The Canterbury Tales

Fragment VII

The Host's Interruption of

the Tale of Sir Thopas

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Heere the Hoost stynteth Chaucer

of his Tale of Thopas.

Namoore of this, for goddes dignitee,

920

Quod oure hooste, for thou makest me

So wery of thy verray lewednesse

That, also wisly God my soule blesse,

Myne eres aken of thy drasty speche.

Now swich a rym the devel I biteche!

925

This may wel be rym dogerel, quod he.

Why so? quod I, why wiltow lette me

Moore of my tale than another man,

Syn that it is the beste rym I kan?

By god, quod he, for pleynly, at a word,

930

Thy drasty rymyng is nat worth a toord!

Thou doost noght elles but despendest tyme.

Sire, at o word, thou shalt no lenger ryme.

Lat se wher thou kanst tellen aught in geeste,

Or telle in prose somwhat, at the leeste,

935

In which ther be som murthe or som doctryne

Gladly, quod I, by goddes sweete pyne!

I wol yow telle a litel thyng in prose

That oghte liken yow, as I suppose,

Or elles, certes, ye been to daungerous.

940

It is a moral tale vertuous,

Al be it told somtyme in sondry wyse

Of sondry folk, as I shal yow devyse.

As thus: ye woot that every evaungelist,

That telleth us the peyne of jhesu crist,

945

Ne seith nat alle thyng as his felawe dooth;

But nathelees hir sentence is al sooth,

And alle acorden as in hire sentence,

Al be ther in hir tellyng difference.

For somme of hem seyn moore, and somme seyn lesse,

950

Whan they his pitous passioun expresse –

I meene of mark, mathew, luc, and john –

But doutelees hir sentence is al oon.

Therfore, lordynges alle, I yow biseche,

If that yow thynke I varie as in my speche,

955

As thus, though that I telle somwhat moore

Of proverbes than ye han herd bifoore

Comprehended in this litel tretys heere,

To enforce with th' effect of my mateere,

And though I nat the same wordes seye

960

As ye han herd, yet to yow alle I preye

Blameth me nat; for, as in my sentence,

Shul ye nowher fynden difference

Fro the sentence of this tretys lyte

After the which this murye tale I write.

965

And therfore herkneth what that I shal seye,

And lat me tellen al my tale, I preye.

Explicit.