The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales page 6
THE PARSON
This is a long portrait of a wholly good country parson and the tone is sincere with no irony. He exemplifies all that a Christian and cleric should be and therefore provides a strong contrast with the other wordly and cheating eccelsiastics whose behaviour ranges from venial to bad to worse. It is of interest that Chaucer places this picture after many of the others as if inviting us to make up our minds on some of them before we see the ideal, although his contemporaries might have responded more vehemently because of their knowledge of current habits. The satire has been directed at the Church which allowed trangressions but here the man is a model in his own right and a condemnation of an institution which allowed degrading customs and immoral practices.
He is poor in financial terms but rich in holy thoughts and deeds: this opposition in language makes the point sharply at the start: neither is he ignorant (which might otherwise account for his virtue in that he would be unable to do better in personal advancement) but learned and preaches the Gospel correctly, teaching his parishioners devoutly. His moral qualities are praised as he is "benygne [kind" and very diligent, tolerant and enduring in adversity ("pacient" had a more forceful meaning then of being able to bear suffering) which has been proved many times as he has frequently encountered difficulties. Although he has the power to use lesser excommunication, "cursen", on those who did not pay their tithes he is very unwilling to do so and definitely prefers to give money to his impoverished parishioners living around him. This money would come from his "offryng [voluntary contributions especially at Easter]" and also from his "substaunce [regular income]" as he is capable of managing on very little: "He could in litel thing have suffisaunce", a statement which must make the reader recall the luxury in which the other so-called religious people live, which seem necessities to them.
His parish is large and the houses far apart which means he has to work hard to visit, which he does in all weathers and "ne lafte nat" [did not neglect, the double negatives adding emphasis] his duties even in rain, thunder, sickness or "meschief [trouble]" of attending even the most distant dwellers whether they were important people or not. The picture and vocabulary is of Christ the Good Shepherd as he walks, bearing a staff, and he gives a fine example to his flock in acting first and teaching afterwards (see Matthew v 19). The fact he is no hypocrite is one of the reasons why is is admired. He, the Parson rather than Chaucer, then uses a figure of speech, a comparison, to underline the scriptural words, that if gold, the priest, rusts then the people, the iron, will do so even more. He is aware of his great responsibilty to set an example and be reliable, knowing that if the priest, whom everyone trusts, is sinful and dirty then the "lewed [ignorant, lay person]" will be also.
His language is homely, even crude, as he claims that a priest must take note that it is shameful if a "shiten" shepherd has clean sheep as the parson should show them by his own virtue how to live holy lives and not sin himself. The tone here is strong and the man's voice could be almost heard speaking to such corrupt figures as the Monk or Friar. It also shows that, although a scholar, he can use ordinary language to make his point. Precise instances of his contrast with other figures are given by Chaucer: he does not hire out his benefice and leave his flock in trouble, "the myre", so that he can rush to London to find a chantry for singing the Mass for men's souls or become a chaplain to a fraternity. These were clearly common practices which gave a churchman an easier life and the "nat" [not]" at line 507 carries weight onwards throughout the passage, emphasising that this man would never do such despicable things but would stay and perform his difficult duties. The language is plain although it contains the sustained analogy of the shepherd and his sheep, relating to Christ.
He remains at home and looks after the parish, his sheep-fold, so that the wolf, or Devil, cannot make it "miscarie [come to harm]": he is the true shepherd not a "mercenarie [hireling]" and here the language has a Biblical flavour once more. Despite being entirely virtuous and holy he is not "despitous [scornful]" of others nor, in speaking, "daungerous ne digne" [haughty, arrogant or proud] but adopts a teaching voice that is "discreet and benygne" [courteous and gracious]. His belief, which he carries out in his deeds, is that people should be drawn to heaven by "fairnesse [excellent behaviour]" and good example but, if someone is "obstinat", whoever he is and whether of low or high rank, he will "snybben [reprimand]" the wilful sinner sharply on that occasion. He does not use his position to curry favour or discriminate: all folk are equal in his eyes.
Chaucer the pilgrim summarises: " A bettre preest I trow [believe] that nowher is" and the straightforward tone is also that of Chaucer the narrator: the consistency negates any possibility of irony. This parson sets no store on pomp and display or false reverence, nor does he affect an unduly scrupulous conscience: he knows that people are fallible and that it is his task to help them to become better. The ultimate accolade is that he preached Christ's teaching and that of the disciples but firstly adhered to it himself:
But Christes lore, and his apostles twelve,
He taughte, but first he folwed it him-selve.
The portrait is detailed, not only about this man but also about the conduct of unprincipled men in the Church: we know nothing of his personal appearance as this would be inappropriate as he has no vanities but we are left with an image of a Christ-like shepherd of his flock, conscientious, learned, hard-working and completely faithful in his duties. These fill up almost the whole of the picture as they are what matters to this Parson and, ultimately, to the true character of the Church, which Chaucer feels is in decline. Most of all he is not hypocritical: he practises what he preaches and lives in poverty, frugally, obediently and, it would seem, in chastity. The picture is built around contrasts and opposites: dirt and cleanliness; gold and rusting metal; deeds and words; sin and virtue; poor and rich, which lead us to make further comparisons in our own minds with other pilgrims. In particular, we might contrast him with the Pardoner, who is guilty of all of the Seven Deadly Sins whereas the Parson is completely innocent of them: Pride, Sloth, Gluttony, Lust, Avarice, Wrath and Envy.
The Ploughman.
The Parson has a brother, a ploughman, who rides with him: he is also a wholly good man morally, though, by placing the fact he carts many a load of dung in the second line, Chaucer qualifies our view of him so that we realise that he is intellectually limited: "That hadde y-lad [carted] of dong ful many a fother [cartload]". He is a hard worker as a labourer, a "trewe swinkere" and lives quietly and peacefully and in "parfit charitee", having sound relationships with everybody. Obeying the Biblical commandment, he loves God first and always with his entire heart, "thogh him gamed [pleased - an impersonal verb] or smerte", [through fair and foul] and secondly he loves his neighbour as himself, the language sounding also Biblical and the point being that he is a better Christian than most of the Church men and women. He is closely in touch with the teachings of Christ and has not become corrupted by wealth or temptation. If he possibly can, he will thresh, dig and delve without payment, "hyre" for any poor person who could not afford his services and he would do this in the name of Christ. He always pays his tithes in full and correctly out of his own earnings and his "catel [property]". Wearing a tunic, he rides on a mare, which only a poor person would do at that period.
Like his brother, he represents the old ways, tied to the land, and detached from the modern world of commerce and luxury. He is also free from the Seven Deadly Sins and uses his pragmatic ability to work hard for the benefit of others as a practising but uneducated Christian. He lives within his means and is dutiful in every way.
The next group and Chaucer himself.
Chaucer gives us a sense that we are nearing the end of the descriptions by naming the remaining pilgrims in a group, although he goes on to give their portraits but not in the order mentioned. Such blatant oral signals were common as the listeners (if they were the audience at a reading) would need to be reassured that the list would not be interminable: "ther were namo" [no more of them]. These are the Reeve, the Miller, the Summoner, the Pardoner, the Manciple and Chaucer himself. The fact they are grouped also allows Chaucer to pass over his own self-portrait as we do not notice that it is absent. He needs to maintain a certain anonymity as he requires the persona [assumed image] of a naif, trusting and characterless extra, observing unschematically without explicit criticism and apparently relating neutrally what happens and what is said. This is sometimes a cover for severe satirical and ironic dispproval, particularly of institutions such as the Church and Knighthood which he felt were corrupt and in decline, even though his attitude to some individuals concerned is more tolerant. The fact he has two sides: narrator and pilgrim, both created by himself as author, gives him the licence for levels of register, several speaking voices (as we can sometimes almost hear a character talk), and resultant irony whilst appearing to be transparent reportage only. The reader is required to read or reread between the lines as the technique is sophisticated, although apparently and deceptively simple, and is so convincing that we do not immediately pause to ask how he knew certain details about his subjects at the time he gives the portrait. We accept the narrative voices as one as we read but the complexity strikes us in retrospect.
The Miller
There is something sinister about the Miller as he has great strength, which he uses for seemingly meaningless purposes, and several unattractive traits in his physical appearance which have unpleasant significance. Millers were commonly believed to cheat their customers and this one is no exception. He is a "stout carl for the nones" [a large fellow, indeed], brawny, muscular and big-boned: these qualities stand him in good stead everywhere he goes, which makes one wonder what conflicts he gets into apart from the organised wrestling matches at which he would always win the prize of a ram. His physique is broad and thick-set; this is connected by juxtaposition with his bizarre ability to heave a door off its hinges or break it by running at it head first. The next lines 552-559 list details which, in Medieval physiognomy, indicated a quarrelsome disposition, garrulousness and lechery. They are also distinctly ugly: he has a red beard, compared by degrading animal imagery to the colour of a sow or fox and broad as a spade; on top of his nose is a wart with a tuft of red bristles on it also compared to an animal, those on a sow's ears (tuft is the only word of French origin in these lines and this might indicate something quintessentially English about the man); his nostrils are black and wide and sound somehow threatening, backed up by the juxtaposed fact that he carries a sword and "bokeler" [shield] by his side, ready for trouble; his mouth is also wide as a furnace which does suggest a comparison with the mouth of Hell. Added to this dislikeable picture is the claim that he is a " janglere [prattler]" and a "goliardeys [coarse clownish fellow]" and that most of this flow of chatter is about sin and "harlotryes [obscenities]" - here we must remember the religious purpose of the journey and the presence of learned and devout people or those easily shocked.
When Chaucer mentions his trade it is to point out that he cheats, stealing corn and charging three times the correct amount for the job. There is an allusion to a common proverb: "An honest miller has a golden thumb", meaning that these men passed as trustworthy even though they took a secret cut. Because no-one has a golden thumb, it suggests there are no honest millers. "Pardee [by God]" is a filler, a phrase with little meaning added to pad out a line and Chaucer is quite fond of them. His coat is white and his hood blue, giving us a simple, colourful general picture and his skilful bagpipe-playing conducts them out of London, although this practice was amongst complaints brought to the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1407 by pilgrims who did not approve of this popular instrument used for accompaniment on pilgrimages. Perhaps our pilgrims were also displeased but dare not say so directly.
His is one of the least appealing portraits as his looks mirror his character as a low cheat and the sounds he emits are harsh and probably unwelcome.
To continue to the portraits of the Manciple etc on page 7 click here
To go to the Home Page with list of other texts click here
THE PARSON
This is a long portrait of a wholly good country parson and the tone is sincere with no irony. He exemplifies all that a Christian and cleric should be and therefore provides a strong contrast with the other wordly and cheating eccelsiastics whose behaviour ranges from venial to bad to worse. It is of interest that Chaucer places this picture after many of the others as if inviting us to make up our minds on some of them before we see the ideal, although his contemporaries might have responded more vehemently because of their knowledge of current habits. The satire has been directed at the Church which allowed trangressions but here the man is a model in his own right and a condemnation of an institution which allowed degrading customs and immoral practices.
He is poor in financial terms but rich in holy thoughts and deeds: this opposition in language makes the point sharply at the start: neither is he ignorant (which might otherwise account for his virtue in that he would be unable to do better in personal advancement) but learned and preaches the Gospel correctly, teaching his parishioners devoutly. His moral qualities are praised as he is "benygne [kind" and very diligent, tolerant and enduring in adversity ("pacient" had a more forceful meaning then of being able to bear suffering) which has been proved many times as he has frequently encountered difficulties. Although he has the power to use lesser excommunication, "cursen", on those who did not pay their tithes he is very unwilling to do so and definitely prefers to give money to his impoverished parishioners living around him. This money would come from his "offryng [voluntary contributions especially at Easter]" and also from his "substaunce [regular income]" as he is capable of managing on very little: "He could in litel thing have suffisaunce", a statement which must make the reader recall the luxury in which the other so-called religious people live, which seem necessities to them.
His parish is large and the houses far apart which means he has to work hard to visit, which he does in all weathers and "ne lafte nat" [did not neglect, the double negatives adding emphasis] his duties even in rain, thunder, sickness or "meschief [trouble]" of attending even the most distant dwellers whether they were important people or not. The picture and vocabulary is of Christ the Good Shepherd as he walks, bearing a staff, and he gives a fine example to his flock in acting first and teaching afterwards (see Matthew v 19). The fact he is no hypocrite is one of the reasons why is is admired. He, the Parson rather than Chaucer, then uses a figure of speech, a comparison, to underline the scriptural words, that if gold, the priest, rusts then the people, the iron, will do so even more. He is aware of his great responsibilty to set an example and be reliable, knowing that if the priest, whom everyone trusts, is sinful and dirty then the "lewed [ignorant, lay person]" will be also.
His language is homely, even crude, as he claims that a priest must take note that it is shameful if a "shiten" shepherd has clean sheep as the parson should show them by his own virtue how to live holy lives and not sin himself. The tone here is strong and the man's voice could be almost heard speaking to such corrupt figures as the Monk or Friar. It also shows that, although a scholar, he can use ordinary language to make his point. Precise instances of his contrast with other figures are given by Chaucer: he does not hire out his benefice and leave his flock in trouble, "the myre", so that he can rush to London to find a chantry for singing the Mass for men's souls or become a chaplain to a fraternity. These were clearly common practices which gave a churchman an easier life and the "nat" [not]" at line 507 carries weight onwards throughout the passage, emphasising that this man would never do such despicable things but would stay and perform his difficult duties. The language is plain although it contains the sustained analogy of the shepherd and his sheep, relating to Christ.
He remains at home and looks after the parish, his sheep-fold, so that the wolf, or Devil, cannot make it "miscarie [come to harm]": he is the true shepherd not a "mercenarie [hireling]" and here the language has a Biblical flavour once more. Despite being entirely virtuous and holy he is not "despitous [scornful]" of others nor, in speaking, "daungerous ne digne" [haughty, arrogant or proud] but adopts a teaching voice that is "discreet and benygne" [courteous and gracious]. His belief, which he carries out in his deeds, is that people should be drawn to heaven by "fairnesse [excellent behaviour]" and good example but, if someone is "obstinat", whoever he is and whether of low or high rank, he will "snybben [reprimand]" the wilful sinner sharply on that occasion. He does not use his position to curry favour or discriminate: all folk are equal in his eyes.
Chaucer the pilgrim summarises: " A bettre preest I trow [believe] that nowher is" and the straightforward tone is also that of Chaucer the narrator: the consistency negates any possibility of irony. This parson sets no store on pomp and display or false reverence, nor does he affect an unduly scrupulous conscience: he knows that people are fallible and that it is his task to help them to become better. The ultimate accolade is that he preached Christ's teaching and that of the disciples but firstly adhered to it himself:
But Christes lore, and his apostles twelve,
He taughte, but first he folwed it him-selve.
The portrait is detailed, not only about this man but also about the conduct of unprincipled men in the Church: we know nothing of his personal appearance as this would be inappropriate as he has no vanities but we are left with an image of a Christ-like shepherd of his flock, conscientious, learned, hard-working and completely faithful in his duties. These fill up almost the whole of the picture as they are what matters to this Parson and, ultimately, to the true character of the Church, which Chaucer feels is in decline. Most of all he is not hypocritical: he practises what he preaches and lives in poverty, frugally, obediently and, it would seem, in chastity. The picture is built around contrasts and opposites: dirt and cleanliness; gold and rusting metal; deeds and words; sin and virtue; poor and rich, which lead us to make further comparisons in our own minds with other pilgrims. In particular, we might contrast him with the Pardoner, who is guilty of all of the Seven Deadly Sins whereas the Parson is completely innocent of them: Pride, Sloth, Gluttony, Lust, Avarice, Wrath and Envy.
The Ploughman.
The Parson has a brother, a ploughman, who rides with him: he is also a wholly good man morally, though, by placing the fact he carts many a load of dung in the second line, Chaucer qualifies our view of him so that we realise that he is intellectually limited: "That hadde y-lad [carted] of dong ful many a fother [cartload]". He is a hard worker as a labourer, a "trewe swinkere" and lives quietly and peacefully and in "parfit charitee", having sound relationships with everybody. Obeying the Biblical commandment, he loves God first and always with his entire heart, "thogh him gamed [pleased - an impersonal verb] or smerte", [through fair and foul] and secondly he loves his neighbour as himself, the language sounding also Biblical and the point being that he is a better Christian than most of the Church men and women. He is closely in touch with the teachings of Christ and has not become corrupted by wealth or temptation. If he possibly can, he will thresh, dig and delve without payment, "hyre" for any poor person who could not afford his services and he would do this in the name of Christ. He always pays his tithes in full and correctly out of his own earnings and his "catel [property]". Wearing a tunic, he rides on a mare, which only a poor person would do at that period.
Like his brother, he represents the old ways, tied to the land, and detached from the modern world of commerce and luxury. He is also free from the Seven Deadly Sins and uses his pragmatic ability to work hard for the benefit of others as a practising but uneducated Christian. He lives within his means and is dutiful in every way.
The next group and Chaucer himself.
Chaucer gives us a sense that we are nearing the end of the descriptions by naming the remaining pilgrims in a group, although he goes on to give their portraits but not in the order mentioned. Such blatant oral signals were common as the listeners (if they were the audience at a reading) would need to be reassured that the list would not be interminable: "ther were namo" [no more of them]. These are the Reeve, the Miller, the Summoner, the Pardoner, the Manciple and Chaucer himself. The fact they are grouped also allows Chaucer to pass over his own self-portrait as we do not notice that it is absent. He needs to maintain a certain anonymity as he requires the persona [assumed image] of a naif, trusting and characterless extra, observing unschematically without explicit criticism and apparently relating neutrally what happens and what is said. This is sometimes a cover for severe satirical and ironic dispproval, particularly of institutions such as the Church and Knighthood which he felt were corrupt and in decline, even though his attitude to some individuals concerned is more tolerant. The fact he has two sides: narrator and pilgrim, both created by himself as author, gives him the licence for levels of register, several speaking voices (as we can sometimes almost hear a character talk), and resultant irony whilst appearing to be transparent reportage only. The reader is required to read or reread between the lines as the technique is sophisticated, although apparently and deceptively simple, and is so convincing that we do not immediately pause to ask how he knew certain details about his subjects at the time he gives the portrait. We accept the narrative voices as one as we read but the complexity strikes us in retrospect.
The Miller
There is something sinister about the Miller as he has great strength, which he uses for seemingly meaningless purposes, and several unattractive traits in his physical appearance which have unpleasant significance. Millers were commonly believed to cheat their customers and this one is no exception. He is a "stout carl for the nones" [a large fellow, indeed], brawny, muscular and big-boned: these qualities stand him in good stead everywhere he goes, which makes one wonder what conflicts he gets into apart from the organised wrestling matches at which he would always win the prize of a ram. His physique is broad and thick-set; this is connected by juxtaposition with his bizarre ability to heave a door off its hinges or break it by running at it head first. The next lines 552-559 list details which, in Medieval physiognomy, indicated a quarrelsome disposition, garrulousness and lechery. They are also distinctly ugly: he has a red beard, compared by degrading animal imagery to the colour of a sow or fox and broad as a spade; on top of his nose is a wart with a tuft of red bristles on it also compared to an animal, those on a sow's ears (tuft is the only word of French origin in these lines and this might indicate something quintessentially English about the man); his nostrils are black and wide and sound somehow threatening, backed up by the juxtaposed fact that he carries a sword and "bokeler" [shield] by his side, ready for trouble; his mouth is also wide as a furnace which does suggest a comparison with the mouth of Hell. Added to this dislikeable picture is the claim that he is a " janglere [prattler]" and a "goliardeys [coarse clownish fellow]" and that most of this flow of chatter is about sin and "harlotryes [obscenities]" - here we must remember the religious purpose of the journey and the presence of learned and devout people or those easily shocked.
When Chaucer mentions his trade it is to point out that he cheats, stealing corn and charging three times the correct amount for the job. There is an allusion to a common proverb: "An honest miller has a golden thumb", meaning that these men passed as trustworthy even though they took a secret cut. Because no-one has a golden thumb, it suggests there are no honest millers. "Pardee [by God]" is a filler, a phrase with little meaning added to pad out a line and Chaucer is quite fond of them. His coat is white and his hood blue, giving us a simple, colourful general picture and his skilful bagpipe-playing conducts them out of London, although this practice was amongst complaints brought to the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1407 by pilgrims who did not approve of this popular instrument used for accompaniment on pilgrimages. Perhaps our pilgrims were also displeased but dare not say so directly.
His is one of the least appealing portraits as his looks mirror his character as a low cheat and the sounds he emits are harsh and probably unwelcome.
To continue to the portraits of the Manciple etc on page 7 click here
To go to the Home Page with list of other texts click here
