And fwiche he was ypreved often fithes;
Ful loth were him to cursen for his tithes,
But rather wolde he yeven out of doute
Unto his poure parishens aboute
Of his offring, and eke of his fubftance;

He coude in litel thing have fuffifance :

490

Wide was his parifh, and houfes fer afonder,

But he ne left nought for no rain ne thonder,

In fikeneffe and in mifchief to vifite

495

The ferreft in his parish moche and lite

Upon his fete, and in his hand a staf:

For if a preeft be foule on whom we truft
No wonder is a lewed man to ruft;
And fhame it is if that a preeft take kepe
To fee a shitten fhepherd and clene fhepe:
Wel ought a preeft enfample for to yeve
By his cleneneffe how his hepe fhulde live.
He fette not his benefice to hire,
And lette his hepe acombred in the mire,
And ran unto London unto Seint Poules
To feken him a chanterie for foules,
Or with a brotherhede to be withold,

But dwelt at home and kepte wel his fold,

505

510

So that the wolf ne made it not mifcarie:
He was a fhepherd and no mercenarie;
And though he holy were and vertuous
He was to finful men not difpitous,
Ne of his fpeche dangerous ne digne,
But in his teching diferete and benigne.

515

520

To drawen folk to heven with faireneffe,

By good enfample, was his befineffe;

But it were any perfone obftinat,

What fo he were of highe or low estat,

Him wolde he fnibben fharply for the nones:
A better preeft I trowe that no wher non is,
He waited after no ponpe ne reverence,
Ne maked him, no fpiced confcience
But Criftés lore, and his apostles twelve

525

He taught, but first he folwed it himfelve.

530

With him ther was a Plowman, was his brother,

That hadde ylaid of dong ful many a fother;
A trewe fwinker and a good was he,
Living in pees and parfite charitee:"
God loved he befte with alle his herte
At alle times, were it gain or smerte,

535

And than his neighbour right as himfelve.

He wolde thresh, and therto dike and delve,
For Criftes fake, for every poure wight

Withouten hire, if it lay in his might.

540

.528. fpiced confcience] This phrafe occurs again ver.6017,

But I do not underland it.

His tithes paied he ful fayre and wel Both of his propre fwinke and his catel. In a tabard he rode upon a mere.

Ther was alfo a Reve, and a Millere,
A Sempnour, and a Pardoner also,

A Manciple, and myself; ther n'ere no mo.
The Miller was a ftout carl for the nones,
Ful bigge he was of braun and eke of bones,
That proved wel, for over all ther he came,
At wraftling he wold bere away the ram.

545

550

He was short fhuldered, brode, a thikke gnarre,

'Ther n'as no dore that he n'olde heve of barre
Or breke it at a renning with his hede;
His berd as any fowe or fox was rede,

And therto brode as though it were a spade.
Upon the cop right of his nofe he hade
A wert, and theron ftode a tufte of heres
Rede as the briftles of a fowes eres :

555

His nofe-thirles blacke were and wide:

A fwerd and bokeler bare he by his fide:

560

His mouth as wide was as a forneis:

He was a jangler and a Goliardeis,

v. 550. the ram] This was the ufual prize at wrestlingmatches. See below, ver. 13671, and Gamelyn, ver. 343, 555M. Paris mentions a wrestling-match at Weltminster in the year 1222, at which a ram was the prize, p. 265.

.562. a Goliardeis] Un Goliardois, Fr. Goliardus, or Goliardenfis, Lat. This jovial fect feems to have been fo called from Golias, the real or affumed name of a man of wit toward the end of the 12th century, who wrote the Apocalypfis Golie and other

And that was most of finne and harlotries:
Wel coude he ftelen corne and tollen thries;
And yet he had a thomb of gold parde,
A white cote and a blew hode wered he:
A baggepipe wel coude he blowe and foune,
And therwithall he brought us out of toune.
A gentil Manciple was ther of a temple,
Of which achatours mighten take enfemple
For to ben wife in bying of vitaille,

For whether that he paide or toke by taille
Algate he waited fo in his achate

That he was ay before in good eftate:

565

570

pieces in burlesque Latin rhymes, fome of which have been falfely attributed to Walter Map. See Tanner's Bibl. Brit. in v. Golias, and Du Cange in v. Goliardus. There is a poem by one of this sea in mf. Bod. 3869, Fames, 32, which is entitled Diag cujufdam Goliardi Anglici, and begins thus;

Omnibus in Gallia, Anglus Goliardus,
Obediens et humilis, frater non baftardus,
Goliæ difcipulus, dolens quod tam tardus,
Mandat falutem fratribus, nomine Richardus.

The laft ftanza is this;

Summa falus omnium, filius Mariæ,
Pafcat, potet, veiliat pueres Goliæ,
Et confervet focios fanétæ confrariæ

Ad dies ufque ultimos Enoch et Elya.

In feveral authors of the 12th century, quoted by Du Cange, the Goliardi are claffed with the joculatores et bufones.

.565. a thomb of gold] If the allufion be, as is moft probable, to the old proverb,

Every honeft miller has a thumb "of gold," this pallage may mean that our Miller, notwithftanding his thefts, was an honest miller, i. e. as hone as hie brethren.

Now is not that of God a ful fayre grace
That swiche a lewed mannes wit fhal pace
The wisdom of an hepe of lered men?

Of maisters had he mo than thries ten
That were of lawe expert and curious,
Of which ther was a dofein in that hous
Worthy to ben ftewardes of rent and lond
Of any lord that is in Englelond,

575

$80

To maken him live by his propre good

In honour detteles, but if he were wood,
Or live as fcarfly as him lift defire,
And able for to helpen all a fhire

In any cas that mighte fallen or happe;
And yet this Manciple fette hir aller cappe.
The Reve was a flendre colerike man,
His berd was fhave as neighe as ever he can :
His here was by his eres round yfhorne;
His top was docked like a preest beforne:
Ful longe were his legges and ful lene,
Ylike a ftaff; ther was no calf yfene.
Wel coude he kena

Ther w?

W

585

590