Original Text

A SERGEANT OF THE LAWE, war and wys,

310
That often hadde been at the parvys,
Ther was also, ful riche of excellence.
Discreet he was, and of greet reverence:
He semed swich, his wordes weren so wyse.
Iustyce he was ful often in assyse,
By patente, and by pleyn commissioun;
For his science, and for his heigh renoun
Of fees and robes hadde he many oon.
So greet a purchasour was no-wher noon.
Al was fee simple to him in effect,
320
His purchasing mighte nat been infect.
No-wher so bisy a man as he ther nas,
And yet he semed bisier than he was.
In termes hadde he caas and domes alle,
That from the tyme of king William were falle.
Therto he coude endyte, and make a thing,
Ther coude no wight pinche at his wryting;
And every statut coude he pleyn by rote.
He rood but hoomly in a medlee cote
Girt with a ceint of silk, with barres smale;
330
Of his array telle I no lenger tale.
A FRANKELEYN was in his companye;
Whyt was his berd, as is the dayesye.
Of his complexioun he was sangwyn.
Wel loved he by the morwe a sop in wyn.
To liven in delyt was ever his wone,
For he was Epicurus owne sone,
That heeld opinioun, that pleyn delyt
Was verraily felicitee parfyt.
An housholdere, and that a greet, was he;
340 Seint Iulian he was in his contree.
His breed, his ale, was alwey after oon;
A bettre envyned man was no-wher noon.
With-oute bake mete was never his hous,
Of fish and flesh, and that so plentevous,
It snewed in his hous of mete and drinke,
Of alle deyntees that men coude thinke.
After the sondry sesons of the yeer,
So chaunged he his mete and his soper.
Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in mewe,
350 And many a breem and many a luce in stewe.
Wo was his cook, but-if his sauce were
Poynaunt and sharp, and redy al his gere.
His table dormant in his halle alway
Stood redy covered al the longe day.
At sessiouns ther was he lord and sire;
Ful ofte tyme he was knight of the shire.
An anlas and a gipser al of silk
Heng at his girdel, whyt as morne milk.
A shirreve hadde he been, and a countour;
360 Was no-wher such a worthy vavasour.

Modern Text
There was a
SERGEANT OF LAW
A lawyer commissioned by the king.
SERGEANT OF LAW too, who was both wise and slightly
suspicious of everything. He spent a lot of his time
consulting with his clients outside St. Pauls Cathedral in
London. He was very wise and well respected and chose
his words carefully when he spoke. He had served as the
judge in a criminal court before, and his vast knowledge
and wisdom had made him famous. Hed earned a lot of
money as a judge and had become a great and powerful
landowner. He had memorized all of the laws, court cases,
and decisions in England over the last 300 years and could
therefore write the most perfect legal document. He was an
incredibly busy person but always made himself look
busier than he really was. He traveled in a simple
multicolored coat that was tied together with a silk belt and
some small pins. And thats all I really have to say about
his clothing.

The judge traveled with a

FRANKLIN
A free and independent man who also owned some land.
FRANKLIN. He had a fleshy red face and a snow-white
beard. He loved to eat a piece of bread soaked in wine for
breakfast every morning. He was an epicurean and believed
that the pleasures of the world bring true happiness. He
owned a large house and frequently entertained guests who
came from miles around. He always had the best bread and
beer, and there was so much meat and fish that it must have
rained wine and hailed food at his house. He also liked to
mix up his diet according to the seasons. His chicken coops
were actually filled with partridges and his stewes filled
with fish. I pity the chef who served him bland food! His
dining room table was always loaded with food no matter
what time of day it was. He wore a dagger and a white
purse. He was a powerful member of Parliament and a
former sheriff. Nowhere was there a more worthy
landowner.