The Prologue: The Knightes Tale, the Nonne Prestes Tale, from the Canterbury Tales

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Clarendon Press, 1891 - English language - 262 pages

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Page 4 - In felawshipe, and pilgrims were they alle, That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde; The chambres and the stables weren wyde, And wel we weren esed atte beste.
Page xxxiii - In the first place, as he is the father of English poetry, so I hold him in the same degree of veneration as the Grecians held Homer or the Romans Virgil...
Page 8 - Ful semely hir wimpel pinched was ; Hir nose tretys ; hir eyen greye as glas ; Hir mouth ful smal, and ther-to softe and reed; But sikerly she hadde a fair forheed; It was almost a spanne brood, I trowe ; For, hardily, she was nat undergrowe.
Page 23 - 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?
Page 10 - And eek with worthy wommen of the toun: For he had power of confessioun, As seyde him-self, more than a curat, For of his ordre he was licentiat.
Page 6 - 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.
Page 15 - After the sondry sesons of the yeer, So chaunged he his mete and his soper. Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in mewe, And many a breem and many a luce in stewe.
Page 28 - Or feyne thing, or fynde wordes newe. He may nat spare, al-thogh he were his brother; He moot as wel seye o word as another. Crist spak him-self ful brode in holy writ, And wel ye woot, no vileinye is it. 740 Eek Plato seith, who-so that7 can him rede, The wordes mote be cosin to the dede.
Page 20 - 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...
Page 128 - And necligent, and truste on flaterye. But ye that holden this tale a folye, — As of a fox, or of a cok and hen, — Taketh the moralite, good men ; 4630 For Seint Paul seith that al that writen is, To oure doctrine it is y-write y-wis ; Taketh the fruyt and lat the chaf be stille.

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