RISC DISC 2/RISC_DISC_2.iso/resources/etexts/canterbury_tales/the_persouns_tale

Text File | 1995-02-22 | 6KB | 137 lines

     PROLOGUE TO THE PERSOUNS TALE

     Heere folweth the Prologe of the Persouns tale.

     By that the Maunciple hadde his tale al ended,
     The sonne fro the south lyne was descended
     So lowe, that he nas nat to my sighte
     Degrees nyne and twenty as in highte.
     Ten of the clokke it was tho, as I gesse,

     For ellevene foot, or litel moore or lesse,
     My shadwe was at thilke tyme as there,
     Of swiche feet as my lengthe parted were
     In sixe feet equal of proporcioun.
     Therwith the moones exaltacioun,

     I meene Libra, alwey gan ascende,
     As we were entryng at a thropes ende.
     For which our Hoost, as he was wont to gye,
     As in this caas, oure joly compaignye,
     Seyde in this wise, "Lordynges everichoon,

     Now lakketh us no tales mo than oon,
     Fulfilled is my sentence and my decree;
     I trowe that we han herd of ech degree.
     Almoost fulfild is al myn ordinaunce,
     I pray to God, so yeve hym right good chaunce

     That telleth this tale to us lustily!
     "Sire preest," quod he, "artow a vicary,
     Or arte a person? sey sooth by thy fey.
     Be what thou be, ne breke thou nat oure pley;
     For every man save thou hath toold his tale.

     Unbokele and shewe us what is in thy male,
     For trewely, me thynketh by thy cheere
     Thou sholdest knytte up wel a greet mateere.
     Telle us a fable anon, for Cokkes bones."
     This Persoun him answerede, al atones,

     "Thou getest fable noon ytoold for me,
     For Paul, that writeth unto Thymothee,
     Repreveth hem that weyveth soothfastnesse,
     And tellen fables, and swich wrecchednesse.
     Why sholde I sowen draf out of my fest

     Whan I may sowen whete, if that me lest?
     For which I seye, if that yow list to heere,
     Moralitee and vertuous mateere;
     And thanne that ye wol yeve me audience,
     I wol ful fayn, at Cristes reverence,

     Do yow plesaunce leefful, as I kan.
     But trusteth wel I am a southren man,
     I kan nat geeste Rum, Ram, Ruf by lettre,
     Ne, God woot, rym holde I but litel bettre,
     And therfore if yow list, I wol nat glose,

     I wol yow telle a myrie tale in prose
     To knytte up al this feeste, and make an ende,
     And Jesu, for his grace, wit me sende
     To shewe yow the wey, in this viage,
     Of thilke parfit glorious pilgrymage

     That highte Jerusalem celestial.
     And if ye vouchesauf, anon I shal
     Bigynne upon my tale, for which I preye,
     Telle youre avys, I kan no bettre seye.
     But nathelees, this meditacioun

     I putte it ay under correccioun
     Of clerkes, for I am nat textueel;
     I take but sentence, trusteth weel.
     Therfore I make a protestacioun
     That I wol stonde to correccioun."

        Upon this word we han assented soone;
     For, as us semed, it was for to doone
     To enden in som vertuous sentence,
     And for to yeve hym space and audience;
     Adn bede oure Hoost he sholde to hym seye

     That alle we to telle his tale hym preye.
     Oure Hoost hadde the wordes for us alle:
     "Sire preest," quod he, "now faire yow bifalle,
     Sey what yow list, and we wol gladly heere."
     And with that word he seyde in this manere,

     "Telleth," quod he, "youre meditacioun;
     But hasteth yow, the sonne wole adoun.
     Beth fructuous, and that in litel space,
     And to do wel God sende yow his grace."

        (Then follows the Persones Tale, concerning penitence,
     vices and virtues, and holy living.  At the end appears the
     retractation, so-called, of Chaucer.)

     Heere taketh the makere of this book his leve.

        Now preye I to hem alle that herkne thai litel tretys or
     rede, that if ther be any thyng in it that liketh hem, that
     therof they thanken oure Lord Jesu Crist, of whom procedeth
     al wit and al goodnesse.  And if ther be any thyng that
     displese hem, I preye hem also that they arrette it to the
     defaute of myn unkonnynge, and nat to my wyl, that wolde ful
     fayn have seyd bettre, if I hadde had konnynge.  For oure
     Boke seith, `al that is writen, is writen for oure doctrine,'
     and that is myn entente.  Wherfore, I biseke yow mekely for
     the mercy of God, that ye preye for me that Crist have mercy
     on me, and foryeve me my giltes; and namely, of my translaciouns
     and enditynges of worldly vanitees, the whiche I revoke in my
     retracciouns;

        As is the book of Troilus, the book also of Fame, the book of
     the .XXV.  Ladies, the book of the Duchesse, the book of Seint
     Valentynes day of the Parlement of Briddes, the tales of Caunterbury
     (thilke that sownen into synne), the book of the Leoun, and many
     another book, if they were in my remembrance; and many a song and
     many a leccherous lay, that Crist for his grete mercy foryeve
     me the synne.  But of the translacioun of Boece de Consolacione,
     and othere bookes of Legendes of Seintes and omelies, and moralitee,
     and devocioun; that thanke I oure Lord Jesu Crist, and his blisful
     mooder, and alle the seintes of hevene; bisekynge hem that they
     from hennesforth unto my lyves ende sende me grace to biwayle my
     giltes, and to studie to the salvacioun of my soule; and graunte
     me grtace of verray penitence, confessioun, and satisfaccioun to
     doon in this present lyf, thurgh the benigne grace of Hym, that
     is kyng of kynges, and preest over alle preestes, that boghte us
     with the precious blood of his herte, so that I may been oon of
     hem at the day of doome that shulle be saved.  Qui cum patre,
     &cetera.

     Heere is ended the book of the tales of Caunterbury compiled by
     Geffrey Chaucer of whos soule Jesu Crist have mercy.  Amen.