The Canterbury Tales

Fragment V

The Franklin's Prologue

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The Prologe of the

Frankeleyns Tale

Thise olde gentil britouns in hir dayes

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Of diverse aventures maden layes,

Rymeyed in hir firste briton tonge;

Whiche leyes with hir instrumentz songe,

Or elles redden hem for hir plesaunce,

And oon of hem have I in remembraunce,

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Which I shal seyn with good wyl as I kan.

But, sires, by cause I am a burel man,

At my bigynnyng first I yow biseche,

Have me excused of my rude speche.

I lerned nevere rethorik, certeyn;

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Thyng that I speke, it moot be bare and pleyn.

I sleep nevere on the mount of pernaso,

Ne lerned marcus tullius scithero.

Colours ne knowe I none, withouten drede,

But swiche colours as growen in the mede,

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Or elles swiche as men dye or peynte.

Colours of rethoryk been to me queynte;

My spririt feeleth noght of swich mateere.

But if yow list, my tale shul ye heere.