The Canterbury tales and Faerie queene &c., &c., &c., ed. for popular perusal with current illustrations and explanatory notes, by D. Laing Purves.

THE CLERK'S TALE. 93
He had the firste smell of fartes three Illumin'd all Itale of poetry,
And so would all his brethren hardily; As Linian 8 did of philosophy,
He beareth him so fair and holily." Or law, or other art particulere:
The lord, the lady, and each man, save the But death, that will not suffer us dwell here
frere, But as it were a twinkling of an eye,
Saide, that Jankin spake in this mattere Them both hath slain, and alle we shall die.
As well as Euclid, or as Ptolemy. " But forth to tellen of this worthy man,
Touching the churl, they said that subtilty That taughte me this tale, as I began,
And high wit made him speaken as he spake; I say that first he with high style inditeth
He is no fool, nor no demoniac. (Ere he the body of his tale writeth)
And Jankin hath y-won a newe gown; A proem, in the which describeth he
My tale is done, we are almost at town. Piedmont, and of Saluces 9 the country,
And speaketh of the Pennine hilles high,
| That be the bounds of all West Lombardy:
And of Mount Vesulus in special,
Where as the Po out of a welle small
THE CLERK'S TALE., Taketh his firsts springing and his source,
That eastward aye increaseth in his course
THE PROLOGUE. T' Emilia-ward,'0 to Ferrare, and Venice,
The which a long thing were to devise.1
"SIR Clerk of Oxenford," our Hoste said, And truely, as to my judgement,
" Ye ride as still and coy, as doth a maid Me thinketh it a thing impertinent,12
That were new spoused, sitting at the board: Save that he would conveye his mattere:
This day I heard not of your tongue a word. But this is the tale, which that ye shall hear."
I trow ye study about some sophime:1
But Solomon saith, every thing hath time.
For Godde's sak, be of better cheer,2 THE TALE.13
It is no time for to study here. Pars Prima.
Tell us some merry tale, by your fay;3
Tell us some merr ta, by your fay; There is, right at the west side of Itile,
For what man that is entered in a play, Down at the root of Vesulu the cold
He needes must unto that play assent. A pla u t ll
But preache not, as friars do in Lent,
t pkeas not, as fdo in Le, There many a town and tow'r thou may'st
To make us for our oldi sinnes weep,
Nor. that thy tale make us not to sleep. behold
That founded were in time of fathers old,
Tell us-some merry thing of aventures.
And many another delectable sight;
Your terms, your coloures, and your figfires, And Sal ths nle c ty ight
And Saluces this noble country hight.
Keep them in store, till so be ye indite
High style, as when that men to kinges write. A marquis whilom lord was of that land,
Speake so plain at this time, I you pray, As were his worthy elders 16 him before,
That we may understandE what ye say." And obedient, aye ready to his hand,
This worthy Clerk benignely answ6r'd; Were all his lieges, bothe less and more:
" Hoste," quoth he, " I am under your yerd4 Thus in delight he liv'd, and had done yore,L7
Ye have of us as now the governance, Belov'd and drad,l8 through favour of fortune,
And therefore would I do you obeisance, Both of his lordes and of his commfne.l9
As far as reason asketh, hardily: 5 Therewith he was, to speak of lineage,
I will you tell a tale, which that I The gentilest y-born of Lombardy,
Learn'd at Padova of a worthy clerk, A fair pers6n, and strong, and young of age,
As proved by his wordes and his werk. And full of honour and of courtesy:
He is now dead, and nailed in his chest, Discreet enough his country for to gie,20
I pray to God to give his soul good rest. Saving in some things that he was to blame;
Francis Petrarc', the laureate po t,6 And Walter was this younge lorde's name.
Highte 7 this clerk, whose rhetoric so sweet I blame him thus, that he consider'd not
1 Sophism. 2 Livelier mien. 3 Faith. 13 Petrarch, in his Latin romance, " De obedienti& et
4 Rod; as the emblem of government or direction. fide uxoria Mythologia," translated the charming story
5 Boldly, truly. of " the patient Grizel" from the Italian of Boccaccio's
6 Francesco Petrarca, born 1304, died 1374; for his "Decameron;" and Chaucer has closely followed
Latin epic poem on the career of Scipio, called "Africa," Petrarch's translation, made in 1373, the year before
he was solemnly crowned with the poetic laurel in the that in which he died. The fact that the embassy to
Capitol of Rome, on Easter-day of 1341. Genoa, on which Chaucer was sent, took place in
7 Was called. 1372-73, has lent countenance to the opinion that the
8 An eminent jurist and philosopher, now almost English poet did actually visit the Italian bard at Padua,
forgotten, who died four or five years after Petrarch. and hear the story from his own lips. This, however,
9 Saluzzo, a district of Savoy; its marquises were is only a probability; for it is a moot point whether the
celebrated during the Middle Ages. two poets ever met.
o1 The region called Emilia, across which ran the 14 Monte Viso, a lofty peak at the junction of the
Via.Emilia-made by M. Emilius Lepidus, who was Maritime and Cottian Alps; from two springs on its
consul at Rome B.C. 187. It continued the Flaminian east side rises the Po. 15 Pleasant.
Way from Ariminum (Rimini) across the Po at Placen- 16 Ancestors. 17 Long.
tia to Mediolanum (Milan), traversing Cisalpine Gaul. 18 Held in reverence, 19 Commonalty.
11 Narrate. 12 Irrelevant. 20 Guide, rule.