The Canterbury Tales · The Man of Law’s Tale · The Tale 1424 (2/4) (1/2)

O sudden woe, that ev’r art successoúr

To worldly bliss! sprent1528 is with bitterness

Th’ end of our joy, of our worldly laboúr;

Woe occupies the fine1529 of our gladness.

Hearken this counsel, for thy sickerness:1530

Upon thy gladë days have in thy mind

The unware1531 woe of harm, that comes behind.

For, shortly for to tell it at a word,

The Soudan and the Christians every one

Were all to-hewn and sticked at the board,1532

But it were only Dame Constance alone.

This oldë Soudaness, this cursed crone,

Had with her friendës done this cursed deed,

For she herself would all the country lead.

Nor there was Syrian that was converted,

That of the counsel of the Soudan wot,1533

That was not all to-hewn, ere he asterted:1534

And Constance have they ta’en anon foot-hot,1535

And in a ship all steerëless,1536 God wot,

They have her set, and bid her learn to sail

Out of Syria again-ward to Itale.1537

A certain treasure that she thither lad,1538

And, sooth to say, of victual great plenty,

They have her giv’n, and clothës eke she had,

And forth she sailed in the saltë sea:

O my Constance, full of benignity,

O emperorë’s youngë daughter dear,

He that is lord of fortune be thy steer

She bless’d herself, and with full piteous voice

Unto the cross of Christ thus saidë she;

“O dear, O wealful1540 altar, holy cross,

Red of the Lambë’s blood, full of pity,

That wash’d the world from old iniquity,

Me from the fiend and from his clawës keep,

That day that I shall drenchen1541 in the deep.

“Victorious tree, protection of the true,

That only worthy werë for to bear

The King of Heaven, with his woundës new,

The whitë Lamb, that hurt was with a spear;

Flemer1542 of fiendës out of him and her

On which thy limbës faithfully extend,1543

Me keep, and give me might my life to mend.”

Yearës and days floated this creature

Throughout the sea of Greece, unto the strait

Of Maroc,1544 as it was her áventure:

On many a sorry meal now may she bait,

After her death full often may she wait,1545

Ere that the wildë wavës will her drive

Unto the place there as1546 she shall arrive.

Men mighten askë, why she was not slain?

Eke at the feast who might her body save?

And I answer to that demand again,

Who saved Daniel in the horrible cave,

Where every wight, save he, master or knave,1547

Was with the lion frett,1548 ere he astart?1549

No wight but God, that he bare in his heart.

God list1550 to shew his wonderful mirácle

In her, that we should see his mighty workës:

Christ, which that is to every harm triácle,1551

By certain meanës oft, as knowë clerkës,1552

Doth thing for certain endë, that full derk is

To mannë’s wit, that for our, ignorance

Ne cannot know his prudent purveyance.1553

Now since she was not at the feast y-slaw,1554

Who keptë her from drowning in the sea?

Who keptë Jonas in the fish’s maw,

Till he was spouted up at Nineveh?

Well may men know, it was no wight but he

That kept the Hebrew people from drowníng,

With dryë feet throughout the sea passing.

Who bade the fourë spirits of tempést,1555

That power have t’ annoyë land and sea,

Both north and south, and also west and east,

Annoyë neither sea, nor land, nor tree?

Soothly the cómmander of that was he

That from the tempest aye this woman kept,

As well when she awoke as when she slept.

Where might this woman meat and drinkë have?

Three year and more how lasted her vitaille?1556

Who fed the Egyptian Mary in the cave

Or in desért? no wight but Christ sans faille.1557

Five thousand folk it was as great marvaille

With loavës five and fishës two to feed:

God sent his foison1558 at her greatë need.

She drived forth into our oceán

Throughout our wildë sea, till at the last

Under an hold,1559 that nempnen1560 I not can,

Far in Northumberland, the wave her cast,

And in the sand her ship sticked so fast,

That thennës would it not in all a tide:1561

The will of Christ was that she should abide.

The Constable of the castle down did fare1562

To see this wreck, and all the ship he sought,1563

And found this weary woman full of care;

He found also the treasure that she brought:

In her languágë mercy she besought,

The life out of her body for to twin,1564

Her to deliver of woe that she was in.

A manner Latin corrupt1565 was her speech,

But algate1566 thereby was she understond.

The Constable, when him list no longer seech,1567

This woeful woman brought he to the lond.

She kneeled down, and thanked Goddë’s sond;1568

But what she was she would to no man say

For foul nor fair, although that she should dey.1569

She said, she was so mazed in the sea,

That she forgot her mindë, by her truth.

The Constable had of her so great pity

And eke his wifë, that they wept for ruth:1570

She was so diligent withoutë slouth

To serve and please every one in that place,

That all her lov’d, that looked in her face.

The Constable and Dame Hermegild his wife

Were Pagans, and that country every where;

But Hermegild lov’d Constance as her life;

And Constance had so long sojourned there

In orisons, with many a bitter tear,

Till Jesus had converted through His grace

Dame Hermegild, Constábless of that place.

In all that land no Christians durstë rout;1571

All Christian folk had fled from that countrý

Through Pagans, that conquered all about

The plages1572 of the North by land and sea.

To Wales had fled the Christianity

Of oldë Britons,1573 dwelling in this isle;

There was their refuge for the meanëwhile.

But yet n’ere1574 Christian Britons so exiled,

That there n’ere1575 some which in their privity

Honoured Christ, and heathen folk beguiled;

And nigh the castle such there dwelled three:

And one of them was blind, and might not see,

But1576 it were with thilk1577 eyen of his mind,

With which men mayë see when they be blind.

Bright was the sun, as in a summer’s day,

For which the Constable, and his wife also,

And Constance, have y-take the rightë way

Toward the sea, a furlong way or two,

To playen, and to roamë to and fro;

And in their walk this blindë man they met,

Crooked and old, with eyen fast y-shet.1578

“In the name of Christ,” criéd this blind Britón,

“Dame Hermegild, give me my sight again!”

This lady wax’d afrayed of that soun’,1579

Lest that her husband, shortly for to sayn,

Would her for Jesus Christë’s love have slain,

Till Constance made her hold, and bade her wirch1580

The will of Christ, as daughter of holy Church.

The Constable wax’d abashed1581 of that sight,

And saidë; “What amounteth all this fare?”1582

Constance answered; “Sir, it is Christ’s might,

That helpeth folk out of the fiendë’s snare:”

And so farforth1583 she gan our law declare,

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,1584

But kept it strongly many a winter space,

Under Allá, king of Northumberland,

That was full wise, and worthy of his hand

Against the Scotës, as men may well hear;

But turn I will again to my mattére.

Satan, that ever us waiteth to beguile,

Saw of Constance all her perfectioún,

And cast1585 anon how he might quite her while;1586

And made a young knight, that dwelt in that town,

Love her so hot of foul affectioún,

That verily him thought that he should spill1587

But1588 he of her might onës have his will.

He wooed her, but it availed nought;

She wouldë do no sinnë by no way:

And for despite, he compassed his thought

To makë her a shameful death to dey;1589

He waiteth when the Constable is away,

And privily upon a night he crept

In Hermegilda’s chamber while she slept.

Weary, forwaked1590 in her orisons,

Sleepeth Constance, and Hermegild also.

This knight, through Satanas’ temptatións,

All softëtly is to the bed y-go,1591

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 Allá that king was of that land,

And saw his wife dispiteously1592 slain,

For which full oft he wept and wrung his hand;

And in 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 Allá 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:1593

The kingë’s heart for pity gan agrise,1594

When he saw so benign a creature

Fall in disease1595 and in misáventure.

For as the lamb toward his death is brought,

So stood this innocent before the king:

This falsë knight, that had this treason wrought,

Bore her in hand1596 that she had done this thing:

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 virtuoús,

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 motife1597

Of this witness, and thought he would inquere

Deeper into this case, the truth to lear.1598

Alas! Constance, thou has no champión,

Nor fightë canst thou not, so well-away!

But he that starf1599 for our redemptión,

And bound Satán, and yet li’th where he lay,1600

So be thy strongë champion this day:

For, but Christ upon thee mirácle kithe,1601

Withoutë guilt thou shalt be slain as swithe.1602

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

“Immortal God, that savedest Susanne

From falsë blame; and thou merciful maid,

Mary I mean, the daughter to Saint Anne,

Before whose child the angels sing Osanne,1603

If I be guiltless of this felony,1604

My succour be, or ellës shall I die.”

Have ye not seen sometime a palë face

(Among a press) of him that hath been lad1605

Toward his death, where he getteth no grace,

And such a colour in his face hath had,

Men mightë know him that was so bestad1606

Amongës all the faces in that rout?

So stood Constance, and looked her about.

O queenës living in prosperity,

Duchesses, and ye ladies every one,

Havë some ruth1607 on her adversity!

An emperor’s daughtér, she stood alone;

She had no wight to whom to make her moan.

O blood royál, that standest in this drede,1608

Far be thy friendës in thy greatë need!

This king Allá had such compassióun,

As gentle heart is full filled of pitý,

That from his eyen ran the water down

“Now hastily do fetch a book,” quoth he;

“And if this knight will swearë, how that she

This woman slew, yet will we us advise1609

Whom that we will that shall be our justíce.”1610

A Briton book, written with Evangiles,1611

Was fetched, and on this book he swore anon

She guilty was; and, in the meanëwhiles,

An hand him smote upon the neckë 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 guiltëless

The daughter of holy Church in high presence;

Thus hast thou done, and yet hold I my peace?”1612

Of this marvel aghast was all the press,

As mazed folk they stood every one

For dread of wreakë,1613 save Constance alone.

Great was the dread and eke the repentánce

Of them that haddë wrong suspición

Upon this sely1614 innocent Constance;

And for this miracle, in conclusión,

And by Constance’s mediatión,

The king, and many another in that place,

Converted was, thanked be Christë’s grace!

This falsë knight was slain for his untruth

By judgëment of Alla hastily;

And yet Constance had of his death great ruth;1615

And after this Jesus of his mercý

Made Alla weddë full solemnëly

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 kingë’s mother, full of tyranny?

Her thought her cursed heart would burst in two;

She would not that her son had donë so;

Her thought it a despite that he should take

So strange a creature unto his make.1616

Me list not of the chaff nor of the stre1617

Make so long a tale, as of the corn.

What should I tellen of the royalty

Of this marriáge, 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 skill1618 and right;

For though that wivës be full holy things,

They mustë take in patience at night

Such manner1619 necessaries as be pleasings

To folk that have y-wedded them with rings,

And lay a lite1620 their holiness aside

As for the time, it may no better betide.

On her he got a knavë1621 child anon,

And to a Bishop and to his Constable eke

He took his wife to keep, when he is gone

To Scotland-ward, his foemen for to seek.

Now fair Constance, that is so humble and meek,

So long is gone with childë till that still

She held her chamb’r, abiding Christë’s will

The time is come, a knavë child she bare;

Mauricius at the font-stone they him call.

This Constable doth forth come1622 a messenger,

And wrote unto his king that clep’d was All’,

How that this blissful tiding is befall,

And other tidings speedful for to say.

He1623 hath the letter, and forth he go’th his way.

This messenger, to do his ávantage,1624

Unto the kingë’s mother rideth swithe,1625

And saluteth1626 her full fair in his languáge.

“Madame,” quoth he, “ye may be glad and blithe,

And thankë God an hundred thousand sithe;1627

My lady queen hath child, withoutë doubt,

To joy and bliss of all this realm about.

“Lo, here the letter sealed of this thing,

That I must bear with all the haste I may:

If ye will aught unto your son the king,

I am your servant both by night and day.”

Donegild answér’d, “As now at this time, nay;

But here I will all night thou take thy rest,