The Canterbury Tales The Host
by Geoffrey Chaucer

The Host, whose name is Harry Bailly, is the proprietor of the Tabard Inn, at which the pilgrims’ journey to Canterbury begins. He creates the “game” of having each pilgrim tell stories, and he becomes the judge of which story is the best (although we never hear his verdict). He has the habit of sucking up to the higher-status characters and of describing his wife in decidedly negative terms.