Canterbury Tales (Middle English) — The Tale of Melibeus - Part Three

§ 32. Now as to the seconde point, wher-as your wyse conseillours conseilled yow to warnestore your hous with gret diligence, / I wolde fayn knowe, how that ye understonde thilke wordes, and what is your sentence.

’ / § 33. Melibeus answerde and seyde, ‘Certes I understande it in this wise;

that I shal warnestore myn hous with toures, swiche as han castelles and othere manere edifices, and armure and artelleries, / by whiche thinges I may my persone and myn hous so kepen and defenden, that myne enemys shul been in drede myn hous for to approche.

’ / 2523. Cm.

artelleryes; E. Hn.

artelries; Hl.

artilries; Cp.

Ln.

archers.

§ 34. To this sentence answerde anon Prudence; ‘warnestoring,’ quod she, ‘of heighe toures and of grete edifices apperteneth som-tyme to pryde;

/2525 and eek men make heighe toures and grete edifices with grete costages and with greet travaille; and whan that they been accompliced, yet be they nat worth a stree, but-if they be defended by trewe freendes that been olde and wyse.

/ And understond wel, that the gretteste and strongeste garnison that a riche man may have, as wel to kepen his persone as hise goodes, is / that he be biloved amonges his subgets and with hise neighebores.

/ For thus seith Tullius: that “ther is a maner garnison that no man may venquisse ne disconfite, and that is, / a lord to be biloved of hise citezeins and of his peple.

” /2530 2525, 6. E.

Hn.

Cm.

Pt.

Hl.

_omit_ apperteneth ...

edifices; Cp.

Ln.

_have it_; _see note_.

§ 35. Now sir, as to the thridde point; wher-as your olde and wise conseillours seyden, that yow ne oghte nat sodeynly ne hastily proceden in this nede, / but that yow oghte purveyen and [219] apparaillen yow in this caas with greet diligence and greet deliberacioun; / trewely, I trowe that they seyden right wysly and right sooth.

/ For Tullius seith, “in every nede, er thou biginne it, apparaille thee with greet diligence.

” / Thanne seye I, that in vengeance-taking, in werre, in bataille, and in warnestoring, /2535 er thow biginne, I rede that thou apparaille thee ther-to, and do it with greet deliberacioun.

/ For Tullius seith: that “long apparailling biforn the bataille maketh short victorie.

” / And Cassidorus seith: “the garnison is stronger whan it is longe tyme avysed.

” / 2537. E.

Ln.

The longe; _rest_ that long.

§ 36. But now lat us speken of the conseil that was accorded by your neighebores, swiche as doon yow reverence withouten love, / your olde enemys reconsiled, your flatereres, /2540 that conseilled yow certeyne thinges prively, and openly conseilleden yow the contrarie; / the yonge folk also, that conseilleden yow to venge yow and make werre anon.

/ And certes, sir, as I have seyd biforn, ye han greetly erred to han cleped swich maner folk to your conseil; / which conseillours been y-nogh repreved by the resouns afore-seyd.

/ But nathelees, lat us now descende to the special.

Ye shuln first procede after the doctrine of Tullius.

/2545 Certes, the trouthe of this matere or of this conseil nedeth nat diligently enquere; / for it is wel wist whiche they been that han doon to yow this trespas and vileinye, / and how manye trespassours, and in what manere they han to yow doon al this wrong and al this vileinye.

/ And after this, thanne shul ye examine the seconde condicioun, which that the same Tullius addeth in this matere.

/ For Tullius put a thing, which that he clepeth “consentinge,” this is to seyn; /2550 who been they and how manye, and whiche been they, that consenteden to thy conseil, in thy wilfulnesse to doon hastif vengeance.

/ And lat us considere also who been they, and how manye been they, and whiche been they, that consenteden to your adversaries.

/ And certes, as to the firste poynt, it is wel knowen whiche folk been they that consenteden to your hastif wilfulnesse; / for trewely, alle tho that conseilleden yow to maken sodeyn werre ne been nat your freendes.

/ Lat us now considere whiche been they, that ye holde so greetly your freendes as to your persone.

/2555 For al-be-it so that ye be mighty [220] and riche, certes ye ne been nat but allone.

/ For certes, ye ne han no child but a doghter; / ne ye ne han bretheren ne cosins germayns, ne noon other neigh kinrede, / wherfore that your enemys, for drede, sholde stinte to plede with yow or to destroye your persone.

/ Ye knowen also, that your richesses moten been dispended in diverse parties; /2560 and whan that every wight hath his part, they ne wollen taken but litel reward to venge thy deeth.

/ But thyne enemys been three, and they han manie children, bretheren, cosins, and other ny kinrede; / and, though so were that thou haddest slayn of hem two or three, yet dwellen ther y-nowe to wreken hir deeth and to slee thy persone.

/ And though so be that your kinrede be more siker and stedefast than the kin of your adversarie, / yet nathelees your kinrede nis but a fer kinrede; they been but litel sib to yow, /2565 and the kin of your enemys been ny sib to hem.

And certes, as in that, hir condicioun is bet than youres.

/ Thanne lat us considere also if the conseilling of hem that conseilleden yow to taken sodeyn vengeaunce, whether it accorde to resoun?

/ And certes, ye knowe wel “nay.

” / For as by right and resoun, ther may no man taken vengeance on no wight, but the Iuge that hath the Iurisdiccioun of it, / whan it is graunted him to take thilke vengeance, hastily or attemprely, as the lawe requireth.

/2570 And yet more-over, of thilke word that Tullius clepeth “consentinge,” / thou shalt considere if thy might and thy power may consenten and suffyse to thy wilfulnesse and to thy conseillours.

/ And certes, thou mayst wel seyn that “nay.

” / For sikerly, as for to speke proprely, we may do no-thing but only swich thing as we may doon rightfully.

/ And certes, rightfully ne mowe ye take no vengeance as of your propre auctoritee.

/2575 Thanne mowe ye seen, that your power ne consenteth nat ne accordeth nat with your wilfulnesse.

/ Lat us now examine the thridde point that Tullius clepeth “consequent.

” / Thou shalt understonde that the vengeance that thou purposest for to take is the consequent.

/ And ther-of folweth another vengeaunce, peril, and werre; and othere damages with-oute nombre, of whiche we be nat war as at this tyme.

/ And as touchinge the fourthe point, that Tullius clepeth “engendringe,” /2580 thou shalt considere, that this wrong which that is doon to thee is engendred of the hate of thyne enemys; / and of the vengeance-takinge upon that wolde engendre another vengeance, and muchel sorwe and wastinge of richesses, as I seyde.

/ 2551. E.

_om.

_ and whiche been they; _see_ 2552. Hk.

consentid;

_rest_ consenten (_for_ consenteden); _see_ 2552. [221] § 37. Now sir, as to the point that Tullius clepeth “causes,” which that is the laste point, / thou shall understonde that the wrong that thou hast receyved hath certeine causes, / whiche that clerkes clepen _Oriens_ and _Efficiens_, and _Causa longinqua_ and _Causa propinqua_; this is to seyn, the fer cause and the ny cause.

/2585 The fer cause is almighty god, that is cause of alle thinges.

/ The neer cause is thy three enemys.

/ The cause accidental was hate.

/ The cause material been the fyve woundes of thy doghter.

/ The cause formal is the manere of hir werkinge, that broghten laddres and cloumben in at thy windowes.

/2590 The cause final was for to slee thy doghter; it letted nat in as muche as in hem was.

/ But for to speken of the fer cause, as to what ende they shul come, or what shal finally bityde of hem in this caas, ne can I nat deme but by coniectinge and by supposinge.

/ For we shul suppose that they shul come to a wikked ende, / by-cause that the Book of Decrees seith: “selden or with greet peyne been causes y-broght to good ende whanne they been baddely bigonne.

” / 2594. E.

seelden.

§ 38. Now sir, if men wolde axe me, why that god suffred men to do yow this vileinye, certes, I can nat wel answere as for no sothfastnesse.

/2595 For thapostle seith, that “the sciences and the Iuggementz of our lord god almighty been ful depe; / ther may no man comprehende ne serchen hem suffisantly.

” / Nathelees, by certeyne presumpcions and coniectinges, I holde and bileve / that god, which that is ful of Iustice and of rightwisnesse, hath suffred this bityde by Iuste cause resonable.

/ § 39. Thy name is Melibee, this is to seyn, “a man that drinketh hony.

” /2600 Thou hast y-dronke so muchel hony of swete temporel richesses and delices and honours of this world, / that thou art dronken; and hast forgeten Iesu Crist thy creatour; / thou ne hast nat doon to him swich honour and reverence as thee oughte.

/ Ne thou ne hast nat wel y-taken kepe to the wordes of Ovide, that seith: / “under the hony of the godes of the body is hid the venim that sleeth the soule.

” /2605 And Salomon seith, “if thou hast founden hony, ete of it that suffyseth; / for if thou ete of it out of mesure, thou shalt spewe,” and be nedy and povre.

/ And peraventure Crist hath thee in despit, and hath turned awey fro thee his face and hise eres of misericorde; / and also he hath suffred that thou hast been punisshed in the manere that thow [222] hast y-trespassed.

/ Thou hast doon sinne agayn our lord Crist; /2610 for certes, the three enemys of mankinde, that is to seyn, the flessh, the feend, and the world, / thou hast suffred hem entre in-to thyn herte wilfully by the windowes of thy body, / and hast nat defended thy-self suffisantly agayns hir assautes and hir temptaciouns, so that they han wounded thy soule in fyve places; / this is to seyn, the deedly sinnes that been entred in-to thyn herte by thy fyve wittes.

/ And in the same manere our lord Crist hath wold and suffred, that thy three enemys been entred in-to thyn hous by the windowes, /2615 and han y-wounded thy doghter in the fore-seyde manere.

’ / 2601. E.

sweete temporeel.

2608. E.

eeris.

§ 40. ‘Certes,’ quod Melibee, ‘I see wel that ye enforce yow muchel by wordes to overcome me in swich manere, that I shal nat venge me of myne enemys; / shewinge me the perils and the yveles that mighten falle of this vengeance.

/ But who-so wolde considere in alle vengeances the perils and yveles that mighte sewe of vengeance-takinge, / a man wolde never take vengeance, and that were harm; /2620 for by the vengeance-takinge been the wikked men dissevered fro the gode men.

/ And they that han wil to do wikkednesse restreyne hir wikked purpos, whan they seen the punissinge and chastysinge of the trespassours.

’ / [And to this answerde dame Prudence: ‘Certes,’ seyde she, ‘I graunte wel that of vengeaunce cometh muchel yvel and muchel good; / but vengeaunce-taking aperteneth nat unto everichoon, but only unto Iuges and unto hem that han Iurisdicctioun upon the trespassours.

] / And yet seye I more, that right as a singuler persone sinneth in takinge vengeance of another man, /2625 right so sinneth the Iuge if he do no vengeance of hem that it han deserved.

/ For Senek seith thus: “that maister,” he seith, “is good that proveth shrewes.

” / And as Cassidore seith: “A man dredeth to do outrages, whan he woot and knoweth that it displeseth to the Iuges and sovereyns.

” / And another seith: “the Iuge that dredeth to do right, maketh men shrewes.

” / And Seint Paule the apostle seith in his epistle, whan he wryteth un-to the Romayns: that “the Iuges beren nat the spere with-outen cause;” /2630 but they beren it to punisse the shrewes and misdoeres, and for to defende the gode men.

/ If ye wol thanne take vengeance of [223] your enemys, ye shul retourne or have your recours to the Iuge that hath the Iurisdiccion up-on hem; / and he shal punisse hem as the lawe axeth and requyreth.

’ / 2623, 2624. _Not in the_ MSS.

_Supplied by translating the French text_.

2626. E.

Hn.

disserued.

2629. E.

_om.

_ And.

2631. E.

Ln.

_om.

_ for.

§ 41. ‘A!

’ quod Melibee, ‘this vengeance lyketh me no-thing.

/ I bithenke me now and take hede, how fortune hath norissed me fro my childhede, and hath holpen me to passe many a strong pas.

/2635 Now wol I assayen hir, trowinge, with goddes help, that she shal helpe me my shame for to venge.

’ / § 42. ‘Certes,’ quod Prudence, ‘if ye wol werke by my conseil, ye shul nat assaye fortune by no wey; / ne ye shul nat lene or bowe unto hir, after the word of Senek: / for “thinges that been folily doon, and that been in hope of fortune, shullen never come to good ende.

” / And as the same Senek seith: “the more cleer and the more shyning that fortune is, the more brotil and the sonner broken she is.

” /2640 Trusteth nat in hir, for she nis nat stidefast ne stable; / for whan thow trowest to be most seur or siker of hir help, she wol faille thee and deceyve thee.

/ And wher-as ye seyn that fortune hath norissed yow fro your childhede, / I seye, that in so muchel shul ye the lasse truste in hir and in hir wit.

/ For Senek seith: “what man that is norissed by fortune, she maketh him a greet fool.

” /2645 Now thanne, sin ye desyre and axe vengeance, and the vengeance that is doon after the lawe and bifore the Iuge ne lyketh yow nat, / and the vengeance that is doon in hope of fortune is perilous and uncertein, / thanne have ye noon other remedie but for to have your recours unto the sovereyn Iuge that vengeth alle vileinyes and wronges; / and he shal venge yow after that him-self witnesseth, wher-as he seith: / “leveth the vengeance to me, and I shal do it.

”’ /2650 2642. E.

and (_before_ siker); _rest_ or; Hl.

_om.

_ or siker.

§ 43. Melibee answerde, ‘if I ne venge me nat of the vileinye that men han doon to me, / I sompne or warne hem that han doon to me that vileinye and alle othere, to do me another vileinye.

/ For it is writen: “if thou take no vengeance of an old vileinye, thou sompnest thyne adversaries to do thee a newe vileinye.

” / And also, for my suffrance, men wolden do to me so muchel vileinye, that I mighte neither here it ne sustene; / and so sholde I been put and holden over lowe.

/2655 For men seyn: “in muchel suffringe shul manye thinges falle un-to thee whiche thou shalt nat mowe suffre.

”’ / [224] § 44. ‘Certes,’ quod Prudence, ‘I graunte yow that over muchel suffraunce nis nat good; / but yet ne folweth it nat ther-of, that every persone to whom men doon vileinye take of it vengeance; / for that aperteneth and longeth al only to the Iuges, for they shul venge the vileinyes and iniuries.

/ And ther-fore tho two auctoritees that ye han seyd above, been only understonden in the Iuges; /2660 for whan they suffren over muchel the wronges and the vileinyes to be doon withouten punisshinge, / they sompne nat a man al only for to do newe wronges, but they comanden it.

/ Also a wys man seith: that “the Iuge that correcteth nat the sinnere comandeth and biddeth him do sinne.

” / And the Iuges and sovereyns mighten in hir land so muchel suffre of the shrewes and misdoeres, / that they sholden by swich suffrance, by proces of tyme, wexen of swich power and might, that they sholden putte out the Iuges and the sovereyns from hir places, /2665 and atte laste maken hem lesen hir lordshipes.

/ § 45. But lat us now putte, that ye have leve to venge yow.

/ I seye ye been nat of might and power as now to venge yow.

/ For if ye wole maken comparisoun un-to the might of your adversaries, ye shul finde in manye thinges, that I have shewed yow er this, that hir condicioun is bettre than youres.

/ And therfore seye I, that it is good as now that ye suffre and be pacient.

/2670 § 46. Forther-more, ye knowen wel that, after the comune sawe, “it is a woodnesse a man to stryve with a strenger or a more mighty man than he is him-self; / and for to stryve with a man of evene strengthe, that is to seyn, with as strong a man as he, it is peril; / and for to stryve with a weyker man, it is folie.

” / And therfore sholde a man flee stryvinge as muchel as he mighte.

/ For Salomon seith: “it is a greet worship to a man to kepen him fro noyse and stryf.

” /2675 And if it so bifalle or happe that a man of gretter might and strengthe than thou art do thee grevaunce, / studie and bisie thee rather to stille the same grevaunce, than for to venge thee.

/ For Senek seith: that “he putteth him in greet peril that stryveth with a gretter man than he is him-self.

” / And Catoun seith: “if a man of hyer estaat or degree, or more mighty than thou, do thee anoy or grevaunce, suffre him; / for he that ones hath greved thee may another tyme releve thee and helpe.

” /2680 Yet sette I caas, ye have bothe might and licence for to [225] venge yow.

/ I seye, that ther be ful manye thinges that shul restreyne yow of vengeance-takinge, / and make yow for to enclyne to suffre, and for to han pacience in the thinges that han been doon to yow.

/ First and foreward, if ye wole considere the defautes that been in your owene persone, / for whiche defautes god hath suffred yow have this tribulacioun, as I have seyd yow heer-biforn.

/2685 For the poete seith, that “we oghte paciently taken the tribulacions that comen to us, whan we thinken and consideren that we han deserved to have hem.

” / And Seint Gregorie seith: that “whan a man considereth wel the nombre of hise defautes and of his sinnes, / the peynes and the tribulaciouns that he suffreth semen the lesse un-to hym; / and in-as-muche as him thinketh hise sinnes more hevy and grevous, / in-so-muche semeth his peyne the lighter and the esier un-to him.

” /2690 Also ye owen to enclyne and bowe your herte to take the pacience of our lord Iesu Crist, as seith seint Peter in hise epistles: / “Iesu Crist,” he seith, “hath suffred for us, and yeven ensample to every man to folwe and sewe him; / for he dide never sinne, ne never cam ther a vileinous word out of his mouth: / whan men cursed him, he cursed hem noght; and whan men betten him, he manaced hem noght.

” / Also the grete pacience, which the seintes that been in paradys han had in tribulaciouns that they han y-suffred, with-outen hir desert or gilt, /2695 oghte muchel stiren yow to pacience.

/ Forthermore, ye sholde enforce yow to have pacience, / consideringe that the tribulaciouns of this world but litel whyle endure, and sone passed been and goon.

/ And the Ioye that a man seketh to have by pacience in tribulaciouns is perdurable, after that the apostle seith in his epistle: / “the Ioye of god,” he seith, “is perdurable,” that is to seyn, everlastinge.

/2700 Also troweth and bileveth stedefastly, that he nis nat wel y-norissed ne wel y-taught, that can nat have pacience or wol nat receyve pacience.

/ For Salomon seith: that “the doctrine and the wit of a man is knowen by pacience.

” / And in another place he seith: that “he that is pacient governeth him by greet prudence.

” / And the same Salomon seith: “the angry and wrathful man maketh noyses, and the pacient man atempreth hem and stilleth.

” / He seith also: “it is more worth to be pacient than for to be right strong; /2705 and he that may have the lordshipe of his owene herte is more to preyse, than [226] he that by his force or strengthe taketh grete citees.

” / And therfore seith seint Iame in his epistle: that “pacience is a greet vertu of perfeccioun.

”’ / 2680. E.

(_only_) _puts_ may _after_ tyme.

2686. E.

Hn.

Cp.

disserued.

2698. E.

Cm.

goone.

§ 47. ‘Certes,’ quod Melibee, ‘I graunte yow, dame Prudence, that pacience is a greet vertu of perfeccioun; / but every man may nat have the perfeccioun that ye seken; / ne I nam nat of the nombre of right parfite men, /2710 for myn herte may never been in pees un-to the tyme it be venged.

/ And al-be-it so that it was greet peril to myne enemys, to do me a vileinye in takinge vengeance up-on me, / yet token they noon hede of the peril, but fulfilleden hir wikked wil and hir corage.

/ And therfore, me thinketh men oghten nat repreve me, though I putte me in a litel peril for to venge me, / and though I do a greet excesse, that is to seyn, that I venge oon outrage by another.

’ /2715 § 48. ‘A!

’ quod dame Prudence, ‘ye seyn your wil and as yow lyketh; / but in no caas of the world a man sholde nat doon outrage ne excesse for to vengen him.

/ For Cassidore seith: that “as yvel doth he that vengeth him by outrage, as he that doth the outrage.

” / And therfore ye shul venge yow after the ordre of right, that is to seyn by the lawe, and noght by excesse ne by outrage.

/ And also, if ye wol venge yow of the outrage of your adversaries in other maner than right comandeth, ye sinnen; /2720 and therfore seith Senek: that “a man shal never vengen shrewednesse by shrewednesse.

” / And if ye seye, that right axeth a man to defenden violence by violence, and fighting by fighting, / certes ye seye sooth, whan the defense is doon anon with-outen intervalle or with-outen tarying or delay, / for to defenden him and nat for to vengen him.

/ And it bihoveth that a man putte swich attemperance in his defence, /2725 that men have no cause ne matere to repreven him that defendeth him of excesse and outrage; for elles were it agayn resoun.

/ Pardee, ye knowen wel, that ye maken no defence as now for to defende yow, but for to venge yow; / and so seweth it that ye han no wil to do your dede attemprely.

/ And therfore, me thinketh that pacience is good.

For Salomon seith: that “he that is nat pacient shal have greet harm.

”’ / 2724-7. E.

deffenden, deffense.

2728. E.

sheweth; Hl.

semeth; _rest_ seweth.

§ 49. ‘Certes,’ quod Melibee, ‘I graunte yow, that whan [227] a man is inpacient and wroth, of that that toucheth him noght and that aperteneth nat un-to him, though it harme him, it is no wonder.

/2730 For the lawe seith: that “he is coupable that entremetteth or medleth with swich thyng as aperteneth nat un-to him.

” / And Salomon seith: that “he that entremetteth him of the noyse or stryf of another man, is lyk to him that taketh an hound by the eres.

” / For right as he that taketh a straunge hound by the eres is outherwhyle biten with the hound, / right in the same wyse is it resoun that he have harm, that by his inpacience medleth him of the noyse of another man, wher-as it aperteneth nat un-to him.

/ But ye knowen wel that this dede, that is to seyn, my grief and my disese, toucheth me right ny.

/2735 And therfore, though I be wroth and inpacient, it is no merveille.

/ And savinge your grace, I can nat seen that it mighte greetly harme me though I toke vengeaunce; / for I am richer and more mighty than myne enemys been.

/ And wel knowen ye, that by moneye and by havinge grete possessions been all the thinges of this world governed.

/ And Salomon seith: that “alle thinges obeyen to moneye.

”’ /2740 § 50. Whan Prudence hadde herd hir housbonde avanten him of his richesse and of his moneye, dispreisinge the power of hise adversaries, she spak, and seyde in this wyse: / ‘certes, dere sir, I graunte yow that ye been rich and mighty, / and that the richesses been goode to hem that han wel y-geten hem and wel conne usen hem.

/ For right as the body of a man may nat liven with-oute the soule, namore may it live with-outen temporel goodes.

/ And by richesses may a man gete him grete freendes.

/2745 And therfore seith Pamphilles: “if a net-herdes doghter,” seith he, “be riche, she may chesen of a thousand men which she wol take to hir housbonde; / for, of a thousand men, oon wol nat forsaken hir ne refusen hir.

” / And this Pamphilles seith also: “if thou be right happy, that is to seyn, if thou be right riche, thou shalt find a greet nombre of felawes and freendes.

/ And if thy fortune change that thou wexe povre, farewel freendshipe and felaweshipe; / for thou shalt be allone with-outen any companye, but-if it be the companye of povre folk.

” /2750 And yet seith this Pamphilles moreover: that “they that been thralle and bonde of [228] linage shullen been maad worthy and noble by the richesses.

” / And right so as by richesses ther comen manye goodes, right so by poverte come ther manye harmes and yveles.

/ For greet poverte constreyneth a man to do manye yveles.

/ And therfore clepeth Cassidore poverte “the moder of ruine,” / that is to seyn, the moder of overthrowinge or fallinge doun.

/2755 And therfore seith Piers Alfonce: “oon of the gretteste adversitees of this world is / whan a free man, by kinde or by burthe, is constreyned by poverte to eten the almesse of his enemy.

” / And the same seith Innocent in oon of hise bokes; he seith: that “sorweful and mishappy is the condicioun of a povre begger; / for if he axe nat his mete, he dyeth for hunger; / and if he axe, he dyeth for shame; and algates necessitee constreyneth him to axe.

” /2760 And therfore seith Salomon: that “bet it is to dye than for to have swich poverte.

” / And as the same Salomon seith: “bettre it is to dye of bitter deeth than for to liven in swich wyse.

” / By thise resons that I have seid un-to yow, and by manye othere resons that I coude seye, / I graunte yow that richesses been goode to hem that geten hem wel, and to hem that wel usen tho richesses.

/ And therfore wol I shewe yow how ye shul have yow, and how ye shul here yow in gaderinge of richesses, and in what manere ye shul usen hem.

/2765