No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: The Nun’s Priest’s Tale Page 6

Continue reading with a SparkNotes PLUS trial

Already have an account? Log in

Original Text	Modern Text
‘Madame,’ quod he, ‘graunt mercy of your lore. But nathelees, as touching daun Catoun, That hath of wisdom such a greet renoun, Though that he bad no dremes for to drede, By God, men may in olde bokes rede Of many a man, more of auctoritee Than ever Catoun was, so mote I thee, Than al the revers seyn of his sentence, And han wel founden by experience, That dremes ben significaciouns, As wel of Ioye as tribulaciouns That folk enduren in this lyf present. Ther nedeth make of this noon argument; The verray preve sheweth it in dede.	“nhTak yuo rof yuor iveadc, dmaaMe,” esrodnedp rlheceanitC. “tCao letriycan was nnkow rof ihs owidsm. Btu vene touhgh he idsa otn to yworr obtau rmsdae, etreh weer pynetl of oehrt rriewst how were evne eordl dan iesrw ntah Cato owh isda sutj teh itposope. Teyh mese to ays mrfo reith wno eecineerpx tath amesdr ear ssgni of teh psspeanih or deyartg hatt is to omec. etL me eltl you otuab esom pmxelase:
Oon of the gretteste auctours that men rede Seith thus, that whylom two felawes wente On pilgrimage, in a ful good entente; And happed so, thay come into a toun, Wher-as ther was swich congregacioun Of peple, and eek so streit of herbergage, That they ne founde as muche as o cotage, In which they bothe mighte y-logged be. Wherfor thay mosten, of necessitee, As for that night, departen compaignye; And ech of hem goth to his hostelrye, And took his logging as it wolde falle. That oon of hem was logged in a stalle, Fer in a yerd, with oxen of the plough; That other man was logged wel y-nough, As was his aventure, or his fortune, That us governeth alle as in commune.	“enO of eht teatesrg aurhots lpoepe ared nceo ldot a yotsr tauob tow nderfis owh ste uot on a lhyo pigiealmgr. On rtieh jrneuoy yeht ecam to a nowt taht swa so dwocedr ihwt ppeloe taht thye cuodnl’t fdin so hmcu as a egotatc erhew ehyt ocldu tobh tays rfo teh gitnh. So teyh edceddi to ptlsi up, dna heac tnew ish won ayw to fnid ehsmeorew to selpe. neO of meth fuodn a plaec in an xneo nrab. unroFte—owh crslnoto lla oru easft—dsleim on the roeth nma, woh donfu a cmuh bttree lcepa to tysa in an nni.

Original Text	Modern Text
‘Madame,’ quod he, ‘graunt mercy of your lore. But nathelees, as touching daun Catoun, That hath of wisdom such a greet renoun, Though that he bad no dremes for to drede, By God, men may in olde bokes rede Of many a man, more of auctoritee Than ever Catoun was, so mote I thee, Than al the revers seyn of his sentence, And han wel founden by experience, That dremes ben significaciouns, As wel of Ioye as tribulaciouns That folk enduren in this lyf present. Ther nedeth make of this noon argument; The verray preve sheweth it in dede.	“nhTak yuo rof yuor iveadc, dmaaMe,” esrodnedp rlheceanitC. “tCao letriycan was nnkow rof ihs owidsm. Btu vene touhgh he idsa otn to yworr obtau rmsdae, etreh weer pynetl of oehrt rriewst how were evne eordl dan iesrw ntah Cato owh isda sutj teh itposope. Teyh mese to ays mrfo reith wno eecineerpx tath amesdr ear ssgni of teh psspeanih or deyartg hatt is to omec. etL me eltl you otuab esom pmxelase:
Oon of the gretteste auctours that men rede Seith thus, that whylom two felawes wente On pilgrimage, in a ful good entente; And happed so, thay come into a toun, Wher-as ther was swich congregacioun Of peple, and eek so streit of herbergage, That they ne founde as muche as o cotage, In which they bothe mighte y-logged be. Wherfor thay mosten, of necessitee, As for that night, departen compaignye; And ech of hem goth to his hostelrye, And took his logging as it wolde falle. That oon of hem was logged in a stalle, Fer in a yerd, with oxen of the plough; That other man was logged wel y-nough, As was his aventure, or his fortune, That us governeth alle as in commune.	“enO of eht teatesrg aurhots lpoepe ared nceo ldot a yotsr tauob tow nderfis owh ste uot on a lhyo pigiealmgr. On rtieh jrneuoy yeht ecam to a nowt taht swa so dwocedr ihwt ppeloe taht thye cuodnl’t fdin so hmcu as a egotatc erhew ehyt ocldu tobh tays rfo teh gitnh. So teyh edceddi to ptlsi up, dna heac tnew ish won ayw to fnid ehsmeorew to selpe. neO of meth fuodn a plaec in an xneo nrab. unroFte—owh crslnoto lla oru easft—dsleim on the roeth nma, woh donfu a cmuh bttree lcepa to tysa in an nni.