Second Middle English Primer: Extracts from Chaucer

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Clarendon Press, 1886 - English language - 112 pages

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Page 85 - But al be that he was a philosophre, Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre...
Page 83 - For if he yaf, he dorste make avaunt, He wiste that a man was repentaunt. For many a man so hard is of his herte, He may nat wepe al-thogh him sore smerte. 230 Therfore, in stede of weping and preyeres, Men moot yeve silver to the povre freres.
Page 74 - A knyght ther was, and that a worthy man, That fro the tyme that he first bigan To riden out, he loved chivalrie, Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisie.
Page 72 - And bathed every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes...
Page 72 - 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.
Page 81 - The reule of seint Maure or of seint Beneit, By-cause that it was old and som-del streit, This ilke monk leet olde thinges pace, And held after the newe world the space. He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen, That seith, that hunters been nat holy men...
Page 89 - And yet he was but esy of dispence ; He kepte that he wan in pestilence. For gold in phisik is a cordial ; Therfore he lovede gold in special.
Page 87 - Ful ofte tyme he was knyght of the shire. An anlaas and a gipser al of silk Heeng at his girdel, whit as morne milk. A shirreve hadde he been, and a countour. Was nowher swich a worthy vavasour. 360 An Haberdasshere and a Carpenter, A Webbe...
Page 91 - Up-on his feet, and in his hand a staf. 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?
Page 93 - 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?

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