Canterbury Tales and Other Poems, Geoffrey Chaucer [good fiction books to read txt] 📗

elles oftentime I had been spilt ruined Whoso first cometh to the nilll, first grint; is ground I plained first, so was our war y-stint. stopped They were full glad to excuse them full blive quickly Of things that they never *aguilt their live. were guilty in their lives*

Of wenches would I *beare them on hand, falsely accuse them*

When that for sickness scarcely might they stand, Yet tickled I his hearte for that he

Ween’d* that I had of him so great cherte:* though **affection<16>

I swore that all my walking out by night Was for to espy wenches that he dight: adorned Under that colour had I many a mirth.

For all such wit is given us at birth; Deceit, weeping, and spinning, God doth give To women kindly, while that they may live. *naturally And thus of one thing I may vaunte me, At th’ end I had the better in each degree, By sleight, or force, or by some manner thing, As by continual murmur or grudging, complaining Namely* a-bed, there hadde they mischance, *especially There would I chide, and do them no pleasance: I would no longer in the bed abide,

If that I felt his arm over my side,

Till he had made his ransom unto me,

Then would I suffer him do his nicety. folly <17>

And therefore every man this tale I tell, Win whoso may, for all is for to sell; With empty hand men may no hawkes lure; For winning would I all his will endure, And make me a feigned appetite,

And yet in bacon* had I never delight: *i.e. of Dunmow <9>

That made me that I ever would them chide.

For, though the Pope had sitten them beside, I would not spare them at their owen board, For, by my troth, I quit* them word for word *repaid As help me very God omnipotent,

Though I right now should make my testament I owe them not a word, that is not quit repaid I brought it so aboute by my wit,

That they must give it up, as for the best Or elles had we never been in rest.

For, though he looked as a wood* lion, *furious Yet should he fail of his conclusion.

Then would I say, “Now, goode lefe* tak keep* dear **heed How meekly looketh Wilken oure sheep!

Come near, my spouse, and let me ba* thy cheek *kiss <18>

Ye shoulde be all patient and meek,

And have a *sweet y-spiced* conscience, tender, nice

Since ye so preach of Jobe’s patience.

Suffer alway, since ye so well can preach, And but* ye do, certain we shall you teach unless That it is fair to have a wife in peace.

One of us two must bowe* doubteless: *give way And since a man is more reasonable

Than woman is, ye must be suff’rable.

What aileth you to grudge* thus and groan? *complain Is it for ye would have my [love] <14> alone?

Why, take it all: lo, have it every deal, whit Peter! <19> shrew* you but ye love it well curse For if I woulde sell my belle chose, beautiful thing*

I coulde walk as fresh as is a rose,

But I will keep it for your owen tooth.

Ye be to blame, by God, I say you sooth.”

Such manner wordes hadde we on hand.

 

Now will I speaken of my fourth husband.

My fourthe husband was a revellour;

This is to say, he had a paramour,

And I was young and full of ragerie, wantonness Stubborn and strong, and jolly as a pie. magpie Then could I dance to a harpe smale,

And sing, y-wis,* as any nightingale, *certainly When I had drunk a draught of sweete wine.

Metellius, the foule churl, the swine, That with a staff bereft his wife of life For she drank wine, though I had been his wife, Never should he have daunted me from drink: And, after wine, of Venus most I think.

For all so sure as cold engenders hail, A liquorish mouth must have a liquorish tail.

In woman vinolent* is no defence,* full of wine *resistance This knowe lechours by experience.

But, lord Christ, when that it rememb’reth me Upon my youth, and on my jollity,

It tickleth me about mine hearte-root; Unto this day it doth mine hearte boot, good That I have had my world as in my time.

But age, alas! that all will envenime, poison, embitter Hath me bereft my beauty and my pith: vigour Let go; farewell; the devil go therewith.

The flour is gon, there is no more to tell, The bran, as I best may, now must I sell.

But yet to be right merry will I fand. try Now forth to tell you of my fourth husband, I say, I in my heart had great despite, That he of any other had delight;

But he was quit,* by God and by Saint Joce:<21> *requited, paid back I made for him of the same wood a cross; Not of my body in no foul mannere,

But certainly I made folk such cheer,

That in his owen grease I made him fry For anger, and for very jealousy.

By God, in earth I was his purgatory,

For which I hope his soul may be in glory.

For, God it wot, he sat full oft and sung, When that his shoe full bitterly him wrung. pinched There was no wight, save God and he, that wist In many wise how sore I did him twist.<20>

He died when I came from Jerusalem,

And lies in grave under the *roode beam: cross*

Although his tomb is not so curious

As was the sepulchre of Darius,

Which that Apelles wrought so subtlely.

It is but waste to bury them preciously.

Let him fare well, God give his soule rest, He is now in his grave and in his chest.

 

Now of my fifthe husband will I tell:

God let his soul never come into hell.

And yet was he to me the moste shrew; cruel, ill-tempered That feel I on my ribbes all *by rew, in a row And ever shall, until mine ending day.

But in our bed he was so fresh and gay, And therewithal so well he could me glose, flatter When that he woulde have my belle chose, Though he had beaten me on every bone, Yet could he win again my love anon.

I trow, I lov’d him better, for that he Was of his love so dangerous* to me. *sparing, difficult We women have, if that I shall not lie, In this matter a quainte fantasy.

Whatever thing we may not lightly have, Thereafter will we cry all day and crave.

Forbid us thing, and that desire we;

Press on us fast, and thenne will we flee.

With danger* utter we all our chaffare;* difficulty **merchandise Great press at market maketh deare ware, And too great cheap is held at little price; This knoweth every woman that is wise.

My fifthe husband, God his soule bless, Which that I took for love and no richess, He some time was *a clerk of Oxenford, a scholar of Oxford*

And had left school, and went at home to board With my gossip,* dwelling in oure town: *godmother God have her soul, her name was Alisoun.

She knew my heart, and all my privity, Bet than our parish priest, so may I the. thrive To her betrayed I my counsel all;

For had my husband pissed on a wall,

Or done a thing that should have cost his life, To her, and to another worthy wife,

And to my niece, which that I loved well, I would have told his counsel every deal. jot And so I did full often, God it wot,

That made his face full often red and hot For very shame, and blam’d himself, for he Had told to me so great a privity. secret And so befell that ones in a Lent

(So oftentimes I to my gossip went,

For ever yet I loved to be gay,

And for to walk in March, April, and May From house to house, to heare sundry tales), That Jenkin clerk, and my gossip, Dame Ales, And I myself, into the fieldes went.

Mine husband was at London all that Lent; I had the better leisure for to play,

And for to see, and eke for to be sey seen Of lusty folk; what wist I where my grace favour Was shapen for to be, or in what place? *appointed Therefore made I my visitations

To vigilies,* and to processions, *festival-eves<22>

To preachings eke, and to these pilgrimages, To plays of miracles, and marriages,

And weared upon me gay scarlet gites. gowns These wormes, nor these mothes, nor these mites On my apparel frett* them never a deal* fed **whit And know’st thou why? for they were used* well. *worn Now will I telle forth what happen’d me: I say, that in the fieldes walked we,

Till truely we had such dalliance,

This clerk and I, that of my purveyance foresight I spake to him, and told him how that he, If I were widow, shoulde wedde me.

For certainly, I say for no bobance, boasting<23>

Yet was I never without purveyance foresight Of marriage, nor of other thinges eke: I hold a mouse’s wit not worth a leek, That hath but one hole for to starte* to,<24> *escape And if that faile, then is all y-do. done [*I bare him on hand* he had enchanted me falsely assured him

(My dame taughte me that subtilty);

And eke I said, I mette* of him all night, *dreamed He would have slain me, as I lay upright, And all my bed was full of very blood; But yet I hop’d that he should do me good; For blood betoken’d gold, as me was taught.

And all was false, I dream’d of him right naught, But as I follow’d aye my dame’s lore,

As well of that as of other things more.] <25>

But now, sir, let me see, what shall I sayn?

Aha! by God, I have my tale again.

When that my fourthe husband was on bier, I wept algate* and made a sorry cheer,** always *countenance As wives must, for it is the usage;

And with my kerchief covered my visage; But, for I was provided with a make, mate I wept but little, that I undertake promise To churche was mine husband borne a-morrow With neighebours that for him made sorrow, And Jenkin, oure clerk, was one of tho: those As help me God, when that I saw him go After the bier, methought he had a pair Of legges and of feet so clean and fair, That all my heart I gave unto his hold. keeping He was, I trow, a twenty winter old,

And I was forty, if I shall say sooth, But yet I had always a colte’s tooth.

Gat-toothed* I was, and that became me well, *see note <26>

I had the print of Sainte Venus’ seal.

[As help me God, I was a lusty one,

And fair, and rich, and young, and *well begone: in a good way*

For certes I am all venerian under the influence of Venus In feeling, and my heart is martian; under the influence of Mars Venus me gave my lust and liquorishness, And Mars gave me my sturdy hardiness.] <25>

Mine ascendant was Taure,* and Mars therein: *Taurus Alas, alas, that ever love was sin!

I follow’d aye mine inclination

By virtue of my constellation:

That made