The Canterbury Tales

"A ther was of Oxenford also, That un-to logik hadde longe y-go. As lene was his hors as is a rake, And he nas nat right fat, I undertake; But loked holwe, and ther-to soberly."

"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."

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

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

"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."

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

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

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

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

"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."

"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."

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

"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."

"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 was a worthy womman al hir lyve, Housbondes at chirche-dore she hadde fyve, Withouten other companye in youthe; But therof nedeth nat to speke as nouthe."

"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."

"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."

"Wyd was his parisshe, and houses fer a-sonder."

"This noble ensample to his sheep he yaf, That first he wroghte, and afterward he taughte."

"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."

"A bettre preest, I trowe that nowher noon is. He wayted after no pompe and reverence, Ne maked him a spyced conscience, But Cristes lore, and his apostles twelve, He taughte, and first he folwed it him-selve."

"With him ther was a , was his brother, That hadde y-lad of dong ful many a fother."

"The was a stout carl, for the nones, Ful big he was of braun, and eek of bones."

"His berd as any sowe or fox was reed, And ther-to brood, as though it were a spade. Up-on the cop right of his nose he hade A werte, and ther-on stood a tuft of heres, Reed as the bristles of a sowes eres."

"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."

"And yet he hadde a thombe of gold, pardee."

"A gentil was ther of a temple, Of which achatours mighte take exemple For to be wyse in bying of vitaille."

"Now is nat that of God a ful fair grace, That swich a lewed mannes wit shal pace The wisdom of an heep of lerned men?"

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

"A was ther with us in that place, That hadde a fyr-reed cherubinnes face, For sawcefleem he was, with eyen narwe. As hoot he was, and lecherous, as a sparwe."

"Wel loved he garleek, oynons, and eek lekes, And for to drinken strong wyn, reed as blood."

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

"With him ther rood a gentil Of Rouncival, his freend and his compeer, That streight was comen fro the court of Rome. Ful loude he song, ‘Com hider, love, to me.’"

"This pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wex, But smothe it heng, as dooth a strike of flex."

"His walet lay biforn him in his lappe, Bret-ful of pardoun come from Rome al hoot."

"He hadde a croys of latoun, ful of stones, And in a glas he hadde pigges bones. But with thise relikes, whan that he fond A povre person dwelling up-on lond, Up-on a day he gat him more moneye Than that the person gat in monthes tweye. And thus, with feyned flaterye and japes, He made the person and the peple his apes."

"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."

"This is the poynt, to speken short and pleyn, That ech of yow, to shorte with your weye, In this viage, shal telle tales tweye, To Caunterbury-ward, I mene it so, And hom-ward he shal tellen othere two, Of aventures that whylom han bifalle."

"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."

"She was arisen, and al redy dight; For May wol have no slogardye a-night. The sesoun priketh every gentil herte, And maketh him out of his sleep to sterte."

"Wostow nat wel the olde clerkes sawe, That ‘who shal yeve a lover any lawe?’ Love is a gretter lawe, by my pan, Than may be yeve to any erthly man."

"And therfore, at the kinges court, my brother, Ech man for him-self, ther is non other."

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

"The bisy larke, messager of day."

"May, with alle thy floures and thy grene, Wel-come be thou, faire fresshe May."

"That ‘feeld hath eyen, and the wode hath eres.’"