The Harleian ms. 7334 of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[6-text p 191]

[The First Fit.] [[No stanza-gaps are in the MS., and no lines are inset.]]

LEsteneþ lordyngs . in good entent And I wol telle verrayment Of myrthe and solas Line 1904 Of a knyght was fair and gent In batail and in tornament His name was sir Thopas Line 1907

I-bore he was in fer conntre In Flaundres al byȝonde 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

Sir Thopas wax a doughty swayn whyt was his face as payndemayn His lippes reed as Rose / Line 1916 His rode is lik / scarlet en grayn And I ȝow telle in good certayn He had a semly nose Line 1919

His heer his berd was lik/ safroun That to his girdil raught a doun His schoon of Cordewane Line 1922 Of Brigges were his hosen broun His robe was of Sicladoun That coste many a Iane [folio 204a] Line 1925

[6-text p 192] Line 1925

He couþe hunt at wilde deer And ride on haukyng for ryuer with gray goshauk on honde Line 1928 Therto he was a good archeer Of wrastelyng was noon his peer Ther eny Ram schal stonde / Line 1931

Ful many mayde bright in bour Þay mourne for him paramour whan hem were bet to slepe Line 1934 But he was chast and no lecchour And sweet as is þe brembre flour That bereþ þe reede heepe / Line 1937

And so it fel vpon a day For soþ as I ȝow telle may / Sir Thopas wold out ryde Line 1940 he worth vpon his steede gray And in his hond a launcegay A long sword by his syde Line 1943

he priketh þurgh a fair forest/ Ther In is many a wilde best/ Ȝe boþe buk / and hare Line 1946 And as he prikeþ north and Est I tel it ȝow hym had almest Bityd a sory care Line 1949

Ther springen herbes greet and smale The licorys and þe Cetewale / And many a clow gilofre Line 1952 And notemuge to put in ale wheþir it be moist or stale Or for to lay in cofre Line 1955

[6-text p 193] Line 1955

The briddes synge it is no nay The sperhauk and þe popiniay That ioye it was to heere Line 1958 The þrostilcok maad eek his lay The woode dowue vpon þe spray So song ful lowde and cleere Line 1961

Sir Thopas fel in loue-longing whan that he herde þe briddes synge [folio 204b] 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

Sir Thopas eek so wery was For priking on þe softe gras So feers was his corrage Line 1970 That doun he layd him in þe place To make his steede som solace And ȝaf him good forage Line 1973

O seinte Mary benedicite what eylith þis loue at me To bynde me so sore Line 1976 My dremed al this night par de An elf queen schal my lemman be And slepe vnder my gore Line 1979

An Elf queen wol I haue I-wis For in this world no womman is worthy to be my make In toune [[as part of l. 1982]] Line 1982 Alle oþir wommen I forsake And to an Elf queen I me take By dale and eek by doune Line 1986

[6-text p 194] Line 1986

In to his sadil he clomb anoon And priked ouer stile and stoon An elf queen for to spye Line 1989 Til he so longe haþ ryden and goon That he fond in a priue woon The contre of fairye Line 1992 ¶ So wylde [[as part of l. 1992]] For in þat contre was þer noon; . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Neither wif ne childe [[as part of l. 1994]] Line 1996

Til þat þer cam a greet geaunt/ his name was sir Olifaunt A perilous man of dede Line 1999 he swar child by Termagaunt For if þou prike out of myn haunt Anoon I slee þe Line 2002 with my mace [[as part of l. 2002]] heer is þe queen of fayerie with harp. and lute and Symphonye dwellyng in þis place [[as part of l. 2005]] Line 2006

The child sayd also mote I the [folio 205a] To morwe wil I meete with þe whan I haue myn armure Line 2009 And ȝit I hope par ma fay That þou schalt with þis launcegay Abyen it ful soure Line 2012 ¶ þy mawe [[as part of l. 2012]] Schal I persyn if þat I may Er it be fully prime of day For heer schalt þou be slawe Line 2016

[6-text p 195] Line 2016

Sir thopas drough on bak ful fast This geaunt at him stoones cast / Out of a fell staf slynge Line 2019 But faire eschapeþ child thopas And al it was þurgh goddis gras And þurgh his berynge / Line 2022

Ȝet lesteneth lordynges to my tale / Merier þan þe nightyngale / I wol ȝow roune Line 2025 how sir thopas wiþ sides smale / Prikynge ouer hul and dale Is come ageyn to toune Line 2028

his mery men comaunded he To make him boþe game and gle For needes most he fight Line 2031 with a geaunt with heedes þre For paramours and iolite Of oon þat schon ful bright Line 2034

Do come he sayde my mynstrales And gestours for to telle tales Anoon in myn armynge Line 2037 Of Romaunces þat ben reales Of popes and of Cardinales And eek of loue likynge Line 2040

Thay fet him first þe swete wyn And made him eek in a maselyn A real spicerye Line 2043 Of gyngebred þat was so fyn And licorys and eek comyn with sugre þat is trye / [folio 205b] Line 2046

[6-text p 196] Line 2046

He dede next his white leere Of cloth of lake whyt and cleere A brech and eek a schert Line 2049 And next his schert an aketoun And ouer þat an haberioun For persyng of his hert Line 2052

And ouer þat a fyn hauberk was al I-wrought of Iewes werk Ful strong it was of plate Line 2055 And ouer þat his cote-armour As whyt as is a lily flour In which he wold debate Line 2058

his scheld was al of gold so red And þer Inne was a bores heed A charbocle by his syde / Line 2061 And ther he swor on ale and bred How þat þe geaunt schal be deed Bytyde what bytyde / Line 2064

His iambeux were of quirboily His swerdes schethe of yuory His helm of latoun bright Line 2067 His sadel was of rowel boon His bridel as þe sonne schon Or as þe moone light Line 2070

his spere was of Cipres That bodeth werre and no þing pees The heed ful scharp I-grounde / Line 2073 His steede was al dappul gray Hit goth an ambel in þe way / Ful softely and rounde Line 2076

[6-text p 197] Line 2076 ¶ In londe [[In line 2076]] lo lordes heer is a fyt If ȝe wil eny more of it To telle it wol I fonde [[No break in the MS.]] Line 2080