And take it wel, that we may not eschewe,
And namely that to us all is dewe.
And who so grutcheth' ought, he doth folie,
And rebel is to him that all may gie.'
And certainly a man hath most honour
To dien in his excellence and flour,
Whan he is siker of his goode name.
Than hath he don his frend, ne him, no shame;
And glader ought his frend ben of his deth,
Whan with honour is yolden3 up his breth,
Than whan his name appalled is for age;
For all foryetten is his vassallage.
Than is it best, as for a worthy fame,
To dien whan a man is best of name.
The contrary of all this is wilfulnesse.
Why grutchen we? why have we hevinesse,
That good Arcite, of chivalry the flour,
Departed is, with dutee and honour,
Out of this foule prison of this lif?
Why grutchen here his cosin and his wif
Of his welfare, that loven him so wel?
Can he hem thank ? nay, God wot, never a del,
That both his soule, and eke hemself offend,
And yet they mow hir lustes not amend.
What may I conclude of this longe serie,
But after sorwe I rede us to be merie,
And thanken Jupiter of all his grace.
And er that we departen from this place,
I rede that we make of sorwes two
O parfit joye lasting evermo:
And loketh now wher most sorwe is herein,
Ther wol I firste amenden and begin.
Sister, (quod he) this is my full assent,
With all th' avis here of my parlement,
That gentil Palamon, your owen knight,
That serveth you with will, and herte, and might,
And ever hath don, sin ye first him knew,
That ye shall of your grace upon him rew,
And taken him for husbond and for lord:
Lene me your hand, for this is oure accord.
2 Guide. 4 I opine that we should be merry.
Let see now of your womanly pitee.
He is a kinges brothers sone pardee,1
And though he were a poure bachelere,
Sin he hath served you so many a yere,
And had for you so gret adversite,
It moste ben considered, leveth me.2
For gentil mercy oweth to passen3 right.
Than sayd he thus to Palamon the knight;
I trow ther nedeth litel sermoning
To maken you assenten to this thing.
Cometh ner, and take your lady by the hond.
Betwixen hem was maked anon the bond,
That highte matrimoine or mariage,
By all the conseil of the baronage.
And thus with alle blisse and melodie
Hath Palamon ywedded Emelie.
And God that all this wide world hath wrought, Send him his love, that hath it dere ybought.
For now is Palamon in alle wele,
Living in blisse, in richesse, and in hele,
And Emelie him loveth so tendrely,
And he hire serveth al so gentilly,
That never was ther no word hem betwene
Of jalousie, ne of non other tene.1
Thus endeth Palamon and Emelie;
And God save all this fayre compagnie.
1 Pardieux, by God.
3 To judge, to pass sentence.
2 Believe me.
Grief, vexation
WHAN that the Knight had thus his tale told,
In all the compagnie n'as ther yong ne old,
That he ne said it was a noble storie,
And worthy to be drawen to memorie;
And namely the gentiles everich on.
Our hoste lough and swore, So mote I gon,
This goth aright; unbokeled is the male;1
Let see now who shal tell another tale:
For trewely this game is wel begonne.
Now telleth ye, sire Monk, if that ye conne,
Somwhat, to quiten with the knightes tale.
The Miller that for-dronken was all pale,
So that unethes upon his hors he sat,
He n'old avalen3 neither hood ne hat,
Ne abiden no man for his curtesie,
But in Pilate vois1 he gan to crie,
And swore by armes, and by blood, and bones,
I can a noble tale for the nones,
With which I wol now quite the knightes tale.
Our hoste saw that he was dronken of ale,
And sayd; abide, Robin, my leve brother,
Som better man shall tell us first another:
Abide, and let us werken thriftily.
By Goddes soul (quod he) that wol not I,
For I wol speke, or elles go my way.
Our hoste answerd; Tell on a devil way;
Thou art a fool; thy wit is overcome.
Now herkeneth, quod the miller, all and some:
But first I make a protestatioun,
That I am dronke, I know it by my soun:
3 To take off, to doff. 4 In Pilates vois In such a voice as Pilate was used to speak with in the Mysteries. Pilate, being an odious character, was probably represented as speaking with a harsh, disagreeable voice.-Tyrwhitt.
And therfore if that I misspeke or say,
Wite' it the ale oí Southwerk, I you pray:
For I wol tell a legend and a lif
Both of a carpenter and of his wif,
How that a clerk hath set the wrightes cappe.
The Reve answerd and saide, Stint thy clappe.
Let be thy lewed dronken harlotrie.
It is a sinne, and eke a gret folie
To apeiren3 any man, or him defame,
And eke to bringen wives in swiche a name.
Thou mayst ynough of other thinges sain.
This dronken miller spake ful sone again,
And sayde; Leve brother Osewold,
Who hath no wif, he is no cokewold.
But I say not therfore that thou art on;
Ther ben ful goode wives many on.
Why art thou angry with my tale now?
I have a wif parde' as wel as thou,
Yet n'olde I, for the oxen in my plough,
Taken upon me more than ynough
As demen of myself that I am on;
I wol beleven wel that I am non.
An husbond shuld not ben inquisitif
Of Goddes privite, ne of his wif.
So he may finden Goddes foisons there,
Of the remenant nedeth not to enquere.
What shuld I more say, but this millere.
He n'olde his wordes for no man forbere,
But told his cherles tale in his manere,
Me thinketh, that I shal reherse it here.
And thertore every gentil wight I pray,
For Goddes love as deme not" that I say
Of evil entent, but that I mote reherse
Hir tales alle, al be they better or werse,
Made the fool of him.
5 Abundance.
'Blame the ale for it. 3 Impair, injure. This phrase has occurred before: ver. 2304, As kepe me. Ver. 2319, As sende. I once thought that as in these cases was used elliptically for do so much as; but then the following verb must have been in the infinitive mood, whereas it is often in the imperative. See ver. 5773, As taketh. Ver 6631, As doth. Ver. 13.352, As beth. I am therefore rather inclined to understand it in the sense of so, according to its original etymology. As is an abbreviation of als, and that of al swa; sic omnino. See ver. 5481, 5778, 7007.-Tyrwhitt.
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