That on the Sonday were upon hire hede.

Hire hosen weren of fine scarlet rede,

Ful streite yteyed', and shoon ful moist and newe.
Bold was hire face, and fayre and rede of hew.
She was a worthy woman all hire live,

Housbondes at the chirche dore had she had five,
Withouten other compagnie in youthe.

But therof nedeth not to speke as nouthe2.
And thries hadde she ben at Jerusaleme.
She hadde passed many a strangè streme.
At Rome she haddè ben, and at Boloine,
In Galice at Seint James, and at Coloine.
She coude moche of wandring by the way.
Gat-tothed was she, sothly for to say.
Upon an ambler esily she sat,
Ywimpled wel, and on hire hede an hat,
As brode as is a bokeler, or a targe.
A fote-mantel about hire hippès large,
And on hire fete a pair of sporres sharpe.
In felawship wel coude she laughe and carpe
Of remedies of love she knew parchance,
For of that arte she coude the oldè dance.

6

A good man ther was of religioun,
That was a pourè Persone of a toun :
But riche he was of holy thought and werk.
He was also a lerned man, a clerk,

That Cristès gospel trewely woldè preche.
His parishens devoutly wolde he teche.

Benigne he was, and wonder diligent,
And in adversite ful patient:

And swiche he was ypreved1 often sithes 2.
Ful loth were him to cursen for his tithes,
But rather wolde he yeven3 out of doute,
Unto his pourè parishens aboute,
Of his offring, and eke of his substance.
He coude in litel thing have suffisance.
Wide was his parish, and houses fer asonder,
But he ne left nought for no rain ne thonder,
In sikenesse and in mischief to visite
The ferrest in his parish, moche and lite1,
Upon his fete, and in his hand a staf.
This noble ensample to his shepe he yaf3,
That first he wrought, and afterward he taught.
Out of the gospel he the wordès caught,
And this figure he added yet therto.
That if golde rustè, what shuld iren do?
For if a preest be foule, on whom we trust,
No wonder is a lewèd man to rust:

And shame it is, if that a preest take kepe,
To see a shitten shepherd, and clene shepe :
Wel ought a preest ensample for to yeve,
By his clenenessè, how his shepe shulde live.
He settè not his benefice to hire,
And lette his shepe accombred in the mire,
And ran unto London, unto Seint Poules,
To seken him a chanterie for soules,

1 Proved.

2 Times.

3 Give.

5 Gave.

*The nearest and most distant of his parishioners.

Or with a brotherhede to be withold:
But dwelt at home, and keptè wel his fold,
So that the wolf ne made it not miscarie.
He was a shepherd, and no mercenarie.
And though he holy were, and vertuous,
He was to sinful men not dispitous,
Ne of his spechè dangerous ne digne,
But in his teching discrete and benigne.
To drawen folk to heven, with fairènesse,
By good ensample, was his besinesse :
But it were any persone obstinat,
What so he were of highe, or low estat,
Him wolde he snibben' sharply for the nonès.
A better preest I trowe that nowher 2 non is.
He waited after no pompe ne reverence,
Ne maked him no spiced conscience,
But Cristès lore, and his apostles twelve,
He taught, but first he folwed it himselve.
With him ther was a Plowman, was his brother,
That hadde ylaid of dongful many a fother ".
A trewè swinker, and a good was he,
Living in pees, and parfite charitee.
God loved he bestè with alle his herte

At allè timès, were it gain or smerte 7,
And than his neighèbour right as himselve.
He wolde thresh, and therto dike, and delve,
For Cristès sake, for every pourè wight,

Withouten hire, if it lay in his might.

His tithès paied he ful fayre and wel Both of his propre swinke, and his catel. In a tabard he rode upon a mere.

Ther was also a reve, and a millere, A sompnour', and a pardoner2 also, A manciple, and myself, ther n'ere no mo. The Miller was a stout carl for the nones, Ful bigge he was of braun, and eke of bones; That proved wel, for over all ther he came, At wrastling he wold bere away the ram*. He was short shuldered brode, a thikkè gnarre', Ther n'as no dore, that he n'olde heve of barre, Or breke it at a renning with his hede. His berd as any sowe or fox was rede, And therto brode, as though it were a spade. Upon the cop right of his nose he hade A wert, and theron stode a tufte of heres, Rede as the bristles of a sowès eres. His nose-thirlès blackè were and wide. A swerd and bokeler bare he by his side. His mouth as widè was as a forneis.

8

He was a jangler, and a goliardeis

10

'A sompnour, an officer employed to summon delinquents in ecclesiastical courts, now called an apparitor.-Tyrwhitt.

A pardoner, a seller of pardons or indulgences.

3 A manciple, an officer who has the care of furnishing victuals for an inn of court.

And that was most of sinne, and harlotries.
Wel coude he stelen corne, and tollen thries.
And yet he had a thomb of gold parde 2.
A white cote and a blew hode wered he.
A baggèpipe wel coude he blowe and soune,
And therwithall he brought us out of toune.

A gentil Manciple 3 was ther of a temple,
Of which achatours mighten take ensemple
For to ben wise in bying of vitaille.

For whether that he paide, or toke by taille,
Algate he waited so in his achate',

That he was ay before in good estate.
Now is not that of God a ful fayre grace,
That swiche a lewèd mannès wit shal pace
The wisdom of an hepe of lered men ?

Of maisters had he mo than thriès ten,
That were of lawe expert and curious:
Of which ther was a dosein in that hous,
Worthy to ben stewardes of rent and lond
Of any lord that is in Englelond,

To maken him live by his propre good,
In honour detteles, but if he were wood,
Or live as scarsly, as him list desire;
And able for to helpen all a shire

In any cas that mighte fallen or happe:

And yet this manciple sette hir aller cappe7.

12 He was as honest as other millers, though he had, according

to the proverb, like every miller, a thumb of gold.

3 Vide note 3 on the preceding page.

4 Purchasers.

5 Purchase.

6 Free from debt.

7 Made a fool of them all.