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

I this?”

“In dreames,” quoth Valorian, “have we be Unto this time, brother mine, y-wis

But now at erst in truth our dwelling is.” for the first time

How know’st thou this,” quoth Tiburce; “in what wise?”

Quoth Valerian, “That shall I thee devise describe “The angel of God hath me the truth y-taught, Which thou shalt see, if that thou wilt reny renounce The idols, and be clean, and elles nought.”

[And of the miracle of these crownes tway Saint Ambrose in his preface list to say; Solemnely this noble doctor dear

Commendeth it, and saith in this mannere “The palm of martyrdom for to receive, Saint Cecilie, full filled of God’s gift, The world and eke her chamber gan to weive; forsake Witness Tiburce’s and Cecilie’s shrift, confession To which God of his bounty woulde shift Corones two, of flowers well smelling, And made his angel them the crownes bring.

 

“The maid hath brought these men to bliss above; The world hath wist what it is worth, certain, Devotion of chastity to love.”] <10>

Then showed him Cecilie all open and plain, That idols all are but a thing in vain, For they be dumb, and thereto* they be deave;* therefore **deaf And charged him his idols for to leave.

 

“Whoso that troweth* not this, a beast he is,” *believeth Quoth this Tiburce, “if that I shall not lie.”

And she gan kiss his breast when she heard this, And was full glad he could the truth espy: “This day I take thee for mine ally.” chosen friend Saide this blissful faire maiden dear; And after that she said as ye may hear.

 

“Lo, right so as the love of Christ,” quoth she, “Made me thy brother’s wife, right in that wise Anon for mine ally here take I thee,

Since that thou wilt thine idoles despise.

Go with thy brother now and thee baptise, And make thee clean, so that thou may’st behold The angel’s face, of which thy brother told.”

 

Tiburce answer’d, and saide, “Brother dear, First tell me whither I shall, and to what man?”

“To whom?” quoth he, “come forth with goode cheer, I will thee lead unto the Pope Urban.”

“To Urban? brother mine Valerian,”

Quoth then Tiburce; “wilt thou me thither lead?

Me thinketh that it were a wondrous deed.

 

“Meanest thou not that Urban,” quoth he tho, then “That is so often damned to be dead,

And wons* in halkes** always to and fro, dwells *corners And dare not ones putte forth his head?

Men should him brennen* in a fire so red, *burn If he were found, or if men might him spy: And us also, to bear him company.

 

“And while we seeke that Divinity

That is y-hid in heaven privily,

Algate* burnt in this world should we be.” *nevertheless To whom Cecilie answer’d boldely;

“Men mighte dreade well and skilfully reasonably This life to lose, mine owen deare brother, If this were living only, and none other.

 

“But there is better life in other place, That never shall be loste, dread thee nought; Which Godde’s Son us tolde through his grace That Father’s Son which alle thinges wrought; And all that wrought is with a skilful* thought, reasonable The Ghost, that from the Father gan proceed, Holy Spirit Hath souled them, withouten any drede.* endowed them with a soul **doubt By word and by miracle, high God’s Son, When he was in this world, declared here.

That there is other life where men may won.” dwell To whom answer’d Tiburce, “O sister dear, Saidest thou not right now in this mannere, There was but one God, Lord in soothfastness, truth And now of three how may’st thou bear witness?”

 

“That shall I tell,” quoth she, “ere that I go.

Right as a man hath sapiences* three, mental faculties Memory, engine, and intellect also, *wit <11>

So in one being of divinity

Three persones there maye right well be.”

Then gan she him full busily to preach Of Christe’s coming, and his paines teach, And many pointes of his passion;

How Godde’s Son in this world was withhold employed To do mankinde plein* remission, *full That was y-bound in sin and cares cold. wretched <12>

All this thing she unto Tiburce told,

And after that Tiburce, in good intent, With Valerian to Pope Urban he went.

 

That thanked God, and with glad heart and light He christen’d him, and made him in that place Perfect in his learning, and Godde’s knight.

And after this Tiburce got such grace, That every day he saw in time and space Th’ angel of God, and every manner boon request, favour That be God asked, it was sped* full anon. granted, successful It were full hard by order for to sayn How many wonders Jesus for them wrought, But at the last, to telle short and plain, The sergeants of the town of Rome them sought, And them before Almach the Prefect brought, Which them apposed, and knew all their intent, *questioned And to th’image of Jupiter them sent.

 

And said, “Whoso will not do sacrifice, Swap* off his head, this is my sentence here.” strike Anon these martyrs, that I you devise, of whom I tell you*

One Maximus, that was an officere

Of the prefect’s, and his corniculere <13>

Them hent,* and when he forth the saintes lad,* seized **led Himself he wept for pity that he had.

 

When Maximus had heard the saintes lore, doctrine, teaching He got him of the tormentores* leave, torturers And led them to his house withoute more; And with their preaching, ere that it were eve, They gonnen from the tormentors to reave,* began **wrest, root out And from Maxim’, and from his folk each one, The false faith, to trow* in God alone. believe Cecilia came, when it was waxen night, With priestes, that them christen’d all in fere; in a company*

And afterward, when day was waxen light, Cecile them said with a full steadfast cheer, mien “Now, Christe’s owen knightes lefe* and dear, *beloved Cast all away the workes of darkness,

And arme you in armour of brightness.

 

Ye have forsooth y-done a great battaile, Your course is done, your faith have ye conserved; <14>

O to the crown of life that may not fail; The rightful Judge, which that ye have served Shall give it you, as ye have it deserved.”

And when this thing was said, as I devise,* relate Men led them forth to do the sacrifice.

 

But when they were unto the place brought To telle shortly the conclusion,

They would incense nor sacrifice right nought But on their knees they sette them adown, With humble heart and sad* devotion, *steadfast And loste both their heades in the place; Their soules wente to the King of grace.

 

This Maximus, that saw this thing betide, With piteous teares told it anon right, That he their soules saw to heaven glide With angels, full of clearness and of light Andt with his word converted many a wight.

For which Almachius *did him to-beat see note <15>*

With whip of lead, till he his life gan lete. quit Cecile him took, and buried him anon

By Tiburce and Valerian softely,

Within their burying-place, under the stone.

And after this Almachius hastily

Bade his ministers fetchen openly

Cecile, so that she might in his presence Do sacrifice, and Jupiter incense. burn incense to But they, converted at her wise lore, teaching Wepte full sore, and gave full credence Unto her word, and cried more and more; “Christ, Godde’s Son, withoute difference, Is very God, this is all our sentence, opinion That hath so good a servant him to serve Thus with one voice we trowe,* though we sterve.* believe **die Almachius, that heard of this doing,

Bade fetch Cecilie, that he might her see; And alderfirst,* lo, this was his asking; *first of all “What manner woman arte thou?” quoth he, “I am a gentle woman born,” quoth she.

“I aske thee,” quoth he,“though it thee grieve, Of thy religion and of thy believe.”

 

“Ye have begun your question foolishly,”

Quoth she, “that wouldest two answers conclude In one demand? ye aske lewedly.” ignorantly Almach answer’d to that similitude,

“Of whence comes thine answering so rude?”

“Of whence?” quoth she, when that she was freined, asked “Of conscience, and of good faith unfeigned.”

 

Almachius saide; “Takest thou no heed

Of my power?” and she him answer’d this; “Your might,” quoth she, “full little is to dread; For every mortal manne’s power is

But like a bladder full of wind, y-wis; certainly For with a needle’s point, when it is blow’, May all the boast of it be laid full low.”

 

“Full wrongfully begunnest thou,” quoth he, “And yet in wrong is thy perseverance.

Know’st thou not how our mighty princes free Have thus commanded and made ordinance, That every Christian wight shall have penance, punishment But if that he his Christendom withsay, deny And go all quit, if he will it renay?” renounce “Your princes erren, as your nobley* doth,” nobility Quoth then Cecile, “and with a wood sentence mad judgment*

Ye make us guilty, and it is not sooth: true For ye that knowe well our innocence,

Forasmuch as we do aye reverence

To Christ, and for we bear a Christian name, Ye put on us a crime and eke a blame.

 

“But we that knowe thilke name so

For virtuous, we may it not withsay.”

Almach answered, “Choose one of these two, Do sacrifice, or Christendom renay,

That thou may’st now escape by that way.”

At which the holy blissful faire maid

Gan for to laugh, and to the judge said; “O judge, *confused in thy nicety, confounded in thy folly*

Wouldest thou that I reny innocence?

To make me a wicked wight,” quoth she, “Lo, he dissimuleth* here in audience; dissembles He stareth and woodeth in his advertence.”* grows furious **thought To whom Almachius said, “Unsely* wretch, *unhappy Knowest thou not how far my might may stretch?

 

“Have not our mighty princes to me given Yea bothe power and eke authority

To make folk to dien or to liven?

Why speakest thou so proudly then to me?”

“I speake not but steadfastly,” quoth she, Not proudly, for I say, as for my side, We hate deadly* thilke vice of pride. mortally “And, if thou dreade not a sooth to hear, *truth Then will I shew all openly by right,

That thou hast made a full great leasing* here. falsehood Thou say’st thy princes have thee given might Both for to slay and for to quick a wight, — *give life to Thou that may’st not but only life bereave; Thou hast none other power nor no leave.

 

“But thou may’st say, thy princes have thee maked Minister of death; for if thou speak of mo’, Thou liest; for thy power is full naked.”

“Do away thy boldness,” said Almachius tho, then “And sacrifice to our gods, ere thou go.

I recke not what wrong that thou me proffer, For I can suffer it as a philosopher.

 

“But those wronges may I not endure,

That thou speak’st of our goddes here,” quoth he.

Cecile answer’d, “O nice* creature, *foolish Thou saidest no word, since thou spake to me, That I knew not therewith thy nicety, folly And that thou wert in *every manner wise every sort of way*

A lewed* officer, a vain justice. ignorant “There lacketh nothing to thine outward eyen That