# Canterbury Tales (ed. Skeat)/Sir Thopas

>> Skeat's notes on the Tale of Sir Thopas
Bihold the murye wordes of the Host to Chaucer.
Whan seyd was al this miracle, every man As sobre was, that wonder was to se, Til that our hoste Iapen tho bigan, And than at erst he loked up-on me, And seyde thus, 'what man artow?' quod he; 1885 'Thou lokest as thou woldest finde an hare, For ever up-on the ground I see thee stare.
Approche neer, and loke up merily. Now war yow, sirs, and lat this man have place; He in the waast is shape as wel as I; 1890 This were a popet in an arm tenbrace (11) For any womman, smal and fair of face. He semeth elvish by his contenaunce, For un-to no wight dooth he daliaunce.
Sey now somwhat, sin other folk han sayd; 1895 Tel us a tale of mirthe, and that anoon;'— 'Hoste,' quod I, 'ne beth nat yvel apayd, For other tale certes can I noon, But of a ryme I lerned longe agoon.' 'Ye, that is good,' quod he; 'now shul we here 1900 Som deyntee thing, me thinketh by his chere.' (21)
 Explicit.
Here biginneth Chaucers Tale of Thopas.
Listeth, lordes, in good entent, And I wol telle verrayment  Of mirthe and of solas; Al of a knyght was fair and gent 1905 In bataille and in tourneyment,  His name was sir Thopas.
Y-born he was in fer contree, In Flaundres, al biyonde the see,  At Popering, in the place; 1910 His fader was a man ful free, (10) And lord he was of that contree,  As it was goddes grace.
Sir Thopas wex a doghty swayn, Whyt was his face as payndemayn, 1915  His lippes rede as rose; His rode is lyk scarlet in grayn, And I yow telle in good certayn,  He hadde a semely nose.
His heer, his berd was lyk saffroun, 1920 That to his girdel raughte adoun; (20)  His shoon of Cordewane. Of Brugges were his hosen broun, His robe was of ciclatoun,  That coste many a Iane. 1925
He coude hunte at wilde deer, And ryde an hauking for riveer,  With grey goshauk on honde; Ther-to be was a good archeer, Of wrastling was ther noon his peer, 1930  Ther any ram shal stonde. (30)
Ful many a mayde, bright in bour, They moorne for him, paramour,  Whan hem were bet to slepe; But he was chast and no lechour, 1935 And sweet as is the bremble-flour  That bereth the rede hepe.
And so bifel up-on a day, For sothe, as I yow telle may,  Sir Thopas wolde out ryde; 1940 He worth upon his stede gray, (40) And in his honde a launcegay,  A long swerd by his syde.
He priketh thurgh a fair forest, Ther-inne is many a wilde best, 1945  Ye, bothe bukke and hare; And, as he priketh north and est, I telle it yow, him hadde almest  Bitid a sory care.
Ther springen herbes grete and smale, 1950 The lycorys and cetewale, (50)  And many a clowe-gilofre; And notemuge to putte in ale, Whether it be moyste or stale,  Or for to leye in cofre. 1955
The briddes singe, it is no nay, The sparhauk and the papeiay,  That Ioye it was to here; The thrustelcok made eek his lay, The wodedowve upon the spray 1960  She sang ful loude and clere. (60)
Sir Thopas fil in love-longinge Al whan he herde the thrustel singe,  And priked as he were wood: His faire stede in his prikinge 1965 So swatte that men mighte him wringe,  His sydes were al blood.
Sir Thopas eek so wery was For prikinge on the softe gras,  So fiers was his corage, 1970 That doun he leyde him in that plas (70) To make his stede som solas,  And yaf him good forage.
'O seinte Marie, benedicite! What eyleth this love at me 1975  To binde me so sore? Me dremed al this night, pardee, An elf-queen shal my lemman be,  And slepe under my gore.
An elf-queen wol I love, y-wis, 1980 For in this world no womman is (80)  Worthy to be my make [T. 13722  In toune; [T. 13722 Alle othere wommen I forsake, [T. 13723 And to an elf-queen I me take 1985  By dale and eek by doune!'
In-to his sadel he clamb anoon, And priketh over style and stoon  An elf-queen for tespye, Til he so longe had riden and goon 1990 That he fond, in a privee woon, (90)  The contree of Fairye [T. 13731  So wilde; [T. 13734 For in that contree was ther noon That to him dorste ryde or goon, 1995  Neither wyf ne childe.
Til that ther cam a greet geaunt, His name was sir Olifaunt,  A perilous man of dede; He seyde, 'child, by Termagaunt, 2000 But-if thou prike out of myn haunt, (100)  Anon I slee thy stede [T. 13743  With mace. [T. 13743 Heer is the queen of Fayërye, With harpe and pype and simphonye 2005  Dwelling in this place.'
The child seyde, 'al-so mote I thee, Tomorwe wol I mete thee  Whan I have myn armoure; And yet I hope, par ma fay, 2010 That thou shalt with this launcegay (110)  Abyen it ful soure; [T. 13752  Thy mawe [T. 13752 Shal I percen, if I may, Er it be fully pryme of day, 2015  For heer thou shalt be slawe.'
Sir Thopas drow abak ful faste; This geaunt at him stones caste  Out of a fel staf-slinge; But faire escapeth child Thopas, 2020 And al it was thurgh goddes gras, (120)  And thurgh his fair beringe.
Yet listeth, lordes, to my tale Merier than the nightingale,  For now I wol yow roune 2025 How sir Thopas with sydes smale, Priking over hil and dale,  Is come agayn to toune.
His merie men comanded he To make him bothe game and glee, 2030  For nedes moste he fighte (130) With a geaunt with hevedes three, For paramour and Iolitee  Of oon that shoon ful brighte.
'Do come,' he seyde, 'my minstrales, 2035 And gestours, for to tellen tales  Anon in myn arminge; Of romances that been royales, Of popes and of cardinales,  And eek of love-lykinge.' 2040
They fette him first the swete wyn, (140) And mede eek in a maselyn,  And royal spicerye Of gingebreed that was ful fyn, And lycorys, and eek comyn, 2045  With sugre that is so trye.
He dide next his whyte lere Of clooth of lake fyn and clere  A breech and eek a sherte; And next his sherte an aketoun, 2050 And over that an habergeoun (150)  For percinge of his herte;
And over that a fyn hauberk, Was al y-wroght of Iewes werk,  Ful strong it was of plate; 2055 And over that his cote-armour As whyt as is a lily-flour,  In which he wol debate.
His sheeld was al of gold so reed, And ther-in was a bores heed, 2060  A charbocle bisyde; (160) And there he swoor, on ale and breed, How that 'the geaunt shal be deed,  Bityde what bityde!'
His Iambeux were of quirboilly, 2065 His swerdes shethe of yvory,  His helm of laton bright; His sadel was of rewel-boon, His brydel as the sonne shoon,  Or as the mone light. 2070
His spere was of fyn ciprees, (170) That bodeth werre, and no-thing pees,  The heed ful sharpe y-grounde; His stede was al dappel-gray, It gooth an ambel in the way 2075  Ful softely and rounde [T. 13815  In londe. [T. 13815 Lo, lordes myne, heer is a fit! If ye wol any more of it,  To telle it wol I fonde. 2080
[The Second Fit.]
Now hold your mouth, par charitee, (180) Bothe knight and lady free,  And herkneth to my spelle; Of bataille and of chivalry, And of ladyes love-drury 2085  Anon I wol yow telle.
Men speke of romances of prys, Of Horn child and of Ypotys,  Of Bevis and sir Gy, Of sir Libeux and Pleyn-damour; 2090 But sir Thopas, he bereth the flour (190)  Of royal chivalry.
His gode stede al he bistrood, And forth upon his wey he glood  As sparkle out of the bronde; 2095 Up-on his crest he bar a tour, And ther-in stiked a lily-flour,  God shilde his cors fro shonde!
And for he was a knight auntrous, He nolde slepen in non hous, 2100  But liggen in his hode; (200) His brighte helm was his wonger, And by him baiteth his dextrer  Of herbes fyne and gode.
Him-self drank water of the wel, 2105 As did the knight sir Percivel,  So worthy under wede, Til on a day—— (207)
Here the Host stinteth Chaucer of his Tale of Thopas.
Variae Lectiones, etc.
Heading.—From E. E. Bihoold; Hoost.—1883. Only Hl. inserts to before Iapen.—Cm. Cp. tho; E. to; Hn. he; Pt. Ln. Hl. omit.—1888. E. murily; Hl. merily.—1897. Cp. Ln. Oste; E. Hn. Cm. Hoost.—1900. E. ye; rest we.—Heading. From E. (E. Heere).—1922. E. shoos; Hn. Pt. shoon; rest schoon, schon, schone.—1927. E. Hn. Cm. Hl. for; Cp. by þe; Pt. Ln. for þe.—1931. E. Hn. Cm. Hl. shal; Cp. schulde; Pt. shulde; Ln. scholde.—1938. Hn. Hl. it fel; Cm. it fil.—1949. Cm. Hl. Bytid; rest Bitidde, Betydde (!).—1959. E. hir; rest his.—1960. E. a; rest the.—1980. Hn. Cm. Hl. haue; rest loue.—1989. So E. Hn. Cm.; Cp. Pt. Ln. to aspie; Hl. to spye.—1995. Not in the best MSS.; supplied from MS. Reg. 17 D. 15 (Tyrwhitt).—2000. Hl. swar; rest seyde.—2004. Cp. Hl. fayerye; E. Hn. Cm. Fairye.—2005. Hl. lute; rest pype or pipe.—2008. E. Hl. meete with; rest omit with.—2012. E. Hn. sowre; Cm. soure; rest sore.—2014. E. Cm. Thyn hauberk shal I percen, if I may; but the rest rightly omit Thyn hauberk.—2020. E. Cm. sire; rest child.—2025. Cp. Pt. Ln. insert For now, which the rest omit.—2027. hil] Hl. hul; Cp. Pt. Ln. downe.—2028. E. Cm. comen.—2032. E. Hn. heuedes; Hl. heedes; Cm. hedis; Cp. Pt. Ln. hedes.—2038. Hn. Pt. Hl. reales.—2041. E. sette; rest fette or fet.—E. Hn. Cm. omit the.—2044. E. And; Hn. Cm. Hl. Of.—Cp. Pt. Ln. omit ll. 2042-4.—2046. E. alone retains so.—2058. Cm. wolde; Hl. wold; rest wol, wole, wil.—2061. Hn. Cm. Pt. Hl. by his syde; Cp. him besyde.—2063. Cm. Cp. Ln. schulde.—2068. Pt. Hl. rowel; Cp. Ln. ruel.—2071. E. it was; rest omit it.—2084. E. batailles; Hn. bataille; rest bataile, batail, batell.—2089. E. Pt. and of; rest omit of.—2094. E. rood; rest glood, glod, glode.—2095. Hl. Pt. spark; Cp. Ln. sparcles.—2107. Hl. worthy; E. Hn. worly; Pt. worthely; Cm. Cp. Ln. omit ll. 2105-8.—Colophon. From E. (E. Heere; Hoost).