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The Parson and His Tale

The Parson and His Tale

Character Background Essay Author:
"A good man was ther of religioun,
And was a povre Persoun of a Toun,
But riche he was of hooly thoght and werk.
He was also a lerned man, a clerk,
That Cristes gospel trewely wolde preche;
........................................
This noble ensample to his sheep he yaf,
That first he wroughte, and afterward he taughte.
Out of the gospel he tho wordes caught,
And this figure he added eek therto,
That if gold ruste, what shal iren do?" (477-481, 496-500)

Rather than a tale, the Parson preaches a lengthy prose sermon about penitence.  His tale is the last one presented in the Canterbury Tales, and it is imagined to be told with Canterbury in sight.
Bibliography

Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Riverside Chaucer. Ed. Larry D. Benson. 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton, 1987.