The Canterbury Tales. Being selections from the tales of Geoffrey Chaucer, rendered into modern English with close adherence to the language of the poet. By Frank Pitt-Taylor

Preface

. At a time when so much attention is being directed to the study of the oldest of our English poets, Chaucer, I feel that but little apology is due from me for a humble endeavour to render some of the writings of one, who has been so justly called the Father of our English literature, more familiar to the general public, and especially to my younger readers. It is not to the philological student that a work, such as this, can offer any attraction. Chaucer, by those who have special acquaintance with the English of the fourteenth century, may doubtless still be read with some facility and considerable pleasure, but with respect to nine-tenths of even educated readers, it may be well said, that " Chaucer has all that beauty can desire, But now is prized by few, unknown to most, Because the thoughts are in the language lost.

" 1 In the present volume I have made such a selection from " The Canterbury Tales " as I have considered to 1 Fenton's Poems. Epistle to Mr. Southerne.

PREFACE.

. VI be the most characteristic, and from which, such expres sions, as the licentious age of our poet had rendered admissible, could be most conveniently expunged. In printing these tales, whilst having regard to the more modernised rules of grammar and orthography, I have attempted to give a line-for-line reproduction of the language, sentiments, and expressions of the poet himself. In carrying out this scheme, I have found myself continually reminded, that not only does the English of Chaucer's day differ in many instances from the English of to-day, but often, where the words have retained their original meaning, in accentuation or pronunciation considerable change has crept in. At the time when Chaucer wrote, many words in our language had been but lately imported from France, and it was only natural in him — following the French custom — to lay his accent in such words on the last, instead of the penultimate syllable.

Thus we find licour for liquor ; corage for courage ; resoiin for reason ; viage for voyage ; usage for usage ; manere for manner ; langage for language ; vertiie for virtue ; nature for nature ; contree for country ; cite'e for city ; and so on through the whole work. In the same manner he accentuated the last syllable of words ending in " ing," as wedding for wedding ; coming for coming ; living for living ; brenning for burning. These instances chiefly occur in the rhyming syllables (where a strong accent is indispensable), and as I have

PREFACE.

. VII preferred, where possible, to keep to the exact language of the poet himself, following his quaint advice, that "Whoso schal telle a tale after a man, He most reherce, as neigh as evere he can, Everych a word, if it be in his charge, Al speke he nevere so rudelyche and large ; Or elles he most telle his tale untrewe, Or feyne thing, or fynde wordes newe ;"1 I have not, even in the hope of making " my English sweet upon the tongue,"2 attempted to substitute any synonymous words for those that now appear to be faultily accentuated, but have simply emphasised the words themselves with an accent. Again, I have for the reason above given, even at the risk of offending the modern classical ear, preferred, in many instances, to reintroduce to my readers the characters, whom Chaucer helped to immortalise, by the names familiar at the period in which he lived.

Thus, — as in the Knight's Tale, where we find Theseus for Theseus, Amphion for Amphion, and Capaneus for Capaneus, and in other places where modernising the spelling or pronunciation would have necessitated con siderable alteration, — I have adhered to the older form, and thereby preserved more closely the poet's own language. There seems to be a considerable diversity of opinion as to the order in which the Tales were told, and I have 1 Chaucer's General Prologue, line 731. -' Chaucer's General Prologue, line 265.

PREFACE.

. placed those that I have selected, as far as they go, in that adopted by Mr. Furnivall. I have only to acknowledge how largely I am indebted to the valuable glossaries attached to the editions of Chaucer published by the Rev. Walter Skeat and Dr. Morris, to whose works, in conjunction with the older edition of Chaucer by Tyrwhitt, I have in great part looked, as the best authorities for the few notes that I have thought it necessary to add. CONTENTS. PAGE THE