_2nd Day._ Stopping at Rochester, 30 miles.--Tale of the Man of Law: history of the pious Constance, from the French of Trivet, an Englishman who wrote also Latin chronicles, &c., same story in Gower, who wrote it ab. 1393.--Shipman's tale: story of a merchant of St. Denys, his wife, and a wicked monk, from some French fabliau, or from "Decameron," viii. 1.--Tale of the Prioress: a child killed by Jews, from the French of Gautier de Coinci.--Tales by Chaucer: Sir Thopas, a caricature of the romances of chivalry; story of Melibeus, from a French version of the "Liber consolationis et consilii" of Albertano of Brescia, thirteenth century.--Monk's tale: "tragedies" of Lucifer, Adam, Sampson, Hercules, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Zenobia, Pedro the Cruel, Pierre de Lusignan king of Cyprus, Barnabo Visconti (d. 1385), Hugolino, Nero, Holofernes, Antiochus, Alexander, Caesar, Croesus; from Boccaccio, Machault, Dante, the ancients, &c.--Tale of the Nun's Priest: Story of Chauntecleer, same story in "Roman de Renart" and in Marie de France. _3rd Day._ Rest at Ospringe, 46 miles.--Tale of the Physician: Appius and Virginia, from Titus Livius and the "Roman de la Rose;" same story in Gower.--Pardoner's tale: three young men find a treasure, quarrel over it and kill each other, an old legend, of which, however, we have no earlier version than the one in the "Cento Novelle antiche," nov. 82.--Tale of the Wife of Bath: story of the young knight saved by an old sorceress, whom he marries and who recovers her youth and beauty; the first original of this old legend is not known; same story in Gower (Story of Florent), and in Voltaire: "Ce qui plait aux Dames."--Friar's tale: a summoner taken away by the devil, from one of the old collections of _exempla_.--Tale of the Summoner (somnour, sompnour): a friar ill-received by a moribund; a coarse, popular story, a version of which is in "Til Ulespiegel."--Clerk of Oxford's tale: story of Griselda from Petrarch's Latin version of the last tale in the "Decameron."--Merchant's tale: old January beguiled by his wife May and by Damian; there are several versions of this story, one in the "Decameron," vii. 9, which was made use of by La Fontaine, ii. 7. _4th Day._ Reach Canterbury, 56 miles.--Squire's tale: unfinished story of Cambinscan, king of Tartary; origin unknown, in part from the French romance of "Cleomades."--Franklin's tale: Aurelius tries to obtain Dorigen's love by magic; same story in Boccaccio's "Filocopo," and in the "Decameron," x. 5.--Tale of the second nun: story of St. Cecilia, from the Golden Legend.--Tale of the Canon's Yeoman: frauds of an alchemist (from Chaucer's personal experience?).--Manciple's tale: a crow tells Phoebus of the faithlessness of the woman he loves; from Ovid, to be found also in Gower.--Parson's tale, from the French "Somme des Vices et des Vertus" of Friar Lorens, 1279.