Great Regulars: Are you depressed about the modern world?

Do you think the human race is going to wreck and ruin? If so, it's time you picked up The Canterbury Tales. A few moments in the company of the colorful characters setting out on their pilgrimage will rid anyone of misty-eyed notions about the past.

Yes, the brave knight, the honest plowman, and the lusty Wife of Bath are all likeable and life-affirming. But the greedy friar, the bullying miller, and the prissy pardoner--who rakes in a handsome profit from selling fake relics--are among the lowest of the low. And worst of them all is the summoner.

In the Middle Ages, a summoner was a man who escorted people to the church courts. Such men were notoriously crooked, informing on their neighbors, resorting to blackmail, or spreading gossip. Today, the same type is found in the small town busybody, the petty bureaucrat, and the meddling official.

from Christopher Nield: The Epoch Times: The Antidote--Classic Poetry for Modern Life: An Extract from 'The Canterbury Tales' by Chaucer

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