PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. But all with silver wrought ful clene and wel, Hir girdeles and hir pouches every del.1 To sitten in a gild halle, on the deis. A COKE they hadden with hem for the nones, A SHIPMAN was ther, woned fer by West : 2 Royally. 8 3 Sweet cyperus. Part. 4 Stews. 5 Cancer. 6 Who dwelt 7 Common hackney. 8 Coarse cloth D) 17 A dagger hanging by a las hadde he About his nekke under his arm adoun. The hote sommer hadde made his hewe al broun. And certainly he was a good felaw. Ful many a draught of win he hadde draw From Burdeux ward, while that the chapman slepe. Of nice conscience toke he no kepe. If that he faught, and hadde the higher hand, By water he sent hem home to every land. But of his craft to reken wel his tides, With many a tempest hadde his berd be shake. With us ther was a DocтOUR OF PHISIKE, He kept his patient a ful gret del In houres by his magike naturel. Wel coude he fortunen the ascendant PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. 19 He knew the cause of every maladie, The cause yknowe, and of his harm the rote, To send him dragges, and his lettuaries, Hir frendship n'as not newe to beginne. Wel knew he the old Esculapius, And Dioscorides, and eke Rufus ; Old Hippocras, Hali, and Gallien ; Averrois, Damascene, and Constantin; But of gret nourishing, and digestible. His studie was but litel on the Bible. In sanguin and in perse he clad was alle Lined with taffata, and with sendalle.3 And yet he was but esy of dispence : For gold in phisike is a cordial; A good WIF was ther of beside BATHE, But she was som del defe, and that was scathe. 1 Remedy. 2 In blood-red and in sky-blue. 3 A thin silk. Of cloth making she hadde swiche an haunt,' And it ther did, certain so wroth was she, Hire coverchiets weren ful fine of ground; 1 Practice. PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. 21 That on the Sonday were upon hire hede. Ful streite yteyed, and shoon ful moist and newe. Housbondes at the chirche dore had she had five, But therof nedeth not to speke as nouthe.1 She hadde passed many a strange streme. Ywimpled wel, and on hire hede an hat, As brode as is a bokeler, or a targe. A fote-mantel about hire hippes large, And on hire fete a pair of sporres sharpe. In felawship wel coude she laughe and carpe 2 For of that arte she coude the olde dance. A good man ther was of religioun, That was a poure PERSONE 3 of a toun: But riche he was of holy thought and werk. He was also a lerned man, a clerk, That Cristes gospel trewely wolde preche. |