| |
| Whan that we come agayn fro Caunterbury. | |
| And for to make yow the more mery, | |
| I wol my-selven gladly with yow ryde, | |
| Right at myn owne cost, and be your gyde. | |
| And who-so wol my jugement withseye 1 | 805 |
| Shal paye al that we spenden by the weye. | |
| And if ye vouche-sauf that it be so, | |
| Tel me anon, with-outen wordes mo, | |
| And I wol erly shape 2 me therfore.’ | |
| This thing was graunted, and our othes swore | 810 |
| With ful glad herte, and preyden him also | |
| That he wold vouche-sauf for to do so, | |
| And that he wolde been our governour, | |
| And of our tales juge and reportour, | |
| And sette a soper at a certeyn prys; | 815 |
| And we wold reuled been at his devys, 3 | |
| In heigh and lowe; and thus, by oon assent, | |
| We been acorded to his jugement. | |
| And ther-up-on the wyn was fet 4 anoon; | |
| We dronken, and to reste wente echoon, | 820 |
| With-outen any lenger taryinge. | |
| A-morwe, whan that day bigan to springe, | |
| Up roos our host, and was our aller cok, 5 | |
| And gadrede us togidre, alle in a flok, | |
| And forth we riden, a litel more than pas, 6 | 825 |
| Unto the watering 7 of seint Thomas. | |
| And there our host bigan his hors areste, 8 | |
| And seyde; ‘Lordinges, herkneth if yow leste. | |
| Ye woot your forward, 9 and I it yow recorde. 10 | |
| If even-song and morwe-song acorde, | 830 |
| Lat se now who shal telle the firste tale. | |
| As evere mote 11 I drinke wyn or ale, | |
| Who-so be rebel to my jugement | |
| Shal paye for al that by the weye is spent. | |
| Now draweth cut, er that we ferrer twinne; 12 | 835 |
| He which that hath the shortest shal biginne.’ | |
| ‘Sire knight,’ quod he, ‘my maister and my lord, | |
| Now draweth cut, for that is myn acord. | |
| Cometh neer,’ quod he, ‘my lady prioresse; | |
| And ye, sir clerk, lat be your shamfastnesse, | 840 |
| Ne studieth noght; ley hond to, every man.’ | |
| Anon to drawen every wight bigan, | |
| And shortly for to tellen, as it was, | |
| Were it by aventure, or sort, 13 or cas, 14 | |
| The sothe is this, the cut fil to the knight, | 845 |
| Of which ful blythe and glad was every wight; | |
| And telle he moste his tale, as was resoun, | |
| By forward 15 and by composicioun, 16 | |
| As ye han herd; what nedeth wordes mo? | |
| And whan this goode man saugh 17 it was so, | 850 |
| As he that wys was and obedient | |
| To kepe his forward by his free assent, | |
| He seyde: ‘Sin I shal biginne the game, | |
| What, welcome be the cut, a 18 Goddes name! | |
| Now lat us ryde, and herkneth what I seye.’ | 855 |
| And with that word we riden forth our weye; | |
| And he bigan with right a mery chere | |
| His tale anon, and seyde in this manere. | |
