The Canterbury Tales [331]
was all endelong* *from top to bottom* With tiger's blood in ev'ry place, The Tholosan that highte Stace, <63> That bare of Thebes up the name Upon his shoulders, and the fame Also of cruel Achilles. And by him stood, withoute lease,* *falsehood Full wondrous high on a pillere Of iron, he, the great Homere; And with him Dares and Dytus, <64> Before, and eke he, Lollius, <65> And Guido eke de Colempnis, <66> And English Gaufrid <67> eke, y-wis. And each of these, as I have joy, Was busy for to bear up Troy; So heavy thereof was the fame, That for to bear it was no game. But yet I gan full well espy, Betwixt them was a little envy. One said that Homer made lies, Feigning in his poetries, And was to the Greeks favourable; Therefore held he it but a fable. Then saw I stand on a pillere That was of tinned iron clear, Him, the Latin poet Virgile, That borne hath up a longe while The fame of pious Aeneas. And next him on a pillar was Of copper, Venus' clerk Ovide, That hath y-sowen wondrous wide The greate god of Love's fame. And there he bare up well his name Upon this pillar all so high, As I might see it with mine eye; For why? this hall whereof I read Was waxen in height, and length, and bread,* *breadth Well more by a thousand deal* *times Than it was erst, that saw I weel. Then saw I on a pillar by, Of iron wrought full sternely, The greate poet, Dan Lucan, That on his shoulders bare up than, As high as that I might it see, The fame of Julius and Pompey; <68> And by him stood all those clerks That write of Rome's mighty works, That if I would their names tell, All too longe must I dwell. And next him on a pillar stood Of sulphur, like as he were wood,* *mad Dan Claudian, <69> the sooth to tell, That bare up all the fame of hell, Of Pluto, and of Proserpine, That queen is of *the darke pine* *the dark realm of pain* Why should I telle more of this? The hall was alle fulle, y-wis, Of them that writen olde gests,* *histories of great deeds As be on trees rookes' nests; But it a full confus'd mattere Were all these gestes for to hear, That they of write, and how they hight.* *are called
But while that I beheld this sight, I heard a noise approache blive,* *quickly That far'd* as bees do in a hive, *went Against their time of outflying; Right such a manner murmuring, For all the world, it seem'd to me. Then gan I look about, and see That there came entering the hall A right great company withal, And that of sundry regions, Of all kinds and conditions That dwell in earth under the moon, Both poor and rich; and all so soon As they were come into the hall, They gan adown on knees to fall, Before this ilke* noble queen, *same And saide, "Grant us, Lady sheen,* *bright, lovely Each of us of thy grace a boon."* *favour And some of them she granted soon, And some she warned* well and fair, *refused And some she granted the contrair* *contrary Of their asking utterly; But this I say you truely, What that her cause was, I n'ist;* *wist not, know not For of these folk full well I wist, They hadde good fame each deserved, Although they were diversely served. Right as her sister, Dame Fortune, Is wont to serven *in commune.* *commonly, usually*
Now hearken how she gan to pay Them that gan of her grace to pray; And right, lo! all this company Saide sooth,* and not a lie. *truth "Madame," thus quoth they, "we be Folk that here beseeche thee That thou grant us now good fame, And let our workes have good name In full recompensatioun Of good work, give us good renown "I warn* it you," quoth she anon; *refuse "Ye get of me good fame none, By God! and
But while that I beheld this sight, I heard a noise approache blive,* *quickly That far'd* as bees do in a hive, *went Against their time of outflying; Right such a manner murmuring, For all the world, it seem'd to me. Then gan I look about, and see That there came entering the hall A right great company withal, And that of sundry regions, Of all kinds and conditions That dwell in earth under the moon, Both poor and rich; and all so soon As they were come into the hall, They gan adown on knees to fall, Before this ilke* noble queen, *same And saide, "Grant us, Lady sheen,* *bright, lovely Each of us of thy grace a boon."* *favour And some of them she granted soon, And some she warned* well and fair, *refused And some she granted the contrair* *contrary Of their asking utterly; But this I say you truely, What that her cause was, I n'ist;* *wist not, know not For of these folk full well I wist, They hadde good fame each deserved, Although they were diversely served. Right as her sister, Dame Fortune, Is wont to serven *in commune.* *commonly, usually*
Now hearken how she gan to pay Them that gan of her grace to pray; And right, lo! all this company Saide sooth,* and not a lie. *truth "Madame," thus quoth they, "we be Folk that here beseeche thee That thou grant us now good fame, And let our workes have good name In full recompensatioun Of good work, give us good renown "I warn* it you," quoth she anon; *refuse "Ye get of me good fame none, By God! and