He may not have money, but he's got the goods.

My favorite character we discussed in class yesterday was the "povre PERSOUN" (478). Although the man is described as being poor, I think he lives a very rich life.

I personally believe that some things are more important than money, and the man depicted in lines 477-528 possess several qualities that outweigh his lack of funds. Chaucer describes him as a "lerned man, a clerk" (480). He's a smart man, which implies that he knows how to live a comfortable life even though he does not have a lot of money. He is able to live in a way that coincides with his income.

Not only does he live a comfortable life, he lives a life he loves. He does not let his financial standing determine his outlook on the world. Chaucer writes, "Wyd was his parisshe, and houses fer asonder/But he ne lafte nat, for reyn ne thonder/in siknes nor in meschief, to vyste" (491-493). It did not matter if the weather was unbearable or if he was sick, he still went to visit everyone in his parish. This man believes that it is a shame to have a corrupt or lazy "shepard" and people who are inherently good. If a priest does not do his job correctly, it does not matter how the people in the parish behave. It is the job of the priest to be a good "leader" and make sure the people of his parish are happy and healthy and not in need of anything. The priest Chaucer writes about is the epitome of this.

It is easy for the reader to accept this as a fact because Chaucer goes on to write, "A bettre preest I trowe that nowher noon is" (524). The priest described in these lines is the best priest known to the narrator. He is what other priests should aspire to be like.