Geoffrey Chaucer

“ He that hath the shortest shall begin. Sir Knight, my lord and master, draw thy cut now, for that is my will. Come nearer, my lady Prioress; and ye, sir Clerk, let be your shyness and ponder not; every man, lay hand to!"
Straightway every wight began to draw; and to tell briefly how it was, were it by chance or by fate or by luck, the truth is the lot fell to the Knight, for which everyone was full blithe and glad; and he must tell his tale, as was reasonable in accordance with the promise and agreement which ye have heard ; what need of more words? ”

“ A Monk there was, passing worthy, a bailiff to his house, who loved hunting; a manly man, well fit to be abbot. He had many a dainty horse in stable, and when he rode, men might hear his bridle jingling in a whistling wind as clear and loud as the chapel-bell, where this lord was prior. Because the rule of Saint Maur or of Saint Benedict was old and somewhat strait, this same monk let old things pass, and held his course after the new world. ”

“ For if a priest be foul, in whom we confide, no wonder a layman rusteth; and let a priest take heed how shameful is a defiled shepherd and a clean sheep. A priest ought well to show by the good ensample of his cleanness how his sheep should live. ”

“ To live in delight was ever his wont, for he was the own son of Epicurus, who held the opinion that the highest good verily standeth in pleasure. He was a householder, and that a great,—a very Saint Julian in his own country. His bread and ale were alway of one excellence; was nowhere a man with a better store of wine. ”

“ And if he found a good fellow anywhere, he would teach him in such cases to have no awe of the archdeacon's excommunication; unless the man's soul were in his purse, for it was but in his purse he should be punished. "Purse," said he, "is the arch-deacon's hell." But I wot in right sooth he lied. Every guilty man ought to dread excommunication, for Holy Church's curse will slay, even as absolution saveth. And also let him beware of a significavit nobis. He had at his mercy the indiscreet young folk of the diocese, and knew their secrets and was the adviser of them all. ”

“ And afterward I will tell of our journey, and all the remnant of our pilgrimage. But first of your courtesy I pray you that ye ascribe it not to my rudeness in this narrative, though I speak plainly in telling you their words and their cheer; nor though I speak their very words. For this ye know as well as I, whosoever shall tell a tale after a man must rehearse each word as nigh as ever he is able, if it be in his scope, speak he never so rudely and broad, or else he must needs tell his tale untrue, or feign things, or find new words. He may not spare any wight, although it were his brother ”

“ On his arm he bare a gay bracer, and by his side a buckler and sword, and on the other side a gay dagger, well harnessed and sharp as a spear-point. ”

“ In all the parish was no wife that should walk before her to the offering; but if any did, sooth, she was so wroth that she was clean out of charity. Her kerchiefs were wove full fine ; I durst swear they weighed ten pound that were on her head of a Sunday ; her hose were of fine scarlet, tied full close, and her shoes full new and supple. Her face was bold, fair and red of hue. All her life she was a worthy woman ; she had had five husbands at church-door, to say naught of other company in youth, but thereof needeth not now to speak. Thrice she had been at Jerusalem ”

“ Natheless, while I have time and space, ere I pass farther in this tale, methinketh it reasonable to tell you all the character of each of them, as it seemed to me, what folk they were, and of what estate, and eke in what accoutrement; and first, then, I will begin with a knight.
A Knight—a worthy man—there was, that since the time when first he rode out, loved chivalry, truth and honour, courtesy and liberality. Full valiant he was in battle for his lord, and eke had ridden, no man farther, in Christendom and heathenesse ”

“ Now is not that a fair grace from God that such a plain man's wit shall surpass the wisdom of an heap of learned clerks? More than thrice ten masters he had that were careful and expert in law, of whom in that house there were a dozen worthy to be stewards of rent and estate to any lord that is in England, and to let him live by his own property in honour, without debt, unless he were mad, or live as sparsely as he list—men able to help a whole shire in any case that might betide, and yet this Manciple hoodwinked them all. ”

“ Nowhere was so busy a man as he, and yet he seemed busier than he was. ”

“ Also I pray your forgiveness if here in this tale I have not set folk in their just degree as they should be placed; my wit is short, ye may understand.
Our host made great cheer for us one and all, and seated us anon at supper, and served us with victual as well as might be. The wine was strong and well we list to drink. A seemly man was our host, to have been a marshal in a hall; a large man, with dancing eyes; there is no fairer burgess in Cheapside ”

“ He had been at fifteen mortal battles, and fought for our faith thrice in the lists at Tramissene, and aye slain his foe. This same worthy Knight eke had fought once for the lord of Palatye against another heathen host in Turkey. And evermore he had a sovereign repute. And though he was valorous, he was wise, and as meek of his bearing as a maid. He never yet in all his life spake discourtesy to any manner of man. He was a very perfect gentle knight. ”

“ To draw folk to heaven by fair living and good ensample was his busy endeavour; unless it were some obdurate person. Him, whatsoever he were, of high or low degree, he would chide sharply for his sin. I trow there was nowhere a better priest. ”

“ This noble ensample he gave to his sheep, that he wrought first and afterward taught. ”

“ His lord's sheep, his dairy, his cattle, his swine, his horses, his stores and his poultry were wholly under the governance of this reeve, who by his covenant had given the reckoning thereof since his lord was twenty years of age; no man could find him in arrears. ”

“ He knew well how to profit by the exchange on French crowns. This worthy man well employed his wit; no man wist that he was in debt, so stately was he of behaviour in his bargains and borrowings. Truly he was a worthy man, but to say sooth, I wot not how men call him. ”

“ It is not seemly, it doth not profit, to deal with such poor rubbish, but rather with rich folk and victuallers. And whereso profit might arise, he was courteous and lowly in serving. Nowhere was there a man so efficacious ”