Al this sche mette,1 and sih him dyen;
Wherof that sche began to crien,
Slepende abedde ther sche lay.
And with that noise of hire affray
Hir wommen sterten up aboute,
Whiche of here ladi were in doute,
And axen hire hou that sche ferde;
And sche, riht as sche syh and herde,
Hir swevene hath told hem everydel.
And thei it halsen 2 alle wel

And sein it is a tokne of goode;
Bot til sche wiste hou that it stode,
Sche hath no confort in hire herte
Upon the morwe, and up sche sterte,
And to the see, where that sche mette
The bodi lay, withoute lette

150

160

170

180

Sche drowh; and whan that sche cam nyh,
Stark ded, hise armes sprad, sche syh
Hire lord flietende upon the wawe.s
Wherof hire wittes ben withdrawe,
And sche, which tok of deth no kepe,
Anon forth lepte into the depe,
And wolde have cawht him in hire arm.
This infortune of double harm
The goddes fro the hevene above
Behielde, and for the trowthe of love,
Which in this worthi ladi stod,
Thei have upon the salte flod
Hire dreinte 4 lord and hire also
Fro deth to lyve torned so,
That thei ben schapen into briddes
Swimmende upon the wawe amiddes.
And whan sche sih hire lord livende
In liknesse of a bridd swimmende,
And sche was of the same sort,
So as sche mihte do desport,
Upon the joie which sche hadde
Hire wynges bothe abroad sche spradde,
And him, so as sche mai suffise,
Beclipte 5 and keste in such a wise,
As sche was whilom wont to do:
Hire wynges for hire armes tuo
Sche tok, and for hire lippes softe
Hire harde bile, and so fulofte
Sche fondeth in hire briddes forme,
If that sche mihte hirself conforme
To do the plesance of a wif,
As sche dede in that other lif:

For thogh sche hadde hir pouer lore,"
Hir will stod as it was tofore,
And serveth him so as sche mai.
Wherof into this ilke day
Togedre upon the see thei wone,

8

190

200

4 drowned. 8 dwell.

Wher many a dowhter and a sone
Thei bringen forth of briddes kinde;
And for men scholden take in mynde
This Alceoun the trewe queene,
Hire briddes yit, as it is seene,

Of Alceoun9 the name bere.

THE TALE OF ADRIAN AND

BARDUS 10

(Confessio Amantis, bk. v, l. 4937)

12

man,

To speke of an unkinde 11
I finde hou whilom Adrian,
Of Rome which a gret lord was,
Upon a day as he per cas
To wode in his huntinge wente,
It hapneth at a soudein wente,18
After his chace as he poursuieth,
Thurgh happ, the which noman eschuieth,
He fell unwar into a pet,14
Wher that it mihte noght be let.
The pet was dep and he fell lowe,
That of his men non myhte knowe
Wher he becam, for non was nyh,
Which of his fall the meschief syh.
And thus al one ther he lay
Clepende 15 and criende al the day
For socour and deliverance,
Til ayein eve it fell per chance,
A while er it began to nyhte,
A povere man, which Bardus hihte,
Cam forth walkende with his asse,
And hadde gadred him a tasse 16
Of grene stickes and of dreie
To selle, who that wolde hem beie,
As he which hadde no liflode,17
Bot whanne he myhte such a lode
To toune with his asse carie.
And as it fell him forto tarie

That ilke time nyh the pet,
And hath the trusse faste knet,
He herde a vois, which cride dimme,
And he his ere to the brimme
Hath leid, and herde it was a man,
Which seide, 'Ha, help hier Adrian,
And I wol yiven half ini good.'

The povere man this understod,
As he that wolde gladly winne,
And to this lord which was withinue
He spak and seide, 'If I thee save,
What sikernesse 18 schal I have

20

30

40

Of covenant, that afterward
Thou wolt me yive such reward
As thou behihtest nou tofore?'

The other hath his othes swore
By hevene and be the goddes alle,
If that it myghte so befalle
That he out of the pet him broghte,
Of all the goodes whiche he oghte 1
He schal have evene halvendel.

This Bardus seide he wolde wel;
And with this word his asse anou
He let untrusse, and therupon
Doun goth the corde into the pet,
To which he hath at ende knet
A staf, wherby, he seide, he wolde
That Adrian him scholde holde.
Bot it was tho per chance falle,
Into that pet was also falle
An ape, which at thilke throwe,
Whan that the corde cam doun lowe,
Al sodeinli therto he skipte
And it in bothe hise armes clipte.2
And Bardus with his asse anon
Him hath updrawe, and he is gon.
But whan he sih it was an ape,
He wende al hadde ben a jape 3
Of faierie, and sore him dradde : 4
And Adrian eftsone gradde 5
For help, and cride and preide faste,
And he eftsone his corde caste;
Bot whan it cam unto the grounde,
A gret serpent it hath bewounde,
The which Bardus anon up drouh.
And thanne him thoghte wel ynouh
It was fantosme, bot yit he herde
The vois, and he therto ansuerde,
'What wiht art thou in Goddes name?'

'I am,' quod Adrian, 'the same, Whos good thou schalt have evene half.' Quod Bardus, 'Thanne a Goddes half The thridde time assaie I schal': And caste his corde forth withal Into the pet, and whan it cam To him, this lord of Rome it nam, And therupon him hath adresced, And with his hand fulofte blessed, And thanne he bad to Bardus hale. And he, which understod his tale, Betwen him and his asse al softe Hath drawe and set him up alofte Withouten harm al esely. He seith noght ones 'Grant merci,'

96

3 trick.

4 he feared; lit., it dreaded him (dat.). 5 cried again. 6 much thanks.

Bot strauhte him forth to the cite,

And let this povere Bardus be.
And natheles this simple man
His covenant, so as he can,
Hath axed; and that other seide,
If so be that he him umbreide 8
Of oght that hath be speke or do,
It schal ben venged on him so,
That him were betre to be ded.
And he can tho non other red,9
But on his asse ayein he caste
His trusse, and heith hom ward faste:
And whan that he cam hom to bedde,
He tolde his wif hou that he spedde.
Bot finaly to speke oght more

Unto this lord he dradde him sore,
So that a word ne dorste he sein:
And thus upon the morwe ayein,
In the manere as I recorde,

Forth with his asse and with his corde
To gadre wode, as he dede er,

He goth; and whan that he cam ner
Unto the place where he wolde,
He hath his ape anon beholde,
Which hadde gadred al aboute
Of stickes hiere and there a route,10
And leide hem redy to his hond,
Wherof he made his trosse and bond.
Fro dai to dai and in this wise
This ape profreth his servise,
So that he hadde of wode ynouh.
Upon a time and as he drouh
Toward the wode, he sih besyde
The grete gastli serpent glyde,
Til that sche cam in his presence,
And in hir kinde a reverence
Sche hath him do, and forth withal
A ston mor briht than a cristall
Out of hir mouth tofore his weie
Sche let doun falle, and wente aweie,
For that he schal noght ben adrad.
Tho was this povere Bardus glad,
Thonkende God, and to the ston
He goth and takth it up anon,
And hath gret wonder in his wit
Hou that the beste him hath aquit,
Wher that the mannes sone hath failed,
For whom he hadde most travailed.
Bot al he putte in Goddes hond,
And torneth hom, and what he fond
Unto his wif he hath it schewed;
And thei, that wern bothe lewed,11
Acorden that he scholde it selle.

7 lit. stretched, i.e. hurried.
• counsel. 10 quantity.

8 reproached. 11 ignorant.

160

Thus whan this ston was boght and sold, Homward with joie many fold This Bardus goth; and whan he cam Home to his hous and that he nam His gold out of his purs, withinn He fond his ston also therinne, Wherof for joie his herte pleide, Unto his wif and thus he seide, 'Lo, hier my gold, lo, hier mi ston!' His wif hath wonder therupon, And axeth him hou that mai be. 'Nou be mi trouthe I not,' 1 quod he, 'Bot I dar swere upon a bok, That to my marchant I it tok,2 And he it hadde whan I wente: So knowe I noght to what entente It is nou hier, bot it be grace. Forthi tomorwe in other place I wole it fonde 3 forto selle, And if it wol noght with him duelle, Bot crepe into mi purs ayein,

4

Than dar I saufly swere and sein, It is the vertu of the ston.'

The morwe cam, and he is gon To seche aboute in other stede His ston to selle, and he so dede, And lefte it with his chapman there. Bot whan that he cam elles where, In presence of his wif at hom, Out of his purs and that he nom His gold, he fond his ston withal: And thus it fell him overal,6 Where he it solde in sondri place,

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180

Such was the fortune and the grace.
Bot so wel may nothing ben hidd,
That it nys ate laste kidd:"
This fame goth aboute Rome
So ferforth, that the wordes come
To themperour Justinian;
And he let sende for the man,
And axede him hou that it was.
And Bardus tolde him al the cas,
Hou that the worm and ek the beste,
Althogh thei maden no beheste,8
His travail hadden wel aquit;
Bot he which hadde a mannes wit,
And made his covenant be mouthe
And swor therto al that he couthe
To parte and yiven half his good,
Hath nou foryete hou that it stod,
As he which wol no trouthe holde.

This Emperour al that he tolde
Hath herd, and thilke unkindenesse
He seide he wolde himself redresse.
And thus in court of juggement
This Adrian was thanne assent,
And the querele in audience
Declared was in the presence
Of themperour and many mo;
Wherof was mochel speche tho
And gret wondringe among the press.
Bot ate laste natheles

For the partie which hath pleigned
The lawe hath diemed and ordeigned
Be hem that were avised wel,
That he schal have the halvendel 10
Thurghout of Adrianes good.
And thus of thilke unkinde blod
Stant the memoire into this day,
Wherof that every wysman may
Ensamplen him, and take in mynde
What schame it is to ben unkinde;
Ayein the which reson debateth,
And every creature it hateth.

7 known. 8 promise. • deemed.

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220

10 half.

THE PROLOGUE

Here biginneth the Book of the Tales of
Caunterbury

WHAN that Aprille with his shoures sote1 The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote,

And bathed every veyne in swich 2 licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,3
And smale fowles maken melodye,
That slepen al the night with open yë,
(So priketh hem nature in hir corages1);
Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
And palmers for to seken straunge

strondes

5

10

To ferne halwes, couthe 3 in sondry londes;
And specially, from every shires ende
Of Engelond, to Cannterbury they wende,
The holy blisful martir for to seke,
That hem hath holpen, whan that they
were seke.

20

Bifel that, in that seson on a day, In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay Redy to wenden on my pilgrimage To Caunterbury with ful devout corage, At night was come in-to that hostelrye Wel nyne and twenty in a companye, Of sondry folk, by aventure y-falle In felawshipe, and pilgrims were they alle, That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde. The chambres and the stables weren wyde, And wel we weren esed atte beste.6 And shortly, whan the sonne was to reste, So hadde I spoken with hem everichon, 31 That I was of hir felawshipe anon, And made forward' erly for to ryse, To take our wey ther as I yow devyse.

14 Algeciras near Cape Trafalgar, taken by Alfonso of Castile in 1344.

15 Benmarin and Tremeyen, districts in the north of Africa where the Christians and Moors fought.

16 Ayas and Adalia on the south coast of Asia Minor. 17 Mediterranean.

18 expedition; aryve in one MS., which Skeat prefers.

19 same.

strengthe.

And he had been somtyme in chivachye,12
In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Picardye,
And born him wel, as of so litel space,
In hope to stonden in his lady 18 grace.
Embrouded was he, as it were a mede
Al ful of fresshe floures, whyte and rede. 90
Singinge he was, or floytinge,14 al the day;
He was as fresh as is the month of May.
Short was his goune, with sleves longe and
wyde.

Wel coude he sitte on hors, and faire ryde.
He coude songes make and wel endyte,15
Juste and eek daunce, and we purtreye

and wryte.

So hote he lovede, that by nightertale 16
He sleep namore than dooth a nightingale.
Curteys he was, lowly, and servisable,
And carf 17 biforn his fader at the table. 100
A YEMAN 18 hadde he, and servaunts namo
At that tyme, for him liste ryde so;
And he was clad in cote and hood of grene;
A sheef of pecok-arwes brighte and kene

1 Palatia, in Asia Minor or in the Sea of Marmora.
2 against.
3 reputation.

4 N.B. the plural — a long-stem neuter noun in AngloSaxon. (Cf. yeer in 1. 82.)

coarse cloth.

6 doublet.

That no drope ne fille up-on hir brest.
In curteisye was set ful muche hir lest.28
Hir over lippe wyped she so clene,
That in hir coppe was no ferthing 29
Of grece, whan she dronken hadde hir
draughte.

sene

Ful semely after hir mete she raughte,80
And sikerly 81 she was of greet disport,32
And ful plesaunt, and amiable of port,
And peyned hir to countre fete chere
Of court, and been estatlich88 of manere, 140
And to ben holden dignes of reverence.
But, for to speken of hir conscience,
She was so charitable and so pitous,
She wolde wepe, if that she sawe a mous
Caught in a trappe, if it were deed or
bledde.

Of smale houndes had she, that she fedde
19 cropped pate. 20 To protect the forearm from
the bowstring.
21 Adorned. 22 Image of St.
Christopher.

23 fair. 24 shy.

25 On this favorite saint see the article by J. L. Lowes in the Romanic Review, v, 368.

14 piping.

ure.

12 cavalry expeditions. 13 lady's - an old feminine genitive. 15 compose both words and music of songs. 16 night-time. 17 carved. 18 Yeoman.

28 pleas 31 verily.

26 elegantly. 27 A convent near London. 29 smallest trace. 30 reached. 33 was a good-natured person. 38 diguified. 34 worthy.