The Lansdowne ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[6-text p 191]

Incipit fabula. [[No breaks in the MS between the stanzas.]]

[Fitte I.]

LEsteneþe lordes in goo[d] entent And .I. wil tel verraiment Of Miracle and of solace. Line 1904 Al of a knyht was faire and gent [folio 189b] In Bataile and in turnament His name was. sir Thopas Line 1907

.I.-borne he was in fer contre In flaundre al beȝonde þe see Att Poperinge in þe place. Line 1910 His fader was a man ful fre And lord he was of þat cuntre As it was goddes grace Line 1913

Sir Thopas was douhty swayne White was his face as a peyndemayne His lippes reede as roose Line 1916 His rode is like scarlet in greyne And .I. ȝowe tell in goode certeyne He hadde a semely nose. Line 1919

His here his berde was lyke safroun Þat to his gerdel rauht a doune His schone of cordeweyne Line 1922 Of brugges was his hosen broune His roob was of Ciclatoune Þat cost mony a Iayne Line 1925

[6-text p 192] Line 1925

He couþe hunt att wilde dere And ride on haukeinge for þe reuer Wiþ grey goshauke on honde Line 1928 Therto he was a good archere To werstelynge was þer none his pere Þere any man scholde stonde Line 1931

fful mony a maide briht in boure Þei morne for his paramoure whane þei were bette to slepe Line 1934 Bot he was chast and no lichoure As swete as is þe brembel floure Þat bereþe þe rede hipe Line 1937

And so befel vpon a daie ffor soþe as .I. ȝowe telle maie Sir Thopas wolde oute ride Line 1940 He worþe hup on his stede grey And his honde a laucegaie A longe swerde be his side Line 1943

He prikeþ þoruhe a faire fore[st] Ther inn is mony a wilde best Ȝe boþe bukke and hare. Line 1946 And as he prikeþ Norþe and est [folio 190a] I telle ȝowe him hadde almest Betidde a sori care. Line 1949

Ther springen erbes grete and smale The lycoris and þe Setuale And mony clowe gilofre Line 1952 And Notmuges to putte in ale Wheþer it be moiste or stale Ore for to ley in Cofre Line 1955

[6-text p 193] Line 1955

The Birdes singen it is nouht naye The sparhauke and þe popeniaye þat ioye it was to here Line 1958 þe þrostelkoke maade eke his laye þe wode dowfe vppon þe spraye Sche songe ful loude and clere Line 1961

Sire Thopas fell in louelongeinge An[d] whanne he herde þe þrostell singe And priked as he ware woode Line 1964 His faire stede in his prikeinge So swette þat men myht him wringe His sides were al blode Line 1967

Sire Thopas eke so wery was ffor prekinge on þe soft gras So fers was his corage Line 1970 þat doune he laide him in þat place To maken his stede sum solace ffor he was so sauage Line 1973

A seynte Mary benedicite What eyleþ þis loue att me To bynde me so sore Line 1976 Me dremed al þis nyht parde Ane Elfe qvene schal my lemman be And slepe vnder my gore Line 1979

Ane Elfe queene wil .I. loue .y-wisse ffor in þis world no womman is Worþi to be my maake Line 1982 in toune Al oþer wemmen .I. forsake And to an Elfe queen .y. me betake Be dale and eke be doune Line 1986

[6-text p 194] Line 1986

In-to his sadel he cam anone And prikeþ ouere stile and stone Ane Elfe qwene for to aspye. Line 1989 Tyll he so longe haþe ryden and gone [folio 190b] That he fonde in a priue wone The Cuntre of faire. Line 1992 So wilde ffor in þat Contre was þere none . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Neyþer wife ne childe Line 1996

Til him þer came a Ioly geante His name was cleped sir Olyfaunte A parlous man of dede Line 1999 He saide childe be termagaunt Bot if þou wilte prike oute of myne haunte Anone .I. slee þi steede Line 2002 wiþ mace Here is þe queen of faire Wiþ harpe and pipe and simphene Dwellinge in þis place. Line 2006

The childe so most .I. þe To morne wil .I. mete þe When .I. haue myne armor Line 2009 And ȝit .I. hope par ma feie That þat þou schalt wiþ þis launce leie Abine it ful sore. Line 2012 Thoruhe þin mawe Schal .I. perce .If .I. maie Or it be fulle prime of daie ffor here þou schall be slawe Line 2016

[6-text p 195] Line 2016

Sir Thopas drowhe a bak ful fast This Geant att him stones cast Owte of a fell staf slynge Line 2019 Bot a faire ascapeþ childe Thopas And all it was þoruhe goddes gras And þoruhe his faire beringe Line 2022

Ȝit listeneþ lordes to my tale Meryer þan þe nyhteyngegale ffor nowe .I. wil ȝow rowne Line 2025 Howe sir Thopas wiþ sides smale Prekeinge ouer doune and dale Is come aȝeine to toune Line 2028

His mery men comanded he To make him boþe game and gle ffor nedes most he fiht Line 2031 wiþ .o. Geant wiþ hedes þree ffor paramoure and Iolyte Of one þat schote ful briht Line 2034

Done come he seide myne mynstrals An gestours for to tel vs tales Anone in myne armeinge Line 2037 Of Romans þat bene Roials [folio 191a] Of Popes and of Cardinals And eke of loue longeinge Line 2040

Thei fet him first þe swete wyne . . . . . . . . . . Line 2043 . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] And lykhirhers and eke Comyne Wiþ sugre þat is trye Line 2046

[6-text p 196] Line 2046

He dide next his white lire Of Cloþe of lake fyne and clire A breche and eke a schart Line 2049 And next is schert an Akton And ouer þat an haberioun ffor perceynge of his herte Line 2052

And ouere þat a fine hauberke Was al y-wrouht of Iewes werke fful stronge it was of plate Line 2055 And ouer þat is cote Armour As white as is a lely floure In whiche he wole debate. Line 2058

His schelde was al of gold so rede And þere in was a bores hede A Charbokel be side Line 2061 And þere he suore on ale and brede That þe Gyant schulde be dede By-tide whatt be-tide Line 2064

His Iambes were of quereboly His swerde scheþe of Ivory His helme of Latoun briht Line 2067 His Sadell was of Ruel bone His Bridell as þe sonne schone Or as þe mone so liht Line 2070

His spere was of fine Cypres Þat bedeþ werre and noþinge pes Thede ful scharpe y-grounde Line 2073 His sted was al dappel greye Hite enamble by þe weye fful softly and rounde. Line 2076

[6-text p 197] Line 2076

In londe Lo lordes myne here a fitte If ȝe wil any more of it To tel it wil .I. fonde Line 2080

[Fitte II.]

Nowe haldeþ ȝoure mouþe par Charite Boþe knyke and lady free And herkeneþ to my spelle. Line 2083 Of Bataile and of Cheualry [folio 191b] And of ladys loue drery. Anone .I. wil ȝowe tell Line 2086

Men speke of Romans of prise Of horne Childe and of Ipose Of Beuys and sir Guy Line 2089 Of sir Libeus and plendamour Bot sir Thopas he bereþ þe floure Of Roial Chiualry Line 2092

His goode steede al he be-strode And forþe vpon his weye he glode As sparkeles oute of þe bronde Line 2095 Vpon his creste he bare a toure And þer-in stiked a lyly floure God schelde his corps fro schonde Line 2098

And for he was a knyht aunterous He wolde slepen in none hous Bot lygen in his hode Line 2101 His briht helme was his wangere And by him baiteþ his dextrere Of erbes fine and good Line 2104

[6-text p 198] Line 2104

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