THE NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE.
165
"Come near, thou Priest, come hither, thou Sir John,<r1>Tell us such thing as may our heartës glade.<r2>Be blithe, although thou ride upon a jade. What though thine horse be both{{subst:e}} foul and lean? If he will serve thee, reck thou not a bean; Look that thine heart be merry evermo'." "Yes, Host," quoth he, "so may I ride or go, But<r3> I be merry, y-wis I will be blamed." And right anon his tale he hath attamed;<r4> And thus he said unto us every one. This sweetë priest, this goodly man. Sir John.
THE TALE.<r5>
A poor widow, somedeal y-stept<r5> in age. Was whilom dwelling in a poor cottáge. Beside a grove, standing in a dale. This widow, of which I tell{{subst:e}} you my tale, Since thilk{{subst:e}} day that she was last a wife, In patience led a full simple life, For little was her chattel and her rent.<r7>By husbandry<r8> of such as Grod her sent; She found<r9> herself, and eke her daughters two. Three large sowës had she, and no mo'; Three kine, and eke a sheep that hightë Mail. Full sooty was her bow'r,<r10> and eke her hall, In which she ate full many a slender meal. Of poignant sauce knew she never a deal.<r11>No dainty morsel passed through her throat; Her diet was accordant to her cote,<r12>Repletión her madë never sick;Attemper<r13> diet was all her physic, And exercise, and heartë's suffisance.<r14>The goutë let her nothing<r15> for to dance,Nor apoplexy shentë<r16> not'her head. No winë drank she, neither white nor red: Her board was served most with white and black, Wilk and brown bread, in which she found no lack, Seind,<r17> bacon, and sometimes an egg or tway; For she was as it were a manner dey.<r18> A yard<r19> she had, enclosed all about With stickea, and a drye ditch without. In which she had a cock, hight Chanticleer; In all the land of crowing n'as<r20> his peer.<r21>His voice was merrier than the merry org6n,^2 On masse days that in the churches gon. Well sickerer<r23> was his crowing in his lo()ge, ' Than is a clock, or an abbay horloge.'* By ftature he knew each ascensiqfiil Of th' equinoctial in thilke town ; For when degrees iifteene were ascended. Then crew he, that it might not be amended. His comb was redder than the fine corfil, Embattell'd<r25> as it were a castle wall. His bill was black, and as the jet it shone ; Like azure were his legges and his tone ;^° His nailes whiter than the lily flow'r, And like the burnish'd gold was his colotii;. This gentle cock had in his governance Sev'n hennes, for to do all his pleasance. Which were his sisters and his paramours, And wondrous like to him as of oolofirs. Of whioli the f airest-hued in the throat Was caUcd Damoselle Partelote. Courteous she was, discreet, and debonair, And c6mpani5,ble,^' and bare herself so fair. Since the day that she sev'n night was old. That truely she had the heari; in hold Of Chanticleer, locked in every lith ; ^ He lov'd her so, that well was him therewith. But such a joy it was to hear them Bing, When that the brighte sunne gan to spring. In sweet accord, "My lefe '^ is fare ^ in land."<r31>For at that time, as I have understand, Beastes and birdes ooulde speak and sing.
And so befell, that in a dawening. As Chanticleer among his wives all Sat on his perche, that was in the hall. And next him sat this f aire Partelote, This Chanticleer gan groanen in his throat. As man that in his dream is dretched^- sore. And when that Partelote thus heard him roar. She was aghast,^' and saide, " Hearte dear. What aUeth you to groan in this mannire ? Ye be a very sleeper, fy for shame ! " And he answ^r'd and saide thus ; " Madame, I pray you that ye take it not agrief ; ^4
1 On this Tyrwhitt remarks : "I know not how it
has happened, that in the principal modem languages,
John, or its equivalent, is a name of contempt, or at
least of slight So the Italians use ' Gianni,' from
whence 'Zani;' the Spaniards 'Juan,' as 'Bobo Juan,"
a foolish John ; the I'rench 'Jean,' with various addi-
tions ; and in English, when we call a man ' a John,'
we do not mean it as a title of honour." The title of
"Sir" was usually given by courtesy to priests.
2 Gladden. ' TTnless.
4 Commenced, broached. Compare French, " enta-
mer " to cut the flrst piece off a joint; thence to begin.
5 The Tale of the Nun's Priest is founded on the
fifth chapter of an old I'rench metrical "Romance of
Benard ; " the same story forming one of the Fables of
Marie, the translator of the Breton Lays. (See note 11,
paoe 122.) Although Dryden was in error when he
ascribed the Tale to Chaucer's own invention, still the
materials on which he had to operate were out of com-
parison more trivial than the result.
fi Somewhat advanced.
7 Her goods and her income.
8 Thrifty management. ^ Maintained.
10 Chamber. " Wi"-
12 In keeping with her cottage. 13 Moderate.
14 Contentment of heart.
15 No wise prevented her.
IS Hurt, destroyed. 17 Singed.
18 Kind of day labourer. Tyrwhitt quotes two statutes
of Edward III,, in which " deys " are included among
the servants employed in agricultural pursuits ; the
name seems to have originally meant a servant who
gave his labour by the day, but aftei-wards to have
been appropriated exclusively to one who superintended '
or worked in a dairy. li* Court-yard, farm-yard.
20 Was not." 21 BquaL
22 Licentiously used for the plural, " organs " or "er-
gons, " corresponding to the plural verb " gon " in the
next line.
23 More punctual. 24 Cljok ; French, " horloge."
23 Indented on the upper edge like the battlements
of a castlfe. 26 Tqes. 27 Sociable.
2» ^Imb. 29 Love. 30 Gone.
31 This seems to have been the refrain of some old
song, and its precise meaning is uncertain. It cor-
responds in cadence with the morning salutation of the
cock ; and may be taken as a greeting to the sun,
which is beloved of Chanticleer, and has just come upon
the earth— or in the sense of a more local boast, as
vaunting the fairness of his favourite hen above all
others in the country round. 32 Oppressed.
33 Afraid. ^ Amiss, in umbrage.