The Canterbury Tales [324]
any man Hath had since that the world began, Befall him thereof, ere he sterve,* *die And grant that he may it deserve,* *earn, obtain Lo! with such a conclusion As had of his avision Croesus, that was the king of Lyde,<4> That high upon a gibbet died; This prayer shall he have of me; I am *no bet in charity.* *no more charitable*
Now hearken, as I have you said, What that I mette ere I abraid,* *awoke Of December the tenthe day; When it was night to sleep I lay, Right as I was wont for to do'n, And fell asleepe wonder soon, As he that *weary was for go*<5> *was weary from going* On pilgrimage miles two To the corsaint* Leonard, *relics of <6> To make lithe that erst was hard. But, as I slept, me mette I was Within a temple made of glass; In which there were more images Of gold, standing in sundry stages, And more riche tabernacles, And with pierrie* more pinnacles, *gems And more curious portraitures, And *quainte manner* of figures *strange kinds* Of golde work, than I saw ever. But, certainly, I wiste* never *knew Where that it was, but well wist I It was of Venus readily, This temple; for in portraiture I saw anon right her figure Naked floating in a sea, <7> And also on her head, pardie, Her rose garland white and red, And her comb to comb her head, Her doves, and Dan Cupido, Her blinde son, and Vulcano, <8> That in his face was full brown.
As he "roamed up and down," the dreamer saw on the wall a tablet of brass inscribed with the opening lines of the Aeneid; while the whole story of Aeneas was told in the "portraitures" and gold work. About three hundred and fifty lines are devoted to the description; but they merely embody Virgil's account of Aeneas' adventures from the destruction of Troy to his arrival in Italy; and the only characteristic passage is the following reflection, suggested by the death of Dido for her perfidious but fate-compelled guest:
Lo! how a woman doth amiss, To love him that unknowen is! For, by Christ, lo! thus it fareth, It is not all gold that glareth.* *glitters For, all so brook I well my head, There may be under goodlihead* *fair appearance Cover'd many a shrewed* vice; *cursed Therefore let no wight be so nice* *foolish To take a love only for cheer,* *looks Or speech, or for friendly mannere; For this shall ev'ry woman find, That some man, *of his pure kind,* *by force of his nature Will showen outward the fairest, Till he have caught that which him lest;* *pleases And then anon will causes find, And sweare how she is unkind, Or false, or privy* double was. *secretly All this say I by* Aeneas *with reference to And Dido, and her *nice lest,* *foolish pleasure* That loved all too soon a guest; Therefore I will say a proverb, That he that fully knows the herb May safely lay it to his eye; Withoute dread,* this is no lie. *doubt
When the dreamer had seen all the sights in the temple, he became desirous to know who had worked all those wonders, and in what country he was; so he resolved to go out at the wicket, in search of somebody who might tell him.
When I out at the doores came, I fast aboute me beheld; Then saw I but a large feld,* *open country As far as that I mighte see, WIthoute town, or house, or tree, Or bush, or grass, or ered* land, *ploughed <9> For all the field was but of sand, As small* as men may see it lie *fine In the desert of Libye; Nor no manner creature That is formed by Nature, There saw I, me to *rede or wiss.*
Now hearken, as I have you said, What that I mette ere I abraid,* *awoke Of December the tenthe day; When it was night to sleep I lay, Right as I was wont for to do'n, And fell asleepe wonder soon, As he that *weary was for go*<5> *was weary from going* On pilgrimage miles two To the corsaint* Leonard, *relics of <6> To make lithe that erst was hard. But, as I slept, me mette I was Within a temple made of glass; In which there were more images Of gold, standing in sundry stages, And more riche tabernacles, And with pierrie* more pinnacles, *gems And more curious portraitures, And *quainte manner* of figures *strange kinds* Of golde work, than I saw ever. But, certainly, I wiste* never *knew Where that it was, but well wist I It was of Venus readily, This temple; for in portraiture I saw anon right her figure Naked floating in a sea, <7> And also on her head, pardie, Her rose garland white and red, And her comb to comb her head, Her doves, and Dan Cupido, Her blinde son, and Vulcano, <8> That in his face was full brown.
As he "roamed up and down," the dreamer saw on the wall a tablet of brass inscribed with the opening lines of the Aeneid; while the whole story of Aeneas was told in the "portraitures" and gold work. About three hundred and fifty lines are devoted to the description; but they merely embody Virgil's account of Aeneas' adventures from the destruction of Troy to his arrival in Italy; and the only characteristic passage is the following reflection, suggested by the death of Dido for her perfidious but fate-compelled guest:
Lo! how a woman doth amiss, To love him that unknowen is! For, by Christ, lo! thus it fareth, It is not all gold that glareth.* *glitters For, all so brook I well my head, There may be under goodlihead* *fair appearance Cover'd many a shrewed* vice; *cursed Therefore let no wight be so nice* *foolish To take a love only for cheer,* *looks Or speech, or for friendly mannere; For this shall ev'ry woman find, That some man, *of his pure kind,* *by force of his nature Will showen outward the fairest, Till he have caught that which him lest;* *pleases And then anon will causes find, And sweare how she is unkind, Or false, or privy* double was. *secretly All this say I by* Aeneas *with reference to And Dido, and her *nice lest,* *foolish pleasure* That loved all too soon a guest; Therefore I will say a proverb, That he that fully knows the herb May safely lay it to his eye; Withoute dread,* this is no lie. *doubt
When the dreamer had seen all the sights in the temple, he became desirous to know who had worked all those wonders, and in what country he was; so he resolved to go out at the wicket, in search of somebody who might tell him.
When I out at the doores came, I fast aboute me beheld; Then saw I but a large feld,* *open country As far as that I mighte see, WIthoute town, or house, or tree, Or bush, or grass, or ered* land, *ploughed <9> For all the field was but of sand, As small* as men may see it lie *fine In the desert of Libye; Nor no manner creature That is formed by Nature, There saw I, me to *rede or wiss.*