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

§ 1. THE DOCTOR'S TALE.

HARLEIAN MS. 7334 (British Museum).

¶ And here bygynneth þe tale of þe Doctor of of phisik

Ther was as telleþ Thitus lyuius Line 1 A knight þat cleped was virginieus Fulfild of honours and of worþines And strong of frendes and of gret riches Line 4 A doughter he hadde by his wyf And neuer ne hadde he mo in al his lyf Fair was þis mayde in excellent beaute Aboue euery wight that men may se Line 8 For nature haþ wiþ souereyn diligence I-formed hir in so gret excellence As þough sche wolde say lo I nature þus can I forme and peynte a creature Line 12 whan þat/ me lust who can me counterfete Pigmalion nouȝt þough he alwey forge and bete / Or graue or peynte for I dar wel sayn appollus ȝepherus schulde wirche in vayn Line 16 To graue or paynte or forge & bete If þay presumed me to counterfete For he þat is þe former principal haþ maad me his viker general Line 20 To forme and peynte erþely creature Right as me lust al þing is in my cure Vnder þe moone þat may wane and waxe And for my werke noþing wol I axe Line 24

[6-text p 304] Line 24 My lord and I ben fully at accord I made hir to þe worschip of my lord So do I alle myn oþer creatures what colour þat þay been or what figures / Line 28 Thus semeþ me þat nature wolde say This mayde was of age twelf ȝer and tway [folio 182a] In which þat nature haþ suche delite For right as sche can peynte a lili white Line 32 And rody a rose right with such peynture Sche peynted haþ þis noble creature Er sche was born vpon her limes fre were als bright as such colour schulde be Line 36 And phebus deyed hadde hire tresses grete I-lyk to þe stremes of his borned hete And if þat excellent was hir beaute A þousand fold more vertuous was sche Line 40 And hire ne lakkeþ no condicioun That is to preyse as by discrecioun As wel in body as goost chaste was sche For which sche floured in virginite Line 44 with alle humilite and abstinence with alle attemperaunce and pacience with mesure eek and beryng of array Discret sche was in answeryng alway Line 48 Though sche were wis pallas dar I sayn hir facound eek ful wommanly and playn Noon countrefeted termes hadde sche To seme wys but after hir degre Line 52 Sche spak and alle hire wordes more and lesse Sovnyng in vertu and in gentilesse Schamefast sche was in maydenes schamfastnesse Constant in hert. and euer in besynesse Line 56 To dryue hire out of hir slogardye Bachus had of hir mouþ no maistrye For wille and þought doon venus encrece As men in fuyr wil caste oyle or grece Line 60

[6-text p 305] Line 60 And of hir oughne vertu vnconstreigned Sche haþ ful ofte tyme hire seek y-feyned For þat sche wolde fleen þe companye wher likly was to treten of folye Line 64 As is at festes reueles and at daunces That ben occasiouns of daliaunces Such þinges maken children for to be / To soone rype and bold . as men may se / [folio 182b] Line 68 which is ful perilous and haþ ben ȝore For al to soone may sche lerne lore Of boldenesse whan sche is a wyf And ȝe maystresses in ȝoure olde lyf Line 72 That lordes doughtres han in gouernaunce Ne takeþ of my word no displesaunce / Thinges þat ben set in gouernynges Of lordes douȝtres oonly for tuo þinges / Line 76 Ouþer for ȝe han kept ȝour honeste Oþer elles for ȝe han falle in frelete And knowe wel y-nough þe olde daunce And conne forsake fully meschaunce Line 80 For euermo þerfore for cristes sake / kepeþ wel þo þat ȝe vndertake A þeof of venesoun þat haþ forlaft his licorousnesse and al his theues craft Line 84 Can kepe a forest best of eny man Now kepe hir wel for and ȝe wil ȝe can loke wel to no vice ȝe assent lest ȝe be dampned for ȝour wikked entent Line 88 For who-so doþ a traytour is certayn And takeþ keep of þat þat sche schal sayn Of al tresoun souereyn pestilence Is whan a wight bytrayeth Innocence Line 92 Ȝe fadres and ȝe modres eek also Though ȝe han children be it oon or mo Ȝoure is þe charge of al her sufferaunce whiles þay be vnder ȝour gouernaunce / Line 96

[6-text p 306] Line 96 Beth war þat by ensample of ȝoure lyuynge Ouþer by necgligence in chastisynge That þay ne perische for I dar wel seye If þat þay doon ȝe schul ful sore abeye Line 100 vnder a schepherd softe and necligent The wolf haþ many a schep and lamb torent Sufficeþ oon ensample now as here For I moot turne aȝein to my matiere Line 104 This mayde of which I telle my tale expresse So kept hir self hir neded no maystresse [folio 183a] For in hir lyuyng maydens mighte rede As in a book euery good word and dede / Line 108 That longeþ vnto a mayden vertuous Sche was so prudent and so bounteous For þe which out sprong on euery syde / Boþe of hir beaute and bounte wyde Line 112 That þurgh þe lond þay praysed hir ilkoone / That louede vertu saue enuye alloone / That sory is of oþer mennes wele / And glad is of his sorwe and vnhele Line 116 The doctor made þis descripcioun This mayde wente vpon a day in to þe toun Toward þe temple with hir moder deere As is of ȝonge maydenes þe manere Line 120 Now was þer a Iustice in þe toun That gouernour was of þat Regioun And so bifel þis Iuge his eyȝen cast Vpon þis mayde auysing hir ful fast Line 124 As sche cam forby þer þe Iuge stood Anoon his herte chaunged and his mood So was he caught wiþ beaute of þis mayde And to himself ful priuely he sayde Line 128 This mayde schal be myn for any man Anoon þe feend in to his herte ran And taughte him sodeinly by what slighte This mayde to his purpos wynne he mighte / Line 132

[6-text p 307] Line 132 For certes by no fors ne by no meede him þought he was not able for to speede / For sche was strong of frendes and eek sche Conformed was in such souerayn bounte Line 136 That wel he wist he might hir neuer wynne As for to make hir with hir body synne For which wiþ gret deliberacioun he sent after a clerk was in þe toun Line 140 The which he knew for subtil and for bold This Iuge vnto þe clerk his tale haþ told In secre wyse and made him to assure He schulde telle it to no creature [folio 183b] Line 144 And if he dede he schulde lese his heed whan þat assented was þis cursed reed Glad was the Iuge and made glad cheere / And ȝaf him ȝiftes precious and deere / Line 148 whan schapen was al þis conspiracye / Fro poynt to poynt how þat his lecherie Parformed scholde be ful subtilly As ȝe schul here afterward openly / Line 152 hom goþ þis clerk þat highte Claudius This false Iuge þat highte apius So was his name for it is no fable But knowen for a storial þing notable Line 156 The sentence of hit soþ is out of doute This false iugge goþ now fast aboute / To hasten his delit al þat he may / And so bifel soone after on a day Line 160 This false Iuge as telleþ vs þe story As he was wont sat in his consistory And ȝaf his domes vpon sondry caas This false clerk com forth a ful good paas Line 164 And saide lord if þat it be ȝour wille As doþ me right vpon þis pitous bille In which I pleyne vpon virgilius And if he wile seyn it is nouȝt þus Line 168

[6-text p 308] Line 168 I wil proue hit and fynde good witnesse That soþ is þat my bulle wol expresse / The Iuge answerd of þis in his absence I may not ȝiue diffinityf sentence Line 172 let do him calle and I wol gladly hiere Thou schalt haue alle right and no wrong heere Virginius com to wite þe Iugges wille / And right anoon was red þis cursed bille Line 176 The sentence of hit was as ȝe schul heere ¶ To ȝow my lord sire apius so deere Scheweþ ȝoure pore seruaunt Claudius how þat a knight called Virginius Line 180 Aȝeins þe lawe aȝens alle equyte / holdeth expresse aȝeinst þe wille of me [folio 184a] My seruaunt which þat my thral is by right which fro myn hous was stolen on a night Line 184 whiles sche was ful ȝong þat wol I preue By witnesse lord so þat ȝe ȝow not greue Sche is nought his douȝter what so he say wherfore to ȝow my lord þe Iugge I pray Line 188 Ȝelde me my þrall if þat it be ȝour wille lo þis was al þe sentence of þe bille Virgineus gan vpon þe clerk byholde But hastily er he his tale tolde Line 192 he wolde haue proued it as schold a knight And eek by witnessyng of many a wight That al was fals þat sayde his aduersarie This cursed Iuge wold no lenger tarye / Line 196 Ne heere a word more of virgineus But ȝaf his Iugement and saide þus I deme anoon þis clerk his seruaunt haue Thou schalt no lenger in þin hous hir haue Line 200 Go bringe hir forþ and put hir in oure warde This clerk schal haue his thral thus I a-warde And whan þis worþy knight virgineus Thurgh þassent of þis Iuge apius Line 204

[6-text p 309] Line 204 Moste by force his deere douȝter ȝiuen Vnto þe Iuge in lecchery to lyuen he goþ him hom and sette him in his halle / And leet anoon his deere douȝter calle / Line 208 And wiþ a face deed as aisshen colde vpon hir humble face he gan byholde with fadres pite stiking þorugh his herte Al wolde he from his purpos not conuerte / Line 212 Doughter quod he virginea by þy name Ther ben tuo weyes eyþer deþ or schame That þou most suffre allas þat I was bore For neuer þou deseruedest wherfore Line 216 To deyen with a swerd or with a knyf O deere doughter ender of my lif which I haue fostred vp with such plesaunce· That þou nere oute of my remembraunce [folio 184b] Line 220 O doughter which . þat art my laste wo And in þis lif my laste ioye also O gemme of chastite in pacience Tak þou þy deth for þis is my sentence Line 224 For loue and not for hate þou most be deed My pitous hond mot smyten of þin heed Allas þat euer apius þe say Thus haþ he falsly iugged þe to day Line 228 And told hir al þe caas as ȝe bifore han herd . it nedeth nought to telle it more Mercy deere fader quod þis mayde And with þat word sche boþe hir armes layde / Line 232 Aboute his nekke as sche was wont to doo The teeres brast out of hir eyȝen tuo And sayde goode fader schal I dye Is ther no grace is þer no remedye Line 236 No certeyn deere doughter myn quod he / Than ȝeue me leue fader myn quod sche / My deþ for to compleyne a litel space / For par dy Ieffa ȝaf his douȝter grace Line 240

[6-text p 310] Line 240 For to compleyne er he hir slough allas And God it woot no þing was hir trespas But þat sche ran hir fader first/ to se To welcome him with gret solempnite Line 244 And with þat word a swoun sche fel anoon / And after whan hir swownyng was agoon Sche riseþ vp and to hir fader sayde / Blessed be god þat I schal deye a mayde / Line 248 Ȝeue me my deth er þat I haue a schame Do with ȝour child ȝour wille a goddes name And with þat word sche prayed him ful ofte That wiþ his swerd he schulde smyte hir softe Line 252 And wiþ þat word on swoune doun sche fel hir fader with ful sorwful hert and fel hir heed of smoot and by þe top it hente And to þe Iuge bigan it to presente Line 256 As he sat in his doom in concistory whan the Iuge it say as saiþ the story [folio 185a] he bad take him and honge him faste But right anoon alle þe poeple in þraste / Line 260 To saue þe knight for rouþe and for pite For knowen was þe fals iniquite / The poeple anoon had suspect in þis þing By moner of þis clerkes chalengyng Line 264 That it was by thassent of apius That wiste wel þat he was leccherous For which vnto þis Apius þay goon And casten him in prisoun right anoon Line 268 wher as he slough himself and Claudius That servaunt was vnto þis Apius was demed for to honge vpon a tree But virgineus of his grete pite Line 272 Prayde for him þat he was exiled And elles certes he had ben bigiled The remenaunt were anhanged more and lesse / That were consented to þis cursednesse / Line 276

[6-text p 311] Line 276 Her may men se how synne hath his merite Be war for no man woot how god wol smyte / In no degre ne in which maner wise The worm of conscience wol arise Line 280 Of wicked lyf þough it so pryue be That no man woot of it but god and he wher þat he be lewed man or lered He not how soone þat he may be afered Line 284 Therfore I rede ȝow this counseil take Forsakith synne / er synne yow forsake

¶ Here endeth þe Doctor of phisique his tale [[No break in the MS.]]