Of study took he most care and heed,
Not a word spake he more than was need,
And that was said in form and reverence,
And short, and quick, and full of high sentence,
Souning1 in moral virtue was his speech,
And gladly would he learn, and gladly teach.
A good wife was there of beside Bath,
But she was some deal deaf, and that was scathe,
Of cloth-making she had such a haunt,2
She passed them of Ypres and of Gaunt ;3
Of all the parish wife ne' was there none
That to the offering before her should gon,*
And if they did, certain so wrath was she,
That she was out of all charity.
Her couvrechiefs were full fine of ground
I durstè swear they weighed a pound,
That on the Sunday were upon her head,
Her hosen weren of fine scarlet red,
Full straight ytied, and shoon full moist and new,"
Bold was her face, and fresh and red of hue;
3 Ghent. Ypres and Ghent were the great Flemish manufacturing cities.
No woman in the parish ventured to make her offering at Mass before her.
Head covers, kerchiefs.
7 Stockings.
Of fresh shining leather.
She was a worthy woman all her life!
Husbands at the church door1 she had had five!
And thrice she had been at Jerusaleme.
She hadde passed many a strange stream;
At Rome she had been and at Bologne,
In Galice at St. James',2 and at Cologne,3
But on an ambler easily she sat,
Ywimpled' well, and on her head a hat
As broad as is a buckler or a targe,
A foot mantle about her hippès large,
And on her feet a pair of spurrès sharp;
In fellowship well could she laugh and carp."
A good man there was of religion,
That was a poor parson of a town,
But rich he was of holy thought and work;
He was also a learned man, a clerk,
That Christè's Gospel would truly preach
His parishens, devoutly would he teach.
Benign he was and wondrous diligent,
And in adversity full patient,
1 Weddings were held at the church door.
At the famous shrine of St. James at Galicia, in Spain.
Where the remains of the wise men of the east were said to be.
♦ Wrapped up.
Find fault in a gossiping way.
And rather would he given out of doubt
Unto his poorè parishens about
Off his offering and eke of his substance.
He could in little thing have sufferance;
Wide was his parish, and houses far asunder,
But he left not for no rain nor thunder;
In sickness and in mischief to visite
The farrest in his parish much, and light
Upon his feet, and in his hand a staff-
This noble ensample to his sheep he yaf,1
That first he wrought, and afterwards he taught,
Out of the Gospel he the words caught.
He wented after ne pomp, ne reverence,
He makèd him no spicèd conscience
But Christe's love, and His Apostles twelve
He taught; but first he followed it himself.
With him there was a Ploughman, was his brother,
That had ylaid of dung full many a fother;
A true twinker2 and a good was he.
Living in peace and perfect charity;
God loved he best with all his heart
At all times, were it gain or smart ;3
And then his neighbour, right as himself,
He would thresh, and thereto dyke1 or delve
For Christe's sak for every poor wight
Withouten hire, if it lay in his might;
His tithes paid he full fair and well,
Both of his proper swynk1 and his cattell;3
In a tabard3 he rode upon a mare ;
There also was a Reve1 and Millare.
These are the most remarkable of Chaucer's group of nine and twenty. We should observe that he makes the Knight, Squire, Merchant and Ploughman, thoroughly worthy and noble in every respect. The Monk represents the fallen days of his order, the Frioress is a dainty affected fine lady; the Wife of Bath a coarse, shrewish woman, rich and selfish, who has been on many pilgrimages out of a gadding humour as well as superstition; but the Parish Priest or Parson is a beautiful character, and is supposed to show forth Wickliffe's influence upon the clergy.
DEPOSITION OF RICHARD II.
The Duke of ork (only surviving son of Edward III, and uncle both to Richard and Henry) leads in King Richard, and officers bearing the crown, &c
Alack! why am I sent for to a king,
Before I have shook off the regal thoughts
Wherewith I reign'd? I hardly yet have learn'd
To insinuate, flatter, bow, and bend my knee :-
Give sorrow leave awhile to tutor me
To this submission. Yet I well remember
The favours of these men were they not mine?
Did they not sometime cry, "all hail!" to me?—
To do what service am I sent for hither?
To do that office, of thine own good will,
Which tired majesty did make thee offer-
The resignation of thy state and crown
To Henry Bolingbroke.
Give me the crown :-Here, cousin, seize the crown;
Here on this side, my hand; and on that, thine.
Now is this golden crown like a deep well,
That owns two buckets filling one another;
The emptier ever dancing in the air,
The other down, unseen, and full of water:
That bucket down, and full of tears, am I,
Drinking my griefs, whilst you mount up on high.
I thought you had been willing to resign.
My crown I am; but still my griefs are mine :
You may my glories and my state depose,
But not my griefs; still am I king of those.
1 Henry of Bolingbroke, now about to reign as Henry IV.
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