ESC: English Studies in Canada

C H A U C E R ’ S P H Y S I C I A N ’ S T A L E A N D I T S “ S A I N T ” J. D .W . C R O W TH ER U n i v e r s i t y o f A l b e r t a . A . t t h e en d o f t h e P h y s i c i a n ’ s T a l e H ar r y B ai l l y o ffer s h is co m m en t s on t he fat e o f V i r g i n i a: A l l a s, t o d eer e b o u gh t e sh e b e au t e e ! W h e r fo r e I seye al d a y t h a t m e n m a y see T h a t yift e s o f F o r t u n e a n d o f N a t u r e Been ca u se o f d eet h t o m a n y a cr eat u r e. H i r e b e au t e e w a s h i r e d e t h , I d a r w e l sayn . A l l a s, so p i t o u sl y as sh e w a s sl a yn ! O f b o t h e yift e s t h a t I sp ek e o f n o w M e n h a n fu l o ft e m o o r e f o r h a r m t h a n p r o w . ( 2 9 3 - 3 0 0 ) 1 B ai l l y ’s co m m en t is co r r ect i n p ar t . V i r g i n i a h as t h e gi ft s o f Fo r t u n e an d of N at u r e. A m o n g t h e gi ft s o f Fo r t u n e ar e h i gh d egr ee an d r ich es, an d “ p r eisyn ges o f t h e p ep l e” ;2 V i r g i n i a’s fat h er is a k n i gh t w h o h as “ gr eet r i ch esse” ( 4 ) , an d “ t h u r gh t h at l an d t h ey p r ei sed [ V i r g i n i a] ech o n e” ( 113 ) . T h e gi ft s o f N at u r e p er t ai n t o t h e b o d y an d t o t h e sou l. A m o n g t h e gi ft s o f t h e b o d y ar e fai r n ess an d go o d l y sp eech ;3 am o n g t h ose o f t h e sou l ar e “ cl i er w yt . w el u o r t o u n d er st on d e. . . .” 4 A l l o f t h ese at t r i b u t es V i r g i n i a h as (see 31- 4 0 , 48-54, 49 ) .5 B u t B ai l l y ’s co m m en t im p li es t h at t h e gi ft s o f Fo r t u n e an d N at u r e w er e f at al t o V i r g i n i a b ecau se t...