That the first word whaeer shoud speak,

ANGLO-AMERICAN LITERATURE Shoud rise and bar the door.

Lord Randall Then by there came two gentlemen,

At twelve o clock at night,
Anonymous Anglo-Scottish author And they could neither see house nor hall,
Nor coal nor candle-light.
‘O where ha’ you been, Lord Randal, my son?
And where ha’ you been, my handsome young man?’ "Now whether is this a rich man's house,
‘I ha’ been at the greenwood; mother, mak my bed soon, Or whether is it a poor?"
For I’m wearied wi’ hunting, and fain wad lie down. But neer a word wad ane o them speak,
For barring of the door.
‘An wha met ye there, Lord Randal, my son?
An wha met you there, my handsome young man?’ And first they ate the white puddings,
‘O I met wi my true-love; mother, mak my bed soon, And then they ate the black;
For I’m wearied wi’ hunting, and fain wad lie down.’ Tho muckle thought the goodwife to hersel,
Yet neer a word she spake.
‘And what did she give you, Lord Randal, my son?
And what did she give you, my handsome young man?’ Then said the one unto the other,
‘Eels fried in a pan; mother, mak my bed soon, "Here, man, tak ye my knife;
For I’m wearied wi’ hunting, and fain wad lie down.’ Do ye tak aff the auld man's beard,
And I 'll kiss the goodwife."
‘And wha gat your leavins, Lord Randal, my son?
And wha gat your leavins, my handsome young man?’ "But there 's nae water in the house,
‘My hawks and my hounds; mother, mak my bed soon, And what shall we do than?"
For I’m wearied wi’ hunting, and fain wad lie down.’ What ails thee at the pudding-broo,
That boils into the pan?"
‘And what became of them, Lord Randal, my son?
And what became of them, my handsome young man?’ O up then started our goodman,
‘They stretched their legs out an died; mother, mak my bed soon, An angry man was he:
For I’m weary wi’ hunting, and fain wad lie down.’ "Will ye kiss my wife before my een,
And scad me wi pudding-bree?"
‘O I fear you are poisoned, Lord Randal, my son!
I fear you are poisoned, my handsome young man!’ Then up and started our goodwife,
‘O yes, I am poisoned; mother, mak my bed soon, Gied three skips on the floor:
For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.” "Goodman, you've spoken the foremost word,
Get up and bar the door."
‘What d’ ye leave to your mother, Lord Randal, my son?
What d ‘ye leave to your mother, my handsome young man?’
‘Four and twenty milk kye; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.’
Bonny Barbara Allan
Anonymous author
‘What d’ ye leave to your sister, Lord Randal, my son?
Oh, in the merry month of May,
What d’ ye leave to your sister, my handsome young man?’
When all things were a-blooming,
‘My gold and my silver; mother, mak my bed soon,
Sweet William came from the Western states
For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.’
And courted Barbara Allan.
‘What d’ ye leave to your brother, Lord Randal, my son?
But he took sick, and very sick
What d ‘ye leave to your mother, my handsome young man?’
And he sent for Barbara Allan,
‘My house and my lands; mother, mak my bed soon,
And all she said when she got there,
For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.’
“Young man, you are a-dying.”
‘What d’ ye leave to your true-love, Lord Randal, my son?
“Oh yes, I’m sick, and I’m very sick,
What d ‘ye leave to your true-love, my handsome young man?’
And I think that death’s upon me;
‘I leave her hell and fire; mother, mak my bed soon,
But one sweet kiss from Barbara’s lips
For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.’
Will save me from my dying.”

Get Up and Bar the Door “But don’t you remember the other day
You were down in town a-drinking?
Anonymous British author You drank your health to the ladies all around,
And slighted Barbara Allan.”
It fell about the Martinmas time,
And a gay time it was then, “Oh yes, I remember the other day
When our goodwife got puddings to make, I was down in town a-drinking;
And she 's boild them in the pan. I drank my health to the ladies all ’round,
But my love to Barbara Allan.”
The wind sae cauld blew south and north,
And blew into the floor; He turned his face to the wall;
Quoth our goodman to our goodwife, She turned her back upon him;
"Gae out and bar the door." The very last word she heard him say,
“Hardhearted Barbara Allan.”
"My hand is in my hussyfskap,
Goodman, as ye may see; As she passed on through London Town,
An it shoud nae be barrd this hundred year, She heard some bells a-ringing,
It 's no be barrd for me." And every bell, it seemed to say,
“Hardhearted Barbara Allan.”
They made a paction tween them twa,
They made it firm and sure, She then passed on to the country road,
And heard some birds a-singing;
And every bird it seemed to say,
“Hardhearted Barbara Allan.”
She hadn’t got more than a mile from town
When she saw his corpse a-coming;
“O bring him here, and ease him down,
And let me look upon him.
“Oh, take him away! Oh, take him away!
For I am sick and dying!
His death-cold features say to me,
‘Hardhearted Barbara Allan.’
“O Father, O Father, go dig my grave,
And dig it long and narrow;
Sweet William died for me today;
I’ll die for him tomorrow.”
They buried them both in the old graveyard,
All side and side each other.
A red, red rose grew out of his grave,
And a green briar out of hers.
They grew and grew so very high
That they could grow no higher;
They lapped, they tied in a truelove knot—
The rose ran ’round the briar.
Beowulf
Anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet (known as Beowulf poet)
King Hrothgar of Denmark, a descendant of the great king
Shield Sheafson, enjoys a prosperous and successful reign.
He builds a great mead-hall, called Heorot, where his
warriors can gather to drink, receive gifts from their lord,
and listen to stories sung by the scops, or bards. But the
jubilant noise from Heorot angers Grendel, a horrible
demon who lives in the swamplands of Hrothgar’s
kingdom. Grendel terrorizes the Danes every night, killing
them and defeating their efforts to fight back. The Danes
suffer many years of fear, danger, and death at the hands
of Grendel. Eventually, however, a young Geatish warrior
named Beowulf hears of Hrothgar’s plight. Inspired by the
challenge, Beowulf sails to Denmark with a small company
of men, determined to defeat Grendel.
Hrothgar, who had once done a great favor for Beowulf’s
father Ecgtheow, accepts Beowulf’s offer to fight Grendel
and holds a feast in the hero’s honor. During the feast, an
envious Dane named Unferth taunts Beowulf and accuses
him of being unworthy of his reputation. Beowulf responds
with a boastful description of some of his past
accomplishments. His confidence cheers the Danish
warriors, and the feast lasts merrily into the night. At last,
however, Grendel arrives. Beowulf fights him unarmed,
proving himself stronger than the demon, who is terrified.
As Grendel struggles to escape, Beowulf tears the
monster’s arm off. Mortally wounded, Grendel slinks back
into the swamp to die. The severed arm is hung high in the
mead-hall as a trophy of victory.
Overjoyed, Hrothgar showers Beowulf with gifts and
treasure at a feast in his honor. Songs are sung in praise of
Beowulf, and the celebration lasts late into the night. But
another threat is approaching. Grendel’s mother, a
swamp-hag who lives in a desolate lake, comes to Heorot
seeking revenge for her son’s death. She murders
Aeschere, one of Hrothgar’s most trusted advisers, before
slinking away. To avenge Aeschere’s death, the company
travels to the murky swamp, where Beowulf dives into the
water and fights Grendel’s mother in her underwater lair.
He kills her with a sword forged for a giant, then, finding
Grendel’s corpse, decapitates it and brings the head as a
prize to Hrothgar. The Danish countryside is now purged of
its treacherous monsters.
The Danes are again overjoyed, and Beowulf’s fame
spreads across the kingdom. Beowulf departs after a
sorrowful goodbye to Hrothgar, who has treated him like a
son. He returns to Geatland, where he and his men are
reunited with their king and queen, Hygelac and Hygd, to
whom Beowulf recounts his adventures in Denmark.
Beowulf then hands over most of his treasure to Hygelac,
who, in turn, rewards him.
In time, Hygelac is killed in a war against the Shylfings, and,
after Hygelac’s son dies, Beowulf ascends to the throne of
the Geats. He rules wisely for fifty years, bringing prosperity
to Geatland. When Beowulf is an old man, however, a thief
disturbs a barrow, or mound, where a great dragon lies
guarding a horde of treasure. Enraged, the dragon
emerges from the barrow and begins unleashing fiery
destruction upon the Geats. Sensing his own death
approaching, Beowulf goes to fight the dragon. With the
aid of Wiglaf, he succeeds in killing the beast, but at a heavy
cost. The dragon bites Beowulf in the neck, and its fiery
venom kills him moments after their encounter. The Geats
fear that their enemies will attack them now that Beowulf is
dead. According to Beowulf’s wishes, they burn their
departed king’s body on a huge funeral pyre and then bury
him with a massive treasure in a barrow overlooking the sea.
General Prologue
At the Tabard Inn, a tavern in Southwark, near London, the
narrator joins a company of twenty-nine pilgrims. The
pilgrims, like the narrator, are traveling to the shrine of the
martyr Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury. The narrator
gives a descriptive account of twenty-seven of these
pilgrims, including a Knight, Squire, Yeoman, Prioress,
King Arthur and the Knights
of the Round Table
Sir Thomas Malory
Le Morte d'Arthur tells the story of King Arthur and his
Knights at the Round Table. Arthur, who is son of King Uther
Pendragon but was raised by another family, takes his
rightful place as king when, as a boy, he is able to pull the
sword called Excalibur from the stone. Although he rules
wisely and is counseled by Merlin the magician, Arthur
makes enemies of other kings and is often at war.
When Arthur marries Genevere, her father gives Arthur the
Round Table, at which 150 men can sit. Genevere, who is
often present at the convening of the Round Table, acts
as a moral compass for the knights, rewarding knights who
behave well and chastising those who choose poorly.
Malory specifically relates the stories of Sir Gawain, Sir Tor,
and Sir Pellanor as a means of introducing the concept of
chivalry.
Arthur is nearly betrayed by his sister Morgan le Fay, but he
is helped by Nineve, a sorceress who learned her magic
powers from Merlin before killing him. Arthur then fights the
Romans when Emperor Lucius of Rome demands that
Arthur bow to him. Although the war requires several
battles, Arthur and his knights win and return to Guinevere
and the other wives. Soon after, Launcelot establishes
himself as the greatest knight in all the world by his virtue,
loyalty, and bravery. At the same time, Sir Gareth,
Gawain's brother, proves valiant in his adventures.
Tristam (also known as Tristan), who is son of King Melyodas
de Lyones and the sister of King Mark of Cornwall, is then
introduced, and his adventures unfold. He kills Sir Marhault
to free his uncle from a debt owed to King Angwyssh of
Ireland, and then falls in love with Isode (also known as
Isolde), Angwyssh's daughter. Isode marries Tristam's uncle
Mark, but Tristam and Isode remain lovers. Tristam is exiled
by Mark, which means he can no longer use his true
identity; thus, he fights as The Knight with the Black Shield.
Tristam duels and beats many of Arthur's knights, but is
eventually thrown in prison and becomes ill. He escapes
and eventually meets and fights Launcelot in a duel
predicted by Merlin. They become the best of friends.
Launcelot, who is in love with and completely loyal to
Guinevere, rides one day in search of adventure. He kills a
dragon, sees the Grail, and is tricked into lying with Pellas'
daughter Elayne, with whom he has a son, Galahad.
Guinevere, upon hearing of the affair, has Launcelot
banished from court; Launcelot then wanders from place
to place in his grief. Elayne, through her father, heals
Launcelot through the Grail, and he eventually returns
joyously to Camelot and the Round Table.
Launcelot introduces his son, Galahad, to the court, and
Galahad takes the Sege Perilous, the seat at the Round
Table that no knight has been worthy enough to fill.
Galahad also draws the sword from the floating stone,
establishing him as the best knight in the world, but also
accepting the sword's curse — that it will later cause a
grievous wound.
Most of the knights then set out separately on Grail Quest.
During the Quest, Launcelot, Percival, and Bors experience
deep religious conversion, while Ector and Gawain are
told by a hermit that they are not pure enough to achieve
the Grail Quest. Galahad, Percival, and Bors meet up and
continue the Grail Quest, but they are briefly parted.
Launcelot and Galahad continue to the Grail at Castle
Corbenic, where Launcelot is shown to be unworthy of the
Quest. When Sir Evelake dies after his embrace with
Galahad, Galahad is identified as the knight who will
achieve the Grail Quest. Galahad is made a king who dies
shortly thereafter, while Percival becomes a hermit. Bors
returns to King Arthur's court.
Launcelot also returns to the court and continues his love
for Guinevere. After a series of trials, Guinevere is
convinced of Launcelot's love for her. Although Arthur
knows of the affair and overlooks it, he is prompted by
Aggravain and Mordred (Arthur's son by Lot's wife) to take
action; Guinevere is sentenced to be burned at the stake.
Launcelot rescues her and takes her to his castle, Joyous
Gard, but in the battle, Launcelot kills Gareth and Gaheris,
who are at the execution but are unarmed. Launcelot
returns Guinevere to Arthur, but Launcelot is banished,
along with his followers. Gawain swears vengeance for the
death of his brothers and insists that Arthur attack
Launcelot. Arthur agrees, but while Arthur and Gawain are
away, Mordred makes himself King of England, claims
Guinevere as his wife, and attacks Arthur's army. Gawain
is mortally wounded and warns Arthur in a dream not to
continue the battle. Through a misunderstanding,
however, the battle continues; Arthur kills Mordred but is
mortally wounded by him, as Merlin has prophesied.
Launcelot and Guinevere both die of illness soon after,
and Constantine becomes king. The Round Table is
disbursed.
The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer
General Prologue
At the Tabard Inn, a tavern in Southwark, near London, the
narrator joins a company of twenty-nine pilgrims. The
pilgrims, like the narrator, are traveling to the shrine of the
martyr Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury. The narrator
gives a descriptive account of twenty-seven of these
pilgrims, including a Knight, Squire, Yeoman, Prioress,
Monk, Friar, Merchant, Clerk, Man of Law, Franklin,
Haberdasher, Carpenter, Weaver, Dyer, Tapestry-Weaver,
Cook, Shipman, Physician, Wife, Parson, Plowman, Miller,
Manciple, Reeve, Summoner, Pardoner, and Host. (He
does not describe the Second Nun or the Nun’s Priest,
although both characters appear later in the book.) The
Host, whose name, we find out in the Prologue to the
Cook’s Tale, is Harry Bailey, suggests that the group ride
together and entertain one another with stories. He
decides that each pilgrim will tell two stories on the way to
Canterbury and two on the way back. Whomever he
judges to be the best storyteller will receive a meal at
Bailey’s tavern, courtesy of the other pilgrims. The pilgrims
draw lots and determine that the Knight will tell the first
tale.
The Knight’s Tale
Theseus, duke of Athens, imprisons Arcite and Palamon,
two knights from Thebes (another city in ancient Greece).
From their prison, the knights see and fall in love with
Theseus’s sister-in-law, Emelye. Through the intervention of
a friend, Arcite is freed, but he is banished from Athens. He
returns in disguise and becomes a page in Emelye’s
chamber. Palamon escapes from prison, and the two
meet and fight over Emelye. Theseus apprehends them
and arranges a tournament between the two knights and
their allies, with Emelye as the prize. Arcite wins, but he is
accidentally thrown from his horse and dies. Palamon then
marries Emelye.
The Miller’s Prologue and Tale
The Host asks the Monk to tell the next tale, but the drunken
Miller interrupts and insists that his tale should be the next.
He tells the story of an impoverished student named
Nicholas, who persuades his landlord’s sexy young wife,
Alisoun, to spend the night with him. He convinces his
landlord, a carpenter named John, that the second flood
is coming, and tricks him into spending the night in a tub
hanging from the ceiling of his barn. Absolon, a young
parish clerk who is also in love with Alisoun, appears outside
the window of the room where Nicholas and Alisoun lie
together. When Absolon begs Alisoun for a kiss, she sticks
her rear end out the window in the dark and lets him kiss it.
Absolon runs and gets a red-hot poker, returns to the
window, and asks for another kiss; when Nicholas sticks his
bottom out the window and farts, Absolon brands him on
the buttocks. Nicholas’s cries for water make the
carpenter think that the flood has come, so the carpenter
cuts the rope connecting his tub to the ceiling, falls down,
and breaks his arm.
The Reeve’s Prologue and Tale
Because he also does carpentry, the Reeve takes offense
at the Miller’s tale of a stupid carpenter, and counters with
his own tale of a dishonest miller. The Reeve tells the story
of two students, John and Alayn, who go to the mill to
watch the miller grind their corn, so that he won’t have a
chance to steal any. But the miller unties their horse, and
while they chase it, he steals some of the flour he has just
ground for them. By the time the students catch the horse,
it is dark, so they spend the night in the miller’s house. That
night, Alayn seduces the miller’s daughter, and John
seduces his wife. When the miller wakes up and finds out
what has happened, he tries to beat the students. His wife,
thinking that her husband is actually one of the students,
hits the miller over the head with a staff. The students take
back their stolen goods and leave.
The Cook’s Prologue and Tale
The Cook particularly enjoys the Reeve’s Tale, and offers
to tell another funny tale. The tale concerns an apprentice
named Perkyn who drinks and dances so much that he is
called “Perkyn Reveler.” Finally, Perkyn’s master decides
that he would rather his apprentice leave to revel than
stay home and corrupt the other servants. Perkyn arranges
to stay with a friend who loves drinking and gambling, and
who has a wife who is a prostitute. The tale breaks off,
unfinished, after fifty-eight lines.
The Man of Law’s Introduction, Prologue, Tale, and Epilogue
The Host reminds his fellow pilgrims to waste no time,
because lost time cannot be regained. He asks the Man
of Law to tell the next tale. The Man of Law agrees,
apologizing that he cannot tell any suitable tale that
Chaucer has not already told—Chaucer may be unskilled
as a poet, says the Man of Law, but he has told more stories
of lovers than Ovid, and he doesn’t print tales of incest as
John Gower does (Gower was a contemporary of
Chaucer). In the Prologue to his tale, the Man of Law
laments the miseries of poverty. He then remarks how
fortunate merchants are, and says that his tale is one told
to him by a merchant.
In the tale, the Muslim sultan of Syria converts his entire
sultanate (including himself) to Christianity in order to
persuade the emperor of Rome to give him his daughter,
Custance, in marriage. The sultan’s mother and her
attendants remain secretly faithful to Islam. The mother
tells her son she wishes to hold a banquet for him and all
the Christians. At the banquet, she massacres her son and
all the Christians except for Custance, whom she sets adrift
in a rudderless ship. After years of floating, Custance runs
ashore in Northumberland, where a constable and his
wife, Hermengyld, offer her shelter. She converts them to
Christianity.
One night, Satan makes a young knight sneak into
Hermengyld’s chamber and murder Hermengyld. He
places the bloody knife next to Custance, who sleeps in
the same chamber. When the constable returns home,
accompanied by Alla, the king of Northumberland, he
finds his slain wife. He tells Alla the story of how Custance
was found, and Alla begins to pity the girl. He decides to
look more deeply into the murder. Just as the knight who
murdered Hermengyld is swearing that Custance is the
true murderer, he is struck down and his eyes burst out of
his face, proving his guilt to Alla and the crowd. The knight
is executed, Alla and many others convert to Christianity,
and Custance and Alla marry.
While Alla is away in Scotland, Custance gives birth to a
boy named Mauricius. Alla’s mother, Donegild, intercepts
a letter from Custance to Alla and substitutes a counterfeit
one that claims that the child is disfigured and bewitched.
She then intercepts Alla’s reply, which claims that the child
should be kept and loved no matter how malformed.
Donegild substitutes a letter saying that Custance and her
son are banished and should be sent away on the same
ship on which Custance arrived. Alla returns home, finds
out what has happened, and kills Donegild.
After many adventures at sea, including an attempted
rape, Custance ends up back in Rome, where she reunites
with Alla, who has made a pilgrimage there to atone for
killing his mother. She also reunites with her father, the
emperor. Alla and Custance return to England, but Alla
dies after a year, so Custance returns, once more, to
Rome. Mauricius becomes the next Roman emperor.
Following the Man of Law’s Tale, the Host asks the Parson
to tell the next tale, but the Parson reproaches him for
swearing, and they fall to bickering.
The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale
The Wife of Bath gives a lengthy account of her feelings
about marriage. Quoting from the Bible, the Wife argues
against those who believe it is wrong to marry more than
once, and she explains how she dominated and
controlled each of her five husbands. She married her fifth
husband, Jankyn, for love instead of money. After the Wife
has rambled on for a while, the Friar butts in to complain
that she is taking too long, and the Summoner retorts that
friars are like flies, always meddling. The Friar promises to
tell a tale about a summoner, and the Summoner promises
to tell a tale about a friar. The Host cries for everyone to
quiet down and allow the Wife to commence her tale.
In her tale, a young knight of King Arthur’s court rapes a
maiden; to atone for his crime, Arthur’s queen sends him
on a quest to discover what women want most. An ugly
old woman promises the knight that she will tell him the
secret if he promises to do whatever she wants for saving
his life. He agrees, and she tells him women want control
of their husbands and their own lives. They go together to
Arthur’s queen, and the old woman’s answer turns out to
be correct. The old woman then tells the knight that he
must marry her. When the knight confesses later that he is
repulsed by her appearance, she gives him a choice: she
can either be ugly and faithful, or beautiful and unfaithful.
The knight tells her to make the choice herself, and she
rewards him for giving her control of the marriage by
rendering herself both beautiful and faithful.
The Friar’s Prologue and Tale
The Friar speaks approvingly of the Wife of Bath’s Tale, and
offers to lighten things up for the company by telling a
funny story about a lecherous summoner. The Summoner
does not object, but he promises to pay the Friar back in
his own tale. The Friar tells of an archdeacon who carries
out the law without mercy, especially to lechers. The
archdeacon has a summoner who has a network of spies
working for him, to let him know who has been lecherous.
The summoner extorts money from those he’s sent to
summon, charging them more money than he should for
penance. He tries to serve a summons on a yeoman who
is actually a devil in disguise. After comparing notes on
their treachery and extortion, the devil vanishes, but when
the summoner tries to prosecute an old wealthy widow
unfairly, the widow cries out that the summoner should be
taken to hell. The devil follows the woman’s instructions
and drags the summoner off to hell.
The Summoner’s Prologue and Tale
The Summoner, furious at the Friar’s Tale, asks the company
to let him tell the next tale. First, he tells the company that
there is little difference between friars and fiends, and that
when an angel took a friar down to hell to show him the
torments there, the friar asked why there were no friars in
hell; the angel then pulled up Satan’s tail and 20,000 friars
came out of his ass.
In the Summoner’s Tale, a friar begs for money from a
dying man named Thomas and his wife, who have
recently lost their child. The friar shamelessly exploits the
couple’s misfortunes to extract money from them, so
Thomas tells the friar that he is sitting on something that he
will bequeath to the friars. The friar reaches for his bequest,
and Thomas lets out an enormous fart. The friar complains
to the lord of the manor, whose squire promises to divide
the fart evenly among all the friars.
The Clerk’s Prologue and Tale
The Host asks the Clerk to cheer up and tell a merry tale,
and the Clerk agrees to tell a tale by the Italian poet
Petrarch. Griselde is a hardworking peasant who marries
into the aristocracy. Her husband tests her fortitude in
several ways, including pretending to kill her children and
divorcing her. He punishes her one final time by forcing her
to prepare for his wedding to a new wife. She does all this
dutifully, her husband tells her that she has always been
and will always be his wife (the divorce was a fraud), and
they live happily ever after.
The Merchant’s Prologue, Tale, and Epilogue
The Merchant reflects on the great difference between
the patient Griselde of the Clerk’s Tale and the horrible
shrew he has been married to for the past two months. The
Host asks him to tell a story of the evils of marriage, and he
complies. Against the advice of his friends, an old knight
named January marries May, a beautiful young woman.
She is less than impressed by his enthusiastic sexual efforts,
and conspires to cheat on him with his squire, Damien.
When blind January takes May into his garden to copulate
with her, she tells him she wants to eat a pear, and he helps
her up into the pear tree, where she has sex with Damien.
Pluto, the king of the faeries, restores January’s sight, but
May, caught in the act, assures him that he must still be
blind. The Host prays to God to keep him from marrying a
wife like the one the Merchant describes.
The Squire’s Introduction and Tale
The Host calls upon the Squire to say something about his
favorite subject, love, and the Squire willingly complies.
King Cambyuskan of the Mongol Empire is visited on his
birthday by a knight bearing gifts from the king of Arabia
and India. He gives Cambyuskan and his daughter
Canacee a magic brass horse, a magic mirror, a magic
ring that gives Canacee the ability to understand the
language of birds, and a sword with the power to cure any
wound it creates. She rescues a dying female falcon that
narrates how her consort abandoned her for the love of
another. The Squire’s Tale is either unfinished by Chaucer
or is meant to be interrupted by the Franklin, who interjects
that he wishes his own son were as eloquent as the Squire.
The Host expresses annoyance at the Franklin’s
interruption, and orders him to begin the next tale.
The Franklin’s Prologue and Tale
The Franklin says that his tale is a familiar Breton lay, a folk
ballad of ancient Brittany. Dorigen, the heroine, awaits the
return of her husband, Arveragus, who has gone to
England to win honor in feats of arms. She worries that the
ship bringing her husband home will wreck itself on the
coastal rocks, and she promises Aurelius, a young man
who falls in love with her, that she will give her body to him
if he clears the rocks from the coast. Aurelius hires a student
learned in magic to create the illusion that the rocks have
disappeared. Arveragus returns home and tells his wife
that she must keep her promise to Aurelius. Aurelius is so
impressed by Arveragus’s honorable act that he
generously absolves her of the promise, and the magician,
in turn, generously absolves Aurelius of the money he owes.
The Physician’s Tale
Appius the judge lusts after Virginia, the beautiful daughter
of Virginius. Appius persuades a churl named Claudius to
declare her his slave, stolen from him by Virginius. Appius
declares that Virginius must hand over his daughter to
Claudius. Virginius tells his daughter that she must die
rather than suffer dishonor, and she virtuously consents to
her father’s cutting her head off. Appius sentences
Virginius to death, but the Roman people, aware of
Appius’s hijinks, throw him into prison, where he kills himself.
The Pardoner’s Introduction, Prologue, and Tale
The Host is dismayed by the tragic injustice of the
Physician’s Tale, and asks the Pardoner to tell something
merry. The other pilgrims contradict the Host, demanding
a moral tale, which the Pardoner agrees to tell after he
eats and drinks. The Pardoner tells the company how he
cheats people out of their money by preaching that
money is the root of all evil. His tale describes three riotous
youths who go looking for Death, thinking that they can kill
him. An old man tells them that they will find Death under
a tree. Instead, they find eight bushels of gold, which they
plot to sneak into town under cover of darkness. The
youngest goes into town to fetch food and drink, but
brings back poison, hoping to have the gold all to himself.
His companions kill him to enrich their own shares, then
drink the poison and die under the tree. His tale complete,
the Pardoner offers to sell the pilgrims pardons, and singles
out the Host to come kiss his relics. The Host infuriates the
Pardoner by accusing him of fraud, but the Knight
persuades the two to kiss and bury their differences.
The Shipman’s Tale
The Shipman’s Tale features a monk who tricks a merchant’s
wife into having sex with him by borrowing money from the
merchant, then giving it to the wife so she can repay her
own debt to her husband, in exchange for sexual favors.
When the monk sees the merchant next, he tells him that he
returned the merchant’s money to his wife. The wife realizes
she has been duped, but she boldly tells her husband to
forgive her debt: she will repay it in bed. The Host praises the
Shipman’s story, and asks the Prioress for a tale.
The Prioress’s Prologue and Tale
The Prioress calls on the Virgin Mary to guide her tale. In an
Asian city, a Christian school is located at the edge of a
Jewish ghetto. An angelic seven-year-old boy, a widow’s
son, attends the school. He is a devout Christian, and loves
to sing Alma Redemptoris (Gracious Mother of the
Redeemer). Singing the song on his way through the
ghetto, some Jews hire a murderer to slit his throat and
throw him into a latrine. The Jews refuse to tell the widow
where her son is, but he miraculously begins to sing Alma
Redemptoris, so the Christian people recover his body,
and the magistrate orders the murdering Jews to be drawn
apart by wild horses and then hanged.
The Prologue and Tale of Sir Thopas
The Host, after teasing Chaucer the narrator about his
appearance, asks him to tell a tale. Chaucer says that he
only knows one tale, then launches into a parody of bad
poetry—the Tale of Sir Thopas. Sir Thopas rides about
looking for an elf-queen to marry until he is confronted by
a giant. The narrator’s doggerel continues in this vein until
the Host can bear no more and interrupts him. Chaucer
asks him why he can’t tell his tale, since it is the best he
knows, and the Host explains that his rhyme isn’t worth a
turd. He encourages Chaucer to tell a prose tale.
The Tale of Melibee
Chaucer’s second tale is the long, moral prose story of
Melibee. Melibee’s house is raided by his foes, who beat his
wife, Prudence, and severely wound his daughter, Sophie,
in her feet, hands, ears, nose, and mouth. Prudence advises
him not to rashly pursue vengeance on his enemies, and he
follows her advice, putting his foes’ punishment in her hands.
She forgives them for the outrages done to her, in a model
of Christian forbearance and forgiveness.
The Monk’s Prologue and Tale
The Host wishes that his own wife were as patient as
Melibee’s, and calls upon the Monk to tell the next tale.
First he teases the Monk, pointing out that the Monk is
clearly no poor cloisterer. The Monk takes it all in stride and
tells a series of tragic falls, in which noble figures are
brought low: Lucifer, Adam, Sampson, Hercules,
Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Zenobia, Pedro of Castile,
and down through the ages.
The Nun’s Priest’s Prologue, Tale, and Epilogue
After seventeen noble “falls” narrated by the Monk, the
Knight interrupts, and the Host calls upon the Nun’s Priest
to deliver something more lively. The Nun’s Priest tells of
Chanticleer the Rooster, who is carried off by a flattering
fox who tricks him into closing his eyes and displaying his
crowing abilities. Chanticleer turns the tables on the fox by
persuading him to open his mouth and brag to the
barnyard about his feat, upon which Chanticleer falls out
of the fox’s mouth and escapes. The Host praises the Nun’s
Priest’s Tale, adding that if the Nun’s Priest were not in holy
orders, he would be as sexually potent as Chanticleer.
The Second Nun’s Prologue and Tale
In her Prologue, the Second Nun explains that she will tell
a saint’s life, that of Saint Cecilia, for this saint set an
excellent example through her good works and wise
teachings. She focuses particularly on the story of Saint
Cecilia’s martyrdom. Before Cecilia’s new husband,
Valerian, can take her virginity, she sends him on a
pilgrimage to Pope Urban, who converts him to
Christianity. An angel visits Valerian, who asks that his
brother Tiburce be granted the grace of Christian
conversion as well. All three—Cecilia, Tiburce, and
Valerian—are put to death by the Romans.
The Canon’s Yeoman’s Prologue and Tale
When the Second Nun’s Tale is finished, the company is
overtaken by a black-clad Canon and his Yeoman, who
have heard of the pilgrims and their tales and wish to
participate. The Yeoman brags to the company about
how he and the Canon create the illusion that they are
alchemists, and the Canon departs in shame at having his
secrets discovered. The Yeoman tells a tale of how a
canon defrauded a priest by creating the illusion of
alchemy using sleight of hand.
The Manciple’s Prologue and Tale
The Host pokes fun at the Cook, riding at the back of the
company, blind drunk. The Cook is unable to honor the
Host’s request that he tell a tale, and the Manciple
criticizes him for his drunkenness. The Manciple relates the
legend of a white crow, taken from the Roman poet Ovid’s
Metamorphoses and one of the tales in The Arabian
Nights. In it, Phoebus’s talking white crow informs him that
his wife is cheating on him. Phoebus kills the wife, pulls out
the crow’s white feathers, and curses it with blackness.
The Parson’s Prologue and Tale
As the company enters a village in the late afternoon, the
Host calls upon the Parson to give them a fable. Refusing
to tell a fictional story because it would go against the rule
set by St. Paul, the Parson delivers a lengthy treatise on the
Seven Deadly Sins, instead.
Chaucer’s Retraction
Chaucer appeals to readers to credit Jesus Christ as the
inspiration for anything in his book that they like, and to
attribute what they don’t like to his own ignorance and
lack of ability. He retracts and prays for forgiveness for all
of his works dealing with secular and pagan subjects,
asking only to be remembered for what he has written of
saints’ lives and homilies.
Macbeth
William Shakespeare
The play begins with the brief appearance of a trio of
witches and then moves to a military camp, where the
Scottish King Duncan hears the news that his generals,
Macbeth and Banquo, have defeated two separate
invading armies—one from Ireland, led by the rebel
Macdonwald, and one from Norway. Following their
pitched battle with these enemy forces, Macbeth and
Banquo encounter the witches as they cross a moor. The
witches prophesy that Macbeth will be made thane (a
rank of Scottish nobility) of Cawdor and eventually King of
Scotland. They also prophesy that Macbeth’s companion,
Banquo, will beget a line of Scottish kings, although
Banquo will never be king himself. The witches vanish, and
Macbeth and Banquo treat their prophecies skeptically
until some of King Duncan’s men come to thank the two
generals for their victories in battle and to tell Macbeth
that he has indeed been named thane of Cawdor. The
previous thane betrayed Scotland by fighting for the
Norwegians and Duncan has condemned him to death.
Macbeth is intrigued by the possibility that the remainder
of the witches’ prophecy—that he will be crowned king—
might be true, but he is uncertain what to expect. He visits
with King Duncan, and they plan to dine together at
Inverness, Macbeth’s castle, that night. Macbeth writes
ahead to his wife, Lady Macbeth, telling her all that has
happened.
Lady Macbeth suffers none of her husband’s uncertainty.
She desires the kingship for him and wants him to murder
Duncan in order to obtain it. When Macbeth arrives at
Inverness, she overrides all of her husband’s objections and
persuades him to kill the king that very night. He and Lady
Macbeth plan to get Duncan’s two chamberlains drunk so
they will black out; the next morning they will blame the
murder on the chamberlains, who will be defenseless, as
they will remember nothing. While Duncan is asleep,
Macbeth stabs him, despite his doubts and a number of
supernatural portents, including a vision of a bloody
dagger. When Duncan’s death is discovered the next
morning, Macbeth kills the chamberlains—ostensibly out of
rage at their crime—and easily assumes the kingship.
Duncan’s sons Malcolm and Donalbain flee to England
and Ireland, respectively, fearing that whoever killed
Duncan desires their demise as well.
Fearful of the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s heirs will
seize the throne, Macbeth hires a group of murderers to kill
Banquo and his son Fleance. They ambush Banquo on his
way to a royal feast, but they fail to kill Fleance, who
escapes into the night. Macbeth becomes furious: as long
as Fleance is alive, he fears that his power remains
insecure. At the feast that night, Banquo’s ghost visits
Macbeth. When he sees the ghost, Macbeth raves
fearfully, startling his guests, who include most of the great
Scottish nobility. Lady Macbeth tries to neutralize the
damage, but Macbeth’s kingship incites increasing
resistance from his nobles and subjects. Frightened,
Macbeth goes to visit the witches in their cavern. There,
they show him a sequence of demons and spirits who
present him with further prophecies: he must beware of
Macduff, a Scottish nobleman who opposed Macbeth’s
accession to the throne; he is incapable of being harmed
by any man born of woman; and he will be safe until
Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Castle. Macbeth is
relieved and feels secure, because he knows that all men
are born of women and that forests cannot move. When
he learns that Macduff has fled to England to join
Malcolm, Macbeth orders that Macduff’s castle be seized
and, most cruelly, that Lady Macduff and her children be
murdered.
When news of his family’s execution reaches Macduff in
England, he is stricken with grief and vows revenge. Prince
Malcolm, Duncan’s son, has succeeded in raising an army
in England, and Macduff joins him as he rides to Scotland
to challenge Macbeth’s forces. The invasion has the
support of the Scottish nobles, who are appalled and
frightened by Macbeth’s tyrannical and murderous
behavior. Lady Macbeth, meanwhile, becomes plagued
with fits of sleepwalking in which she bemoans what she
believes to be bloodstains on her hands. Before Macbeth’s
opponents arrive, Macbeth receives news that she has
killed herself, causing him to sink into a deep and
pessimistic despair. Nevertheless, he awaits the English and
fortifies Dunsinane, to which he seems to have withdrawn
in order to defend himself, certain that the witches’
prophecies guarantee his invincibility. He is struck numb
with fear, however, when he learns that the English army is
advancing on Dunsinane shielded with boughs cut from
Birnam Wood. Birnam Wood is indeed coming to
Dunsinane, fulfilling half of the witches’ prophecy.
In the battle, Macbeth hews violently, but the English
forces gradually overwhelm his army and castle. On the
battlefield, Macbeth encounters the vengeful Macduff,
who declares that he was not “of woman born” but was
instead “untimely ripped” from his mother’s womb (what
we now call birth by cesarean section). Though he realizes
that he is doomed, Macbeth continues to fight until
Macduff kills and beheads him. Malcolm, now the King of
Scotland, declares his benevolent intentions for the
country and invites all to see him crowned at Scone.
Of Studies
Francis Bacon
Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability.
Study as an activity, in whatever form, brings us joy and
enhances our thinking, speaking and writing ability adding
charm to our personality.
Their chief use for delight is in privateness and retiring; for
ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment
and disposition of business.
Study is always a private activity which people engage in
when they are alone or in the privacy of their homes. It
helps them in relaxation after a strenuous routine, when
the body and mind need to slow down. It sharpens our
intellect helping us to judge things soundly. It helps us to go
about our life’s business in a more capable way.
For expert men can execute, and perhaps judge of
particulars, one by one; but the general counsels, and the
plots and marshalling of affairs, come best from those that
are learned.
It enables the learned men, who have studied extensively,
to critically examine issues, and arrive at the right
conclusion. They can garner data, facts and arguments or
against a particular view rationally. Such intelligent analysis
of facts improves the soundness and quality of their
judgment.
To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them too
much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgment
wholly by their rules, is the humor of a scholar.
However, over-indulgence in studies leads to undesirable
consequences. Setting aside long hours in a day to study
will make a man indolent. Overuse of the wisdom to
analyze ordinary commonplace issues may make the man
appear pretentious and vainglorious. Sticking too much to
rules to asses situations and decide on action may invite
derision from others.
They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for
natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning,
by study; and studies themselves do give forth directions
too much at large, except they be bounded in by
experience.
Studying adds finesse and perfection to human nature.
Experiences in life supplements such honing of nature. A
person’s abilities inherited by birth are raw. Only when they
are carefully worked upon and honed, the in-born abilities
yield the best benefits to us. Studying is the whetstone that
we use to sharpen our abilities. But inferences from study
may lead to imprecise and misleading conclusions. In such
situations, one’s experience in life comes in handy to arrive
at the right conclusion. So, experience is very valuable as
it supplements studies.
Crafty men condemn studies, simple men admire them,
and wise men use them; for they teach not their own use;
but that is a wisdom without them, and above them, won
by observation.
People who are cunning and deceitful have no
appreciation for studies as they accomplish their
objectives through many crooked ways. Simple folks,
however, greatly value the role of studies in human life.
Wise people inherently draw upon the ideas obtained
from their studies while solving life’s myriad problems.
Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and
take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to
weigh and consider.
The aim of reading and acquiring knowledge must not be
to aggressively refute other’s views or accept the writer’s
views as gospel truth. It should also not be to engage in
pointless discussion and argumentation. Studying should
enable us to weigh facts and analyze them rationally.
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and
some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books
are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not
curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with
diligence and attention.
Books of varying content and genre are to be made use
of differently. Some may be given a cursory reading, some
others can be quickly sifted through. Other important
books are to be read slowly and minutely so as to truly
fathom the meaning and underlying sense.
Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts
made of them by others; but that would be only in the less
important arguments, and the meaner sort of books, else
distilled books are like common distilled waters, flashy
things.
One can ask an assistant to read a book and prepare a
short summary of it. But such practice should be followed
for obtaining guidance on matters of lesser importance.
There are some books which are, in fact, shortened
already.
Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and
writing an exact man. Reading adds perfection to a man’s
personality.
Discussing with others about the contents of a book
imparts special practical skills to the reader. Writing
removes all the residual weaknesses and ignorance from
the person and enables him to remember the contents of
a book.
And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a
great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a
present wit: and if he read little, he had need have much
cunning, to seem to know that he doth not.
So, writing helps to memorize facts. If a person is bashful so
as not to discuss his reading with others, he will not be able
to improve his wit. If he does not read, he will remain a
somewhat stupid person.
Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics
subtle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and
rhetoric able to contend.
Studying history makes a man wiser, studying poetry makes
a man wittier: mathematics gives sound logical sense, and
philosophy imparts valuable lessons on morality.
Abeunt studia in mores [Studies pass into and influence
manners]. Nay, there is no stond or impediment in the wit
but may be wrought out by fit studies; like as diseases of
the body may have appropriate exercises.
Wit is a god-given gift. It is present in everybody. However,
it can be sharpened by selective studying. This is akin to
the way certain weaknesses of the human body are cured
by appropriate physical exercises. Bowling is good for the
stone and reins; shooting for the lungs and breast; gentle
walking for the stomach; riding for the head; and the like.
They cure many ailments.
So if a man’s wit be wandering, let him study the
mathematics; for in demonstrations, if his wit be called
away never so little, he must begin again.
If a person is unable to concentrate, he will do well to study
mathematics to focus his wavering mind. In mathematics,
a slight loss of concentration leads to grave error.This
makes the man to start all over again to do it. Thus,
studying mathematics restrains the mind from darting off
elsewhere.
If his wit be not apt to distinguish or find differences, let him
study the Schoolmen; for they are cymini sectores [splitters
of hairs].
If a person does not have the ability to discern, he will be
benefited by studying Schoolmen as it trains mental ability
and develops the art of expression.
If he be not apt to beat over matters, and to call up one
thing to prove and illustrate another, let him study the
lawyers’ cases.So every defect of the mind may have a
special receipt.
If a person is unable to garner facts and manipulate them
to put across his views convincingly, studying law will help
him. Thus, every deficiency of mind can be addressed by
appropriate reading.
Song to Celia
Ben Jonson
Drink to me only with thine eyes,
And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss but in the cup,
And I’ll not look for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine;
But might I of Jove’s nectar sup,
I would not change for thine.
I sent thee late a rosy wreath,
Not so much honouring thee
As giving it a hope that there
It could not withered be.
But thou thereon didst only breathe,
And sent’st it back to me;
Since when it grows, and smells, I swear,
Not of itself, but thee!
Paradise Lost
John Milton
Milton’s speaker begins Paradise Lost by stating that his
subject will be Adam and Eve’s disobedience and fall from
grace. He invokes a heavenly muse and asks for help in
relating his ambitious story and God’s plan for humankind.
The action begins with Satan and his fellow rebel angels
who are found chained to a lake of fire in Hell. They quickly
free themselves and fly to land, where they discover
minerals and construct Pandemonium, which will be their
meeting place. Inside Pandemonium, the rebel angels,
who are now devils, debate whether they should begin
another war with God. Beezelbub suggests that they
attempt to corrupt God’s beloved new creation,
humankind. Satan agrees, and volunteers to go himself. As
he prepares to leave Hell, he is met at the gates by his
children, Sin and Death, who follow him and build a bridge
between Hell and Earth.
In Heaven, God orders the angels together for a council of
their own. He tells them of Satan’s intentions, and the Son
volunteers himself to make the sacrifice for humankind.
Meanwhile, Satan travels through Night and Chaos and
finds Earth. He disguises himself as a cherub to get past the
Archangel Uriel, who stands guard at the sun. He tells Uriel
that he wishes to see and praise God’s glorious creation,
and Uriel assents. Satan then lands on Earth and takes a
moment to reflect. Seeing the splendor of Paradise brings
him pain rather than pleasure. He reaffirms his decision to
make evil his good, and continue to commit crimes
against God. Satan leaps over Paradise’s wall, takes the
form of a cormorant (a large bird), and perches himself
atop the Tree of Life. Looking down at Satan from his post,
Uriel notices the volatile emotions reflected in the face of
this so-called cherub and warns the other angels that an
impostor is in their midst. The other angels agree to search
the Garden for intruders.
Meanwhile, Adam and Eve tend the Garden, carefully
obeying God’s supreme order not to eat from the Tree of
Knowledge. After a long day of work, they return to their
bower and rest. There, Satan takes the form of a toad and
whispers into Eve’s ear. Gabriel, the angel set to guard
Paradise, finds Satan there and orders him to leave. Satan
prepares to battle Gabriel, but God makes a sign appear
in the sky—the golden scales of justice—and Satan scurries
away. Eve awakes and tells Adam about a dream she
had, in which an angel tempted her to eat from the
forbidden tree. Worried about his creation, God sends
Raphael down to Earth to teach Adam and Eve of the
dangers they face with Satan.
Raphael arrives on Earth and eats a meal with Adam and
Eve. Raphael relates the story of Satan’s envy over the
Son’s appointment as God’s second-in-command. Satan
gathered other angels together who were also angry to
hear this news, and together they plotted a war against
God. Abdiel decides not to join Satan’s army and returns
to God. The angels then begin to fight, with Michael and
Gabriel serving as co-leaders for Heaven’s army. The
battle lasts two days, when God sends the Son to end the
war and deliver Satan and his rebel angels to Hell. Raphael
tells Adam about Satan’s evil motives to corrupt them, and
warns Adam to watch out for Satan. Adam asks Raphael
to tell him the story of creation. Raphael tells Adam that
God sent the Son into Chaos to create the universe. He
created the earth and stars and other planets. Curious,
Adam asks Raphael about the movement of the stars and
planets. Eve retires, allowing Raphael and Adam to speak
alone. Raphael promptly warns Adam about his seemingly
unquenchable search for knowledge. Raphael tells Adam
that he will learn all he needs to know, and that any other
knowledge is not meant for humans to comprehend.
Adam tells Raphael about his first memories, of waking up
and wondering who he was, what he was, and where he
was. Adam says that God spoke to him and told him many
things, including his order not to eat from the Tree of
Knowledge. After the story, Adam confesses to Raphael his
intense physical attraction to Eve. Raphael reminds Adam
that he must love Eve more purely and spiritually. With this
final bit of advice, Raphael leaves Earth and returns to
Heaven.
Eight days after his banishment, Satan returns to Paradise.
After closely studying the animals of Paradise, he chooses
to take the form of the serpent. Meanwhile, Eve suggests
to Adam that they work separately for awhile, so they can
get more work done. Adam is hesitant but then assents.
Satan searches for Eve and is delighted to find her alone.
In the form of a serpent, he talks to Eve and compliments
her on her beauty and godliness. She is amazed to find an
animal that can speak. She asks how he learned to speak,
and he tells her that it was by eating from the Tree of
Knowledge. He tells Eve that God actually wants her and
Adam to eat from the tree, and that his order is merely a
test of their courage. She is hesitant at first but then
reaches for a fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and eats.
She becomes distraught and searches for Adam. Adam
has been busy making a wreath of flowers for Eve. When
Eve finds Adam, he drops the wreath and is horrified to find
that Eve has eaten from the forbidden tree. Knowing that
she has fallen, he decides that he would rather be fallen
with her than remain pure and lose her. So he eats from
the fruit as well. Adam looks at Eve in a new way, and
together they turn to lust.
God immediately knows of their disobedience. He tells the
angels in Heaven that Adam and Eve must be punished,
but with a display of both justice and mercy. He sends the
Son to give out the punishments. The Son first punishes the
serpent whose body Satan took, and condemns it never
to walk upright again. Then the Son tells Adam and Eve
that they must now suffer pain and death. Eve and all
women must suffer the pain of childbirth and must submit
to their husbands, and Adam and all men must hunt and
grow their own food on a depleted Earth. Meanwhile,
Satan returns to Hell where he is greeted with cheers. He
speaks to the devils in Pandemonium, and everyone
believes that he has beaten God. Sin and Death travel the
bridge they built on their way to Earth. Shortly thereafter,
the devils unwillingly transform into snakes and try to reach
fruit from imaginary trees that shrivel and turn to dust as
they reach them.
God tells the angels to transform the Earth. After the fall,
humankind must suffer hot and cold seasons instead of the
consistent temperatures before the fall. On Earth, Adam
and Eve fear their approaching doom. They blame each
other for their disobedience and become increasingly
angry at one another. In a fit of rage, Adam wonders why
God ever created Eve. Eve begs Adam not to abandon
her. She tells him that they can survive by loving each
other. She accepts the blame because she has disobeyed
both God and Adam. She ponders suicide. Adam, moved
by her speech, forbids her from taking her own life. He
remembers their punishment and believes that they can
enact revenge on Satan by remaining obedient to God.
Together they pray to God and repent.
God hears their prayers, and sends Michael down to Earth.
Michael arrives on Earth, and tells them that they must
leave Paradise. But before they leave, Michael puts Eve to
sleep and takes Adam up onto the highest hill, where he
shows him a vision of humankind’s future. Adam sees the
sins of his children, and his children’s children, and his first
vision of death. Horrified, he asks Michael if there is any
alternative to death. Generations to follow continue to sin
by lust, greed, envy, and pride. They kill each other selfishly
and live only for pleasure. Then Michael shows him the
vision of Enoch, who is saved by God as his warring peers
attempt to kill him. Adam also sees the story of Noah and
his family, whose virtue allows them to be chosen to survive
the flood that kills all other humans. Adam feels remorse for
death and happiness for humankind’s redemption. Next is
the vision of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel. This story
explains the perversion of pure language into the many
languages that are spoken on Earth today. Adam sees the
triumph of Moses and the Israelites, and then glimpses the
Son’s sacrifice to save humankind. After this vision, it is time
for Adam and Eve to leave Paradise. Eve awakes and tells
Adam that she had a very interesting and educating
dream. Led by Michael, Adam and Eve slowly and
woefully leave Paradise hand in hand into a new world.
Lochinvar
Sir Walter Scott
O young Lochinvar is come out of the west,
Through all the wide Border his steed was the best;
And save his good broadsword he weapons had none,
He rode all unarm’d, and he rode all alone.
So faithful in love, and so dauntless in war,
There never was knight like the young Lochinvar.
He staid not for brake, and he stopp’d not for stone,
He swam the Eske river where ford there was none;
But ere he alighted at Netherby gate,
The bride had consented, the gallant came late:
For a laggard in love, and a dastard in war,
Was to wed the fair Ellen of brave Lochinvar.
So boldly he enter’d the Netherby Hall,
Among bride’s-men, and kinsmen, and brothers and all:
Then spoke the bride’s father, his hand on his sword,
(For the poor craven bridegroom said never a word,)
“O come ye in peace here, or come ye in war,
Or to dance at our bridal, young Lord Lochinvar?”
“I long woo’d your daughter, my suit you denied;—
Love swells like the Solway, but ebbs like its tide—
And now I am come, with this lost love of mine,
To lead but one measure, drink one cup of wine.
There are maidens in Scotland more lovely by far,
That would gladly be bride to the young Lochinvar.”
The bride kiss’d the goblet: the knight took it up,
He quaff’d off the wine, and he threw down the cup.
She look’d down to blush, and she look’d up to sigh,
With a smile on her lips and a tear in her eye.
He took her soft hand, ere her mother could bar,—
“Now tread we a measure!” said young Lochinvar.
So stately his form, and so lovely her face,
That never a hall such a galliard did grace;
While her mother did fret, and her father did fume,
And the bridegroom stood dangling his bonnet and plume;
And the bride-maidens whisper’d, “’twere better by far
To have match’d our fair cousin with young Lochinvar.”
One touch to her hand, and one word in her ear,
When they reach’d the hall-door, and the charger stood near;
So light to the croupe the fair lady he swung,
So light to the saddle before her he sprung!
“She is won! we are gone, over bank, bush, and scaur;
They’ll have fleet steeds that follow,” quoth young Lochinvar.
There was mounting ’mong Graemes of the Netherby clan;
Forsters, Fenwicks, and Musgraves, they rode and they ran:
There was racing and chasing on Cannobie Lee,
But the lost bride of Netherby ne’er did they see.
So daring in love, and so dauntless in war,
Have ye e’er heard of gallant like young Lochinvar?
The Forsaken Merman
Matthew Arnold
Come, dear children, let us away;
Down and away below!
Now my brothers call from the bay,
Now the great winds shoreward blow,
Now the salt tides seaward flow;
Now the wild white horses play,
Champ and chafe and toss in the spray.
Children dear, let us away!
This way, this way!
Call her once before you go—
Call once yet!
In a voice that she will know:
"Margaret! Margaret!"
Children's voices should be dear
(Call once more) to a mother's ear;
Children's voices, wild with pain—
Surely she will come again!
Call her once and come away;
This way, this way!
"Mother dear, we cannot stay!
The wild white horses foam and fret."
Margaret! Margaret!
Come, dear children, come away down;
Call no more!
One last look at the white-wall'd town
And the little grey church on the windy shore,
Then come down!
She will not come though you call all day;
Come away, come away! And anon there drops a tear,
From a sorrow-clouded eye,
Children dear, was it yesterday And a heart sorrow-laden,
We heard the sweet bells over the bay? A long, long sigh;
In the caverns where we lay, For the cold strange eyes of a little Mermaiden
Through the surf and through the swell, And the gleam of her golden hair.
The far-off sound of a silver bell?
Sand-strewn caverns, cool and deep, Come away, away children
Where the winds are all asleep; Come children, come down!
Where the spent lights quiver and gleam, The hoarse wind blows coldly;
Where the salt weed sways in the stream, Lights shine in the town.
Where the sea-beasts, ranged all round, She will start from her slumber
Feed in the ooze of their pasture-ground; When gusts shake the door;
Where the sea-snakes coil and twine, She will hear the winds howling,
Dry their mail and bask in the brine; Will hear the waves roar.
Where great whales come sailing by, We shall see, while above us
Sail and sail, with unshut eye, The waves roar and whirl,
Round the world for ever and aye? A ceiling of amber,
When did music come this way? A pavement of pearl.
Children dear, was it yesterday? Singing: "Here came a mortal,
But faithless was she!
Children dear, was it yesterday And alone dwell for ever
(Call yet once) that she went away? The kings of the sea."
Once she sate with you and me,
On a red gold throne in the heart of the sea, But, children, at midnight,
And the youngest sate on her knee. When soft the winds blow,
She comb'd its bright hair, and she tended it well, When clear falls the moonlight,
When down swung the sound of a far-off bell. When spring-tides are low;
She sigh'd, she look'd up through the clear green sea; When sweet airs come seaward
She said: "I must go, to my kinsfolk pray From heaths starr'd with broom,
In the little grey church on the shore to-day. And high rocks throw mildly
'T will be Easter-time in the world—ah me! On the blanch'd sands a gloom;
And I lose my poor soul, Merman! here with thee." Up the still, glistening beaches,
I said: "Go up, dear heart, through the waves; Up the creeks we will hie,
Say thy prayer, and come back to the kind sea-caves!" Over banks of bright seaweed
She smiled, she went up through the surf in the bay. The ebb-tide leaves dry.
Children dear, was it yesterday? We will gaze, from the sand-hills,
At the white, sleeping town;
Children dear, were we long alone? At the church on the hill-side—
"The sea grows stormy, the little ones moan; And then come back down.
Long prayers," I said, "in the world they say; Singing: "There dwells a loved one,
Come!" I said; and we rose through the surf in the bay. But cruel is she!
We went up the beach, by the sandy down She left lonely for ever
Where the sea-stocks bloom, to the white-wall'd town; The kings of the sea."
Through the narrow paved streets, where all was still,
To the little grey church on the windy hill.
From the church came a murmur of folk at their prayers,
But we stood without in the cold blowing airs.
We climb'd on the graves, on the stones worn with rains,
And we gazed up the aisle through the small leaded
panes.
She sate by the pillar; we saw her clear:
"Margaret, hist! come quick, we are here!
Dear heart," I said, "we are long alone;
The sea grows stormy, the little ones moan."
But, ah, she gave me never a look,
For her eyes were seal'd to the holy book!
Loud prays the priest; shut stands the door.
Come away, children, call no more!
Come away, come down, call no more!

Down, down, down!

Down to the depths of the sea!
She sits at her wheel in the humming town,
Singing most joyfully.
Hark what she sings: "O joy, O joy,
For the humming street, and the child with its toy!
For the priest, and the bell, and the holy well;
For the wheel where I spun,
And the blessed light of the sun!"
And so she sings her fill,
Singing most joyfully,
Till the spindle drops from her hand,
And the whizzing wheel stands still.
She steals to the window, and looks at the sand,
And over the sand at the sea;
And her eyes are set in a stare;
And anon there breaks a sigh,