Geoffrey Chaucer

Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury.

Whan that Aprille with hise shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed everyveyne in swich [1] licour
Of which vertu engendred is the four;
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 [2] his halfe cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye
That slepen al the nyght with open eye, -
So priketh hem Nature in hir corages, [3] -
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes
To ferne halwes, kowthe [4] in sondry londes;
And specially, from every shires ende
Of Engelond, to Caunturbury they wende
The hooly blisful matir [5] for to seke
That hem hath holpen whan that they were
seeke.

1. Such
2. The sign of the Ram
3. Their hearts
4. Ancient
5. Thomas à Becket

Heere folwen the wordes bitwene the Hoost and the Millere.

Whan that the Knyght had thus his tale
ytoold,
In al the route ne was ther yong ne oold
That he ne seyde it was a noble storie,
And worthy for to drawen to memorie,
And namely [1] the gentils everichon.
Oure Hooste lough and swoor, "So moot I
gon,
This gooth aright; unbokeled is the male; [2]
Lat se now who shal telle another tale,
For trewely the game is wel bigonne.
Now telleth on, sire Monk, if that ye konne
Sumwhat to quite [3] with the Knyghtes tale."
The Millere, that for-donken was al pale,
So that unnethe [4] up on his hors he sat,
He nolde avalen [5] neither hood ne hat,
Ne abyde no man for his curteisie,
But in Pilates voys [6] he gan to crie,
And swoor by armes, and by blood and bones,
"I kan a noble tale for the nones,
With which I wol now quite the Knyghtes tale."
Oure Hooste saugh that he was dronke of ale,
And seyde, "Abyd, Robyn, my leeve brother,
Som bettre man shal telle us first another;
Abyde, and lat us werken thriftily."
"By Goddes soule," quod he, "That wol nat I,
For I wol speke, or elles go my wey."
Oure Hoost answerde, "Tel on a devele wey!
Thou art a fool, thy wit is overcome."
"Now herkneth," quod the Millere, "alle
and some;
But first I make a protestacioun
That I am dronke, I knowe it by my soun,
And therfore if that I myssepke or seye,
Wyte it ]7] the ale of Southwerk, I you preye;
For I wol telle a legende and a lyf,
Bothe of a carpenter and of his wyf,
How that a clerk hath set the wrightes cappe."
The Reve answerde and seyde, "Stynt thy
clappe!
Lat be thy lewed, dronken harlotrye;
It is a synne, and eek a greet folye
To apeyren [8] any man, or hym defame,
And eek to bryngen wyves in swich fame;
Thou mayst ynogh of othere thynges seyn."
This dronke Millere spak ful soone ageyn
And seyde, "Leve [9] brother Osewold,
Who hath no wyf he is no cokewold,
But I sey nat therfore that thou art oon,
Ther been ful goode wyves many oon,
And evere a thousand goode ageyns oon badde
That knowestow wel thy self, but if thou
madde. [10]
Why artow angry with my tale now?
I have a wyf pardee, as wel as thow,
Yet nolde I, for the oxen in my plogh,
Taken up-on me moore than ynogh;
As demen of my-self that I were oon,
I wol bileve wel that I am noon.
An housbonde shal nat been inquisityf
Of Goddes Pryvetee, nor of his wyf;
So he may fynde Goddes foysoun [11] there,
Of the remenant nedeth nat enquere."

What shoulde I moore seyn, but this Millere
He nolde his wordes for no man forbere,
But told his cherles tale in his manere.
Mathynketh that I shal reherce it heere,
And ther-fore every gentil wight I preye,
For Goddes love, demeth [12] nat that I seye
Of yvel entente, but that I moot reherce
Hir tales alle, be they bettre or werse,
Or elles falsen som of my mateere;
And therfore, who so list it nat yheere,
Turne over the leef and chese another tale;
For he shal fynde ynowe, grete and smale,
Of storial thyng that toucheth gentillesse,
And eek moralitee, and hoolynesse, -
Blameth nat me if that ye chese amys.
The Millere is a cherl, ye knowe wel this,
So was the Reve, and othere manye mo,
And harlotrie [13] they tolden bothe two.
Avyseth yow, putteth me out of blame
And eek men shal nat maken ernest of game.
[pps. 117-120]

1. Especially
2. Budget
3. Offest
4. Scarcely
5. doff
6. Pilate spoke in the Mystery Plays
7. Attribute it to
8. Injure
9. Loved
10. Maddest
11. Abundance
12. Judge
13. Ribaldry

Heere Bigynneth The Millere His Tale.

Whilom ther was dwellynge at Oxenford
A riche gnof, [1] that gestes heeld to bord,
And of his craft he was a carpenter.
With hym there was dwellynge a povre scoler
Hadde lerned art, but al his fantasye
Was turned for to lerne astrologye,
And koude a certeyn of [2] conclusiouns,
to demen [3] by interrogaciouns,
If that men asked hym in certein houres
Whan that men sholde have droghte or elles
shoures,
Or if men asked hym what sholde bifalle
Of every thyng, I may nat rekene hem alle.
This clerk was cleped hende [4] Nicholas.
Of deerne [5] love he koude, [6] and of solas, [7]
And ther-to he was sleight and ful privee,
And lyk a mayden meke for to see.
A chambre hadde he in that hostelrye
Allone, with-outen any compaignye,
Ful fetisly ydight, [8] with herbes swoote,
And he hum self as sweete as is the roote
Of lycorys, or any cetewale. [9]
His Almagested, [10] and bookes grete and smale,
His astrelabie, longynge for [11] his art,
His augrym stones, [12] layen faire a part,
On shelves couched at his beddes heed,
his presse ycovered with a faldyng reed,
And all above ther lay a gay sautrie,
On which he made a-nyghtes melodie
So swetely, that al the chambre rong,
And Angelus ad Virginem, [13] he song;
And after that he song the 'Kynges noote;"
Ful often blessed was his myrie throte,
And thus this sweete clerk his tyme spente
After his freendes fyndyng and his rente.....
[pps. 120-121]

1. Churl
2. Knew certain
3. Judge
4. Civil
5. Secret
6. Knew
7. Sport
8. Neatly adorned
9. Valerian
10. A work of Ptolemy
11. Belonging to
12. counters
13. Probably a metrical hymn [The Angel to the Virgin]

- - - - - -
Quotes

My wit is thinne.
[Canterbury Tales, Line 1598]

The time, that may not sojourne,
But goth, and never may retourne,
As water that oun renneth ay,
But never drope retourne may.
[The Romaunt of the Rose, Line 381]

The more she yaf awey,
The more, y-wis, she hadde alwey.
Ibid. Line 1159]

The lyf so short, the craft so long to
lerne,
Th' assay so hard, so sharp the conquering.
[The Parlement of Foules. Line 1]

A fool can noght be stille.
[Ibid. Line 574]

Now welcom somer, with thy sonne
soft,
That hast this wintres weders over-
shake.
[Ibid. Line 680]

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 new.
[The Canterbury Tales, Line 731]

If gold ruste, what shal iren do?
[Ibid. Line 500]

His studie was but litel on the bible.
[Ibid. Line 438]

Thing that is seyed, is seyd; and forth it gooth.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Maunciples Tale, Line 355]

It is agayns the proces of nature.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Frankeleyns Tale. Line 1345]

Tak this for fynal answer as of me.
Ibid., Line 987]

Fy on possessioun
But-if a man be vertuous with-al.
Ibid. Line 686]

I am lorn with-outen remedye.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Squires Tale., Line 629]

For the proverbe seith: that manye
smale maken a greet.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Persones Tale. Sect. 21]

Men loven of propre kinde newfangel-
nesse.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Squires Tale. Line 610]

For whan a man hath over-greet a wit,
Ful oft him happeth to misusen it.
[The Canterbury Tales, , The Canon Yeoman's Prologue. Line 648]

Pacience is an heigh vertu certeyn.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Frankeleyns Tale., Line 773]

What thing we may nat lightly have,
Ther-after wol we crye al-day and
crave.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath's Prologue., Line 517]

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.
[The Canterbury Tales, Line 572]

Loke who that is most vertuous alway,
Privee and apert, and most entendeth
ay
To do the gentil dedes that he can,
And tak him for the grettest gentil
man.
[The Canterbury Tales, , The Tale of the Wyf of Bathe., Line 1113]

Love is blind.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Marchantes Tale., Line 1598]

For though we slepe or wake, or rome,
or ryde,
Ay fleeth the tyme, it nil no man abyde.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Clerkes Tale. Line 118]

For dronkenesse is verray sepulture
Of mannes wit and his discrecioun
[The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner's Tale. Line 448]

At Cristemasse merie may ye daunce.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Lawe, Prologue. Line 126]

Yet in our asshen olde is fyr y-reke.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Reeve's Prologue. Line 3882
"E'en in our ashes live their wonted fires. -Gray: Elegy, St. 23"]

Up roos the sone, and up rose Emelye.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Knightes Tale, line 2273]

Greet prees at market maketh dere
ware,
And to greet cheep is holde at litel prys.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath's Prologue. Line 522]

And for to see, and eek for to be seye.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath's Prologue. Line 522]

Thurgh thikke and thurgh thenne.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Reves Tale. Line 4054]

So was hir joly whistel wel y-wet.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Reves Tlae. Line 4155]

Ful wys is he that can him-selven
knowe.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Monkes Tale. Line 3329]

Ther nis no werkman, what-so-ever he
be,
That may bothe werke wel and hast-
ily;
This wol be doon at leyser parfitly.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Marchantes Tale. Line 1832]

This flour of wyfly pacience.
[The Canterbury Tales, Teh Clerkes Tale. Line 919]

The Pegasee
The hors that hadde winges for to flee.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Squieres Tale. Line 207]

No-wher so bisy a man as he ther nas,
And yet ye semed bisier than he was.
[The Canterbury Tales, Prologue . Line 321]

May, will alle thy floures and thy
grene,
Wel-come be thou, fair fresshe May.
[The Canterbury Tales, The K n ightes Tale. Line 1510]

And whan that he wel dronken hadde
the wyn,
Than wolde he speke no word but
Latyn.
[The Canterbury Tales, Prologue. Line 637]

For he was Epicurus owne sone.
[The Canterbury Tales, Prologue. Line 336]

He was a good felawe.
[The Canterbury Tales, Prologue. Line 395]

Go, litel book, go litel myn tragedie.
[Book V, Troilus and Criseyde. Line 1786]

A wonder last but nyne night never in
toune.
[Book IV, Troilus and Criseyde. Line 588]

Oon ere it herde, at the other out it
went.
[Book IV, Troilus and Criseyde. Line 434]

I am right sory for your hevinesse.
[Book V, Troilus and Criseyde. Line 140]

He that nought n'assayeth, nought n'a-
cheveth.
[Book V, Troilus and Criseyde. Line 146]

A fool may eek a wys man ofte gyde.
[Book I, Troilus and Criseyde. Line 630]

Eek somtyme it is craft to seme flee
Fro thing which in effect men hunte
faste.
[Book I, Troilus and Criseyde. Line 747]

Lord, this is an huge rayn!
This were a weder for to slepen inne!
[Book III, Troilus and Criseyde. Line 656]

Right as an aspen leef she gan to quake.
[Book III, Troilus and Criseyde. Line 1200]

And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly
teche.
[The Canterbury Tales, Prologue. Line 308]

Nature, the vicaire of th' almyghty
lorde.
[The Parlement of Foules. Line 379]

I was waked
With smale foules a gret hepe,
That had affrayed me out of slepe.
The Book of the Duchesse. Line 294]

His palfrey was as broun as is a berye.
[The Canterbury Tales, Prologue. Line 207]

Trouthe is the hyeste thing that men
may kepe.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Frankeleyns Tale, Line 1479]

But al thing which that shyneth as the
gold
Nis nat gold, as that I have herd it
told.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Chanouns Yemannes Tale. Line 962.
Taken from the Parabolae of Alanus de Insulis, who died in 1294 - Non teneas aurum totum quod
splendet ut aurum. - and "All is not golde that outward shewith bright - Lydgate: On the
Mutability of Human Affairs. ]

Gret swering is a thing abhominable,
And false swering is yet more reprev-
able.
[The Canterbury Tales, Prologue. The Pardodner's Tale. L ne 631]

In his owene grece I made him frye.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath's Prologue. Line 487]

Love is noght old as when that it is
newe.
[The Canterbury Tales,The Clerkes Tale. Line 857]

Sathan, that ever us waiteth to bigyle.
[The Man of Lawe, Prologue. Line 582]

For in the sterres, clerer than is glas,
Is writen, god wot, who-so coude it rede,
The deeth of every man.
[The Man of Lawe, Prologue. Line 194]

Thurgh thikke and thurgh thenne.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Reves Tale. Line 4066]

Now up, now doun, as boket in a welle.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Knightes Tale. Line 1533]

Mordre wol out, certain, it wol nat
faille.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Prioresses Tale. Line 1766]

What is this world? what asketh man
to have?
Now with his love, now in his colde
grave
Allone, with-outen any companye.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Knightes Tale. Line 2777]

Jesu Crist, and sÎynt Benedight,
Blesse this hous from every wikked
wight.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Milleres Tale. Line 3483]

That feeld hath eyen, and the wode
hath eres.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Knightes Tale. Line 1522]

He coude songes make and wel endyte.
[The Canterbury Tales, Prologue. Line 95]

Thus maketh vertue of necessitee.
[Troilus and Criseyde. Book IV. Line 1586]

The jalous swan, ayen his deth that
singeth.
[The Parlement of Foules. Line 342]

The wrastling for this worlde axeth a
fal.
[Truth. Line 16]

Farewel my boke, and my devocion!
[The Legend of Good Women, Prologue, Line 39]

Ech man for himself.
[The Canterbury Tales, The Knightes Tale. Line 1182]