The Revè was a slendre colerike man,
His berd was shave as neighe as ever he can.
His here was by his erès round yshorne.
His top was docked like a preest beforne.
Ful longè were his leggès, and ful lene,
Ylike a staff, ther was no calf
ysene.
Wel coude he kepe a garner and a binne :
Ther was non auditour coude on him winne.
Wel wiste he by the drought, and by the rain,
The yelding of his seed, and of his grain.
His lordès shepe, his nete2, and his deirie,
His swine, his hors, his store, and his pultrie,
Were holly in this revès governing,
And by his covenant yave he rekening,
Sin that his lord was twenty yere of
Ther coude no man bring him in arerage.
Ther n'as baillif, ne herde, ne other hine,
That he ne knew his sleight and his covine *:
They were adradde of him, as of the deth.
His wonning was ful fayre upon an heth,
With grene trees yshadewed was his place.
He coude better than his lord pourchace.
Ful riche he was ystored privily.
His lord wel coude he plesen subtilly,
Το yeve and lene him of his owen good,
And have a thank, and yet a cote and hood.
In youthe he lerned hadde a good mistere".
He was a wel good wright, a carpentere.
1 Yielding. contrivances.
2 Cows.
3 Steward.
5 Trade, occupation.
This revè sate upon a right good stot',
That was all pomelee grey, and hightè Scot.
A long surcote of perse upon he hade,
And by his side he bare a rusty blade.
Of Norfolk was this reve, of which I tell,
Beside a toun, men clepen Baldeswell.
Tucked he was, as is a frere, aboute,
And ever he rode the hinderest of the route.
A Sompnour was ther with us in that place,
That had a fire-red cherubinnès face,
For sausèfleme 4 he was, with eyen narwe".
As hote he was, and likerous as a sparwe,
With scalled browès blake, and pilled berd:
Of his visage children were sore aferd.
Ther n'as quiksilver, litarge, ne brimston,
Boras, ceruse, ne oile of tartre non,
Ne oinèment that woldè clense or bite,
That him might helpen of his whelkes white,
Ne of the knobbès sitting on his chekes.
Wel loved he garlike, onions, and lekes,
And for to drinke strong win as rede as blood.
Than wolde he speke, and crie as he were wood.
And whan that he wel dronken had the win,
Than wold he speken no word but Latin.
A fewè termès coude he, two or three,
That he had lerned out of som decree;
No wonder is, he herd it all the day.
And eke ye knowen wel, how that a jay
'Horse, beast. * Red pimpled face.
Can clepen watte, as wel as can the pope.
But who so wolde in other thing him grope,
Than hadde he spent all his philosophie,
Ay, Questio quid juris, wolde he crie.
He was a gentil harlot and a kind;
A better felaw shulde a man not find.
He wolde suffre for a quart of wine,
A good felàw to have his concubine
A twelve month, and excuse him at the full.
Ful prively a finch eke coude he pull.
And if he found owhere a good felàwe,
He wolde techen him to have non awe
In swiche a cas of the archedekenes curse;
But if a mannès soule were in his purse;
For in his purse he shulde ypunished be.
Purse is the archèdekens helle, said he.
But wel I wote, he lied right in dede :
Of cursing ought eche gilty man him drede.
For curse wol sle right as assoiling saveth,
And also ware him of a significavit.
In danger hadde he at his owen gise
The yonge girlès of the diocise,
And knew hir conseil, and was of hir rede2.
A gerlond hadde he sette upon his hede,
As gret as it were for an alèstake 3:
A bokeler hadde he made him of a cake.
The name harlot was anciently given to men as well as wo
men, and without any bad signification.
With him ther rode a gentil Pardonere '
Of Rouncevall, his frend and his compere,
That streit was comen from the court of Rome.
Ful loude he sang, Come hither, lovè, to me.
This sompnour bare to him a stiff burdoun 3,
Was never trompe of half so gret a soun.
This pardoner had here as yelwe as wax,
But smoth it heng, as doth a strike of flax :
By unces heng his lokkès that he hadde,
And therwith he his shulders overspradde.
Ful thinne it lay, by culpons on and on,
But hode, for jolite, ne wered he non,
For it was trussed up in his wallet.
Him thought he rode al of the newè get,
Dishevele, sauf his cappe, he rode all bare.
Swiche glaring eyen hadde he, as an hare.
A vernicle hadde he sewed upon his cappe.
His wallet lay beforne him in his lappe,
Bret-ful' of pardon come from Rome al hote.
A vois he hadde, as smale as hath a gote.
No berd hadde he, ne never non shulde have,
As smothe it was as it were newè shave;
I trowe he were a gelding or a mare.
But of his craft, fro Berwike unto Ware,
Ne was ther swiche an other pardonere.
For in his male he hadde a pilwebere9,
Supposed by Stevens to be Runceval Hall, in Oxford.
Which, as he saidè, was oure ladies veil :
He saide, he hadde a gobbet1 of the seyl
Thatte seint Peter had, whan that he went
Upon the see, till Jesu Crist him hent3.
He had a crois of laton ful of stones,
And in a glas he haddè piggès bones.
But with these relikes, whannè that he fond
A pourè persone dwelling up on lond,
Upon a day he gat him more moneie
Than that the persone gat in monethes tweie.
And thus with fained flattering and japes5,
He made the persone, and the peple, his apes".
But trewèly to tellen attè last,
He was in chirche a noble ecclesiast.
Wel coude he rede a lesson or a storie,
But alderbest he sang an offertories:
For wel he wistè, whan that song was songe,
He mustè preche, and wel afile9 his tonge,
To winnè silver, as he right welł coude :
Therfore he sang the merrier and loude.
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