The Nun's Priest's Tale
By: Janathan Wright
Summary
The rooster, dreaming of an attack by a large, furry, red animal, is advised by his wife not to worry because a little laxative will put things right. The rooster, proud of his learning, decisively defeats his wife's argument by citing classical authors, including one author's anecdote about a murdered traveler who, in a dream, tells his companions where his killers have hidden his body. The rooster, satisfied, has a little "whoopee" with Pertelote and then goes to the barnyard where he encounters the fox. The fox, asking the rooster to sing so he can experience the rapture of hearing him, nabs the rooster by the throat and is chased by the entire household. The rooster, thinking quickly, tells the fox that if he were in the fox's position, he should surely turn and shout defiance at the pursuers. The fox, proud of his success, does so and the rooster flies away into a tree. The fox tries to trick him again, but the wily bird triumphs.
Characters
The poor but self-sufficient and honest widow Pertelote; the col-fox, a sometime "dinner host" of Chaunticleer's father and mother; the dogs, Colle, Talbot and Gerland; Malkyn the maid-servant.