Geoffrey Chaucer

“ We alle desyren, if it mighte be,
To han housbondes hardy, wyse, and free,
And secree, and no nigard, ne no fool, 4105
Ne him that is agast of every tool,
Ne noon avauntour, by that god above!
How dorste ye seyn for shame unto your love,
That any thing mighte make yow aferd?
Have ye no mannes herte, and han a berd? 4110
Allas! and conne ye been agast of swevenis? (101)
No-thing, god wot, but vanitee, in sweven is. ”

“ Of any dreem, so holy was his herte.
By god, I hadde lever than my sherte 4310
That ye had rad his legende, as have I. (301)
Dame Pertelote, I sey yow trewely,
Macrobeus, that writ the avisioun
In Affrike of the worthy Cipioun,
Affermeth dremes, and seith that they been 4315
Warning of thinges that men after seen.
And forther-more, I pray yow loketh wel
In the olde testament, of Daniel,
If he held dremes any vanitee.
Reed eek of Ioseph, and ther shul ye see 4320
Wher dremes ben somtyme (I sey nat alle) (311)
Warning of thinges that shul after falle. ”

“ For certeinly, as that thise clerkes seyn, 3990
"Wher-as a man may have noon audience,
Noght helpeth it to tellen his sentence."
And wel I woot the substance is in me,
If any thing shal wel reported be.
Sir, sey somwhat of hunting, I yow preye.' 3995
'Nay,' quod this monk, 'I have no lust to pleye; (40)
Now let another telle, as I have told.'
Than spak our host, with rude speche and bold,
And seyde un-to the Nonnes Preest anon,
'Com neer, thou preest, com hider, thou sir Iohn, 4000
Tel us swich thing as may our hertes glade,
Be blythe, though thou ryde up-on a Iade. ”

“ Now singeth, sire, for seinte Charitee, 4510
Let see, conne ye your fader countrefete?' (501)
This Chauntecleer his winges gan to bete,
As man that coude his tresoun nat espye,
So was he ravisshed with his flaterye.
Allas! ye lordes, many a fals flatour 4515
Is in your courtes, and many a losengeour,
That plesen yow wel more, by my feith,
Than he that soothfastnesse unto yow seith.
Redeth Ecclesiaste of flaterye;
Beth war, ye lordes, of hir trecherye. ”

“ This Chauntecleer stood hye up-on his toos, (511)
Strecching his nekke, and heeld his eyen cloos,
And gan to crowe loude for the nones;
And daun Russel the fox sterte up at ones,
And by the gargat hente Chauntecleer, 4525
And on his bak toward the wode him beer,
For yet ne was ther no man that him sewed.
O destinee, that mayst nat been eschewed!
Allas, that Chauntecleer fleigh fro the bemes!
Allas, his wyf ne roghte nat of dremes! 4530
And on a Friday fil al this meschaunce. ”

“ And eek with staves many another man;
Ran Colle our dogge, and Talbot, and Gerland,
And Malkin, with a distaf in hir hand;
Ran cow and calf, and eek the verray hogges 4575
So were they fered for berking of the dogges
And shouting of the men and wimmen eke,
They ronne so, hem thoughte hir herte breke.
They yelleden as feendes doon in helle;
The dokes cryden as men wolde hem quelle; 4580
The gees for fere flowen over the trees; (571)
Out of the hyve cam the swarm of bees;
So hidous was the noyse, a! benedicite! ”

“ For naturelly a beest desyreth flee
Fro his contrarie, if he may it see, 4470
Though he never erst had seyn it with his yë. (461)
This Chauntecleer, whan he gan him espye,
He wolde han fled, but that the fox anon
Seyde, 'Gentil sire, allas! wher wol ye gon? ”

“ Of catapuce, or of gaytres beryis, 4155
Of erbe yve, growing in our yerd, that mery is;
Pekke hem up right as they growe, and ete hem in.
Be mery, housbond, for your fader kin!
Dredeth no dreem; I can say yow na-more.'
'Madame,' quod he, 'graunt mercy of your lore. ”

“ That us governeth alle as in commune. 4190
And so bifel, that, longe er it were day, (181)
This man mette in his bed, ther-as he lay,
How that his felawe gan up-on him calle,
And seyde, 'allas! for in an oxes stalle
This night I shal be mordred ther I lye. 4195
Now help me, dere brother, er I dye;
In alle haste com to me,' he sayde.
This man out of his sleep for fere abrayde;
But whan that he was wakned of his sleep,
He turned him, and took of this no keep; 4200
Him thoughte his dreem nas but a vanitee. ”

“ That werken many a man in sleep ful wo;
But I wol passe as lightly as I can.
Lo Catoun, which that was so wys a man, 4130
Seyde he nat thus, ne do no fors of dremes? (121)
Now, sire,' quod she, 'whan we flee fro the bemes,
For Goddes love, as tak som laxatyf ”

“ Mordre wol out, that see we day by day. ”

“ Pt. good; rest goode.—4635. Hl. Pt. Ln. good; rest goode.—Colophon. Cp. Nonne; E. Hn. Nonnes. Hl. Here endeth the tale of Chaunteclere and pertelote. These genuine lines only occur in Dd., in MS. Reg. ”

“ The MSS. have word (for ord) ; see the note.—3913. E. sitthe; Hl. siththen; Hn. Cm. siththe a.—3936. Cm. Pt. Ln. wex; rest wax.—3944. E. bemes; rest stremes.—3947. Pt. Ln. Hl. she; rest omit.—3951. Cm. Tragedy is ”

“ I supply tho.—For vessels, see 3391, 3416, 3418.—3400. Hn. lente; rest sente (but see l. 3403) .—3422. E. Hn. Cp. Hl. truste; Pt. trest; Ln. trust; Cm. trust to.—See B. 4214.—3425. E. om. yeven.—3435. E. as I ”