Geoffrey Chaucer

“ When Alla saugh his wyf, faire he hir grette,
And weep, that it was routhe for to see.
For at the firste look he on hir sette
He knew wel verraily that it was she.
And she for sorwe as domb stant as a tree; 1055
So was hir herte shet in hir distresse
Whan she remembred his unkindenesse.
Twyës she swowned in his owne sighte; (960)
He weep, and him excuseth pitously:—
'Now god,' quod he, 'and alle his halwes brighte 1060
So wisly on my soule as have mercy,
That of your harm as giltelees am I
As is Maurice my sone so lyk your face ”

“ He woweth hir, but it availleth noght,
She wolde do no sinne, by no weye; 590
And, for despyt, he compassed in his thoght
To maken hir on shamful deth to deye.
He wayteth whan the constable was aweye,
And prively, up-on a night, he crepte
In Hermengildes chambre whyl she slepte. 595
Wery, for-waked in her orisouns,
Slepeth Custance, and Hermengild also.
This knight, thurgh Sathanas temptaciouns, (500)
Al softely is to the bed y-go,
And kitte the throte of Hermengild a-two, 600
And leyde the blody knyf by dame Custance,
And wente his wey, ther god yeve him meschance! ”

“ That knowen wyves, I dar say yow no more.
'Fader,' she sayde, 'thy wrecched child Custance,
Thy yonge doghter, fostred up so softe, 275
And ye, my moder, my soverayn plesance
Over alle thing, out-taken Crist on-lofte,
Custance, your child, hir recomandeth ofte (180)
Un-to your grace, for I shal to Surryë,
Ne shal I never seen yow more with yë. 280
Allas! ”

“ Thou blamest Crist, and seyst ful bitterly,
He misdeparteth richesse temporal;
Thy neighebour thou wytest sinfully, (10)
And seyst thou hast to lyte, and he hath al.
'Parfay,' seistow, 'somtyme he rekne shal, 110
Whan that his tayl shal brennen in the glede,
For he noght helpeth needfulle in hir nede.'
Herkne what is the sentence of the wyse:—
'Bet is to dyën than have indigence;'
'Thy selve neighebour wol thee despyse;' 115
If thou be povre, farwel thy reverence! ”

“ The fruit of every tale is for to seye;
They ete, and drinke, and daunce, and singe, and pleye.
They goon to bedde, as it was skile and right; (610)
For, thogh that wyves been ful holy thinges,
They moste take in pacience at night 710
Swich maner necessaries as been plesinges
To folk that han y-wedded hem with ringes,
And leye a lyte hir holinesse asyde
As for the tyme; it may no bet bityde.
On hir he gat a knave-child anoon, 715
And to a bishop and his constable eke
He took his wyf to kepe, whan he is goon
To Scotland-ward, his fo-men for to seke ”

“ Sente any child, but it is bet to deme
He wente him-self, and so it may wel seme.
This emperour hath graunted gentilly
To come to diner, as he him bisoghte;
And wel rede I, he loked bisily 1095
Up-on this child, and on his doghter thoghte.
Alla goth to his in, and, as him oghte,
Arrayed for this feste in every wyse (1000)
As ferforth as his conning may suffyse.
The morwe cam, and Alla gan him dresse, 1100
And eek his wyf, this emperour to mete;
And forth they ryde in Ioye and in gladnesse.
And whan she saugh hir fader in the strete,
She lighte doun, and falleth him to fete. ”

“ Kepeth this child, al be it foul or fair,
And eek my wyf, un-to myn hoom-cominge; 765
Crist, whan him list, may sende me an heir
More agreable than this to my lykinge.'
This lettre he seleth, prively wepinge, (670)
Which to the messager was take sone,
And forth he gooth; ther is na more to done. 770
O messager, fulfild of dronkenesse,
Strong is thy breeth, thy limes faltren ay,
And thou biwreyest alle secreenesse. ”

“ This child Maurice was sithen emperour
Maad by the pope, and lived cristenly.
To Cristes chirche he dide greet honour;
But I lete al his storie passen by,
Of Custance is my tale specially. 1125
In olde Romayn gestes may men finde
Maurices lyf; I bere it noght in minde.
This king Alla, whan he his tyme sey, (1030)
With his Custance, his holy wyf so swete,
To Engelond been they come the righte wey, 1130
Wher-as they live in Ioye and in quiete.
But litel whyl it lasteth, I yow hete,
Ioye of this world, for tyme wol nat abyde ”

“ Made Alla wedden ful solempnely
This holy mayden, that is so bright and shene,
And thus hath Crist y-maad Custance a quene.
But who was woful, if I shal nat lye,
Of this wedding but Donegild, and na mo, 695
The kinges moder, ful of tirannye?
Hir thoughte hir cursed herte brast a-two;
She wolde noght hir sone had do so; (600)
Hir thoughte a despit, that he sholde take
So strange a creature un-to his make. 700
Me list nat of the chaf nor of the stree
Maken so long a tale, as of the corn. ”

“ Ful ofte he seyde 'allas!' and 'weylawey!' 810
'Lord Crist,' quod he, 'how may this world endure?
So ful of sinne is many a creature!
O mighty god, if that it be thy wille,
Sith thou art rightful Iuge, how may it be
That thou wolt suffren innocents to spille, 815
And wikked folk regne in prosperitee? ”

“ Thy wo and any wo man may sustene.
Thou sawe thy child y-slayn bifor thyn yën, (750)
And yet now liveth my litel child, parfay!
Now, lady bright, to whom alle woful cryën, 850
Thou glorie of wommanhede, thou faire may,
Thou haven of refut, brighte sterre of day,
Rewe on my child, that of thy gentillesse
Rewest on every rewful in distresse!
O litel child, allas! what is thy gilt, 855
That never wroughtest sinne as yet, pardee,
Why wil thyn harde fader han thee spilt?
O mercy, dere Constable!' quod she; (760)
'As lat my litel child dwelle heer with thee ”

“ Thise marchants han him told of dame Custance,
So gret noblesse in ernest, ceriously, 185
That this sowdan hath caught so gret plesance
To han hir figure in his remembrance,
That al his lust and al his bisy cure (90)
Was for to love hir whyl his lyf may dure.
Paraventure in thilke large book 190
Which that men clepe the heven, y-writen was
With sterres, whan that he his birthe took,
That he for love shulde han his deeth, allas!
For in the sterres, clerer than is glas,
Is writen, god wot, who-so coude it rede, 195
The deeth of every man, withouten drede. ”

“ For which the constable and his wyf also 555
And Custance han y-take the righte way
Toward the see, a furlong wey or two,
To pleyen and to romen to and fro; (460)
And in hir walk this blinde man they mette
Croked and old, with yën faste y-shette. 560
'In name of Crist,' cryde this blinde Britoun,
'Dame Hermengild, yif me my sighte agayn.'
This lady wex affrayed of the soun,
Lest that hir housbond, shortly for to sayn,
Wolde hir for Iesu Cristes love han slayn, 565
Til Custance made hir bold, and bad hir werche
The wil of Crist, as doghter of his chirche. ”

“ Custance answerde, 'sire, it is Cristes might, 570
That helpeth folk out of the feendes snare.'
And so ferforth she gan our lay declare,
That she the constable, er that it were eve,
Converted, and on Crist made him bileve.
This constable was no-thing lord of this place 575
Of which I speke, ther he Custance fond,
But kepte it strongly, many wintres space,
Under Alla, king of al Northumberlond, (480)
That was ful wys, and worthy of his hond
Agayn the Scottes, as men may wel here, 580
But turne I wol agayn to my matere. ”

“ Wedden his child under oure lawes swete
That us were taught by Mahoun our prophete.'
And he answerde, 'rather than I lese 225
Custance, I wol be cristned doutelees;
I mot ben hires, I may non other chese.
I prey yow holde your arguments in pees; (130)
Saveth my lyf, and beeth noght recchelees
To geten hir that hath my lyf in cure; 230
For in this wo I may not longe endure.'
What nedeth gretter dilatacioun? ”

“ Hir litel child lay weping in hir arm,
And kneling, pitously to him she seyde, 835
'Pees, litel sone, I wol do thee non harm.'
With that hir kerchef of hir heed she breyde,
And over his litel yën she it leyde; (740)
And in hir arm she lulleth it ful faste,
And in-to heven hir yën up she caste. 840
'Moder,' quod she, 'and mayde bright, Marye,
Sooth is that thurgh wommannes eggement
Mankind was lorn and damned ay to dye,
For which thy child was on a croys y-rent ”

“ That he wold preye hir fader specially
That, of his magestee, he wolde enclyne
To vouche-sauf som day with him to dyne;
She preyde him eek, he sholde by no weye
Un-to hir fader no word of hir seye. 1085
Som men wold seyn, how that the child Maurice
Doth this message un-to this emperour ”

“ Soiourned han thise marchants in that toun (50)
A certein tyme, as fel to hir plesance.
And so bifel, that thexcellent renoun 150
Of themperoures doghter, dame Custance,
Reported was, with every circumstance,
Un-to thise Surrien marchants in swich wyse,
Fro day to day, as I shal yow devyse.
This was the commune vois of every man— 155
'Our Emperour of Rome, god him see,
A doghter hath that, sin the world bigan,
To rekne as wel hir goodnesse as beautee, (60)
Nas never swich another as is she ”

“ His moder slow, that men may pleinly rede,
For that she traitour was to hir ligeaunce. 895
Thus endeth olde Donegild with meschaunce.
The sorwe that this Alla, night and day,
Maketh for his wyf and for his child also, (800)
Ther is no tonge that it telle may.
But now wol I un-to Custance go, 900
That fleteth in the see, in peyne and wo,
Fyve yeer and more, as lyked Cristes sonde,
Er that hir ship approched un-to londe.
Under an hethen castel, atte laste,
Of which the name in my text noght I finde, 905
Custance and eek hir child the see up-caste. ”

“ Is no tyme bet than other in swich cas?
Of viage is ther noon eleccioun,
Namely to folk of heigh condicioun,
Nat whan a rote is of a birthe y-knowe?
Allas! we ben to lewed or to slowe. 315
To shippe is brought this woful faire mayde
Solempnely, with every circumstance.
'Now Iesu Crist be with yow alle,' she sayde ”

“ Whan tyme cam, men thoughte it for the beste
That revel stinte, and men goon to hir reste.
The tyme cam, this olde sowdanesse
Ordeyned hath this feste of which I tolde, 415
And to the feste cristen folk hem dresse
In general, ye! bothe yonge and olde.
Here may men feste and royaltee biholde, (320)
And deyntees mo than I can yow devyse,
But al to dere they boughte it er they ryse. 420
O sodeyn wo! ”

“ Hl. som maner; Hn. Cp. Pt. som kyn; Ln. sumkin.—1146. E. praye to; Hl. pray that; rest preyen, prayen, preien, or preyne.—1150. Hl. And fynt hir freendes ther bothe hool and sound. The rest omit ther.—*** For l. 5583 in Tyrwhitt's Text, see Group D, l. 1.—Colophon. The latter part is from MS. Arch. Selden B. 14. Many MSS. have The prolog of the squyers tale, or the prolog of the Squier. The Petworth MS. and some others have here an ill-written and spurious Prologue to the Shipman's Tale, which is here subjoined:
'Now freendes,' seide our Hoost so dere, 'How lyketh you by Iohn the Pardonere? ”

“ They liven alle, and never a-sonder wende;
Til deeth departed hem, this lyf they lede. (1060)
And fareth now weel, my tale is at an ende.
Now Iesu Crist, that of his might may sende 1160
Ioye after wo, governe us in his grace,
And kepe us alle that ben in this place! Amen.
Here endeth the Tale of the Man of Lawe; and next folweth the Shipmannes Prolog.
Variae Lectiones, etc.
1. Hl. Hoste; Ln. oste; rest hoost (oost) .—On sey, see note.—2. E. Hn. Hl. hath; rest had.—4. Cm. wanting; Cp. Pt. Ln. expert; E. Hn. ystert; Hl. om.—5. Hn. xviijthe; Cp. xviije; Pt. Ln. xviij ”