"And thryes hadde she been at Jerusalem; She hadde passed many a straunge streem; At Rome she hadde been, and at Boloigne, In Galice at seint Jame, and at Coloigne."

"The was a sclendre colerik man, His berd was shave as ny as ever he can."

"Out of the gospel he tho wordes caughte; And this figure he added eek ther-to, That if gold ruste, what shal iren do? For if a preest be foul, on whom we truste, No wonder is a lewed man to ruste."

"Who-so shal telle a tale after a man, He moot reherce, as ny as ever he can, Everich a word, if it be in his charge, Al speke he never so rudeliche and large; Or elles he moot telle his tale untrewe, Or feyne thing, or finde wordes newe."

"With us ther was a , In al this world ne was ther noon him lyk To speke of phisik and of surgerye; For he was grounded in astronomye."

"His studie was but litel on the Bible."

"And, certeinly, he was a good felawe."

"Of nyce conscience took he no keep. If that he faught, and hadde the hyer hond, By water he sente hem hoom to every lond."

"He kepte that he wan in pestilence. For gold in phisik is a cordial, Therfore he lovede gold in special."

"An and a , A , a , and a , Were with us eek, clothed in o liveree, Of a solempne and greet fraternitee."

"It snewed in his hous of mete and drinke."

"A they hadde with hem for the nones, To boille the chiknes with the mary-bones."

"A was in his companye; Whyt was his berd, as is the dayesye. Of his complexioun he was sangwyn. Wel loved he by the morwe a sop in wyn."

"To liven in delyt was ever his wone, For he was Epicurus owne sone."

"A was ther, woning fer by weste: For aught I woot, he was of Dertemouthe."

"A good was ther of bisyde , But she was som-del deef, and that was scathe. Of clooth-making she hadde swiche an haunt, She passed hem of Ypres and of Gaunt."

"For him was lever have at his beddes heed Twenty bokes, clad in blak or reed, Of Aristotle and his philosophye, Than robes riche, or fithele, or gay sautrye. But al be that he was a philosophre, Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre."

"He knew the tavernes wel in every toun."

"A good man was ther of religioun, And was a povre of a toun; But riche he was of holy thoght and werk. He was also a lerned man, a clerk, That Cristes gospel trewely wolde preche; His parisshens devoutly wolde he teche."

"Of studie took he most cure and most hede. Noght o word spak he more than was nede, And that was seyd in forme and reverence, And short and quik, and ful of hy sentence. Souninge in moral vertu was his speche, And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche."

"A ther was, a wantown and a merye, A limitour, a ful solempne man. In alle the ordres foure is noon that can So muche of daliaunce and fair langage. He hadde maad ful many a mariage Of yonge wommen, at his owne cost. Un-to his ordre he was a noble post."

"Therfore, in stede of weping and preyeres, Men moot yeve silver to the povre freres."

"He was the beste beggere in his hous."

"A , war and wys, That often hadde been at the Parvys, Ther was also, ful riche of excellence."

"He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen, That seith, that hunters been nat holy men."

"And, whan he rood, men mighte his brydel here Ginglen in a whistling wind as clere, And eek as loude as dooth the chapel-belle."

"His nose-thirles blake were and wyde. A swerd and bokeler bar he by his syde; His mouth as greet was as a greet forneys. He was a janglere and a goliardeys, And that was most of sinne and harlotryes."

"His heed was balled, that shoon as any glas."

"His palfrey was as broun as is a berye."

"Somwhat he lipsed, for his wantownesse, To make his English swete up-on his tonge."

"A was ther with a forked berd, In mottelee, and hye on horse he sat, Up-on his heed a Flaundrish bever hat; His botes clasped faire and fetisly. His resons he spak ful solempnely."

"No-wher so bisy a man as he ther nas, And yet he semed bisier than he was."

"Hir coverchiefs ful fyne were of ground; I dorste swere they weyeden ten pound That on a Sonday were upon hir heed. Hir hosen weren of fyn scarlet reed, Ful streite y-teyd, and shoos ful moiste and newe. Bold was hir face, and fair, and reed of hewe."

"She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle, Ne wette hir fingres in hir sauce depe. Wel coude she carie a morsel, and wel kepe, That no drope ne fille up-on hir brest. In curteisye was set ful muche hir lest."

"And whan that he wel dronken hadde the wyn, Than wolde he speke no word but Latyn."

"Ful wel she song the service divyne, Entuned in hir nose ful semely; And Frensh she spak ful faire and fetisly, After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe, For Frensh of Paris was to hir unknowe."

"She was so charitable and so pitous, She wolde wepe, if that she sawe a mous Caught in a trappe, if it were deed or bledde."

"A hadde he, and servaunts namo At that tyme, for him liste ryde so; And he was clad in cote and hood of grene."

"That Emelye, that fairer was to sene Than is the lilie upon his stalke grene, And fressher than the May with floures newe— For with the rose colour stroof hir hewe, I noot which was the fairer of hem two."

"Curteys he was, lowly, and servisable, And carf biforn his fader at the table."

"Ther was also a Nonne, a , That of hir smyling was ful simple and coy; Hir gretteste ooth was but by Sëynt Loy; And she was cleped madame Eglentyne."

"Of smale houndes had she, that she fedde With rosted flesh, or milk and wastel-breed. But sore weep she if oon of hem were deed, Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte: And al was conscience and tendre herte."

"And whan a beest is deed, he hath no peyne; But man after his deeth moot wepe and pleyne."

"And born him wel, as of so litel space, In hope to stonden in his lady grace. Embrouded was he, as it were a mede Al ful of fresshe floures, whyte and rede. Singinge he was, or floytinge, al the day; He was as fresh as is the month of May."

"With him ther was his sone, a yong , A lovyere, and a lusty bacheler, With lokkes crulle, as they were leyd in presse. Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse. Of his stature he was of evene lengthe, And wonderly deliver, and greet of strengthe."

"Short was his goune, with sleves longe and wyde. Wel coude he sitte on hors, and faire ryde."

"And of his port as meke as is a mayde."