of youre gracious lordschipe, and ben redy to obeye to alle youre comaundementz, bisechynge yow that of youre merciable pite ye wol considre oure grete repentaunce and lowe submissioun, and graunte us forgivenes of oure outrage, trespas, and offence. For wel we knowen, that youre liberal grace and mercy strechen forthere into goodnesse than doth oure outrage, gilt, and trespas, into wikkednes; al be it that cursedly and dampnably we have agilt ageinst youre highe lordschipe.' Thanne Melibe took hem up fro the ground ful benignely, and resceyved here obligaciouns, and here bondes, by here othes upon here plegges and borwes, and assigned hem a certeyn day to retourne unto his court for to accepte and receyve the sentence and juggement that Melibe wolde comaunde to be doon on hem, by these causes aforn sayde; which thing ordeyned, every man retourned home to his hous. And whan that dame Prudence saugh hire tyme, sche freyned and axed hire lord Melibe, what vengeance he thoughte to take upon his adversaries. To which Melibeus answerd and saide: Certes,' quod he, 'I thenke and purpose me fully to desherite hem of al that ever thay have, and for to putte hem in exil for evermore.'

'Certes,' quod dame Prudence, this were a cruel sentence, and mochil ageinst resoun. For ye ben riche y-nough, and have noon neede of other mennes good; and ye mighte lightly gete yow a coveitous name, which is a vicious thing, and oughte to ben eschewed of every man; for after the sawe of thapostil, covetise is roote of alle harmes. And therfore it were bettre for yow to lese so moche good of youre oughne, than for to take of here good in this manere. For bettir it is to lese good with worschipe, than it is to wynne good with vilonye and schame. And every man oughte to do his diligence and his busynesse, to gete him a good name. And yit schal he nought oonly busie him

in kepynge of his good name,' but he schulde enforce him alway to do som thing, by which he may renovele his good name; for it is writen, that the olde goode loos of a man is soone goon and passed, whan it is not newed ne renoveled. And as touchinge that ye sayn, that ye wol exile youre adversaries, that thinketh me mochil ageinst resoun, and out of mesure, considered the power that thay han gyve to yow upon here body and on hem self. And it is writen, that he is worthy to lese his privelege, that mysuseth the might and the power that is geve to him. And yit I sette the caas, ye mighte enjoyne hem that peyne by right and lawe (which I trowe ye mow nought do), I say, ye mighte nought putte it to execucioun peraventure, and thanne were it likly to torne to the werre, as it was biforn. And therfore if ye wol that men do yow obeissaunce, ye moste deme more curteisly, that is to sayn, ye moste give more esyere sentence and juggement. For it is writen: He that most curteysly comaundeth, to him men most obeyen. And therfore I pray yow, that in this necessite and in this neede ye caste yow to overcome youre herte. For Senek saith, he that overcometh his herte, overcometh twyes. And Tullius saith: Ther is no thing so comendable in a gret lord, as whan he is debonaire and meeke, and appesith him lightly. And pray yow, that wol forbere now to do vengeaunce, in such a manere, that youre goode name may be kept and conserved, and that men mowe have cause and matiere to prayse yow of pite and of mercy; and that ye have noon cause to repente yow of thing that ye doon. For Senec saith: He overcometh in an evel manere, that repenteth him of his victorie. Wherfore I pray yow let mercy be in youre herte, to theffect and thentent, that God almighty have mercy and pite upon yow in his laste juggement. For seint Jame'

Ι

ye

And yit schal ... good name. This passage, omitted in the Harl. MS, is restored from the Lausd. MS.-W. 2 James ii. 13.

saith in his Epistil: juggement withoute mercy schal be doon to him, that hath no mercy of another wight.'

Whan Melibe had herd the grete skiles and resouns of dame Prudens, and hir wys informacioun and techynge, his herte gan enclyne to the wille of his wyf, consideryng hir trewe entent, confermed him anoon and consented fully to werke after hir reed and counseil, and thankid God, of whom procedeth al goodnes, that him sente a wif of so gret discrecioun. And whan the day cam that his adversaries schulden appere in his presence, he spak to hem ful goodly, and sayde in this wise: Al be it so, that of youre pryde and heigh presumpcioun and folye, and of youre negligence and unconnynge, ye have mysbore yow, and trespassed unto me, yit forasmoche as I se and biholde youre humilite, that ye ben sory and repentaunt of youre giltes, it constreigneth me to do yow grace and mercy. Wherfore I receyve yow to my grace, and forgeve yow outerly alle the offenses, injuries, and wronges, that ye have don to me and agayns me and myne, to this effect and to this ende, that God of his endeles mercy wole at the tyme of oure deyinge forgive us oure giltes, that we have trespased to him in this wrecchid world; for douteles and we ben sory and repentaunt of the synnes and giltes whiche we have trespassed inne in the sight of oure lord God, he is so free and so merciable, that he wil forgive us oure gultes, and bringe us to the blisse that never hath ende.' Amen.

THE PROLOGE OF THE MONKES TALE.

WHA

HAN ended was my tale of Melibe
And of Prudence and hire benignite,
Oure Hoste sayde, ‘As I am faithful man,
And by the precious corpus Madryan!1

1 In Urry's Glossary this is interpreted, By the body of Saint Maternus of Treves.'

I hadde lever than a barel ale

That gode leef my wyf had herd this tale.
For sche is no thing of such pacience
As was this Melibeus wyf dame Prudence.
By Goddes boones! whan I bete my knaves,
Sche bringeth me forth the grete clobbet staves,
And crieth, 'slee the dogges everychon!

And breke of hem bothe bak and bon!'
And if that eny neghebour of myne
Wol nought to my wyf in chirche enclyne,
Or be so hardy to hir to trespace,

Whan sche comth hom, sche rampeth in my face,
And crieth, 'false coward, wreke thy wyf!
By corpes bones! I wil have thy knyf,

And thou schalt have my distaf and go spynne.'
Fro day to night right thus sche wil bygynne;
'Allas!' sche saith, that ever I was i-schape,
To wedde a mylk-sop or a coward ape,
That wil be over-lad with every wight!
Thou darst nought stonde by thy wyves right.'
This is my lif, but if that I wil fight;
And out atte dore anoon I most me dight,
And ellis I am lost, but if that I
Be, lik a wilde leoun, fool-hardy.
I wot wel sche wol do me sle som day
Som neighebor, and thanne renne away.
For I am perilous with knyf in honde,
Al be it that I dar not hir withstonde.
For sche is big in armes, by my faith!
That schal he fynde that hire mysdoth or saith.
But let us passe away fro this matiere.

My lord the monk,' quod he, 'be mery of chere,
For ye schul telle a tale trewely.

Lo, Rowchestre1 stant heer faste by.

1 The pilgrims are represented in The Chanounes Yemanne's Prologe as having before this arrived at Boughton-under-Blee, five miles on the London side of Canterbury; [the tale must therefore be regarded as mis placed. See Scheme, vol. ii. pp. 351–354.]

Ryde forth, myn oughne lord, brek nought oure
But, by my trouthe, I can not youre name; [game!
Whether schal I calle yow my lord dan1 Johan,
Or daun Thomas, or elles dan Albon?

Of what hous be ye, by your fader kyn?
I vow to God thou hast a ful fair skyn!
It is a gentil pasture ther thou gost;
Thow art not like penaunt or a goost.
Upon my faith, thou art an officer,
Som worthy sexteyn, or some celerer;'
For, by my fader soule, as to my doome,
Thou art a maister whan thou art at hocm,
No pover cloysterer, ne non novys,
But a governour bothe wily and wys;
And therwithal of brawne and of bones
A wel faryng persone for the noones.

I

praye God give him confusioun,

That first the broughte to religioun !*

Thow woldist han be a trede-foul aright;
Haddist thou as gret a leve as thou hast might

1 Dan, daun, don, or dom, is a contraction for Dominus, or, as it was often written, Domnus, and is the peculiar title of a Benedictine. 2 The Sacristan, contracted Sexton, was the officer who had charge of the Sacristy, where the plate, consisting of chalices, patens, pixes, paxes, processional crosses, candlesticks, reliquaries, candles, incense, vestments, books, and other things of value used in the performance of divine service, were kept, and was therefore a person of considerable trust. The cellarer was also an officer of prodigious importance, for his duties are thus described by Du Cange, Cui potus et escæ cura est, qui cellæ vinariæ et escariæ præest, promus.' Thus, in the Lytell Geste of Robyn Hode:

With that cam in a fat heded monke,
The heygh selerer.'

3 The Harl. MS. reads officer, which is probably a mistake arising from this word having occurred shortly before in the same sense. Maister is from Tyrwhitt.

4 Religion, religatio, meaning a bond or rule, was appropriated in the middle ages to the state of monachism, or the living by a rule; and a religious person meant a person living in this state, whether he or she were religious or not, in the modern sense of the word.

5 Thou hast are added from the Lansd. MS., and seem necessary to the sense and metre.-W.