The Canterbury Tales

"Now up, now doun, as boket in a welle."

"For pitee renneth sone in gentil herte."

"The statue of Venus, glorious for to see, Was naked fleting in the large see, And fro the navele doun all covered was With wawes grene, and brighte as any glas. A citole in hir right hand hadde she, And on hir heed, ful semely for to see, A rose gerland, fresh and wel smellinge; Above hir heed hir dowves flikeringe."

"Cupido, Up-on his shuldres winges hadde he two; And blind he was, as it is ofte sene; A bowe he bar and arwes brighte and kene."

"With-inne the temple of mighty Mars the rede, All peinted was the wall in length and brede, Like to the estres of the grisly place That highte the gret temple of Mars in Trace: In thilke colde and frosty region, Ther as Mars hath his sovereine mansion."

"Ther saugh I first the derke imagining Of felonye, and al the compassing."

"The smyler with the knyf under the cloke."

"The careyne in the bush, with throte y-corve: A thousand slayn, and nat of qualm y-storve; The tiraunt, with the prey by force y-raft; The toun destroyed, ther was no-thing laft. Yet saugh I brent the shippes hoppesteres; The hunte strangled with the wilde beres: The sowe freten the child right in the cradel; The cook y-scalded, for al his longe ladel."

"And al above, depeynted in a tour, Saw I Conquest sittinge in greet honour, With the sharpe swerde over his heed Hanginge by a sotil twynes threed."

"This goddesse on an hert ful hye seet, With smale houndes al aboute hir feet; And undernethe hir feet she hadde a mone, Wexing it was, and sholde wanie sone. In gaude grene hir statue clothed was, With bowe in honde, and arwes in a cas. Hir eyen caste she ful lowe adoun, Ther Pluto hath his derke regioun."

"Ther nis no newe gyse, that it nas old."

"In-stede of cote-armure over his harnays, With nayles yelwe and brighte as any gold, He hadde a beres skin, col-blak, for-old."

"Up roos the sonne, and up roos Emelye."

"Myn be the travaille, and thyn be the glorie!"

"As sooth is sayd, elde hath greet avantage; In elde is bothe wisdom and usage; Men may the olde at-renne, and noght at-rede."

"Whan that Aprille with his shoures sote The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne, And smale fowles maken melodye, That slepen al the night with open yë, (So priketh hem nature in hir corages): Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages."