That often hadde been at the Parvys,
Ther was also, ful riche of excellence.
Discreet he was and of greet reverencedignity --
He semed swichsuch, his wordes weren so wise.
Justice he was ful often in assise,
By patenteletter of appointment and by pleyn commissioun.
For his scienceknowledge and for his heigh renoun,
Of fees and robes hadde he many oon.
So greet a purchasourland buyer was nowher noon:
Al was fee symple full ownership to hym in effect;
His purchasyng myghte nat been infectinvalidated.
Nowher so bisy a man as he ther nas,
And yet he semed bisier than he was.
In termeslegal volumes hadde he caascases and doomesjudgments alle
That from the tyme of Kyng William were falle.
Therto he koude enditecompose, and make a thyng,
Ther koude no wight pynche atcriticize his writyng;
And every statut koudeknew he pleyncompletely by rotememory.
He rood but hoomlysimply in a medleemulticolored cote.
Girt with a ceintbelt of silk, with barresstripes smale;
Of his array telle I no lenger taletell.
A frankelyncountry gentleman was in his compaignye.
Whit was his berd as is the dayesyedaisy;
Of his complexiountemperament he was sangwynsanguine.
Wel loved he by the morwe a sop
To lyven in delit was evere his wonecustom,
For he was Epicurus owene sone,
That heeld opinioun that pleyn delit
Was verraytrue feliciteehappiness parfitperfect.
An housholdere, and that a greet, was he;
Seint Julian he was in his contree.
His breed, his ale, was alweys after oon;
A bettre envynedstocked with wine man was nowher noon.
Withoute bake mete was nevere his hous
Of fissh and flesshmeat, and that so plentevousplentiful,
It snewedsnowed in his hous of mete and drynke,
Of alle deyntees that men koude thynke.
AfterAccording to the sondry sesons of the yeer,
So chaunged he his mete and his soper.
Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in muwecoop,
And many a breembream and many a lucepike in stuwefishpond.
Wo was his cook but ifunless his sauce were
PoynauntSpicy and sharp, and redy al his geere.
His table dormant in his halle alway
Stood redy covered al the longe day.
At sessiouns ther was he lord and sire;
Ful ofte tyme he was knyght of the shire.
An anlaasdagger and a gipserpurse, pouch al of silk
HeengHung at his girdel, whit as mornemorning milk.
A shirrevesheriff hadde he been, and a contourauditor.
Was nowher swich a worthy vavasourlanded gentleman.
An haberdasshere dealer in hats and other items and a carpenter,
A webbeweaver, a dyere(cloth) dyer, and a tapycer,
And they were clothed alle in o lyveree
Of a solempne and a greet fraternitee.
Ful fressh and newe hir geere apikedadorned was;
Hir knyves were chapedmounted noght with bras
But al with silver; wroght ful clene and weel
Hire girdles and hir pouches everydeel.
Wel semed ech of hemeach of them a fair burgeyscitizen
To sitten in a yeldehallguildhall on a deys.
EverichEach of them, for the wisdom that he kanknew,
Was shaplysuitable for to been an alderman.
For catelproperty hadde they ynogh and renteincome,
And eek hiralso their wyves wolde it wel assente;
And ellesOtherwise certeyn were they to blame.
It is ful fair to been yclepedcalled Madame,
And goon to vigiliesvigils, church feasts al biforein front,
And have a mantel roialliche ybore.
A cook they hadde with hem for the nonesoccasion
To boille the chiknes with the marybonesmarrow bones,
And poudre-marchanta spice tart and galyngale.
Wel koude he knowe a draughte of Londoun ale.
He koude roosteroast, and setheboil, and broille, and frye,
Maken mortreuxstews, and wel bake a pye.
But greet harm was it, as it thoughte me,
That on his shyneshin a mormalopen sore hadde he.
For blankmangera thick rice soup, that made he with the beste.
A shipman was ther, wonyngeliving fer by weste;
For aught I wootall I know, he was of Dertemouthe.
He rood upon a rounce packhorse, as he kouthecould,
In a gowne of faldyngheavy wool to the knee.
A daggere hangynge on a laascord hadde he
Aboute his nekke, under his arm adoun.
The hoote somer hadde maad his hewe al broun;
And certeinly he was a good felawe.
Ful many a draughte of wyn had he ydrawedrawn
Fro BurdeuxBordeaux-ward, whil that the chapmenmerchants sleep.
Of nycecareful conscience took he no keepnotice.
If that he faught, and hadde the hyer hond,
By water he sente hem hoomthem home to every lond.
But of his craft to rekene wel his tydes,
His stremescurrents, and his daungers hym bisides,
His herberweharborage, and his moone, his lodemenagepiloting,
Ther naswas not noon swichsuch from Hulle to Cartage.
Hardy he was and wys to undertake;
With many a tempest hadde his berd been shake.
He knew alle the havenesharbors, as they were,
Fro GootlandGotland (Baltic Sea) to the Cape of Fynystere
And every crykecreek in BritaigneBrittany and in Spayne.
His bargeship ycleped waswas called the Maudelayne.
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