As for the young squire’s manners—
Curteys he was, lowly, and servysable,
And carf[40] byforn his fadur at the table.carved
Courteous he was, lowly, and serviceable,
And carved before his father at the table.
The Yeoman.
A Yeman had he, and servantes nomoono more
At that tyme, for him luste ryde soo;it pleased him
And he was clad in coote and hood of grene.
A shef of pocok arwes[41] bright and kene,arrows
Under his belte he bar ful thriftily,bore
Wel cowde he dresse his takel yomanly;arrow
His arwes drowpud nought with fetheres lowe,[42]arrows
And in his hond he bar a mighty bowe.bore
A not-heed hadde he, with a broun visage.v. notes, p. 111.
Of woode-craft cowde he wel al the usage;knew
Upon his arme he bar a gay bracer,[43]bore
And by his side a swerd, and a bokeler,[44]buckler
And on that other side a gay daggere,
Harneysed wel, and scharp at poynt of spere;dressed well
A Cristofre on his brest of silver schene.ornament representing St. Christopher
An horn he bar, the bawdrik[45] was of grene:
A forster was he sothely, as I gesse.forester, truly
A yeoman had he (but no suite beside:
Without attendants thus he chose to ride,)
And he was clad in coat and hood of green.
A sheaf of peacock-arrows bright and keen,
Under his belt he carried thriftily;
Well could he dress an arrow yeomanly!
None of his arrows drooped with feathers low
And in his hand he held a mighty bow.
A knot-head had he, and a sunburnt hue,
In woodcraft all the usages he knew;
Upon his arm a bracer gay he wore,
And by his side buckler and sword he bore,
While opposite a dagger dangled free;
Polished and smart, no spear could sharpe be.
A silver ‘Christopher’ on his breast was seen,
A horn he carried by a baldrick green:
He was a thorough forester, I guess.
The Prioress.
Ther was also a Nonne, a Prioresse,
That of hire smylyng was ful symple and coy;her
Hire grettest ooth[46] ne was but by seynt Loy,oath
And sche was cleped madame Eglentyne.called
Ful wel sche sang the servíse devyne,
Entuned in hire nose[47] ful semyly,seemly
And Frensch sche spak ful faire and fetysly,elegantly
Aftur the scole of Stratford atte Bowe,school
For Frensch of Parys was to hire unknowe.her unknown
At mete wel i-taught was sche withalle;meat, taught
Sche leet no morsel from hire lippes falle,let
Ne wette hire fyngres in hire sauce deepe.[48]wetted
Wel cowde sche carie a morsel, and wel keepe,carry
That no drope ne fil uppon hire breste.fell
In curtesie was sett al hire leste.courtesy, pleasure
Hire overlippe wypude sche so clene,[49]
That in hire cuppe ther was no ferthing senescrap
Of grees, whan sche dronken hadde hire draught.had drunk
Ful semely aftur hire mete sche raught.seemly
And sikurly sche was of gret disport,assuredly
And ful plesant, and amyable of port,
And peyned hire to counterfete cheereways
Of court, and ben estatlich of manere,stately, manner
And to ben holden digne of reverence.worthy
But for to speken of hire conscience,speak
Sche was so charitable and so pitous[50]
Sche wolde weepe if that sche sawe a mous
Caught in a trappe, if it were deed or bledde.
Of smale houndes hadde sche, that sche feddesmall hounds
With rostud fleissh, and mylk, and wastel breed.[51]
But sore wepte sche if oon of hem were deed,them
Or if men smot it with a yerde smerte:rod
And al was conscience and tendre herte.
Ful semely hire wymple[52] i-pynched was:
Hire nose tretys: hire eyen grey as glas:well-proportioned, eyes, glass
Hire mouth ful smal, and therto softe and reed;
But sikurly sche hadde a faire forheed.surely
It was almost a spanne brood, I trowe:broad, think
For hardily sche was not undurgrowe.certainly, undergrown
Ful fetys was hire cloke, as I was waar.neat
Of smal coral aboute hire arme sche baarsmall
A peire of bedes[53] gaudid al with grene;set of beads
And theron heng a broch of gold ful schene,jewel, bright
On which was first i-writen a crowned A,written
And after that, Amor vincit omnia.[54]
There also was a Nun, a Prioress,
Who of her smiling was most simple and coy;
Her greatest oath was only ‘by St. Loy,’
And she was calléd Madame Eglantine.
Full well she sang the services divine,
Entunéd through her nose melodiously,
And French she spoke fairly and fluently,
After the school of Stratford atte Bow,
For French of Paris—that she did not know.
At meal-times she was very apt withal;
No morsel from her lips did she let fall,
Nor in her sauce did wet her fingers deep;
Well could she lift a titbit, and well keep,
That not a drop should fall upon her breast;
To cultivate refinement was her taste.
Her upper lip she ever wiped so clean
That in her drinking-cup no scrap was seen
Of grease, when she had drank as she thought good.
And gracefully she reach’d forth for her food.
And she was very playful, certainly,
And pleasant, and most amiable to see.
And mighty pains she took to counterfeit
Court manners, and be stately and discreet,
And to be held as worthy reverence.
But then to tell you of her conscience!
She was so charitable and piteous
That she would weep did she but see a mouse
Caught in a trap, if it were dead or bled;
And little dogs she had, which oft she fed
With roasted meat, and milk, and finest bread;
But sore she wept if one of them were dead,
Or, haply, with a rod were smitten smart.
And all was conscience and tender heart!
Most daintily her wimple plaited was:
Her nose was straight; her eyes were grey as glass;
Her mouth was little, and so soft and red!
Besides, she had a very fine forehead,
That measured nigh a span across, I trow!
For certainly her stature was not low.
And very dainty was the cloak she wore;
Around her arm a rosary she bore,
Of coral small, with little gauds of green,
And thereon hung a golden locket sheen,
On which was graven first a crownéd A,
And after, Amor vincit omnia.
The Prioress was attended by another nun, who acted as her chaplain, and three priests.