The Canterbury Tales

Fragment VII

The Shipman's Prologue

Text from the Tyrwhitt-Edition,

not in the Robinson-Edition

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[The Shipmannes Prologue.]

[Our hoste upon his stirrops stode anon

And saide; Good men, herkeneth everich on,

12905

This was a thrifty tale for the nones.

Sire parish preest, quod he, for Goddes bones,

Tell us a tale, as was thy forward yore:

I see wel that ye lerned men in lore

Can mochel good, by Goddes dignitee.

12910

The Person him answerd, Benedicite!

What eileth the man, so sinfully to swere?

Our hoste answerd, O Jankin, be ye there?

Now, good men, quod our hoste, herkneth to me.

I smell a loller ¹⁾ in the wind, quod he.

12915

Abideth for Goddes digne passion,

For we shul han a predication:

This loller here wol prechen us somwhat.

Nay by my fathers soule, that shal he nat,

Sayde the Shipman, here shal he nat preche,

12920

He shal no gospel glosen here ne teche.

We leven all in the gret God, quod he.

He wolde sowen som difficultee,

Or springen cockle in our clene corne.

And therfore, hoste, I warne thee beforne,

12925

My joly body shal a tale telle,

And I shal clinken you so mery a belle,

That I shal waken all this compagnie:

But it shal not ben of philosophie,

Ne of physike, ne termes queinte of lawe

12930

Ther is but litel Latin in my mawe.]

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1) The Lollard movement was a proto-Protestant Christian religious movement that existed from the mid-14th century until the 16th-century. Lollards were represented by the Roman Catholic Church as foxes dressed as monks or priests preaching to a flock of geese on misericords. (Wikipedia)