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1r
Whan that Aprile with his shouris sote The drought of March hath percid to the Rote And bathid every veyn in [fuls] licoure Of which vertue engendrid is the floure Whan zephirus eke with his sewete brethe Inspirid hath in every holt and hethe The tendir croppis and the yong sunne Hath in the Ramme his half cours y [ rune [OR] runne ] And smale foules maken melodie That slepen all night with open iye So prikith hem nature in her courages Than longen folk to go on pilgremages And palmers to sechen straunge strondes To [ fne ] halows couth in sundrie londes And speciali from every Shiris ende Of Englonde to Caunturbury they wende The holi blissful martire forto seke That hem hath holpen whan thei were seke Befill that in that seson upon a day In Suthwerk at the Tabard as I lay Redi to wende on my pilgremage To Caunturbury with devout courage At night were come into that hostrye Wele nyne and twenti in a cumpany Of sundrie folc bi aventure y falle In felashipe and pilgremes were thei all That toward Caunturbury wolden [ri ]de The Chambirs and the stables wer wide And wel we weren eas[ ] [...] the best And shortli whan th[...]ne was to rest So had I spoken with [ ] evereychone That I was of [...] felashipe anone And made for[ ]rd erli forto rise To take oure [...] as I did devise But nathel [...] while that I have time & space Or that I further in this tale pace Me think [...] it accordaunt unto reson To tell [...] you alle the condicion
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Of eche of them so as it semed me And which thei were and of what degre And eke what array that thei were in And at a knight than wil I first begyn A knight ther was & that a worthi ma That fro the time that he first began To ride out he loved chevalrye Trouth honoure fredam and curtesy Ful wurthie was he in his lordis werre And thereto had he riden noman more ferre As wel in Cristendom as in hethnesse And evere honoured for his wourthinesse At Alexander he was whan it was won Ful oftime he had the bord begunne Aboven alle nacions in Pruce In Lettow had he riden and in Ruce No cristenman so ofte of his degre In Garnade at the sege eke had he be Of Algazir and riden in Belmary At [...] was he and at Sataly Whan thei were won & in the gret See At many a noble Armee had he be At mortal bataile had he ben fiftene And fought for oure feith at Tramassene In listis thrice & alway slayn his fo This ilk wurthi knight had ben also Sumtime with the lord of Palacy Ayens anothir heth[...] in Turky And everemore he had sov[...] price He was ful wurthi and ful [...]se And of his port as meke as a [...]id He nevere yit no vilany saide In al his lif to no maner wight He was a veray parfit gentil knight And forto telle you of his array His hors were good but he was not gay Of fustian he ware a gipon Al besmotird with his haburgeon
2r
For he was late y come from his viage And went forto do his pilgremage With hym there was his son a yong Squiere A lovyer and A lusty Bachillore With lockis [curle OR crule] as they were leid in presse Of twenti yere of age he was I gesse Of his stature he was of even length And wondirly delyvere and of gret strength And he had ben sumtime in Chyvachy In Flaundirs in Artois and Picardie And born him wele as of so litle space In hoop to stond in his ladies grace Enbrondid was he as it were a mede Al ful of fressh floures white & rede Synging he was or floiting al the day He was as fressh as is the moneth of May Short was his goun with sleves long & wyde Wel couth he sitte on hors and feire ride He couth songis make and wele endite Just and eke daunce and wel purtray & write So hote he loved that by nyghtir tale He slept no more than doth a nyghtingale Curteys he was louly and [suisible] And carf beforn his fadir at the table A Yoman had he and [serianntes] no moo At that time for he lust to ride so And he was cladde in cote & hood of grene A shef of pecocke arohws bright & kene Undir his belt he bare fulle thriftily Wel couth he dresse his tacle yo[]ly His aroews drouped not with fethirs low And in his hand he bare a mighti bowe A not hede had he with a broun visage Of wodecraft wel couth he al the usage Upon his arme he bare a gay Bracere And bu his side a swerde and A Bokelere And on that othir side a gay Daggere
2v
Harneised wel and sharp as point of Spere A Christofir on his brest of silvere shene An horne he bare the gurdil was of grene A Forster was he sotheli as I gesse There was also a nonne a prioresse That of hir smyling was full [straunge] & coy Hir gretist othe was but by Seint Loy And she was callid madame Eglantine Full wel she sang the servive divinie Entuned in hir nose fulle semely And frenssh she spac ful feire and fetisly Aftir the scole of Stratford at Bowe For frenssh of Paris was to her unknow At mete wel y taught was she with all She lete no morcell from hir lippis falle Ne wette hir fingirs in hir sauce depe Wele couth she cary a mortell & wel kepe That no drope fille upon hir brest In curtesy was sette ful mochil hir lest Hir overelippe wipid she so clene That in hir cuppe was no ferthing sene Of grees, whan she drunke had hir draught Ful semeli aft hir mete she raught And sicurli she was of gret disport And ful plesaunt and amiable of port And peyned hir to countirfete chere Of court, and to be stately of manere And to be holden digne of revererence But forto speke of hir conscience She was so cheritable and so pitous She wold wepe if that she sawe a mouse Caught in a trappe, if it were dede or blede Of smale houndis had she that she fedde with rostid flessh or milke and wastil brede But sore wept she is eny of hem were dede Or if men smote it with a yerde smert And all was conscience and tendir hert