His botès souple, his hors in gret estat;
Now certainly he was a fayre prelàt.
He was not pale as a forpined gost.
A fat swan loved he best of any rost.
His palfrey was as broune as is a bery.
A Frere ther was, a wanton and a mery,
A Limitour, a ful solempnè man.
In all the ordres foure is none that can'
So muche of daliance and fayre langage.
He hadde ymade ful many a mariàge
Of yongè wimmen, at his owen cost.
Until his ordre he was a noble post.
Ful wel beloved, and familier was he
With frankeleins over all in his contrée,
And eke with worthy wimmen of the toun:
For he had power of confession,
As saide himselfè, more than a curàt,
For of his ordre he was licenciat.
Ful swetely herde he confession,
And plesant was his absolution.
He was an esy man to give penance,
Ther as he wiste to han a good pitance:
For unto a poure3 ordre for to give
Is signè that a man is well yshrive*.
For if he gave, he dorstè make avant,
He wistè that a man was repentànt.
For many a man so hard is of his herte,
He may not wepe although him sorè smerte.
Therfore in stede of weping and praières,
Men mote give silver to the pourè freres.
His tippet was ay farsed' ful of knives,
And pinnès, for to given fayrè wives.
And certainly he hadde a mery note.
Wel coude he singe and plaien on a rote2.
Of yeddinges' he bare utterly the pris.
His nekke was whitè as the flour de lis.
Therto he strong was as a champioun,
And knew wel the tavèrnes in every toun,
And every hosteler and gay tapstère,
Better than a lazar or a beggère,
For unto swiche a worthy man as he
Accordeth nought, as by his facultè,
To haven with sike lazars acquaintance.
It is not honest, it may not avance,
As for to delen with no swiche pouràille',
But all with riche, and sellers of vitaille.
And over all, ther as profit shuld arise,
Curteis he was, and lowly of servise.
Ther n' as no man no wher so vertuous.
He was the beste beggèr in all his hous:
And gave a certain fermè for the grant,
Non of his bretheren came in his haunt.
For though a widewe haddè but a shoo,
(So plesant was his in principio)
Yet wold he have a ferthing or he went.
His pourchas" was wel better than his rent.
A stringed instrument. 3 Story telling. 6 Farm. 7 Purchase.
And rage he coude as it hadde ben a whelp,
In lovèdayes', ther coude he mochel help.
For ther was he nat like a cloisterere,
With thredbare cope, as is a poure scolere,
But he was like a maister or a pope.
Of double worsted was his semicope 2,
That round was as a belle out of the presse.
Somwhat he lisped for his wantonnesse,
To make his English swete upon his tonge;
And in his harping, whan that he hadde songe,
His eyen twinkeled in his hed aright,
As don the sterrès in a frosty night.
This worthy limitour was cleped Hubèrd.
A Marchant was ther with a forked berd,
In mottelee, and highe on hors he sat,
And on his hed a Flaundrish bever hat.
His botès clapsed fayre and fetisly.
His resons spake he ful solempnèly,
Souning alway the encrese of his winning.
He wolde the see were kept for any thing3
Betwixen Middelburgh and Orèwell.
Wel coud he in eschanges sheldès' selle.
This worthy man ful wel his wit besette;
Ther wistè no wight that he was in dette,
Days appointed for the amicable settlement of differences. 2 Half cloak.
3 Kept, or guarded. The old subsidy of tonnage and poundage was given to the king' pour la saufgarde et custodie del mer. '— Tyrwhitt.
So stedefastly didde he his governance,
With his bargeines, and with his chevisance1
Forsothe he was a worthy man withalle,
But soth to sayn, I n'ot how men him calle.
A Clerk ther was of Oxenforde alsò,
That unto logike haddè long ygo.
As lenè was his hors as is a rake,
And he was not right fat, I undertake;
But loked holwe, and therto soberly.
Ful thredbare was his overest courtepy3,
For he hadde geten him yet no benefice,
Ne was nought worldly to have an office.
For him was lever han at his beddes hed
A twenty bokes, clothed in black and red,
Of Aristotle, and his philosophie,
Than robès riche, or fidel, or sautrìe.
But all be that he was a philosophre,
Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre,
But all that he might of his frendès hente",
On bokes and on lerning he it spente,
And besily gan for the soulès praie
Of hem, that yave him wherwith to scolaieo.
Of studie toke he mostè cure and hede.
Not a word spake he more than was nede ;
And that was said in forme and reverence,
And short and quike, and ful of high sentènce.
1 An agreement for borrowing money. 3 Uppermost cloak of coarse cloth.
Souning in moral vertue was his speche,
And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche.
A Sergeant of the Lawe ware' and wise,
That often hadde yben at the paruis*,
Ther was also, ful riche of excellence.
Discrete he was, and of gret reverence :
He semed swiche, his wordès were so wise,
Justice he was ful often in assise,
By patent, and by pleine commissioun ;
For his science, and for his high renoun,
Of fees and robès had he many on.
So grete a pourchasour was nowher non.
All was fee simple to him in effect,
His pourchasing might not ben in suspect".
Nowher so besy a man as he ther n'as,
And yet he semed besier than he was.
In termès hadde he cas1 and domès alle,
That fro the time of king Will. weren falle.
Threto he coude endite, and make a thing,
Ther coude no wight pinche' at his writing.
And every statute coude he plaine by rote.
He rode but homely in a medlee cote7,
Girt with a seint of silk, with barrès 9 smale;
Of his array tell I no lenger tale.
The paruis, or portico before a church-a place frequented by lawyers. The place of the lawyers paruis in London is assigned to different places by different antiquarians.—Tyrwhitt. 3 Suspicion. 4 Cases and decisions. 5 No one could find a flaw in his writings. 67 Coat of mixed stuff. A girdle. 9 With small stripes.
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