THE TALE（第2页）

andwhentheywereetothepresenceofmeliboeus，hesaidtothemthesewords;"itstandsthus，"quothmeliboeus，"andsoothitis，thatyecauseless，andwithoutskillandreason，havedonegreatinjuriesandwrongstome，andtomywifeprudence，andtomydaughteralso;foryehaveenteredintomyhousebyviolence，andhavedonesuchoutrage，thatallmenknowwellthatyehavedeservedthedeath:andthereforewilliknowandweetofyou，whetheryewillputthepunishingandchastising，andthevengeanceofthisoutrage，inthewillofmeandofmywife，oryewillnot?"thenthewisestofthemthreeansweredforthemall，andsaid;"sir，"quothhe，"weknowwell，thatwebeiunworthytoetothecourtofsogreatalordandsoworthyasyebe，forwehavesogreatlymistakenus，andhaveoffendedandaguilt[incurredguilt]insuchwiseagainstyourhighlordship，thattrulywehavedeservedthedeath.butyetforthegreatgoodnessanddebonairte[courtesy，gentleness]thatalltheworldwitnessethofyourperson，wesubmitustotheexcellenceandbenignityofyourgraciouslordship，andbereadytoobeytoallyourmandments，beseechingyou，thatofyourmerciable[merciful]pityyewillconsiderourgreatrepentanceandlowsubmission，andgrantusforgivenessofouroutrageoustrespassandoffence;forwellweknow，thatyourliberalgraceandmercystretchthemfartherintogoodness，thandoouroutrageousguiltandtrespassintowickedness;albeitthatcursedly[wickedly]anddamnablywehaveaguilt[incurredguilt]againstyourhighlordship."thenmeliboeustookthemupfromthegroundfullbenignly，andreceivedtheirobligationsandtheirbonds，bytheiroathsupontheirpledgesandborrows，[sureties]eptsentenceandjudgement，thatmeliboeuswouldmandtobedoneonthem，bythecausesaforesaid;whichthingsordained，everymanreturnedhometohishouse.

andwhenthatdameprudencesawhertimeshefreined[inquired]andaskedherlordmeliboeus，whatvengeancehethoughttotakeofhisadversaries.towhichmeliboeusanswered，andsaid;"certes，"quothhe，"ithinkandpurposemefullytodisinheritthefallthatevertheyhave，andfortoputtheminexileforeverre.""certes，"quothdameprudence，"thiswereacruelsentence，andmuchagainstreason.foryeberichenough，andhavenoneedofothermensgoods;andyemightlightly[easily]inthiswisegetyouacovetousname，whichisaviciousthing，andoughttobeeschewedofeverygoodman:for，afterthesayingoftheapostle，covetousnessisrootofallharms.andthereforeitwerebetterforyoutolosemuchgoodofyourown，thanfortotakeoftheirgoodinthismanner.forbetteritistolosegoodwithworship[honour]，thantowingoodwithvillainyandshame.andeverymanoughttodohisdiligenceandhisbusinesstogethimagoodname.andyet[further]shallhenotonlybusyhiminkeepinghisgoodname，butheshallalsoenforcehimalwaytodosomethingbywhichhemayrenewhisgoodname;foritiswritten，thattheoldgoodlos[reputation

]ofamanissoongoneandpassed，whenitisnotrenewed.andastouchingthatyesay，thatyewillexileyouradversaries，thatthinkethyemuchagainstreason，andoutofmeasure，[deration]consideredthepowerthattheyhavegivenyouuponthemselves.anditiswritten，thatheisworthytolosehisprivilege，thatmisuseththemightandthepowerthatisgivenhiandisetcase[ifiassume]yemightenjointhemthatpainbyrightandbylaw（whichitrowyemaynotdo），isay，yemightnotputittoexecutionperadventure，andthenitwereliketoreturntothewar，asitwasbefore.andthereforeifyewillthatmendoyouobeisance，yemustdeem[decide]recourteously，thatistosay，yemustgivereeasysentencesandjudgements.foritiswritten，hethatstcourteouslymandeth，tohimmenstobey.andthereforeiprayyou，thatinthisnecessityandinthisneedyecastyou[endeavour，deviseaway]toovereyourheart.forsenecasaith，thathethatoverethhisheart，overethtwice.andtulliussaith，thereisnothingsomendableinagreatlord，aswhenheisdebonairandmeek，andappeasethhimlightly[easily].andiprayyou，thatyewillnowforbeartodovengeance，insuchamanner，thatyourgoodnamemaybekeptandconserved，andthatmenmayhavecauseandmattertopraiseyouofpityandofmercy;andthatyehavenocausetorepentyouofthingthatyedo.forsenecasaith，heoverethinanevilmanner，thatrepentethhifhisvictory.whereforeiprayyouletmercybeinyourheart，totheeffectandintentthatgodalmightyhavemerc玉ponyouinhislastjudgement;forsaintjamessaithinhisepistle，judgementwithoutmercyshallbedoohim，thathathnomercyofanotherwight."

whenmeliboeushadheardthegreatskills[arguments，reasons]andreasonsofdameprudence，andherwiseinformationandteaching，hisheartganincliothewillofhiswife，consideringhertrueintent，heconformedhimanonandassentedfullytoworkafterhercounsel，andthankedgod，ofwhomproceedethallgoodnessandallvirtue，thathimsentawifeofsogreatdiscretion.andwhenthedaycamethathisadversariesshouldappearinhispresence，hespaketothemfullgoodly，andsaidinthiswise;"albeitso，thatofyourprideandhighpresumptionandfolly，anofyournegligenceandunconning，[ignorance]yehavemisborne[misbehaved]you，andtrespassed[doneinjury]untome，yetforasmuchasiseeandbeholdyourgreathumility，andthatyebesorryandrepentantofyourguilts，itconstraihmetodoyougraceandmercy.whereforeireceiveyouintomygrace，andforgiveyouutterlyalltheoffences，injuries，andwrongs，thatyehavedoneagainstmeandmine，tothiseffectandtothisend，thatgodofhisendlessmercywillatthetimeofourdyingforgiveusourguilts，thatwehavetrespassedtohiminthiswretchedworld;fordoubtless，ifwebesorryandrepentantofthesinsandguiltswhichwehavetrespassedinthesightofourlordgod，heissofreeandsomerciable[merciful]，thathewillforgiveusourguilts，andbringustotheblissthatneverhathend."amen.

thetaleofmeliboeusisliterallytranslatedfromafrenchstory，orrather"treatise，"inprose，entitled"lelivredemelibeeetdedameprudence，"ofwhichtwomanuscripts，bothdafromthefifteenthcentury，arepreservedinthebritishmuseutyrwhitt，justlyenough，saysofitthatitisindeed，aschaucercalleditintheprologue，"araltalevirtuous，andwasprobablymuchesteemedinitstime;but，inthisageoflevity，idoubtsomereaderswillbeapttoregretthathedidnotrathergiveustheremainderofsirthopas."ithasbeenremarkedthatintheearlierportionofthetale，asitleftthehandofthepoet，anumberofblankverseswereintermixed;thoughthispeculiarityofstyle，noticeableinanycaseonlyinthefirst150or200lines，hasnecessarilyallbutdisappearedbythechangesofspellingmadeinthederneditions.theeditorspurposebeingtopresenttothepublicnot"thecanterburytales"merely，but"thepoemsofchaucer，"sofarasmaybeconsistentwiththelimitsofthisvo露me，hehascondensedthelongreasoningsandlearnedquotationsofdameprudenceintoamereoutline，connecthoseportionsofthetalewhereinliessomuchofstoryasitactuallypossesses，andthegeneralreaderwillprobablynotregretthesacrifice，madeintheviewofretainingsofaraspossiblethepletenessofthetales，whilelesseningtheintrusionofproseintoavo露meorpoems.thegoodwifeofmeliboeusliterallyoverflowswithquotationsfromdavid，solon，jesusthesonofsirach，theapostles，ovid，cicero，seneca，cassiodorus，cato，petrusalphonsus—theconvertedspanishjew，ofthetwelfthcentury，whowrotethe"disciplinaclericalis"—andotherauthorities;andinsomepassages，especiallywherehusbandandwifedebatethemeritsordemeritsofwomen，andwhereprudencedilatesontheevilsofpoverty，chauceronlyreproducesmuchthathadbeensaidalreadyinthetalesthatpreceded—suchasthemerchantsandthemanoflaws.

thelineswhichfollowareaclosetranslationoftheoriginal

latin，whichreads:

"quismatrem，nisimentisinops，infunerenati

flerevetet?nonhocillanendaloco.

cumdederitlacrymas，animumqueexpleveritaegrum，

illedolorverbisederanduserit."

ovid，"remediaaris，"127-131.

seetheconversationbetweenp露toandproserpine，inthemerchantstale.

"thyname，"shesays，"ismeliboeus;thatistosay，amanthatdrinkethhoney."

los:reputation;fromthepastparticipleoftheanglo-saxon，"hlisan"tocelebrate.parelatin，"laus."