Canterbury Tales Friar Quotes

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.

He hadde eek wenches at his retenue,
That, wheither that sir Robert or sir Huwe,
Or Jakke, or Rauf, or whoso that it were
That lay by hem, they tolde it in his ere.
Thus was the wenche and he of oon assent,
And he wolde fecche a feyned mandement,
And somne hem to chapitre bothe two,
And pile the man, and lete the wenche go.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Friar’s Tale. The dishonest Summoner employs prostitutes to reveal the names of the customers they have sex with, so that the Summoner can rob the men using a fake order to the archdeacon’s court forged by him.

"Now certes," quod this Somonour, "so fare I.
I spare nat to taken, God it woot,
But if it be to hevy or to hoot.
What I may gete in conseil prively,
No maner conscience of that have I.
Nere myn extorcioun, I myghte nat lyven."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Friar’s Tale. The Summoner admits to the Yeoman (Devil in disguise) that he too lives by extortion, in his case stealing the money that he collects from peasants. The collections he makes he doesn’t give to his archdeacon but keeps for himself. He doesn’t tell those he takes the money from that it goes straight into his pocket, and not to the church. And he has no pangs of conscience about it, this greedy church official boasts, for were it not for his extortion he could not live.

My trouthe wol I holde to my brother,
As I am sworn, and ech of us til oother,
For to be trewe brother in this cas;
And bothe we goon abouten oure purchas.
Taak thou thy part, what that men wol thee yive,
And I shal myn; thus may we bothe lyve.
And if that any of us have moore than oother,
Lat hym be trewe and parte it with his brother.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Friar’s Tale. The Devil and ecclesiastical court Summoner make a pact to bond together as brothers forever. This is no surprise, as they certainly make a good fit seeing as they have a shared interest in deceitfulness and hypocrisy. They agree to go about their trade and share the proceeds together.

"Brother," quod he, "heere woneth an old rebekke
"Brother," said he, "here dwells an old crone
That hadde almoost as lief to lese hire nekke
As for to yeve a peny of hir good.
I wole han twelf pens, though that she be wood,
Or I wol sompne hire unto oure office;
And yet, God woot, of hire knowe I no vice.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Friar’s Tale. The greedy Summoner hatches a plot with the Devil to blackmail an old widow woman with a threat to summons her on trumped up charges before the ecclesiastical court, unless she pays him twelve pence. He admits that she is not guilty of any vice that he knows of.

"Pay me," quod he, "or by the sweete Seinte Anne,
As I wol bere awey thy newe panne
For dette which thou owest me of old.
Whan that thou madest thyn housbonde cokewold,
I payde at hoom for thy correccioun."
"Thou lixt!" quod she, "by my savacioun,
Ne was I nevere er now, wydwe ne wyf,
Somoned unto youre court in al my lyf;
Ne nevere I nas but of my body trewe!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Friar’s Tale. The Summoner attempts to extort money from the old widow using lies and deceit. He tells her she has already been fined by the church court for being unfaithful to her husband and that he paid the fine. He threatens to take her new pan as payment, if she doesn’t give him a twelve pence bribe. But the woman dismisses the greedy Summoner’s claims as a pack of lies, saying she was always true to her body, and refuses to pay.

"Lordynges," quod he, "but o thyng I desire;
I yow biseke that, of youre curteisye,
Syn ye han herd this false Frere lye,
As suffreth me I may my tale telle.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Summoner’s Prologue. The Summoner is enraged at the Friar’s tale and its mocking portrayal of summoners. He begs the pilgrims that since they have heard this false Friar lie, they should suffer him to tell his tale. This foreshadows that he is going to get back at the Friar with a story that portrays friars in an unfavorable light.
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