CHAUCER'S PILGRIMS 17 



more to him than the rule of St. Benedict and all the 

 holy books in his cell. Beside this disgrace to his 

 religious 23rofession is a mendicant friar who is no whit 

 better than his fellow, for he can sing tender songs to 

 his harp, treats the country-folk in the taverns, and 

 knows well how to please the women with timely gifts 

 of needles and knives. Follow these a merchant and 

 two learned men. Well does the merchant know the 

 rate of exchange, and better still does he know how to 

 secure his own interest. Not so the clerk of Oxenford, 

 hollow-cheeked and lean, dressed in threadbare clothes 

 and riding a bare-ribbed horse. As yet he is unbeneficed; 

 but his books are his only joy. His fellow is a law 

 Serjeant in good practice, and at his heels comes the 

 Franklin, a representative of a very large class who held 

 land of their own, but were not of gentle birth. 



A lower social stratum is represented by a haber- 

 dasher, a carpenter, a weaver, a dj^er, and a tapster ; 

 all of consideration in their own grade, and likely 

 to become aldermen some day. As Avealthy as any 

 is the miller, a big-bodied fellow, with a spade beard, 

 red, like a fox, and as cunning. He well knows how 

 to take a share of the corn his customers bring him to 

 grind. He wears a white coat and a blue hood ; 

 plays on the bagpipes, and tells stories fitted to make 

 the young and innocent blush. The wife of Bath 

 is every whit as indelicate. She has been married five 

 times, and of love, says Chaucer, " she knew the olde 

 dance." Therefore she is privileged. A shipman 

 from Dartmouth has with him a bottle of Burgundy 

 stolen from his captain's cabin, from which he thinks 

 it no sin to drink when on pious pilgrimage. A doctor 

 of physic, a cook, a poor parson, a ploughman, a reeve, 

 or estate agent, a manciple, and two disgraceful 

 characters — a summoner and a pardoner — make up 

 the total of the company. The summoner has a fiery 

 face, which nothing but abstinence from drink will 

 assuage ; and the pardoner is totally without conscience 

 or morals of any kind. He makes a good living by 



