Canterbury Tales (Middle English) — The Knight's Tale - Part One
Greet chere made our hoste us everichon, And to the soper sette he us anon; (750) And served us with vitaille at the beste.
Strong was the wyn, and wel to drinke us leste.
750 A semely man our hoste was with-alle For to han been a marshal in an halle;
A large man he was with eyen stepe, A fairer burgeys is ther noon in Chepe: Bold of his speche, and wys, and wel y-taught, 755 And of manhod him lakkede right naught.
[23: T.
759-793. ] Eek therto he was right a mery man, And after soper pleyen he bigan, (760) And spak of mirthe amonges othere thinges, Whan that we hadde maad our rekeninges; 760 And seyde thus: ‘Now, lordinges, trewely, Ye been to me right welcome hertely: For by my trouthe, if that I shal nat lye, I ne saugh this yeer so mery a companye At ones in this herberwe as is now.
765 Fayn wolde I doon yow mirthe, wiste I how.
And of a mirthe I am right now bithoght, To doon yow ese, and it shal coste noght.
(770) 747. E.
chiere.
E.
hoost (_see_ l. 751).
752. Hl.
han; _rest om.
_ 754. E.
Hn.
was.
755. E.
Hn.
Boold.
756. Cm.
Cp.
lakkede; E. lakked.
761. now] Hl.
lo.
764. Hl.
ne saugh; _rest_ saugh nat (seigh not, &c. ).
Hl.
Cm.
mery; E. myrie.
Ye goon to Caunterbury; God yow spede, The blisful martir quyte yow your mede.
770 And wel I woot, as ye goon by the weye, Ye shapen yow to talen and to pleye;
For trewely, confort ne mirthe is noon To ryde by the weye doumb as a stoon;
And therfore wol I maken yow disport, 775 As I seyde erst, and doon yow som confort.
And if yow lyketh alle, by oon assent, Now for to stonden at my Iugement, (780) And for to werken as I shal yow seye, To-morwe, whan ye ryden by the weye, 780 Now, by my fader soule, that is deed, But ye be merye, I wol yeve yow myn heed.
Hold up your hond, withouten more speche.
’ 774. a] E. the; Hn.
_om.
_ 778. _All but_ Hl.
_om.
_ Now.
782. E.
But if; _rest_ But.
E.
myrie.
Hl.
merye smyteth of.
Our counseil was nat longe for to seche;
Us thoughte it was noght worth to make it wys, 785 And graunted him withouten more avys, And bad him seye his verdit, as him leste.
785. Hl.
nas.
787. Cp.
verdit; Pt.
veredit; Hl.
Ln.
verdite; Cm.
verdoit; E. Hn.
voirdit.
‘Lordinges,’ quod he, ‘now herkneth for the beste; (790) But tak it not, I prey yow, in desdeyn;
This is the poynt, to speken short and pleyn, 790 That ech of yow, to shorte with your weye, [24: T.
794-827. ] In this viage, shal telle tales tweye, To Caunterbury-ward, I mene it so, And hom-ward he shal tellen othere two, Of aventures that whylom han bifalle.
795 And which of yow that bereth him best of alle, That is to seyn, that telleth in this cas Tales of best sentence and most solas, (800) Shal have a soper at our aller cost Here in this place, sitting by this post, 800 Whan that we come agayn fro Caunterbury.
And for to make yow the more mery, I wol my-selven gladly with yow ryde, Right at myn owne cost, and be your gyde.
And who-so wol my Iugement withseye 805 Shal paye al that we spenden by the weye.
And if ye vouche-sauf that it be so, Tel me anon, with-outen wordes mo, (810) And I wol erly shape me therfore.
’ 789. E.
taak; Ln.
tak; Cp.
Pt.
take; Hl.
Hn.
taketh.
791. Cp.
Hl.
your; _rest_ our; _cf.
_ l. 803. 795. Hl.
ther (_for_ whylom).
797, 798. E.
caas, solaas.
802. E.
Hn.
Cp.
mury.
803. Hl.
my seluen gladly; E. my self goodly.
805. E.
wole (_but_ wol _in_ l. 809).
This thing was graunted, and our othes swore 810 With ful glad herte, and preyden him also That he wold vouche-sauf for to do so, And that he wolde been our governour, And of our tales Iuge and reportour, And sette a soper at a certeyn prys; 815 And we wold reuled been at his devys, In heigh and lowe; and thus, by oon assent, We been acorded to his Iugement.
(820) And ther-up-on the wyn was fet anon;
We dronken, and to reste wente echon, 820 With-outen any lenger taryinge.
812. E.
would.
816. Hl.
wolde; Pt.
wold; _rest_ wol, wolen, wiln, wil.
817. Hl.
lowe; E. lough.
A-morwe, whan that day bigan to springe, Up roos our host, and was our aller cok, And gadrede us togidre, alle in a flok, And forth we riden, a litel more than pas, 825 [25: T.
828-860. ] Un-to the watering of seint Thomas.
And there our host bigan his hors areste, And seyde; ‘Lordinges, herkneth, if yow leste.
(830) Ye woot your forward, and I it yow recorde.
If even-song and morwe-song acorde, 830 Lat se now who shal telle the firste tale.
As ever mote I drinke wyn or ale, Who-so be rebel to my Iugement Shal paye for al that by the weye is spent.
Now draweth cut, er that we ferrer twinne; 835 He which that hath the shortest shal biginne.
Sire knight,’ quod he, ‘my maister and my lord, Now draweth cut, for that is myn acord.
(840) Cometh neer,’ quod he, ‘my lady prioresse;
And ye, sir clerk, lat be your shamfastnesse, 840 Ne studieth noght; ley hond to, every man.
’ 822. E.
Hn.
that; Hl.
that the; _rest_ the.
E.
gan for; Hn.
Cp.
Hl.
bigan.
823. E.
Hn.
aller; Hl.
althur; Cp.
alther; Pt.
Ln.
alder.
825. E.
paas.
829. E.
foreward (_badly_).
E.
Hn.
_om.
_ I.
831. Hl.
ferst a tale.
835. Cp.
Pt.
Ln.
ferther; Hl.
forther.
836. E.
Hn.
shorteste.
840. E.
shamefastnesse.
Anon to drawen every wight bigan, And shortly for to tellen, as it was, Were it by aventure, or sort, or cas, The sothe is this, the cut fil to the knight, 845 Of which ful blythe and glad was every wight;
And telle he moste his tale, as was resoun, By forward and by composicioun, (850) As ye han herd; what nedeth wordes mo?
And whan this gode man saugh it was so, 850 As he that wys was and obedient To kepe his forward by his free assent, He seyde: ‘Sin I shal biginne the game, What, welcome be the cut, a Goddes name!
Now lat us ryde, and herkneth what I seye.
’ 855 848, 852. E.
foreward (_badly_).
850. _All insert_ that _after_ saugh (_needlessly_).
854. Hl.
thou (_for_ the).
And with that word we riden forth our weye;
And he bigan with right a mery chere His tale anon, and seyde in this manere.
(860) =Here endeth the prolog of this book; and here biginneth the first tale, which is the knightes tale.
= 857. Cm.
mery; E. myrie.
858. _So_ E. Hl.
; _rest_ as ye may here.
COLOPHON: _from_ MS. Sloane 1685, _which has_ Heere endith, heere, knyghte (_sic_).
[26: T.
861-885. ] * * * * * THE KNIGHTES TALE.
* * * * * _Iamque domos patrias, Scithice post aspera gentis_ _Prelia, laurigero, &c. _ [Statius, _Theb.
_ xii.
519. ] Whylom, as olde stories tellen us, Ther was a duk that highte Theseus; 860 Of Athenes he was lord and governour, And in his tyme swich a conquerour, That gretter was ther noon under the sonne.
Ful many a riche contree hadde he wonne;
What with his wisdom and his chivalrye, 865 He conquered al the regne of Femenye, That whylom was y-cleped Scithia;
And weddede the quene Ipolita, (10) And broghte hir hoom with him in his contree With muchel glorie and greet solempnitee, 870 And eek hir yonge suster Emelye.
And thus with victorie and with melodye Lete I this noble duk to Athenes ryde, And al his hoost, in armes, him bisyde.
QUOTATION; _so in_ E. Hn.
Cp.
Pt.
Ln.
865. E.
Hl.
That; _rest_ What.
868. Cp.
Hl.
weddede; Slo.
weddide; _rest_ wedded.
871. E.
faire; Pt.
yenge; _rest_ yonge.
And certes, if it nere to long to here, 875 I wolde han told yow fully the manere, How wonnen was the regne of Femenye By Theseus, and by his chivalrye; (20) And of the grete bataille for the nones Bitwixen Athenës and Amazones; 880 And how asseged was Ipolita, The faire hardy quene of Scithia;
And of the feste that was at hir weddinge, [27: T.
886-921. ] And of the tempest at hir hoom-cominge;
But al that thing I moot as now forbere.
885 I have, God woot, a large feeld to ere, And wayke been the oxen in my plough.
The remenant of the tale is long y-nough.
(30) I wol nat letten eek noon of this route;
Lat every felawe telle his tale aboute, 890 And lat see now who shal the soper winne;
And ther I lefte, I wol ageyn biginne.
876. Hl.
han told ȝow; E. yow haue toold; _rest_ haue toold (told).
880. Tyrwhitt _inserts_ the _after_ and; _but see_ 968, 973, 1023, &c. 889. Hl.
lette eek non of al; _rest_ letten, _and omit_ al. 892. Hl.
agayn; E. Hn.
Cp.
Pt.
ayeyn.
This duk, of whom I make mencioun, When he was come almost unto the toun, In al his wele and in his moste pryde, 895 He was war, as he caste his eye asyde, Wher that ther kneled in the hye weye A companye of ladies, tweye and tweye, (40) Ech after other, clad in clothes blake;
But swich a cry and swich a wo they make, 900 That in this world nis creature livinge, That herde swich another weymentinge;
And of this cry they nolde never stenten, Til they the reynes of his brydel henten.
897. E.
_om.
_ hye; _rest_ hye, heighe, hihe, highe, high.
‘What folk ben ye, that at myn hoom-cominge 905 Perturben so my feste with cryinge?
’ Quod Theseus, ‘have ye so greet envye Of myn honour, that thus compleyne and crye?
(50) Or who hath yow misboden, or offended?
And telleth me if it may been amended; 910 And why that ye ben clothed thus in blak?
’ The eldest lady of hem alle spak, When she hadde swowned with a deedly chere, That it was routhe for to seen and here, And seyde: ‘Lord, to whom Fortune hath yiven 915 Victorie, and as a conquerour to liven, Noght greveth us your glorie and your honour;
But we biseken mercy and socour.
(60) Have mercy on our wo and our distresse.
[28: T.
922-957. ] Som drope of pitee, thurgh thy gentillesse, 920 Up-on us wrecched wommen lat thou falle.
For certes, lord, ther nis noon of us alle, That she nath been a duchesse or a quene;
Now be we caitifs, as it is wel sene: Thanked be Fortune, and hir false wheel, 925 That noon estat assureth to be weel.
And certes, lord, to abyden your presence, Here in the temple of the goddesse Clemence (70) We han ben waytinge al this fourtenight;
Now help us, lord, sith it is in thy might.
930 912. Cm.
eldest; E. eldeste.
914. E.
routhe; Ln.
rewthe; Slo.
reuthe.
Hl.
or; _rest_ and.
915. Hn.
yiuen; E. yeuen.
916. Hn.
conquerour; E. conqueror.
917. Hn.
Hl.
Noght; E. Pt.
Ln.
Nat.
Hl.
_om.
2nd _ your.
922. Hl.
nys; _rest_ is.
923. E.
Hn.
Pt.
Ln.
ne hath.
924. Cp.
Hl.
caytifs; E. Hn.
Pt.
caytyues.
I wrecche, which that wepe and waille thus, Was whylom wyf to king Capaneus, That starf at Thebes, cursed be that day!
And alle we, that been in this array, And maken al this lamentacioun, 935 We losten alle our housbondes at that toun, Whyl that the sege ther-aboute lay.
And yet now the olde Creon, weylaway!
(80) That lord is now of Thebes the citee, Fulfild of ire and of iniquitee, 940 He, for despyt, and for his tirannye, To do the dede bodyes vileinye, Of alle our lordes, whiche that ben slawe, Hath alle the bodyes on an heep y-drawe, And wol nat suffren hem, by noon assent, 945 Neither to been y-buried nor y-brent, But maketh houndes ete hem in despyt.
’ And with that word, with-outen more respyt, (90) They fillen gruf, and cryden pitously, ‘Have on us wrecched wommen som mercy, 950 And lat our sorwe sinken in thyn herte.
’ 931. E.
crie; Hn.
Hl.
waille; Cp.
Pt.
weile.
938. _Only_ Hl.
_om.
_ now.
943. Hl.
i-slawe.
944. E.
He hath; _rest_ Hath.
This gentil duk doun from his courser sterte With herte pitous, whan he herde hem speke.
Him thoughte that his herte wolde breke, Whan he saugh hem so pitous and so mat, 955 [29: T.
958-995. ] That whylom weren of so greet estat.
And in his armes he hem alle up hente, And hem conforteth in ful good entente; (100) And swoor his ooth, as he was trewe knight, He wolde doon so ferforthly his might 960 Up-on the tyraunt Creon hem to wreke, That al the peple of Grece sholde speke How Creon was of Theseus y-served, As he that hadde his deeth ful wel deserved.
And right anoon, with-outen more abood, 965 His baner he desplayeth, and forth rood To Thebes-ward, and al his host bisyde;
No neer Athenës wolde he go ne ryde, (110) Ne take his ese fully half a day, But onward on his wey that night he lay; 970 And sente anoon Ipolita the quene, And Emelye hir yonge suster shene, Un-to the toun of Athenës to dwelle;
And forth he rit; ther nis namore to telle.
955. E.
maat.
956. E.
estaat.
974. Hn.
Cp.
nys; _rest_ is.
The rede statue of Mars, with spere and targe, 975 So shyneth in his whyte baner large, That alle the feeldes gliteren up and doun;
And by his baner born is his penoun (120) Of gold ful riche, in which ther was y-bete The Minotaur, which that he slough in Crete.
980 Thus rit this duk, thus rit this conquerour, And in his host of chivalrye the flour, Til that he cam to Thebes, and alighte Faire in a feeld, ther as he thoghte fighte.
But shortly for to speken of this thing, 985 With Creon, which that was of Thebes king, He faught, and slough him manly as a knight In pleyn bataille, and putte the folk to flight; (130) And by assaut he wan the citee after, And rente adoun bothe wal, and sparre, and rafter; 990 And to the ladyes he restored agayn The bones of hir housbondes that were slayn, To doon obsequies, as was tho the gyse.
[30: T.
996-1031. ] But it were al to long for to devyse The grete clamour and the waymentinge 995 That the ladyes made at the brenninge Of the bodyes, and the grete honour That Theseus, the noble conquerour, (140) Doth to the ladyes, whan they from him wente;
But shortly for to telle is myn entente.
1000 Whan that this worthy duk, this Theseus, Hath Creon slayn, and wonne Thebes thus, Stille in that feeld he took al night his reste, And dide with al the contree as him leste.
984. Hn.
thoghte; E. thoughte.
992. E.
weren.
996. Hl.
Which that.
To ransake in the tas of bodyes dede, 1005 Hem for to strepe of harneys and of wede, The pilours diden bisinesse and cure, After the bataille and disconfiture.
(150) And so bifel, that in the tas they founde, Thurgh-girt with many a grevous blody wounde, 1010 Two yonge knightes ligging by and by, Bothe in oon armes, wroght ful richely, Of whiche two, Arcita hight that oon, And that other knight hight Palamon.
Nat fully quike, ne fully dede they were, 1015 But by hir cote-armures, and by hir gere, The heraudes knewe hem best in special, As they that weren of the blood royal (160) Of Thebes, and of sustren two y-born.
