The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
The Parson’s Prologue
Here follows the Prologue of the Parson’s Tale.
By the time the Manciple had finished his tale, the sun
had descended so low from the south line that, to my
sight, he was not twenty-nine degrees high. It was then
four o’clock, as I calculate; for my shadow there was
eleven feet, or a little more or less, if I judge my height
to be six feet. In addition, the moon’s exaltation1, I
mean Libra, was still ever ascending, as we were
entering the edge of a village. 12
For this reason, our Host, just as he was accustomed to
govern our merry company in such matters, said in this
way, “Gentle people, now we are lacking only one tale.
My judgment and my decree have been carried out; I
believe we have heard from all sorts and conditions of
you, and my entire plan is almost fulfilled. I pray God,
may good fortune come to the one who tells this tale to
us in lively style. 21
“Sir priest,” he said, “are you a vicar, or are you a
parson? Tell the truth, by your faith! Whatever you
may be, do not break our game, for except you every
person has told his tale; unbuckle your bag and show
us what is in it. For truly it seems to me by your look
you should knit up some great matter indeed. Tell us a
tale right away, for Christ’s bones.” 29
This Parson answered directly, “You will get no fable
told by me! For Paul, writing to Timothy2, reproves
those who depart from that which is true and tell fables
and such wretchedness. Why should I sow chaff out of
my fist when I can sow wheat if I desire? Therefore I
say, if you wish to hear moral instruction and virtuous
matter, and if you will lend attentive ears, I will very
gladly do you such lawful pleasure in reverence to
Christ as I am able. But know well I am a Southern
man, I cannot tell a tale ‘rum, ram, ruf’ by the letter3;
and God knows, I consider rhyme to be very nearly as
bad. And therefore I will humor no man, but if you
wish I will tell you a merry tale in prose, to knit up all
this festivity and make an end. And may Jesus, by his
grace, grant me the intelligence to show you on this
journey the way to that same perfect and glorious
pilgrimage, which is called the heavenly Jerusalem.
And, if you allow it, I shall begin immediately my tale,
for which I pray you to give me your opinion, I can say
no more. 54
1
The moon’s exaltation.
2
Paul . . . Timothy.
3
‘Rum, ram, ruf’ by the letter.
1
“But nevertheless I set forth this meditation subject to
the correction of scholars at all points, for I am not a
learned man; I understand only the essential idea,
believe me. Therefore I protest that I will stand to
correction.” 60
Upon these words we quickly agreed, for it seemed to
us a fit thing to do, to give him opportunity and
hearing, and to end with some edifying matter. And we
bid our Host to tell him that we all prayed him to tell
his tale. 66
Our Host spoke for all of us. “Sir priest,” he said,
“good luck to you now! Tell us your meditation. But
make haste; the sun will go down. Be fruitful, and do
so in short time, and may God send you his grace to do
well!” And with that word, he spoke in this manner.
Here ends the prologue.
The Parson’s Tale
Stand ye on the ways, and see and ask for the old
paths which is the good way, and walk ye in it: and
you shall find refreshment for your souls. And they
said: we will not walk. 4
Our sweet Lord God of heaven, who wishes to destroy
no person but desires that we will all come to the
knowledge of him and to the blissful life that is eternal,
admonished us by the prophet Jeremiah, who says this:
“Stand upon the roads, and see and ask for old paths
(that is to say, of old wisdom) which is the good way,
and walk in that way, and you shall find refreshment
for your souls, etc.” Many are the spiritual ways that
lead people to our Lord Jesus Christ and to the reign of
glory. 79
Of these ways there is a noble and fitting way, which
may not fail a man or a woman who through sin has
gone astray from the right path of the heavenly
Jerusalem; and this way is called Penitence, of which
man should gladly hearken and seek with his full heart
to know what Penitence is, and where Penitence is, and
in how many manners the actions or workings of
Penitence are, and how many types of Penitence there
are, and which things pertain to and are necessary for
Penitence, and which things hinder Penitence. 83
Saint Ambrose5 says that Penitence is the lamenting of
man for the sin that he has done, and to do no more
anything for which he ought to lament. And some
4
Stand ye . . . not walk. Jeremiah 6:16. The same quote as in
lines 77-78. (Douay-Rheims Bible).
5 Saint Ambrose.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
theologian says6, “Penitence is the lamentation of man
that sorrows for his sin and makes himself for what he
has done wrong.” Penitence, in certain circumstances,
is truly repentance of a man that holds himself in
sorrow and other pain for his sins. 86
And in order that he shall be truly penitent, he shall
first bewail the sins that he has done, and steadfastly
intend in his heart to make oral confession, and to do
penance, and never to do anything for which he ought
more to lament or to mourn, and to continue in good
works, or else his repentance may not be effective.
For, as Saint Isidore7 says, “He is a mocker and a
foolish talker and not truly repentant that soon
afterward does foolish things for which he ought to
repent.” Weeping, without putting an end to sinning,
may not help. 90
But nonetheless, men shall hope that every time that
man falls, no matter how often, he may arise through
Penitence, if he has grace; but certainly it is a great
doubt. For, as Saint Gregory says, “He who is
burdened with the burden of evil habits arises with
difficulty out of his sin.” And therefore those repentant
people, who stop sinning and forsake sin before sin
forsakes them, holy church considers sure of their
salvation. And he who sins and truly repents himself in
his end, holy church yet hopes for his salvation, by the
great mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, for his
repentance; but take the sure way. 93
And now, since I have declared to you what Penitence
is, now you should understand that there are three
actions of Penitence. The first is that if a man were to
be baptized after he has sinned. Saint Augustine8 says,
“Unless he is penitent for his old sinful life, he may not
begin the new clean life.” For, surely, if he were to be
baptized without penitence for his old sin, he receives
the mark of baptism but not the grace nor the remission
of his sins, until he truly has repentance. Another
defect is this: that people commit deadly sins after they
have received baptism. The third defect is that men fall
into venial sins from day to day after their baptism.
About this Saint Augustine says that penitence of good
and humble people is the penitence of every day. 101
The types of Penitence are three. One of them is
public, another is ordinary, and the third is secret. The
penance that is public is in two manners; as to be put
out of holy church in Lent for the murder of children,
and similar things. Another is, when a man has sinned
6
Some theologian.
Saint Isidore.
8 Saint Augustine.
2
openly, about which sin the infamy is openly discussed
throughout the land, and then holy church by judgment
compels him to do public penance. Common penance
is that which priests impose on people commonly in
certain cases to do, for example, to go perhaps
unadorned on pilgrimages, or barefoot. Private
penance is that which people do continually for private
sins, for which we confess ourselves privately and
receive private penance. 106
Now you shall understand what is useful and
necessary to truly perfect Penitence. And this depends
on three things: Contrition of Heart, Confession of
Mouth, and Satisfaction. On this point Saint John
Crisostom9 says, “Penitence compels a man to accept
graciously every pain that imposed on him, with
contrition of heart, and confession of mouth, with
satisfaction, and in suffering every type of
humiliation.” And this is fruitful penitence against
three things in which we anger our Lord Jesus Christ;
this is to say, by delight in thinking, by recklessness in
speaking, and by wicked sinful action. 111
And against these wicked sins is Penitence, which
may be likened unto a tree. The root of this tree is
Contrition, which hides himself in the heart of one who
is truly repentant, just as the root of a tree hides
himself in the earth. Of the root of Contrition springs a
stalk that bears the branches and leaves of Confession,
and the fruit of Satisfaction. About this Christ says in
his gospel, “Do worthy fruit of Penitence”; for by this
fruit may men know this tree, and not by the root that
is hidden in the heart of man, nor by the branches, nor
by the leaves of Confession. 115
And therefore our Lord Jesus Christ says thus: “By the
fruit of them should you know them.” Of this root also
springs a seed of grace, which is the mother of
security, and this seed is bitter and hot. The grace of
this seed springs from God through remembrance of
the Day of Judgment and on the pains of hell. Of this
matter Solomon says that in the fear of God man
forsakes his sin. The heat of this seed is the love of
God and the desire for eternal joy. This heat draws the
heart of a man to God and makes him hate his sin. For
truly there is nothing that tastes as good to a child as
the milk of his nurse, and nothing is more abominable
to a child than that same milk when it is mixed with
other food. 122
In the same way, for the sinful man that loves his sin,
the sin seems to him to be the sweetest thing of all; but
from the time that he steadfastly loves our Lord Jesus
Christ, and desires eternal life, so too there is to him
7
9
Saint John Crisostom. (Or Chrysostom). 349– ca. 407
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
nothing more abominable10. For truly the law of God is
the love of God; for which David11 the prophet says, “I
have loved your law and hated wickedness and hate”;
he who loves God keeps his law and his word. 125
The prophet Daniel saw this tree in spirit, at the time
of the vision of the king Nebuchadnezzar, when he
counseled him to do penitence. Penance is the tree of
life to those who receive it, and he who holds himself
in true penitence is blessed, according to the wisdom
of Solomon12. 127
In this Penitence or Contrition one shall understand
four things; that is to say, what is Contrition, and what
are the causes that move a man to Contrition, and how
he should be contrite, and what Contrition aids the
soul. Then it is so: that Contrition is the true sorrow
that a man receives in his heart for his sins, with
steadfast intention to confess himself, and to do
penance, and to sin never again. And this sorrow shall
be in this manner, as Saint Bernard says: “It shall be
heavy and grievous, and very sharp and poignant in
heart.” First13, because man has sinned against his Lord
and his Creator; and more sharp and poignant for he
has sinned against his heavenly Father; and yet more
sharp and poignant because he has angered and sinned
against the one who redeemed him, who with his
precious blood has delivered us from the bonds of sin,
from the cruelty of the devil, and from the pains of
hell. 132
There are six considerations that ought to move a man
to Contrition. First a man shall call to mind his sins;
but he should see that this calling to mind will be of no
delight to him in any way, but only great shame and
sorrow for his sin. For Job14 says, “Sinful men do
works worthy of ruin.” And therefore Hezekiah15 says,
“I will remember all the years of my life in bitterness
of my heart.” And God says in the Apocalypse 16,
“Remember from where you have fallen”; for before
that time that you sinned, you were the children of God
and members of the kingdom of God; but for your sin
you have become enslaved, and filthy, and members of
the fiend17, Satan, the hate of angels, the slander of
holy church, the food of the false serpent, and the
10
More abominable. I.e., than sin.
David.
12 Solomon.
13 First. I.e., it shall be heavy ang grievous.
14 Job.
15 Hezekiah.
16 Apocalypse.
11
The fiend. The text refers only to “the fiend,” but
this translation uses the convenient designator of satan
instead.
17
3
everlasting fuel for the fire of hell; and yet more foul
and abominable, for you trespass as often as the dog
that returns to eat his vomit. And yet you are fouler for
your prolonged continuation in sin and your sinful
habit, for which you are filthy in your sin, like a beast
in its dung. Such thoughts make a man have shame for
his sin, and no delight, as God says by the prophet
Ezekiel18, “You shall think upon your ways, and they
shall displease you.” Truly sins are the ways that lead
people to hell. 141
The second consideration that ought to make a man to
have disdain for sin is this: that, as Saint Peter19 says,
“Whoever commits sin is the slave of sin”; and sin puts
a man in great slavery. And therefore the prophet
Ezekiel says: “I went sorrowful in disdain of myself.”
Certainly, well ought a man to have disdain of sin and
withdraw himself from that slavery and servitude. And
lo, what does Seneca20 say in this matter? He says thus:
“Though I knew that neither God nor man should ever
know it, yet would I have disdain for doing sin.” And
the same Seneca also says, “I am born to greater things
than to be a slave to my body, or than to make of my
body a slave.” No fouler a slave may any man or
woman make of his body than to give his body to sin.
Even if it were the foulest churl or the foulest woman
that lives, and the least of value, yet he is then more
foul and more in servitude. That man falls ever from
the higher rank, the more he is enslaved, and the more
to God and to the world vile and abominable. 148
O good God, well ought man to have disdain of sin,
since through sin, whereas he was free, now is he made
enslaved. And therefore Saint Augustine says: “If you
have disdain of your servant, if he should offend or sin,
you then take caution that you yourself might do sin.”
Take regard of your value, so that you will not be foul
to yourself. Alas, for good reason they ought then to
have disdain to be servants and slaves to sin, and
sorely be ashamed of themselves that God of his
endless goodness has set them in high rank, or given
them intelligence, strength of body, health, beauty, and
prosperity, and redeemed them from death with his
heart-blood, that they so unnaturally, against his
gentility, pay him back him so evilly as to slaughter
their own souls. O good God, you women who are of
such great beauty, remember the proverb of Solomon.
He says, “A beautiful woman who is a fool with her
body is like a ring of gold in the belly of a sow.” For
just as a sow roots about in every kind of filth, so too
she roots her beauty about in the stinking filth of sin.
157
18
Ezekiel.
Saint Peter.
20
Seneca.
19
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
The third consideration that ought to move a man to
Contrition is the fear of the Day of Judgment and of
the horrible pains of hell. For as Saint Jerome 21 says,
“At every time that I remember the Day of Judgment I
quake; for when I eat or drink, or whatever I do, it
always seems to me that the trumpet sounds in my ear:
‘Rise up, you who are dead, and come to the
judgment.’” O good God, much ought a man to fear
such a judgment, “where we should all be,” as Saint
Paul says, “before the seat of our Lord Jesus Christ”;
where he shall make a general congregation, where no
man may be absent. For surely there no excuse or plea
is of any use. And not only shall our faults be judged,
but also all our works should openly be known. And,
as Saint Bernard says, “There shall no pleading help,
nor any trickery; we must give an account for every
idle word.” There shall we have a judge that may not
be deceived nor corrupt. And why? For, certainly, all
our thoughts are revealed to him; neither for prayer nor
for bribe shall he be corrupted. 167
And therefore Solomon says, “The wrath of God will
spare no creature, for neither prayer or for gift”; and
therefore, at the Day of Judgment there is no hope to
escape. Therefore, as Saint Anselm says, “Very great
anguish shall the sinful people have at that time; there
shall the stern and angry judge sit above, and under
him the horrible pit of hell shall open to destroy the
one that must acknowledge his own sins, which are
openly shown before God and before every creature;
and on the left side more devils than the heart may
imagine, to harry and drive the sinful souls to the pain
of hell; and within the hearts of people shall be the
biting conscience, and all around the world shall be
burning. Where shall then the wretched sinful man flee
to hide himself? Surely, he may not hide himself; he
must come forth and show himself.” For certainly, as
Saint Jerome says, “The earth shall cast him out of
itself, and the sea also, and the air also, which shall be
full of thunderclaps and lightning.” Now truly,
whoever remembers well these things, I suppose that
his sin shall not turn him to any joy, but to great
sorrow for fear of the pain of hell. And therefore Job
says to God, “Allow, Lord, that I may wail and weep a
while before I go without returning to the dark land,
covered with the darkness of death, to the land of
suffering and of darkness, where there is the shadow of
death, where there is no order or rule but grisly fear
that shall last forever.” Lo, here you may see that Job
prayed for a short respite to weep and wail for his sin,
for truly one day of respite is better than all the
treasure of this world. 178
And inasmuch as a man may acquit himself before
God by penitence in this world, and not by treasure, he
should therefore pray to God to give him respite a
while to weep and wail for his sin. For surely, all the
sorrow that a man might make from the beginning of
the world is only a little thing in comparison with the
sorrow of hell. The reason that Job calls hell the “land
of darkness”: understand that he calls it “land” or
earth, because it is stable and never shall fail; “dark,”
because he that is in hell lacks material for light. For
certainly, the dark light that shall come out of the fire
that shall forever burn shall turn him entirely to the
pain that is in hell, for it displays him to the horrible
devils that torment him. “Covered with the darkness of
death” -- that is to say, that he who is in hell shall lack
the sight of God, for surely the sight of God is eternal
life. “The darkness of death” refers to the sins that the
wretched man has done, which prevent him from
seeing the face of God, just as a dark cloud does
between us and the sun. “Land of suffering,” because
there are three types of deprivations, as opposed to
three things that people of this world have in this
present life; that is to say, honors, pleasures, and
riches. 186
As opposed to honor, they have shame and confusion
in hell. For well you know that people refer to honor as
the reverence that one person gives to another, but in
hell there is no honor or reverence. For certainly, no
more reverence shall be done there to a king than to a
knave. For this God says by the prophet Jeremiah,
“Those people who despise me should be despised.”
Honor is also called great lordship; there shall no
person serve another, except with harm and torment.
Honor is also called great dignity and high rank, but in
hell they22 shall be entirely trampled on by devils. And
God says, “The horrible devils shall go and come upon
the heads of the damned people.” And this is as good
as saying that the higher that they were in this present
life, the more they shall be degraded and trampled in
hell. 192
As opposed to the riches of this world, they shall have
the suffering of poverty, and this poverty shall be in
four things: in lack of treasure, of which David says,
“The rich people, whose hearts embraced and wedded
their full heart to treasure of this world, shall sleep in
the sleep of death; and of all their treasure they shall
find nothing in their hands.” And moreover the
suffering of hell shall be in the lack of food and drink.
For God says thus by Moses23: “They should be wasted
with hunger, and the birds of hell should devour them
with bitter death, and the gall of the dragon shall be
22
21
Saint Jerome.
4
23
They. I.e., the damned.
Moses.
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their drink, and the venom of the dragon their portions
of food.” And furthermore, their suffering shall be in
the lack of clothyng, for they shall be naked in body in
terms of clothyng, except the fire in which they burn,
and other filths; and naked shall they be of soul, in
terms of all types of virtues, which that is the clothing
of the soul. Where are then the beautiful robes, and the
soft shetes, and the fine shirts? Lo, God says this about
them by the prophet Isaiah24: that “Under them shall be
strewn moths, and their coverings shall be of the
worms of hell.” And furthermore, their suffering shall
be in the lack of friends. For one who has friends is not
poor; but there is no friend [in hell], for neither God
nor creature shall be friend to them, and every one of
them shall hate one other with deadly hate. 200
“The sons and the daughters shall rebel against father
and mother, and kindred against kindred, and chide
and despise every one of the others both day and
nyght,” as God says by the prophet Micah25. And the
youth, who loved all others sensually, would eat every
other one of them if they could. For how should they
love each other in the pain of hell, when they hated
every one of them in the prosperity of this life? For
trust well, their fleshly love was deadly hate, as the
prophet David says: “Whoever loves wickedness, hates
his soul.” And whoever hates his own soul, surely,
may love no other person in any manner. And
therefore, in hell there is no solace and no friendship,
but the more fleshly kindred that are in hell, the more
cursings, the more chidings, and the more deadly hate
there is among them. 206
And furthermore, they shall lack all types of pleasure.
For certainly, pleasures answer to the appetites of the
five senses, sight, hearing, smelling, tasting, and
touching. But in hell their sight shall be full of
darkness and smoke, and therefore full of tears; and
their hearing full of lamenting and of grinding of teeth,
as Jesus Christ says. Their nostrils shall be full of
stinking stink; and, as Isaiah the prophet says, “Their
taste shall be full of bitter gall”; and the feeling of their
entire body covered with “fire that never shall be
quenched and with worms that never shall die,” as God
says by the mouth of Isaiah. 210
And inasmuch as they should not believe that they
may die for pain, and by their death flee from pain,
they might understand by the word of Job, who says,
“In that place is the shadow of death.” Surely, a
shadow has the likeness of the thing of which it is a
shadow, but a shadow is not the same thing of which it
is shadow. So it is for the pain of hell; it is like death in
its horrible anguish, and why? For it gives them
constant pain, as if they shall die immediately; but
certainly, they shall not die. For, as Saint Gregory says,
“To miserable wretches shall there be death without
death, and end without end, and a want that shall never
cease. For their death shall alwey live, and their end
shall always begin, and their want shall not cease.”
And therefore Saint John the Evangelist26 says, “They
shall follow death, and they shall not find him; and
they shall desire to die, and death shall flee from
them.” 216
And Job also says that in hell there is no type of order.
And although God has created all things in perfect
order, and nothing without order, but all things are
ordained and numbered; yet, nonetheless, those who
are damned are not in any sort of order, nor is any
order acceptable to them, for the earth shall bear them
no fruit.
For, as the prophet David says, “God shall destroy the
fruitfulness of the earth as far as they are concerned;
no water shall give them any moisture, no air any
refreshment, no fire any light.” For, as Saint Basil27
says, “The burning of the fire of this world God shall
give in hell to those who are damned, but the light and
the brightness shall be given in heaven to his children,”
just as the good man gives flesh to his children and
bones to his dogs.
And so that they shall have no hope to escape, Saint
Job28 says at last that “there shall horror and grisly fear
dwell without end.” Horror is always fear of harm that
is to come, and this fear shall ever dwell in the hearts
of those who are damned.
And therefore they have lost all their hope, for seven
causes. First, because God, who is their judge, shall be
without mercy to them; and they may not please him
nor any of his saints; nor may they give anything for
their ransom; they have no voice to speak to him; they
may not flee from pain; they have in them no
goodness, that they might display to deliver themselves
from pain. And therefore Solomon says: “The wicked
man dies, and when he is dead, he shall have no hope
to escape from pain.” Whoever then would understand
well these pains and consider well that he has deserved
these pains for his sins, surely, should have more talent
to sigh and to weep than to sing and to play. For, as
that Solomon says, “Whoever had the knowledge to
know the pains that are established and ordained for
sin, will be sorrowful.” “This knowledge,” as Saint
26
24
Isaiah.
25
Micah.
5
Saint John the Evangelist.
Saint Basil.
28
Saint Job. I,e., Job.
27
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Augustine says, “makes a man to lament in his heart.”
The fourth point29 that should make a man have
contrition is the sorrowful remembrance of the good
that he has omitted to do here on earth, and the good
also that he has lost. Truly, the good works that he has
lost, either they are the good works that he did before
he fell into deadly sin or else the good works that he
did while he was in the state of sin.
Truly, the good works that he did before he fell into
sin are all killed and paralyzed and and diminished by
the frequent sinning. The other good works, which he
performed while he was in the state of deadly sin, they
are utterly dead with respect to eternal life in heaven.
Then these good works that are killed by frequent
sinning, which good works he did while he was in the
state of charity, can never come to life again without
true penitence. And of this God by the mouth of
Ezekiel says that “if the righteous man go back on his
righteousness and carry out wickedness, shall he live?”
No, for all the good works that he has done shall never
be remembered, for he shall die in his sin. And upon
this chapter Saint Gregory says that “we shall
understand this principally; that when we commit
deadly sin, it is for nothing other than to repeat or draw
back into memory the good works that we have done
before.” For certainly, having comitted deadly sin, we
put no trust in any good work that we have done
before; that is to say, to have by it eternal life in
heaven.
But nonetheless, when we have contrition the good
works bring us to life again, and come again, and help,
and make it possible to have eternal life in heaven. But
truly, the good works that people do while they are in
deadly sin, inasmuch as they were done in the state of
deadly sin, may never come to life again. For surely, a
thing that never had life may never come to life; and
nonetheless, although they will not bring about eternal
life, yet they will help to abridge of the pain of hell, or
else to gain worldly wealth, or else through them God
will rather illumine and give light to the heart of the
sinful man so that he might have repentance; and they
are helpful also to accustom a man to doing good
works, so that the fiend may have less power over his
soul. And thus the kind Lord Jesus Christ wills that no
good work be lost, for it shall be helpful in something.
LEFT OFF HERE
But, inasmuch as the good works that men do while
they are in good life are all killed by sin afterward, and
since all the good works also that men do while they
are in the state of deadly sin are utterly dead with
respect to having eternal life, well may that man that
does no good works sing this new French song, “Jay
tout perdu mon temps et mon labour30.” For certainly,
sin bereaves a man of both the goodness of nature and
the goodness of grace as well.
For truly, the grace of the Holy Spirit fares like fire,
that may not be idle; for fire fails as soon as it
completes its work, and right so grace fails as soon as
it completes its work.
Then the sinful man loses the goodness of glorie, that
only is bihight to good men that labouren and werken.
Wel may he be sory then, that owes all his life to God
as longe as he has lyved, and as longe as he shall lyve
as well, that no goodness ne has to paye with his dette
to God to whom he owes all his life.
For trust wel, “He shall given accounts,” as Saint
Bernard says, “of all the goods that have been given to
him in this present life, and how he has them
despended, [in] so muche that there shall not perish a
hair of his head, ne a moment of an hour ne shall not
perish of his time, that he ne shall give of it a
rekenyng.” The fifth thing that ought moeve a man to
contrition is remembrance of the passion that our Lord
Jesus Christ suffered for our sins.
For, as Saint Bernard says, “While that I lyve I shall
have remembrance of the travails that our Lord Christ
suffered in prechyng: his weryness in travaillyng, his
temptations when he fasted, his longe wakings when
he preyde, hise tears when that he weep for pity of
good people, the wo and the shame and the filth that
men said to him, of the foul spittyng that men spitte in
his face, of the buffettes that men gave him, of the foul
mowes, and of the reproofs that men sspoke to him
said, of the nayles with which he was nailed to the
cross, and of all the remenant of his passion that he
suffered for my sins, and no thing for his gilt.” And
you should understand that in man’s sin is every
manner of order or ordinance turned up-side-down.
For it is sooth that God, and reason, and sensuality,
and the body of man are so ordeyned that every one of
these four things should have authority over that other,
as thus: God should have authority over reason, and
reason over sensuality, and sensuality over the body of
man.
But truly, when man sins, all this order or ordinance is
turned up-side-down. And therefore then, for as muche
as the reason of man ne will not be subject ne obeisant
30
29
Fourth point xxx what are the second and third
6
Jay tout . . . mon labour. I havelost my time and my
labor.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
to God, that is his lord by right, therefore it loses the
authority that it should have over sensuality, and over
the body of man as well.
For this disordinance of sinful man was Jesus Christ
first bitraysed, and after that was he bounde, that cam
for to unbynden us of sin and pain.
And why? For sensuality rebels then against reason,
and by that way loses reason the authority over
sensuality and over the body.
Then he who only should have been honored in all
things and of all things was scorned.
For right as reason is rebel to God, right so is both
sensuality rebel to reason and the body also.
And surely this disordinance and this rebellion our
Lord Jesus Christ redeemed through his precious body
so dear, and hearkens in which way. xxxx
For as muche then as reason is rebel to God, therefore
is man worthy to have sorrow and to be deed.
This suffered our Lord Jesus Christ for man, after that
he hadde be bitraysed of his disciple, and distreyned
and bounde so that his blood brast out at every nayl of
his hands, as Saint Augustine says.
And furthermore, for as much as reason of man ne
will not daunte sensuality when it may, therefore is
man worthy to have shame; and this suffered our Lord
Jesus Christ for man, when they spetten in his visage.
And furthermore, for as much then as the caytyf body
of man is rebel both to reason and to sensuality,
therefore is it worthy the death.
And this suffered our Lord Jesus Christ for man upon
the croys, where as there was no part of his body free
without great pain and bitter passion.
And all this suffered Jesus Christ, that never forfeted.
And therefore reasonably may be said of Jesus in this
manner: “Too much am I paind for the things that I
never deserved, and too much defouled for shendshipe
that man is worthy to have.” And therefore may the
sinful man well say, as Saint Bernard says, “Acursed
be the bitterness of my sin, for which there must be
suffered so much bitterness.” For certainly, after the
diverse [disordinances] of our wickednesss was the
passion of Jesus Christ ordeyned in diverse things.
As thus: Surely, sinful man’s soul is bitraysed of the
devil by covetousness of temporal prosperity, and
scorned by deceit when he chooses fleshly pleasures;
and yet is it tormented by impatience of adversity and
bispet by servage and submission to sin; and at last it is
slain fynally.
7
Then was his visage, that ought be desired to be say of
all mankynde, in which visage angels desiren to looke,
vileynsly bispet.
Then was he scourged, that no thing hadde agilt; and
finally, then was he crucified and slain.
Then was acompliced the word of Isaiah, “He was
wounded for our mysdedes and defouled for our
felonies.” Now since that Jesus Christ took upon
himself the pain of all our wickednesses, much ought
sinful man wepen and biwayle, that for his sins God’s
son of heaven should all this pain endure.
The sixte thing that ought moeve a man to contrition is
the hope of three things; that is to say, foryifness of
sin, and the gift of grace well for to do, and the glorie
of heaven, with which God shall gerdone man for his
good dedes.
And for as muche as Jesus Christ gives us these gifts
of his largesse and of his sovereyn bountee, therefore
is he called Jesus Nazarenus rex Judeorum.
Jesus is to say “saveour” or “salvation,” on whom men
should hope to have foryifness of sins, which that is
properly salvation of sins.
And therefore said the angel to Joseph, “You shall call
his name Jesus, that shall saven his people of their
sins.” And of this Saint Peter says: “Ther is no other
name under heaven that is give to any man, by which a
man may be saved, but only Jesus.” Nazarenus is as
muche for to say as “florisshing,” in which a man shall
hope that he that gives him remission of sins shall yeve
him also grace well for to do.
For in the flour is hope of fruit in time coming, and in
foryifness of sins hope of grace well for to do.
“I was at the door of your heart,” Jesus says, “and
called to enter.
He who opens to me shall have forgiveness of sin.
I will enter into him by my grace and soupe with
him,” by the good works that he shall doon, which
works are the foode of God; “and he shall soupe with
me” by the great joye that I shall given him.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
Thus shall man hope, for his works of penance that
God shall give him his reign, as he bihooteth him in
the gospel.
Now shall a man understand in which manner shall be
his contrition.
I say that it shall be universal and total.
This is to say, a man shall be truly repentant for all his
sins that he has done in delight of his thought, for
delight is full perilous.
For there are two manner of consentings: that one of
them is called consenting of affection, when a man is
moeved to do sin, and delightshim longe for to think
on that sin; and his reason aperceyves it well that it is
sin against the law of God, and yet his reason refrains
xxxxfrom???xxx not his foul delight or talent, though
he se well apertly that it is against the reverence of
God.
Although his reason ne consente noght to do that sin
in dede, yet some doctors say that such delight that
dwells longe, it is very perilous, Albeit never so lite.
And also a man should sorrow namely for all that ever
he has desired against the law of God with perfect
consenting of his reason, for threrof is no doubt, that it
is deadly sin in consenting.
For certainly, there is no deadly sin that it nas first in
man’s thought and after that in his delight, and so forth
into consenting and into dede.
Therefore I say that many men ne repenten them never
of such thoughts and delightes, ne never confess
themselves of it, but only of the dede of great sins
outward.
Therefore I say that such wicked delightes and wicked
thoughts are subtile bigileres of those who shullen be
damned.
Moreover, man ought to sorrow for his wicked words
as well as for his wicked dedes.
For surely, the repentance of a synguler sin, and not
repente of all his other sins, or else repenten himself of
all his other sins and not of a synguler sin, may not
avail.
For certainly, God almyghty is all good, and therefore
he forgives all or else right noght.
8
And about this Saint Augustine says, “I wot certainly
that God is enemy to every sinner.” And how then? He
that observes one sin, shall he have foryifness of the
remenaunt of his other sins? Nay.
And furthermore, contrition should be wonder
sorrowful and angwissous; and therefore God gives
him his mercy pleynly; and therefore, when my soul
was angwissous within me, I hadde remembrance of
God that my prayer might come to him.
Furthermore, contrition must be continueel, and that
man have stedefast purpos to shriven him, and for to
amenden him of his life.
For truly, as long as contrition lasts, one may always
have hope of foryifness; and of this comes hate of sin,
that destroys sin, both in himself and in other people
also at his power.
For which David says: “Ye that love God, hates
wickedness.” For trust wel, to love God is to love what
he loves, and hate what he hates.
The last thing that men shall understand in contrition
is this: in which ways contrition is of aid.
I say that sometime contrition delivers a man from sin;
of which that David says, “I say,” said David (that is to
say, I purposed fermely) “to shryve me, and thow,
Lord, relessedest my sin.” And right so as contrition
avails noght without sad purpos of confession, if man
have opportunity, right so little worth is confession or
satisfaction without contrition.
And moreover contrition destroys the prisoun of hell,
and makes wayk and feeble all the strengths of the
devils, and restores the gifts of the Holy Spirit and of
all good virtues; and it clenses the soul of sin, and
delivers the soul from the pain of hell, and from the
compaignye of the devil, and from the servage of sin,
and restores it to all goods espirituels, and to the
compaignye and communyoun of holy church.
And furthermore, it makes the one that whilom was
sone of ire to be sone of grace; and all these things are
preved by holy writ.
And therefore, he that would sette his entente to these
things, he were full wys; for truly he ne should not
then in all his life have corage to sin, but given his
body and all his heart to the service of Jesus Christ,
and threrof do him hommage.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
9
For truly our sweet Lord Jesus Christ has spared us so
debonairly in our follies that if he ne hadde pity of
man’s soul, a sory song we might all sing.
She took of the fruit of the tree, and ate it, and gave to
their husband, and he eet, and immediately the eyes of
them both opened.
The second part of Penitence is Confession, that is
sign of contrition.
And when that they knew that they were naked, they
sowed of fige leves a maner of breches to hiden their
members.
Now should you understand what is Confession, and
whether it ought to be done or not, and which things
are covenable to truly Confession.
First you shall understand that Confession is truly
shewing of sins to the priest.
This is to say “verray,” for he must confess himself of
all the conditions that bilongen to his sin, as ferforth as
he kan.
There may you see that deadly sin hath, first,
suggestion of the fiend, as sheweth here by the naddre;
and afterward, the delight of the flesh, as sheweth here
by Eve; and after that, the consenting of reason, as
sheweth here by Adam.
Al moot be said, and no thing excused ne hyd ne
forwrapped, and do not boast of your good works.
For trust wel, though so were that the fiend tempted
Eve -- that is to say, the flesh -- and the flesh hadde
delight in the beautee of the fruit defended, yet surely,
until that reason -- that is to say, Adam -- consented to
the eating of the fruit, yet stood he in the estate of
innocence.
And furthermore, it is necessary to understand
whennes that sins springen, and how they encrease,
and which they are.
Of this Adam tooke we this sin original, for of hym
fleshly descended be we alle, and engendred of vile
and corrupt mateere.
Of the springing of sins Saint Paul says in this way:
that “Right as by a man sin entered first into this
world, and through that sin death, right so this death
entered into all men that sinneden.” And this man was
Adam, by whom sin entered into this world, when he
brak the comaundementz of God.
And when the soul is put in our body, right anon is
contract original sin; and that that was erst but only
pain of concupiscence is afterward both pain and sin.
And therefore, he that first was so myghty that he
should not have dyed, bicam such one that he must
nedes dye, whether he would or not, and all his
progenye in this world, that in this man sinneden.
Looke that in the estate of innocence, when Adam and
Eve naked weren in Paradise, and nothing ne hadden
shame of their nakedness, how that the serpent, that
was the most wily of all other beasts that God hadde
maked, said to the woman, “Why comaunded God to
you you should not eten of every tree in Paradise?”
The woman answerde: “Of the fruit,” she said, “of the
trees in Paradise we feden us, but truly, of the fruit of
the tree that is in the myddel of Paradise, God forbad
us for to ete, ne not touchen it, lest per aventure we
should dyen.” The serpent said to the woman, “Nay,
nay, you should not dyen of death; in truth, God knows
that what day that you eten threrof, your eyes should
opene and you should be as God’s, knowing good and
harm.” The woman then saugh that the tree was good
to feedyng, and fair to the eyes, and delightable to the
sight.
And therefore we are all born sons of wrath and of
eternal damnation, if it there were no baptism that we
might receive, which removes the sin from us.
But in truth, the pain dwells with us, as to temptation,
which pain highte concupiscence.
And this concupiscence, when it is wrongfully
disposed or ordeyned in man, it makes him coveite, by
covetousness of flesh, fleshly sin, by sight of his eyes
as to earthly things, and covetousness of hyness also
by pride of heart.
Now, as for to speak of the first covetousness, that is
concupiscence, after the law of our members that were
lawfully made and by rightful judgment of God, I say,
forasmuche as man is not obeisaunt to God, that is his
lord, therefore is the flesh to him disobeisaunt through
concupiscence, which yet is called nourishing of sin
and occasion of sin.
Therefore, all the while that a man has in him the pain
of concupiscence, it is impossible but he be tempted
somtime and moeved in his flesh to sin.
And this thing may not fail as longe as he lives.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
it may well wexe feeble and fail by virtue of baptism
and by the grace of God through penitence, but fully ne
shall it never quenche, that he ne shall some time be
moeved in himself, but if he were all refreyded by
sikness, or by malefice of sorcerie, or colde drinks.
For lo, Saint Paul says: “The flesh coveits against the
spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; they are so
contrarie and so stryven that a man may not alway do
as he would.” The same Saint Paul, after his great
penance in water and in land -- in water by nyght and
by day in great peril and in great pain; in land, in
famyne and thurst, in coold and cloothlees, and ones
stoned almost to the death -- yet said he, “Allas, I
caytyf man! Who shall delivere me from the prisoun of
my caytyf body?” And Saint Jerome, when he longe
time hadde woned in desert, where as he hadde no
compaignye but of wilde beasts, where as he ne hadde
no food but herbes, and water to his drink, ne no bed
but the naked earth, for which his flesh was black as an
Ethiopeen for heete, and ny destroyed for coold, yet
said he that “the burning of lust boiled in all his body.”
Therefore I woot well sykerly that they are deceyved
that say that they ne be not tempted in their body.
Witness on Saint James the Apostle, that says that
“every person is tempted in his own concupiscence”;
that is to say, that every one of us has matter and
occasion to be tempted of the nourishing of sin that is
in his body.
And therefore Saint John the Evangelist says, “If that
we say that we be without sin, we deceyve us selve,
and truth is not in us.” Now shall you understand in
what manner that sin grows or encreesses in man.
10
And of this matter Moses says by the devil in this
manner: “The fiend says, `I will chace and pursue the
man by wicked suggestion, and I will hente him by
moeving or stiring of sin.
And I will departe my prise or my praye by
deliberation, and my lust shall be acompliced in
delight.
I will drawe my swerd in consentyng.’” -- for
certainly, right as a swerd departs a thing in two peces,
right so consenting departs God from man -- “`and
then will I sleen him with my hand in dede of sin’; thus
says the fiend.” For surely, then is a man all deed in
soul.
And thus is sin acompliced by temptation, by delight,
and by consenting; and then is the sin called actueel.
In truth, sin is in two manners; either it is venial or
deadly sin.
Truly, when man loves any creature more than Jesus
Christ our Creatour, then is it deadly sin.
And venial sin is it, if man love Jesus Christ lasse than
he should.
In truth, the dede of this venial sin is full perilous, for
it amenuseth the love that men should have to God
more and more.
The first thing is this nourishing of sin of which I spak
before, this fleshly concupiscence.
And therefore, if a man charge himself with many
such venial sins, certainly, but if so be that he
sometimes descharge him of them by confession, they
might full lightly amenuse in him all the love that he
has to Jesus Christ; and in this way venial sin skips
into deadly sin.
And after that comes the submission of the devil -this is to say, the devils bely, with which he blows in
man the fir of fleshly concupiscence.
For surely, the more that a man charges his soul with
venial sins, the more is he inclined to fallen into deadly
sin.
And after that, a man considers whether he will or not
do such a thing to which he is tempted.
And therefore lat us not be necligent to deschargen us
of venial sins.
And then, if that a man withstonde and weyve the first
entising of his flesh and of the fiend, then is it no sin;
and if it so be that he do not so, then he immediately
felt a flame of delight.
For the proverb says that “Many small make a greet.”
And herkne this example.
And then is it good to be war and kepen him wel, or
else he will fall anon into consenting of sin; and then
will he do it, if he may have time and place.
A great wave of the see comes some time with so
great a violence that it drenches the ship.
And the same harm do some time the small drops of
water, that enter through a little crevice into the
thurrok, and in the bottom of the ship, if men be so
negligent that they ne discharge them not by tyme.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
And therefore, although there be a difference between
these two causes of drenching, algates the ship is
dreynt.
Right so fares it sometimes of deadly sin, and of
anoyouse veniale sins, when they multiplie in a man so
greetly that [the love of] these worldly things that he
loveth, through which he sins venyally, is as great in
his heart as the love of God, or more.
And therefore, the love of every thing that is not biset
in God, ne do principally for God’s sake, although that
a man love it lasse than God, yet is it venial sin; and
deadly sin when the love of any thing wayth in the
heart of man as much as the love of God, or more.
“Deadly sin,” as Saint Augustine says, “is when a man
turns his heart from God, which that is truly sovereyn
bountee, that may not chaunge, and gives his heart to
thing that may chaunge and flitte.” And certainly, that
is every thing save God of heaven.
For sooth is that if a man yeve his love, the which that
he owes all to God with all his heart, unto a creature,
surely, as muche of his love as he gives to this
creature, so muche he bireves from God; and therefore
dooth he sin.
For he that is dettour to God ne yields not to God all
his dette; that is to say, all the love of his heart.
Now since man understandth generally which is venial
sin, then is it covenable to tellen specially of sins
which that many a man peradventure does not judge
them to be sins, and ne shryves him not of the same
things, and yet nonethelesss they are sins truly, as these
clerkes writen; this is to say, that at every time that a
man eats or drinks more than suffices to the sustenance
of his body, in certain he dooth sin.
And when he also speaks more than is needed, it is
sin. And when he hearkens not benignely the
compleint of the poor; and when he is in heele of body
and will not faste when other people faste, without
cause reasonable; and when he sleeps more than he
needs, or when he comes by this enchesoun to late to
church, or to other works of charite; and when he uses
his wife without sovereyn desire of engendrure to the
honor of God or for the entente to yelde to his wife the
dette of his body; and when he will not visit the sike
and the prisoner, if he may; and if he love wife or
child, or other worldly thing, more than reason
requireth.
11
And if he flatter or blandise more than he should for
any necessity; and if he amenuse or withdrawe the
alms of the poor; and if he apparaills his food more
deliciously than nede is, or ete it to hastily by
likerousness; and if he tale vanytees at church or at
God’s service, or that he be a talker of idle words of
folly or of vileynye, for he shall yelden acountes of it
at the Day of Judgment; and when he biheteth or
assures to do things that he may not parfourne; and
when that he by lightness or folly mysseyes or scorns
his neighbor; and when he has any wicked suspicion of
thing there he ne woot of it no soothfastness: these
things, and more without nombre, are sins, as Saint
Augustine says.
Now shall men understand that, Albeit so that no
earthly man may eschew all venial sins, yet may he
restrain himself by the burning love that he has to our
Lord Jesus Christ, and by prayers and confession and
other good works, so that it shall but little greve.
For, as Saint Augustine says, “If a man love God in
such manner that all that ever he dooth is in the love of
God and for the love of God truly, for he burns in the
love of God, look how muche that a drope of water
that falls in a furnace full of fire anoyeth or greveth, so
muche anoyeth a venial sin unto a man that is perfect
in the love of Jesus Christ.” Men may also refrain from
venial sin by receyving worthily of the precious body
of Jesus Christ; by receyving also of holy water, by
almesdede, by general confession of Confiteor at
masse and at complyn, and by blessing of bisshopes
and of priests, and by other good works.
Now is it bihovely thing to telle which are the seven
deadly sins, this is to say, chieftaynes of sins.
All they renne in one lees, but in diverse manneres.
Now are they called chieftaynes, for as muche as they
are chief and spring of all other sins.
Of the root of these seven sins, then, is Pride the
general root of all harms.
For of this root springen certain branches, as Anger,
Envy, Accidie or Slewthe, Avarice or Covetousness (to
commune understonding), Gluttony, and Lecherye.
And every one of these chief sins has his branches and
his twigges, as shall be declared in their chapters
following.
And thogh so be that no man kan outrely telle the
nombre of the twigges and of the harms that comes of
Pride, yet will I shewe a part of them, as you should
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
understand. Ther is inobedience, boasting, hypocracy,
despit, arrogance, inpudence, swelling of heart,
insolence, elation, impatience, strif, contumacie,
presumption, irreverence, pertinacie, veyneglorie, and
many another twig that I kan not declare.
Inobedient is he that disobeys for despit to the
commandmentz of God, and to his sovereyns, and to
his spiritually father.
Avauntour is he that boasts of the harm or of the
bounty that he has done.
Hypocrite is he that hides to shewe himself such as he
is and shows himself such as he noght is.
Despitous is he that has desdeyn of his neighbor -- that
is to say, of his evene-Christene -- or has despit to do
that he ought to do.
Arrogant is he that thinks that he has these bountees in
the one that has nothing, or believes that he should
have them by his desertes, or else he judges that he be
that he nys nat.
Inpudent is he that for his pride has no shame of his
sins.
Swelling of heart is when a man rejoices in himself for
the harm that he has done.
Insolent is he that despiss in his judgment all other
people, as to regard of his value, and of his konnyng,
and of his speech, and of his beryng.
Elation is when he ne may neither suffer to have
maister ne felawe.
Inpatient is he that will not be ytaught ne undernome
of his vice, and by strif werreieth truth wityngly, and
deffends his folly.
Contumax is he that through his indignation is against
every authority or power of those who are his
sovereyns.
Presumption is when a man undertakes an emprise
that he ought not do, or else that he may not do; and
this is called surquidrie.
Irreverence is when men do not honor there as them
ought to doon, and waiten to be reverenced.
Pertinacie is when man deffends his folly and trusts
too much to his own wit.
12
Veyneglorie is for to have pompe and delight in his
temporal hyness, and glorifie himself in this worldly
estate.
Jangling is when a man speaks too muche before
people, and clapps as a mille, and takes no keep what
he says.
And yet is there a privee type of Pride that waits first
to be salewed before he will salewe, all be he lasse
worth than that other is, peradventure; and he waits or
desires to sitte also, or else to goon above him in the
way, or kisse pax, or be encensed, or goon to offryng
before his neighbor, and such similar things, against
his duetee, peradventure, but that he has his heart and
his entente in such a proud desire to be magnified and
honored before the people.
Now are there two manners of Pride: that one of them
is within the heart of man, and that other is without.
Of which, truly, these foresaid things, and more than I
have said, pertain to Pride that is in the heart of man;
and that other types of Pride are without.
But nonetheless that one of these types of Pride is sign
of that other, right as the gaye leefsel at taverne is sign
of the wyn that is in the celer.
And this is in many things: as in speech and
contenance, and in outrageous array of clothyng.
For certainly, if there ne hadde be no sin in clothyng,
Christ would not so soone have noted and spoken of
the clothyng of this rich man in the gospel.
And, as Saint Gregory says, that “precious clothyng is
cowpable for the dearth of it, and for his softeness, and
for his strangeness and degisynesse, and for the
superfluity, or for the inordinat scantness of it.” Allas,
may man not seen, as in our days, the sinful costlewe
array of clothing, and namely in too much superfluite,
or else in to desordinat scantness? As to the first sin,
that is in superfluity of clothing, which that makes it so
dear, to harm of the people; not only the cost of
embrowding, the degise endenting or barring,
ownding, paling, wynding or bending, and similar wast
of clooth in vanity, but there is also costlewe furring in
their gownes, so muche pownsoning of chisels to make
holes, so muche dagging of sheres; forth-with the
superfluity in lengthe of the forseide gownes, trailing
in the dong and in the mire, on horse and on foote, as
well of man as of woman, that all this trailyng is truly
as in effect wasted, consumed, thredbare, and roten
with donge, rather than it is given to the poor, to great
damage of the forsaid poor people.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
And that in sondry ways; this is to say that the more
that clooth is wasted, the more moot it coste to the
people for the scarsness. And furthermore, if so be that
they would given such pownsoned and dagged
clothyng to the poor people, it is not convenient to
were for their estate, ne suffisant to beete their
necessity, to kepe them from the distemperance of the
firmament.
Upon that other side, to speak of the horrible
disordinate scantness of clothyng, as are these kutted
sloppes, or haynselyns, that through their shortness ne
covere not the shameful members of man, to wicked
entente.
13
sustained by cause of them; and in to curious harneys,
as in sadeles, in crouperes, peytrels, and bridles
covered with precious clothyng, and rich barres and
plates of gold and of silver.
For which God says by Zachariah the prophet31, “I
will confound the rideres of such horses.” These
people take little reward of the riding of God’s son of
heaven, and of his harneys when he rode upon the ass,
and ne hadde no other harneys but the poor clothes of
his disciples; ne we ne rede not that ever he rood on
other beest.
I speak this for the sin of superfluity, and not for
reasonable modesty, when reason it requireth.
Alas, some of them show the boce of their shape, and
the horrible swollen members, that seem like the
maladie of hirnia, in the wrapping of their hoses; and
the buttocks also of them faren as it were the hind part
of a she-ape in the full moon.
And furthermore, surely, pride is greetly notified in
holding of great meynee, when they be of little profit
or of right no profit, and namely when that meynee is
felonous and damageous to the people by hardyness of
heigh authority or by way of offices.
And moreover, the wretched swollen members that
they shewe through disgising, in departing of their
hoses in white and reed, seem that half their shameful
privee members were flayne.
For certainly, such lordes sellen then their authority to
the devil of hell, whenne they sustain the wickedness
of their meynee. Or elles, when this people of low
degree, as those who maintain hostelries, sustain the
thefte of their hostilers, and that is in many manner of
deceites.
And if so be that they departen their hoses in other
colours, as is white and black, or white and blew, or
black and reed, and so forth, then seems it, as by
variance of colour, that half the part of their privee
members were corrupt by the fir of Saint Antony, or by
cancre, or by other such meschance.
Of the hyndre part of their buttokes, it is full horrible
for to see.
For surely, in that part of their body there as they
purgen their stinking ordure, that foul part shewe they
to the people prowdly in despit of modesty, which
modesty that Jesus Christ and his friends observed to
show in their lives.
Now, as of the outrageous array of women, God
knows that though the visages of some of them seme
full chaast and debonaire, yet notifie they in their array
of atyr likerousness and pride.
I sey not that modesty in clothing of man or woman is
unfitting, but certainly the superfluity or inordinate
scantiness of clothing is reprehensible.
Also the sin of aornement or of apparaille is in things
that pertain to riding, as in to many delicat horses that
are hoolden for delight, that are so faire, fatte, and
costlewe; and also in many a vicious knave that is
This manner of people are the flies that follow the
honey, or else the dogs that follow the carrion.
Such aforsaid people spiritually strangle their
authority; for which David the prophet says: “Wicked
death moote come upon these authorities, and God
yeve that they moote descenden into hell all down, for
in their houses are iniquities and shrewednesss and not
God of heaven.” And surely, but if they do
amendement, right as God gave his benysoun to
[Laban] by the service of Jacob, and to [Pharao] by the
service of Joseph, right so God will yeve his malisoun
to such authorities as sustain the wickedness of their
servauntz, but they come to amendement.
Pride of the table appears also very often; for
certainly, rich men are called to feastes, and poor
people are put away and rebuked.
Also in excess of diverse foods and drinks, and
namely such manner bake-metes and dissh-metes,
burning of wilde fir and peynted and castelled with
papir, and similar wast, so that it is abusion for to
think.
31
Zachariah the prophet.
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14
And in too great preciousness of vessel and curiosity
of mynstralcie as well, by which a man is stirred the
more to delices of luxurie, if so be that he sette his
heart the lasse upon our Lord Jesus Christ, certain it is
a sin; and certainly the delices might are so great in
this caas that man might lightly fall by them into
deadly sin.
For surely, the flesh coveitsagainst the spirit, and ay
the more strong that the flesh is, the sorier may the
soul be.
The etypes that sourden of Pride, truly when they
sourden of malice ymagined, avised, and forncast, or
else of usage, are deadly sins, it is no doubt.
Eek for to pride himself of his gentrie is full great
folie; for oftentimes the gentrie of the body binymeth
the gentrie of the soul; and we are also all of one father
and of one mother; and all we are of one nature, roten
and corrupt, both rich and poor.
And when they sourden by freletee unavysed, and
sodeynly withdrawen ayeyn, all are they grievouse
sins, I gesse that they ne are not deadly.
Now might one ask from where Pride sourdeth and
springs, and I say, sometimes it springs of the goods of
nature, and sometimes of the goods of fortune, and
sometimes of the goods of grace.
Surely, the goods of nature stonden either in goods of
body or in goods of soul.
Certainly, goods of body are heele of body, strength,
delivernesse, beautee, gentrice, franchise.
Goodes of nature of the soul are good wit, sharp
understonding, subtil engyn, virtue natureel, good
memorie.
Goodes of fortune are richesse, hyghe degrees of
authorities, preisings of the people.
Goodes of grace are knowledge, power to endure
spiritual travail, kindness, virtuous contemplation,
resisting of temptation, and similar things.
Of which forsaid goodes, surely it is a very great folly
for a man to pride himself in any of them all.
Now as for to speak of goods of nature, God knows
that sometimes we have them in nature as muche to
our damage as to our profit.
As for to speak of heele of body, certainly it passes
full lightly, and it is also very often enchesoun of the
sikness of our soul.
For, God knows, the flesh is a full great enemy to the
soul, and therefore, the more that the body is hool, the
more be we in peril to falle.
and for to pride himself in his strength of body, it is a
heigh folly.
And over all this, strength of body and worldly
hardyness causes very often many a man to peril and
meschance.
In truth, one manner gentrie is for to preise, that
apparaills man’s corage with virtues and moralities,
and makes him Christ’s child.
For trust well that over what man that sin has maistrie,
he is a truly cherl to sin.
Now are there general signs of gentillesse, as
eschewing of vice and ribaldry and servage of sin, in
word, in works, and contenance, and using virtue,
courtesy, and cleanness, and to be liberal, that is to say,
large by mesure, for that which goes beyond
moderation is folly and sin.
Another is to recall the bounty xxxxgenerosity??? that
he has received from other people.
Another is to be benign to his good subjectis;
therefore Senek says, “There is nothing more fitting for
a man of high estate than kindness and pity.
And therefore these flies that are called bees, when
they make their king, they chesen one that has no
prikke wherwith he may sting.” Another is, a man to
have a noble heart and a diligent to attayne to heighe
virtuous things.
Now certainly, a man to pride himself in the goods of
grace is also an outrageous folly, for that gift of grace
that should have turned him to goodness and to
medicine, turns him to venom and to confusion, as
Saint Gregory says.
Surely also, whoso prides himself in the goods of
fortune is a great fool; for sometimes a man is a great
lord by the morning, but is a [captive] and a wretch by
night; and sometimes the wealth of a man is the cause
of his death; sometimes the [delices] of a man are the
cause of the grievous malady through which he dies.
Certainly, the commendation of the people is
sometimes false and [brotel] to [triste]; today they
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
preise, tomorrow they blame. God knows, desire to
have commendation also of the people has caused
death to many a busy man.
Now since you understand what Pride is, and what the
varieties of it are, and whence Pride sourdeth and
springs, now should you understand what is the
remedy against the sin of Pride; and that is humility, or
meekness.
That is a virtue through which a man has truly
knowledge of himself, and holds of himself no pris ne
deyntee, as in regard of his desertes, considering ever
his freletee.
Now there are three manners of humility: one is
humility in heart; another humility is in mouth; the
third, in his works.
The humility in heart is in four manners. This one is
when a man holds himself as not worthy before God of
heaven. Another is when he despises no other man.
The third is when he cares not, even though men hold
him not worthy. The fourth is when he nys not sory of
his humiliation.
Also the humility of mouth is in four things: in
attempree speech, and in humbless of speech, and
when he biknoweth with his own mouth that he is such
as he thinks that he is in his heart. Another is when he
praises the bounty of another man, and nothing threrof
amenuseth.
Humility in works is also in four manners. The first is
when he puts other men before him. The second is to
choose the lowest place overall. The third is to assente
gladly to good counsel. The fourth is to stand gladly to
the award of his sovereins, or of him who is in higher
degree. For certain, this is a great work of humility.
After Pride will I speak of the foul sin of Envy, what it
is, as by the word of the Philosopher, “Sorrow of other
man’s prosperity”; and after the word of Saint
Augustine, it is “Sorrow of other men’s well-being,
and joy of other men’s harm.” This foul sin is platly
against the Holy Spirit.
Albeit so that every sin is against the Holy Spirit, yet
nonetheless, for as much as bounty pertains properly to
the Holy Spirit, and Envy comes properly from malice,
therefore it is properly against the bounty of the Holy
Spirit.
Now has malice two types; that is to say, hardness of
heart in wickedness, or else the flesh of man is so blind
15
that he considers not that he is in sin or cares not that
he is in sin, which is the hardness of the devil.
That other type of malice is when a man werreyeth
truth, when he woot that it is truth; and when he also
werreyeth the grace that God has yeve to his neighbor;
and all this is by Envy.
Surely, then is Envy the worste sin that is.
For truly, all other sins are sometimes only against one
special virtue, but certainly Envy is against all virtues
and against all goodnesses.
For it is sory of all the bountees of his neighbor, and
in this manner it is divers from all other sins.
For well hardly is there any sin that it ne has some
delight in itself, save only Envy, that ever has in itself
anguish and sorrow.
The types of Envy are these.
Ther is first, sorrow of other man’s goodness and of
his prosperity; and prosperity is kyndely matter of
joye; then is Envy a sin against kynde.
The second type of Envy is joye of other man’s harm,
and that is properly like to the devil, who forever
rejoices in man’s harm.
Of these two types comes bakbityng; and this sin of
bakbityng or detraction has certain types, as thus: some
man preises his neighbor by a wicked entente, for he
makes alwey a wicked knotte at last end.
Alwey he makes a “but” at last end, that is worthy of
more blame than worth is all the preising.
The second type is that if a man be good and dooth or
says a thing with a good intention, the bakbitere will
turne all this goodness up-side-down to his shrewed
entente.
The third is to amenuse the bounty of his neighbor.
The fourth type of bakbityng is this: that if men speak
goodness of a man, then will the bakbitere say,
“Parfey, such a man is yet better than he,” in
disparaging of those whom men praise.
The fifte type is this: for to consente gladly and herkne
gladly to the harm that men speak of other people.
This sin is full great and ay encreeases after the
wicked entente of the bakbitere.
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After bakbityng comes gruchchyng or murmuration;
and sometimes it springs of impatience against God,
and sometimes against man.
Against God it is when a man gruccheth against the
pain of hell, or against poverty, or los of catel, or
against reyn or tempest; or else gruccheth that shrewes
have prosperity, or else for that good men have
adversity.
And all these things should man suffer patiently, for
they comen by the rightful judgment and ordinance of
God.
Sometimes comes grucching of avarice; as Judas
grucched against the Magdaleyne when she enoynted
the heved of our Lord Jesus Christ with their precious
oynement.
This manner murmure is such as when man gruccheth
of goodness that himself dooth, or that other people do
of their own catel.
Sometimes comes murmure of Pride, as when Simon
the Pharisee gruchched against the Magdaleyne when
she approched to Jesus Christ and weep at his feet for
their sins.
And sometimes grucchyng sourdeth of Envy, when
men discovers a man’s harm that was pryvee or bears
him on hond thing that is false.
Murmure also is often among servauntz that grucchen
when their sovereyns bidden them do leveful things;
and forasmuche as they dar not openly withseye the
comaundementz of their sovereyns, yet will they say
harm, and grucche, and murmure prively for truly
despit; which words are called the devil’s Pater noster,
though so be that the devil ne hadde never Pater noster,
but that lewed people given it such a name.
16
Then comes accusing, as when man seeks occasion to
anoyen his neighbor, which that is like the craft of the
devil, that waits both nyght and day to accusen us alle.
Then comes malignity, through which a man anoyeth
his neighbor prively, if he may; and if he noght may,
algate his wicked wil ne shall not wante, as for to burn
his hous pryvely, or empoysone or sleen his beasts, and
similar things.
Now will I speak of remedy against this foul sin of
Envy.
First is the love of God principal and lovyng of his
neighbor as himself, for truly that one ne may not be
without that other.
And trust well that in the name of your neighbor you
shall understand the name of your brother; for surely
all we have one father fleshly and one mother -- that is
to say, Adam and Eve -- and one spiritual father, and
that is God of heaven.
Thy neighbor you are holden for to love and wilne
him all goodness; and therefore God says, “Love your
neighbor as yourself” -- that is to say, to both of life
and of soul.
And moreover you shall love him in word, and in
benigne amonestynge and chastising, and conforten
him in his anoyes, and pray for him with all your heart.
And in dede you shall love him in such a fashion that
you shall do to him in charity as you would that it were
done to your own person.
And therefore you ne shall do him no damage in
wicked word, ne harm in his body, ne in his catel, ne in
his soul, by entissyng of wicked example.
You shall not desiren his wife ne none of his things.
Sometimes it comes of Anger or prive hate that
norisses rancour in heart, as afterward I shall declare.
Understoond also that in the name of neighbor is
comprehended his enemy.
Then comes also bitterness of heart, through which
bitterness every good dede of his neighbor seems to
him bitter and unsavory.
Certainly, man shall love his enemy, by the
commandment of God; and truly your friend you shall
love in God.
Then comes discord that unbynds all manner of
friendshipe.
I say, your enemy you shall love for God’s sake, by
his commandment.
Then comes scorning of his neighbor, all do he never
so weel.
For if it were reason that man should haten his enemy,
in truth God nolde not receiven us to his love that are
his enemys.
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17
Against three manner of wronges that his enemy dooth
to him, he shall do three things, as thus: Against hate
and rancour of heart, he shall love him in heart.
For certainly, the heart of man, by eschawfynge and
moevynge of his blood, grows so trouble that he is out
of all judgment of reason.
Against chidyng and wicked words, he shall pray for
his enemy.
But you shall understand that Anger is in two
manners; that one of them is good, and that other is
wicked.
Against the wicked dede of his enemy, he shall do him
bountee.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
For Christ says, “Love your enemys, and pray for
those who speak you harm, and for those also whom
you chace and pursue, and dooth bounty to those who
you haten.” Loo, thus command us our Lord Jesus
Christ to do to our enemys.
For truly, nature complels us to love our friends, and
parfey, our enemys have more nede to love than our
friends; and they that more nede have, surely to them
shall men do goodness; and certainly, in this dede have
we remembrance of the love of Jesus Christ that deyde
for his enemys.
And in as muche as this love is the more grievous to
parfourne, so muche is the more gret the merite; and
therefore the loving of our enemy has confounded the
venym of the devil.
The good Anger is by jalousie of goodness, through
which a man is wrooth with wickedness and against
wickedness; and therefore a wise man32 says that
Anger is bet than pley.
This Anger is with debonairetee, and it is wrooth
without bitterness; not wrooth against the man, but
wrooth with the mysdede of the man, as the prophet
David says, “Irascimini et nolite peccare.” Now
understandth that wicked Anger is in two manners; that
is to say, sodeyn Anger or hastif Anger, without
avisement and consenting of reason.
The menyng and the sens of this is that the reason of a
man ne consente not to this sodeyn Anger, and then is
it venial.
Another Anger is full wicked, that comes of felonie of
heart avysed and cast before, with wicked wil to do
vengeance, and his reason consents to this.
and truly this is deadly sin.
For right as the devil is disconfited by humility, right
so is he wounded to the death by love of our enemy.
Surely, then is love the medicine that casts out the
venym of Envy from man’s heart.
The types of this paas shullen be more largely
declared in their following chapters.
After Envy will I discryven the sin of Anger.
For truly, whoso has envy upon his neighbor, anon he
will comunly find him a matter of wrath, in word or in
dede, against him to whom he has envy.
And as well comes Anger of Pride as of Envy, for
truly he that is proud or envyous is lightly wrooth.
This sin of Anger, after the discryvyng of Saint
Augustine, is wicked wil to be avenged by word or by
dede.
This Anger is so displesant to God that it troubles his
house and chases the Holy Spirit out of man’s soul,
and lays to waste and destroys the likeness of God -that is to say, the virtue that is in man’s soul -- and put
in him the likeness of the devil, and takes the man
away from God, that is his rightful lord.
This Anger is a full great plesance to the devil, for it is
the devil’s furnace, that is eschawfed with the fir of
hell.
For surely, right so as fir is more mighty to destroyen
earthly things than any other element, right so Anger is
myghty to destroyen all spiritual things.
Looke how that fir of small gleedes that are almost
dede under asshen wollen come to life again when they
are touched with brimstone; so too will Anger
evermore come to life again when it is touched by the
pride that is covered in man’s heart.
Anger, according to the Philosopher, is the fervent
blood of man yquyked in his heart, through which he
wishes harm to the one that he hates.
32
Wise man.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
For certainly, fir ne may not comen out of no thing,
but if it were first in the same thing naturally, as fir is
drawen out of flints with steel.
And right so as pride is oftentimes matter of Anger,
right so is rancour norice and kepere of Anger.
18
Of Anger comen these stinking engendrures: First,
hate, that is oold wrath; discord, through which a man
forsakes his old friend that he has loved full longe; and
then comes werre and every manner of wrong that man
dooth to his neighbor, in body or in catel.
Of this cursed sin of Anger comes also manslaughter.
Ther is a maner tree, as Saint Ysidre says, that when
men make fir of this tree and covere the coles of it with
asshen, truly the fir of it will last all a yeer or more.
And understand well that homycide, that is
manslaughter, is in diverse ways.
And right so fares xxx it of rancour; when it is ones
conceyved in the hearts of some men, certain, it will
last peradventure from one Estre day unto another
Estre day, and more.
Som manner of homycide is spiritual, and some is
bodily.
But surely, this man is full fer from the mercy of God
all this while.
First by hate, as Saint John says: “He that hates his
brother is a homycide.” Homycide is also by
backbiting, of which bakbiteres Solomon says that
“they have two swords with which they sleen their
neighbores.” For truly, as wikke is to bynyme his good
name as his life.
In this forsaid devil’s furnace there forgen three
shrewes: Pride, that ay blows and increasses the fire by
chiding and wicked words; then stant Envy and holds
the hoote iren upon the heart of man with a peire of
longe toonges of long rancour; and then stant the sin of
Contumelie, or strif and cheeste, and batters ??? and
forges by vileyns reprevings.
Certainly, this cursed sin damages both to the man
himself and to his neighbor as well.
For truly, almost all the harm that any man dooth to
his neighbor comes of wrath.
For surely, outrageous wrath does all that ever the
devil commands him, for he spares neither Christ ne
his sweet Mother. Xxxx Christ nor his mother hold
back/refrain???
And in his outrageous anger and ire -- allas, allas! -full many one at that time feels in his heart full
wickedly, both of Christ and of all his saints as well.
Spiritual manslaughter is in six things.
Homycide is also in yeving of wicked counsel by
fraude, as for to given counsel to areysen wrongful
custumes and taillages.
Of which Solomon says, “Leon roring and bere
hongry are like to the cruel authorities” in withholding
or abregging of the shepe (or the hyre), or of the wages
of servauntz, or else in usure, or in withdrawing of the
alms of poor people.
For which the wise man says, “Feed the one that
almost dies for hunger”; for truly, unless you feed him,
you slay him; and all these are deadly sins.
Bodily manslaughter is, when you sleest him with
your tonge in other manner, as when you comandest to
sleen a man or else yevest him counsel to sleen a man.
Manslaughter in dede is in four manners.
Is not this a cursed vice? Yis, certainly.
Allas! It takes away a man from his wit and his
reason, and all his debonaire life espiritual that should
kepen his soul.
Surely, it takes away also God’s due authority, and
that is man’s soul and the love of his neighbors.
It strives also in all ways against truth.
It takes away from him the peace of his heart and
subverts his soul.
That one is by law, right as a justice damns the one
that is coupable to the death.
But lat the justice be war that he do it rightfully, and
that he do it not for delight to spille blood but for
keping of righteousness.
Another homycide is that is done for necessity, as
when one man slays another in his defendaunt and that
he ne may not otherwise escape from his own death.
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19
But certainly if he may escape without slaughter of his
adversarie, and slays him, he dooth sin and he shall
bere penance as for deadly sin.
forbere; or else it is his destiny, as he says, unto a
certain age; or elles, he says, it comes to him from the
gentility of his ancesters; and similar things.
Eek if a man, by caas or aventure, shete an arwe, or
caste a stone with which he slays a man, he is
homycide.
All these types of people so wrap themselves in their
sins that they will not deliver themselves xxxxx.
Eek if a woman by negligence should lie on top of her
child in her sleep, it is homycide and deadly sin.
And when man interrupts the conception of a child,
and makes a woman either barren by drinking
venenouse herbs through which she may not conceive,
or slays a child by drinks wilfully, or else puts certain
material things in her secret places to slee the child, or
else dooth unkyndely sin, by which man or woman
sheds their nature in manner or in place there as a child
may not be conceived, or else if a woman have
conceyved, and hurt herself and slays the child, yet is it
homycide.
What say we also of women that murder their children
for fear of worldly shame? Certainly, a horrible
homicide.
Homycide is also if a man approaches a woman by
desire of lecherie, through which the child is perishd,
or else smites a woman wityngly, through which she
loses her child.
All these are homycides and horrible deadly sins.
Yet comen there of Anger many more sins, as much in
word as in thought and in deed; as he that seizes upon
God, or blames God for things of which he is himself
guilty, or despises God and all his saints, as do these
cursed gamblers in diverse countries.
This cursed sin do they, when they feel in thier hearts
so wickedly of God and of his saints.
Also when they treten unreverntly the sacrament of
the auter, this sin is so great that hardly may it be
releeased, but that the mercy of God surpasses all his
works; it is so greet, and he so benigne.
Then comes of Anger attry angre.
When a man is sharply amonested in his confession to
forsake his sin, then will he be angry, and answeren
hokerly and angrily, and deffenden or excusen his sin
by unstedefastness of his flesh; or else he dide it for to
holde compaignye with his felawes; or elles, he says,
the fiend enticed him; or else he dide it for his youthe;
or else his complection is so corageous that he may not
For truly, no person that excuses him wilfully of his
sin may not be delivered of his sin until that he meekly
biknows his sin.
After this, then comes swearing, that is expres against
the commandment of God; and this bifalls often of
anger and of Anger.
God says, “Thow shall not take the name of your Lord
God in veyn or in idle.” Also our Lord Jesus Christ
says, by the word of Saint Matthew, “Ne will you not
swear in all manner; neither by heaven, for it is God’s
trone; ne by earth, for it is the bench of his feet; ne by
Jerusalem, for it is the city of a great king; ne by your
head, for you may not make a hair white ne black.
But say by your word `ye, ye,’ and `nay, nay’; and
what that is more, it is of yvel” -- thus says Christ.
For Christ’s sake, swear not so sinfully in
dismembring of Christ by soul, heart, bones, and body.
For surely, it seems that you think that the cursede
Jews ne dismembred not ynough the preciouse person
of Christ, but you dismembre him more.
And if so be that the law compelle you to swere, then
rule you after the law of God in your swerying, as
Jeremiah says, quarto capitulo: you shall kepe three
conditions: you shall swear “in truth, in doom, and in
righteousness.” This is to say, you shall swear the
truth, for every lie is against Christ; for Christ is
perfect truth.
And think well this: that “every great swerere, not
compelled lawefully to swere, the wounde shall not
departe from his hous” while he uses such unleveful
swearing.
You shall sweren also in doom, when you art
constreyned by your domesman to witness the truth.
Eek you shall not swear for envy, ne for favor, ne for
meede, but for righteousness, for declaration of it, to
the worship of God and helpyng of your eveneChristene.
And therefore every man that takes God’s name in
vain, or falsely swears with his mouth, or else takes on
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him the name of Christ, to be called a Christian man
and lives against [contrary to] Christ’s life and
teaching, all they take God’s name in idle. [this just
circles aroundxxxxxx]
Looke also what Saint Peter says, Actuum quarto, Non
est aliud nomen sub celo, etc., “Ther is no other
name,” Saint Peter says, “under heaven given to men,
in which they might be saved”; that is to say, other
than the name of Jesus Christ.
Take kep also how precious is the name of Christ, as
Saint Paul says, ad Philipenses secundo, In nomine
Jesus, etc., “That in the name of Jesus every knee of
heavenly creatures, or earthly, or of hell should bowe,”
for it is so heigh and so worshipful that the cursede
fiend in hell should tremble to hear it named.
Then seems it that men that sweren so horribly by his
blessed name, that they despise it more booldely than
dide the cursede Jews or else the devil, that trembles
when he hears his name.
Now certainly, since that swearing, but if it be
lawefully doon, is so heighly deffended, muche worse
is forswearing falsely, and yet nedelees.
What say we also of those who delighten them in
swearing, and holden it a gentrie or a manly dede to
swear great oaths? And what of those who of true
usage ne cease not to swear great oaths, all be the
cause not worth a straw? Surely, this is horrible sin.
Swearing sodeynly without avysement is also a sin.
But lat us go now to this horrible swearing of
adjuration and conjuration, as do these false
enchauntours or nigromanciens in bacyns full of water,
or in a bright swerd, in a cercle, or in a fir, or in a
shulder-boon of a sheep.
I kan not say but that they do cursedly and dampnably
against Christ and all the faith of holy church.
What say we of those who bileeven on divynailes, as
by flight or by noyse of birds, or of beasts, or by sort,
by nigromancie, by dremes, by chirking of dores or
crakking of houses, by gnawing of rattes, and such
manner wretchedness? Certainly, all this thing is
deffended by God and by holy church.
For which they are acursed, until they come to
amendement, that on such filth setten their bileeve.
Charms for woundes or maladie of men or of beasts, if
they taken any effect, it may be peradventure that God
20
suffers it, for people shouldn yeve the more faith and
reverence to his name.
Now will I speak of lying, which generally is false
signyficance of word, in entente to deceyven his
evene-Christene.
Som lying is of which there comes no avantage to no
creature; and some lying turns to the ese and profit of
one man, and to disese and damage of another man.
Another lying is for to saven his life or his catel.
Another lying comes of delight for to lye, in which
delight they will forge a long tale and peynten it with
all circumstances, where all the ground of the tale is
false.
Som lying comes for he will sustain his word; and
some lying comes of recklessness without avisement;
and similar things.
Lat us now touche the vice of flattering, which ne
comes not gladly but for fear or for covetousness.
Flattery is generally wrongful preising.
Flatterers are the devil’s norices, that norissen his
children with milk of losengerie.
In truth, Solomon says that “Flattery is wors than
detraction.” For sometimes detraction makes a hauteyn
man be the more humble, for he fears detraction; but
surely flattery, that makes a man to enhancen his heart
and his contenance.
Flatterers are the devil’s enchauntours; for they make
a man to wene of himself be like that he nys not like.
They are like to Judas that bitraysen a man to sellen
him to his enemy; that is to the devil.
Flatterers are the devil’s chaplains, that sing ever
Placebo.
I rekene flattery in the vices of Anger, for oftentimes
if one man be angry with another, then will he flatter
some person to sustain him in his querele.
Speak we now of such cursing as comes of angry
heart.
Malisoun generally may be said every maner power of
harm.
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21
Such cursing separates a man from the reign of God,
as Saint Paul says.
deslavee tonge slays the spirites of the one that
reproves and also of the one that is repreved.
And oftentimes such cursing wrongfully returns again
to the one that curses, as a bird that returns again to his
own nest.
Loo, what Saint Augustine says: “Ther is nothing so
like the devil’s child as he that often chides.” Saint
Paul says also, “The servant of God needs not to
chide.” And how that chiding be a vileyns thing
between all manner people, yet is it surely most
uncovenable between a man and his wife, for there is
never reste.
And over all thing men ought eschewe to cursen their
children, and given to the devil their engendrure, as
ferforth as in them is.
Certainly, it is great peril and great sin.
Lat us then speak of chiding and reproach, which are
full great woundes in man’s heart, for they unsowen
the semes of friendshipe in man’s heart.
For surely, hardlys may a man pleynly be accorded
with the one that has him openly revyled and repreved
and disclaundred.
And therefore Solomon says, “A hous that is
uncovered and dripping and a chiding wife are alike.”
A man that is in a house dripping in many places,
though he avoids the dropping in one place, it drips on
him in another place.
So it goes with a chiding wyf; if she does not chide
him in one place, she will chide him in another.
This is a full grisly sin, as Christ says in the gospel.
And therefore, “Better is a morsel of breed with joye
than a hous full of delices with chiding,” Solomon
says.
And take kep now, that he that reprooves his neighbor,
either he reproves him by some harm of pain that he
has on his body, as “mesel,” “croked harlot,” or by
some sin that he dooth.
Saint Paul says, “O you women, be subjects to your
husbands as bihoveth ????? in God, and you men love
your wives.” Ad Colossenses tertio.
Now if he repreve him by harm of pain, then turns the
repreve to Jesus Christ, for pain is sent by the righteous
sonde of God, and by his suffrance, be it meselrie, or
maheym, or maladie.
And if he repreve him uncharitably of sin, as “you
holour,” “you dronkelewe harlot,” and so forth, then
pertains that to the rejoysing of the devil, that ever has
joye that men do sin.
And certainly, chiding may not come but out of a
vileyns heart.
For after the habundance of the heart speaks the
mouth full ofte.
And you should understand that looke, by any way,
when any man shall chastise another, that he be war
from chiding or repreving.
Afterward speak we of scorning, which is a wicked
sin, and namely when he scorns a man for his good
works.
For certainly, such scorneres faren like the foul tode,
that may not endure to smelle the sweet taste of the
vine when it flourishes.
These scorneres are partyng felawes with the devel;
for they have joy when the devil wins and sorrow
when he loses.
They are adversaries of Jesus Christ, for they haten
that he loves -- that is to say, salvation of soul.
Speak we now of wicked counsel, for he that wicked
counsel gives is a traytour.
For he deceives himself that trusts in him, ut Achitofel
ad Absolonem.
For truly, but he be war, he may full lightly quyken
the fir of angre and of wrath, which that he should
quenche, and peradventure slays him which that he
might chastise with kindness.
But nonetheless, yet is his wicked counsel first against
himself.
For as Solomon says, “The amyable tonge is the tree
of life” -- that is to say, of life espiritual -- and truly, a
For, as the wise man says, “Every false living ??? has
this property in himself, that he that will harm another
man, he harms first himself.” And men should
understand that man shall not taken his counsel of false
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22
people, ne of angry people, or grievous people, ne of
people that love specially too much their own profit, ne
too much worldly people, namely in counseling of
souls.
Looke how that virtuous words and holy conforten
those who travails in the service of Christ, right so
conforten the vileyns words and knakkes of japeris
those who travail in the service of the devil.
Now comes the sin of those who sowen and make
discord among people, which is a sin that Christ hates
utterly.
These are the sins that comen of the tonge, that comen
of Anger and of other sins mo.
And no wonder is, for he deyde for to make concord.
The remedy against Anger is a virtue that is called
mansuetude, that is debonairetee; and also another
virtue, that men callen pacience or suffrance.
And more shame do they to Christ than did those who
crucified him, for God loves better that friendshipe be
among people, than he dide his own body, the which
that he gave for unity.
Debonairetee withdraws and restrains the stirrings and
the moevings of man’s corage in his heart, in such
manner that they ne skippe not out by angre ne by ire.
Therefore are they likened to the devil, that ever is
about to make discord.
Suffrance suffers swetely all the anoyances and the
wronges that men do to man outward.
Now comes the sin of double tonge, such as speak
faire byforn people and wickedly bihynde, or else they
make semblant as though they speeke of good
entention, or else in game and pley, and yet they speak
of wicked entente.
Saint Jerome says thus of debonairetee, that “it does or
speaks no harm to any creature.
Now comes biwreying of counsel, through which a
man is defamed; surely, hardly may he restoore the
damage.
Now comes manace, that is an open folly, for he that
manaces often, he very often threatens more than he
can carry things out.
Now comes idle words, that is without profit of the
one that speaks tho words, and also of the one that
listens to those words.
Or else idle words are tho that are nedelees or without
entente of natureel profit.
And although idle words are sometimes venial sin,
people should doubt them, for we should yeve
rekening of them bifore God.
Now comes jangling, that may not be without sin.
And, as Solomon says, “It is a sygne of apert folly.”
And therefore a philosopher said, when men asked him
how that men should please the people, and he
answerde, “Do many good works, and spek fewe
jangles.” After this comes the sin of japeres, that are
the devil’s apes, for they make people to laughe at their
japerie as people do at the gawdes of an ape.
Such japeres Saint Paul deffends. Xxxxdefends???
Xxxxxxis something missing here????ne for no harm
that men do or say, he ne eschawfeth xxxxx grows
hot/makes hot/becomes excited/becomes
angryxxxxxnot against his reason.” This virtue
sometimes comes of nature, for, as the Philosopher
says, “A man is a quyk thing, by nature debonaire and
tretable to goodness; but when debonairetee is
enformed of grace, then is it the more worth.”
Pacience, that is another remedy against Anger, is a
virtue that suffers swetely every man’s goodness, and
is not wrooth for any harm that is done to him.
The Philosopher says that pacience is this virtue that
suffers debonairely all the outrages of adversity and
every wicked word.
This virtue makes a man like to God, and makes him
God’s own dear child, as Christ says.
This virtue defeats your enemy.
And therefore the wise man says, “If you wolt
venquysse your enemy, lerne to suffer.” And you shall
understand that man suffers four manner of grevances
in outward things, against the which four he moot have
four manner of paciences.
The first grevance is of wicked words.
This sufferede Jesus Christ without grucchyng, full
patiently, when the Jews despised and repreved him
full ofte.
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23
Suffer you therefore patiently; for the wise man says,
“If you stryve with a fool, though the fool be wrooth or
though he laughe, algate you shall have no reste.” That
other grevance outward is to have damage of your
catel.
For Envy blinds the heart of a man, and Anger
troubles a man, and Accidie makes him hevy, pensive,
and wraw. Envy and Anger make bitterness in heart,
which bitterness is mother of Accidie, and takes him
away from the love of all goodness.
Theragainst suffered Christ full patiently, when he
was despoyled of all that he hadde in this life, and that
nas but his clothes.
Then is Accidie the anguish of troubled heart; and
Saint Augustine says, “It is anoy of goodness and joye
of harm.” Certainly, this is a dampnable sin, for it
dooth wrong to Jesus Christ, in as muche as it prevents
the service that men ought to do to Christ with all
diligence, as Solomon says.
The third grevance is a man to have harm in his body.
That suffered Christ full patiently in all his passion.
But Accidie dooth no such diligence.
The fourth grevance is in outrageous labour in works.
Therefore I say that people that make their servantz to
travai too grievously or out of time, as on holy days,
truly they do great sin.
Against this xxxx suffered Christ so patiently and
taughte us pacience, when he baar upon his blessed
shoulder the croys upon which he should suffer
despitous death.
Here may men lerne to be patient, for certainly noght
only Christen men are patient for love of Jesus Christ
and for reward of the blissful life that is eternal, but
surely, the old payens that never were Christene
commendeden and useden the virtue of pacience.
A philosopher upon a time, that would have beenten
his disciple for his great trespass, for which he was
greetly amoeved, and broghte a yerde to scour with the
child; and when this child saugh the yerde, he said to
his maister, “What thenke you do?” “I will beat you,”
said the maister, “for your correction.” “For truly,”
said the child, “ye ought to first correct youreself, that
have lost all your pacience for the gilt of a child.” “In
truth,” said the maister all weping, “thow seyst sooth.
Have you the yerde, my dear son, and correct me for
my impatience.” Of pacience comes obedience,
through which a man is obedient to Christ and to all
them to which he ought to be obedient in Christ.
And understond well that obedience is perfect when
that a man dooth gladly and hastily, with good heart
entirely, all that he should do. Obedience generally is
to parfourne the doctrine of God and of his sovereyns,
to which he ought to ben obeisaunt in all
righteousness.
After the sin of Envy and of Anger, now will I speak
of the sin of Accidie.
He dooth all thing with anoy, and with wrawnesse,
slakness, and excusation, and with idleness, and unlust;
for which the book says, “Acursed be he that dooth the
service of God necligently.” Then is Accidie enemy to
every estate of man, for surely the estate of man is in
three manners.
Outher it is the estate of innocence, as was the estate
of Adam before that he fil into sin, in which estate he
was holden to wirche as in heriynge and adowring of
God.
Another estate is the estate of sinful men, in which
estate men are holden to labour in preiing to God for
amendement of their sins, and that he will graunte
them to arysen out of their sins.
Another estate is the estate of grace, in which estate he
is holden to works of penitence.
And certainly, to all these things is Accidie enemy and
contrarie, for he loves no bisyness at al.
Now surely this foul sin Accidie is also a full great
enemy to the liflode of the body, for it ne has no
purveance against temporal necessity, for it loses
through delay, spoils through sluggishness, and
destroys all worldly goods through recklessness.
The fourth thing is that Accidie is like those who are
in the pain of hell, because of their sloth and of their
heaviness, for they that are damned are so bounde that
they ne may neither well do ne well think.
Of Accidie comes first that a man is anoyed and
encombred for to do any goodness, and makes that
God has abhomynation of such Accidie, as Saint John
says.
Now comes Sloth, that will not suffer no hardness ne
no penance. For truly, Sloth is so tender and so
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delicate, as Solomon says, that he will not suffer no
hardness ne penance, and therefore he destroys all that
he dooth.
Against this roten-heartd sin of Accidie and Sloth
should men exercise themself to do good works, and
manly and virtuously cacchen corage well to doon,
thinking that our Lord Jesus Christ repays every good
dede, be it never so lite.
Usage of labour is a great thing, for it makes, as Saint
Bernard says, the laborer to have stronge armes and
harde sinews; and sloth makes them feble and tender.
Then comes fear to begin to werke anye good works.
For certainly, he that is inclined to sin thinks it is so
great an emprise for to undertake to do works of
goodness, and sets down in his heart that the
circumstances of goodness are so grievouse and so
chargeaunt for to suffer, that he dar not undertake to do
works of goodness, as Saint Gregory says.
Now comes despair, that is despair of the mercy of
God, that comes sometimes of too much outrageous
sorrow, and sometimes of too much fear, ymagining
that he has done so much sin that it will not help him,
even if he would repent and forsake sin, through which
despair or fear he abandons all his heart to every maner
sin, as Saint Augustin says.
Which dampnable sin, if that it continue unto his end,
it is called sinning in the Holy Spirit.
This horrible sin is so perilous that he that is
despaired, there is no felone or no sin that he hesitates
to do, as showed well by Judas.
Surely, aboven all sins then is this sin most displesant
to Christ, and most adversarie.
Truly, he that despairs is like the coward champion
recreant, that says “creant” without nede.
Allas, allas, nedeles is he recreant and nedelees
despaired.
Certainly, the mercy of God is ever ready to the
penitent, and is aboven all his works.
Allas, kan a man not meditate on the gospel of Saint
Luc, 15, where as Christ says that “as well shall there
be joye in heaven upon a sinful man that dooth
penitence, as upon nynty and nyne rightful men that
neden no penitence.” look forther, in the same gospel,
the joye and the feeste of the good man that hadde lost
24
his son, when his son with repentance was retourned to
his father.
Kan they not remember them also that, as Saint Luc,
23, says, how that the thief that was hanged bisyde
Jesus Christ said, “Lord, remember of me, when you
comest into your regn.”? “In truth,” said Christ, “I say
to you, to-day you shall be with me in paradise.”
Surely, there is no sin of man so horrible that it ne may
in his life be destroyed by penitence, through virtue of
the passion and of the death of Christ.
Allas, what need is there for a man then to be
despaired, since that his mercy so ready is and large?
ask and have.
Then comes sompnolence, that is sloggy slombring,
which makes a man be hevy and dul in body and in
soul, and this sin comes of Sloth.
And certainly, the time that, by way of reason, men
should not slepe, that is by the morwe, but if there
were cause reasonable.
For truly, the morwe tyde is most covenable a man to
say his prayers, and for to think on God, and for to
honor God, and to given alms to the poor that first
comes in the name of Christ.
Lo, what Solomon says: “Whoso would by the morwe
awaken and seke me, he shall fynde.” Then comes
necligence, or recklessness, that cares of no thing.
And how that ignorance be mother of all harm, surely,
negligence is the norice.
Necligence ne dooth no fors, when he shall do a thing,
whether he do it weel or baddely.
Of the remedy of these two sins, as the wise man says,
that “He that fears God, he spares not to do that him
ought doon.” And he that loves God, he will do
diligence to please God by his works and abaundone
himself, with all his myght, well for to doon.
Then comes idleness, that is the yate of all harms.
An idle man is like to a place that has no walles; the
devils may enter on every syde, or sheten at him at
discovert, by temptation on every syde.
This idleness is the thurrok of all wicked and vileyns
thoughts, and of all jangles, trufles, and of all ordure.
Certainly, the heaven is given to those who will
labouren, and not to idle people.
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also David says that “they ne are not in the labour of
men, ne they should not be whipped with men” -- that
is to say, in purgatorie.
Surely, then seems it they should be tormented with
the devil in hell, but if they do penitence.
Then comes the sin that is called tarditas, as when a
man is to laterede or tariing before he will turne to
God, and certainly that is a great folie.
He is like to the one that falls in the dych and will not
arise.
And this vice comes of a false hope, that he thinks that
he shall lyve longe; but that hope fails so often.
Then comes lachess; that is he that when he bigins any
good work he soon shall cease from it and stop, as do
they that have any person to governe and ne taken of
hym no more kep anon as they find any contrarie or
any anoy.
These are the newe sheepherdes that leten their sheep
wityngly go renne to the wolf that is in the breres, or
do no fors of their own governance.
Of this comes poverty and destruction, both of
spiritual and temporal things.
Then comes a manner coldness, that freezes the whole
heart of a man.
Then comes undevotion, through which a man is so
blent, as Saint Bernard says, and has such langour in
soul that he may neither read nor sing in holy church,
nor hear nor think of no devotion, nor travail with his
hands in any good werk, that it is unsavory to him and
all apalled.
Then he grows slough and slombry, and soon will be
wrooth, and soone is inclined to hate and to envy.
Then comes the sin of worldly sorrow, such as is
called tristicia, that slays man, as Saint Paul says.
For surely, such sorrow works to the death of the soul
and of the body also; for threrof comes that a man is
anoyed of his own lif.
25
strength, that is an affection through which a man
despises anoyouse things.
This virtue is so myghty and so vigerous that it dar
withstonde myghtily and wisely kepen himself from
perils that are wicked, and wrastle against the assautes
of the devil.
For it enhances and enforces the soul, right as Accidie
abates it and makes it feeble.
For this fortitudo may endure by long suffrance the
travails that are covenable.
This virtue has many types; and the first is called
magnanimity, that is to say, great corage.
For certainly, there is needed great corage agains
Accidie, lest that it ne swolwe the soul by the sin of
sorrow, or destroye it by despair.
This virtue makes people to undertake harde things
and grievouse things, by their own wil, wisely and
reasonably.
And for as much as the devil fights against a man
more by queyntise and by sleighte than by strength,
therefore men shall withstonden hym by wit and by
reason and by discretion.
Then arn there the virtues of faith and hope in God
and in his saints to acheve and acomplice the good
works in the which he intends fermely to continue.
Then comes seuretee or sikerness, and that is when a
man ne douteth ????? no travail in time coming of the
good works that a man has bigonne.
Then comes magnificence; that is to say, when a man
dooth and performs great works of goodness; and that
is the end why that men should do good works, for in
the acomplissing of great good works lith the great
reward.
Then is there constance, that is stableness of corage,
and this should be in heart by stedefast faith, and in
mouth, and in bering, and in chiere, and in dede.
Therefore such sorrow very often shortens the life of
man, before his time be come by way of kynde.
Eke there are more speciale remedies against Accidie
in diverse works, and in consideration of the pains of
hell and of the joyes of heaven, and in the trust of the
grace of the Holy Spirit, that will yeve hym myght to
parfourne his good entente.
Against this horrible sin of Accidie, and the branches
of the same, there is a virtue that is called fortitudo or
After Accidie will I speak of Avarice and of
Covetousness, of which sin Saint Paul says that “the
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root of all harms is Covetousness.” Ad Thimotheum
Sexto.
For truly, when the heart of a man is confounded in
itself and troubled, and that the soul has lost the
confort of God, then seeks he an idle solace of worldly
things.
Avarice, after the description of Saint Augustine, is a
likerousness in heart to have earthly things.
Som other people say that Avarice is for to purchacen
many earthly things and no thing yeve to those who
have nede.
And understoond that Avarice ne stant not only in
land ne catel, but sometimes in science and in glorie,
and in every manner of outrageous thing is Avarice
and Covetousness.
And the difference between Avarice and Covetousness
is this: Covetousness is for to coveite such things as
you hast nat; and Avarice is for to withholde and kepe
such things as you hast, without rightful nede.
Truly, this Avarice is a sin that is full dampnable, for
all holy writ curses it and speaks against that vice, for
it dooth wrong to Jesus Christ.
For it separates him from the love that men to hym
owen, and turns it bakward against all reason, and
makes that the avaricious man has more hope in his
catel than in Jesus Christ, and dooth more observance
in keping of his treasure than he dooth to the service of
Jesus Christ.
custumes, and cariages, more than their duetee or
reason is.
And taken they also of their bond-men amercimentz,
which might more reasonably ben called extortions
than amercimentz. Of which amercimentz and
raunsoning of boonde-men some lordes stywardes say
that it is rightful, for as muche as a cherl has no
temporal thing that it ne is his lordes, as they say.
But surely, these lord-shipes do wrong that bireven
their bond-people things that they never yave them.
Augustinus, De Civitate libro nono.
“Sooth is that the condition of slavery and the first
cause of slavery is for sin.
Genesis nono.
Thus may you seen that the gilt disserves slavery, but
not nature.” Therefore these lordes ne should not
muche glorifien them in their powers, since that by
natureel condition they are not lordes over thralles, but
that slavery comes first by the desert of sin.
And furthermore, there as the law says that worldly
goods of servants are the goods of their masters, yes,
that is for to understand, the goods of the emperour, to
deffenden them in their right, but not for to robben
them ne reven them.
And therefore Seneca says, “Thy prudence should
lyve benignely with your thralles.” Those who you call
your thralles are God’s people, for humble people are
Christ’s friends; they are contubernyal with the Lord.
And therefore Saint Paul Ad Ephesios quinto says,
that an avaricious man is the slavery of ydolatrie.
Thynk also that of such seed as cherles springen, of
such seed springen lordes.
What difference is between an ydolastre and an
avaricious man, but that an ydolastre, per aventure, ne
has but one mawmet or two, and the avaricious man
has manye? For surely, every florin in his coffer is his
mawmet.
As well may the cherl be saved as the lord.
And certainly, the sin of mawmettrie is the first thing
that God deffended in the ten comaundementz, as bears
witness in Exodi capitulo vicesimo: “You shall have
no false God’s bifore me, ne you shall make to you no
grave thing.” Thus is an avaricious man, that loves his
treasure before God, an ydolastre, through this cursed
sin of avarice.
Of Covetousness comen these harde authorities,
through which men are distreyned by taylages,
26
The same death that takes the cherl, such death takes
the lord.
Therefore I rede, do right so with your cherl, as you
would that your lord dide with you, if you were in his
plit.
Every sinful man is a cherl to sin.
I rede you, certainly, that you, lord, work in such a
way with your cherles that they rather love you than
fear.
I woot well there is degree above degree, as reason is,
and skile is that men do their devoir there as it is due,
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
27
but surely, extortions and despit of your underlings is
dampnable.
their subjects in reason, as ferforth as it lith in their
power, and not to destroyen them ne confounde.
And furthermore, understoond well that these
conquerours or tyrants make very often thralles of
those who are born of as roial blood as are they that
them conqueren.
Therefore I say that these lords who are like wolves,
that devouren the possessions or the goods of poor
people wrongfully, without mercy or mesure, they
should receiven by the same mesure that they have
mesured to poor people the mercy of Jesus Christ, but
if it be amended.
This name of slavery was never erst kowth until that
Noe said that his son Canaan should be thral to his
bretheren for his sin.
What say we then of those who pilen and do
extortions to holy church? Certainly, the swerd that
men given first to a knyght, when he is newe dubbed,
signifies that he should deffenden holy church, and not
robben it ne pilen it; and whoso dooth is traitour to
Christ.
Now comes deceit between marchaunt and marchant.
And you shall understand that marchandise is in many
manners; that one is bodily, and that other is
spiritually; that one is honest and leveful, and that
other is deshonest and unleveful.
And, as Saint Augustine says, “They are the devil’s
wolves that stranglen the sheep of Jesus Christ,” and
do worse than wolves.
Of this bodily marchandise that is leveful and honest
is this: that, there as God has ordeyned that a reign or a
country is suffisaunt to himself, then is it honest and
leveful that of habundance of this country, that men
helpe another country that is more nedy.
For truly, when the wolf has filled his belly, he stops
killing the sheep.
And therefore there moote be marchantz to bring from
that one country to that other their marchandises.
But truly, the pilours and destroyours of the godes of
holy church ne do not so, for they ne stynte never to
pile.
That other marchandise, that men haunten with fraude
and trecherie and deceite, with lyings and false oaths,
is cursed and dampnable.
Now as I have said, since so is that sin was first cause
of slavery, then is it thus: that this time that all this
world was in sin, then was all this world in slavery and
submission.
Espiritual marchandise is properly symonye, that is
ententif desire to byen thing espiritual; that is, thing
that pertains to the sanctuary of God and to cure of the
soul.
But surely, since the time of grace cam, God ordeyned
that some people should be more heigh in estate and in
degree, and some people more lough, and that
everyone should be served in his estate and in his
degree.
This desir, if so be that a man do his diligence to
parfournen it, Albeit that his desire will take no effect,
yet is it to hym a deadly sin; and if he be ordered, he is
irreguleer.
And therefore in some countrys, there they byen
thralles, when they have turned them to the faith, they
make their thralles free out of slavery.
And therefore, certainly, the lord owes to his man
what the man owes to his lord.
The Pope calls himself servant of the servantz of God;
but for as muche as the estate of holy church ne might
not have been, ne the commune profit might not have
been kept, ne peace and rest in earth, but if God hadde
ordeyned that some men hadde hyer degree and some
men lower, therefore was sovereyntee ordeyned, to
kepe and mayntene and deffenden their underlinges or
Surely symonye is called of Simon Magus, that would
have boght for temporal catel the gift that God hadde
given by the Holy Spirit to Saint Peter and to the
apostles.
And therefore understoond that both he who sells and
he who buys things espirituels are called symonyals, be
it by catel, be it by procuring, or by fleshly prayer of
his friends, fleshly friends or espiritual friends: Fleshly
in two manners; as by kindred, or other friends.
Truly, if they praye for the one that is not worthy and
able, it is symonye, if he take the benefice; and if he be
worthy and able, there nys none.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
That other manner is when men or women preyen for
people to avauncen them, only for wicked fleshly
affection that they have unto the person, and that is
foul symonye.
But certainly, in service, for which men given things
espirituels unto their servantz, it moot be understand
that the service moot be honest and else nat; and that it
be without bargayning, and that the person be able.
For, as Saint Damasie says, “All the sins of the world,
at regard of this sin, arn as thing of noght.” For it is the
greatest sin that may be, after the sin of Lucifer and
AnteChrist.
For by this sin God truly loses the church and the soul
that he redeemed with his precious blood, by those
who given churchs to those who are not worthy.
For they putten in theves that stelen the souls of Jesus
Christ and destroyen his patrimoyne.
By such unworthy priests and curates have lewed men
the lasse reverence of the sacramentz of holy church,
and such yevers of churchs putten out the children of
Christ and putten into the church the devil’s own son.
They sellen the souls that lambes should kepen to the
wolf that kills them.
And therefore should they never have part of the
pasture of lambes, that is the bliss of heaven.
Now comes hasardrie with his apurtenances, as tables
and rafles, of which comes deceite, false oaths,
chidings, and all ravynes, blaspheming and reneiynge
of God, and hate of his neighbores, wast of goodes,
mysspending of time, and sometimes manslaughter.
Surely, hasardours might not be without great sin
whiles they haunte that craft.
Of Avarice comen also lying, theft, false witness, and
false oaths.
And you should understand that these are great sins
and expres against the comaundementz of God, as I
have said.
False witness is in word and in dede.
In word, as for to bireve your neighbores good name
by your false witnessyng, or bireven hym his catel or
his heritage by your false witnessyng, when you for
ire, or for meede, or for envy, berest false witness, or
28
accusest hym or excusest hym by your false witness, or
else excusest yourself falsely.
Ware yow, questemongeres and notaries! Certainly,
for false witnessyng was Susanna in full gret sorrow
and pain, and many another mo.
The sin of thefte is also expres against God’s heeste,
and that in two manners, corporeel or spiritual.
Corporeel, as for to take your neighbores catel against
his will, be it by force or by sleighte, be it by met or by
mesure; by stelyng also of false enditementz upon
hym, and in borwing of your neighbores catel, in
entente never to payen it again, and similar things.
Espiritual thefte is sacrilege; that is to say, hurting of
holy things, or of things sacred to Christ, in two
manners: by reason of the holy place, as churchs or
church-hawes, for which every vileyns sin that men do
in such places may be called sacrilege, or every
violence in the similar places; also, they that
withdrawen falsely the rightes that longen to holy
church.
And pleynly and generally, sacrilege is to reven holy
thing from holy place, or unholy thing out of holy
place, or holy thing out of unholy place.
Now should you understand that the releeving of
Avarice is misericorde, and pity largely taken.
And men might ask why that misericorde and pity is
releeving of Avarice.
Surely, the avricious man shows no pity ne
misericorde to the nedeful man, for he delights hym in
the keping of his treasure, and not in the rescowing ne
releeving of his evene-Christen.
And therefore speak I first of misericorde.
Then is mercy, as the Philosopher says, a virtue by
which the corage of a man is stired by the mysese of
the one that is mysesed.
Upon which misericorde follows pity in parfourning
of charitable works of misericorde.
And certainly, these things moeven a man to the
misericorde of Jesus Christ, that he gave himself for
our gilt, and suffered death for misericorde, and forgaf
us our originale sins, and therby released us from the
pains of hell, and amenused the pains of purgatorie by
penitence, and gives grace well to do, and at last the
bliss of heaven.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
The types of misericorde are, as for to lene and for to
yeve, and to foryeven and release, and for to have pity
in heart and compassion of the meschief of his eveneChristene, and to chastise as well, there as nede is.
Another manner of remedy against avarice is
reasonable largesse; but truly, here bihoves the
consideration of the grace of Jesus Christ, and of his
temporal goodes, and of the eternal goods also that
Christ gave to us; and to have remembrance of the
death that he shall receive, he noot when, where, or
how; and that he shall forgon all that he has also, save
only that he has despended in good works.
But for as muche as some people are unmesurable,
men ought to eschew fool-largesse, that is called wast.
Surely, he that is fool-large ne gives not his catel, but
he loses his catel.
Truly, what thing that he gives for veyne glorie, as to
mynstrals and to people for to beren his renoun in the
world, he has sin threrof and no alms.
Certainly, he loses foul his good that ne seeks with the
gift of his good nothing but sin.
He is like to a hors that seeks rather to drink drovy or
trouble water than for to drink water of the clere welle.
And for as much as they given there as they should
not yeven, to them pertains this malisoun that Christ
shall given at the Day of Judgment to those who
should be damned.
After Avarice comes Gluttony, which is expres also
against the commandment of God.
29
He moot be in servage of all vices, for it is the devil’s
hoord there he hides hym and rests.
This sin has many types.
The first is dronkeness, that is the horrible sepulture of
man’s reason; and therefore, when a man is dronken,
he has lost his reason; and this is deadly sin.
But truly, when that a man is not wont to strong
drynke, and peradventure ne knows not the strength of
the drynke, or has feebleness in his head, or has
travailed, through which he drinks the more, all be he
sodeynly caught with drynke, it is no deadly sin, but
venyal.
The second type of gluttony is that the spirit of a man
grows all trouble, for dronkeness bireves hym the
discretion of his wit.
The third type of gluttony is when a man devours his
food and has no rightful manner of eating.
The fourth is when, through the great habundance of
his food, the humours in his body are distempred.
The fifth is foryetelness by too much drinking, for
which sometimes a man forgets before the morning
what he did in the evening, or on the night before.
In other manner are distinct the types of Gluttony,
according to Saint Gregory.
The first is to eat before it is time to eat.
The second is when a man get hym to delicate food or
drynke.
The third is when men taken too much over mesure.
Gluttony is unmesurable appetit to ete or to drynke, or
else to do ynogh to the unmesurable appetit and
desordeynee covetousness to eten or to drynke.
This sin corrumped all this world, as is well shewed in
the sin of Adam and of Eve.
Looke also what Saint Paul says of Gluttony: “Many,”
Saint Paul says, “goon, of which I have often said to
yow, and now I say it weping, that are the enemys of
the croys of Christ; of which the end is death, and of
which their wombe is their god, and their glorie in
confusion of those who so savouren earthly things.” He
that is usaunt to this sin of gluttony, he ne may no sin
withstonde.
The fourth is curiosity, with great entente to make and
apparaillen his food.
The fifth is for to eten to gredily.
These are the five fingers of the devil’s hand, by
which he draws people to sin.
Against Gluttony is the remedy abstinence, as Galien
says; but that holde I not meritorie, if he do it only for
the heele of his body.
Saint Augustine will that abstinence be done for virtue
and with pacience.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
“Abstinence,” he says, “is little worth but if a man
have good wil therto, and but it be enforced by
pacience and by charity, and that men do it for Godes
sake, and in hope to have the bliss of heaven.” The
felawes of abstinence are temperance, which holds the
mean in all things; and shame, that eschews all
deshonestee; suffisance, that seeks no rich meat or
drinks, ne does no fors of to outrageous apparailing of
food; mesure also, that checks by reason the deslavee
appetit of eating; sobreness also, that checks the
outrage of drynke; sparing also, that checks the
delicate ese to sitte longe at his food and softely,
therefore some people stonden of their own will to eten
at the lasse leyser.
After Gluttony then comes Lust, for these two sins are
so ny cosyns that oftentimes they will not departe.
God knows, this sin is full displesaunt thing to God,
for he said himself, “Do no lust.” And therefore he
putte great pains against this sin in the old law.
If woman thral were taken in this sin, she should be
beten with staves to the death; and if she were a gentil
woman, she should be slain with stones; and if she
were a bisshoppes doghter, she should be brent, by
God’s commandment.
Furthermore, by the sin of lust God dreynte all the
world at the diluge.
And after that he brente five cities with thonder-leyt,
and sank them into hell.
Now lat us speak then of this stinking sin of Lust that
men clepe adultery of wedded people; that is to say, if
that one of them be wedded, or else both.
Saint John says that adulterers should be in hell, in a
stank burning of fire and of brimstone -- in fire for
their lecherye, in brimstone for the stink of their
ordure.
Surely, the breaking of this sacrament is a horrible
thing.
It was maked of God himself in paradise, and
confermed by Jesus Christ, as witnesss Saint Matthew
in the gospel: “A man shall lete father and mother and
taken hym to his wif, and they shullen be two in one
flesh.” This sacrament betokens the knytting together
of Christ and of holy church.
And not only that God forbad adultery in dede, but
also he comanded that you should not coveite your
neighbores wife.
30
“In this heeste,” Saint Augustine says, “is forboden all
manner covetousness to do lust.” Lo, what Saint
Matthew in the gospel says, that “whoso seeth ??? a
woman to covetousness of his lust, he has done lust
with her in his heart.” Here may you seen that not only
the dede of this sin is forboden, but also the desire to
do that sin.
This cursed sin harms grievously those who it
haunten.
And first to their soul, for he obliges it to sin and to
pain of death that is eternal.
Unto the body harms it grievously also, for it dreyeth
??? hym, and wastes him, and shent hym, and of his
blood he makes sacrifice to the fiend of hell.
It wastes also his catel and his substance.
And certainly, if it be a foul thing a man to waste his
catel on women, yet is it a fouler thing when that, for
such ordure, women dispenden upon men their catel
and substance.
This sin, as the prophet says, bereaves man and
woman their good fame and all their honor, and it is
full plesaunt to the devil, for by this the devil wins the
greater part of this world.
And just as a merchant delights himself most in
chaffare that he has greatest advantage of, so too the
fiend delights in this ordure.
This is that other hand of the devil with five fingers to
cacche the people to his vileynye.
The first finger is the fool looking of the fool woman
and of the fool man; that slays, right as the basilicok
slays people by the venym of his sight, for the
covetousness of eyes follows the covetousness of the
heart.
The second finger is the vileyns touching in wicked
manner.
And therefore Solomon says that “whoso touches and
handles a woman, he fares like the one that handles the
scorpion that stings and sudddenly slays through his
envenoming”; as whoso touches warm pych, it shent
his fingers.
The third is foul words, that fares like fire, that right
anon burns the heart.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
The fourth finger is the kissing; and truly he were a
great fool that would kisse the mouth of a burning
oven or of a furnace.
And more fooles are they that kissen in vileynye, for
that mouth is the mouth of hell; and namely these old
dotardes holours, yet will they kisse, though they may
not do, and smatre them.
Surely, they are like to dogs; for a dog, when he
comes by the roser or by other [bushes], though he
may not pisse, yet will he heve up his leg and make a
contenance to pisse.
And though many men believe that they may not sin
in lecherousness with their wives, certainly, that
opinion is false.
God knows, a man may sleen himself with his own
knyf, and make hymselve dronken of his own tonne.
Surely, be it wife, be it child, or any worldly thing that
he loves before God, it is his mawmet, and he is an
ydolastre.
Man should love his wife by discretion, patiently and
atemprely, and then is she as though it were his suster.
The fifth finger of the devil’s hand is the stinking dede
of Lechery.
Certainly, the five fyngres of Glotonie the fiend put in
the wombe of a man, and with his five fingres of Lust
he gripes hym by the reynes for to throwen hym into
the furnace of hell, there as they should have the fire
and the wormes that ever should last, and weping and
wailing, sharp hunger and thurst, [and] grymness of
devils, that shullen all totrede them without respit and
without end.
Of Lechery, as I said, sourden diverse types, as
fornication, that is between man and woman that are
not married, and this is deadly sin and against nature.
Al that is enemy and destruction to nature is against
nature.
Parfay, the reason of a man tells also hym well that it
is deadly sin, for as muche as God forbad lechery.
And Saint Paul gives them the reign that nys due to no
person but to those who do deadly sin.
Another sin of Lechery is to bireve a mayden of their
maydenhede, for he that so dooth, surely, he casts a
maiden out of the highest degree that there is in this
31
present life and bereaves her this precious fruit that the
book calls the hundred ????? fruit.
I can say it no other way in English, but in Latin it is
called Centesimus fructus.
Certainly, he that so dooth is cause of many damages
and vileynyes, more than any man kan rekene; right as
he sometimes is cause of all damages that beasts don in
the feeld, that breaks the hegge or the closure, through
which he destroys that may not be restoored.
For surely, no more may maydenhede be restoored
than an arm that is smyten from the body may retourne
again to wexe.
She may have mercy, this woot I wel, if she do
penitence; but never shall it be that she nas corrupt.
And Albeit so that I have spoken somwhat of adultery,
it is good to show more perils that longen to adultery,
for to eschew that foul sin.
Adultery in Latin is for to say approching of other
man’s bed, through which tho that whilom were one
flesh abawndone their bodyes to other persons.
From this sin, as the wise man says, follows many
harms.
First, breaking of faith, and certainly in faith is the
keye of Christendom.
And when that faith is broken and lost, truly
Christendom stant veyn and without fruit.
This sin is also a thefte, for thefte generally is for to
reve a person his thing against his will.
Surely, this is the foulest theft that there may be, when
a woman steals her body from her husband and gives it
to her holour to defoulen her, and steals her soul from
Christ and gives it to the devil.
This is a fouler thefte than for to breke a church and
stele the chalice, for these adulterers break the temple
of God spiritually, and stelen the vessel of grace, that
is the body and the soul, for which Christ shall
destroyen them, as Saint Paul says.
Truly, of this thefte doubted greatly Joseph, when his
lord’s wife prayed hym of vileynye, when he said, “Lo,
my lady, how my lord has take to me under my warde
all that he has in this world, ne no thing of his things is
out of my power, but only ye, that are his wife.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
And how should I then do this wickedness, and sin so
horribly against God and against my lord? God it
forbeede!” Allas, all to little is such truth now yfounde.
The third harm is the filth through which they break
the commandment of God, and defoulen the auctour of
matrimoyne, that is Christ.
For certainly, insomuch as the sacrament of marriage
is so noble and so worthy, so muche is it greater sin for
to break it, for God made marriage in paradise, in the
estate of innocence, to multiplye mankynde to the
service of God.
And therefore is the breaking threrof the more
grievous; of which breaking comen false heires
oftentimes, that wrongfully ocupien people’s heritages.
And therefore will Christ putte them out of the reign
of heaven, that is heritage to good people.
Of this breaking comes also oftentimes that people
unwar wedden or sin with their own kindred, and
namely these harlotes that haunten bordellos of these
foolish women, that might be likened to a commune
gong, where as men purgen their ordure.
What say we also of putours that lyven by the horrible
sin of putrie, and constreyne women to yelden them a
certain rente of their bodily puterie, ye, sometimes of
his own wife or his child, as do these bawdes? Surely,
these are cursede sins.
Understoond also that Adultery is set gladly in the ten
commandmentz between thefte and manslaughter; for
it is the greatest thefte that may be, for it is thefte of
body and of soul.
And it is like to homycide, for it cuts in two and
breaks in two those who first were made in one flesh.
And therefore, by the old law of God, they should be
slain.
But nonetheless, by the law of Jesus Christ, that is law
of pity, when he said to the woman that was founden in
adultery, and should have been slain with stones, after
the will of the Jews, as was their law, “Go,” said Jesus
Christ, “and have no more will to sin,” or, “will no
more to do sin.” Truly the vengeance of Adultery is
awarded to the pains of hell, but if so be that it be
destourbed by penitence.
Yet are there more types of this cursed sin; as when
that one of them is religious, or else both; or of people
32
that are entered into order, as subdekne, or dekne, or
priest, or hospitaliers.
And ever the hyer that he is in order, the greater is the
sin.
The things that greatly agreggen their sin is the
breaking of their vow of chastity, when they received
the order.
And furthermore, sooth is that holy order is chief of
all the treasury of God and his especial sign and mark
of chastity to shewe that they are joyned to chastity,
which that is the most precious life that is.
And these ordred people are specially titled to God,
and of the special meignee of God, for which, when
they do deadly sin, they are the special traytours of
God and of his people; for they lyven of the people, to
pray for the people, and while they ben such traitours,
here preyer availth not to the people.
Priests are angels, as by the dignity of their mystery;
but in truth, Saint Paul says that Sathanas transforms
hym in an angel of light.
Truly, the priest that haunts deadly sin, he may be
likened to the angel of darkness transformed in the
angel of light.
He seems angel of light, but in truth he is angel of
darkness.
Such priests are the sons of Helie, as shows in the
Book of Kings, that they were the sons of Belial -- that
is, the devil.
Belial is to say, “without judge.” And so faren they;
them think they are free and have no judge, no more
than has a free bole that takes which cow that hym
likes in the town.
So faren they by women.
For right as a free bole is ynough for all a toun, right
so is a wicked priest corruption ynough for all a
parisshe, or for all a country.
These priests, as the book says, ne konne not the
mysterie of priesthod to the people, ne God ne know
they nat.
They ne helde them not apayd, as the book says, of
soden flesh that was to them offred, but they tooke by
force the flesh that is rawe.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
Certainly, so these shrewes ne holden them not apayed
of roosted flesh and sode flesh, with which the people
feden them in great reverence, but they will have raw
flesh of people’s wives and thier daughters.
And surely, these women that consenten to their
harlotrie do great wrong to Christ, and to holy church,
and all saints, and to all souls; for they bireven all
these the one that should worship Christ and holy
church and pray for Christene souls.
And therefore have such priests, and their lemmanes
also that consenten to their lechery, the malisoun of all
the court Christien, until they come to amendement.
The third type of adultery is sometime between a man
and his wife, and that is when they take no reward in
their assembling but only to their fleshly delight, as
Saint Jerome says, and ne rekken of nothing but that
they are assembled; by cause that they are married, all
is good ynough, as they think.
But in such people has the devil power, as said the
angel Raphael to Thobie, for in their assembling they
putten Jesus Christ out of their heart and given
themself to all ordure.
The fourth type is the assembly of those who are of
their kindred, or of those who are of one affynytee, or
else with them with which their fadres or their kindred
have deled in the sin of lust.
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maydenes, and to those also who are corrupt; and this
sin is called polution, that comes in four manners.
Sometime of langwissing of body, for the humours are
to ranke and to habundaunt in the body of man;
sometime of infermetee, for the feebleness of the virtue
retentif, as phisik makes mention; sometime for surfeet
of food and drynke; and sometime of vileyns thoughts
that are enclosed in man’s mind when he gooth to
slepe, which may not be without sin; for which men
must kepen them wisely, or else may men sin full
grievously.
Now comes the remedy against Lechery, and that is
generally chastity and continence, that restrains all the
desordeynee moevings that comen of fleshly talentes.
And ever the greater merite shall he have that most
restrains the wicked eschawfings of the [ardour] of this
sin.
And this is in two manners -- that is to say, chastity in
marriage, and chastity of widwehod.
Now you shall understand that matrimoyne is leefful
assembling of man and of woman that receiven by
virtue of the sacrament the boond through which they
may not be departed in all their life -- that is to say,
while that they lyven both.
This, as the book says, is a full great sacrament.
This sin makes them like to dogs, that taken no kep to
kindred.
God maked it, as I have said, in paradise, and would
himself be born in marriage.
And certainly, parentele is in two manners, either
spiritually or fleshly; spiritually, as for to deelen with
his godsibbes.
And for to halwen marriage he was at a wedding,
where as he turned water into wyn, which was the first
miracle that he wroghte in earth before his disciples.
For right so as he that engenders a child is his fleshly
father, right so is his godfader his father espiritual.
True effect of marriage cleanses fornication and
replenishes holy church of good lynage, for that is the
end of marriage; and it changes deadly sin into venial
sin between those who are married, and makes the
hearts all one of those who are married, as well as the
bodies.
For which a woman may in no lasse sin assemblen
with their godsib than with their own fleshly brother.
The fifth type is this abominable sin, of which that no
man hardly ought speak ne write; nonetheless it is
openly reherced in holy writ.
This cursedness do men and women in diverse entente
and in diverse manner; but though that holy writ speak
of horrible sin, surely holy writ may not be defouled,
no more than the sonne that shines on the mixne.
Another sin pertains to lechery, that comes in
sleeping, and this sin comes often to those who are
This is true marriage, that was established by God,
before sin bigan, when natureel law was in his right
poynt in paradise; and it was ordeyned that one man
should have but one woman, and one woman but one
man, as Saint Augustine says, by many reasons.
First, for marriage is figured between Christ and holy
church.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
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And that other is for a man is heved of a woman;
algate, by ordinance it should be so.
setten her entente to please their husbands, but not by
her queyntise of array.
For if a woman hadde more men than one, then should
she have more than one head, and that would be a
horrible thing before God; and a woman ne might not
please too many people at once.
Saint Jerome says that “wives who are apparailled in
silk and in precious purpre ne might not clothen them
in Jesus Christ.” Loke what Saint John says also on
this matter? Saint Gregory also says that “No person
seeks precious array but only for veyne glorie, to be
honored the more before the people.” It is a great folly,
a woman to have a fair array outward and in herself be
foul inward.
And also there ne should never be peace ne reste
among them, for everyone would axen his own thing.
And furthermore, no man ne should know his own
engendrure, ne who should have his heritage; and the
woman should be the lasse biloved from the time that
she were conjoynt to many men.
Now comes how that a man should bere hym with his
wif, and namely in two things; that is to say, in
suffrance and reverence, as shewed Christ when he
made first woman.
A wife should also be mesurable in looking and in
bering and in lawghynge, and discreet in all her words
and her dedes.
And aboven all worldly thing she should love her
husband with all her heart, and to hym be true of her
body.
So should a husband also be to his wife.
For he ne made her not of the heved of Adam, for she
should not clayme to great authority.
For there as the woman has the maistrie, she makes
too much desray.
Ther neden none examples of this; the experience of
day by day ought to suffise.
Also, certainly, God ne made not woman of the foot of
Adam, for she ne should not be holden too low; for she
can not patiently suffer.
But God made woman of the rib of Adam, for woman
should be felawe unto man.
Man should bere hym to his wife in faith, in truth, and
in love, as Saint Paul says, that a man should love his
wife as Christ loved holy church, that loved it so well
that he deyde for it.
So should a man for his wife, if it were nede.
Now, how a woman should be subject to her husband,
Saint Peter tells.
First, in obedience.
And, as the decree says, a woman that is wife, as
longe as she is a wife, she has no authority to swear ne
to bere witness without leve of her husband, that is her
lord; algate, he should be so by reason.
She should also serven hym in all honestee, and be
attempree of her array. I woot well that they should
For since that all the body is the husbands, so should
her heart be, or else there is between them two, as in
that, no perfect marriage.
Then shall men understand that for thre things a man
and his wife fleshly might assemble.
The first is in entente of engendrure of children to the
service of God, for surely that is the cause final of
matrimoyne.
Another cause is to yelden every one of them to other
the dette of her bodies, for neither of them has power
of his own body.
The third is to eschew leccherye and vileynye.
The fourth is in truth deadly sin.
As to the first, it is meritorie; the second also, for, as
the decree says, that she has merit of chastity that
yields to her husband the debt of her body, ye, though
it be against her liking and the lust of her heart.
The third manner is venyal sin; and, truly, scarsly may
there any of these be without venial sin, for the
corruption and for the delight.
The fourth manner is for to understand, as if they
assemble only for amorous love and for none of the
foresaid causes, but for to accomplice this burning
delight, they rekke never how ofte.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
Truly it is deadly sin; and yet, with sorrow, some
people will painn them more to do than to her appetit
suffices
The second manner of chastity is for to be a pure
widow, and eschew the embracings of man, and desire
the embracing of Jesus Christ.
These are those who have been wives and have
forgoon their husbands, and women also who have
done lechery and be releeved by penitence.
And certainly, if that a wife could keep herself entirely
chaste by licence of her husband, so that she yeve
never any occasion that he agilte, it would be to her a
great merite.
These types of women that observen chastity must be
clene in heart as well as in body and in thought, and
mesurable in clothing and in contenance, and be
abstinent in eating and drinking, in speking, and in
dede.
They are the vessel or the boyste of the blissed
Magdelene, that fulfills holy church of good odour.
The third manner of chastity is virginity, and it is
necessary that she be holy in heart and pure of body.
Then is she spouse to Jesus Christ, and she is the life
of angels.
She is the preising of this world, and she is as these
martirs in egality; she has in her that tonge may not
telle ne heart think.
Virginity baar our Lord Jesus Christ, and virgine was
hymselve.
Another remedy against Lechery is specially to
withdrawen such things as yeve occasion to this
vileynye, as ese, eating, and drinking.
For surely, when the pot boils strongly, the beste
remedy is to withdrawe the fire.
Sleeping longe in great quiete is also a great norice to
Lechery.
Another remedy against Lechery is that a man or a
woman eschew the compaignye of them by which he
douteth ??? to be tempted, for Albeit so that the dede
be withstonden, yet is there great temptation.
Truly, a white wal, although it ne burn noght fully by
stikynge of a candele, yet is the wal black of the leyt.
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Ful oftentimes I rede that no man trust in his own
perfection, but he be stronger than Sampson, and
hoolier than David, and wiser than Solomon.
Now after that I have declared yow, as I kan, the
seven deadly sins, and some of their branches and their
remedies, truly, if I koude, I would telle you the ten
commandmentz.
But so heigh a doctrine I lete to divines.
Nonetheless, I hope to God, they are touched in this
tretice, every one of them alle.
Now for as muche as the second part of Penitence
stant in confession of mouth, as I began in the first
chapter, I say, Saint Augustine says, “Sin is every
word and every dede, and all that men coveiten,
against the law of Jesus Christ; and this is for to sin in
heart, in mouth, and in dede, by your five senses, that
are sight, hearing, smelling, tasting or tasting, and
feeling.” Now is it good to understand the
circumstances that agreggen much every sin.
You shall considere what you art that doost the sin,
whether you be male or femele, yong or oold, gentil or
thral, free or servant, hool or syk, wedded or single,
ordred or unordred, wise or fool, clerk or seculeer; if
she is of your kindred, bodily or spiritually, or not; if
any of your kindred have sinned with her, or not; and
many more things.
Another circumstance is this: whether it be done in
fornication or in adultery or not, incest or not, mayden
or not, in manner of homicide or not, horrible great
sins or small, and how longe you hast continued in sin.
The third circumstance is the place there you hast do
sin, whether in other mennes hous or in your own, in
feeld or in church or in churchhawe, in church dedicaat
or not.
For if the church be halwed, and man or woman spille
his kynde inwith that place by way of sin or by wicked
temptation, the church is entredited until it be
reconsiled by the bishop.
And the priest should be enterdited that dide such a
vileynye; to terme of all his life he should no more sing
masse, and if he dide, he should do deadly sin at every
time that he so songe masse.
The fourth circumstance is by which mediatours, or by
which messagers, as for enticement, or for
consentement to bere compaignye with felaweshipe;
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
for many a wrecche, for to bere compaignye, will go to
the devil of hell.
Therefore they that eggen or consenten to the sin are
parteners of the sin, and of the damnation of the sinner.
The fifth circumstance is how many times that he has
sinned, if it be in his mind, and how often that he has
falle.
For he who often falls into sin, despises the mercy of
God, and increases his sin, and is unkind to Christ; and
he grows too feeble to withstand sin, and sins the more
lightly, and the latter arises, and is the more eschew for
to shryven hym, and namely, to the one that is his
confessour.
For which that people, when they fall again in their
old follies, either they forsake their old confessours all
outrely or else they departen their shrift in diverse
places; but truly, such departed shrift deserves no
mercy of God of his sins.
The sixte circumstance is why that a man sins, as by
which temptation, and if himself procure this
temptation, or by the exciting of other people; or if he
sin with a woman by force, or by her own assent; or if
the woman, maugree their hed, has been afforced, or
not.
This shall she telle: for covetousness, or for poverty,
and if it was her procuring, or not; and such manner
harneys.
The seventhe circumstance is in what manner he has
done his sin, or how that she has suffered that people
have done to her.
And the same shall the man telle pleynly with all
circumstances; and whether he has sinned with comune
bordel women or not, or do his sin in holy times or not,
in fastyng times or not, or before his confession, or
after his latter confession, and has peradventure broken
therefore his penance enjoyned, by whos help and
whos counsel, by sorcerie or craft; all must be told.
All these things, after that they are great or small,
engreggen the conscience of man.
And the priest also, that is your judge, may the better
be avysed of his judgment in yeving of your penance,
and that is after your contrition.
For understond well that after time that a man has
defouled his baptism by sin, if he will come to
salvation, there is no other way but by penitence and
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confession and satisfaction, and namely by the two, if
there be a confessour to which he may shriven hym,
and the third, if he have life to parfournen it.
Then shall man look and considere that if he will
make a true and a profitable confession, there must be
four conditions.
First, it moot be in sorrowful bitterness of heart, as
said the king Ezechias to God, “I will remember me all
the yeres of my life in bitterness of my heart.” This
condition of bitterness has five signs.
The first is that confession must be shamefast, not for
to covere ne hyden his sin, for he has agilt his God and
defouled his soul.
And about this Saint Augustine says, “The heart
travails for shame of his sin”; and for he has great
shamefastness, he is worthy to have great mercy of
God.
Such was the confession of the publican that would
not heaven up his eyes to heaven, for he hadde
offended God of heaven; for which shamefastness he
hadde anon the mercy of God.
And threrof Saint Augustine says that such shamefast
people are next foryeveness and remission.
Another sign is humility in confession, of which Saint
Peter says, “Humble yourself under the myght of
God.” The hond of God is myghty in confession, for
therby God forgives you your sins, for he allone has
the power.
And this humility shall be in heart and in sign
outward, for right as he has humility to God in his
heart, right so should he humble his body outward to
the priest, that sit in God’s place.
For which in no manner, since that Christ is sovereyn,
and the priest meene and mediatour between Christ
and the sinner, and the sinner is the last by way of
reason, then should not the sinner sitte as heighe as his
confessour, but knele before hym or at his feet, but if
maladie destourbe it.
For he shall not taken kep who sit there, but in whose
place that he sits.
A man that has trespassed to a lord, and comes for to
ask mercy and make his accord, and set him down
anon by the lord, men would holden hym outrageous,
and not worthy so soone for to have remission ne
mercy.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
The third sign is how that your shrift should be full of
teeris, if man may, and if man may not wepe with his
bodily eyes, lat hym wepe in heart.
Such was the confession of Saint Peter, for after that
he hadde forsake Jesus Christ, he wente out and weep
full bitterly.
The fourth sign is that he ne lette not for shame to
show his confession.
Such was the confession of the Magdalene, that ne
spared for no shame of those who were at feeste, for to
go to our Lord Jesus Christ and makee her sin known
to him.
The fifth sign is that a man or a woman be obeisant to
receiven the penance that hym is enjoyned for his sins,
for certainly, Jesus Christ, for the sins of one man, was
obedient to the death.
The second condition of true confession is that it be
hastily doon.
For surely, if a man hadde a deadly wounde, ever the
lenger that he taried to warisshe himself, the more
would it corrupte and haste hym to his death, and the
wounde would also be the wors for to heele.
And right so fares sin that longe time is in a man
unshewed.
Certainly, a man ought hastily show his sins for many
causes; as for fear of death, that comes often sodeynly,
and no certain what time it shall be, ne in what place;
and the drecchynge also of one sin draws in another;
and the lenger that he tarries, the further he is from
Christ.
And if he abide to his last day, scarsly may he shryven
hym or remember hym of his sins or repenten hym, for
the grievous maladie of his death.
And for as muche as he ne has not in his life herkned
Jesus Christ whenne he has spoken, he shall crie to
Jesus Christ at his last day, and scarsly will he herkne
hym.
And understond that this condition must have four
things.
Thi shrift must be purveyed bifore and avysed; for
wicked haste dooth no profit; and that a man konne
shryve hym of his sins, be it of pride, or of envy, and
so forth with the types and circumstances; and that he
37
have comprehended in his mind the nombre and the
greetness of his sins, and how longe that he has leyn in
sin; and that he be contrit of his sins, and in stidefast
purpos, by the grace of God, never eft to fall in sin;
and that he fear and countrewaite himself, that he fle
the occasions of sin to which he is inclined.
Also you shall make confession of all your sins to one
man, and not a parcel to one man and a parcel to
another; that is to understand, in entente to departe
your confession, as for shame or fear, for it nys but
strangling of your soul.
For surely Jesus Christ is entirely all good; in hym no
imperfection, and therefore either he forgives all
perfectly or else never a deel.
I say not that if you be assigned to the penitancer for
certain sin, that you art bounde to show hym all the
remenaunt of your sins, of which you hast be shryven
of your curaat, but if it like to you of your humility;
this is no departing of confession.
Ne I say nat, there as I speak of division of confession,
that if you have licence for to make confession to a
discreet and an honest priest, where you please, and by
licence of your curaat, that you ne may well make
confession to him of all your sins.
But lat no blotte be bihynde; lat no sin be untold, as
fer as you hast remembrance.
And when you shall be shryven to your curaat, telle
hym also all the sins that you have done sin you were
last yshryven; this is no wicked entente of division of
confession.
Also the true confession asks certain conditions.
First, that you make confession by your free wil,
noght constreyned, ne for shame of people, ne for
maladie, ne such things.
For it is reason that he that trespasses by his free will,
that by his free will he confess his trespass, and that no
other man telle his sin but he himself; ne he shall not
nayte ne denye his sin, ne wratthe hym against the
priest for his amonestynge to lete sin.
The second condition is that your shrift be laweful;
that is to say, that you that shryvest yourself and the
priest that hears your confession are truly in the faith
of holy church, and that a man ne be not despaired of
the mercy of Jesus Christ, as Caym or Judas.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
And a man moot accusen himself of his own trespass,
and not another; but he shall blame and wyten himself
and his own malice of his sin, and no other.
But nonetheless, if that another man be occasion or
enticere of his sin, or the estate of a person be such
through which his sin is agregged, or else that he may
not pleynly shryven hym but he telle the person with
which he has sinned, then may he telle it, so that his
entente ne be not to backbite the person, but only to
declaren his confession.
You ne shall not also tell no lies in your confession,
for humility, peradventure, to say that you have done
sins of which you were never guilty.
For Saint Augustine says, “If you, on account of your
humility, tell lies against yourself, though you have not
sinned, you are then in sin through your lies.” You
must also show your sin by your very own mouth,
unless you become mute, and not by no lettre; for you
that have done the sin, you shall have the shame
therefore.
Thow shall not also peynte your confession by faire
subtile words, to covere the more your sin; for then
bigilestow yourself, and not the priest.
Thow most tellen it platly, be it never so foul ne so
horrible.
You shall also make confession to a priest that is
discreet to counselle you; and you shall not make
confession for veyne glorie, ne for ypocrisye, ne for no
cause but only for the doute of Jesus Christ and the
heele of your soul.
Thow shall not also renne to the priest sodeynly to
tellen hym lightly your sin, as whoso tells a jape or a
tale, but avysely and with great devotion.
And generally, make confession ofte.
If you often falle, often you arise by confession.
And even if you make confession more than once of a
sin for which you have gone to Confession, there is
more merit in it.
And, as Saint Augustine says, you shall have the more
lightly relessyng and grace of God, both of sin and of
pain.
And certainly, once a year at least way it is laweful for
to be housled, for surely, once a year all things
renovellen.
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Now have I told you of true Confession, that is the
second part of Penitence.
The third part of Penitence is Satisfaction, and that
stant most generally in alms and in bodily pain.
Now are there thre manner of alms: contrition of heart,
where a man offers himself to God; another is to have
pity of defaute of his neighbores; and the third is in
yeving of good counsel and comfort, spiritually and
bodily, where men have nede, and namely in
sustenance of man’s foode.
And tak kep that a man has nede of these things
generally: he has nede of foode, he has nede of
clothyng and herberwe, he has nede of charitable
counsel and visiting in prisone and in maladie, and
sepulture of his dede body.
And if you may not visit the nedeful with your person,
visit hym by your message and by your gifts.
These are general alms or works of charity of those
who have temporal riches or discretion in counseling.
Of these works you shall heren at the Day of
Judgment.
These alms you shall do of your own propre things,
and hastily and prively, if you may.
But nonetheless, if you may not do it prively, you
shall not forbere to do alms though men seen it, so that
it be not done for thank of the world, but only for thank
of Jesus Christ.
For, as Saint Matthew witnesses, capitulo quinto, “A
city may not be hidden that is set on a montayne, ne
men lighte not a lanterne and put it under a busshel,
but men sette it on a candle-stikke to yeve light to the
men in the hous.
Right so shall your light lighten bifore men, that they
may seen your good works, and glorifie your father
that is in heaven.” Now as to speak of bodily pain, it
stant in prayers, in wakings, in fastings, in virtuous
teachings of orisons.
And you should understand that orisons or prayers is
for to say a pitous will of heart, that redresses it in God
and expresses it by word outward, to remoeven harms
and to have things espiritual and durable, and
sometime temporele things; of which orisons,
certainly, in the orison of the Pater noster has Jesus
Christ enclosed most things.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
Surely, it is privyleged of thre things in his dignity, for
which it is more worthy than any other prayer, for that
Jesus Christ himself maked it; and it is short, for it
should be koud the more lightly, and for to withholden
it the more esily in heart, and helpen himself the ofter
with the orison, and for a man should be the lasse wery
to say it, and for a man may not excusen hym to lerne
it, it is so short and so esy, and for it comprehends in it
self all good prayers.
The exposition of this holy prayer, that is so excellent
and worthy, I bitake to these maistres of theology, save
thus much will I say; that when you prayest that God
should forgive you your sins as you forgive those who
agilten to you, be full well war that you ne be not out
of charity.
This holy orison amenuseth ???? also venyal sin, and
therefore it pertains specially to penitence.
This prayer must be truly said, and in true faith, and
that men pray to God ordinatly and discreetly and
devoutly; and alwey a man shall putten his will to be
subject to the will of God.
This orison must also be said with great humility and
full pure, honestly and not to the anoyance of any man
or woman.
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haubergeons on their naked flesh, for Christ’s sake,
and such manner penances.
But be well aware that such manner penances on your
flesh will not make your heart bitter or angry or
troubled by yourself, for it is better to cast away your
heyre hairshirt xxxspellingxxx than to cast away the
sweteness of Jesus Christ.
And therefore Saint Paul says, “Clothe yow, as they
that are chosen of God, in heart of misericorde,
debonairetee, suffrance, and such manner of clothing,”
of which Jesus Christ is more apayed than of heyres, or
haubergeouns, or hauberkes.
Then is discipline also in beating of your breast, in
scourging with yerdes, in kneelings, in tribulations, in
suffering patiently wrongs that have been done to you,
and in patient endurance of maladies, or the loss of
worldly goods, or of wife, child, or other friends.
Then you shall understand which things destourben
penance; and this is in four manners: that is, fear,
shame, hope, and despair, that is desperation.
And for to speak first of fear, for which he believes
that he may suffer no penance; ther-against is remedy
for to think that bodily penance is but short and little at
regard of the pain of hell, that is so crueel and so long
that it lasts without end.
It must also be continued with the works of charity.
It availth also against the vices of the soul, for, as
Saint Jerome says, “By fasting are saved the vices of
the flesh, and by prayer the vices of the soul.” After
this, you shall understand that bodily pain stant in
waking, for Jesus Christ says, “Wake and pray, that
you will not enter in wicked temptation.” you should
understandn also that fasting stant in thre things: in
forbering of bodily food and drynke, and in forbering
of worldly jolity, and in forbering of deadly sin; this is
to say, that a man shall kepen hym from deadly sin
with all his myght.
Now again the shame that a man has to make
confession, and namely these hypocrites that would be
holden so perfecte that they have no nede to confess
themselves; against that shame should a man think
that, by way of reason, that he that has not been
shamed to do foul things, certainly he ought not be
ashamed to do faire things, and that is confessions.
And you shall understandn also that God ordeyned
fasting, and to fasting appertenen four things: largeness
to poor people, gladness of heart espiritual, not to be
angry ne anoyed, ne grucche for he fasts, and also
reasonable hour for to ete; ete by mesure; that is for to
say, a man shall not ete in untyme, ne sitte the lenger at
his table to ete for he fasts.
Men shouldn also remember them of the shame that is
to come at the Day of Judgment to those who are not
penitent and shryven in this present life.
Then you shall understand that bodily pain stant in
disciplyne or teaching, by word, or by writing, or in
example; also in werynge of heyres, or of stamyn, or of
A man should also think that God sees and knows all
his thoughts and all his works, to him may nothing be
hidden or covered.
For all the creatures in heaven, in earth, and in hell
shullen seen apertly all that they hyden in this world.
Now for to speak of the hope of those who are
necligent and slowe to confess themselves, that stant in
two manners.
The Canterbury Tales: The Parson’s Tale
That one is that he hopes to live long and to purchace
much wealth for his delight, and then he will make
confession; and, as he says, it seems to be the proper
time to go to confession.
40
This blissful reign may men purchace by poverty
espiritual, and the glorie by loweness, the plentee of
joye by hunger and thurst, and the reste by travail, and
the life by death and mortification of sin.
Another is of surquidrie that he has in Christ’s mercy.
Against the first vice, he shall think that our life is in
no sikerness, and that all the riches in this world ben in
aventure and passen as a shadow on the wal; and, as
Saint Gregory says, that it pertains to the great
righteousness of God that never shall the pain stynte of
those who never would withdrawen them from sin,
their thanks, but ay continue in sin; for this perpetueel
wil to do sin should they have perpetueel pain.
Despair is in two manners: the first despair is in the
mercy of Christ; that other is that they think that they
ne might not longe persevere in goodness.
The first despair comes of that he judges that he has
sinned so greetly and so ofte, and so longe leyn in sin,
that he shall not be saved.
Surely, against that cursed despair should he think that
the passion of Jesus Christ is more strong for to
unbynde than sin is strong for to bynde.
Against the second despair he shall think that as often
as he falls he may arise again by penitence.
And though he never so longe have leyn in sin, the
mercy of Christ is alwey ready to receive him in
mercy.
Against the despair that he judges that he should not
long persevere in goodness, he shall think that the
feebleness of the devil may do nothing, unless people
will allow him; and he also shall have strength by the
help of God, and of all holy church, and of the
protection of angels, if it pleases him.
Then shall men understand what is the fruit of
penance; and, after the word of Jesus Christ, it is the
endelees bliss of heaven, there joye has no
contrarioustee of wo ne grevance; there all harms are
passed of this present life; there as is the sikerness
from the pain of hell; there as is the blissful
compaignye that rejoysen them evermore, every one of
others joye; there as the body of man, that whilom was
foul and dark, is more cleer than the sonne; there as the
body, that whilom was syk, freele, and feeble, and
mortal, is inmortal, and so strong and so hool that there
may no thing apeyren it; there as ne is neither hunger,
thurst, ne coold, but every soul replenyssed with the
sight of the perfect knowing of God.
Now I pray to them all that read or listen to this little
treatise, that if there may be any thing in it that pleases
them, that they may thank for it our Lord Jesus Christ,
from whom all intelligence and all goodness proceeds.
And if there be any thing that displease them, I pray
them also that they ascribe it to my lack of skill and
not to my will, by which I would have gladly said
better if I had had the skill. For our book says, “Al that
is written is written for our instruction,” and that is my
intent.
Therefore I beseech you meekly, for the mercy of
God, that you pray for me that Christ may have mercy
on me and forgive me my sins; and namely for my
translations and compositions of worldly vanities, the
which I revoke in this retraction: namely the book of
Troilus; the book also of Fame; the book of the twentyfive Ladies; the book of the Duchess; the book of Saint
Valentine’s day of the Parliament of Birds; the tales of
Canterbury, those that pertain to sin; the book of the
Lion; and many another books, if I could remember
them, and many songs and many lecherous ditties, that
Christ for his great mercy may forgive me the sin.
But of the translation of Boethius’ Consolation, and
other books of Legends of Saints, and of Homilies and
moral and devotional works, for which I thank our
Lord Jesus Christ and his blessed Mother, and all the
saints of heaven, beseeching them that they from this
point to the end of my life may send me the grace to
lament my sins and to study for the salvation of my
soul, and grant me the grace of true penitence,
confession and satisfaction to carry out in this present
life, through the gentle grace of he who is king of
kings and priest over all priests, of he who bought us
with the precious blood of his heart, so that I may be
one of those who shall be saved at the Day of
Judgment.
Qui cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto vivit et regnat Deus
per omnia secula. Amen.
© Translation by Gerard NeCastro. All Rights
Reserved. 2007.