The Man of Law by Justin Allcott

## The Man of Law's Tale

This story Told in The Canterbury Tales begins with the tale of an Emperor’s Daughter, Custance, who is known to be beautiful. The Sultan of Babylon hears of her and decides to marry her. Eventually they get married, but the emperor's wife does not like it. She orders some of her men to assassinate a bunch of people from the grooms family at a great feast. Then Custance gets exiled by her mother, and is sent out on a boat. She and the boat are not seen for three years. When she finally washes up on a beach in Northumbria the royals of the land take her in. A knight frames her for murder because she doesn’t love him. The knight gets what he deserves when they put the two on trial. King Alla who helps decide the knights fate is infatuated by Custance. She gets married to him and gets pregnant right away. The king goes to war and has to tell Constable to keep his wife safe while he is away. 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 finds the senator of Rome. She and the newborn son, Maurice, live with the Senator for a while in peace until one day they meet King Alla again. Once they are reunited they leave to live with King Alla again.

## About the Man of Law

The Man of Law wise Lawyer who often visits St. Paul’s Porch with great dignity. Or, at least it seemed like it because of his wise words. He is often a judge in court and works for the king. He earns this because he is good at what he does. He makes a lot of money for himself at his job. He can afford a lot of land and his life is simple. He claims and suits could never be derailed. He is always seems really busy but is not as busy as he looks. The man of law knows all the laws and suits since ancient times. He can write a flawless contract, so airtight that no one could find a loophole. He knew every law word for word. He wears a simple robe with colored silk.

## 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. While some character's 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 law men, 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