Page:The Canterbury Tales and Faerie Queene.djvu/180

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By God, me mette[1] I was in such mischíef,[2]Eight now,that yet mine heart is sore affright'. Now God," qnoth he, "my sweven[3] read aright. And keep my body out of foul prisoún. Me mette,[1] how that I roamed up and down Within our yard, where as I saw a beast Was like an hound, and would have made arrest[4]Upon my body, and would have had me dead. His colour was betwixt yellow and red; And tipped was his tail, and both his ears, With black, unlike the remnant of his hairs. His snout was small, with glowing eyen tway;Yet of his look almost for fear I dey;[5] This caused me my groaning doubtëless.
"Away,"[6] quoth she, "fy on you, heartëless!'[7] Alas!" 'quoth she, "for, by that God above! Now have ye lost my heart and all my love; I cannot love a coward, by my faith. For certes, what so any woman saith, We all desiren, if it mighte be. To have husbandes hardy, wise, and free, And secret, and no niggard nor no fool, Nor him that is aghast[8] of every tool,[9] Nor no avantour,[10] by that God above! How durste ye for shame say to your love That anything might makë you afear'd? Have ye no mannë's heart, and have a beard? Alas ! and can ye be aghast of swevenës?[11]'Nothing but vanity, God wot, in sweven is. Swevens engender of[12] repletións. And oft of fume, and of oomplexìóns. When humours be too abundant in a wight. Certes this dream, which ye have mette tonight, Cometh of the great superfluity Of yourë redë cholera,[13] pardie, Which causeth folk to dreaden in their dreams Of arrows, and of iire with redë beams. Of redë beastës, that they will them bite, Of conteke,[14] and of whelpës great and lite;[15] Eight as the humour of meláncholy Causeth full many a man in sleep to cry. For fear of bullës, or of bearës blake, Or ellës that black devils will them take. Of other humours could I tell also. That workë many a man in sleep much woe; But I win pass as lightly as I can. Lo Cato, which that was so wise a man. Said he not thus, 'Ne do no force of[16] dreams.' Now, Sir," quoth she, "when we fly from these beams,[17]For Goddë's love, as take some laxatife; On peril of my soul, and of my life, I counsel you the best, I will not lie. That both of choler, and meláncholy; Ye purgë you; and, for ye shall not tarry, Though in this town is no apotheocáry, I shall myself two herb&s teachë you, That shall be for your health, and for your prow[18]And in our yard the herbes shall I find. The which have of their property by kind[19]To purgë yon beneath, and eke above. Sirë, forget not this, for Goddë's love; Ye be full choleric of complexión ; Ware that the sun, in his ascensión, You findë not replete of humours hot; And if it do, I dare well lay a groat,That ye shall have a fever tertiane, Or else an ague, that may be your bane. A day or two ye shall have digestives Of wormës, ere ye take your laxatives, Of laurel, centaury,[20] and fumetére,[21]Or else of elder-berry, that groweth there, Of oatapuce,[22] or of the gaitre-berries,[23]Or herb ivy growing in our yard, that merry is:Pick them right as they grow, and eat them in. Be merry, husband, for your father's kin; Dreadë no dream; I can say you no more." "Madame," quoth he, "grand mercy of your lore.
But natheless, as touching Dan Catoún, That hath of wisdom such a great renown, Though that he bade no dreames for to dread. By God, men may in olde bookes read Of many a man more of authority Than ever Cato was, so may I thé,[24]That all the reversë say of his senténce,[25]And have well founden by experience That dreamës be significatións As well of joy, as tribulatións That folk enduren in this life present. There needeth make of this no argument; The very prveë[26] sheweth it indeed. One of the greatest authors that men read[27]Saith thus, that whilom two fellówës went On pilgrimage in a full good intent; And happen'd so, they came into a town Where there was such a congregatiotún Of people, and eke so strait of herbergage,[28]That they found not as much as one cottáge In which they bothë might y-lodged be : Wherefore they musten of necessity. As for that night, departë company; And each of them went to his hostelry,[29]And took his lodging as it wouldë fa11.The one of them was lodged in a stall,
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 I dreamed.
  2. ↑ Peil, trouble
  3. ↑ Dream, vision.
  4. ↑ Sexiure
  5. ↑ Die
  6. ↑ "Avoi!" is the word here rendered "away!" It was frequently used in the French fabliaux, and the Italians employ the word "via!" in the same sense.
  7. ↑ Coward
  8. ↑ Frightened.
  9. ↑ Rag, clout, trifle.
  10. ↑ Braggart.
  11. ↑ Dreims.
  12. ↑ Ar procued by
  13. ↑ Choler, bile.
  14. ↑ Contention.
  15. ↑ Little.
  16. ↑ Attach no oonsenuence to; "Somnia ne cures," Cato " De Moribus," 1. ii. dist. 32.
  17. ↑ The rafters of the hall, on which they were perched.
  18. ↑ Profit, advantage.
  19. ↑ Natutre.
  20. ↑ The herb so called because by its virtue the Centaur Chiron was healed when the poisoned arrow of Hercules had accidentally wounded his foot.
  21. ↑ The herb "fumitory."
  22. ↑ Spurge; a plant of purgative qualities. To its name in the text correspond the Italian "catapuzza " and French " oatapuoe "—words the origin of which 'is connected with the effects of the plant.
  23. ↑ Dog-wood berries.
  24. ↑ Thrive.
  25. ↑ Opinion.
  26. ↑ Trial, experience.
  27. ↑ Cicero, who in his book "Be Divinatione" tells this and the following story, though in contrary order and with many differences.
  28. ↑ Lodging.
  29. ↑ Inn.
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