Chaucer's England, by Matthew Browne |
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Page 7
... English language and literature of the time , it is plain that he could not have produced his poems with- out possessing an immense amount of the independent originating power of genius . And if the Testament of Love is not in at least ...
... English language and literature of the time , it is plain that he could not have produced his poems with- out possessing an immense amount of the independent originating power of genius . And if the Testament of Love is not in at least ...
Page 9
... English history . No doubt it is true in one sense that , as Mr. Tennyson puts it , the individual withers , and the world is more and more ; but in our literature the in- dividual ' is indemnified by the prevalence of biography ...
... English history . No doubt it is true in one sense that , as Mr. Tennyson puts it , the individual withers , and the world is more and more ; but in our literature the in- dividual ' is indemnified by the prevalence of biography ...
Page 21
... English envoys in 1404 could not speak French when in France for the purposes of their embassy , by no means goes to prove that Chaucer could not , with his versatility and power , speak and read Italian quite easily . There is no need ...
... English envoys in 1404 could not speak French when in France for the purposes of their embassy , by no means goes to prove that Chaucer could not , with his versatility and power , speak and read Italian quite easily . There is no need ...
Page 34
... English poetry has long ago been extinct . All the biographers are at sixes and sevens upon the age of Chaucer when he died . It matters little where one begins to look at so puzzling a subject , and as a specimen of the uncertainty of ...
... English poetry has long ago been extinct . All the biographers are at sixes and sevens upon the age of Chaucer when he died . It matters little where one begins to look at so puzzling a subject , and as a specimen of the uncertainty of ...
Page 39
... English ? Surely it must be trivial to suppose that a man of the versatile genius of Chaucer , a scholar , a man of the world , a courtier , a soldier , an intimate of the royal family , a well - travelled ambas- sador , who had been ...
... English ? Surely it must be trivial to suppose that a man of the versatile genius of Chaucer , a scholar , a man of the world , a courtier , a soldier , an intimate of the royal family , a well - travelled ambas- sador , who had been ...
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Common terms and phrases
ballad beautiful birds Boccaccio called Canterbury Canterbury Tales Chaucer chivalry clerk Clerk's Tale colour common course Court of Love cowde didacticism Edward Edward III England English fact fair faith feeling Fool fourteenth century genius gentilesse gentle grete hath hawk heere heron herte hire honour human humour husband idea imagination John of Gaunt king kiss knight lady Latin Leigh Hunt literature lord manner marriage married medieval Church Middle Ages Miller mind minstrel modern natural noble nought obvious Parson's Tale passage perhaps person Petrarch poem poet poetry pretty queen quod reader Reeve religious Robert of Artois sayde scarcely schal sche Scogan Sir Harris Nicolas Sir Thopas song speke spirit story supposed Tale ther thing thou troubadour verse Whan Wife of Bath wold woman women word worship writings
Popular passages
Page 47 - That they are not a pipe for fortune's finger To sound what stop she please. Give me that man That is not passion's slave, and I will wear him In my heart's core, ay, in my heart of heart, As I do thee.
Page 59 - Mulier est hominis confusio,— Madame, the sentence of this Latyn is, "Womman is mannes joye, and al his blis...
Page 41 - Phlegra with the heroic race were join'd That fought at Thebes and Ilium, on each side Mix'd with auxiliar gods ,• and what resounds In fable or romance of Uther's son Begirt with British and Armoric knights...
Page 178 - But sore weep she if oon of hem were deed, Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte : And al was conscience and tendre herte.
Page 92 - The MILLER was a stout carl for the nones: Ful big he was of braun and eek of bones; That proved wel, for over-al ther he cam, At wrastling he wolde have alwey the ram.
Page 42 - Glittering in golden coats, like images; As full of spirit as the month of May, And gorgeous as the sun at midsummer; Wanton as youthful goats, wild as young bulls.
Page 281 - For this ye knowen al so wel as I, Whoso shal telle a tale after a man, He moot reherce as ny as evere he kan Everich a word, if it be in his charge, Al speke he never so rudeliche and large, Or ellis he moot telle his tale untrewe, Or feyne thyng, or fynde wordes newe.
Page 191 - Thou rascal beadle, hold thy bloody hand: Why dost thou lash that whore? Strip thine own back; Thou hotly lust'st to use her in that kind For which thou whipp'st her.
Page 167 - Thou shalt not' writ over the door; So I turned to the Garden of Love, That so many sweet flowers bore. And I saw it was filled with graves, And tomb-stones where flowers should be, And priests in black gowns were walking their rounds, And binding with briars my joys and desires.
Page 42 - As full of spirit as the month of May, And gorgeous as the sun at midsummer; Wanton as youthful goats, wild as young bulls. I saw young Harry, with his beaver on, His cuisses on his thighs, gallantly arm'd, Rise from the ground like feather'd Mercury, And vaulted with such ease into his seat As if an angel dropp'd down from the clouds, To turn and wind a fiery Pegasus, And witch the world with noble horsemanship.