The Canterbury Tales

"And I was yong and ful of ragerye, Stiborn and strong, and joly as a pye. Wel coude I daunce to an harpe smale, And singe, y-wis, as any nightingale, Whan I had dronke a draughte of swete wyn."

"And, after wyn, on Venus moste I thinke: For al so siker as cold engendreth hayl, A likerous mouth moste han a likerous tayl."

"But, lord Crist! whan that it remembreth me Up-on my yowthe, and on my jolitee, It tikleth me aboute myn herte rote. Unto this day it dooth myn herte bote That I have had my world as in my tyme."

"But age, allas! that al wol envenyme, Hath me biraft my beautee and my pith; Lat go, fare-wel, the devel go therwith! The flour is goon, ther is na-more to telle, The bren, as I best can, now moste I selle."

"In his owene grece I made him frye."

"By god, in erthe I was his purgatorie, For which I hope his soule be in glorie."

"What thing we may nat lightly have, Ther-after wol we crye al-day and crave."

"Forbede us thing, and that desyren we; Prees on us faste, and thanne wol we flee. With daunger oute we al our chaffare; Greet prees at market maketh dere ware, And to greet cheep is holde at litel prys."

"And for to see, and eek for to be seye Of lusty folk."

"I holde a mouses herte nat worth a leek, That hath but oon hole for to sterte to, And if that faille, thanne is al y-do."

"But yet I hadde alwey a coltes tooth. Gat-tothed I was, and that bicam me weel; I hadde the prente of sëynt Venus seel. As help me god, I was a lusty oon."

"Myne housbondes tolde me, I had the beste quoniam mighte be."

"Venus me yaf my lust, my likerousnesse, And Mars yaf me my sturdy hardinesse."

"Allas! allas! that ever love was sinne!"

"Of Eva first, that, for hir wikkednesse, Was al mankinde broght to wrecchednesse, For which that Iesu Crist him-self was slayn, That boghte us with his herte-blood agayn. Lo, here expres of womman may ye finde, That womman was the los of al mankinde."

"And ther-with-al, he knew of mo proverbes Than in this world ther growen gras or herbes."

"A womman cast hir shame away, Whan she cast of hir smok."

"He yaf me al the brydel in myn hond To han the governance of hous and lond, And of his tonge and of his hond also."

"“Myn owene trewe wyf, Do as thee lust the terme of al thy lyf, Keep thyn honour, and keep eek myn estaat”— After that day we hadden never debaat."

"This is a long preamble of a tale!"

"In th'olde dayes of the king Arthour, Of which that Britons speken greet honour, All was this land fulfild of fayerye. The elf-queen, with hir joly companye, Daunced ful ofte in many a grene mede; This was the olde opinion, as I rede, I speke of manye hundred yeres ago; But now can no man see none elves mo."

"For now the grete charitee and prayeres Of limitours and othere holy freres, That serchen every lond and every streem, As thikke as motes in the sonne-beem, Blessinge halles, chambres, kichenes, boures, Citees, burghes, castels, hye toures, Thropes, bernes, shipnes, dayeryes, This maketh that ther been no fayeryes."

"And specially, from every shires ende Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende, The holy blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seke."

"Bifel that, in that seson on a day, In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay Redy to wenden on my pilgrimage To Caunterbury with ful devout corage, At night was come in-to that hostelrye Wel nyne and twenty in a companye."

"A ther was, and that a worthy man, That fro the tyme that he first bigan To ryden out, he loved chivalrye, Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisye. Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre, And therto hadde he riden (no man ferre) As wel in Cristendom as hethenesse, And ever honoured for his worthinesse."

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

"He was a verray parfit gentil knight."

"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."

"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."

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

"He coude songes make and wel endyte."

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

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

"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."

"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 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."

"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."

"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."

"Of smal coral aboute hir arm she bar A peire of bedes, gauded al with grene; And ther-on heng a broche of gold ful shene, On which ther was first write a crowned A, And after, Amor vincit omnia."

"A ther was, a fair for the maistrye, An out-rydere, that lovede venerye; A manly man, to been an abbot able."

"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."

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

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

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

"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 knew the tavernes wel in every toun."

"He was the beste beggere in his hous."

"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."