The Online Library of Liberty A Project Of Liberty Fund, Inc. Geoffrey Chaucer, The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 4 (The Canterbury Tales) [1899] The Online Library Of Liberty This E-Book (PDF format) is published by Liberty Fund, Inc., a private, non-profit, educational foundation established in 1960 to encourage study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals. 2010 was the 50th anniversary year of the founding of Liberty Fund. It is part of the Online Library of Liberty web site http://oll.libertyfund.org, which was established in 2004 in order to further the educational goals of Liberty Fund, Inc. To find out more about the author or title, to use the site's powerful search engine, to see other titles in other formats (HTML, facsimile PDF), or to make use of the hundreds of essays, educational aids, and study guides, please visit the OLL web site. This title is also part of the Portable Library of Liberty DVD which contains over 1,000 books and quotes about liberty and power, and is available free of charge upon request. The cuneiform inscription that appears in the logo and serves as a design element in all Liberty Fund books and web sites is the earliest-known written appearance of the word “freedom” (amagi), or “liberty.” It is taken from a clay document written about 2300 B.C. in the Sumerian city-state of Lagash, in present day Iraq. To find out more about Liberty Fund, Inc., or the Online Library of Liberty Project, please contact the Director at [email protected]. LIBERTY FUND, INC. 8335 Allison Pointe Trail, Suite 300 Indianapolis, Indiana 46250-1684 Online Library of Liberty: The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 4 (The Canterbury Tales) Edition Used: The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, edited from numerous manuscripts by the Rev. Walter W. Skeat (2nd ed.) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1899). 7 vols. Vol. 4. Author: Geoffrey Chaucer Editor: Walter W. Skeat About This Title: The late 19th century Skeat edition with copious scholarly notes and a good introduction to the text. The Tales are in their original Middle English. PLL v6.0 (generated September, 2011) 2 http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/1227 Online Library of Liberty: The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 4 (The Canterbury Tales) About Liberty Fund: Liberty Fund, Inc. is a private, educational foundation established to encourage the study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals. Copyright Information: The text is in the public domain. Fair Use Statement: This material is put online to further the educational goals of Liberty Fund, Inc. Unless otherwise stated in the Copyright Information section above, this material may be used freely for educational and academic purposes. It may not be used in any way for profit. PLL v6.0 (generated September, 2011) 3 http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/1227 Online Library of Liberty: The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 4 (The Canterbury Tales) Table Of Contents Introduction Errata. Additions to ‘the Minor Poems’ In Vol. I. XXIV.: Womanly Noblesse. XXV.: Complaint to My Mortal Foe. XXVI.: Complaint to My Lode-sterre. Notes to the Preceding Poems. The Canterbury Tales. Group A. The Prologue. The Knightes Tale. The Miller’s Prologue. The Milleres Tale. The Reeve’s Prologue. The Reves Tale. The Cook’s Prologue. The Cokes Tale. Group B. Introduction to the Man of Law’s Prologue. (t. 4421-4446.) The Tale of the Man of Lawe. The Shipman’s Prologue. The Shipmannes Tale. The Prioress’s Prologue. (t. 13365-13382.) The Prioresses Tale. Prologue to Sir Thopas. (t. 13621-13641.) Sir Thopas. Prologue to Melibeus. (t. 13847-13875.) The Tale of Melibeus. The Monk’s Prologue. (t. 13895-13924.) The Monkes Tale. The Prologue of the Nonne Prestes Tale. (t. 14773-14798). The Nonne Preestes Tale. Epilogue to the Nonne Preestes Tale. Group C. The Phisiciens Tale. (t. 11935-11957.) Words of the Host. (t. 12221-12239.) The Prologue of the Pardoners Tale. (t. 12263-12288). The Pardoners Tale. ( Numbered In Continuation of the Preceding. ) Group D. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. (t. 5583-5602; For T. 5582, See P. 164.) The Tale of the Wyf of Bathe. The Friar’s Prologue. (t. 6847-6868). The Freres Tale. The Somnour’s Prologue. (t. 7247-7270.) The Somnours Tale. PLL v6.0 (generated September, 2011) 4 http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/1227 Online Library of Liberty: The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 4 (The Canterbury Tales) Group E. The Clerk’s Prologue. (t. 7877-7898.) The Clerkes Tale. The Merchant’s Prologue. (t. 9089-9120). The Marchantes Tale. Epilogue to the Marchantes Tale. Group F. The Squieres Tale. (t. 10315-10334). The Franklin’s Prologue. (t. 11021-11040). The Frankeleyns Tale. Group G. The Seconde Nonnes Tale. The Canon’s Yeoman’s Prologue. (t. 16022-16043.) The Chanouns Yemannes Tale. Group H. The Manciple’s Prologue. (t. 16950-16968). The Maunciples Tale. Group I. The Parson’s Prologue. (t. 17312-17330). The Persones Tale. Appendix to Group A. The Tale of Gamelyn. Oxford University Press, Amen House, London E.C.4 glasgow new york toronto melbourne wellington bombay calcutta madras karachi lahore dacca cape town salisbury nairobi ibadan accra kuala lumpur hong kong PLL v6.0 (generated September, 2011) 5 http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/1227 Online Library of Liberty: The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 4 (The Canterbury Tales) [Back to Table of Contents] INTRODUCTION § 1. The Present Text. The text of the ‘Canterbury Tales,’ as printed in the present volume, is an entirely new one, owing nothing to the numerous printed editions which have preceded it. The only exceptions to this statement are to be found in the case of such portions as have been formerly edited, for the Clarendon Press, by Dr. Morris and myself. The reasons for the necessity of a formation of an absolutely new text will appear on a perusal of the text itself, as compared with any of its predecessors. On the other hand, it owes everything to the labours of Dr. Furnivall for the Chaucer Society, but for which no satisfactory results could have been obtained, except at the cost of more time and toil than I could well devote to the subject. In other words, my work is entirely founded upon the splendid ‘Six-text’ Edition published by that Society, supplemented by the very valuable reprint of the celebrated ‘Harleian’ manuscript in the same series. These Seven Texts are all exact reproductions of seven important MSS., and are, in two respects, more important to the student than the MSS. themselves; that is to say, they can be studied simultaneously instead of separately, and they can be consulted and re-consulted at any moment, being always accessible. The importance of such opportunities is obvious. § 2. The Manuscripts. The following list contains all the MSS. of the existence of which I am aware. As to their types, see § 7. I. MSS. In The British Museum. 1. Harl. 7334; denoted here by Hl. By Tyrwhitt called ‘C.’ A MS. of the B- type (see below). Printed in full for the Chaucer Society, 1885. Collated throughout.A MS. of great importance, but difficult to understand or describe. For the greater clearness, I shall roughly describe the MSS. as being of the A- type, the B-type, the C-type, and the D-type (really a second C-type). Of the A-type, the best example is the Ellesmere MS; of the B-type, the best example is the Harleian MS. 7334; of the C-type, the Corpus and Lansdowne MSS.; the D-type is that exhibited by Caxton and Thynne in the early printed PLL v6.0 (generated September, 2011) 6 http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/1227 Online Library of Liberty: The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 4 (The Canterbury Tales) editions. They may be called the ‘Ellesmere,’ ‘Harleian,’ ‘Corpus,’ and ‘Caxton’ types respectively. These types differ as to the arrangement of the Tales, and even MSS. of a similar type differ slightly, in this respect, among themselves They also frequently differ as to certain characteristic readings, although many of the variations of reading are peculiar to one or two MSS. only.MS. Hl. contains the best copy of the Tale of Gamelyn, for which see p. 645; this Tale is not found in MSS. of the A-type. Moreover, Group G here precedes Group C and a large part of Group B, whereas in the Ellesmere MS. it follows them In the Monk’s Tale, the lines numbered B 3565-3652 (containing the Tales called the ‘modern instances’) immediately follow B 3564 (as in this edition), whereas in the Ellesmere MS. these lines come at the end of the Tale.The ‘various readings’ of this MS. are often peculiar, and it is difficult to appraise them. I take them to be of two kinds: (1) readings which are better than those of the Six-text, and should certainly be preferred, such as halfe in A 8, cloysterlees in A 179, a (not a ful) in A 196, and the like; and (2) readings due to a terrible blundering on the part of the scribe, such as fleyng for flikeringe in A 1962, greene for kene in A 1966, and the like. It is, in fact, a most dangerous MS to trust to, unless constantly corrected by others, and is not at all fitted to be taken as the basis of a text. For further remarks, see the description of Wright’s printed edition at p. xvi.As regards age, this MS.