The Canterbury tales
About this Item
- Title
- The Canterbury tales
- Author
- Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400
- Publication
- Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin
- 1957
- Rights/Permissions
-
Available at URL http://www.hti.umich.edu/c/cme/
This text has been made available through the Oxford Text Archive for personal scholarly use only. OTA number: U-1678-C
- Cite this Item
-
"The Canterbury tales." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/CT. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 7, 2024.
Pages
Page 237
Line 327
Answerde: of the fruyt, quod she, of the trees Line 327
In paradys we feden us, but soothly, of the Line 327
Fruyt of the tree that is in the myddel of paradys, Line 327
god forbad us for to ete, ne nat touchen Line 327
It, lest per aventure we sholde dyen./ The Line 328
Serpent seyde to the womman: nay, nay, ye Line 328
Shul nat dyen of deeth; for sothe, God woot Line 328
That what day that ye eten therof, youre eyen Line 328
Shul opene, and ye shul been as goddes, knowynge Line 328
good and harm./ The womman thanne Line 329
Saugh that the tree was good to feedyng, and Line 329
Fair to the eyen, and delitable to the sighte. Line 329
She took of the fruyt of the tree, and eet it, Line 329
And yaf to hire housbonde, and he eet, and Line 329
Anoon the eyen of hem bothe openeden./ And Line 330
Whan that they knewe that they were naked, Line 330
They sowed of fige leves a maner of Line 330
Breches to hiden hire membres./ There Line 331
May ye seen that deedly synne hath, first, Line 331
Suggestion of the feend, as sheweth heere by Line 331
The naddre; and afterward, teh delit of the Line 331
Flessh, as sheweth heere by eve; and after that, Line 331
The consentynge of resoun, as sheweth heere Line 331
By adam./ For trust wel, though so were that Line 332
The feend tempted eve, that is to seyn, the Line 332
Flessh, and the flessh hadde delit in the beautee Line 332
Of the fruyt defended, yet certes, til that resoun, Line 332
That is to seyn, adam, consented to the etynge Line 332
Of the fruyt, yet stood he in th' estaat of innocence./ Line 332
of thilke adam tooke we thilke wynne Line 333
Original; for of hym flesshly descended be we Line 333
Alle, and engendred of vile and corrupt mateere./ Line 333
and whan the soule is put in oure body, Line 334
Right anon is contract original synne; and that Line 334
That was erst but oonly peyne of concupiscence, Line 334
is afterward bothe peyne and synne./ Line 335
And therfore be we alle born sones of wratthe Line 335
And of dampnacioun perdurable, if it nere baptesme Line 335
that we receyven, which bynymeth us Line 335
The culpe. But for sothe, the peyne dwelleth Line 335
With us, as to temptacioun, which peyne Line 335
Highte concupiscence./ And this concupiscence, Line 336
whan it is wrongfully disposed Line 336
Or ordeyned in man, it maketh hym coveite, Line 336
By coveitise of flessh, flesshly synne, by sighte Line 336
Of his eyen as to erthely thynges, and eek Line 336
Coveitise of hynesse by pride of herte./ Line 337
Now, as for to speken of the firste coveitise, Line 337
That is concupiscence, after the lawe of oure Line 337
Membres, that weren lawefulliche ymaked and Line 337
By rightful juggement of god;/ I seye, forasmuche Line 338
as man is nat obeisaunt to god, that is Line 338
His lord, therfore is the flessh to hym disobeisaunt Line 338
thurgh concupiscence, whigh yet is Line 338
Cleped norrissynge, of synne and occasioun Line 338
Of synne./ Therfore, al the while that a Line 339
Man hath in hym the peyne of concupiscence, Line 339
it is impossible but he be tempted Line 339
Somtime and moeved in his flessh to synne./ Line 340
And this thyng may nat faille as longe Line 340
As he lyveth; it may wel wexe fieble and faille Line 340
By vertu of baptesme, and by the grace of Line 340
God thurgh penitence;/ but fully ne shal Line 341
It nevere quenche, that he ne shal som Line 341
Tyme be moeved in hymself, but if he were al Line 341
Refreyded by siknesse, or by malefice of sorcerie, Line 341
Or colde drynkes./ For lo, what seith seint Line 342
Paul: the flessh coveiteth agayn the spirit, and Line 342
The spirit agayn the flessh; they been so contrarie Line 342
and so stryven that a man may nat alway Line 342
doon as he wolde./ The same seint paul, Line 343
After his grete penaunce in water and in lond, Line 343
-- in water by nyght and by day in greet peril Line 343
And in greet peyne; in lond, in famyne and Line 343
Thurst, in coold and cloothelees, and ones stoned Line 343
Almoost to the deeth,/-- yet seyde he, allas, Line 344
I caytyf man! who sahl delivere me fro the Line 344
Prisoun of my caytyf body?/ and seint jerome, Line 345
whan he longe tyme hadde woned in Line 345
Desert, where as he hadde no compaignye but Line 345
Of wilde beestes, where as he ne hadde no mete Line 345
But herbes, and water to his drynke, ne no bed Line 345
But the naked erthe, for which his flessh was Line 345
Blak as an ethiopeen for heete, and ny destroyed Line 345
for coold,/ yet seyde he that the Line 346
Brennynge of lecherie boyled in al his Line 346
Body./ Wherfore I woot wel sykerly that they Line 347
Been deceyved that seyn that they ne be nat Line 347
Empted in hir body./ Witnesse on seint jame Line 348
The apostel, that seith that every wight is Line 348
Tempted in his owene concupiscence; that is Line 348
To seyn, that everich of us hath matere and Line 348
Occasioun to be tempted of the norissynge of Line 348
Synne that is in his body./ And therfore seith Line 349
Seint john the evaungelist: if that we seyn Line 349
That we be withoute synne, we deceyve us Line 349
Selve, and trouthe is nat in us./ Line 350
Now hal ye understonde in what manere Line 350
That synne wexeth or encreesseth in man. The Line 350
Firste thyng is thilke norissynge of synne of Line 350
Which I spak biforn, thilke flesshly concupiscence./ Line 350
and after that comth the Line 351
Subjeccioun of the devel, this is to seyn, Line 351
The develes bely, with which he bloweth in man Line 351
The fir of flesshly concupiscence./ And after Line 352
That, a man bithynketh hym wheither he wol Line 352
Doon, or no, thilke thing to which he is Line 352
Tempted./ And thanne, if that a man withstonde Line 353
Page 238
Line 353
and weyve the firste entisynge of his Line 353
Flessh and of the feend, thanne is it no synne; Line 353
And if it so be that he do nat so, thanne feeleth Line 353
he anoon a flambe of delit./ And thanne Line 354
Is it good to be war, and kepen hym wel, or Line 354
Elles he wol falle anon into consentynge of Line 354
Synne; and thanne wol he do it, if he may have Line 354
Tyme and place./ And of this matere seith Line 355
Moyses by the devel in this manere: the Line 355
Feend seith, -- I wole chace and pursue the man Line 355
By wikked suggestioun, and I wole hente hym Line 355
By moevynge or stirynge of synne. And I wol Line 355
Departe my prise or my praye by deliberacioun, Line 355
And my lust shal been acompliced in delit. Line 355
I wol drawe my swerd in consentynge -- / Line 356
For certes, right as a swerd departeth a Line 356
Thyng in two peces, right so consentynge departeth Line 356
god fro man -- and thanne wol I Line 356
Sleen hym with myn hand in dede of synne; Line 356
Thus seith the feend./ For certes, thanne is Line 357
A man al deed in soule. And thus is synne Line 357
Acompliced by temptacioun, by delit, and by Line 357
Consentynge; and thanne is the synne cleped Line 357
Actueel./ Line 358
For sothe, synne is in two maneres; outher Line 358
It is venial, or deedly synne. Soothly, whan Line 358
Man loveth any creature moore than jhesu Line 358
Crist oure creatour, thanne is it deedly synne. Line 358
And venial synne is it, if man love jhesu crist Line 358
Lasse than hym oghte./ For sothe, the dede Line 359
Of this venial synne is ful perilous; for it Line 359
Amenuseth the love that men sholde han to Line 359
God moore and moore./ And therfore, it a Line 360
Man charge hymself with manye swiche venial Line 360
Synnes, certes, but if so be that he somtyme Line 360
Descharge hym of hem by shrifte, they mowe Line 360
Ful lightly amenuse in hym al the love that Line 360
He hath to jhesu crist;/ and in this wise Line 361
Skippeth venial into deedly synne. For Line 361
Certes, the moore that a man chargeth his Line 361
Soule with venial synnes, the moore is he enclyned Line 361
to fallen into deedly synne./ And therfore Line 362
lat us nat be necligent to deschargen us Line 362
Of venial synnes. For the proverbe seith that Line 362
Manye smale maken a greet./ And herkne Line 363
This ensample. A greet wawe of the see comth Line 363
Som tyme with so greet a violence that it Line 363
Drencheth the ship. And the same harm doon Line 363
Som tyme the smale dropes of water, that entren Line 363
thurgh a litel crevace into the thurrok, Line 363
And in the botme of the ship, if men be so Line 363
Necligent that they ne descharge hem nat by Line 363
Tyme./ And therfore, although ther be a difference Line 364
bitwixe thise two causes of drenchynge, Line 364
Algates the ship is dreynt./ Right so fareth it Line 365
Somtyme of deedly synne, and of anoyouse Line 365
Veniale synnes, whan they multiplie in a man Line 365
So greetly that the love of thilke worldly Line 365
Thynges that he loveth, thurgh whiche he synneth Line 365
venyally, is as greet in his herte as Line 365
The love of god, or moore./ And therfore, Line 366
the love of every thyng that is nat Line 366
Biset in god, ne doon principally for goddes Line 366
Sake, although that a man love it lasse than Line 366
God, yet is it venial synne;/ and deedly synne Line 367
Whan the love of any thyng weyeth in the Line 367
Herte of man as muchel as the love of god, or Line 367
Moore./ Deedly synne, as seith seint augustyn, Line 368
is whan a man turneth his herte fro Line 368
God, which that is verray sovereyn bountee, Line 368
That may nat chaunge, and yeveth his herte Line 368
To thyng that may chaunge and flitte./ And Line 369
Certes, that is every thyng save God of hevene. Line 369
For sooth is that if a man yeve his love, the Line 369
Which that he oweth al to God with al his Line 369
Herte, unto a creature, certes, as muche of his Line 369
Love as he yeveth to thilke creature, so muche Line 369
He bireveth fro god;/ and therfore dooth he Line 370
Synne. For he that is dettour to God ne yeldeth Line 370
nat to God al his dette, that is to seyn, Line 370
Al the love of his herte./ Line 371
Now sith man understondeth generally Line 371
Which is venial synne, thanne is it covenable Line 371
To tellen specially of synnes whiche that many Line 371
A man peraventure ne demeth hem nat synnes, Line 371
And ne shryveth him nat of the same thynges, Line 371
And yet natheless they been synnes;/ soothly, as Line 372
Thise clerkes writen, this is to seyn, that at every Line 372
Tyme that a man eteth or drynketh moore than Line 372
Suffiseth to the sustenaunce of his body, in certein Line 372
he dooth synne./ And eek whan he speketh Line 373
moore than it nedeth, it is synne. Eke Line 373
Whan he herkneth nat benignely the compleint Line 373
Of the povre;/ eke whan he is in heele of body, Line 374
And wol nat faste whan other folk faste, withouten Line 374
cause resonable; eke whan he slepeth Line 374
Moore than nedeth, or whan he comth by thilke Line 374
Enchesoun to late to chirche, or to othere werkes Line 374
Of charite;/ eke whan he useth his wyf, withouten Line 375
sovereyn desir of engendrure to the honour Line 375
of god, or for the entente to yelde to Line 375
His wyf the dette of his body;/ eke whan Line 376
He wol nat visite the sike and the prisoner, Line 376
If he may; eke if he love wyf or child, or oother Line 376
Worldly thyng, moore than resoun requireth; Line 376
Eke if he flatere or blandise moore than hym Line 376
Oghte for any necessitee;/ eke if he amenuse Line 377
Or withdrawe the almesse of the povre; eke if Line 377
Page 239
Line 377
He apparailleth his mete moore deliciously than Line 377
Nede is, or ete it to hastily by likerousnesse;/ Line 378
Eke if he tale vanytees at chirche or at goddes Line 378
Service, or that he be a talker of ydel wordes of Line 378
Folye or of vileynye, for he shal yelden acountes Line 378
Of it at the day of doom;/ eke whan he biheteth Line 379
or assureth to do thynges that he may nat Line 379
Perfourne; eke whan that he by lightnesse or Line 379
Folie mysseyeth or scorneth his neighebor;/ Line 380
Eke whan he hath any wikked suspecioun Line 380
Of thyng ther he ne woot of it no soothfastnesse:/ Line 380
thise thynges, and no withoute Line 381
nombre, been synnes, as seith seint Line 381
Augustyn./ Line 382
Now shal men understonde that, al be it so Line 382
That noon erthely man may eschue alle venial Line 382
Synnes, yet may be refreyne hym by the brennynge Line 382
love that he hath to oure lord jhesu Line 382
Christ, and by preyeres and confessioun and Line 382
Othere goode werkes, so that it shal but litel Line 382
Greve./ For, as seith seint augustyn, if a man Line 383
Love God in swich manere that al that evere he Line 383
Dooth is in the love of god, and for the love of Line 383
God, verraily, for he brenneth in the love of Line 383
God,/ looke, how muche that a drope of water Line 384
that falleth in a fourneys ful of fyr anoyeth Line 384
Or greveth, so muche anoyeth a venial synne Line 384
Unto a man that is perfit in the love of jhesu Line 384
Crist./ Men may also refreyne venial synne Line 385
By receyvynge worthily of the precious Line 385
Body of jhesu crist;/ by receyvynge eek Line 386
Of booly water; by almesdede; by general Line 386
Confessioun of confiteor at masse and at complyn; Line 386
and by blessynge of bisshopes and of Line 386
Preestes, and by oothere goode werkes./ Line 387