The Manciple’s Tale: Prologue
WEET ye not where there stands a little town,Which that y-called is Bob-up-and-down,Under the Blee, in Canterbury way?There gan our Hoste for to jape and play,And saide, “Sirs, what? Dun is in the mire.Is there no man, for prayer nor for hire,That will awaken our fellow behind?A thief him might full rob and bindSee how he nappeth, see, for cocke’s bones,As he would falle from his horse at ones.Is that a Cook of London, with mischance?Do him come forth, he knoweth his penance;For he shall tell a tale, by my fay,Although it be not worth a bottle hay.
Awake, thou Cook,” quoth he; “God give thee sorrowWhat aileth thee to sleepe by the morrow?Hast thou had fleas all night, or art drunk?Or had thou with some quean all night y-swunk,So that thou mayest not hold up thine head?”The Cook, that was full pale and nothing red,Said to Host, “So God my soule bless,As there is fall’n on me such heaviness,I know not why, that me were lever sleep,Than the best gallon wine that is in Cheap.”“Well,” quoth the Manciple, “if it may do easeTo thee, Sir Cook, and to no wight displeaseWhich that here rideth in this company,And that our Host will of his courtesy,I will as now excuse thee of thy tale;For in good faith thy visage is full pale:Thine eyen daze, soothly as me thinketh,And well I wot, thy breath full soure stinketh,That sheweth well thou art not well disposed;Of me certain thou shalt not be y-glosed.See how he yawneth, lo, this drunken wight,As though he would us swallow anon right.Hold close thy mouth, man, by thy father’s kin;The devil of helle set his foot therein!Thy cursed breath infecte will us all:Fy! stinking swine, fy! foul may thee befall.Ah! take heed, Sirs, of this lusty man.Now, sweete Sir, will ye joust at the fan?Thereto, me thinketh, ye be well y-shape.I trow that ye have drunken wine of ape,And that is when men playe with a straw.”
And with this speech the Cook waxed all wraw,And on the Manciple he gan nod fastFor lack of speech; and down his horse him cast,Where as he lay, till that men him up took.This was a fair chevachie of a cook:Alas! that he had held him by his ladle!And ere that he again were in the saddleThere was great shoving bothe to and froTo lift him up, and muche care and woe,So unwieldy was this silly paled ghost.And to the Manciple then spake our Host:“Because that drink hath dominationUpon this man, by my salvationI trow he lewedly will tell his tale.For were it wine, or old or moisty ale,That he hath drunk, he speaketh in his nose,And sneezeth fast, and eke he hath the poseHe also hath to do more than enoughTo keep him on his capel out of the slough;And if he fall from off his capel eftsoon,Then shall we alle have enough to do’nIn lifting up his heavy drunken corse.Tell on thy tale, of him make I no force.But yet, Manciple, in faith thou art too niceThus openly to reprove him of his vice;Another day he will paraventureReclaime thee, and bring thee to the lure;I mean, he speake will of smalle things,As for to pinchen at thy reckonings,That were not honest, if it came to prefe.”Quoth the Manciple, “That were a great mischief;So might he lightly bring me in the snare.Yet had I lever paye for the mareWhich he rides on, than he should with me strive.I will not wrathe him, so may I thrive)That that I spake, I said it in my bourde.And weet ye what? I have here in my gourdA draught of wine, yea, of a ripe grape,And right anon ye shall see a good jape.This Cook shall drink thereof, if that I may;On pain of my life he will not say nay.”And certainly, to tellen as it was,Of this vessel the cook drank fast (alas!What needed it? he drank enough beforn),And when he hadde pouped in his horn,To the Manciple he took the gourd again.And of that drink the Cook was wondrous fain,And thanked him in such wise as he could.
Then gan our Host to laughe wondrous loud,And said, “I see well it is necessaryWhere that we go good drink with us to carry;For that will turne rancour and diseaseT’accord and love, and many a wrong appease.O Bacchus, Bacchus, blessed be thy name,That so canst turnen earnest into game!Worship and thank be to thy deity.Of that mattere ye get no more of me.Tell on thy tale, Manciple, I thee pray.”“Well, Sir,” quoth he, “now hearken what I say.”
Words in this poem 34
- weet v. i.
- To know; to wit. Tyndale. [See Wit to know.]
- blee n.
- Complexion; color; hue; likeness; form. [AS. bleó, bleóh.]
- jape v. i.
- To jest; to play tricks; to jeer. [Prob. from the same source as gab,influenced by F. japper to yelp. See Gab to deceive.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- quoth v. t.
- Said; spoke; uttered; -- used only in the first and third persons in the past tenses, and always followed by its nominative, the word or words said being the object; as, quoth I. quoth he. [AS.cweedhan, imp cwæedh, pl. cwædon; akin to OS. queedhan, OHG. quethan, quedan, Icel. kveedha, Goth. qiþan. sq. root22. Cf. Bequeath.]
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
- quean n.
- A woman; a young or unmarried woman; a girl. [Originally, a woman, AS. cwene; akin to OS. quena, OHG. quena, Icel. kona, Goth qin, and AS. cwén, also to Gr. gna goddess. Cf. Queen.]
- heaviness n.
- The state or quality of being heavy in its various senses; weight; sadness; sluggishness; oppression; thickness.
- gallon n.
- A measure of capacity, containing four quarts; -- used, for the most part, in liquid measure, but sometimes in dry measure. [OF galon, jalon, LL. galo, galona, fr. galum a liquid measure; cf. F. jale large bowl. Cf. Gill a measure.]
- manciple n.
- A steward; a purveyor, particularly of a college or Inn of Court. [From OF. mancipe slave, servant (with l inserted, as in participle), fr. L. mancipium. See Mancipate.]
- wight n.
- A whit; a bit; a jot. [OE. wight, wiht, a wight, a whit, AS. wiht, wuht, a creature, a thing; skin to D. wicht a child, OS. & OHG. wiht a creature, thing, G. wicht a creature, Icel. v]
- displease v. i.
- To give displeasure or offense.
- visage n.
- The face, countenance, or look of a person or an animal; -- chiefly applied to the human face. [F. visage, from L. visus a seeing, a look, fr. videre, visum, to see. See Vision.]
- eyen n.
- Plural of eye; obsolete, or used only in poetry.
- daze v. t.
- To stupefy with excess of light; with a blow, with cold, or with fear; to confuse; to benumb. [OE. dasen, prob. from Icel. dasask to become weary, a reflexive verb; cf. Sw. dasa to lie idle, and OD. daesen to be foolish, insane, daes, dwaes, D. dwaas, foo]
- soothly adv.
- In truth; truly; really; verily.
- shalt
- 2d per. sing. of Shall.
- anon adv.
- Straightway; at once. [OE. anoon, anon, anan, lit., in one (moment), fr. AS. on in + an one. See On and One.]
- cursed a.
- Deserving a curse; execrable; hateful; detestable; abominable.
- trow v. i.
- To believe; to trust; to think or suppose. [OE. trowen, AS.treówan to trust, believe, fr. treów trust, treówe true, faithful. See True.]
- wraw a.
- Angry; vexed; wrathful. [Cf. dial. Sw. vrå willful, disobedient.]
- ghost n.
- The spirit; the soul of man. [OE. gast, gost, soul, spirit, AS. gast breath, spirit, soul; akin to OS. g spirit, soul, D. geest, G. geist, and prob. to E. gaze, ghastly.]
- domination n.
- The act of dominating; exercise of power in ruling; dominion; supremacy; authority; often, arbitrary or insolent sway. [F. domination, L. dominatio.]
- capel n.
- A horse; a nag. Chaucer. Holland. [Icel. kapall; cf. L. caballus.]
- eftsoon adv.
- Again; anew; a second time; at once; speedily. [OE. eftsone, eftsones; AS. eft + s soon. See Eft, and Soon.]
- alle conj.
- Although; if. See All, conj.
- corse n.
- A living body or its bulk. [OF. cors, F. corps. See Corpse.]
- paraventure adv.
- Peradventure; perchance. [Par + aventure.]
- tellen n.
- Any species of Tellina.
- drank n.
- Wild oats, or darnel grass. See Drake a plant. [Cf. 3d Drake.]
- wondrous adv.
- In a wonderful or surprising manner or degree; wonderfully. [OE. wonders, adv. (later also adj.). See Wonder, n., and cf. -wards.]
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- rancour n.
- The deepest malignity or spite; deep-seated enmity or malice; inveterate hatred. [OE. rancour, OF. rancor, rancur, F. rancune, fr. L. rancor rancidity, rankness; tropically, an old grudge, rancor, fr. rancere to be rank or rancid.]
- thank n.
- A expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment expressive of a sense of favor or kindness received; obligation, claim, or desert, or gratitude; -- now generally used in the plural. [AS. Þanc, Þonc, thanks, favor, thought; akin to OS. thank favor, pleasure, thanks, D. & G. dank thanks, Icel. Þ\'94kk, Dan. tak, Sw. tack, Goth. Þagks thanks; -]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Manciple’s Tale: Prologue is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Canterbury Tales, Project Gutenberg ebook #2383; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Manciple’s Tale: Prologue, in The Canterbury Tales (1400), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #2383, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/canterbury-tales/the-manciple-s-tale-prologue.html, id L15883.
Form and metre
The Manciple’s Tale: Prologue is 104 lines in 4 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 79% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 80%). 93% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.9 syllables. 18 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 17% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in heroic couplets, other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AABBCCDD--EEBB townA · downA · wayB · playB · mireC · hireC · behindD · bindD · bones · ones · mischanceE · penanceE · fayB · hayB
- 2 AABBCCDDEEFF--GGHHIIJJKKLLMMNN- sorrowA · morrowA · drunkB · swunkB · headC · redC · blessD · heavinessD · sleepE · cheapE · easeF · displeaseF · company · courtesy · taleG · paleG · thinkethH · stinkethH · disposedI · glosedI · wightJ · rightJ · kinK · thereinK · allL · befallL · manM · fanM · shapeN · apeN · straw
- 3 -AABB--CCDDEEFFGGHH--IIJJ--KK--LLMMNNOOPP--QQ--- wraw · fastA · castA · tookB · cookB · ladle · saddle · froC · woeC · ghostD · hostD · dominationE · salvationE · taleF · aleF · noseG · poseG · enoughH · sloughH · eftsoon · do'n · corseI · forceI · niceJ · viceJ · paraventure · lure · thingsK · reckoningsK · prefe · mischief · snareL · mareL · striveM · thriveM · bourdeN · gourdN · grapeO · japeO · mayP · nayP · was · alas · befornQ · hornQ · again · fain · could
- 4 -AABBCC--DD loud · necessaryA · carryA · diseaseB · appeaseB · nameC · gameC · deity · me · prayD · sayD
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| WEET ye not where there stands a little town, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Which that y-called is Bob-up-and-down, | 10 | ····˘····· |
| Under the Blee, in Canterbury way? | 10 | ·····/˘·˘· |
| There gan our Hoste for to jape and play, | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| And saide, “Sirs, what? Dun is in the mire. | 10 | ·········· |
| Is there no man, for prayer nor for hire, | 10 | ········/˘ |
| That will awaken our fellow behind? | 10 | ··˘/˘//˘·· |
| A thief him might full rob and bind | 8 | ········ |
| See how he nappeth, see, for cocke’s bones, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| As he would falle from his horse at ones. | 10 | ·········· |
| Is that a Cook of London, with mischance? | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| Do him come forth, he knoweth his penance; | 10 | ·····/˘·/˘ |
| For he shall tell a tale, by my fay, | 9 | ········· |
| Although it be not worth a bottle hay. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Awake, thou Cook,” quoth he; “God give thee sorrow | 11 | ˘/·······/˘ |
| What aileth thee to sleepe by the morrow? | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Hast thou had fleas all night, or art drunk? | 9 | ········· |
| Or had thou with some quean all night y-swunk, | 10 | ·········· |
| So that thou mayest not hold up thine head?” | 10 | ·········· |
| The Cook, that was full pale and nothing red, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Said to Host, “So God my soule bless, | 8 | ········ |
| As there is fall’n on me such heaviness, | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| I know not why, that me were lever sleep, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Than the best gallon wine that is in Cheap.” | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| “Well,” quoth the Manciple, “if it may do ease | 11 | ···/˘˘····· |
| To thee, Sir Cook, and to no wight displease | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Which that here rideth in this company, | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| And that our Host will of his courtesy, | 11 | ··/˘····/˘˘ |
| I will as now excuse thee of thy tale; | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| For in good faith thy visage is full pale: | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Thine eyen daze, soothly as me thinketh, | 10 | ·/˘·/˘··/˘ |
| And well I wot, thy breath full soure stinketh, | 10 | ········/˘ |
| That sheweth well thou art not well disposed; | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| Of me certain thou shalt not be y-glosed. | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| See how he yawneth, lo, this drunken wight, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| As though he would us swallow anon right. | 10 | ·····/˘˘/· |
| Hold close thy mouth, man, by thy father’s kin; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| The devil of helle set his foot therein! | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Thy cursed breath infecte will us all: | 9 | ··˘······ |
| Fy! stinking swine, fy! foul may thee befall. | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| Ah! take heed, Sirs, of this lusty man. | 9 | ······/˘· |
| Now, sweete Sir, will ye joust at the fan? | 10 | ·········· |
| Thereto, me thinketh, ye be well y-shape. | 10 | ˘/·/˘····· |
| I trow that ye have drunken wine of ape, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And that is when men playe with a straw.” | 9 | ········· |
| And with this speech the Cook waxed all wraw, | 10 | ·······˘·· |
| And on the Manciple he gan nod fast | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| For lack of speech; and down his horse him cast, | 10 | ·········· |
| Where as he lay, till that men him up took. | 10 | ·········· |
| This was a fair chevachie of a cook: | 10 | ····/˘˘··· |
| Alas! that he had held him by his ladle! | 11 | ˘/·······/˘ |
| And ere that he again were in the saddle | 11 | ····˘/···/˘ |
| There was great shoving bothe to and fro | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| To lift him up, and muche care and woe, | 10 | ·········· |
| So unwieldy was this silly paled ghost. | 10 | ·˘/˘··/˘·· |
| And to the Manciple then spake our Host: | 10 | ···/˘˘··/· |
| “Because that drink hath domination | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| Upon this man, by my salvation | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| I trow he lewedly will tell his tale. | 10 | ·········· |
| For were it wine, or old or moisty ale, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| That he hath drunk, he speaketh in his nose, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And sneezeth fast, and eke he hath the pose | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| He also hath to do more than enough | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| To keep him on his capel out of the slough; | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| And if he fall from off his capel eftsoon, | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| Then shall we alle have enough to do’n | 9 | ·····˘/·· |
| In lifting up his heavy drunken corse. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| Tell on thy tale, of him make I no force. | 10 | ·········· |
| But yet, Manciple, in faith thou art too nice | 11 | ··/˘˘······ |
| Thus openly to reprove him of his vice; | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| Another day he will paraventure | 10 | ˘/˘······· |
| Reclaime thee, and bring thee to the lure; | 9 | ········· |
| I mean, he speake will of smalle things, | 10 | ·········· |
| As for to pinchen at thy reckonings, | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| That were not honest, if it came to prefe.” | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Quoth the Manciple, “That were a great mischief; | 11 | ··/˘˘····/˘ |
| So might he lightly bring me in the snare. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Yet had I lever paye for the mare | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Which he rides on, than he should with me strive. | 10 | ·········· |
| I will not wrathe him, so may I thrive) | 9 | ········· |
| That that I spake, I said it in my bourde. | 10 | ·········· |
| And weet ye what? I have here in my gourd | 10 | ·········· |
| A draught of wine, yea, of a ripe grape, | 9 | ········· |
| And right anon ye shall see a good jape. | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| This Cook shall drink thereof, if that I may; | 10 | ·········· |
| On pain of my life he will not say nay.” | 10 | ·········· |
| And certainly, to tellen as it was, | 10 | ·/˘˘·/˘··· |
| Of this vessel the cook drank fast (alas! | 10 | ··/˘····˘/ |
| What needed it? he drank enough beforn), | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| And when he hadde pouped in his horn, | 9 | ·····˘··· |
| To the Manciple he took the gourd again. | 11 | ··/˘˘····˘/ |
| And of that drink the Cook was wondrous fain, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And thanked him in such wise as he could. | 10 | ··˘······· |
| Then gan our Host to laughe wondrous loud, | 10 | ··/˘···/˘· |
| And said, “I see well it is necessary | 11 | ·······/˘·˘ |
| Where that we go good drink with us to carry; | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| For that will turne rancour and disease | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| T’accord and love, and many a wrong appease. | 10 | ·····/··˘/ |
| O Bacchus, Bacchus, blessed be thy name, | 10 | ·/˘/˘·˘··· |
| That so canst turnen earnest into game! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Worship and thank be to thy deity. | 10 | /˘·····/˘˘ |
| Of that mattere ye get no more of me. | 10 | ·········· |
| Tell on thy tale, Manciple, I thee pray.” | 10 | ····/˘˘··· |
| “Well, Sir,” quoth he, “now hearken what I say.” | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
Notes from the edition 4
Glosses from the Purves edition of 1870, printed beside the lines (Project Gutenberg #2383).
- Stanza 1 know · easily · make · faith
- Stanza 2 by the morrow?: in the day time · whore **laboured · rather · are dim · flattered
- Stanza 3 wrathful · cavalry expedition · stupidly · new · horse · again · make I no force.: I take no account · nice: foolish · pick flaws in · test, proof · rather · jest · trick · pouped in his horn,: belched
- Stanza 4 disease: trouble, annoyance
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.