A Marchaunt was ther with a forked berd,beard
In motteleye, and highe on hors he sat,motley, horse
Uppon his heed a Flaundrisch bevere hat.Flemish beaver
A merchant was there with a forkéd beard,
In motley dress’d—high on his horse he sat,
And on his head a Flemish beaver hat.
The Clerk.
A Clerk[63] ther was of Oxenford also,Oxford
That unto logik hadde longe ygo.logic, gone
As lene was his hors as is a rake,lean, horse
And he was not right fat, I undertake;
But lokede holwe, and therto soburly.looked hollow
Ful thredbare was his overest courtepy.uppermost short cloak
For he hadde geten him yit no benefice,got
Ne was so worldly for to have office,
For him was lever have at his beddes heedehe would
Twenty bookes, clothed in blak or reede,
Of Aristotil, and his philosophie,
Than robus riche, or fithul, or sawtrie.robes
A clerk of Oxford was amid the throng,
Who had applied his heart to learning long.
His horse, it was as skinny as a rake,
And he was not too fat, I’ll undertake!
But had a sober, rather hollow look;
And very threadbare was his outer cloak.
For he as yet no benefice had got:
Worldly enough for office he was not!
For liefer would he have at his bed’s head
A score of books, all bound in black or red,
Of Aristotle, and his philosophy,
Than rich attire, fiddle, or psaltery.
Yet although the poor scholar was so wise and diligent, he had hardly any money, but all he could get from his friends he spent on books and on learning; and often he prayed for those who gave him the means to study. He spoke little—never more than he was obliged—but what he did speak was always sensible and wise.
Sownynge in moral vertu was his speche,tending to
And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche.would, learn
Full of true worth and goodness was his speech,
And gladly would he learn, and gladly teach.