http://www.shmoop.com/canterbury-tales-prologue/the-summoner.html

"He knew their secrets, they did what he said. He wore a garland set upon his head

Outside an ale-house, and he had a cake, A round one, which it was his joke to wield As if it were intended for a shield" (683-88)

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/canterbury/themes.html

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_is_the_summoner_in_the_Canterbury_Tales&altQ=Who_is_the_summoner_in_canterbury_tales

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/canterbury/characters.html

"His face on fire, like a cherubin, For he had carbuncles. His eyes were narrow, He was as hot and lecherous as a sparrow.

Black scabby brows he had, and a thin beard. Children were afraid when he appeared" (642-46)

The Summoners appearance was so awful he scared children, he is discribed as ugly with a face full of pimples.

"When he was drunk, such tags as he was pat in; He only had a few, say two or three, That he had mugged up out of some decree;" (656-58)

When the Summoner gets drunk he ramble's random words in Latin that he hadmemorized to sound educated.

"But had you tried to test his wits and grope
For more, you’d have found nothing in the bag" (662-65)

Nobel- This describes the summoner as a man not trying to get you in trouble a very honorable man. He takes his job seriously, but also will let you off for something in return.

Kind- He often lets off sinners in exchange for quality wine, that is an act of kindness but it also contradicts his ugly appearance.

http://shscanterburytales.wikispaces.com/The+Summoner

Modern

"There was a Summoner with us at that Inn, His face on fire, like a cherubin, For he had carbuncles. His eyes were narrow, He was as hot and lecherous as a sparrow.

Black scabby brows he had, and a thin beard. Children were afraid when he appeared. No quicksilver, lead ointment, tartar creams, No brimstone, no boracic, so it seems, Could make a salve that had the power to bite,Clean up or cure his whelks of knobby white Or purge the pimples sitting on his cheeks" (642-51)

Black scabby brows he had, and a thin beard. Children were afraid when he appeared. No quicksilver, lead ointment, tartar creams, No brimstone, no boracic, so it seems, Could make a salve that had the power to bite,

Clean up or cure his whelks of knobby white Or purge the pimples sitting on his cheeks. Garlic he loved, and onions too, and leeks, And drinking strong red wine till all was hazy. Then he would shout and jabber as if crazy,

655 And wouldn’t speak a word except in Latin When he was drunk, such tags as he was pat in; He only had a few, say two or three, That he had mugged up out of some decree;"

Middle English;

"A somonour was ther with us in that place, That hadde a fyr-reed cherubynnes face, For saucefleem he was, with eyen narwe. As hoot he was and lecherous as a sparwe, With scalled browes blake and piled berd. Of his visage children were aferd. Ther nas quyk-silver, lytarge, ne brymstoon, Boras, ceruce, ne oille of tartre noon; Ne oynement that wolde clense and byte, That hym myghte help en of his whelkes white, Nor of the knobbes sittynge on his chekes. Wel loved he garleek, oynons, and eek lekes, And for to drynken strong wyn, reed as blood; Thanne wolde he speke and crie as he were wood. And whan that he wel dronken hadde the wyn, Thanne wolde he speke no word but latyn. A fewe termes hadde he, two or thre, That he had lerned out of som decree --"

The Summoner has a red face like fiery hell with abscesses larger than boils, usually with one or more openings draining pus down his face, His eyes like little slits providing hot sexual stares like a sparrow. With black brittle eyebrows and a straggly beard, his appearance scared the children. No amount of time or money could fix the white abscesses on his face. He was a drunk, with lack of knowledge, and he would spit random Latin words he memorized to sound intelligent.

Garleck- Garlic

Oynons- Onions

Aferd- Affraid

Latyn- Latin