FAMILIAR QUOTATIONS.

GEOFFREY CHAUCER.

1328-1400.

CANTERBURY TALES.

Ed. Tyrwhitt.

WHANNE that April with his shoures sote
The droughte of March hath perced to the rote.

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.

Line 9.

And of his port as meke as is a mayde.

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.

Line 122.

[Canterbury Tales continued.

A Clerk ther was of Oxenforde also.

Prologue. Line 287.

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 295. And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche. Line 310.

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

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.

Line 565.

And yet he had a thomb of gold parde.1

1 In allusion to the proverb, "Every honest miller has

a golden thumb."