Whan that Aprilla with his shōōrĕs sohta The drŏŏkht of March hath pairsed to the rohta, And bahthed ev’ry vīn in sweech licōōr, Of which vairtú enjendrèd is the flōōr; Whan Zephirŏŏs aik with his swaita braitha Enspeered hath in ev’ry holt and haitha The tendra croppes, and the yŏŏnga sŏŏnna Hath in the Ram his halfa cōōrs i-rŏŏnna, And smahla fōōles mahken melodee-a, That slaipen al the nikht with ohpen ee-a, So pricketh hem nahtúr in heer coràhges, &c. It will thus be seen that many of Chaucer’s lines end with a _dissyllable_, instead of a single syllable. _Sote_, _rote_, _brethe_, _hethe_, &c. (having the final _e_), are words of two syllables; _corages_ is a word of three, _àges_ rhyming with _pilgrimages_ in the next line. It will also be apparent that some lines are lengthened with a syllable too much for strict _metre_--a licence allowed by the best poets,--which, avoiding as it does any possible approach to a doggrel sound, has a lifting, billowy rhythm, and, in fact, takes the place of a ‘turn’ in music. A few instances will suffice:-- ‘And though that I no wepne have in this place.’ ‘Have here my troth, tomorwe I nyl not fayle, Withouten wityng of eny other wight.’ ‘As any raven fether it schon for-blak.’ ‘A man mot ben a fool other yong or olde.’ I think that any one reading these lines twice over as I have roughly indicated, will find the accent one not difficult to practise; and the perfect rhythm and ring of the lines facilitates matters, as the ear can frequently guide the pronunciation. The lines can scarcely be read too slowly or majestically. I must not here be understood to imply that difficulties in reading and accentuating Chaucer are chimerical, but only that it is possible to understand and enjoy him without as much difficulty as is commonly supposed. In perusing the whole of Chaucer, there must needs be exceptional readings and accentuation, which in detail only a student of the subject would comprehend or care for. The rough rule suggested in the preface is a good one, as far as the rhythm goes: as regards the sound, I have given a rough example. I will quote a fragment again from the Prologue as a second instance:-- Ther was also a nonne, a prioresse, That of hire smylyng was ful symple and coy; Hire gretteste ooth nas but by Seynte Loy; And sche was cleped Madame Eglentyne. Ful wel sche sang the servise devyne, Entuned in hire nose ful semyly; And Frensch sche spak ful faire and fetysly, Aftur the scole of Stratford atte Bowe, For Frensch of Parys was to hire unknowe.