- The Host makes fun of Chaucer for staring at the ground all the time, and for being fat. He calls him a "little doll" that any woman would gladly embrace. He says that Chaucer seems mysterious because he barely talks to anyone in the company.
- The Host asks Chaucer to tell a merry tale.
- Chaucer replies that he knows no other tale but a rhyme that he learned long ago.
- The Host says that's just fine, and that he thinks the tale will be good, judging by the look on Chaucer's face.