THE SQUIRE’S INTRODUCTION AND TALE

THE SQUIRE’S INTRODUCTION AND TALE

The Host calls upon the Squire to say something about his favorite subject, love, and the Squire willingly complies. King Cambyuskan of the Mongol Empire is visited on his birthday by a knight bearing gifts from the king of Arabia and India. He gives Cambyuskan and his daughter Canacee a magic brass horse, a magic mirror, a magic ring that gives Canacee the ability to understand the language of birds, and a sword with the power to cure any wound it creates. She rescues a dying female falcon that narrates how her consort abandoned her for the love of another. The Squire’s Tale is either unfinished by Chaucer or is meant to be interrupted by Franklin, who interjects that he wishes his own son were as eloquent as the Squire. The Host expresses annoyance at Franklin’s interruption and orders him to begin the next tale.