Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber’s Notes

Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. Variations in hyphenation and accents have been standardised but all other spelling and punctuation remains unchanged.

Italics are represented thus _italic_.

The Canterbury Pilgrims

_A COMEDY_

The Canterbury Pilgrims

_A COMEDY_

BY

PERCY MACKAYE

New York
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., LTD.
1909

_All rights reserved_

COPYRIGHT, 1903,
BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.

Set up and electrotyped. Published March, 1903. Reprinted
September, 1908; September, 1909.

Norwood Press
J. S. Cushing Co.--Berwick & Smith Co.
Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.

To

C. A. Sothern

In Friendship

“O KINDLY Muse! let not my weak tongue falter
In telling of this goodly company,
Of their old piety and of their glee;
But let a portion of ethereal dew
Fall on my head, and presently unmew
My soul; that I may dare, in wayfaring,
To stammer where old Chaucer used to sing.”

[KEATS: _Endymion_.]

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ

1. CHARACTERS BASED ON “THE CANTERBURY TALES.”

_MEN_

GEOFFREY CHAUCER, Poet at King Richard’s Court, and Knight of the
Shire for Kent.
The KNIGHT (_Dan Roderigo d’Algezir_).
The SQUIRE (_Aubrey_), his son.
The YEOMAN, his servant.
The MONK.
The FRIAR (_Huberd_).
The MERCHANT.
The CLERK.
The MAN-OF-LAW.
The FRANKLIN.
The HABERDASHER, }
The CARPENTER, }
The WEAVER, } Members of a Guild.
The DYER, }
The TAPICER, }
The COOK (_Roger Hogge_).
The SHIPMAN (_Jack_).
The DOCTOR.
The PARSON (_Jankin_).
The PLOUGHMAN.
The MILLER (_Bob_ or _Robin_).
The MANCIPLE.
The REEVE.
The SUMMONER.
The PARDONER.
The HOST (_Herry Bailey_).
The CANON’S YEOMAN.
JOANNES, }
MARCUS, } The Prioress’s Priests.
PAULUS, }

_WOMEN_

The WIFE OF BATH (_Alisoun_).
The PRIORESS (_Madame Eglantine_).
A NUN, her attendant.
MISTRESS BAILEY, of the Tabard Inn.

II. CHARACTERS NOT BASED ON “THE CANTERBURY TALES.”

_MEN_

RICHARD II, King of England.
JOHN OF GAUNT, Duke of Lancaster, uncle of the King, brother-in-law
of Chaucer, and patron of Wycliffe.
The DUKE OF GLOUCESTER, his brother.
DE VERE, Duke of Ireland, Richard’s favourite.
The ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.
JOHN WYCLIFFE, the religious reformer, founder of the “Lollards.”
BOTTLEJOHN, Host of the One Nine-pin inn, at Bob-up-and-down.
HIS PRENTICES (_Ned_ and _Dick_).
A KITCHEN-BOY.
A VENDER OF RELICS.
ANOTHER VENDER.
A BLACK FRIAR.
A GREY FRIAR.
A PRIEST OF CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL.
HERALDS.
CHOIR-BOYS.

_WOMEN_

JOHANNA, Marchioness of Kent.
CANTERBURY BROOCH-GIRLS.
SERVING-MAIDS.

NOTE.--Those designated as Alisoun’s “Swains” are the
Friar, Cook, Shipman, Miller, Manciple, Summoner, Pardoner.

ACT FIRST

“BIFEL that, in that seson on a day,
In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay
Redy to wenden on my pilgrimage
To Caunterbury, with ful devout corage,
At night was come into that hostelrye
Wel nyne and twenty in a companye
Of sondry folk, by aventure y-falle
In felawshipe, and pilgrims were they alle,
That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde.”