The speaker is in a hostel (“The Tabard”) in Southwerk (now a suburb of London on the south bank of the River Thames). It’s night, and there are 29 other people, all of them pilgrims who want to go to Canterbury. They have met there by chance (“by aventure”).
1 Bifil that in that seson on a day,
2 In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay,
3 Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage
4 To Caunterbury with ful devout corage,
5 At nyght was come into that hostelrye
6 Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye
7 Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle
8 In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle,
9 That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde.
Now let us consider the language. Quite obviously, the spelling has changed in many cases. What is the modern equivalent of these?
- seson
- redy
- ful
- alle
- sondry
- aventure
- bifil
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