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

THE FRANKLIN'S TALE. 123
Love is a thing as any spirit free. Her friendes, which that knew her heavy
Women of kind1 desiri liberty, thought,
And not to be constrained as a thrall; 2 Comf6rte her in all that ever they may;
And so do men, if soothly I say shall. They preache her, they tell her night and day,
Look who that is most patient in love, That causeless she slays herself, alas!
He is at his advantage all above.3 And every comfort possible in this case
Patience is a high virtfe certain, They do to her, with all their business,'
For it vanquisheth, as these clerkes sayn, And all to make her leave her heaviness.
Thinges that rigour never should attain. By process, as ye knowen every one,
For every word men may not chide or plain. Men may so longi graven in a stone,
Learne to suffer, or, so may I go,4 Till some figfire therein imprinted be:
Ye shall it learn whether ye will or no. So long have they comf6rted her, till she
For in this world certain no wight there is, Received hath, by hope and by reas6n,
That he not doth or saith sometimes amiss. Th' imprinting of their consolati6n,
Ire, or sickn6ss, or constellati6n,5 Through which her greate sorrow gan assuage;
Wine, woe, or changing of complexi6n, She may not always duren in such rage.
Causeth full oft to do amiss or speaken: And eke Arviragus, in all this care,
On every wrong a man may not be wreaken.6 Hath sent his letters home of his welfare,
After 7 the time must be temperance And that he will come hastily again,
To every wight that can of 8 governance. Or ellis had this sorrow her hearty-slain.
And therefore hath this worthy wisd knight Her friendes saw her sorrow gin to slake,20
(To live in ease) sufferance her behight;. And prayed her on knees for Godde's sake
And she to him full wislyl0 gan to swear To come and roamen in their company,
That never should there be default in her. Away to drive her darke fantasy;
Here may men see a humble wife accord; And finally she granted that request,
Thus hath she ta'en her servant and her lord, For well she saw that it was for the best.
Servant in love, and lord in marriage. Now stood her castle faste by the sea,
Then was he both in lordship and servage? And often with her friendes walked she,
Servage? nay, but in lordship all above, Her to disport upon the bank on high,
Since he had both his lady and his love: Where as she many a ship and barge sigh,21
His lady certes, and his wife also, Sailing their courses, where them list to go.
The which that law of love accordeth to. But then was that a parcel 2 of her woe,
And when he was in this prosperity, For to herself full oft, " Alas! " said she,
Home with his wife he went to his country, " Is there no ship, of so many as I see,
Not far from Penmark,ii where his dwelling was, Will bringe home my lord? then were my heart
And there he liv'd in bliss and in solace.2' All warish'd 23 of this bitter paind's smart."
Who couldi tell, but 13 he had wedded be, Another time would she sit and think,
The joy, the ease, and the prosperity, And cast her eyen downward from the brink;
That is betwixt a husband and his wife? But when she saw the grisly rockis blake,24
A year and more lasted this blissful life, For very fear so would her hearte quake,
Till that this knight, of whom I spake thus, That on her feet she might her ot sustene:
That of Cairrud14 was call'd Arviragus, Then would she sit adown upon the green,
Shope 15 him to go and dwell a year or twain And piteously into the sea behold,2i
In Engleland, that call'd was eke Britain, And say right thus, with careful sikis 26 cold:
To seek in armes worship and honoir "Eternal God! that through thy purveyance
(For all his lust 16 he set in such labofir); Leadest this world by certain governance,
And dwelled there two years; the book saith In idle,27 as men say, ye nothing make;
thus. But, Lord, these grisly fiendly rockes blake,
Now will I stint 17 of this Arviragus, That seem rather a foul confusi6n
And speak I will of Dorigen his wife, Of work, than any fair creati6n
That lov'd her husband as her hearte's life. Of such a perfect wise God and stable,
For his abs6nci weepeth she and siketh,l8 Why have ye wrought this work unreasonable?
As do these noble wives when them liketh; For by this work, north, south, or west, or east,
She mourneth, waketh, waileth, fasteth, There is not foster'd man, nor bird, nor beast:
plaineth; It doth no good, to my wit, but annoyeth.28
Desire of his presence her so distraineth, See ye not, Lord, how mankind it destroyeth?
That all this wide world she set at nought. A hundred thousand bodies of mankind
1 By nature. 2 Slave. 14 "The red city;" it is not known where it was
3 Enjoys the highest advantages of all. situated. 15 Prepared, arranged.
4 Prosper. 5 The influence of the planets. 16 Pleasure. 17 Cease speaking.
6 Revenged. 7 According to. 18 Sigheth. 19 Assiduity.
8 Is capable of. 9 Promised. lo Surely. 20 To diminish, slacken. 21 Saw. 22 Part.
11 On the west coast of Brittany, between Brest and 123 Cured; French, "guerir," to heal, or recover from
L'Orient. The name is composed of two British words, sickness.
"pen," mountain, and "mark," region; it therefore 24 Black. 25 Look out on the sea.
means the mountainous country. 26 Painful sighs. 27 Idly, in vain.
12 Delight. 13 Unless. 28 Works mischief; from Latin, "noceo," I hurt.