APPENDIX.
GEOFFREY CHAUCER.
THE PRIORESS.
[From the general prologue to the Canterbury Tales.]
There was also a nonne, a prioresse,
That of hire smiling was ful simple and coy;
Hire gretest othe n'as but by Seint Eloy;
And she was clepëd[[23]] madame Eglentine.
Ful wel she sange the servicë devine,
Entunëd in hire nose ful swetëly;
And Frenche she spake ful fayre and fetisly[[24]]
After the scole of Stratford-attë-Bowe,[[25]]
For Frenche of Paris was to hire unknowe.
At mete was she wel ytaught withalle;
She lette no morsel from hire lippë falle,
Ne wette hire fingres in hire saucë depe.
Wel coude she carie a morsel, and wel kepe,
Thatte no drope ne fell upon hire brest.
In curtesie was sette ful moche hire lest.[[26]]
Hire over lippë wipëd she so clene
That in hire cuppe was no ferthing[[27]] sene
Of gresë, whan she dronken hadde hire draught.
Ful semëly after hire mete she raught.[[28]]
And sikerly[[29]] she was of grete disport
And ful plesánt and amiable of port,
And peinëd hire to contrefeten chere
Of court,[[30]] and ben estatelich of manére
And to ben holden digne[[31]] of reverence.
But for to speken of hire conscience,
She was so charitable and so pitoús,
She woldë wepe if that she saw a mous
Caughte in a trappe, if it were ded or bledde.
Of smalë houndës hadde she, that she fedde
With rested flesh and milk and wastel brede.[[32]]
But sore wept she if on of hem were dede,
Or if men smote it with a yerdë[[33]] smert:[[34]]
And all was conscience and tendre herte.
[23] Called.
[24] Neatly.
[25] Stratford on the Bow (river): a small village where such French as was spoken would be provincial.
[26] Delight.
[27] Farthing, bit.
[28] Reached.
[29] Surely.
[30] Took pains to imitate court manners.
[31] Worthy.
[32] Fine bread.
[33] Stick.
[34] Smartly.