to be forgotten that Chaucer had no superior in the English tongue as a master of melody; and if a verse of his sounds inharmonious, it is either because the line is corrupt or because the reader has not succeeded in pronouncing it correctly. The explanation of obsolete words or meanings is given in the foot-notes. In addition to these the following variations from modern English that occur constantly, and are therefore not defined, should be noted. _Hir_ and _hem_ stand for 'their' and 'them.' The affix _y-_ is frequently prefixed to the past participle, which itself sometimes omits the final _en_ or _-n_, as 'ydrawe,' 'yshake.' The imperative plural ends in _-th,_ as 'dreadeth.' The general negative _ne_ is sometimes to be defined by 'not,' sometimes by 'nor'; and connected with forms of the verb 'be' gives us _nis_, 'is not'; _nas_, 'was not.' _As_ is often an expletive, and cannot be rendered at all; _that_ before 'one' and 'other' is usually the definite article; _there_ is frequently to be rendered by 'where'; _mo_ always means 'more'; _thilke_ means 'that' or 'that same'; _del_ is 'deal' in the sense of 'bit,' 'whit'; and the comparatives of 'long' and 'strong' are _lenger_ and _strenger_. Finally it should be borne in mind that the double negative invariably strengthens the negation. [Signature: Thomas R. Lounsbury] PROLOGUE TO THE 'CANTERBURY TALES' When that Aprile with his showers swoot[18] The drought of March hath pierced to the root, And bathed every vein in such liqour Of which virtue engendered is the flower; When Zephyrus eke with his sweete breath Inspired hath in every holt and heath The tender croppes, and the younge sun Hath in the Ram his halfe course yrun, And smalle fowles maken melody, That sleepen all the night with open eye,-- So pricketh hem nature in hir courages[19]-- Then longen folk to go on pilgrimages, And palmers for to seeken strange strands, To ferne hallows[20] couth[21] in sundry lands; And specially, from every shires end Of Engeland, to Canterbury they wend, The holy blissful martyr for to seek, That hem hath holpen when that they were sick. Befell that in that season on a day, In Southwark at the Tabard[22] as I lay, Ready to wenden on my pilgrimage To Canterbury with full devout courage, At night were come into that hostelry Well nine and twenty in a company Of sundry folk, by aventure[23] yfalle In fellowship, and pilgrims were they all, That toward Canterbury woulden ride. The chambers and the stables weren wide, And well we weren eased[24] at the best. And shortly, when the sunne was to rest, So had I spoken with hem evereach-one,[25] That I was of hir fellowship anon, And made forward[26] early for to rise To take our way there-as I you devise.[27] But natheless, while I have time and space, Ere that I further in this tale pace, Me thinketh it accordant to reason,