The Squire's Tale, Third Part, ll. 671-708 (The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer)

From The Canterbury Tales:
The Squire's Tale

Incipit pars tercia
(Here begins the third part)

	Appollo whirleth up his chaar so hye
	Til that the god Mercurius hous, the slye ----

Heere folwen the wordes of the Frankelyn to the Squier,
and the wordes of the hoost to the Frankelyn.

      "In feith, Squier, thow hast thee wel yquit,

And gentilly I preise wel thy wit,"

675 Quod the Frankeleyn, "considerynge thy yowthe,

So feelyngly thou spekest, sire, I allow the;

As to my doom, ther is noon that is heere

Of eloquence that shal be thy peere,

If that thou lyve; God yeve thee good chaunce,

680 And in vertu sende thee continuance!

For of thy speche I have greet deyntee;

I have a sone, and, by the Trinitee,

I hadde levere than twenty pound worth lond,

Though it right now were fallen in myn hond,

685 He were a man of swich discrecioun

As that ye been! Fy on possessioun

But if a man be vertuous withal!

I have my sone snybbed, and yet shal,

For he to vertu listneth nat entende,

690 But for to pleye at dees, and to despende

And lese al that he hath, is his usage.

And he hath levere talken with a page

Than to comune with any gentil wight

Where he myghte lerne gentillesse aright."

695       "Straw for youre gentillesse," quod our Hoost,

"What, Frankeleyn, pardee! sire, wel thou woost

That ech of yow moot tellen atte leste

A tale or two, or breken his biheste."

      "That knowe I wel, sire," quod the Frankeleyn,

700 "I prey yow, haveth me nat in desdeyn

Though to this man I speke a word or two."

      "Telle on thy tale, withouten wordes mo."

      "Gladly, sire Hoost," quod he, "I wole obeye

Unto your wyl; now herkneth what I seye.

705 I wol yow nat contrarien in no wyse

As fer as that my wittes wol suffyse;

I prey to God that it may plesen yow,

Thanne woot I wel that it is good ynow."

	"In feith, Squier, thow hast thee wel yquit,
	And gentilly I preise wel thy wit,"
675	Quod the Frankeleyn, "considerynge thy yowthe,
	So feelyngly thou spekest, sire, I allow the;
	As to my doom, ther is noon that is heere
	Of eloquence that shal be thy peere,
	If that thou lyve; God yeve thee good chaunce,
680	And in vertu sende thee continuance!
	For of thy speche I have greet deyntee;
	I have a sone, and, by the Trinitee,
	I hadde levere than twenty pound worth lond,
	Though it right now were fallen in myn hond,
685	He were a man of swich discrecioun
	As that ye been! Fy on possessioun
	But if a man be vertuous withal!
	I have my sone snybbed, and yet shal,
	For he to vertu listneth nat entende,
690	But for to pleye at dees, and to despende
	And lese al that he hath, is his usage.
	And he hath levere talken with a page
	Than to comune with any gentil wight
	Where he myghte lerne gentillesse aright."
695	"Straw for youre gentillesse," quod our Hoost,
	"What, Frankeleyn, pardee! sire, wel thou woost
	That ech of yow moot tellen atte leste
	A tale or two, or breken his biheste."
	"That knowe I wel, sire," quod the Frankeleyn,
700	"I prey yow, haveth me nat in desdeyn
	Though to this man I speke a word or two."
	"Telle on thy tale, withouten wordes mo."
	"Gladly, sire Hoost," quod he, "I wole obeye
	Unto your wyl; now herkneth what I seye.
705	I wol yow nat contrarien in no wyse
	As fer as that my wittes wol suffyse;
	I prey to God that it may plesen yow,
	Thanne woot I wel that it is good ynow."