Behold my blody woundes depe and wide: 15021 Arife up erly in the morwe tide, And at the weft gate of the toun (quod he) A carte ful of donge ther shalt thou fee, My gold caufed my mordre, foth to fain. 35025 And trufteth wel his dreme he found ful trewe; For on the morwe as fone as it was day 15032 To his felawes inne he toke his way, And whan that he came to this oxes ftalle After his felaw he began to calle. The hofteler antwered him anon, 15035 And faide, Sire, your felaw is agon; As fone as day he went out of the toun.. This man gan fallen in fufpecioun, Remembring on his dremes that he mette, And forth he goth, no lenger wold he lette, 15040 A dong carte as it went for to dong lond, 15045 I crie out on the miniftres, quod he, That fhulden kepe and reulen this citee: 15050 Harow! alas! here lith my felaw flain. What fhuld I more unto this tale fain? O blisful God! that art so good and trewe, And right anon the miniftres of the toun And certes in the fame book I rede, Right in the nexte chapitre after this, 13955 15060 15065 15070 (I gabbe not, so have I joye and blis) Two men that wold han paffed over the fee, 15975 Elades Family 4-29-32. THE CANTERBURY TALES. THE NONNES PREESTES PROL. Wher as men have ben in gret welth and efe And the contrary is joye and gret folas, And climbeth up and wexeth fortunat, 0 And ther abideth in profperitee: Swich thing is gladfom as it thinketh me, 14775 14780 And of fwiche thing were goodly for to telle. 14785 Right now ye herd; and parde no remedie 14790 That that is don, and als it is a paine, As ye han faid, to here of hevineffe. Sire Monk, no more of this, fo God you blefe; Swiche talking is not worth a boterflie, 14795 For therin is ther no difport ne game; I pray you hertely tell us femwhat elles, I fhuld er this have fallen doun for flepe, Than hadde your Tale all ben tolde in vain: 14805 Sire, fay fomwhat of hunting I you pray. 14810 Nay, quod this Monk, I have not luft to play: Now lette another telle as I have told. Than spake oure Hofte with rude fpeche and bold, And fayd unto the Nonnes Preest anon, 14815 Come nere, thou Preeft, come hither, thou Sire John; . 14811. fay fomwhat of hunting] For the propriety of this requeft fee the note on ver. 166 of the Monkes character. . 14816. thou Sire John] I know not how it has happened that in the principal modern languages John (or its equivalent) is a name of contempt, or at leaft of flight. So the Italians use Gianni, from whence Zani, the Spaniards Juan, as Bobo Juan, a foolish John, the French Jean, with various additions, and in English when we call a man a John we do not mean it as a title of honour. Chaucer, in ver. 3708, ufes Jacke Fool as the Spaniards do Bolo Juan, and I fuppofe Jack Afs has the fame etymology. The title of Sire was usually given, by courtesy, to pricfts both fecular and regular. |