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

THE FRIAR'S TALE. 83
And eke of many another manner 12 crime,
THE FRIAR'S TALE Which needeth not rehearsen at this time,.
Of usury, and simony also;
THE PROLOGUE. But, certes, lechours did he greatest woe;
They shoulde singen, if that they were hent;13
THIS worthy limitour, this noble Frere, And smalli tithers 1 were foul y-shent,15
He made always a manner louring cheer 2 If any person would on them complain;
Upon the Sompnour; but for honesty3 There might astert them no pecunial pain.16
No villain word as yet to him spake he: For smalle tithes, and small offering,
But at the last he said unto the Wife: He made the people piteously to sing;
"Dame," quoth he, " God give you right good For ere the bishop caught them with his crook,
life, They weren in the archideacon's book;
Ye have here touched, all so may I thd,4 Then had he, through his jurisdiction,
In school matter a greate difficulty. Power to do on them correction.
Ye have said muche thing right well, I say; He had a Sompnour ready to his hand,
But, Dame, here as we ride by the way, A slier boy was none in Engleland;
Us needeth not but for to speak of game, For subtlely he had his espiaille,l7
And leave authorities, in GoddS's name, That taught him well where it might aught
To preaching, and to school eke of clergy. avail.
But if it like unto this company, He coulde spare of lechours one or two,
I will you of a Sompnour tell a game; To teache him to four and twenty mo'.
Pardie, ye may well knowe by the name, For,-though this Sompnour wood18 be as a
That of a Sompnour may no good be said; hare,I pray that none of you be evil paid; 5 To tell his harlotry I will not spare,
A Sompnour is a runner up and down For we be out of their correcti6n,
With mandements 6 for fornicatioun, They have of us no jurisdicti6n,
And is y-beat at every towne's end." Ne never shall have, term of all their lives.
Then spake our Host; "Ah, Sir, ye should be " Peter, so be the women of the stives," 19
hend7 Quoth this Sompnour, "y-put out of our
And courteous, as a man of your estate; cure." 20
In company we will have no debate: "Peace, with mischance and with misfvenTell us your tale, and let the Sompnour be." ture,"
" Nay," quoth the Sompnour, " let him say by Our Hoste said, " and let him tell his tale.
me Now telli forth, and let the Sompnour gale,21
What so him list; when it comes to my lot, Nor spare not, mine owen master dear."
By God, I shall him quiten 8 every groat! This false thief, the Sompnour (quoth the
I shall him telle what a great honofir Frere),
It is to be a flattering limitour, Had always bawdes ready to his hand,
And his office I shall him tell y-wis."9 As any hawk to lure in Engleland,
Our Host answered, "Peace, no more of this." That told him all the secrets that they knew,And afterward he said unto the Frere, For their acquaintance was not come of new;
"Tell forth your tale, mine owen master dear." They were his approvers 22 privily.
He took himself a great profit thereby:
His master knew not always what he wan.23
THE TALE. Withoute mandement, a lewed24 man
He could summon, on pain of Christe's curse,
Whilom 0 there was dwelling in my country And they were inly glad to fill his purse,
An archdeacon, a man of high degree, And make him greate feastes at the nale.25
That boldely did executi6n, And right as Judas hadde purses smale,26
In punishing of fornicati6n, And was a thief, right such a thief was he,
Of witchecraft, and eke of bawdery, His master had but half his duety.27
Of defamation, and adultery, He was (if I shall givP him his laud)
Of churchP-reevgs,"l and of testaments, A thief, and eke a Sompnour, and a bawd.
Of contracts, and of lack of sacraments, And he had wenches at his retinue,
1 On the Tale of the Friar, and that of the Somp- 6 Mandates, summonses. 7 Civil, gentle.
nour which follows, Tyrwhitt has remarked that they 8 Pay him off. 9 Assuredly.
"are well engrafted upon that of the Wife of Bath. lo0 Once on a time. 11 Churchwardens.
The ill-humour which shows itself between those two 12 Sort of. 13 Caught.
characters is -quite natural, as no two professions at 14 People who did not pay their full tithes. Mi
that time were at more constant variance. The re- Wright remarks that " the sermons of the friars in the
gular clergy, and particularly the mendicant friars, fourteenth century were most frequently designed tc
affected a total exemption from all ecclesiastical juris- impress the absolute duty of paying full tithes and
diction, except that of the Pope, which made them offerings." 15 Troubled, put to shame.
exceedingly obnoxious to the bishops, and of course 16 They got off with no mere pecuniary punishment
to all the inferior officers of the national hierarchy." 17 Espionage. 18 Furious, mad.
Both tales, whatever their origin, are bitter satires on 19 Stews. 20 Care. 21 Whistle; bawl.
the greed and worldliness of the Romish clergy. 22 Informers. 23 Won. 24 Ignorant.
2 A kind of gloomy countenance. 25 Ale-house; inn-ale, a house for ale. 26 Small.
3 Good manners. 4 Thrive. 5 Dissatisfied. 27 What was owing him.