The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer: With an Essay on His Language and Versification, an Introductory Discourse, Notes, and a Glossary by Tho. Tyrwhitt, Volume 1

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Pickering, 1830 - 122 pages

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Page 11 - Sownynge in moral vertu was his speche, And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche.
Page 10 - A CLERK ther was of Oxenforde also, That unto logike hadde long ygo. As lene was his hors as is a rake, And he was not right fat, I undertake; But loked holwe, and therto soberly.
Page 19 - That first he wrought, and afterward he taught. Out of the gospel he the wordes caught, And this figure he added yet therto, That if gold ruste, what shuld iren do ? For if a preest be foule, on whom we trust, No wonder is a lewed man to rust...
Page 19 - So that the wolf ne made it not miscarie. He was a shepherd, and no mercenarie. And though he holy were, and vertuous, He was to sinful men not dispitous, Ne of his speche dangerous ne digne, But in his teching discrete and benigne.
Page 21 - His berd as any sowe or fox was reed, And ther-to brood, as though it were a spade. Up-on the cop...
Page 11 - But al be that he was a philosophre, Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre...
Page 28 - Who so shall telle a tale after a man, He moste reherse as neighe as ever he can : Everich word, if it be in his charge, All speke he, never so rudely and so large...
Page 76 - In which ther wonneth neyther man ne best, With knotty knarry barrein trees old Of stubbes sharpe and hidous to behold ; In which ther ran a romble and a swough, As though a storme shuld bresten every bough : And dounward from an hill under a bent, Ther stood the temple of Mars armipotent, Wrought all of burned stele, of which th* entree Was longe and streite, and gastly for to see.
Page 24 - Than wolde he speke no word but Latyn. A fewe termes hadde he, two or three, That he had lerned out of som decree ; No wonder is, he herde it al the day ; And eek ye knowen wel, how that a jay Can clepen ' Watte,' as well as can the pope. But who-so coude in other thing him grope, Thanne hadde he spent al his philosophye ; Ay ' Questio quid iuris
Page lx - ... in Chaucer's age. It were an easy matter to produce some thousands of his verses, which are lame for want of half a foot, and sometimes a whole one, and which no pronunciation can make otherwise.

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