The Reeve's Prologue

The Canterbury Tales and Other Works of Chaucer (Middle English), by Geoffery Chaucer, [14th cent.], at sacred-texts.com

The Canterbury Tales

The Reeve's Prologue

 Whan folk hadde laughen at this nyce cas
 Of Absolon and hende Nicholas,
 Diverse folk diversely they seyde,
 But for the moore part they loughe and pleyde.
 Ne at this tale I saugh no man hym greve,
3860 But it were oonly Osewold the Reve.
 By cause he was of carpenteris craft,
 A litel ire is in his herte ylaft;
 He gan to grucche, and blamed it a lite.
 "So theek," quod he, "ful wel koude I thee quite
 With bleryng of a proud milleres ye,
 If that me liste speke of ribaudye.
 But ik am oold; me list not pley for age;
 Gras tyme is doon; my fodder is now forage;
 This white top writeth myne olde yeris;
3870 Myn herte is also mowled as myne heris,
 But if I fare as dooth an open-ers --
 That ilke fruyt is ever lenger the wers,
 Til it be roten in mullok or in stree.
 We olde men, I drede, so fare we:
 Til we be roten, kan we nat be rype;
 We hoppen alwey whil that the world wol pype.
 For in oure wyl ther stiketh evere a nayl,
 To have an hoor heed and a grene tayl,
 As hath a leek; for thogh oure myght be goon,
3880 Oure wyl desireth folie evere in oon.
 For whan we may nat doon, than wol we speke;
 Yet in oure asshen olde is fyr yreke.
 "Foure gleedes han we, which I shal devyse --
 Avauntyng, liyng, anger, coveitise;
 Thise foure sparkles longen unto eelde.
 Oure olde lemes mowe wel been unweelde,
 But wyl ne shal nat faillen, that is sooth.
 And yet ik have alwey a coltes tooth,
 As many a yeer as it is passed henne
3890 Syn that my tappe of lif bigan to renne.
 For sikerly, whan I was bore, anon
 Deeth drough the tappe of lyf and leet it gon,
 And ever sithe hath so the tappe yronne
 Til that almoost al empty is the tonne.
 The streem of lyf now droppeth on the chymbe.
 The sely tonge may wel rynge and chymbe
 Of wrecchednesse that passed is ful yoore;
 With olde folk, save dotage, is namoore!"
 Whan that oure Hoost hadde herd this sermonyng,
3900 He gan to speke as lordly as a kyng.
 He seide, "What amounteth al this wit?
 What shul we speke alday of hooly writ?
 The devel made a reve for to preche,
 Or of a soutere a shipman or a leche.
 Sey forth thy tale, and tarie nat the tyme.
 Lo Depeford, and it is half-wey pryme!
 Lo Grenewych, ther many a shrewe is inne!
 It were al tyme thy tale to bigynne."
 "Now, sires," quod this Osewold the Reve,
3910 "I pray yow alle that ye nat yow greve,
 Thogh I answere, and somdeel sette his howve;
 For leveful is with force force of-showve.
 "This dronke Millere hath ytoold us heer
 How that bigyled was a carpenteer,
 Peraventure in scorn, for I am oon.
 And, by youre leve, I shal hym quite anoon;
 Right in his cherles termes wol I speke.
 I pray to God his nekke mote to-breke;
 He kan wel in myn eye seen a stalke,
3920 But in his owene he kan nat seen a balke."