HEALTH TO THE GENTLE PROFESSION OF SERVING-MEN, note

360

FAMILIAR

QUOTATIONS.

GEOFFREY CHAUCER. 1328-1400.

(From the text of Tyrwhitt.)

WHANNE that April with his shoures sote

The droughte of March hath perced to the rote.
Canterbury Tales. Prologue. Line 1.

And smale foules maken melodie,
That slepen alle night with open eye,
So priketh hem nature in hir corages;
Than longen folk to gon on pilgrimages.
And of his port as meke as is a mayde.

Line 9.

Line 69.

He was a veray parfit gentil knight.

Line 72.

He coude songes make, and wel endite.

Line 95.

Ful wel she sange the service devine,

Entuned in hire nose ful swetely;

And Frenche she spake ful fayre and fetisly,
After the scole of Stratford atte bowe,
For Frenche of Paris was to hire unknowe.

A Clerk ther was of Oxenforde also.

For him was lever han at his beddes hed

A twenty bokes, clothed in black or red,
Of Aristotle, and his philosophie,
Than robes riche, or fidel, or sautrie.
But all be that he was a philosophre,
Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre.

Line 122.

Line 287.

Line 295.

And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche.
Canterbury Tales. Prologue. Line 310.

Nowher so besy a man as he ther n' as,
And yet he semed besier than he was.

Line 323.

Line 440.

His studie was but litel on the Bible.

For gold in phisike is a cordial;
Therefore he loved gold in special.

Line 445.

Wide was his parish, and houses fer asonder.

Line 493.

This noble ensample to his shepe he yaf,

That first he wrought, and afterwards he taught.

Line 498.

But Cristes lore, and his apostles twelve,

He taught; but first he folwed it himselve.

Line 529.

And yet he had a thomb of gold parde.1

Line 565.

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;
Or elles he moste tellen his tale untrewe,
Or feinen thinges, or finden wordes newe.

For May wol have no slogardie a-night.
The seson priketh every gentil herte,
And maketh him out of his slepe to sterte.

Line 733.

Line 1524.

The Knightes Tale. Line 1044. That field hath eyen, and the wood hath ears.2 Up rose the sonne, and up rose Emelie.

Line 2275.

1 In allusion to the proverb, "Every honest miller has a golden thumb." 2 Fieldes have eies and woodes have eares.- HEYWOOD: Proverbes, part ii. chap. v.

Wode has erys, felde has sigt. - King Edward and the Shepherd, MS. Circa 1300.

Walls have ears. HAZLITT: English Proverbs, etc. (ed. 1869) p. 446.