156
THE CANTERBURY TALES.
the offences, injuries, and wrongs, that ye have done against me and mine, to this effect and to this end, that God of his endless mercy will at the time of our dying forgive us our guilts, that we have trespassed to him in this wretched world; for doubtless, if we be sorry and re- pentant of the sins and guilts which we have trespassed in the sight of our Lord God, he is so free and so meroiable,^ that he will forgive us our guilts, and bring us to the bliss that never hath end." Amen.
THE MONK'S TALE.
THE PSOLOGDE.
When ended was my tale of Melibee;
And of Prudence and her benignity,
Our Hoste said, " As I am faithful man.
And by the precious corpus Madrian,'^
I had lever ' than a barrel of ale.
That goods lef e * my wife had heard this tale ;
For she is no thing of such patience
As was this Meliboeus' wife Prudence.
By Godde's bones ! when I beat my knaves
She bringeth me the greate clubbed staves.
And crieth, * Slay the dogges- every one.
And break of them both back and ev'ry bone.'
And if tliat any neighebour of mine
Will not in church unto my wife incline,^
Or be so hardy to her to trespace,"
When she comes home she rampeth' in my
face. And crieth, ' False coward, wreak ' tliy wife : By corpus Domini, I will have thy knife, And thou shalt have my distaff, and go spin.' From day till night right thus she will begin. ' Alas ! ' she saith, ' that ever I was shape ' To wed a milksop, or a coward ape, That will be overlad ^^ with every wight ! Thou darest not stand by thy wife's right.'
" This is my life, but if " that I wUl fight ; And out at door anon I must me dight,^^ Or elles I am lost, but if that I Be, like a wilde lion, fool-hard^. I wot well she will do ^^ me slay some day Some neighebour, and thenne go my way ; ^* For I am perilous with knife in hand. Albeit that I dare not her withstand ; For she is big in armes, by my faith ! That shall he find, that her misdoth or saith.'^
1 Merciful.
2 The body of St Maternus, of Treves.
3 Bather. « Dear. = Bow.
6 Bold enough to oJIend lier. 7 Leaps, springs.
8 Avenge. 9 Destined.
10 Overborne, imposed upon. ii XTnless.
12 Betake myself. 13 Make. a Take to flight.
13 That does or says anything to displease her. IB One doing penance.
17 In my judgment ; for "doom."
18 Sinews. 19 A cock.
^ An ecclesiastical vestment covering all the body like a cloak. si If.
But let us pass away from this matt&e.
My lord the Monk," quoth he, " be merry of
cheer. For ye shall tell a tale truel^. Lo, Rochester stands here faste by. Bide forth, mine owen lord, break not our
game. But by my troth I cannot tell your name ; JiV^hether shall I call you my lord, Dan John, Or Dan Thomas, or elles Dan Albon? Of what house be ye, by your father's kin ? I vow to God, thou hast a full fair skin ; It is a gentle pasture where thou go'st ; Thou art not like a penant^" or a ghost. Upon my faith thou art some officer. Some worthy sexton, or some cellarer. For by my father's soul, as to my dome," Thou art a master when thou art at home ; No poors cloisterer, nor no novice. But a governor, both wily and wise. And therewithal, of brawnes^s and of bones, A right well-faring person for the nonce. I pray to God give him confusi6n That first thee brought into religion. Thou would'st have been a treadS-fowl" aright ; Hadst thou as greats leave, as thou hast might. To perform all thy lust in engendrure. Thou hadst begotten many a oreatlire. Alas ! why wearest thou so wide a cope ? ^ God give me sorrow, but, an' ^1 1 were pope, Not only thou, but every mighty man. Though he were shorn full high upon his pan,^^ Should have a wife ; for aU this world is lorn ; ^s Eeligi6n hath ta'en up all the com Of treading, and we borel ^^ men be shrimps i^' Of feeble trees there comS wretched imps.^ This maketh that our heires be so slender Ahd feeble, that they may not well engender, This maketh that our wives will assay Religious folk, for they may better pay Of Venus' payementes than may we : God wot, no lushSburghes '^ payS ye. But be not wroth, my lord, though that I play ; Full oft in game a sooth have I heard say."
This worthy Monk took all in patience. And said, " I will do all my diligence, As far as souneth unto honesty, ^^ To telle you a tale, or two or three. And if you list to hearken hitherward, I will you say the life of Saint Edward ; Or elles first tragSdies I will tell. Of which I have an hundred in my cell. Tragedy is to say"' a certain story. As olds bookes maken us mem6ry. Of him that stood in great prosperity,
22 Crown ; though he were tonsured, as the clergy are. 'S3 Undone, ruined, 24 Lay, unlettered.
25 Puny, contemptible creaturfis.
26 Shoots, branches; from Anglo-Saxon, "impian," German, "impten," to implant, ingraft. The word is now used in a very restricted sense, to signily the pro- geny, children, of the devil.
27 Base or counterfeit coins ; so called because struck at Luxemburg. A great importation of them took place during the reigns of the earlier Edwards, and they caused much annoyance and complaint, till in 1351 it was declared treason to bring them into the country,
'8 Is in harmony with good manners. S9 Means.
