The Canterbury TalesD. Appleton, 1855 - 586 pages Featuring a woman of magic, a difficult question and a happy ending, the "Wife of Bath's Tale" and prologue are among the best-known stories from Geoffrey Chaucer's famous The Canterbury Tales |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
anon Arcite ayenst beforne certes chere chirche cleped cometh conseil coude Crist Custance dede dere deth doth doughter doun drede entent everich eyen felaw frendes frere Goddes goth grace gret grete han don hath herd herte heven hire hond honour hous husbond kepe litel loke lord maken maketh maner matere moche n'is natheles never night nought owen Palamon peine peple pray preest prively quod rede reson richesse sain saith Salomon sapience sayd sayn sayth sayth Seint Senek shal shul shuld shuln sinne sire sith somtime sone sorwe soth sothly speke sterte swete swiche tale tellen thee ther therfore Theseus thilke thing thise thou shalt thurgh toke toun trewe trouthe understond unto veray vilanie wepe werkes whan wher wight wise withouten wold word wote ye ben ye shul yere yeve ynough yonge
Popular passages
Page 13 - PERSOUN of a toun ; But riche he was of holy thought and werk. He was also a lerned man, a clerk, That Cristes gospel trewely wolde preche ; His parisshens devoutly wolde he teche.
Page 9 - 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 447 - If thilke day he wente in-to bataille; 325 She warned him, but it mighte nat availle; He wente for to fighte nathelees, But he was slayn anoon of Achilles. But thilke tale is al to long to telle, And eek it is ny day, I may nat dwelle.
Page 11 - His herberwe, his mone, and his lodemanage, -los Ther was non swiche, from Hull unto Cartage. Hardy he was, and wise, I undertake : With many a tempest hadde his herd be shake. He knew wel alle the havens, as they were, Fro Gotland, to the Cape de finistere, And every creke in Bretagne and in Spaine : His barge ycleped was the Magdelaine.
Page 16 - For to ben wise in bying of vitaille. For whether that he paide, or toke by taille, Algate he waited so in his achate, That he was ay before in good estate.
Page 16 - In honour dettelees, but he were wood, Or live as scarsly as him list desire; And able for to helpen al a shire In any cas that mighte falle or happe; And yit this maunciple sette hir aller cappe.
Page 13 - That first he wrought, and afterward he taught. Out of the gospel he the wordes caught, And this figure he added yet thereto, That if gold ruste, what shuld iren do ? Tor if a preest be foule, on whom we trust, No wonder is a lewed man to rust...
Page 18 - Than wolde he speke, and crye as he were wood. And whan that he wel dronken hadde the wyn, 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,
Page 5 - 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.