Geoffrey Chaucer - Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales (English Edition)

For which the Constable, and his wife also,

And Constance, have y-take the righte way

Toward the sea a furlong way or two,

To playen, and to roame to and fro;

And in their walk this blinde man they met,

Crooked and old, with eyen fast y-shet.* *shut

"In the name of Christ," cried this blind Briton,

"Dame Hermegild, give me my sight again!"

This lady *wax'd afrayed of that soun',* *was alarmed by that cry*

Lest that her husband, shortly for to sayn,

Would her for Jesus Christe's love have slain,

Till Constance made her hold, and bade her wirch* *work

The will of Christ, as daughter of holy Church

The Constable wax'd abashed* of that sight, *astonished

And saide; *"What amounteth all this fare?"* *what means all

Constance answered; "Sir, it is Christ's might, this ado?*

That helpeth folk out of the fiendes snare:"

And *so farforth* she gan our law declare, *with such effect*

That she the Constable, ere that it were eve,

Converted, and on Christ made him believe.

This Constable was not lord of the place

Of which I speak, there as he Constance fand,* *found

But kept it strongly many a winter space,

Under Alla, king of Northumberland,

That was full wise, and worthy of his hand

Against the Scotes, as men may well hear;

But turn I will again to my mattere.

Satan, that ever us waiteth to beguile,

Saw of Constance all her perfectioun,

And *cast anon how he might quite her while;* *considered how to have

And made a young knight, that dwelt in that town, revenge on her*

Love her so hot of foul affectioun,

That verily him thought that he should spill* *perish

But* he of her might ones have his will. *unless

He wooed her, but it availed nought;

She woulde do no sinne by no way:

And for despite, he compassed his thought

To make her a shameful death to dey;* *die

He waiteth when the Constable is away,

And privily upon a night he crept

In Hermegilda's chamber while she slept.

Weary, forwaked* in her orisons, *having been long awake

Sleepeth Constance, and Hermegild also.

This knight, through Satanas' temptation;

All softetly is to the bed y-go,* *gone

And cut the throat of Hermegild in two,

And laid the bloody knife by Dame Constance,

And went his way, there God give him mischance.

Soon after came the Constable home again,

And eke Alla that king was of that land,

And saw his wife dispiteously* slain, *cruelly

For which full oft he wept and wrung his hand;

And ill the bed the bloody knife he fand

By Dame Constance: Alas! what might she say?

For very woe her wit was all away.

To King Alla was told all this mischance

And eke the time, and where, and in what wise

That in a ship was founden this Constance,

As here before ye have me heard devise:* *describe

The kinges heart for pity *gan agrise,* *to be grieved, to tremble*

When he saw so benign a creature

Fall in disease* and in misaventure. *distress

For as the lamb toward his death is brought,

So stood this innocent before the king:

This false knight, that had this treason wrought,

*Bore her in hand* that she had done this thing: *accused her falsely*

But natheless there was great murmuring

Among the people, that say they cannot guess

That she had done so great a wickedness.

For they had seen her ever virtuous,

And loving Hermegild right as her life:

Of this bare witness each one in that house,

Save he that Hermegild slew with his knife:

This gentle king had *caught a great motife* *been greatly moved

Of this witness, and thought he would inquere by the evidence*

Deeper into this case, the truth to lear.* *learn

Alas! Constance, thou has no champion,

Nor fighte canst thou not, so well-away!

But he that starf for our redemption, *died

And bound Satan, and yet li'th where he lay,

So be thy stronge champion this day:

For, but Christ upon thee miracle kithe,* *show

Withoute guilt thou shalt be slain *as swithe.* *immediately*

She set her down on knees, and thus she said;

"Immortal God, that savedest Susanne

From false blame; and thou merciful maid,

Mary I mean, the daughter to Saint Anne,

Before whose child the angels sing Osanne,* *Hosanna

If I be guiltless of this felony,

My succour be, or elles shall I die."

Have ye not seen sometime a pale face

(Among a press) of him that hath been lad* *led

Toward his death, where he getteth no grace,

And such a colour in his face hath had,

Men mighte know him that was so bestad* *bested, situated

Amonges all the faces in that rout?

So stood Constance, and looked her about.

O queenes living in prosperity,

Duchesses, and ye ladies every one,

Have some ruth* on her adversity! *pity

An emperor's daughter, she stood alone;

She had no wight to whom to make her moan.

O blood royal, that standest in this drede,* *danger

Far be thy friendes in thy greate need!

This king Alla had such compassioun,

As gentle heart is full filled of pity,

That from his eyen ran the water down

"Now hastily do fetch a book," quoth he;

"And if this knight will sweare, how that she

This woman slew, yet will we us advise* *consider

Whom that we will that shall be our justice."

A Briton book, written with Evangiles,* *the Gospels

Was fetched, and on this book he swore anon

She guilty was; and, in the meanewhiles,

An hand him smote upon the necke bone,

That down he fell at once right as a stone:

And both his eyen burst out of his face

In sight of ev'rybody in that place.

A voice was heard, in general audience,

That said; "Thou hast deslander'd guilteless

The daughter of holy Church in high presence;

Thus hast thou done, and yet *hold I my peace?"* *shall I be silent?*

Of this marvel aghast was all the press,

As mazed folk they stood every one

For dread of wreake,* save Constance alone. *vengeance

Great was the dread and eke the repentance

Of them that hadde wrong suspicion

Upon this sely* innocent Constance; *simple, harmless

And for this miracle, in conclusion,

And by Constance's mediation,

The king, and many another in that place,

Converted was, thanked be Christe's grace!

This false knight was slain for his untruth

By judgement of Alla hastily;

And yet Constance had of his death great ruth;* *compassion

And after this Jesus of his mercy

Made Alla wedde full solemnely

This holy woman, that is so bright and sheen,

And thus hath Christ y-made Constance a queen.

But who was woeful, if I shall not lie,

Of this wedding but Donegild, and no mo',

The kinge's mother, full of tyranny?

Her thought her cursed heart would burst in two;

She would not that her son had done so;

Her thought it a despite that he should take

So strange a creature unto his make.* *mate, consort

Me list not of the chaff nor of the stre* *straw

Make so long a tale, as of the corn.

What should I tellen of the royalty

Of this marriage, or which course goes beforn,

Who bloweth in a trump or in an horn?

The fruit of every tale is for to say;

They eat and drink, and dance, and sing, and play.

They go to bed, as it was skill* and right; *reasonable

For though that wives be full holy things,

They muste take in patience at night

Such manner* necessaries as be pleasings *kind of

To folk that have y-wedded them with rings,

And lay *a lite* their holiness aside *a little of*