The Age of Chaucer
The Prologue
from The Canterbury Tales
Poem by Geoffrey Chaucer Translated by Nevill Coghill
did you know?
Geoffrey Chaucer . . .
• was captured and
held for ransom while
fighting for England in
the Hundred Years’ War.
• held various jobs,
including royal
messenger, justice of the
peace, and forester.
• portrayed himself as a
foolish character in a
number of works.
Meet the Author
Geoffrey Chaucer made an enormous
mark on the language and literature of
England. Writing in an age when French
was widely spoken in educated circles,
Chaucer was among the first writers to
show that English could be a respectable
literary language. Today, his work is
considered a cornerstone of English
literature.
Befriended by Royalty Chaucer was
born sometime between 1340 and 1343,
probably in London, in an era when
expanding commerce was helping to
bring about growth in villages and cities.
His family, though not noble, was well
off, and his parents were able to place
him in the household of the wife of
Prince Lionel, a son of King Edward
III, where he served as an attendant.
Such a position was a vital means of
advancement; the young Chaucer learned
the customs of upper-class life and
came into contact with influential
people. It may have been during this
period that Chaucer met Lionel’s
younger brother, John of Gaunt,
who would become Chaucer’s
lifelong patron and a leading
political figure of the day.
A Knight and a
Writer
Although
Chaucer wrote his first
important work around 1370, writing
was always a sideline; his primary career
was in diplomacy. During Richard II’s
troubled reign (1377 to 1399), Chaucer
was appointed a member of Parliament
and knight of the shire. When Richard
II was overthrown in 1399 by Henry
Bolingbroke (who became King Henry
IV), Chaucer managed to retain his
political position, as Henry was the son of
John of Gaunt.
Despite the turmoil of the 1380s and
1390s, the last two decades of Chaucer’s
life saw his finest literary achievements—
the brilliant verse romance Troilus
and Criseyde and his masterpiece, The
Canterbury Tales, a collection of verse and
prose tales of many different kinds. At the
time of his death, Chaucer had penned
nearly 20,000 lines of The Canterbury
Tales, but many more tales were planned.
Uncommon Honor When he died in
1400, Chaucer was accorded a rare honor
for a commoner—burial in London’s
Westminster Abbey. In 1556, an admirer
erected an elaborate marble monument
to his memory. This was the beginning of
the Abbey’s famous Poets’ Corner, where
many of England’s most distinguished
writers have since been buried.
Geoffrey Chaucer 1340?–1400
KEYWORD: HML12-142A
VIDEO TRAILER
Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML12-142B
Author Online
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RL 1 Cite textual evidence to
support analysis of what the
text says explicitly. RL 3 Analyze
the impact of the author’s
choices regarding how to
develop and relate elements
of a story. RL 4 Analyze the
impact of specific word choices
on tone. RL 10 Read and
comprehend literature.
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What makes
a great
character?
Creating a great character requires
a sharp eye for detail, a keen
understanding of people, and a brilliant
imagination—all of which Chaucer
possessed. Chaucer populated The
Canterbury Tales with a colorful cast of
characters whose virtues and flaws ring
true even today, hundreds of years later.
QU
ICKWRITE Work with a par
tner
to invent a character. Start with
an intriguing name. Then come up
with questions that will reveal basic
information about the character, such
as his or her age, physical appearance,
family and friends, job, home, and
personal tastes. Brainstorm possible
answers for the questions. Then circle
the responses that have the best
potential for making a lively character.
text analysis: characterization
Characterization refers to the techniques a writer uses to develop
characters. In “The Prologue,” the introduction to The Canterbury
Tales, Chaucer offers a vivid portrait of English society during the
Middle Ages. Among his 30 characters are clergy, aristocrats, and
commoners. Chaucer employs a dramatic structure similar to
Boccaccio’s The Decameron—each pilgrim tells a tale. Some of
the ways Chaucer characterizes the pilgrims include
• description of a character’s appearance
• examples of a character’s speech, thoughts, and actions
• the responses of others to a character
• the narrator’s direct, or explicit, comments about a character
As you read, look for details that reveal the character traits,
or consistent qualities, of each pilgrim.
reading strategy: paraphrase
Reading medieval texts, such as The Canterbury Tales, can be
challenging because they often contain unfamiliar words
and complex sentences. One way that you can make sense
of Chaucer’s work is to paraphrase, or restate information in
your own words. A paraphrase is usually the same length as
the original text but contains simpler language. As you read,
paraphrase difficult passages. Here is an example.
Chaucer’s Words Paraphrase
“When in April the sweet showers
fall/A
nd pierce the drought of
March to the root, . . . ” (lines 1–2)
When the April rains come and end
the dryness of March, . . .
vocabulary in context
The following boldfaced words are critical to understanding
Chaucer’s literary masterpiece. Try to figure out the meaning
of each word from its context.
1. The refined gentleman always behaved with courtliness.
2. She remained calm and sedately finished her meal.
3. The popular politician was charming and personable.
4. When you save money in a bank, interest will accrue.
5. Does she suffer from heart disease or another malady?
6. She made an entreaty to the king, asking for a pardon.
Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook.
Name: Bartholomew
Throckmorton
1. What is his occupation?
duke
squire to a knight
sea captain
town doctor
grave digger
2. Where does he live?
3.
4.
5.
the canterbury tales 143
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144 unit 1: the anglo-saxon and medieval periods
When in April the sweet showers fall
And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all
The veins are bathed in liquor of such power
As brings about the engendering of the flower,
When also Zephyrus with his sweet breath
Exhales an air in every grove and heath
Upon the tender shoots, and the young sun
His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run,
And the small fowl are making melody
That sleep away the night with open eye
(So nature pricks them and their heart engages)
Then people long to go on pilgrimages
And palmers long to seek the stranger strands
Of far-off saints, hallowed in sundry lands,
And specially, from every shire’s end
Of England, down to Canterbury they wend
To seek the holy blissful martyr, quick
To give his help to them when they were sick.
a
It happened in that season that one day
In Southwark, at The Tabard, as I lay
5
10
15
20
background In “The Prologue” of The Canterbury Tales, a
group gathers at the Tabard Inn in Southwark, a town just south
of London, to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas à
Becket at Canterbury. At the suggestion of the innkeeper, the group
decides to hold a storytelling competition to pass the time as they
travel. “The Prologue” introduces the “sundry folk” who will tell the
stories and is followed by the tales themselves—24 in all.
he canterbury tales
Geoffrey Chaucer
The prologue
5 Zephyrus (zDfPEr-Es): the Greek god
of the west wind.
8 the Ram: Aries—the first sign of
the zodiac. The time is mid-April.
13 palmers: people journeying to
religious shrines; pilgrims; strands:
shores.
14 sundry (sOnPdrC): various.
15 shire’s: county’s.
17 martyr: St. Thomas à Becket.
a
PARAPHRASE
Restate lines 1–18. Why does
the group make its pilgrimage
in April?
Illustrations by Teresa Fasolino.
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146 unit 1: the anglo-saxon and medieval periods
Ready to go on pilgrimage and start
For Canterbury, most devout at heart,
At night there came into that hostelry
Some nine and twenty in a company
Of sundry folk happening then to fall
In fellowship, and they were pilgrims all
That towards Canterbury meant to ride.
The rooms and stables of the inn were wide;
They made us easy, all was of the best.
And, briefly, when the sun had gone to rest,
I’d spoken to them all upon the trip
And was soon one with them in fellowship,
Pledged to rise early and to take the way
To Canterbury, as you heard me say.
But none the less, while I have time and space,
Before my story takes a further pace,
It seems a reasonable thing to say
What their condition was, the full array
Of each of them, as it appeared to me,
According to profession and degree,
And what apparel they were riding in;
And at a Knight I therefore will begin.
b
There was a Knight, a most distinguished man,
Who from the day on which he first began
To ride abroad had followed chivalry,
Truth, honor, generousness and courtesy.
He had done nobly in his sovereign’s war
And ridden into battle, no man more,
As well in Christian as in heathen places,
And ever honored for his noble graces.
When we took Alexandria, he was there.
He often sat at table in the chair
Of honor, above all nations, when in Prussia.
In Lithuania he had ridden, and Russia,
No Christian man so often, of his rank.
When, in Granada, Algeciras sank
Under assault, he had been there, and in
North Africa, raiding Benamarin;
In Anatolia he had been as well
And fought when Ayas and Attalia fell,
For all along the Mediterranean coast
He had embarked with many a noble host.
In fifteen mortal battles he had been
And jousted for our faith at Tramissene
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
45 chivalry (shGvPEl-rC):
the code of
behavior of medieval knights, which
stressed the values listed in line 46.
51 Alexandria: a city in Egypt,
captured by European Christians in
1365. All the places named in lines
51–64 were scenes of conflicts in
which medieval Christians battled
Muslims and other non-Christian
peoples.
64 jousted: fought with a lance in
an arranged battle against another
knight.
b
PARAPHRASE
Paraphrase lines 35–42. What
does the narrator set out to
accomplish in “The Prologue”?
23 hostelry (hJsPtEl-rC): inn.
Language Coach
Roots and Affixes The suffix
-ship can mean “someone
entitled to a specific rank
of” (lordship), “art or skill of”
(craftsmanship), or “state of”
(friendship). Which meaning
applies to fellowship? Give
another example of each use
of -ship.
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the canterbury tales 147
Thrice in the lists, and always killed his man.
This same distinguished knight had led the van
Once with the Bey of Balat, doing work
For him against another heathen Turk;
He was of sovereign value in all eyes.
And though so much distinguished, he was wise
And in his bearing modest as a maid.
He never yet a boorish thing had said
In all his life to any, come what might;
He was a true, a perfect gentle-knight.
c
Speaking of his equipment, he possessed
Fine horses, but he was not gaily dressed.
He wore a fustian tunic stained and dark
With smudges where his armor had left mark;
Just home from service, he had joined our ranks
To do his pilgrimage and render thanks.
He had his son with him, a fine young Squire,
A lover and cadet, a lad of fire
With locks as curly as if they had been pressed.
He was some twenty years of age, I guessed.
In stature he was of a moderate length,
With wonderful agility and strength.
He’d seen some service with the cavalry
In Flanders and Artois and Picardy
And had done valiantly in little space
Of time, in hope to win his lady’s grace.
He was embroidered like a meadow bright
And full of freshest flowers, red and white.
Singing he was, or fluting all the day;
He was as fresh as is the month of May.
Short was his gown, the sleeves were long and wide;
He knew the way to sit a horse and ride.
He could make songs and poems and recite,
Knew how to joust and dance, to draw and write.
He loved so hotly that till dawn grew pale
He slept as little as a nightingale.
Courteous he was, lowly and serviceable,
And carved to serve his father at the table.
There was a Yeoman with him at his side,
No other servant; so he chose to ride.
This Yeoman wore a coat and hood of green,
And peacock-feathered arrows, bright and keen
And neatly sheathed, hung at his belt the while
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
77 fustian (fOsPchEn): a strong cloth
made of linen and c
otton.
81 Squire: a young man attending
on and receiving training from a
knight.
82 cadet: soldier in training.
88 Flanders and Artois (är-twäP) and
Picardy (pGkPEr-dC): areas in what is
now Belgium and northern France.
93 fluting: whistling.
103 Yeoman (yIPmEn): an attendant
in a noble household; him: the
Knight.
65 thrice: three times; lists: fenced
areas for jousting.
66 van: vanguard—the troops
foremost in an attack.
67 Bey of Balat: a Turkish ruler.
c
CHARACTERIZATION
Reread lines 43–74. What do
the Knight’s actions on and off
the battlefield reveal about his
character? Cite details to support
your answer.
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148 unit 1: the anglo-saxon and medieval periods
—For he could dress his gear in yeoman style,
His arrows never drooped their feathers low—
And in his hand he bore a mighty bow.
His head was like a nut, his face was brown.
He knew the whole of woodcraft up and down.
A saucy brace was on his arm to ward
It from the bow-string, and a shield and sword
Hung at one side, and at the other slipped
A jaunty dirk, spear-sharp and well-equipped.
A medal of St. Christopher he wore
Of shining silver on his breast, and bore
A hunting-horn, well slung and burnished clean,
That dangled from a baldrick of bright green.
He was a proper forester, I guess.
There also was a Nun, a Prioress,
Her way of smiling very simple and coy.
Her greatest oath was only “By St. Loy!”
And she was known as Madam Eglantyne.
And well she sang a service, with a fine
Intoning through her nose, as was most seemly,
And she spoke daintily in French, extremely,
After the school of Stratford-atte-Bowe;
French in the Paris style she did not know.
At meat her manners were well taught withal;
No morsel from her lips did she let fall,
Nor dipped her fingers in the sauce too deep;
But she could carry a morsel up and keep
The smallest drop from falling on her breast.
For courtliness she had a special zest,
And she would wipe her upper lip so clean
That not a trace of grease was to be seen
Upon the cup when she had drunk; to eat,
She reached a hand sedately for the meat.
She certainly was very entertaining,
Pleasant and friendly in her ways, and straining
To counterfeit a courtly kind of grace,
A stately bearing fitting to her place,
And to seem dignified in all her dealings.
d
As for her sympathies and tender feelings,
She was so charitably solicitous
She used to weep if she but saw a mouse
Caught in a trap, if it were dead or bleeding.
And she had little dogs she would be feeding
With roasted flesh, or milk, or fine white bread.
And bitterly she wept if one were dead
110
115
120
125
130
135
140
145
150
122 Prioress: a nun ranking just
below the abbess (head) of a c
onvent.
116 dirk: small dagger.
117 St. Christopher: patron saint of
travelers.
124 St. Loy: St. Eligius (known as St.
Éloi in France).
129 Stratford-atte-Bowe: a town
(now part of London) near the
Prioress’s convent.
131 at meat: when dining; withal:
moreover.
120 baldrick: shoulder strap.
143 counterfeit: imitate.
courtliness (kôrtPlC-nGs) n.
polite, elegant manners; refined
behavior
sedately (sG-dAtPlC) adv. in a
composed, dignified manner;
calmly
113 saucy: jaunty; stylish; brace: a
leather arm-guard worn by archers.
d
CHARACTERIZATION
Reread lines 122–145. Which
details suggest that the Prioress
may be trying to appear more
sophisticated than she really is?
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the canterbury tales 149
Or someone took a stick and made it smart;
She was all sentiment and tender heart.
Her veil was gathered in a seemly way,
Her nose was elegant, her eyes glass-grey;
Her mouth was very small, but soft and red,
Her forehead, certainly, was fair of spread,
Almost a span across the brows, I own;
She was indeed by no means undergrown.
Her cloak, I noticed, had a graceful charm.
She wore a coral trinket on her arm,
A set of beads, the gaudies tricked in green,
Whence hung a golden brooch of brightest sheen
On which there first was graven a crowned A,
And lower, Amor vincit omnia.
Another Nun, the secretary at her cell,
Was riding with her, and three Priests as well.
A Monk there was, one of the finest sort
Who rode the country; hunting was his sport.
A manly man, to be an Abbot able;
Many a dainty horse he had in stable.
His bridle, when he rode, a man might hear
Jingling in a whistling wind as clear,
Aye, and as loud as does the chapel bell
Where my lord Monk was Prior of the cell.
The Rule of good St. Benet or St. Maur
As old and strict he tended to ignore;
He let go by the things of yesterday
And took the modern world’s more spacious way.
He did not rate that text at a plucked hen
Which says that hunters are not holy men
And that a monk uncloistered is a mere
Fish out of water, flapping on the pier,
That is to say a monk out of his cloister.
That was a text he held not worth an oyster;
And I agreed and said his views were sound;
Was he to study till his head went round
Poring over books in cloisters? Must he toil
As Austin bade and till the very soil?
Was he to leave the world upon the shelf?
Let Austin have his labor to himself.
This Monk was therefore a good man to horse;
Greyhounds he had, as swift as birds, to course.
Hunting a hare or riding at a fence
155
160
165
170
175
180
185
190
195
159 span: a unit of length equal
to nine inches. A br
oad forehead
was considered a sign of beauty in
Chaucer’s day.
171 Abbot: the head of a monastery.
172 dainty: excellent.
163 gaudies: the larger beads in a
set of prayer beads.
166 Amor vincit omnia (äPmôr
wGnPkGt ômPnC-E): Latin for “Love
conquers all things.”
176 Prior of the cell: head of a
subsidiary group of monks.
177 St. Benet . . . St. Maur: St.
Benedict, who established a strict set
of rules for monks’ behavior, and his
follower, St. Maurus, who introduced
those rules into France.
190 Austin: St. Augustine of Hippo,
who recommended that monks
engage in hard agricultural labor.
194 to course: for hunting.
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150 unit 1: the anglo-saxon and medieval periods
Was all his fun, he spared for no expense.
I saw his sleeves were garnished at the hand
With fine grey fur, the finest in the land,
And on his hood, to fasten it at his chin
He had a wrought-gold cunningly fashioned pin;
Into a lover’s knot it seemed to pass.
His head was bald and shone like looking-glass;
So did his face, as if it had been greased.
He was a fat and personable priest;
His prominent eyeballs never seemed to settle.
e
They glittered like the flames beneath a kettle;
Supple his boots, his horse in fine condition.
He was a prelate fit for exhibition,
He was not pale like a tormented soul.
He liked a fat swan best, and roasted whole.
His palfrey was as brown as is a berry.
There was a Friar, a wanton one and merry,
A Limiter, a very festive fellow.
In all Four Orders there was none so mellow,
So glib with gallant phrase and well-turned speech.
He’d fixed up many a marriage, giving each
Of his young women what he could afford her.
He was a noble pillar to his Order.
Highly beloved and intimate was he
With County folk within his boundary,
And city dames of honor and possessions;
For he was qualified to hear confessions,
200
205
210
215
220
222 confessions: church rites in
which people conf
ess their sins to
clergy members. Only certain friars
were licensed to hear confessions.
211 palfrey (pôlPfrC): saddle horse.
e
CHARACTERIZATION
List three character traits of the
Monk. In what ways does the
narrator appear to poke fun at
him?
212 Friar: a member of a religious
group sworn to poverty and living
on charitable donations; wanton
(wJnPtEn): playful; jolly.
213 Limiter: a friar licensed to beg
for donations in a limited area.
214 Four Orders: the four groups
of friars—Dominican, Franciscan,
Carmelite, and Augustinian.
personable (pûrPsE-nE-bEl)
adj. pleasing in behavior and
appearance
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the canterbury tales 151
Or so he said, with more than priestly scope;
He had a special license from the Pope.
Sweetly he heard his penitents at shrift
With pleasant absolution, for a gift.
He was an easy man in penance-giving
Where he could hope to make a decent living;
It’s a sure sign whenever gifts are given
To a poor Order that a man’s well shriven,
And should he give enough he knew in verity
The penitent repented in sincerity.
For many a fellow is so hard of heart
He cannot weep, for all his inward smart.
Therefore instead of weeping and of prayer
One should give silver for a poor Friar’s care.
He kept his tippet stuffed with pins for curls,
And pocket-knives, to give to pretty girls.
And certainly his voice was gay and sturdy,
For he sang well and played the hurdy-gurdy.
At sing-songs he was champion of the hour.
His neck was whiter than a lily-flower
But strong enough to butt a bruiser down.
He knew the taverns well in every town
And every innkeeper and barmaid too
Better than lepers, beggars and that crew,
f
For in so eminent a man as he
It was not fitting with the dignity
Of his position, dealing with a scum
Of wretched lepers; nothing good can come
Of commerce with such slum-and-gutter dwellers,
But only with the rich and victual-sellers.
But anywhere a profit might accrue
Courteous he was and lowly of service too.
Natural gifts like his were hard to match.
He was the finest beggar of his batch,
And, for his begging-district, paid a rent;
His brethren did no poaching where he went.
For though a widow mightn’t have a shoe,
So pleasant was his holy how-d’ye-do
He got his farthing from her just the same
Before he left, and so his income came
To more than he laid out. And how he romped,
Just like a puppy! He was ever prompt
To arbitrate disputes on settling days
(For a small fee) in many helpful ways,
Not then appearing as your cloistered scholar
With threadbare habit hardly worth a dollar,
225
230
235
240
245
250
255
260
265
240 hurdy-gurdy: a stringed musical
instrument,
similar to a lute, played
by turning a crank while pressing
down keys.
237 tippet: an extension of a hood or
sleeve, used as a pocket.
252 victual (vGtPl): food.
f
PARAPHRASE
Restate lines 237–246. How
does the Friar spend the money
he earns through hearing
confessions?
accrue (E-krLP) v. to be added or
gained; to accumulate
261 farthing: a coin of small value
used in England until recent times.
265 settling days: days on which
disputes were settled out of court.
Friars often acted as arbiters in
the disputes and charged for their
services, though forbidden by the
church to do so.
230 well shriven: completely
forgiven through the rite of
confession.
231 verity: truth.
225 shrift: confession.
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152 unit 1: the anglo-saxon and medieval periods
But much more like a Doctor or a Pope.
Of double-worsted was the semi-cope
Upon his shoulders, and the swelling fold
About him, like a bell about its mold
When it is casting, rounded out his dress.
He lisped a little out of wantonness
To make his English sweet upon his tongue.
When he had played his harp, or having sung,
His eyes would twinkle in his head as bright
As any star upon a frosty night.
This worthy’s name was Hubert, it appeared.
There was a Merchant with a forking beard
And motley dress; high on his horse he sat,
Upon his head a Flemish beaver hat
And on his feet daintily buckled boots.
He told of his opinions and pursuits
In solemn tones, he harped on his increase
Of capital; there should be sea-police
(He thought) upon the Harwich-Holland ranges;
He was expert at dabbling in exchanges.
This estimable Merchant so had set
His wits to work, none knew he was in debt,
He was so stately in administration,
In loans and bargains and negotiation.
He was an excellent fellow all the same;
To tell the truth I do not know his name.
g
An Oxford Cleric, still a student though,
One who had taken logic long ago,
Was there; his horse was thinner than a rake,
And he was not too fat, I undertake,
But had a hollow look, a sober stare;
The thread upon his overcoat was bare.
He had found no preferment in the church
And he was too unworldly to make search
For secular employment. By his bed
He preferred having twenty books in red
And black, of Aristotle’s philosophy,
Than costly clothes, fiddle or psaltery.
Though a philosopher, as I have told,
He had not found the stone for making gold.
Whatever money from his friends he took
He spent on learning or another book
And prayed for them most earnestly, returning
Thanks to them thus for paying for his learning.
270
275
280
285
290
295
300
305
310
281 motley: multicolored.
282 Flemish: fr
om Flanders, an area
in what is now Belgium and northern
France.
301 preferment: advancement.
287 Harwich-Holland ranges:
shipping routes between Harwich
(hBrPGj), a port on England’s east
coast, and the country of Holland.
288 exchanges: selling foreign
currency at a profit.
305 Aristotle’s philosophy: the
writings of Aristotle, a famous Greek
philosopher of the fourth century b.c.
306 psaltery (sôlPtE-rC): a stringed
instrument.
307–308 Though a philosopher . . .
gold: The “philosopher’s stone”
supposedly turned metals into gold.
295 Cleric: a student preparing for
the priesthood.
g
PARAPHRASE
Paraphrase lines 284–294.
Is the Merchant a successful
businessman? Why or why not?
270 double-worsted (wMsPtGd): a
strong, fairly costly fabric made from
tightly twisted woolen yarn; semi-
cope: a short cloak.
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the canterbury tales 153
His only care was study, and indeed
He never spoke a word more than was need,
Formal at that, respectful in the extreme,
Short, to the point, and lofty in his theme.
A tone of moral virtue filled his speech
And gladly would he learn, and gladly teach.
h
A Sergeant at the Law who paid his calls,
Wary and wise, for clients at St. Paul’s
There also was, of noted excellence.
Discreet he was, a man to reverence,
Or so he seemed, his sayings were so wise.
He often had been Justice of Assize
By letters patent, and in full commission.
His fame and learning and his high position
Had won him many a robe and many a fee.
There was no such conveyancer as he;
All was fee-simple to his strong digestion,
Not one conveyance could be called in question.
Though there was nowhere one so busy as he,
He was less busy than he seemed to be.
He knew of every judgment, case and crime
Ever recorded since King William’s time.
He could dictate defenses or draft deeds;
No one could pinch a comma from his screeds
And he knew every statute off by rote.
He wore a homely parti-colored coat,
Girt with a silken belt of pin-stripe stuff;
Of his appearance I have said enough.
There was a Franklin with him, it appeared;
White as a daisy-petal was his beard.
A sanguine man, high-colored and benign,
He loved a morning sop of cake in wine.
He lived for pleasure and had always done,
For he was Epicurus’ very son,
In whose opinion sensual delight
Was the one true felicity in sight.
As noted as St. Julian was for bounty
He made his household free to all the County.
His bread, his ale were finest of the fine
And no one had a better stock of wine.
His house was never short of bake-meat pies,
Of fish and flesh, and these in such supplies
It positively snowed with meat and drink
And all the dainties that a man could think.
i
315
320
325
330
335
340
345
350
355
319 Sergeant at the Law: a lawyer
appointed by the monarch to serve
as a judge.
320 St. Paul’s: the cathedral of
London, outside which lawyers met
clients when the courts were closed.
324 Justice of Assize: a judge who
traveled about the country to hear
cases.
325 letters patent: royal documents
commissioning a judge.
328 conveyancer: a lawyer
specializing in conveyances (deeds)
and property disputes.
329 fee-simple: property owned
without restrictions.
334 King William’s time: the reign
of William the Conqueror.
336 screeds: documents.
341 Franklin: a wealthy landowner.
343 sanguine (sBngPgwGn): cheerful
and good-natured.
346 Epicurus’ very son: someone
who pursues pleasure as the chief
goal in life, as the ancient Greek
philosopher Epicurus was supposed
to have recommended.
349 St. Julian: the patron saint of
hospitality; bounty: generosity.
h
CHARACTERIZATION
Reread lines 295–318. In what
ways does the Oxford Cleric
differ from the Monk and the
Friar? Cite details.
i
CHARACTERIZATION
What does the narrator state
directly about the Franklin in
lines 341–356?
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154 unit 1: the anglo-saxon and medieval periods
According to the seasons of the year
Changes of dish were ordered to appear.
He kept fat partridges in coops, beyond,
Many a bream and pike were in his pond.
Woe to the cook unless the sauce was hot
And sharp, or if he wasn’t on the spot!
And in his hall a table stood arrayed
And ready all day long, with places laid.
As Justice at the Sessions none stood higher;
He often had been Member for the Shire.
A dagger and a little purse of silk
Hung at his girdle, white as morning milk.
As Sheriff he checked audit, every entry.
He was a model among landed gentry.
A Haberdasher, a Dyer, a Carpenter,
A Weaver and a Carpet-maker were
Among our ranks, all in the livery
Of one impressive guild-fraternity.
They were so trim and fresh their gear would pass
For new. Their knives were not tricked out with brass
But wrought with purest silver, which avouches
A like display on girdles and on pouches.
Each seemed a worthy burgess, fit to grace
A guild-hall with a seat upon the dais.
Their wisdom would have justified a plan
To make each one of them an alderman;
They had the capital and revenue,
Besides their wives declared it was their due.
And if they did not think so, then they ought;
To be called “Madam” is a glorious thought,
And so is going to church and being seen
Having your mantle carried, like a queen.
They had a Cook with them who stood alone
For boiling chicken with a marrow-bone,
Sharp flavoring-powder and a spice for savor.
He could distinguish London ale by flavor,
And he could roast and seethe and broil and fry,
Make good thick soup and bake a tasty pie.
But what a pity—so it seemed to me,
That he should have an ulcer on his knee.
As for blancmange, he made it with the best.
There was a Skipper hailing from far west;
He came from Dartmouth, so I understood.
360
365
370
375
380
385
390
395
373–374 livery . . . guild-fraternity:
uniform of a social or r
eligious
organization.
365 Sessions: local court
proceedings.
366 Member for the Shire: his
county’s representative in Parliament.
368 girdle: belt.
369 Sheriff: a royal tax collector.
370 landed gentry (jDnPtrC): well-
born, wealthy landowners.
371 Haberdasher: a seller of hats and
other clothing accessories.
379 burgess (bûrPjGs): citizen of a
town.
382 alderman: town councilor.
388 mantle: cloak.
397 blancmange (blE-mänjP): a thick
chicken stew with almonds.
399 Dartmouth (därtPmEth): a port
in southwestern England.
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the canterbury tales 155
He rode a farmer’s horse as best he could,
In a woolen gown that reached his knee.
A dagger on a lanyard falling free
Hung from his neck under his arm and down.
The summer heat had tanned his color brown,
And certainly he was an excellent fellow.
Many a draft of vintage, red and yellow,
He’d drawn at Bordeaux, while the trader snored.
The nicer rules of conscience he ignored.
If, when he fought, the enemy vessel sank,
He sent his prisoners home; they walked the plank.
As for his skill in reckoning his tides,
Currents and many another risk besides,
Moons, harbors, pilots, he had such dispatch
That none from Hull to Carthage was his match.
Hardy he was, prudent in undertaking;
His beard in many a tempest had its shaking,
And he knew all the havens as they were
From Gottland to the Cape of Finisterre,
And every creek in Brittany and Spain;
The barge he owned was called The Maudelayne.
A Doctor too emerged as we proceeded;
No one alive could talk as well as he did
On points of medicine and of surgery,
For, being grounded in astronomy,
He watched his patient closely for the hours
When, by his horoscope, he knew the powers
Of favorable planets, then ascendant,
Worked on the images for his dependent.
The cause of every malady you’d got
He knew, and whether dry, cold, moist or hot;
He knew their seat, their humor and condition.
He was a perfect practicing physician.
These causes being known for what they were,
He gave the man his medicine then and there.
All his apothecaries in a tribe
Were ready with the drugs he would prescribe
And each made money from the other’s guile;
They had been friendly for a goodish while.
He was well-versed in Aesculapius too
And what Hippocrates and Rufus knew
And Dioscorides, now dead and gone,
Galen and Rhazes, Hali, Serapion,
Averroes, Avicenna, Constantine,
Scotch Bernard, John of Gaddesden, Gilbertine.
400
405
410
415
420
425
430
435
440
402 lanyard (lBnPyErd):
a cord worn
as a necklace.
414 Hull . . . Carthage: ports in
England and in Spain. The places
named in lines 414–419 show that
the Skipper is familiar with all the
western coast of Europe.
416 tempest: violent storm.
malady (mBlPE-dC) n. a disease
or disorder; an ailment
424 astronomy: astrology.
430 dry, cold, moist . . . hot: in
medieval science, the four basic
qualities that were thought to
combine to form both the four
elements of the world (fire, air,
water, and earth) and the four
humors of the human body.
435 apothecaries (E-pJthPG-kDrQCz):
druggists.
439–444 Aesculapius
(DsQkyE-lAPpC-Es) . . . Gilbertine:
famous ancient and medieval
medical experts.
406 vintage: wine.
407 Bordeaux (bôr-dIP): a region of
France famous for its wine.
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156 unit 1: the anglo-saxon and medieval periods
In his own diet he observed some measure;
There were no superfluities for pleasure,
Only digestives, nutritives and such.
He did not read the Bible very much.
In blood-red garments, slashed with bluish grey
And lined with taffeta, he rode his way;
Yet he was rather close as to expenses
And kept the gold he won in pestilences.
Gold stimulates the heart, or so we’re told.
He therefore had a special love of gold.
A worthy woman from beside Bath city
Was with us, somewhat deaf, which was a pity.
In making cloth she showed so great a bent
She bettered those of Ypres and of Ghent.
In all the parish not a dame dared stir
Towards the altar steps in front of her,
And if indeed they did, so wrath was she
As to be quite put out of charity.
Her kerchiefs were of finely woven ground;
I dared have sworn they weighed a good ten pound,
The ones she wore on Sunday, on her head.
Her hose were of the finest scarlet red
And gartered tight; her shoes were soft and new.
Bold was her face, handsome, and red in hue.
A worthy woman all her life, what’s more
She’d had five husbands, all at the church door,
Apart from other company in youth;
No need just now to speak of that, forsooth.
445
450
455
460
465
470
452 pestilences: plagues.
455 Ba
th:
a city in south
western
England.
458 Ypres (CPprE) . . . Ghent (gDnt):
Flemish cities famous in the Middle
Ages for manufacturing fine wool
fabrics.
461 wrath (rBth): angry.
463 ground: a textured fabric.
466 hose: stockings.
470 all at the church door: In
medieval times, a marriage was
performed outside or just within the
doors of a church; afterwards, the
marriage party went inside for mass.
472 forsooth: in truth; indeed.
446 superfluities (sLQpEr-flLPG-tCz):
excesses.
450 taffeta (tBfPG-tE): a stiff, smooth
fabric.
Analyze Visuals
What does this image
reveal about the ways in
which a medieval doctor’s
practice differed from
that of a modern doctor?
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the canterbury tales 157
And she had thrice been to Jerusalem,
Seen many strange rivers and passed over them;
She’d been to Rome and also to Boulogne,
St. James of Compostella and Cologne,
And she was skilled in wandering by the way.
She had gap-teeth, set widely, truth to say.
Easily on an ambling horse she sat
Well wimpled up, and on her head a hat
As broad as is a buckler or a shield;
She had a flowing mantle that concealed
Large hips, her heels spurred sharply under that.
In company she liked to laugh and chat
And knew the remedies for love’s mischances,
An art in which she knew the oldest dances.
j
A holy-minded man of good renown
There was, and poor, the Parson to a town,
Yet he was rich in holy thought and work.
He also was a learned man, a clerk,
Who truly knew Christ’s gospel and would preach it
Devoutly to parishioners, and teach it.
Benign and wonderfully diligent,
And patient when adversity was sent
(For so he proved in much adversity)
He hated cursing to extort a fee,
Nay rather he preferred beyond a doubt
Giving to poor parishioners round about
Both from church offerings and his property;
He could in little find sufficiency.
Wide was his parish, with houses far asunder,
Yet he neglected not in rain or thunder,
In sickness or in grief, to pay a call
On the remotest, whether great or small,
Upon his feet, and in his hand a stave.
This noble example to his sheep he gave
That first he wrought, and afterwards he taught;
And it was from the Gospel he had caught
Those words, and he would add this figure too,
That if gold rust, what then will iron do?
For if a priest be foul in whom we trust
No wonder that a common man should rust;
And shame it is to see—let priests take stock—
A shitten shepherd and a snowy flock.
The true example that a priest should give
Is one of cleanness, how the sheep should live.
475
480
485
490
495
500
505
510
515
490 clerk: scholar.
500 sufficiency
: enough to get by on.
501 asunder: apart.
505 stave: staff.
507 wrought (rôt): worked.
509 figure: figure of speech.
473–476 Jerusalem . . . Rome . . .
Boulogne (bL-lInP), St. James of
Compostella and Cologne (kE-lInP):
popular destinations of religious
pilgrimages in the Middle Ages.
j
CHARACTERIZATION
Reread lines 455–486. Which
details help define the Wife of
Bath as a worldly woman?
480 wimpled: with her hair and
neck covered by a cloth headdress.
481 buckler: small round shield.
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158 unit 1: the anglo-saxon and medieval periods
He did not set his benefice to hire
And leave his sheep encumbered in the mire
Or run to London to earn easy bread
By singing masses for the wealthy dead,
Or find some Brotherhood and get enrolled.
He stayed at home and watched over his fold
So that no wolf should make the sheep miscarry.
He was a shepherd and no mercenary.
k
Holy and virtuous he was, but then
Never contemptuous of sinful men,
Never disdainful, never too proud or fine,
But was discreet in teaching and benign.
His business was to show a fair behavior
And draw men thus to Heaven and their Savior,
Unless indeed a man were obstinate;
And such, whether of high or low estate,
He put to sharp rebuke, to say the least.
I think there never was a better priest.
He sought no pomp or glory in his dealings,
No scrupulosity had spiced his feelings.
Christ and His Twelve Apostles and their lore
He taught, but followed it himself before.
There was a Plowman with him there, his brother;
Many a load of dung one time or other
He must have carted through the morning dew.
He was an honest worker, good and true,
Living in peace and perfect charity,
And, as the gospel bade him, so did he,
Loving God best with all his heart and mind
And then his neighbor as himself, repined
At no misfortune, slacked for no content,
For steadily about his work he went
To thrash his corn, to dig or to manure
Or make a ditch; and he would help the poor
l
For love of Christ and never take a penny
If he could help it, and, as prompt as any,
He paid his tithes in full when they were due
On what he owned, and on his earnings too.
He wore a tabard smock and rode a mare.
There was a Reeve, also a Miller, there,
A College Manciple from the Inns of Court,
A papal Pardoner and, in close consort,
520
525
530
535
540
545
550
555
l
CHARACTERIZATION
Compare the Plowman with
his brother, the Parson. What
character traits do they seem
to share?
555 tabard smock: a short loose
jacket made of a heavy material.
556 Reeve: an estate manager;
557 Manciple: a servant in charge
of purchasing food; Inns of Court:
London institutions for training law
students; 558 Pardoner: a church
official authorized to sell people
pardons for their sins.
536 scrupulosity (skrLQpyE-lJsPG-tC):
excessive concern with fine points of
behavior.
517 set his benefice (bDnPE-fGs) to
hire: pay someone to perform his
parish duties for him.
k
PARAPHRASE
Restate lines 515–524. In what
ways does the Parson serve the
members of his parish?
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the canterbury tales 159
A Church-Court Summoner, riding at a trot,
And finally myself—that was the lot.
The Miller was a chap of sixteen stone,
A great stout fellow big in brawn and bone.
He did well out of them, for he could go
And win the ram at any wrestling show.
Broad, knotty and short-shouldered, he would boast
He could heave any door off hinge and post,
Or take a run and break it with his head.
His beard, like any sow or fox, was red
And broad as well, as though it were a spade;
And, at its very tip, his nose displayed
A wart on which there stood a tuft of hair
Red as the bristles in an old sow’s ear.
His nostrils were as black as they were wide.
He had a sword and buckler at his side,
His mighty mouth was like a furnace door.
m
A wrangler and buffoon, he had a store
Of tavern stories, filthy in the main.
His was a master-hand at stealing grain.
He felt it with his thumb and thus he knew
Its quality and took three times his due—
A thumb of gold, by God, to gauge an oat!
He wore a hood of blue and a white coat.
He liked to play his bagpipes up and down
And that was how he brought us out of town.
The Manciple came from the Inner Temple;
All caterers might follow his example
In buying victuals; he was never rash
Whether he bought on credit or paid cash.
He used to watch the market most precisely
And got in first, and so he did quite nicely.
Now isn’t it a marvel of God’s grace
That an illiterate fellow can outpace
The wisdom of a heap of learned men?
His masters—he had more than thirty then—
All versed in the abstrusest legal knowledge,
Could have produced a dozen from their College
Fit to be stewards in land and rents and game
To any Peer in England you could name,
And show him how to live on what he had
Debt-free (unless of course the Peer were mad)
Or be as frugal as he might desire,
And make them fit to help about the Shire
560
565
570
575
580
585
590
595
600
576 wr
angler (rBngPglEr)
:
a loud,
argumentative person; buffoon
(bE-fLnP): a fool.
577 in the main: for the most part.
581 thumb of gold: a reference to
a proverb, “An honest miller has a
golden thumb”—perhaps meaning
that there is no such thing as an
honest miller.
585 Inner Temple: one of the Inns
of Court.
594 his masters: the lawyers that
the Manciple feeds.
595 abstrusest: most scholarly and
difficult to understand.
597–598 stewards . . . Peer: estate
managers for any nobleman.
m
GRAMMAR AND STYLE
Review lines 570–575. Notice
how Chaucer uses similes,
or comparisons, to create
a remarkably vivid—and
unflattering—portrait of
the Miller.
559 Summoner: a layman with the
job of summoning sinners to church
courts.
561 stone: a unit of weight equal to
14 pounds.
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160 unit 1: the anglo-saxon and medieval periods
In any legal case there was to try;
And yet this Manciple could wipe their eye.
The Reeve was old and choleric and thin;
His beard was shaven closely to the skin,
His shorn hair came abruptly to a stop
Above his ears, and he was docked on top
Just like a priest in front; his legs were lean,
Like sticks they were, no calf was to be seen.
He kept his bins and garners very trim;
No auditor could gain a point on him.
And he could judge by watching drought and rain
The yield he might expect from seed and grain.
His master’s sheep, his animals and hens,
Pigs, horses, dairies, stores and cattle-pens
Were wholly trusted to his government.
He had been under contract to present
The accounts, right from his master’s earliest years.
No one had ever caught him in arrears.
No bailiff, serf or herdsman dared to kick,
He knew their dodges, knew their every trick;
Feared like the plague he was, by those beneath.
He had a lovely dwelling on a heath,
Shadowed in green by trees above the sward.
A better hand at bargains than his lord,
605
610
615
620
625
611 garners: buildings for
storing grain.
617 g
overnment: authority.
620 in arrears: with unpaid debts.
621 bailiff: farm manager; serf: farm
laborer.
625 sward: grassy plot.
604 wipe their eye: outdo them.
605 choleric (kJlPE-rGk): having a
temperament in which yellow bile
predominates, and therefore prone
to outbursts of anger.
608 docked: clipped short.
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the canterbury tales 161
He had grown rich and had a store of treasure
Well tucked away, yet out it came to pleasure
His lord with subtle loans or gifts of goods,
To earn his thanks and even coats and hoods.
When young he’d learnt a useful trade and still
He was a carpenter of first-rate skill.
The stallion-cob he rode at a slow trot
Was dapple-grey and bore the name of Scot.
He wore an overcoat of bluish shade
And rather long; he had a rusty blade
Slung at his side. He came, as I heard tell,
From Norfolk, near a place called Baldeswell.
His coat was tucked under his belt and splayed.
He rode the hindmost of our cavalcade.
There was a Summoner with us at that Inn,
His face on fire, like a cherubin,
For he had carbuncles. His eyes were narrow,
He was as hot and lecherous as a sparrow.
Black scabby brows he had, and a thin beard.
Children were afraid when he appeared.
No quicksilver, lead ointment, tartar creams,
No brimstone, no boracic, so it seems,
Could make a salve that had the power to bite,
Clean up or cure his whelks of knobby white
Or purge the pimples sitting on his cheeks.
Garlic he loved, and onions too, and leeks,
And drinking strong red wine till all was hazy.
Then he would shout and jabber as if crazy,
And wouldn’t speak a word except in Latin
When he was drunk, such tags as he was pat in;
He only had a few, say two or three,
That he had mugged up out of some decree;
No wonder, for he heard them every day.
And, as you know, a man can teach a jay
To call out “Walter” better than the Pope.
But had you tried to test his wits and grope
For more, you’d have found nothing in the bag.
Then “Questio quid juris” was his tag.
He was a noble varlet and a kind one,
You’d meet none better if you went to find one.
Why, he’d allow—just for a quart of wine—
Any good lad to keep a concubine
A twelvemonth and dispense him altogether!
And he had finches of his own to feather:
And if he found some rascal with a maid
630
635
640
645
650
655
660
665
670
656 tags: brief quotations.
658 mugged up: memoriz
ed.
660 jay: a bird that can be taught
to mimic human speech without
understanding it.
664 Questio quid juris (kwDsPtC-I
kwGd yMrPGs): Latin for “The
question is, What part of the law (is
applicable)?”—a statement often
heard in medieval courts.
650 whelks (hwDlks): swellings.
647–648 quicksilver . . . boracic
(bE-rBsPGk): substances used as skin
medicines in medieval times.
633 stallion-cob: a thickset, short-
legged male horse.
638 Norfolk (nôrPfEk): a county in
eastern England.
642 cherubin (chDrPE-bGnQ): a type
of angel—in the Middle Ages often
depicted with a fiery red face.
643 carbuncles (kärPbOngQkElz): big
pimples, considered a sign of lechery
and drunkenness in the Middle Ages.
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162 unit 1: the anglo-saxon and medieval periods
He would instruct him not to be afraid
In such a case of the Archdeacon’s curse
(Unless the rascal’s soul were in his purse)
For in his purse the punishment should be.
“Purse is the good Archdeacon’s Hell,” said he.
But well I know he lied in what he said;
A curse should put a guilty man in dread,
For curses kill, as shriving brings, salvation.
We should beware of excommunication.
Thus, as he pleased, the man could bring duress
On any young fellow in the diocese.
He knew their secrets, they did what he said.
He wore a garland set upon his head
Large as the holly-bush upon a stake
Outside an ale-house, and he had a cake,
A round one, which it was his joke to wield
As if it were intended for a shield.
He and a gentle Pardoner rode together,
A bird from Charing Cross of the same feather,
Just back from visiting the Court of Rome.
He loudly sang, “Come hither, love, come home!”
The Summoner sang deep seconds to this song,
No trumpet ever sounded half so strong.
This Pardoner had hair as yellow as wax,
Hanging down smoothly like a hank of flax.
In driblets fell his locks behind his head
Down to his shoulders which they overspread;
Thinly they fell, like rat-tails, one by one.
He wore no hood upon his head, for fun;
The hood inside his wallet had been stowed,
He aimed at riding in the latest mode;
But for a little cap his head was bare
And he had bulging eye-balls, like a hare.
He’d sewed a holy relic on his cap;
His wallet lay before him on his lap,
Brimful of pardons come from Rome, all hot.
He had the same small voice a goat has got.
His chin no beard had harbored, nor would harbor,
Smoother than ever chin was left by barber.
I judge he was a gelding, or a mare.
As to his trade, from Berwick down to Ware
There was no pardoner of equal grace,
For in his trunk he had a pillow-case
Which he asserted was Our Lady’s veil.
675
680
685
690
695
700
705
710
715
701 wallet: knapsack.
705 holy relic:
an object revered
because of its association with a
holy person.
711 gelding (gDlPdGng): a castrated
horse—here, a eunuch.
712 Berwick (bDrPGk) . . . Ware: towns
in the north and the south of England.
715 Our Lady’s veil: the kerchief of
the Virgin Mary.
696 flax: a pale grayish yellow fiber
used for making linen cloth.
673 Archdeacon’s curse:
excommunication—an official
exclusion of a person from
participating in the rites of the
church. (An archdeacon is a high
church official.)
681 duress (dM-rDsP): compulsion by
means of threats.
682 diocese (dFPE-sGs): the district
under a bishop’s supervision.
685–686 the holly-bush . . . ale-
house: Since few people could read
in the Middle Ages, many businesses
identified themselves with symbols.
Outside many taverns could be
found wreaths of holly on stakes.
690 Charing Cross: a section
of London.
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the canterbury tales 163
He said he had a gobbet of the sail
Saint Peter had the time when he made bold
To walk the waves, till Jesu Christ took hold.
He had a cross of metal set with stones
And, in a glass, a rubble of pigs’ bones.
And with these relics, any time he found
Some poor up-country parson to astound,
In one short day, in money down, he drew
More than the parson in a month or two,
And by his flatteries and prevarication
Made monkeys of the priest and congregation.
n
But still to do him justice first and last
In church he was a noble ecclesiast.
How well he read a lesson or told a story!
But best of all he sang an Offertory,
For well he knew that when that song was sung
He’d have to preach and tune his honey-tongue
And (well he could) win silver from the crowd.
That’s why he sang so merrily and loud.
Now I have told you shortly, in a clause,
The rank, the array, the number and the cause
Of our assembly in this company
In Southwark, at that high-class hostelry
Known as The Tabard, close beside The Bell.
And now the time has come for me to tell
How we behaved that evening; I’ll begin
After we had alighted at the Inn,
Then I’ll report our journey, stage by stage,
All the remainder of our pilgrimage.
But first I beg of you, in courtesy,
Not to condemn me as unmannerly
If I speak plainly and with no concealings
And give account of all their words and dealings,
Using their very phrases as they fell.
For certainly, as you all know so well,
He who repeats a tale after a man
Is bound to say, as nearly as he can,
Each single word, if he remembers it,
However rudely spoken or unfit,
Or else the tale he tells will be untrue,
The things pretended and the phrases new.
He may not flinch although it were his brother,
He may as well say one word as another.
And Christ Himself spoke broad in Holy Writ,
Yet there is no scurrility in it,
720
725
730
735
740
745
750
755
760
n
PARAPHRASE
Paraphrase the description of the
Pardoner in lines 712–726. How
exactly does he earn a living?
739 The Bell: another inn.
745–756 The narrator apologizes in
advance for using the exact words of
his companions.
759 broad: bluntly; plainly.
760 scurrility (skE-rGlPG-tC): vulgarity;
coarseness.
716 gobbet: piece.
717–718 when he . . . took hold: a
reference to an incident in which
Jesus extended a helping hand to
Peter as he tried to walk on water
(Matthew 14:29–31).
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164 unit 1: the anglo-saxon and medieval periods
And Plato says, for those with power to read,
“The word should be as cousin to the deed.”
Further I beg you to forgive it me
If I neglect the order and degree
And what is due to rank in what I’ve planned.
I’m short of wit as you will understand.
Our Host gave us great welcome; everyone
Was given a place and supper was begun.
He served the finest victuals you could think,
The wine was strong and we were glad to drink.
A very striking man our Host withal,
And fit to be a marshal in a hall.
His eyes were bright, his girth a little wide;
There is no finer burgess in Cheapside.
Bold in his speech, yet wise and full of tact,
There was no manly attribute he lacked,
What’s more he was a merry-hearted man.
After our meal he jokingly began
To talk of sport, and, among other things
After we’d settled up our reckonings,
He said as follows: “Truly, gentlemen,
You’re very welcome and I can’t think when
—Upon my word I’m telling you no lie—
I’ve seen a gathering here that looked so spry,
No, not this year, as in this tavern now.
I’d think you up some fun if I knew how.
And, as it happens, a thought has just occurred
765
770
775
780
785
780 settled up our r
eck
onings:
paid
our bills.
772 marshal in a hall: an official in
charge of arranging a nobleman’s
banquet.
774 Cheapside: the main business
district of London in Chaucer’s day.
767 Host: the innkeeper of
the Tabard.
761 Plato (plAPtI): a famous
philosopher of ancient Greece.
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the canterbury tales 165
To please you, costing nothing, on my word.
You’re off to Canterbury—well, God speed!
Blessed St. Thomas answer to your need!
And I don’t doubt, before the journey’s done
You mean to while the time in tales and fun.
Indeed, there’s little pleasure for your bones
Riding along and all as dumb as stones.
So let me then propose for your enjoyment,
Just as I said, a suitable employment.
And if my notion suits and you agree
And promise to submit yourselves to me
Playing your parts exactly as I say
Tomorrow as you ride along the way,
Then by my father’s soul (and he is dead)
If you don’t like it you can have my head!
Hold up your hands, and not another word.”
Well, our opinion was not long deferred,
It seemed not worth a serious debate;
We all agreed to it at any rate
And bade him issue what commands he would.
“My lords,” he said, “now listen for your good,
And please don’t treat my notion with disdain.
This is the point. I’ll make it short and plain.
Each one of you shall help to make things slip
By telling two stories on the outward trip
To Canterbury, that’s what I intend,
And, on the homeward way to journey’s end
Another two, tales from the days of old;
And then the man whose story is best told,
That is to say who gives the fullest measure
Of good morality and general pleasure,
He shall be given a supper, paid by all,
Here in this tavern, in this very hall,
When we come back again from Canterbury.
o
And in the hope to keep you bright and merry
I’ll go along with you myself and ride
All at my own expense and serve as guide.
I’ll be the judge, and those who won’t obey
Shall pay for what we spend upon the way.
Now if you all agree to what you’ve heard
Tell me at once without another word,
And I will make arrangements early for it.”
790
795
800
805
810
815
820
825
794 dumb: silent.
807 bade him: asked him to.
790 St. Thomas: St. Thomas à Becket,
to whose shrine the pilgrims are
traveling.
Language Coach
Multiple Meanings Submit
has several meanings: (1) to
yield to someone else’s power,
(2) to present for review, (3) to
present as an opinion. Which
meaning applies in line 798?
Which meaning applies in this
sentence? I will submit my
article to the school newspaper.
o
TONE
In literature, tone refers to the
attitude a writer takes toward
a subject or character. A writer
can communicate tone through
diction, choice of details, and
direct statements of his or her
opinion. Tone can be serious,
playful, admiring, mocking,
or objective. How would you
describe Chaucer’s tone toward
his characters throughout “The
Prologue”? Why do you think he
portrays his characters this way?
RL 4
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166 unit 1: the anglo-saxon and medieval periods
Of course we all agreed, in fact we swore it
Delightedly, and made entreaty too
That he should act as he proposed to do,
Become our Governor in short, and be
Judge of our tales and general referee,
And set the supper at a certain price.
We promised to be ruled by his advice
Come high, come low; unanimously thus
We set him up in judgment over us.
More wine was fetched, the business being done;
We drank it off and up went everyone
To bed without a moment of delay.
p
Early next morning at the spring of day
Up rose our Host and roused us like a cock,
Gathering us together in a flock,
And off we rode at slightly faster pace
Than walking to St. Thomas’ watering-place;
And there our Host drew up, began to ease
His horse, and said, “Now, listen if you please,
My lords! Remember what you promised me.
If evensong and matins will agree
Let’s see who shall be first to tell a tale.
And as I hope to drink good wine and ale
I’ll be your judge. The rebel who disobeys,
However much the journey costs, he pays.
Now draw for cut and then we can depart;
The man who draws the shortest cut shall start.”
830
835
840
845
850
855
p
CHARACTERIZATION
Examine the way the pilgrims
respond to the Host in lines
830–841. What type of person
do you think would appeal to so
many?
843 cock: rooster (whose cry rouses
people from sleep).
846 St. Thomas’ watering-place: a
brook about two miles from London.
850 If evensong and matins (mBtPnz)
will agree: if what you said last night
is what you will do this morning.
(Evensong and matins are evening
and morning prayer services.)
855 draw for cut: draw lots.
entreaty (Dn-trCPtC) n. a serious
request or plea
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After Reading
Comprehension
1. Recall When and where does “The Prologue” take place?
2. Recall What event or circumstance causes the characters to gather?
3. Summarize What plan does the Host propose to the characters?
Text Analysis
4. Analyze Characterization Throughout the selection, Chaucer uses physical
details—e
yes
, hair, clothing—to help develop his characters. Choose
three pilgrims and describe how their outward appearances reflect their
personalities.
5. Identify Irony Much of the humor of “The Prologue” is based on irony, the
discrepancy between what appears to be true and what actually is true.
Explain the irony in each of the following character portraits:
• the Nun Prioress • the Merchant
• the Skipper • the Doctor
6. Draw Conclusions Review what you par
aphrased
as you read the selection.
Describe the narrator’s personality and values.
7. Examine Satire A writer who pokes fun at behaviors and customs with the
intent of improving society is creating satire. Review the descriptions of the
Monk and the Friar in lines 169–279. What aspects of the medieval church
does Chaucer satirize through these characters?
8. Interpret Tone In literature, tone refers to the attitude a writer takes toward
a subject or character. Tone can be serious, playful, admiring, mocking, or
objective. Review lines 455–486. What is Chaucer’s tone toward the Wife
of Bath? Cite specific words and phrases to support your answer.
Text Criticism
9. Critical Interpretations In 1809, the English poet and artist William Blake
made the following observation: “Chaucer’s pilgrims are the characters
which compose all ages and nations. . . . Some of the names or titles are
altered by time, but the characters themselves forever remain unaltered.” Do
you agree or disagree that Chaucer’s characters seem timeless and universal?
Support your opinion with details from the text and your own experiences.
What makes a great character?
Which of Chaucer’s characters do you like best? Which character traits make
this character appealing to you?
the canterbury tales 167
RL 1 Cite textual evidence to
support analysis of what the
text says explicitly. RL 3 Analyze
the impact of the author’s
choices regarding how to
develop and relate elements
of a story. RL 4 Analyze the
impact of specific word choices
on tone. RL 6 Analyze a case
in which grasping a point of
view requires distinguishing
what is directly stated in a
text from what is really meant
(e.g., irony). RL 10 Read and
comprehend literature.
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Vocabulary in Context
vocabulary practice
Use the details from “The Prologue” and your understanding of the boldfaced
words to help you choose the answer to each question.
1. Which of these characters shows the most courtliness?
2. Which of these characters seems the most personable?
3. What does the Doctor believe can cause a malady?
4. Which of these characters tries the most to behave sedately?
5. Which character has seen money accrue in his savings?
6. To whom do the pilgrims make an entreaty about judging the story contest?
academic vocabulary in writing
Chaucer characters embody abstract concepts like greed and vanity, yet remain
fully-realized, three-dimesional characters. Using at least two additional
Academic Vocabulary words, write about how the structure of “The Prologue”
allows Chaucer to give such a complete picture of the pilgrims.
vocabulary strategy: words from french
French has contributed words to English since the French-speaking Normans
invaded England in 1066. A huge number of our “Latin” words actually come
from Latin by way of Old French. Knowing the French origins of a word can help
you understand its meanings. For example, knowing that parley comes from the
French parler, which means “to speak,” will tell you that a parley is a conference.
PRACTICE Based on the word list to the right and the following word bank,
respond each item below:
1. The words accretion and ________ both contain the core
meaning of the Old French word acreu. What is that core
meaning? __________
2. The core meaning of the English word ___________ can be found in the Old
French word for “sick.” What is that word? _______________
3. If the Normans had not invaded England in 1066, we might not say a friendly
individual is ____________.
4. Although it did not survive into Modern French, the Old French word entrait-
er survives in English in the form of __________.
• concept • culture • parallel • section • structure
• malady • personable • entreaty • court • accrue
word list
accrue
courtliness
entreaty
malady
personable
sedately
Go to thinkcentral.com.
KEYWORD: HML12-168
Int eractive
Vocabulary
Old French Root Original Meaning
acreu increased
entraiter to deal with, beseech
malad
e sick
persone person
168 unit 1: the anglo-saxon and medieval periods
L 4 Determine or clarify
the meaning of unknown
words. L 6 Acquire and use
accurately general academic and
domain-specific words.
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