LESSONS IN FRENCH. 





But in hii teching dincret and benlgno. 

 To drnwe folk to hercu by fairuesse, 

 By go<Ml euiauiple, was bin busyness* i 



i) uujr parson olwtinat, 

 Uh.a H,.-- I,.- .-ro .,f ln^'li or Iowa ctat. 

 Him wold* ha snybba* 1 ncharply for tin: nones.** 

 A bottro pr**st I trow* ther now her nou U. 

 He wu> tud after no potnpe no rerereuoe, 

 N maked him a sploed conscience,** 

 But CrikU-s lore, aud hi* Bpotlus twelve, 

 lie taught, aud tint he folwed it hinuulra. 



The short passages of narrative which occur under tho title 

 of prologues between tho various talbu, are scarcely inferior to 

 the general prologue in dramatic skill. The most noteworthy 

 character in thorn is the good-humoured host, with his ready 

 mutluT-wit, managing tho somewhat troublesome pilgrims. 



Of tho other portion of the poem, the tales themselves, we 

 must speak but briefly. We have already pointed out tho 

 judgment with which Chaucer adapted the tale to the teller. 

 The stories may bo roughly divided into two classes tho 

 dignified, or pathetic tales told by the higher and more educated 

 class of the pilgrims ; and the broad, coarse, but humorous 

 stories told by the travellers of lower rank. The first and 

 longest of the tales of tho first class is the Knight's tale, which 

 contains the story of Palamon and Arcite, derived no doubt by 

 Chaucer from Boccaccio. The Squire's tale is suited to the 

 character of the squire. It is a wild story of love and enchant- 

 ment, probably of Oriental origin , and only half finished. 

 The Man of Law's tale is the pathetic story of Cuatancc, 

 borrowed by Chaucer from the "Confossio Amantis" of Gower, 

 as it had been by Gower from earlier writers. The Doctor of 

 Physio tells the Roman story of Virginia. The Prioress relates 

 the characteristic story of a little Christian child murdered by 

 Jews, and of the miracles that followed his death, and revealed 

 tho crime. The Clerk's tale, the most pathetic of the whole 

 number, is the story of Patient Griselda, since become familiar 

 in many forms to all readers, but then told in English for the 

 first time, being taken from the Latin of Petrarch. 



Among the stories of the second class, the most humorous 

 perhaps are those of the Miller, the Prior, and the Canon's 

 Yeoman ; but tho first and second of these, like most of Chaucer's 

 humorous tales, are much too coarse to suit the taste of the 

 present day. The Parson's tale is of a class by itself. It is in 

 prose, and is, in fact, a sermon or moral discourse. 



The following powerful description of the Temple of Mars 

 and its decoration is taken from the Knight's tale : 



And downward on a hil under a beiit.i 



Ther stood the Teuipul of Marz Armypotent, 



Wrought al of burned steel of which theatre* 



Was long and streyt, and gastly for to see. 



And thereout came a rage aud such a prise,* 



That it made all the gates for to rise. 



The northen light in at the dore schon, 



For window on the walls ne was ther noon, 



Thorugh the which men might no light discern. 



The dores were alle ademauntz eterne, 



I-clenched overthwart and endelong* 



"With iren tough ; and for to make it strong 



Every piler the tempul to susteiue 



Was tonne greet, of iren bright and schene :* 



Ther saugh I first the darkymaginiug 



Of felony, and al the eompassyng ; 



The cruel ire, ees rad as eny gleede ;* 



The pikepurs," and eek the pale drede ; 



The smyler with the knyf under his cloke ; 



Tho schipne brenuyng* with the blake smoke ; 



The tresoun with the murtheryng in the bed ; 



The open werres, with woundes al bi-bled ;' 



Contek 10 with bloody knyf, and sharp inauaoe ; 



Al ful of chirkyug" was that sory place. 



The slur of himself yet saugh I there, 



His herte- blood 13 hath bathed al his here;" 





** Whether. a Snub, rebuke. 

 J * On that occasion, then and 

 there. 



* Did not spoil the natural sim- 

 plicity of his conscience. 



1 A bend that ia, a slope. 



* The entry. This contraction 

 if very common in Chaucer. 



* Proas or crowd. 



4 Across and along. 

 4 Shining;. ' Spark. 

 7 Pickpurae, thief. 



* Ships burning. 



* Bled, covered with blood. 



10 Contention. 

 " Menace. 



11 Shrieking. 



u Heart's blood. H Hair. 



Tha nayl y -drove in tha aeboda" a-njf lit i 

 The oolda <Uh. with uouife cap/Bf -. 

 Amydda* of UM tampul . 

 With MOT/ comfort and aval i 



I aaufh woodoea" lauh/u- ia hia rafa i 

 Armed complaiut, oothaaa, 6 and flan ou 

 Th* earroifMi* la tha boasba, with throU j-eorv| 

 A thooaaad slain, and not of qualm* y^torra;-' 

 Tha UraunU. with th* pray* by fore* y-raf t ( 

 Th* town da^lNted, thar* wa* ao tidaa; kft. 

 Tat laugh I brent* tha schippea hoppwtan*,* 4 

 Tha hunt*" stranffbd with" th* wild Urresi 

 Tba sow* frcton** tho child right ia th. cradal, 

 Tha cook t^oaldad, f or al hi* lour* kdaL 

 Nought bath forgatn th* inforton* of Marti 

 Th* carter orer-ryden of his cart, 

 Under th* wbal ful Iowa h* lay adooa. 

 Ther war also of Marts dlvi*iotu>," 

 Tba harbour," and tha bowebar, and th* smyth, 

 That forgeth scharp* twarda* oa hi* stitb. 

 And all above depeynted ia a tour 

 Saw I conquest sitting in grat honour, 

 With the scharp* sword over his bead 

 Hangrnge by a sotil twyn* thread.** 



LESSONS IN FRENCH. LIX. 



48. PARADIGMS OF TUB AUXILIARY VERBS. 



To familiarise the student with the frequent use made by the 

 French of the indefinite pronoun on [ 41 (4)], we have intro- 

 duced it in our conjugation of the verbs. 



(1.) AVOIR, TO HAVE, AFFIRMATIVELY. 

 INFINITIVE MOOD. 



PBKSEST. PAST. 



Avoir, to have. \ Avoir eu, to hM had. 



PARTICIPLES. 



PRESENT. COMPOCSD. 



Ayant, having. \ Ayant cu, having had, 



PAST. 



Eu, had. 



INDICATIVE MOOD. 



DIMPLE TENSES. 



COMPOUND TENSES. 



