The Man of Law- Dallin Vollmer

## The Man of Law's Tale

This tale, from the Canterbury Tales, begins with the tale of an Emperor’s Daughter, Custance, who was known to be beautiful. The Sultan of Babylon heard of her and decided to marry her based off of what he heard. Eventually, it was arranged for them to get married, but the Sultan’s mother did not like this. She ordered some of her counselors to assassinate a bunch of people at a great feast. Then Custance gets exiled on a boat and is set adrift for three years. When she finally washes up on a beach in Northumbria, the Constable and his wife take her in. While staying there a knight frames her for the murder of the constable’s wife because she doesn’t love him back. The knight gets exposed for his misdeed when the two of them are put on trial. King Alla who helped decide the knight's fate is head over heels for Custance. She gets married to him and gets pregnant right away. The king is currently at war and has to tell the Constable to keep his wife safe. While sending the letter to the Constable, the king’s mother intercepts the letter and tells the Constable to exile Custance. Custance drifts off again until she runs into the senator of Rome. She and her newborn son, Maurice, live with the Senator for a while in peace until one day they meet King Alla again and they leave to live with him again. Maurice goes to be the Emperor of Rome and Custance moves back to Rome when Alla dies.

## About the Man of Law

The Man of Law is a wise lawyer who would advise people when he goes to St. Paul's Porch. He always seemed to hold himself at great dignity, or at least it seemed because of his wise words. He was just a middle- class man who often a judge in court and worked for the king. He earned this because he is good at what he does. He could make a lot of money for himself by doing his job. He could afford a lot of land and his life was simple. His claims and suits could never be found with a fault. He carried about himself an air of extreme busyness but was never as busy as he looked. He knew all the laws and suits since ancient times. He could write a flawless contract, so airtight that no one could find a single flaw. He knew every law word for word. He wears a simple multicolored silk robe.

## Chaucer's Opinion

Chaucer seems to think highly of the Man of Law character and you can tell by what he writes in the prologue of the story. He is described as being respected by the other characters and being a man of reverence. While some characters are described as unwise and untrustworthy, the Man of Law is described as wise and noble. This shows how Chaucer thought of lawmen at the time. As the Man of Law represents all lawmen, Chaucer thought the majority of the lawmen were just and fair.

## References

Chaucer, Geoffrey, and Peter Ackroyd. *The Canterbury Tales*. Createspace, 2015.

“History of the Judiciary.” *Courts and Tribunals Judiciary*, www.judiciary.uk/about-the-judiciary/history-of-the-judiciary/.

Kökbugur, Sinan. “Canterbury Tales.” *Geoffrey Chaucer (1342-1400) "The Canterbury Tales" (in Middle English and Modern English)*, www.librarius.com/cantales.htm.

## External Links

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Man\_of\_Law%27s\_Tale
* https://www.judiciary.uk/about-the-judiciary/history-of-the-judiciary
* https://d3jc3ahdjad7x7.cloudfront.net/WdqxTPGpKI7Wyyj1MGXw60Eir1qg7l4tTff6ia6yMo8tFsS7.pdf
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History\_of\_the\_legal\_profession
* https://www.gradesaver.com/the-canterbury-tales/study-guide/summary-the-man-of-laws-tale
* https://www.shmoop.com/canterbury-tales-prologue/sergeant-of-law.html