Canon

The Canon’s yeoman’s tale

The Canon and his Yeoman arrive panting and gasping for breath after the main group of pilgrims when the journey is nearing its end. Their arrival is an attempt by Chaucer to introduce a new dimension in the relationships that have already been established among the pilgrims. The Canon practices alchemy. The main idea of alchemy is that certain basic metals lying in the ground for several years would eventually become higher metals. The alchemists claimed that they could accelerate this process The Canon's Yeoman’s Tale is by and large an autobiography of his own experiences with his master practicing alchemy. The tale is in the form of a dramatic monologue. The Canon's Yeoman gives details of alchemy processes that may seem complex to the modern reader. However this also reveals that the Yeoman is extremely knowledgeable about alchemy. The Yeoman then relates a series of anecdotes about how another Canon cheated a priest into believing that he could transmute mercury into silver. It is evident that the Yeoman is disgusted with alchemy. The Yeoman hates to be involved in such a hopeless occupation. He is mad that he has lost his money and his good complexion. His anger tends to increase by degrees as he tells his story. But it is important to note that the Yeoman does not condemn the science of alchemy itself. He only castigates greed and false crooked alchemists. He believes that one day they would learn the secret and discover the Philosopher’s stone but only when God wishes them to do so.