Religioun hath take up al the corn

3150

Of tredyng, and we borel men been shrympes; 3145
Of fieble trees ther comen wrecched ympes.
This maketh that oure heirės beth so sklendre
And feble that they may nat wel engendre;
This maketh that oure wyvės wole assaye
Religious folk, for ye mowe bettre paye
Of Venus paiementz than mowė we.
God woot, no Lusshėburghes payen ye!
But be nat wrooth, my lord, for that I pleye,
Ful ofte, 'in game a sooth,' I have herd seye!
This worthy Monk took al in pacience
And seyde, "I wol doon al my diligence,
As fer as sowneth into honestee,

To telle yow a tale, or two, or three;
And if yow list to herkne hyderward,
I wol yow seyn the lyf of Seint Edward,

Or ellis, first, tragédies wol I telle,

Of whiche I have an hundred in my celle.
"Tragédie is to seyn a certeyn storie,

As oldė bookės maken us memórie,
Of hym that stood in greet prosperitee,
And is y-fallen out of heigh degree

Into myserie, and endeth wrecchedly;

3155

3160

3165

3153. lord, for that, H2 lorde though, Heng. 4 lord though that.

3160. yow, om. E.

3161. telle, H2 yow telle.

3165. hym, H hem.

And they ben versified communely
Of six feet, which men clepen exametron.
In prose eek been endited many oon,
And eek in meetre in many a sondry wyse;
Lo, this declaryng oghte ynogh suffise.
Now herkneth, if yow liketh for to heere;
But first, I yow biseeke in this mateere,
Though I by ordre telle nat thise thynges
Be it of popės, emperours, or kynges,
After hir ages as men writen fynde,

3170

3175

But tellen hem, som bifore and som bihynde,
As it now comth unto my remembraunce,

Have me excused of min ignoraunce."

3180

MONK'S TALE

Heere bigynneth The Monkes Tale, de Casibus Virorum Illustrium

I wol biwaille, in manere of tragédie,

The harm of hem that stoode in heigh degree,
And fillen so that ther nas no remédie
To brynge hem out of hir adversitee;
For certein, whan that Fortune list to flee,

3171. And eek in meetre, H2
In metre eek.

3178. tellen, H6 telle.

De Casibus Virorum Il-
lustrium, the title indi-
cates Chaucer's obliga-
tions to Boccaccio's De

3185

Cas. Vir. et Feminarum Illust., from which and the same author's De Claris Mulieribus, Boethius, De Consolatione, the Roman de la Rose, and the Bible the monk takes his "old ensamples."

Ther may no man the cours of hire withholde.
Lat no man truste on blynd prosperitee;

Be war by thise ensamplės trewe and olde.

though he an angel were,

At LUCIFER,

And nat a man,

-at hym wol I bigynne,

For though Fortuné may noon angel dere,
From heigh degree yet fel he for his synne
Doun into hellė, where he yet is inne.
O Lucifer brightest of angels alle,

3190

Now artow Sathanas that mayst nat twynne
Out of miserie in which that thou art falle.

3195

Loo ADAM, in the feeld of Damyssene,
With Goddes owne fynger wroght was he,
And nat bigeten of mannės sperme unclene,
And welte all paradys savynge o tree.
Hadde nevere worldly man so heigh degree
As Adam, til he for mysgovernaunce
Was dryven out of hys hye prosperitee
To labour, and to helle, and to meschaunce.

LOO SAMPSON, which that was annunciat By angel, longe er his nativitee,

3188. by, E of.

3189. Lucifer, Chaucer's ad

dition; Boccaccio begins
with Adam.

3200. welte, ruled.

3201. so heigh, H suche.
3203. hys, om. H.

3200

3205

Boc

Prænunciante

3191. dere, harm.

3205. annunciat, from

3195. twynne, depart.

caccio

per angelum Deo," but Chaucer takes his points mainly from the Bible.

And was to God Almyghty consecrat,

And stood in noblesse whil he myghtė see.

Was nevere swich another as was hee,

To speke of strengthe, and therwith hardynesse; But to hise wyvės toolde he his secree,

3211

Thurgh whiche he slow hymself for wrecchednesse.

Sampson, this noble almyghty champioun,
Withouten wepene save his handės tweye,
He slow and al to-renté the leoun,
Toward his weddyng walkynge by the weye.
His false wyf koude hym so plese and preye
Til she his conseil knew; and she, untrewe,
Unto hise foos his conseil gan biwreye,
And hym forsook, and took another newe.

Thre hundred foxes took Sampson for ire,
And alle hir taylės he togydré bond,
And sette the foxes taylės alle on fire,

For he on every tayl had knyt a brond;

3215

3220

And they brende alle the cornės in that lond, 3225
And alle hire olyveres, and vynės eke.

A thousand men he slow eek with his hond,
And hadde no wepene but an asses cheke.

Whan they were slayn so thursted hym that he
Was wel ny lorn, for which he gan to preye
That God wolde on his peyne han som pitee,
And sende hym drynke, or ellės moste he deye

3230

And of this asses cheke, that was dreye,
Out of a wang-tooth sprang anon a welle,
Of which he drank ynow, shortly to seye;
Thus heelpe hym God, as Judicum can telle.

By verray force at Gazan, on a nyght,
Maugree Philistiens of that citee,
The gates of the toun he hath up-plyght,
And on his bak y-caryed hem hath hee
Hye on an hillė, that men myghte hem see.
O noble, almyghty Sampson, lief and deere,
Had thou nat toold to wommen thy secree,
In all this world ne hadde been thy peere!

This Sampson nevere ciser drank, ne wyn,
Ne on his heed cam rasour noon, ne sheere,
By precept of the messager divyn ;

For alle hise strengthės in hise heeres weere;
And fully twenty wynter, yeer by yeere,
He hadde of Israel the governaunce;

But soonė shal he wepė many a teere,

For wommen shal hym bryngen to meschaunce.

Unto his lemman Dalida he tolde

3235

3240

3245

3250

That in hise heeris al his strengthé lay,
And falsly to hise foomen she hym solde;

3255

And slepynge in hir barm upon a day

She made to clippe or shere hise heres away,

3234. wang-tooth, cheek-tooth. 3236. Judicum, Book of Judges. 3245. ciser, cider.

VOL. I

2 B