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

THE WIFE OF BA TV'S TALE. LE
A friar will intermete 1 him evermo': And so befell it, that this king Arthour
Lo, goods men, a fly and eke a frere Had in his house a lusty bachelor,
Will fall in ev'ry dish and eke mattere. That on a day came riding from rivyr: 17
What speak'st thou of perambulatioin? 2 And happen'd, that, alone as she was born,
What? amble or trot; or peace, or go sit down: He saw a maiden walking him beforn,
Thou lettest3 our disport in this mattdre." Of which maiden anon, maugr 18 her head,
" Yea, wilt thou so, Sir Sompnour? " quoth the By very force he reft her maidenhead:
Frere; For which oppressi6n was such clamour,
"'ow by my faith I shall, ere that I go, And such pursuit unto the king Arthotr,
Tell of a Sompnour such a tale or two, That damned 9 was this knight for to be dead
That all the folk shall laughen in this place." By course of law, and should have lost his head;
"Now do, else, Friar, I beshrew4 thy face," (Paraventure such20 was the statute tho),21
Quoth this Sompnour; "and I beshrewe me, But that the queen and other ladies mo'
3ut if 5 I telle tales two or three So long they prayed the king of his grace,
Of friars, ere I come to Sittingbourne, Till he his life him granted in the place,
That I shall make thine hearte for to mourn: And gave him to the queen, all at her will
For well I wot thy patience is gone." To choose whether she would him save or spill.22
Our Hoste cried, " Peace, and that anon; " The queen thanked the king with all her might
And saide, " Let the woman tell her tale. And, after this, thus spake she to the knight,
Ye fare6 as folk that drunken be of ale. When that she saw her time upon a day.
Do, Dame, tell forth yourtale, and that is best." "Thou standest yet," quoth she, "in such
"All ready, sir," quoth she, " right as you lest,7 array,23
If I have licence of this worthy Frere." That of thy life yet hast thou no surety;
"Yes, Dame," quoth he, "tell forth, and I will I grant thee life, if thou canst tell to me
hear." What thing is it that women most desiren:
-~~) ~Beware, and keep thy neck-bone from the
THE TALE.8 iron.24
And if thou canst not tell it me anon,
In olde dayes of the king Arthour, Yet will I give thee leave for to gon
Of which that Britons speake great honofr, A twelvemonth and a day, to seek and lear25
All was this land full fll'd of faerie; 9 An answer suffisant 26 in this mattere.
The Elf-queen, with her jolly company, And surety will I have, ere that thou pace,27
Danced full oft in many a green mead. Thy body for to yieiden in this place."
This was the old opinion, as I read; Woe was the knight, and sorrowfully siked; 2
I speak of many hundred years ago; But what? he might not do all as him liked.
But now can no man see none elves mo', And at the last he chose him for to wend,2
For now the great charity and prayeres And come again, right at the yeare's end,
Of limitours,l and other holy freres, With such answer as God would him purvey:3
That search every land and ev'ry stream, And took his leave, and wended forth his way.
As thick as motes in the sunne-beam, He sought in ev'ry house and ev'ry place,
Blessing halls, chambers, kitchenes, and bowers, Where as he hoped for to finde grace,
Cities and burghes, castles high and towers, To learne what thing women love the most:
Thorpes 11 and barnes, shepens 2 and dairies, But he could not arrive in any coast,
This makes that there be now no faeries: Where as he mighte find in this mattere
For there as 13 wont to walke was an elf, Two creatures according in fere.31
There walketh now the limitour himself, Some said that women loved best richiss,
In undermels 14 and in morrownings,; Some said honoftr, and some said jolliness,
And saith his matins and his holy things, Some rich array, and some said lust 32 a-bed,
As he goes in his limitatioftn.15 And oft time to be widow.and be wed.
Women may now go safely up and down, Some said, that we are in our heart most eased
In every bush, and under every tree; When that we are y-flatter'd and y-praised.
There is none other incubus 16 but he; He went full nigh the sooth,23 I will not lie;
And he will do to them no dishonofr. A man shall win us best with flattery;
1 Interpose; French, "entremettre." 12 Stables, sheep-pens. 13 Where.
2 Preamble. Some editions print "preambulation," 14 Evening-tides, afternoons;'undern" signifies the
but the word in the text seems meant to show up the evening; and "mele," corresponds to the German
ignorance of the clergy, as Chaucerlost no occasion of " Mal " or " Mahl," time. 15 Begging district.
doing., 3 linderest. 4 Curse. 16 An evil spirit supposed to do violence to'women;
5 Unless. 6 Behave. 7 Please. a nightmare.
8 It is not clear whence Chaucer derived this tale. 17 Where he had been hawking after waterfowl.
Tyrwhitt thinks it was taken from the story of Flo- Froissart says that any one engaged in this sport
rent, in the first book of Gower's " Confessio Aman- 4 alloit en rivibre." 18 Spite of.
tis,;" or perhaps from an older narrative from which 19 Condemned. 20 For as it happened, such.
Gower himself borrowed. Chaucer has condensed and 21 Then. 22 Execute, destroy.
otherwise improved the fable, especially by laying the 23 In such a position. 24 The executioner's axe.
scene, not in Sicily, but at the court of our own King 25 Learn. 26 Satisfactory.
Arthur. 9 Fairies; French, "feerie." 27 G. 28 Sighed. 29 Depart.
10 Begging friars. See note 27, page 19. 30 Provide him with. 31 Agreeing together.
11 Villages. Compare German, "Dorf." 32 Pleasure. 33 Came very near the truth,