes, sire, ful fayn wolde I 30w plese.
But for men speke of syngyng, I wol saye
So mot I broukë 9 wel myn eyen twaye,
Save zou, I herdë nevere man so synge
As dede zoure fader in the morwenynge.10
Certes it was of herte 11 al that he song.
And for to make his vois the morë strong,

5

465

470

475

480

1 Did. 2 Willed, would (do). To espye (or aspye), to spy. Voice. 5 Feeling. Gentleness. 7 Been. 8 Pleasure, entertainment. 9 Enjoy.

11 From (his) heart.

10 Morning.

He wolde so peyne1 him, that with bothe his eyen
He mostë wynke, so lowde he woldë crien,
And stonden on his typtoon2 therwithal,
And strecchë forth his neckë long and smal
Now syngeth, sire, for seintë Charité,
Let se, konne ze zoure fader countrefete ?' 3
This Chaunteclere his wyngës gan to bete,
As man that couthe 4 his tresoun nought espye,
So was he ravyssht with his flaterie . . . .
This Chaunteclere stood heighe upon his toos,
Strecching his necke, and held his eyghen cloos,
And gan to crowë lowdë for the noones;5
And daun 6 Russel the fox sterte?
up at oones,8
And by the garget 9 hentë 10 Chauntecleer,
And on his bak toward the woode him beer.
For zit was ther no man that hadde him sewed.11
O destiny, that maist 12 not ben eschiewed !
Allas, that Chaunteclere fleigh 13 fro the bemes!
Allas, his wife ne roughte1 nouzt of dremes!

14

LAMENTATION IN THE HEN-YARD.

Certes such cry ne lamentacioun

485

500

510

515

Was nevere of ladies maad, whan Ilioun

535

Was wonne, and Pirrus with his streite 15 swerd,

When he hadde hent kyng Priam by the berd,

And slain him (as saith us Eneydos),

As maden alle the hennës in the clos,16

When they hadde seyn 17 of Chaunteclere the sighte... 540

HUE AND CRY: A FOX-HUNT.

This sely 18 wydwe,19 and eek hire doughtres tuo,

Herden these hennes crie and maken wo,

And out at dorës starten thay anoon,20
And seyen
21 the fox toward the grovë goon,
And bar upon his bak the cok away;
They criden, 'Out! harrow and wayleway!
Ha, ha, the fox!' and after him thay ran,
And eek with stavës many another man;

555

560

1 Pain. 2 Tip-toes. 3 Counterfeit, sing like (as if it were) your father. Could. 5 Nonce, (one) occasion. Dan, Lord, Maister. 7 Started. 8 At once. 9 Gorge, throat. 10 Seized. 11 Pursued. 12 Mayst. 13 Flew. 14 Recked, cared. 15 Drawn. 16 Inclosure, yard. 17 Seen. 18 Simple. 19 Widow. 20 Anon. 21 Saw.