The Canterbury Tales Project (see also Geoffrey Chaucer)
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388: A shipman was ther, wonynge fer by weste;
389: For aught I woot, he was of dertemouthe.
390: He rood upon a rounce, as he kouthe,
391: In a gowne of faldyng to the knee.
392: A daggere hangynge on a laas hadde he
393: Aboute his nekke, under his arm adoun.
394: The hoote somer hadde maad his hewe al broun;
395: And certeinly he was a good felawe.
396: Ful many a draughte of wyn had he ydrawe
397: Fro burdeux-ward, whil that the chapmen sleep.
398: Of nyce conscience took he no keep.
399: If that he faught, and hadde the hyer hond,
400: By water he sente hem hoom to every lond.
401: But of his craft to rekene wel his tydes,
402: His stremes, and his daungers hym bisides,
403: His herberwe, and his moone, his lodemenage,
404: Ther nas noon swich from hulle to cartage.
405: Hardy he was and wys to undertake;
406: With many a tempest hadde his berd been shake.
407: He knew alle the havenes, as they were,
408: Fro gootlond to the cape of fynystere,
409: And every cryke in britaigne and in spayne.
410: His barge ycleped was the maudelayne.
This sailor is described as 'a good fellow'. Whilst he is certainly not good in any conventional sense of the word, being closer to being an out-and-out pirate, he is a good fellow inasmuch as he is a good companion and useful in times of trouble. He is better to have with you than against!
He is violent and brutal, and a deadly fighter. He thinks nothing of throwing his defeated enemies corpses into the sea or of stealing from the merchants whose cargo he transports.
But he is also a hugely accomplished sailor. He knows all the harbours and seaways between Denmark and Spain, and is an unmatched navigator. Although most of the pilgrims are described as being highly competant in their own field, his skill at his trade contrasted with his unpleasant personal nature is most similar to other of Chaucer's characters, not least the Summoner and the Pardoner: a pair of corrupt churchmen who, though adept at raising money, have no place in their lives for the religion they outwardly espouse.
Modern English translation from www.fordham.edu:
There was a sailor, living far out west;
For aught I know, he was of Dartmouth town.
He sadly rode a hackney, in a gown,
Of thick rough cloth falling to the knee.
A dagger hanging on a cord had he
About his neck, and under arm, and down.
The summer's heat had burned his visage brown;
And certainly he was a good fellow.
Full many a draught of wine he'd drawn, I trow,
Of Bordeaux vintage, while the trader slept.
Nice conscience was a thing he never kept.
If that he fought and got the upper hand,
By water he sent them home to every land.
But as for craft, to reckon well his tides,
His currents and the dangerous watersides,
His harbours, and his moon, his pilotage,
There was none such from Hull to far Carthage.
Hardy. and wise in all things undertaken,
By many a tempest had his beard been shaken.
He knew well all the havens, as they were,
From Gottland to the Cape of Finisterre,
And every creek in Brittany and Spain;
His vessel had been christened Madeleine.