Canterbury Tales Corruption Quotes

Ful weel she soong the service dyvyne
Entuned in hir nose ful seemly,
And Frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly,
After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe,
For Frenssh of Parys was to hir unknowe.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. In the period of the poem, nuns were meant to worship the Lord and not care too much about themselves. But it is quite the opposite with the Prioress. She wears richly ornamented clothes, sings through her nose, speaks French with a terrible accent, tries to appear well bred and dainty. When she should be devoting herself to Christ, she seems more concerned with matters of this world. This nun, who lives a secular lifestyle and uses her positon for social advancement, is a satirical figure and an ironic contrast to what is generally expected in a prioress.

Ful fetys was hir cloke, as I was war.
Of smal coral aboute hire arm she bar
A peire of bedes, gauded al with grene,
And theron heng a brooch of gold ful sheene,
On which ther was first write a crowned A,
Amor Vincit Omnia.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. In keeping with her desire to appear courtly, the Prioress is beautifully dressed in a well made cloak. On her arm she wore a string of coral beads from which hung a bright gold brooch engraved with a crowned "A" and the inscription "Amor Vincit Omnia," or "Love Conquers All." Coral beads and gold brooch? Not the usual attire for a nun, whom you would expect to be wearing rosary beads rather than a gold brooch with a romantic inscription. A little whiff of someone in this convent enjoying the good life, it seems. The Prioress’ character is ironically represented in complete contrast to how a prioress is usually expected to live and behave.

A Monk ther was, a fair for the maistrie,
An outridere, that lovede venerie,
A manly man, to been an abbot able.
Ful many a deyntee hors hadde he in stable,
And whan he rood, men myghte his brydel heere
Gynglen in a whistlynge wynd als cleere
And eek as loude as dooth the chapel belle.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. Not the usual Monk this man. Rather than leading the spartan life associated with monks, he enjoys a life of extravagence. He enjoys hunting and owns many excellent horses. When he goes out riding you can hear his bridle jingling as loud as the chapel bell. In the Monk, Chaucer is satirizing hypocritical religious figures who are meant to live a monastic life of hard work and doing without, but instead are in the lap of luxury and idleness.

Ther as this lord was kepere of the celle,
The reule of seint Maure or of seint Beneit,
By cause that it was old and somdel streit
This ilke Monk leet olde thynges pace,
And heeld after the newe world the space.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Monk is in a position of responsibility, as loyal keeper of the cell, and is meant to take care of the monastery. Yet he is willing to let the rules of his order slide and skive off to indulge himself in non religious and luxurious pursuits like his hunting.

He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen,
That seith that hunters ben nat hooly men,
Ne that a monk, whan he is recchelees,
Is likned to a fissh that is waterlees –
This is to seyn, a monk out of his cloystre.
But thilke text heeld he nat worth an oyster.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Monk is a corrupt character. When he should be studying, praying or reading religious texts, he prefers to skip all that and go hunting instead. It is ironical that the spiritual practices referred to here, which he is meant to follow, he just denounces and dismisses. Chaucer uses the simile fish out of water to describe the Monk being shut away in a monastery.

I seigh his sleves purfiled at the hond
With grys, and that the fyneste of a lond;
And for to festne his hood under his chyn,
He hadde of gold ywroght a ful curious pyn;
A love-knotte in the gretter ende ther was.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Monk, in place of the usual plain habit, attires himself in a cope trimmed with gray fur on the sleeves. And he has a gold pin with a love knot at the end of his hood – instead of a rosary. The rank hypocrisy will not be lost on the reader.

His heed was balled, that shoon as any glas,
And eek his face, as he hadde been enoynt.
He was a lord ful fat and in good poynt;
His eyen stepe, and rollynge in his heed,
That stemed as a forneys of a leed…
A fat swan loved he best of any roost.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. In contrast to other monks who are thin because they work hard and fast regularly, the Monk is described as fat with plenty of flesh on him and bald with bulging eyes. A sign that eats well and often, and doesn’t work too hard. He is said to love a fat swan better than any roast. The Monk is a greedy man with an appetite, not just for fine food, but for all kinds of worldly things and pursuits, including hunting and fine clothes.
He hadde maad ful many a mariage Of yonge wommen at his owene cost - Friar in The Canterbury Tales

He hadde maad ful many a mariage
Of yonge wommen at his owene cost.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. On first reading, it might appear that the Friar is a generous fellow, as this passage says that he has made many a marriage of young women at his own cost. But far from it! What is implied here that he arranges marriages for these young women because they are his mistresses and are pregnant, so breaking his vow of chastity. So much for the life of piety he is supposed to be leading!

Ful swetely herde he confessioun,
And plesaunt was his absolucioun:
He was an esy man to yeve penaunce,
Ther as he wiste to have a good pitaunce.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. God’s forgiveness does not come free, it seems. The Friar offers a friendly ear in confession to penitants…but at a price. This corrupt and despicable character uses confessions as his course of income. Selling forgiveness is subverting the sacrament of penance and God’s forgiveness, which is supposed to be given freely to the true penitant. Friar Hubert is religious in name only, he’s the one who should go to confession and seek forgiveness for his sins.

For unto a povre ordre for to yive
Is signe that a man is wel yshryve;
For if he yaf, he dorste make avaunt,
He wiste that a man was repentaunt.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. In the Friar’s Alice in Wonderland version of Christianity, a sinner makes a true confession and shows repentance by giving him a donation! After all the Friar is a member of a "povre ordre" (poor order), isn’t he? So much for remorse, showing true sorrow for your sins and acts of restitution – which is what confession is meant to be about! But greedy Hubert has turned the sacrament into a nice earner for himself.

For many a man so hard is of his herte,
He may nat wepe, althogh hym soore smerte.
Therfore in stede of wepynge and preyeres
Men moote yeve silver to the povre freres.
His typet was ay farsed ful of knyves.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. This is a comical, hilarious and ironic description of the life of Friar Hubert. His pockets are lined with silver, as sinners in the confessional are urged to spare the tears and prayers for their wrongdoings, and give silver instead. Chaucer is superbly ironic in his reference to "to povre freres." But no poverty for this Friar!

Somwhat he lipsed, for his wantownesse,
To make his Englissh sweete upon his tonge;
And in his harpyng, whan that he hadde songe,
His eyen twynkled in his heed aryght
As doon the sterres in the frosty nyght.
This worthy lymytour was cleped Huberd.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. Friar Hubert is very aware of the power of delivery in his speech and song, when trying to get cash out of people. He adds a little lisp to make his English sweet on his tongue. His eyes also twinkle like stars in the frosty night (simile) during his performance. If he were in America today, he could be a successful televangelist.

A Summoner was ther with us in that place,
That hadde a fyr-reed cherubynnes face,
For saucefleem he was, with eyen narwe.
As hoot he was and lecherous as a sparwe,
With scalled browes blake and piled berd.
Of his visage children were aferd.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Summoner is so hideous looking that children fear him. He is pimpled, discolored, swollen eyelids, scabby eyebrows, and as if that isn’t enough he is also a lecher. This corrupt character’s grossness on the outside also reflects his ugliness on the inside.

He wolde techen him to have noon awe
In swich caas of the ercedekenes curs,
But if a mannes soule were in his purs;
For in his purs he sholde ypunysshed be.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Summoner has created a nice little earner for himself when dealing with people accused of violating Church law before the ecclestiastical court. A person faced with excommunication for some infraction can simply have the threat removed if he offers the Summoner a bribe. What does the Bible say about the wages of sin?

This Pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wex,
But smothe it heeng as dooth a strike of flex;
By ounces henge his lokkes that he hadde,
And therwith he his shuldres overspradde;
But thynne it lay, by colpons oon and oon.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Pardoner is repugnant in appearance. His hair is long, greasy, limp and "yelow as wax." It hangs like a clump of wax in small strands down to his shoulders. This negative description of him foreshadows the kind of unscrupulous personality that we will come to learn learn this corrupt seller of Church pardons has.

For in his male he hadde a pilwe-beer,
Which that he seyde was Oure Lady veyl:
He seyde he hadde a gobet of the seyl
That Seint Peter hadde, whan that he wente
Upon the see, til Jhesu Crist hym hente.
He hadde a croys of latoun ful of stones,
And in a glas he hadde pigges bones.
But with thise relikes, whan that he fond
A povre person dwellynge upon lond,
Upon a day he gat hym moore moneye
Than that the person gat in monthes tweye;
And thus, with feyned flaterye and japes,
He made the person and the peple his apes.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. Though representing the Church, the Pardoner is quite simply a conman and hypocrite who exploits other people’s fears and faith for his own profit. In this passage he takes from the poor. He has a pillowcase full of fake relics and crosses that he charges people to view. He fools a poor parson and his parishioners with these, managing to earn more money in a day than the parson earns in a month. If ever there was a sinner in need of a Pardoner, it’s the Pardoner!

He was in chirche a noble ecclesiaste.
Wel koude he rede a lessoun or a storie,
But alderbest he song an offertorie;
For wel he wiste, whan that song was songe,
He moste preche and wel affile his tonge
To wynne silver, as he ful wel koude;
Therefore he song the murierly and loude.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. In church the Pardoner uses his pleasant voice to tell stories, sing songs and preach, but not to praise and glorify the Lord. He does it for silver! He knows that the better he sings and preaches the more money he will get, so he makes sure he gives the congregation their money’s worth. The corrupt churchman sets out to make money and profit for himself every opportunity he can get.

His walet, biforn hym in his lappe
Bretful of pardoun comen from Rome al hoot.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Pardoner has a knapsack brimful of Church pardons (indulgences) all fresh from Rome. Selling indulgences was big business then for the Church and brought in a lot of income. Pardoners were meant to offer indulgences to contrite penitants in return for a charitable donation to the Church. But pardoners were known throughout history for keeping the "donations" for themselves.
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