Geoffrey Chaucer

“ Hoom to myn hous, or elles un-to youres— 785
For wel ye woot that al this gold is oures—
Than were we in heigh felicitee.
But trewely, by daye it may nat be; (460)
Men wolde seyn that we were theves stronge,
And for our owene tresor doon us honge. ”

“ I seye it now weping with pitous voys,
That they been enemys of Cristes croys,
Of whiche the ende is deeth, wombe is her god.'
O wombe! O bely! O stinking cod,
Fulfild of donge and of corrupcioun! 535
At either ende of thee foul is the soun.
How greet labour and cost is thee to finde!
Thise cokes, how they stampe, and streyne, and grinde, (210)
And turnen substaunce in-to accident,
To fulfille al thy likerous talent! ”

“ Heer is a miteyn eek, that ye may see.
He that his hond wol putte in this miteyn,
He shal have multiplying of his greyn,
Whan he hath sowen, be it whete or otes, 375
So that he offre pens, or elles grotes.
Good men and wommen, o thing warne I yow,
If any wight be in this chirche now, (50)
That hath doon sinne horrible, that he
Dar nat, for shame, of it y-shriven be, 380
Or any womman, be she yong or old,
That hath y-maad hir housbond cokewold,
Swich folk shul have no power ne no grace
To offren to my reliks in this place. ”

“ That oon of hem spak thus un-to that other,
'Thou knowest wel thou art my sworne brother, (480)
Thy profit wol I telle thee anon.
Thou woost wel that our felawe is agon; 810
And heer is gold, and that ful greet plentee,
That shal departed been among us three.
But natheles, if I can shape it so
That it departed were among us two,
Hadde I nat doon a freendes torn to thee?' 815
That other answerde, 'I noot how that may be ”

“ Is deed, whyl that he liveth in tho vyces. (220)
A lecherous thing is wyn, and dronkenesse
Is ful of stryving and of wrecchednesse. 550
O dronke man, disfigured is thy face,
Sour is thy breeth, foul artow to embrace,
And thurgh thy dronke nose semeth the soun
As though thou seydest ay 'Sampsoun, Sampsoun';
And yet, god wot, Sampsoun drank never no wyn. ”

“ And thanne wol he seye, 'Sampsoun, Sampsoun.'
But herkneth, lordings, o word, I yow preye,
That alle the sovereyn actes, dar I seye,
Of victories in the olde testament, 575
Thurgh verray god, that is omnipotent,
Were doon in abstinence and in preyere;
Loketh the Bible, and ther ye may it lere. (250)
Loke, Attila, the grete conquerour,
Deyde in his sleep, with shame and dishonour, 580
Bledinge ay at his nose in dronkenesse;
A capitayn shoulde live in sobrenesse. ”

“ That no man be so bold, ne preest ne clerk,
Me to destourbe of Cristes holy werk; 340
And after that than telle I forth my tales,
Bulles of popes and of cardinales,
Of patriarkes, and bishoppes I shewe;
And in Latyn I speke a wordes fewe,
To saffron with my predicacioun, 345
And for to stire men to devocioun.
Than shewe I forth my longe cristal stones,
Y-crammed ful of cloutes and of bones; (20)
Reliks been they, as wenen they echoon.
Than have I in latoun a sholder-boon 350
Which that was of an holy Iewes shepe.
"Good men," seye I, "tak of my wordes kepe ”

“ It was me told, er ye cam heer, two houres;
He was, pardee, an old felawe of youres;
And sodeynly he was y-slayn to-night,
For-dronke, as he sat on his bench upright;
Ther cam a privee theef, men clepeth Deeth, 675
That in this contree al the peple sleeth,
And with his spere he smoot his herte a-two,
And wente his wey with-outen wordes mo. (350)
He hath a thousand slayn this pestilence:
And, maister, er ye come in his presence, 680
Me thinketh that it were necessarie
For to be war of swich an adversarie:
Beth redy for to mete him evermore. ”

“ I seye that, as by ordre, thus it stondeth; 645
This knowen, that his hestes understondeth,
How that the second heste of god is that.
And forther over, I wol thee telle al plat, (320)
That vengeance shal nat parten from his hous,
That of his othes is to outrageous. 650
'By goddes precious herte, and by his nayles,
And by the blode of Crist, that it is in Hayles,
Seven is my chaunce, and thyn is cink and treye ”

“ And thus acorded been thise shrewes tweye 835
To sleen the thridde, as ye han herd me seye.
This yongest, which that wente un-to the toun,
Ful ofte in herte he rolleth up and doun (510)
The beautee of thise florins newe and brighte.
'O lord!' quod he, 'if so were that I mighte 840
Have al this tresor to my-self allone,
Ther is no man that liveth under the trone
Of god, that sholde live so mery as I!'
And atte laste the feend, our enemy,
Putte in his thought that he shold poyson beye, 845
With which he mighte sleen his felawes tweye ”

“ Wher-as, with harpes, lutes, and giternes,
They daunce and pleye at dees bothe day and night,
And ete also and drinken over hir might, (140)
Thurgh which they doon the devel sacrifyse
With-in that develes temple, in cursed wyse, 470
By superfluitee abhominable ”

“ Good; E. Hn. Cp. Goode.—Hn. I seye; rest say I, saie I.—366. E. Hn. sire; rest sires, sirs.—377. E. Hn. Goode; rest And.—382. Cp. Ln. Hl. ymaad; Pt. made; E. Hn. ymaked.—385. E. fame; rest blame.—386. Hn. He; rest They.—E. on; Hn. a ”

“ So E. Hn. Pt.; but Cp. has—So falle vpon his body and his bones The deuyl I bekenne him al at ones; so also Ln. Hl.—291. E. (alone) ins. false before Iuges.—E. Hn. Aduocatz; Pt. aduocas.—295. E. Hn. and; rest or.—296. E. Hn. to ”