The Corpus ms (Corpus Christi coll., Oxford) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[6-text p 191]

¶ Here bygynneth þe tale of Chaucer of sire Thopas [[No gaps between the stanzas in the MS.]] [Ca^m xix^m]

[Fytte I.]

LEsteneþ lordes in good entent And I wol telle verrament Of miracle and solace Line 1904 Al of a knight was fayr and gent In bataille and in tornament His name was sire Thopace Line 1907

I-born he was in ferre cuntre In fflaundres al beȝonde þe se At poperyng in þe place Line 1910 his fader was a man ful fre And lord he was of þat contre As it was goddes grace Line 1913

Sire Thopas was a doughty swayn Whyt was his face as Payndemayn his lyppes reed as Rose Line 1916 his robe is like Scarlet en grayn And I ȝou telle in good certayn he hadde a semely nose Line 1919

his berd his heer was lik saffroun That to his gurdel straught a-doun [folio 215b] his schoon of Cordewayne / Line 1922 Of Bruges were his hosen broun his robe was of Ciclatoun That coste many a Iayne Line 1925

[6-text p 192] Line 1925

he couþe hunte at wylde deer And Ryde an haukynge by þe ryuer Wiþ gray goshauk on honde Line 1928 Ther to he was a good archer Of wrastlyng was þer non his peer Ther any man schulde stonde Line 1931

fful many a mayde bright in bour They mourne for him paramour When þey were bet to slepe Line 1934 But he was chaste and no lecchour And swete as is þe bremble flour þat bereþ þe rede hepe Line 1937

¶ And so byfell vpon a day ffor soþe as I ȝou telle may Sire Thopas wolde out ryde Line 1940 he worþe vpon his steede gray And in his hande a launcegay A long swerd by his syde Line 1943

he prikeþ þurgh a fair forest Ther Inne is many a wilde beest Ȝe boþe bucke and hare Line 1946 And as he prikeþ north and Est I telle ȝou him hadde almest Betydde a sory care Line 1949

Ther springen herbes grete and smale The lycoris and þe Setuale And many a clowe Gylofre Line 1952 And notemuges to put in ale Wheþer it be moyst or stale Or for to leye in Coffre Line 1955

[6-text p 193] Line 1955

The briddes syngen it is nouȝt nay The sperhauk and þe popyngay [folio 216a] That Ioye it was to heere / Line 1958 The þrostilkok made eek his lay The woode dowfe vpon þe spray Sche sang ful loude and cleere Line 1961

Sire Thopas fell in loue longyng And whan he herde þe þrustel syng And priked as he were wood Line 1964 his faire steede in his prikynge So swette þat men might him wrynge his sydes were al blood Line 1967

Syre Thopas eek so wery was ffor prykyng on þe softe gras So fers was his corage Line 1970 That doun he leyde him in þat place To maken his steede som solace ffor he was so sauage Line 1973

O seynt mary benedicite What eyleþ þis loue at me To bynde me so sore Line 1976 Me dremed al þis night parde An elf queen schal my lemman be And slepe vnder my gore Line 1979

An Elf queene wol I loue ywys ffor in þis worlde no man is Worþy to be my make in toune Line 1982 All oþre wommen I forsake And to an elf queen I me bytake By dale and eek by downe Line 1986

[6-text p 194] Line 1986

In to his sadel he cam anon And prikeþ ouer stile and ston And elf queene for to aspie Line 1989 Til he so longe haþ ryden and gon That he fond in a priue woon The cuntre of fayrye Line 1992 ¶ So wylde ffor in þat cuntre nas þer non [folio 216b] . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Neyþer wijf ne childe / Line 1996

Til him þer cam a Ioly geaunt his name was cleped sire Olyphaunt A perilous man of dede Line 1999 he seyde child by Termagaunt But if þou prike out of myn haunt Anon I slee þin steede Line 2002 ¶ Wiþ mace here is þe queene of fayerye Wiþ harpe and pype and Synphonye dwellynge in þis place / Line 2006

The childe seyde so mote I þe To morne wol I meeten þe When I haue myn armure Line 2009 And ȝit I hope par ma fay That þou schalt wiþ þis launcelay Abeyen it ful sore Line 2012 ¶ þurgh þine mawe / Schal I perce if I may Or it be fully pryme day ffor heere þou schalt be slawe / Line 2016

[6-text p 195] Line 2016

Sire Thopas drow a bak ful faste þis geaunt at him stones caste / Out of a felle staf slynge Line 2019 But faire askapeþ child Thopas And al it was þurgh goddes gras And þurgh his faire berynge Line 2022

Ȝit lesteneþ lordes to my tale/ Murier þen þe nightyngale ffor now I wole ȝou roune / Line 2025 how sire Thopas with sydes smale / Prykyng ouer downe and dale / Is come aȝain to toune Line 2028

his mery men comaunded he / To maken him boþe game and glee ffor needes moste he fight Line 2031 Wiþ o geaunt with hedes þre ffor paramour and Iolyte [go back to leaf 210] Of on þat schon ful bright Line 2034

Do come he seyde myne menstrales And gestours for to telle vs tales / Anon in myn armyng Line 2037 Of Romances þat ben realles / Of popes and of Cardynalles / And eek of loue lykyng Line 2040

They fette him ferst þe [[wrongly dotted under]] swete wyn . . . . . [

[In margin of MS, in a later hand,

And mede eek in a mas . . .& ryal spicerye.Of gyngebreed þat was f . .]

] . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] And lycoryus and eek comyn Wiþ sucre þat is trye Line 2046

[6-text p 196] Line 2046

He dede next his white leere Of cloþ of lake fyn and clere A breche and eek a scherte Line 2049 And next his scherte an aketoun And ouer þat an habergoun ffor persyng of his herte Line 2052

And ouer þat a fyn hauberk/ Was al y-wrought of Iewes werk fful strong it was of plate Line 2055 And ouer þat his cote armure / As whyt as is a lyly flour In which he wole debate Line 2058

his schelde was al of gold so red And þer Inne was a boores heed A charbokil him [[bi his syde in a later hand]] besyde Line 2061 And þer he swore on ale and breed That þe geaunt schulde be deed betyde what betyde Line 2064

his Iambes were of quyrboyly his swerdes scheþe of yuory his helme of latoun bright Line 2067 his sadel was of ruel bon his bridel as þe sonne schon Or as þe mone so light Line 2070

his spere was of fyn Cypres That bedeþ werre and no þing pees [back of leaf 210] The heed ful scharpe y-grounde Line 2073 his steede was al dappel gray It goþ an ambel by þe way fful softely and rounde Line 2076

[6-text p 197] Line 2076 In londe Lo lordes myne heere [[ys, put in by a later hand]] a fytte If ȝe wole eny more of hitte To telle it wol I fonde Line 2080

[Fytte II.]

Now halde ȝoure mouþe par charite Boþe knight and lady fre And herkneþ to my spelle Line 2083 Of bataile and of chiualry And of ladyes loue drery Anon I wol ȝou telle Line 2086

Men speke of Romance of prys Of horn child and of ypotys Of Beuys and sire Gy Line 2089 Of sire libeus and pleyndamour But sire Thopas he bereþ þe flour Of real chiualry Line 2092

his goode steed al he bestrod And forþ upon his way he glod As sparcles out of þe bronde Line 2095 vpon his crest he bar a tour And þer Inne styked a lily flour God schilde his corps fro schonde Line 2098

And for he was a knight aunterous he nolde slepen in non hous But liggen in his hood Line 2101 his brighte helme was his wanger And by him bayteþ his destrer Of herbes fyne and goode Line 2104

[6-text p 198] Line 2104 . . . . . [

[In a later hand, in the margin, is

him self drank water of þe welleas dede þe knyȝt sire Peroyuelleso worþili vnder wede

]

] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 2108