Second Portfolio: Modern translation, phonological transcription and metrical analysis.

THIS FRAGMENT BELONGS TO THE GENERAL PROLOGUE OF CHAUCER'S CANTERBURY TALES.

GP 553 And therto brood, as though it were a spade.
GP 554 Upon the cop right of his nose he hade
GP 555 A werte, and theron stood a toft of herys,
GP 556 Reed as the brustles of a sowes erys;
GP 557 His nosethirles blake were and wyde.
GP 558 A swerd and a bokeler bar he by his syde.
GP 559 His mouth as greet was as a greet forneys.
GP 560 He was a janglere and a goliardeys,
GP 561 And that was moost of synne and harlotries.
GP 562 Wel koude he stelen corn and tollen thries;
GP 563 And yet he hadde a thombe of gold, pardee.
GP 564 A whit cote and a blew hood wered he.
GP 565 A baggepipe wel koude he blowe and sowne,
GP 566 And therwithal he broghte us out of towne.
GP 567 A gentil MAUNCIPLE was ther of a temple,
GP 568 Of which achatours myghte take exemple
GP 569 For to be wise in byynge of vitaille;
GP 570 For wheither that he payde or took by taille,
GP 571 Algate he wayted so in his achaat
GP 572 That he was ay biforn and in good staat.
GP 573 Now is nat that of God a ful fair grace
GP 574 That swich a lewed mannes wit shal pace
GP 575 The wisdom of an heep of lerned men?
GP 576 Of maistres hadde he mo than thries ten,
GP 577 That weren of lawe expert and curious,
GP 578 Of which ther were a duszeyne in that hous
GP 579 Worthy to been stywardes of rente and lond
GP 580 Of any lord that is in Engelond,
GP 581 To make hym lyve by his propre good
GP 582 In honour dettelees (but if he were wood),
GP 583 Or lyve as scarsly as hym list desire;
GP 584 And able for to helpen al a shire
GP 585 In any caas that myghte falle or happe.
GP 586 And yet this Manciple sette hir aller cappe.
GP 587 The REVE was a sclendre colerik man.
GP 588 His berd was shave as ny as ever he kan;
GP 589 His heer was by his erys ful round yshorn;
GP 590 His top was dokked lyk a preest biforn.
GP 591 Ful longe were his legges and ful lene,
GP 592 Ylyk a staf; ther was no calf ysene.
GP 593 Wel koude he kepe a gerner and a bynne;
GP 594 Ther was noon auditour koude on him wynne.
GP 595 Wel wiste he by the droghte and by the reyn
GP 596 The yeldynge of his seed and of his greyn.
GP 597 His lordes sheep, his neet, his dayerye,
GP 598 His swyn, his hors, his stoor, and his pultrye
GP 599 Was hoolly in this Reves governynge,
GP 600 And by his covenant yaf the rekenynge,
GP 601 Syn that his lord was twenty yeer of age.
GP 602 Ther koude no man brynge hym in arrerage