Canterbury Tales (Middle English) — The Frankelin's Prologue and Tale - Part 1
HEADING.
_So_ E. ; Ln.
Incipit prologus de le Frankeleyne; Hn.
Pt.
Here bigynneth the Frankeleyns tale.
Hl.
_omits_ ll.
709-1223. 712. E.
whiche.
But, sires, by-cause I am a burel man, At my biginning first I yow biseche Have me excused of my rude speche;
I lerned never rethoryk certeyn;
Thing that I speke, it moot be bare and pleyn.
720 I sleep never on the mount of Pernaso, Ne lerned Marcus Tullius Cithero.
(50) Colours ne knowe I none, with-outen drede, But swiche colours as growen in the mede, Or elles swiche as men dye or peynte.
725 Colours of rethoryk ben me to queynte;
My spirit feleth noght of swich matere.
But if yow list, my tale shul ye here.
722. E.
Hn.
Scithero.
726. Cp.
Ln.
ben me to; Pt.
bene to me; Hn.
they ben to; E. been to.
[483: T.
11041-11068. ] * * * * * THE FRANKELEYNS TALE.
* * * * * =Here biginneth the Frankeleyns Tale.
= In Armorik, that called is Britayne, Ther was a knight that loved and dide his payne 730 To serve a lady in his beste wyse;
And many a labour, many a greet empryse He for his lady wroghte, er she were wonne.
For she was oon, the faireste under sonne, And eek therto come of so heigh kinrede, 735 That wel unnethes dorste this knight, for drede, Telle hir his wo, his peyne, and his distresse.
But atte laste, she, for his worthinesse, (10) And namely for his meke obeysaunce, Hath swich a pitee caught of his penaunce, 740 That prively she fil of his accord To take him for hir housbonde and hir lord, Of swich lordshipe as men han over hir wyves;
And for to lede the more in blisse hir lyves, Of his free wil he swoor hir as a knight, 745 That never in al his lyf he, day ne night, Ne sholde up-on him take no maistrye Agayn hir wil, ne kythe hir Ialousye, (20) But hir obeye, and folwe hir wil in al As any lovere to his lady shal; 750 Save that the name of soveraynetee, That wolde he have for shame of his degree.
She thanked him, and with ful greet humblesse She seyde, ‘sire, sith of your gentillesse Ye profre me to have so large a reyne, 755 Ne wolde never god bitwixe us tweyne, [484: T.
11069-11106. ] As in my gilt, were outher werre or stryf.
Sir, I wol be your humble trewe wyf, (30) Have heer my trouthe, til that myn herte breste.
’ Thus been they bothe in quiete and in reste.
760 For o thing, sires, saufly dar I seye, That frendes everich other moot obeye, If they wol longe holden companye.
Love wol nat ben constreyned by maistrye;
Whan maistrie comth, the god of love anon 765 Beteth hise winges, and farewel!
he is gon!
Love is a thing as any spirit free;
Wommen of kinde desiren libertee, (40) And nat to ben constreyned as a thral;
And so don men, if I soth seyen shal.
770 Loke who that is most pacient in love, He is at his avantage al above.
Pacience is an heigh vertu certeyn;
For it venquisseth, as thise clerkes seyn, Thinges that rigour sholde never atteyne.
775 For every word men may nat chyde or pleyne.
Lerneth to suffre, or elles, so moot I goon, Ye shul it lerne, wher-so ye wole or noon.
(50) For in this world, certein, ther no wight is, That he ne dooth or seith som-tyme amis.
780 Ire, siknesse, or constellacioun, Wyn, wo, or chaunginge of complexioun Causeth ful ofte to doon amis or speken.
On every wrong a man may nat be wreken;
After the tyme, moste be temperaunce 785 To every wight that can on governaunce.
And therfore hath this wyse worthy knight, To live in ese, suffrance hir bihight, (60) And she to him ful wisly gan to swere That never sholde ther be defaute in here.
790 772. E.
auantate (_sic_).
Heer may men seen an humble wys accord;
Thus hath she take hir servant and hir lord, Servant in love, and lord in mariage;
Than was he bothe in lordship and servage;
[485: T.
11107-11144. ] Servage?
nay, but in lordshipe above, 795 Sith he hath bothe his lady and his love;
His lady, certes, and his wyf also, The which that lawe of love acordeth to.
(70) And whan he was in this prosperitee, Hoom with his wyf he gooth to his contree, 800 Nat fer fro Penmark, ther his dwelling was, Wher-as he liveth in blisse and in solas.
791. E.
Heere.
794. E.
Thanne.
801. Ln.
penmarke; _rest_ Pedmark.
Who coude telle, but he had wedded be, The Ioye, the ese, and the prosperitee That is bitwixe an housbonde and his wyf?
805 A yeer and more lasted this blisful lyf, Til that the knight of which I speke of thus, That of Kayrrud was cleped Arveragus, (80) Shoop him to goon, and dwelle a yeer or tweyne In Engelond, that cleped was eek Briteyne, 810 To seke in armes worship and honour;
For al his lust he sette in swich labour;
And dwelled ther two yeer, the book seith thus.
803. Pt.
Ln.
had; _rest_ hadde.
810. Cm.
er (_for_ eek); Pt.
_om.
_ Now wol I stinte of this Arveragus, And speken I wole of Dorigene his wyf, 815 That loveth hir housbonde as hir hertes lyf.
For his absence wepeth she and syketh, As doon thise noble wyves whan hem lyketh.
(90) She moorneth, waketh, wayleth, fasteth, pleyneth;
Desyr of his presence hir so distreyneth, 820 That al this wyde world she sette at noght.
Hir frendes, whiche that knewe hir hevy thoght, Conforten hir in al that ever they may;
They prechen hir, they telle hir night and day, That causelees she sleeth hir-self, allas!
825 And every confort possible in this cas They doon to hir with al hir bisinesse, Al for to make hir leve hir hevinesse.
(100) 814. E.
stynten.
By proces, as ye knowen everichoon, Men may so longe graven in a stoon, 830 Til som figure ther-inne emprented be.
So longe han they conforted hir, til she [486: T.
11145-11181. ] Receyved hath, by hope and by resoun, The emprenting of hir consolacioun, Thurgh which hir grete sorwe gan aswage; 835 She may nat alwey duren in swich rage.
And eek Arveragus, in al this care, Hath sent hir lettres hoom of his welfare, (110) And that he wol come hastily agayn;
Or elles hadde this sorwe hir herte slayn.
840 Hir freendes sawe hir sorwe gan to slake, And preyede hir on knees, for goddes sake, To come and romen hir in companye, Awey to dryve hir derke fantasye.
And finally, she graunted that requeste; 845 For wel she saugh that it was for the beste.
842. Cm.
preyede; Cp.
preyed; E. Hn.
preyde; Pt.
preiden.
Now stood hir castel faste by the see, And often with hir freendes walketh she (120) Hir to disporte up-on the bank an heigh, Wher-as she many a ship and barge seigh 850 Seilinge hir cours, wher-as hem liste go;
But than was that a parcel of hir wo.
For to hir-self ful ofte ‘allas!
’ seith she, ‘Is ther no ship, of so manye as I see, Wol bringen hom my lord?
than were myn herte 855 Al warisshed of his bittre peynes smerte.
’ 851. E.
Hn.
Seillynge.
852. E.
thanne.
855. E.
thanne.
Another tyme ther wolde she sitte and thinke, And caste hir eyen dounward fro the brinke.
(130) But whan she saugh the grisly rokkes blake, For verray fere so wolde hir herte quake, 860 That on hir feet she mighte hir noght sustene.
Than wolde she sitte adoun upon the grene, And pitously in-to the see biholde, And seyn right thus, with sorweful sykes colde: 862. E.
Thanne.
‘Eterne god, that thurgh thy purveyaunce 865 Ledest the world by certein governaunce, In ydel, as men seyn, ye no-thing make;
But, lord, thise grisly feendly rokkes blake, (140) That semen rather a foul confusioun [487: T.
11182-11217. ] Of werk than any fair creacioun 870 Of swich a parfit wys god and a stable, Why han ye wroght this werk unresonable?
For by this werk, south, north, ne west, ne eest, Ther nis y-fostred man, ne brid, ne beest;
It dooth no good, to my wit, but anoyeth.
875 See ye nat, lord, how mankinde it destroyeth?
An hundred thousand bodies of mankinde Han rokkes slayn, al be they nat in minde, (150) Which mankinde is so fair part of thy werk That thou it madest lyk to thyn owene merk.
880 Than semed it ye hadde a greet chiertee Toward mankinde; but how than may it be That ye swiche menes make it to destroyen, Whiche menes do no good, but ever anoyen?
I wool wel clerkes wol seyn, as hem leste, 885 By arguments, that al is for the beste, Though I ne can the causes nat y-knowe.
But thilke god, that made wind to blowe, (160) As kepe my lord!
this my conclusioun;
To clerkes lete I al disputisoun.
890 But wolde god that alle thise rokkes blake Were sonken in-to helle for his sake!
Thise rokkes sleen myn herte for the fere.
’ Thus wolde she seyn, with many a pitous tere.
873. MSS.
eest, est. 874. MSS.
beest, best.
881. E.
Thanne.
Pt.
cheerte.
882. E.
thanne.
887. E.
_om.
_ ne.
889. Cm.
Cp.
Pt.
this is (this = this is).
890. E.
al this: _rest om.
_ this.
Hir freendes sawe that it was no disport 895 To romen by the see, but disconfort;
And shopen for to pleyen somwher elles.
They leden hir by riveres and by welles, (170) And eek in othere places delitables;
They dauncen, and they pleyen at ches and tables.
900 So on a day, right in the morwe-tyde, Un-to a gardin that was ther bisyde, In which that they had maad hir ordinaunce Of vitaille and of other purveyaunce, They goon and pleye hem al the longe day.
905 [488: T.
11218-11253. ] And this was on the sixte morwe of May, Which May had peynted with his softe shoures This gardin ful of leves and of floures; (180) And craft of mannes hand so curiously Arrayed hadde this gardin, trewely, 910 That never was ther gardin of swich prys, But-if it were the verray paradys.
The odour of floures and the fresshe sighte Wolde han maad any herte for to lighte That ever was born, but-if to gret siknesse, 915 Or to gret sorwe helde it in distresse;
So ful it was of beautee with plesaunce.
At-after diner gonne they to daunce, (190) And singe also, save Dorigen allone, Which made alwey hir compleint and hir mone; 920 For she ne saugh him on the daunce go, That was hir housbonde and hir love also.
But nathelees she moste a tyme abyde, And with good hope lete hir sorwe slyde.
903. E.
hadde.
906. E.
in; _rest_ on.
907. E.
hadde.
914. _So_ Cm.
(_see_ Group F, l. 396); E.
Hn.
maked, _and om.
_ for to; Cp.
Pt.
Wold han made ony pensif herte light.
Up-on this daunce, amonges othere men, 925 Daunced a squyer biforen Dorigen, That fressher was and Iolyer of array, As to my doom, than is the monthe of May.
(200) He singeth, daunceth, passinge any man That is, or was, sith that the world bigan.
930 Ther-with he was, if men sholde him discryve, Oon of the beste faringe man on-lyve;
Yong, strong, right vertuous, and riche and wys, And wel biloved, and holden in gret prys.
And shortly, if the sothe I tellen shal, 935 Unwiting of this Dorigen at al, This lusty squyer, servant to Venus, Which that y-cleped was Aurelius, (210) Had loved hir best of any creature Two yeer and more, as was his aventure, 940 But never dorste he telle hir his grevaunce;
[489: T.
11254-11290. ] With-outen coppe he drank al his penaunce.
He was despeyred, no-thing dorste he seye, Save in his songes somwhat wolde he wreye His wo, as in a general compleyning; 945 He seyde he lovede, and was biloved no-thing.
Of swich matere made he manye layes, Songes, compleintes, roundels, virelayes, (220) How that he dorste nat his sorwe telle, But languissheth, as a furie dooth in helle; 950 And dye he moste, he seyde, as dide Ekko For Narcisus, that dorste nat telle hir wo.
In other manere than ye here me seye, Ne dorste he nat to hir his wo biwreye;
Save that, paraventure, som-tyme at daunces, 955 Ther yonge folk kepen hir observaunces, It may wel be he loked on hir face In swich a wyse, as man that asketh grace; (230) But no-thing wiste she of his entente.
Nathelees, it happed, er they thennes wente, 960 By-cause that he was hir neighebour, And was a man of worship and honour, And hadde y-knowen him of tyme yore, They fille in speche; and forth more and more Un-to his purpos drough Aurelius, 965 And whan he saugh his tyme, he seyde thus: 926. Cp.
biforen; Hn.
Cm.
bifore; E. biforn.
939. E.
hadde.
941. E.
Hn.
tellen.
950. E.
Cm.
a furye; Hn.
Pt.
a fuyre; Cp.
fuyre; Ln.
fire.
956. E.
Hn.
yong.
965. E.
Hn.
this; _rest_ his.
‘Madame,’ quod he, ‘by god that this world made, So that I wiste it mighte your herte glade, (240) I wolde, that day that your Arveragus Wente over the see, that I, Aurelius, 970 Had went ther never I sholde have come agayn;
For wel I woot my service is in vayn.
My guerdon is but bresting of myn herte;
Madame, reweth upon my peynes smerte;
For with a word ye may me sleen or save, 975 Heer at your feet god wolde that I were grave!
I ne have as now no leyser more to seye;
Have mercy, swete, or ye wol do me deye!
’ (250) [490: T.
11291-11327. ] She gan to loke up-on Aurelius: ‘Is this your wil,’ quod she, ‘and sey ye thus?
980 Never erst,’ quod she, ‘ne wiste I what ye mente.
But now, Aurelie, I knowe your entente, By thilke god that yaf me soule and lyf, Ne shal I never been untrewe wyf In word ne werk, as fer as I have wit: 985 I wol ben his to whom that I am knit;
Tak this for fynal answer as of me.
’ But after that in pley thus seyde she: (260) 971. E.
Hn.
Cm.
Ln.
Hadde.
973. E.
Hn.
gerdon.
987. E.
Hn.
Taak.
‘Aurelie,’ quod she, ‘by heighe god above, Yet wolde I graunte yow to been your love, 990 Sin I yow see so pitously complayne;
Loke what day that, endelong Britayne, Ye remoeve alle the rokkes, stoon by stoon, That they ne lette ship ne boot to goon— I seye, whan ye han maad the coost so clene 995 Of rokkes, that ther nis no stoon y-sene, Than wol I love yow best of any man;
Have heer my trouthe in al that ever I can.
’ (270) 993. Cm.
remoue; Cp.
Ln.
remewe; Pt.
remeue.
997. E.
Thanne.
‘Is ther non other grace in yow,’ quod he.
‘No, by that lord,’ quod she, ‘that maked me!
1000 For wel I woot that it shal never bityde.
Lat swiche folies out of your herte slyde.
What deyntee sholde a man han in his lyf For to go love another mannes wyf, That hath hir body whan so that him lyketh?
’ 1005 Aurelius ful ofte sore syketh;
Wo was Aurelie, whan that he this herde, And with a sorweful herte he thus answerde: (280) ‘Madame,’ quod he, ‘this were an inpossible!
Than moot I dye of sodein deth horrible.
’ 1010 And with that word he turned him anoon.
Tho come hir othere freendes many oon, And in the aleyes romeden up and doun, And no-thing wiste of this conclusioun, But sodeinly bigonne revel newe 1015 [491: T.
11328-11362. ] Til that the brighte sonne loste his hewe;
For thorisonte hath reft the sonne his light;
This is as muche to seye as it was night.
(290) And hoom they goon in Ioye and in solas, Save only wrecche Aurelius, allas!
1020 He to his hous is goon with sorweful herte;
He seeth he may nat fro his deeth asterte.
Him semed that he felte his herte colde;
Up to the hevene his handes he gan holde, And on his knowes bare he sette him doun, 1025 And in his raving seyde his orisoun.
For verray wo out of his wit he breyde.
He niste what he spak, but thus he seyde; (300) With pitous herte his pleynt hath he bigonne Un-to the goddes, and first un-to the sonne: 1030 1010. E.
Thanne.
1011. MSS.
anon, anone.
1012. E.
Hn.
coome.
1017. Ln.
the orizonte; 1025. Cm.
kneis; Cp.
Pt.
knees.
He seyde, ‘Appollo, god and governour Of every plaunte, herbe, tree and flour, That yevest, after thy declinacioun, To ech of hem his tyme and his sesoun, As thyn herberwe chaungeth lowe or hye, 1035 Lord Phebus, cast thy merciable yë On wrecche Aurelie, which that am but lorn.
Lo, lord!
my lady hath my deeth y-sworn (310) With-oute gilt, but thy benignitee Upon my dedly herte have som pitee!
1040 For wel I woot, lord Phebus, if yow lest, Ye may me helpen, save my lady, best.
Now voucheth sauf that I may yow devyse How that I may been holpe and in what wyse.
1035. E.
Hn.
or; _rest_ and.
Pt.
hie; E. Hn.
Cp.
heighe; Cm.
hyghe;
Ln.
hihe.
1036. Pt.
ye; Cm.
lye; E. Hn.
Cp.
eighe; Ln.
eyhe.
1037. E.
_om.
_ that.
1044. E.
holpen.
Your blisful suster, Lucina the shene, 1045 That of the see is chief goddesse and quene, Though Neptunus have deitee in the see, Yet emperesse aboven him is she: (320) Ye knowen wel, lord, that right as hir desyr Is to be quiked and lightned of your fyr, 1050 [492: T.
11363-11400. ] For which she folweth yow ful bisily, Right so the see desyreth naturelly To folwen hir, as she that is goddesse Bothe in the see and riveres more and lesse.
