254 



THE POPULAR EDUCATOR. 



to the several tales, containing detached portions of the history 

 of the journey. But whether the tales are now preserved in the 

 order in which their author would have finally retained them, 

 and to what portions of the journey the various prologues refer, 

 it is often impossible to decide. There is much reason to think 

 that Chaucer, at his death, left what he had written very much 

 in confusion, and that some other hand arranged the fragments. 



The work naturally divides itself into two parts, the one deal- 

 ing with the history of the pilgrims and the incidents of their 

 journey, and consisting of the general prologue to the whole 

 work, and the special prolog-ues, or introductions, by which the 

 tales are connected together ; the other consisting of the twenty- 

 four tales told by the pilgrims. 



The prologue is the most remarkable of all Chaucer's works, 

 and one of the most remarkable in the whole range of lite- 

 rature. It consists, for the most part, of a series of masterly 

 portraits of the pilgrims, every one of which is now, after an 

 interval of nearly five hundred years, as fresh, as clear, and as 

 vivid as if it had been painted yesterday. Each one of them 

 embodies the characteristics of the class of which it is the type 

 so fully, that we feel convinced that we know what kind of men 

 the monks, the lawyers, the doctors of Chaucer's day were ; 

 that we know, in fact, what our forefathers and their manner of 

 life were like. Yet each one is also marked by individual traits 

 belonging to the man, not to the class, which impress upon the 

 mind that those we read of are no mere abstract representatives 

 of classes, but real living men and women. Every student 

 of literature ought to make himself thoroughly familiar 

 with this prologue. All that we can do is to show Chaucer's 

 manner of description by means of a few selected examples. 

 The first portrait we choose is that of the prosperous monk 

 or abbot. In this extract we alter the old spelling in some 



A monk there was, a fair for the maistrie, 1 



An out- rider, that loved venerye;" 



A manly man, to be an abbot able. 



Full many a dainty horse had he in stable ; 



And when he rode, men might his bridle hear 



Jingle in a whistling wind so clear, 



And eek as loud as doth the chapel bell. 



There as this lord was keeper of the cell,* 



The rule of Saint Maure or of Saint Beneyt, 4 



Because that it was old and somedeal straight, 5 



This ilka monk let forby hem pace," 



And held after the newe world the space. 7 



He gaf not of that text a pulled hen, 8 



That saith, that hunters ben none holy men ; 



Ne that a monk, when he is cloisterless, 



Is likened to a fish that is waterles ;* 



This is to say, a monk out of his cloistre, 



But thilke text held he not worth an oyster ; 



And I saide his opinion was good. 



What 10 should he study and make himselven wood, 15 



Upon a book in cloistre alway to pore, 



Or swinke 13 with his handes, and labour, 



As Austyn bit ? ls How shall the world be served ? 



Let Austyn have his swynk to him reserved. 



Therefore he was a pricasour aright ; 14 



Greyhounds he had as swift as fowl in flight ; 



Of prikyng and of hunting for the hare 



Was all his lust, 15 for no cost wolde he spare. 



I saw his sieves purfiled at the hand 18 



With grys, and that the finest of a land ; IT 



And for to fasten his hood under his chin, 



He had of gold i-wrought a curious pin ; 



A love knot in the greater end there was. 



His head was bald, and shone as any glass, 



And eek his face as he had been anoynt j 18 



1 A. fine-looking man, fw the 

 mastery i.e., above others. 



* Hunting. 



3 Where this monk was superior 

 of the monastery. 



* St. Benedict. 



* Somewhat strict. 



Let them pass by. We still 

 say, " Gave the go-by to." 



7 Followed the ways of the 

 modern world. 



8 He gavs not (would not give) 

 a plucked fowl for placed no 

 value upon. 



* It was an old and familiar 

 saying that a monk out of his 

 monastery was like a fish out of 

 water. 



10 Why. " Mad. 

 13 Toil. 



1S As Austin bade i.e., accord- 

 ing to the rule of St. Augustine. 



11 A thorough horseman. 



1 5 Pleasure. 



16 Embroidered at the wrist. 



17 With fur, and that the finest 

 in the country. 



18 Ae if he had been anointed. 



He was a lad full fat and in good point; 19 

 His eyen staep, 20 and rolling in his head, 

 That steamed as a furnace of a lead ; 21 

 His boots supple, his horse in great estate. 

 Now certainly he was a fair prelate ; 

 He was not pale as a forpined 23 ghost. 

 A fat swan loved he test of any roast. 

 His palfray was as brown as any berry. 23 



Our next extract, also taken from the prologue, is the character 

 of the poor country parson, and the contrast between it and the 

 picture of the luxurious monk will at once remind the reader of 

 what has been said of Chaucer's sympathy with the party of 

 Wickliffe, and his dislike of the monks : 



A good man was ther of religioun, 



And was a pore parsoune of a toun; 1 



But riche he was of holy thought and werk. 



He was also a lerned man, a clerk 



That Cristes Gospel gladly wolde preche ; 



His parisschens 2 devoutly wolde he teche. 



Beuigne he was, and wonder 3 diligent, 



And in adversite ful pacient ; 



And such he was i-proved ofte sythes.* 



Full loth were him 5 to curse for his tythes, 6 



But rather wolde he geven out of dowte. 



Unto his pore parisschens aboute, 



Of his offrynge, and eek of his substaunce.^ 



He could in litel thing han suffisance. 8 



Wide was his parisch, and houses fer asondur, 



But he ne lafte not* for reyne ne thondur, 



In sikuesse ue in meschief to visite 



The ferrest 10 in his parisch, moche and lite, 11 



Uppon his feet, and in his hand a staff. 



This noble ensaumple uiito his scheep he gaf, 1 



That first he wroughte and after that he taughoe. 



Out of the Gospel he the 13 wordes caughte, 



And this figure he added yit therto, 



That if golde ruste, what schulde yren doo ? 



For if a prest be foul, on whom we truste, 



No wondur is a lewed man 14 to ruste ; 



And schame it is, if that a prest take kepe, 15 



A schiten 16 scheppard and a clene schepe : 



Wei oughte a prest ensample for to give, 



By his clennesse, how that his scheep schulde lyve. 



He sette not his benefice to huyre, 17 



And lefte his schepe encombred in the myre, 



And ran to Londone, unto Seynte Paules, 



To seekeu him a chaunterie for soules, 15 



Or with a brotherhede be withholde ; 19 



But dwelte at hoom, and kepte well his folde, 



So that the wolfe ne made it not myscarye. 



He was a schepperde and no mercenarie ; 



And though he holy were, and vertuous, 



He was to sinful men nought dispitous. 20 



Ne of his speche daungerous ne digne, 21 



19 From the French embonpoint, 

 plump. 



ao His eyes deep-set. 



al Like a lead furnace. 



aa Wasted away. 



*' This last line illustrates a 

 peculiarity of Chaucer's versifica- 

 tion, which ought to be noted. 

 Modern poets, writing in this metre, 

 almost invariably end each para- 

 graph with the second line of a 

 couplet. Chaucer generally ends 

 the paragraph with the first line 

 of the couplet, making the end of 

 one paragraph rhyme with the 

 beginning of the next, and so con- 

 necting the two to the ear. Thus, 

 it will be observed, the last line in 

 the description of the monk ends 

 with " berry ;" the next paragraph, 

 introducing another personage, 

 begins, " A frere there was, a 

 wanton and a merry." 



1 A poor parson of a townland 

 or rural parish. 



2 Parishioners. 



3 Wonderfully. 

 * Oftentimes. 



5 Very disagreeable would it be 

 to him. 



6 To excommunicate for non- 

 payment of tithes. 



7 Both of what he had received 

 in voluntary offerings and of his 

 property, that is, his benefice. 



8 Have sufficient. Han con- 

 tracted from haven, infinitive of 

 have. 



9 He omitted not. 



10 Furthest. 



11 Great and small. 



12 Gave. 



13 Those. 



14 Layman. 



15 Take note of it. 

 36 Foul, dirty. 



17 Did not place a hired substi- 

 I tute in his benefice. The abuses 

 ! among the clergy referred to in 

 [ these lines are the constant theme 

 j of the satirists of the period. 



18 An endowment for saying 

 masses for the soul of the giver 

 of the endowment in St. Paul's 

 Cathedral. 



18 To be maintained in a monas- 

 tic brotherhood. 



20 Not uncharitable, not pitiless 

 to the sins of others. 



21 Harsh or proud. 



