1. The Man of Law’s Tale
Medieval English Literature

2. The Canterbury Tales
• ca.1370-1400
• Geoffrey Chaucer (big 3)
• Middle English
• Frame tale: “nine and twenty” pilgrims
• 120 Stories in total (?)
• General Prologue and Pilgrims

3. Other important
characters
• Wife of Bath
• Man of Law
• Host
• Knight
• Miller
• Reeve

4. Chaucer the Pilgrim
• General Prologue: Narrator’s Voice
• Who is he?
• Orality versus literacy

5. The Man of Law
A SERGEANT OF THE LAWE, war and wys,
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 wise.
Justice he was ful often in Assise,
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 nowher noon.
Al was fee symple to hym in effect,
His purchasyng myghte nat been infect.

6. Nowher so bisy a man as he ther nas,
And yet he semed bisier than he was.
In termes hadde he caas and doomes alle
That from the tyme of kyng William were falle;
Ther-to he koude endite and make a thyng,
Ther koude no wight pynchen at his writyng;
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;
Of his array telle I no lenger tale.
Full tale at: http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/
manoflaw.htm

8. Man of Law’s Tale
• Outline: Constance, Roman emperor’s
daughter
• Syrian merchants tell Syrian sultan of her
beauty
• Sultan lusts after her, Christens so he can
marry her
• Emperor assents, Constance weeps

9. Man of Law’s Tale
• Constance arrives in Syria
• Sultan and all of Constance’s company are
butchered
• Constance survives as sole Christian
• Constance and the rudderless boat
• Arrives in pagan Northumberland

10. Man of Law’s Tale
• Constance converts castle warden and wife
secretly to Christianity; she stays with them
• Knight is tempted by Satan; falls in love with
Constance; she rebukes
• As revenge, he kills warden and frames
Constance
• Miracle kills knight; Constance’s innocent;
Northumberland converts to Christianity

11. Man of Law’s Tale
• After miracle, King of Northumberland
marries Constance
• King’s mother angry at this; why?
• Constance gives birth to boy, news sent to
King
• Letter to king is switched by king’s mother;
he is told the baby is foul and wicked

12. Man of Law’s Tale
• King says he loves king regardless
• Letter is switched with another to order
exile of Constance and child; why?
• Constance exiled;Virgin Mary helps them
• King returns home and murders mother
for treachery; goes to Rome for penance
• Roman emperor fighting in Syria

13. Man of Law’s Tale
• Constance found by Roman senator and
taken to Rome
• Constance and child go to Roman feast
where Northumberland king is
• Child sees king, family reunited
• Constance sees emperor, reunited too

14. Sources of the story
• England-Rome relationship
• Constance-legends
• Medieval romance

15. Epilogue to the Story
• Host enjoys story
• Parson’s repuke
• Jankin (priests)
• Lollards
• Shipman’s “clynking” story