Canterbury Tales and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer (best summer reads .TXT) 📕

to seen. see And, since that ye have heard all mine intent, I pray you to my will ye would assent.”

 

Diverse men diversely him told

Of marriage many examples old;

Some blamed it, some praised it, certain; But at the haste, shortly for to sayn

(As all day* falleth altercation *constantly, every day Betwixte friends in disputation),

There fell a strife betwixt his brethren two, Of which that one was called Placebo,

Justinus soothly called was that other.

 

Placebo said; “O January, brother,

Full little need have ye, my lord so dear, Counsel to ask of any that is here:

But that ye be so full of sapience,

That you not liketh, for your high prudence, To waive* from the word of Solomon. *depart, deviate This word said he unto us every one;

Work alle thing by counsel, — thus said he, —

And thenne shalt thou not repente thee But though that Solomon spake such a word, Mine owen deare brother and my lord,

So wisly* God my soule bring at rest, *surely I hold your owen counsel is the best.

For, brother mine, take of me this motive; advice, encouragement I have now been a court-man all my life, And, God it wot, though I unworthy be, I have standen in full great degree

Aboute lordes of full high estate;

Yet had I ne’er with none of them debate; I never them contraried truely.

I know well that my lord can* more than I; *knows What that he saith I hold it firm and stable, I say the same, or else a thing semblable.

A full great fool is any counsellor

That serveth any lord of high honour

That dare presume, or ones thinken it; That his counsel should pass his lorde’s wit.

Nay, lordes be no fooles by my fay.

Ye have yourselfe shewed here to day

So high sentence,* so holily and well judgment, sentiment That I consent, and confirm every deal in every point*

Your wordes all, and your opinioun

By God, there is no man in all this town Nor in Itale, could better have y-said.

Christ holds him of this counsel well apaid. satisfied And truely it is a high courage

Of any man that stopen* is in age, *advanced <6>

To take a young wife, by my father’s kin; Your hearte hangeth on a jolly pin.

Do now in this matter right as you lest, For finally I hold it for the best.”

 

Justinus, that aye stille sat and heard, Right in this wise to Placebo answer’d.

“Now, brother mine, be patient I pray, Since ye have said, and hearken what I say.

Senec, among his other wordes wise,

Saith, that a man ought him right well advise, consider To whom he gives his hand or his chattel.

And since I ought advise me right well To whom I give my good away from me,

Well more I ought advise me, pardie,

To whom I give my body: for alway

I warn you well it is no childe’s play To take a wife without advisement.

Men must inquire (this is mine assent) Whe’er she be wise, or sober, or dronkelew, given to drink Or proud, or any other ways a shrew,

A chidester,* or a waster of thy good, *a scold Or rich or poor; or else a man is wood. mad Albeit so, that no man finde shall

None in this world, that *trotteth whole in all, is sound in No man, nor beast, such as men can devise,* every point describe But nathehess it ought enough suffice

With any wife, if so were that she had More goode thewes* than her vices bad: * qualities And all this asketh leisure to inquere.

For, God it wot, I have wept many a tear Full privily, since I have had a wife.

Praise whoso will a wedded manne’s life, Certes, I find in it but cost and care, And observances of all blisses bare.

And yet, God wot, my neighebours about, And namely* of women many a rout,** especially *company Say that I have the moste steadfast wife, And eke the meekest one, that beareth life.

But I know best where wringeth* me my shoe, *pinches Ye may for me right as you like do

Advise you, ye be a man of age,

How that ye enter into marriage;

And namely* with a young wife and a fair, * especially By him that made water, fire, earth, air, The youngest man that is in all this rout company Is busy enough to bringen it about

To have his wife alone, truste me:

Ye shall not please her fully yeares three, This is to say, to do her full pleasance.

A wife asketh full many an observance.

I pray you that ye be not *evil apaid.” displeased*

 

“Well,” quoth this January, “and hast thou said?

Straw for thy Senec, and for thy proverbs, I counte not a pannier full of herbs

Of schoole termes; wiser men than thou, As thou hast heard, assented here right now To my purpose: Placebo, what say ye?”

“I say it is a cursed* man,” quoth he, ill-natured, wicked “That letteth matrimony, sickerly.” *hindereth And with that word they rise up suddenly, And be assented fully, that he should

Be wedded when him list, and where he would.

 

High fantasy and curious business

From day to day gan in the soul impress imprint themselves Of January about his marriage

Many a fair shape, and many a fair visage There passed through his hearte night by night.

As whoso took a mirror polish’d bright, And set it in a common market-place,

Then should he see many a figure pace

By his mirror; and in the same wise

Gan January in his thought devise

Of maidens, which that dwelte him beside: He wiste not where that he might abide. stay, fix his choice For if that one had beauty in her face, Another stood so in the people’s grace For her sadness* and her benignity, *sedateness That of the people greatest voice had she: And some were rich and had a badde name.

But natheless, betwixt earnest and game, He at the last appointed him on one,

And let all others from his hearte gon, And chose her of his own authority;

For love is blind all day, and may not see.

And when that he was into bed y-brought, He pourtray’d in his heart and in his thought Her freshe beauty, and her age tender, Her middle small, her armes long and slender, Her wise governance, her gentleness,

Her womanly bearing, and her sadness. sedateness And when that he *on her was condescended, had selected her*

He thought his choice might not be amended; For when that he himself concluded had, He thought each other manne’ s wit so bad, That impossible it were to reply

Against his choice; this was his fantasy.

His friendes sent he to, at his instance, And prayed them to do him that pleasance, That hastily they would unto him come; He would abridge their labour all and some: Needed no more for them to go nor ride,<7>

*He was appointed where he would abide. he had definitively Placebo came, and eke his friendes soon, made his choice*

And *alderfirst he bade them all a boon, first of all he asked That none of them no arguments would make a favour of them*

Against the purpose that he had y-take: Which purpose was pleasant to God, said he, And very ground of his prosperity.

He said, there was a maiden in the town, Which that of beauty hadde great renown; All* were it so she were of small degree, although Sufficed him her youth and her beauty; Which maid, he said, he would have to his wife, To lead in ease and holiness his life; And thanked God, that he might have her all, That no wight with his blisse parte shall; *have a share And prayed them to labour in this need, And shape that he faile not to speed:

For then, he said, his spirit was at ease.

“Then is,” quoth he, “nothing may me displease, Save one thing pricketh in my conscience, The which I will rehearse in your presence.

I have,” quoth he, “heard said, full yore* ago, *long There may no man have perfect blisses two, This is to say, on earth and eke in heaven.

For though he keep him from the sinne’s seven, And eke from every branch of thilke tree,<8>

Yet is there so perfect felicity,

And so great *ease and lust,* in marriage, comfort and pleasure

That ev’r I am aghast,* now in mine age *ashamed, afraid That I shall head now so merry a life, So delicate, withoute woe or strife,

That I shall have mine heav’n on earthe here.

For since that very heav’n is bought so dear, With tribulation and great penance,

How should I then, living in such pleasance As alle wedded men do with their wives, Come to the bliss where Christ *etern on live is? lives eternally*

This is my dread;* and ye, my brethren tway, doubt Assoile me this question, I you pray.” *resolve, answer Justinus, which that hated his folly,

Answer’d anon right in his japery; mockery, jesting way And, for he would his longe tale abridge, He woulde no authority* allege, *written texts But saide; “Sir, so there be none obstacle Other than this, God of his high miracle, And of his mercy, may so for you wirch, work That, ere ye have your rights of holy church, Ye may repent of wedded manne’s life,

In which ye say there is no woe nor strife: And elles God forbid, but if he sent *unless A wedded man his grace him to repent

Well often, rather than a single man.

And therefore, Sir, *the beste rede I can, this is the best counsel Despair you not, but have in your memory, that I know*

Paraventure she may be your purgatory; She may be Godde’s means, and Godde’s whip; And then your soul shall up to heaven skip Swifter than doth an arrow from a bow.

I hope to God hereafter ye shall know

That there is none so great felicity

In marriage, nor ever more shall be,

That you shall let* of your salvation; hinder So that ye use, as skill is and reason, The lustes of your wife attemperly,* pleasures **moderately And that ye please her not too amorously, And that ye keep you eke from other sin.

My tale is done, for my wit is but thin.

Be not aghast* hereof, my brother dear, *aharmed, afraid But let us waden out of this mattere,

The Wife of Bath, if ye have understand, Of marriage, which ye have now in hand, Declared hath full well in little space; Fare ye now well, God have you in his grace.”

 

And with this word this Justin’ and his brother Have ta’en their leave, and each of them of other.

And when they saw that it must needes be, They wroughte so, by sleight and wise treaty, That she, this maiden, which that *Maius hight, was named May*

As hastily as ever that she might,

Shall wedded be unto this January.

I trow it were too longe you to tarry, If I told you of every *script and band written bond*

By which she was feoffed in his hand;

Or for to reckon of her rich array

But finally y-comen is the day

That to the churche bothe be they went, For to receive the holy sacrament,

Forth came the priest, with stole about his neck, And bade her be like Sarah and Rebecc’

In wisdom and