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His comb was redder than the fyn coral,
And bataylld1as it were a castel wal.

His bile' was blak, and as the geet 3 it schon;
Like asure were his legges and his ton;5
His nayles whitter than the lilye flour,"
And lik the burnischt gold was his colour.

11

This gentil cok hadde in his governaunce
Sevene hennes for to don al his pleasaunce,
Whiche were his sustres and his paramoures,
And wonder like to him as of coloures,
Of whiche the faireste hewed on hire throte
Was cleped fayre damoysele Pertelote.
Curteys sche was, discret, and debonaire,1
And compainable, 12 and bar hire self ful faire
Syn thilke day that sche was seven night old
That trewely sche hath the herte in hold
Of Chauntecleer loken in every lith;13
He lovede hire so that wel him was therwith.
But such a joye was it to here hem synge,
Whan that the brightë sonnë gan to springe
In swete accord, "my lief is faren on londe. "14
For thilke tyme, as I have understonde,
Bestes and briddes cowde speke and synge.
And so byfel that in a dawenynge,
As Chauntecleer among his wyvës alle
Sat on his perche, that was in the halle,
And next him sat this faire Pertelote,
This Chauntecleer gan gronen in his throte
As man that in his dreem is dreeched 15 sore.
And whan that Pertelote thus herde him rore,
Sche was agast, 16 and sayde, "O herte deere,
What eyleth" you to grone in this manere?
Ye ben a verray sleper, fy, for schame!"
And he answerde and sayde thus, "Madame,
I praye you that ye take it nought agrief.
Me mette18 how that I romede up and doun

1 Indented, as a castle wall seems to be with its turrets. 2 Bill.

3 Jet.

4 Azure

6 Toes. 6 Flower. 7 Wonderfully. 8 Colored. 9 Called. 10 Courteous. cious. 12 Sociable. 13 Locked in every limb, bound to her in every muscle. beloved is gone away-from some popular song. 15 Troubled. 16 Afraid.

18 I dreamed.

11 Gra14 My

17 Ails.

on.

1 Where.

Withinne oure yerde, wher as1 I saugh a beest,
Was lik an hound, and wolde han maad areest2
Upon my body and wolde han had me deed.
His colour was bitwixë yelwe and reed;
And tipped was his tail and bothe his eeres
With blak, unlik the remenaunt of his heres;
His snowtë smal, with glowyng eyen tweye.3
Yet of his look for feere almost I deye;
This causede me my gronyng douteles."

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Avoy!" quod sche, "fy on yow herteles!
Allas!" quod sche, "for, by that God above,
Now han ye lost myn herte and al my love;
I can nought love a coward, by my feith.
For, certes, what so eny womman seith,
We alle desiren, if it mightë be,
To han housbondes hardy, wise, and fre,
And secré, and no nygard, ne no fool,
Ne him that is agast of every tool,'

Ne noon avauntour,8 by that God above.
How dorste ye sayn for schame unto youre love

That any thing mighte makë yow aferd?

Han ye no mannës herte, and han a berd?"

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Whan that the moneth in which the world bigan
That highte9 March, whan God first made man,
Was complet, and y-passed were also,
Syn March bygan, thritty days and tuo,
Byfel that Chauntecleer in al his pride,
His seven wyvës walkyng him by syde,
Caste up his eyghen to the brightë sonne
That in the signe of Taurus hadde i-ronne
Twenty degrees and oon, and somewhat more;
He knew by kynde, 10 and by noon other lore,
That it was prime, 11 and crew with blisful stevene. 12
"The sonne," he sayde, "is clomben up on hevene
Fourty degrees and oon, and more i-wis. 18

Madame Pertelote, my worldes blis

Herkneth these blisful briddes how they synge,

And seth the fressche flourës how they springe;

2 Attack. 3 Two eyes.

8 Boaster. • Is called. 10 Nature.

4 Fie! said. 5 Certainly. Secret. 7 Weap11 Nine o'clock. 12 Voice. 13 Truly.

1 Mishap.

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This Chauntecleer, whan he gan him espye,
He wolde han fled, but that the fox anon
Saide, Gentil sire, allas! wher wol ye goon?
Be ye affrayd of me that am youre freend?
Now, certes, I were worse than a feend,
If I to yow wolde1o harm or viley nye.
I am nought come youre counsail for tespye.
But trewely the cause of my comynge
Was oonly for to herkne how that ye singe.
My lord, youre fader, (God his soule blesse)
And eek youre moder of hire gentilesse
Han in myn hous i-been to my gret ese;
And, certes, sire, ful fayn wolde I yow plese.
But for men speke of syngyng, I wol saye,
So mot I broukell wel myn eyen twaye,
Save you, I herde nevere man so synge
As dede youre fader in the morwenynge.
Certes it was of herte al that he song.

And for to make his vois the more strong,
He wolde so peyne him12 that with bothe his eyen
He moste wynke, so lowde he wolde crien,

2 Knows.

3 Crafty. 4 Dwelt. 5 Preordained. Time of the mid-day meal. 10 Wished, would do. 12 Take such pains.

8 Herbs.

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And stonden on his typtoon1 therwithal
And strecchë forth his nekkë, long and smal.”

This Chauntecleer stood heighe upon his toos,
Strecching his nekke, and held his eyghen cloos,
And gan to crowe lowde for the noones;
And daun Russel, the fox, sterte up at oones,
And by the garget? hentë Chauntecleer,
And on his bak toward the woode him beer.

Certes, such cry ne lamentacioun

Was nevere of ladies maad whan Ilioun

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Was wonne, and Pirrus with his streite3 swerd,
Whan he hadde hent kyng Priam by the berd
And slayn him (as saith us Eneydos),

As maden alle the hennës in the clos,

Whan they hadde seyn of Chauntecleer the sighte.
But soveraignly dame Pertelote schrighte1

Ful lowder than dide Hasdrubales wyf,
Whan that hire housbonde hadde lost his lyf.

Lo, how fortune torneth sodeinly

The hope and pride eek of hire enemy!
This cok that lay upon the foxes bak
In all his drede, unto the fox he spak,
And saide, "Sire, if that I were as ye,
Yet schulde I sayn (as wis5 God helpë me),
"Turneth agein, ye proude cherlës alle,
A verray pestilens upon yow falle!
Now am I come unto this woodes syde,
Maugre youre heed, the cok schal heer abyde;
I wol him ete, in faith, and that anoon.""

The fox answerede, "In faith, it schal be doon."
And as he spak that word, al sodeinly
This cok brak from his mouth delyverly,"
And heigh upon a tree he fleigh anoon.
And whan the fox seigh that he was i-goon,
"Allas!" quod he, “O Chauntecleer, allas!
I have to yow," quod he, "y-don trespas,
In-as-moche as I makede yow aferd,

Whan I yow hente, and broughte out of the yerd;

1 Tip-toes. 2 Throat. Drawn. Shrieked. As truly. In spite of.

7 Quickly.

But, sire, I dede it in no wikke entente.

Com doun, and I schal telle yow what I mente.

I schal seye soth to yow, God help me so."

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Nay than," quod he, "I schrewe' us bothë tuo
And first I schrewe myself, bothe blood and boones,

If thou bigile me any ofter than oones.

Thou schalt no morë, thurgh thy flaterye,

Do2 me to synge, and wynke with myn eye.

For he that wynketh whan he scholde see,

Al wilfully, God let him never the!"

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"Nay," quod the fox, but God give him meschaunce1 That is so undiscret of governaunce,

That jangleth whan he scholde holde his pees."

Lo, such it is for to be reccheles

And necgligent and truste on flaterie.

But

ye that holden this tale a folye,

As of a fox or of a cok and hen,
Taketh the moralité therof, goode men.
For seint Poul saith that al that writen is
To oure doctrine it is i-write i-wys.
Taketh the fruyt, and let the chaf be stille.

Now goode God, if that it be thy wille

As saith my lord, so make us alle good men,

And bringe us to his heighë blisse. Amen.

FURTHER READING.-The remainder of the Prologue, The Knightes Tale, The Tale of the Man of Lawe, The Squieres Tale, The Seconde Nonnes Tale, and The Clerkes Tale, in the Clarendon Press Series, and The Parlament of Foules, edited by Prof. Lounsbury. Keep the pupils with Chaucer till they in some degree appreciate the ease, freshness, simplicity, sweetness, tenderness, good sense, good humor, and wholesomeness of his writings. For questions, see Lesson 1.

SCHEME FOR REVIEW.

People at and after the Conquest 36 | English Lyrics........

Scotland, France, and Gun

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History-Chroniclers

Mandeville and Wyclif..
The King's English....

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48

49

51

His three Periods... 52 Chaucer. His Character..... 55 His Canterbury Tales 56 Criticism of him and Extracts from..

1 Curse. 2 Cause. 3 Prosper. 4 Misfortune.

5 Careless. • Instruction.

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