Ful wel biloved and famulier was he
With frankeleyns over al in his contree,
And eek with worthy wommen of the toun;
Full wel biloved .......... wommen of the toun;
Reference
(i) Poem: The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
(ii) Poet: Geoffrey Chaucer
Context
(i) Occurrence: The Friar (Lines 215-217/858)
(ii) Content: It is the month of April in circa 1390. A group of twenty-nine pilgrims gathers at a tavern in Southwark called Tabard Inn. The goal of their journey is the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. The narrator, Chaucer, encounters them there and becomes one of their company. The narrator seeks to describe their 'condition', 'array' and 'degree'. The Host at the Inn proposes the story-telling contest among the pilgrims.
Explanation
These lines satirically describe the Friar's intimacy with the franklins of his country and noblewomen of his town. The main duty of a friar is to live among the poor, to beg on their behalf and to give his earning to aid their struggle for livelihood. However, Chaucer's Friar is corrupt, fradulent and hypocrite. He has acquaintance with franklins; the landowners of free but not noble birth. Moreover, he has familiarity and closeness with the noblewomen of the town because he has the power of confession. He is highly liked by these opulent people. In short, the Friar likes to hang out with wealthy people instead of living the life that St. Francis, the first friar, prescribes, he would spend time with the poor and sick.
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