The Friar's Tale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCCDDECFFGGCCGGHIJK LMNNLCOPAAKLAL Q RASSAAKKTRKKOGSOUUVV SS OOWQXGOASSK KA QY AOOXXKZSOKKKYAGOOXXA AOOXA2B2C2O GXOKAAOO OOOD2OOSOC2 YO SOO AGGAAAAKOA KE2OY UOUUOF2OAG YYZASU AYYAKEG2AK OOKAZAOSAThis worthy limitour this noble Frere | A |
He made always a manner louring cheer countenance | B |
Upon the Sompnour but for honesty courtesy | C |
No villain word as yet to him spake he | C |
But at the last he said unto the Wife | D |
'Dame ' quoth he 'God give you right good life | D |
Ye have here touched all so may I the thrive | E |
In school matter a greate difficulty | C |
Ye have said muche thing right well I say | F |
But Dame here as we ride by the way | F |
Us needeth not but for to speak of game | G |
And leave authorities in Godde's name | G |
To preaching and to school eke of clergy | C |
But if it like unto this company | C |
I will you of a Sompnour tell a game | G |
Pardie ye may well knowe by the name | G |
That of a Sompnour may no good be said | H |
I pray that none of you be evil paid dissatisfied | I |
A Sompnour is a runner up and down | J |
With mandements for fornicatioun mandates summonses | K |
And is y beat at every towne's end ' | L |
Then spake our Host 'Ah sir ye should be hend civil gentle | M |
And courteous as a man of your estate | N |
In company we will have no debate | N |
Tell us your tale and let the Sompnour be ' | L |
'Nay ' quoth the Sompnour 'let him say by me | C |
What so him list when it comes to my lot | O |
By God I shall him quiten every groat pay him off | P |
I shall him telle what a great honour | A |
It is to be a flattering limitour | A |
And his office I shall him tell y wis' | K |
Our Host answered 'Peace no more of this ' | L |
And afterward he said unto the frere | A |
'Tell forth your tale mine owen master dear ' | L |
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THE TALE | Q |
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Whilom there was dwelling in my country once on a time | R |
An archdeacon a man of high degree | A |
That boldely did execution | S |
In punishing of fornication | S |
Of witchecraft and eke of bawdery | A |
Of defamation and adultery | A |
Of churche reeves and of testaments churchwardens | K |
Of contracts and of lack of sacraments | K |
And eke of many another manner crime sort of | T |
Which needeth not rehearsen at this time | R |
Of usury and simony also | K |
But certes lechours did he greatest woe | K |
They shoulde singen if that they were hent caught | O |
And smale tithers lt gt were foul y shent troubled put to shame | G |
If any person would on them complain | S |
There might astert them no pecunial pain lt gt | O |
For smalle tithes and small offering | U |
He made the people piteously to sing | U |
For ere the bishop caught them with his crook | V |
They weren in the archedeacon's book | V |
Then had he through his jurisdiction | S |
Power to do on them correction | S |
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He had a Sompnour ready to his hand | O |
A slier boy was none in Engleland | O |
For subtlely he had his espiaille espionage | W |
That taught him well where it might aught avail | Q |
He coulde spare of lechours one or two | X |
To teache him to four and twenty mo' | G |
For though this Sompnour wood be as a hare furious mad | O |
To tell his harlotry I will not spare | A |
For we be out of their correction | S |
They have of us no jurisdiction | S |
Ne never shall have term of all their lives | K |
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'Peter so be the women of the stives ' stews | K |
Quoth this Sompnour 'y put out of our cure ' care | A |
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'Peace with mischance and with misaventure ' | - |
Our Hoste said 'and let him tell his tale | Q |
Now telle forth and let the Sompnour gale whistle bawl | Y |
Nor spare not mine owen master dear ' | - |
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This false thief the Sompnour quoth the Frere | A |
Had always bawdes ready to his hand | O |
As any hawk to lure in Engleland | O |
That told him all the secrets that they knew | X |
For their acquaintance was not come of new | X |
They were his approvers privily informers | K |
He took himself at great profit thereby | Z |
His master knew not always what he wan won | S |
Withoute mandement a lewed man ignorant | O |
He could summon on pain of Christe's curse | K |
And they were inly glad to fill his purse | K |
And make him greate feastes at the nale alehouse | K |
And right as Judas hadde purses smale small | Y |
And was a thief right such a thief was he | A |
His master had but half his duety what was owing him | G |
He was if I shall give him his laud | O |
A thief and eke a Sompnour and a bawd | O |
And he had wenches at his retinue | X |
That whether that Sir Robert or Sir Hugh | X |
Or Jack or Ralph or whoso that it were | A |
That lay by them they told it in his ear | A |
Thus were the wench and he of one assent | O |
And he would fetch a feigned mandement | O |
And to the chapter summon them both two | X |
And pill the man and let the wenche go plunder pluck | A2 |
Then would he say 'Friend I shall for thy sake | B2 |
Do strike thee out of oure letters blake black | C2 |
Thee thar no more as in this case travail need | O |
I am thy friend where I may thee avail ' | - |
Certain he knew of bribers many mo' | G |
Than possible is to tell in yeare's two | X |
For in this world is no dog for the bow lt gt | O |
That can a hurt deer from a whole know | K |
Bet than this Sompnour knew a sly lechour better | A |
Or an adult'rer or a paramour | A |
And for that was the fruit of all his rent | O |
Therefore on it he set all his intent | O |
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And so befell that once upon a day | O |
This Sompnour waiting ever on his prey | O |
Rode forth to summon a widow an old ribibe lt gt | O |
Feigning a cause for he would have a bribe | D2 |
And happen'd that he saw before him ride | O |
A gay yeoman under a forest side | O |
A bow he bare and arrows bright and keen | S |
He had upon a courtepy of green short doublet | O |
A hat upon his head with fringes blake black | C2 |
'Sir ' quoth this Sompnour 'hail and well o'ertake ' | - |
'Welcome ' quoth he 'and every good fellaw | Y |
Whither ridest thou under this green shaw ' shade | O |
Saide this yeoman 'wilt thou far to day ' | - |
This Sompnour answer'd him and saide 'Nay | S |
Here faste by ' quoth he 'is mine intent | O |
To ride for to raisen up a rent | O |
That longeth to my lorde's duety ' | - |
'Ah art thou then a bailiff ' 'Yea ' quoth he | A |
He durste not for very filth and shame | G |
Say that he was a Sompnour for the name | G |
'De par dieux ' lt gt quoth this yeoman 'leve brother dear | A |
Thou art a bailiff and I am another | A |
I am unknowen as in this country | A |
Of thine acquaintance I will praye thee | A |
And eke of brotherhood if that thee list please | K |
I have gold and silver lying in my chest | O |
If that thee hap to come into our shire | A |
All shall be thine right as thou wilt desire ' | - |
'Grand mercy ' quoth this Sompnour 'by my faith ' great thanks | K |
Each in the other's hand his trothe lay'th | E2 |
For to be sworne brethren till they dey die lt gt | O |
In dalliance they ride forth and play | Y |
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This Sompnour which that was as full of jangles chattering | U |
As full of venom be those wariangles butcher birds lt gt | O |
And ev'r inquiring upon every thing | U |
'Brother ' quoth he 'where is now your dwelling | U |
Another day if that I should you seech ' seek visit | O |
This yeoman him answered in soft speech | F2 |
Brother ' quoth he 'far in the North country lt gt | O |
Where as I hope some time I shall thee see | A |
Ere we depart I shall thee so well wiss inform | G |
That of mine house shalt thou never miss ' | - |
Now brother ' quoth this Sompnour 'I you pray | Y |
Teach me while that we ride by the way | Y |
Since that ye be a bailiff as am I | Z |
Some subtilty and tell me faithfully | A |
For mine office how that I most may win | S |
And spare not for conscience or for sin conceal nothing | U |
But as my brother tell me how do ye ' | - |
Now by my trothe brother mine ' said he | A |
As I shall tell to thee a faithful tale | Y |
My wages be full strait and eke full smale | Y |
My lord is hard to me and dangerous niggardly | A |
And mine office is full laborious | K |
And therefore by extortion I live | E |
Forsooth I take all that men will me give | G2 |
Algate by sleighte or by violence whether | A |
From year to year I win all my dispence | K |
I can no better tell thee faithfully ' | - |
Now certes ' quoth this Sompnour 'so fare I do | O |
I spare not to take God it wot | O |
But if it be too heavy or too hot unless | K |
What I may get in counsel privily | A |
No manner conscience of that have I | Z |
N'ere mine extortion I might not live were it not for | A |
For of such japes will I not be shrive tricks confessed | O |
Stomach nor conscience know I none | S |
I shrew | A |
Geoffrey Chaucer
(1)
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