The Wife of Bath's Tale, l. 6695
The Canterbury Tales
Quotes from book
The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of 24 stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. In 1386, Chaucer became Controller of Customs and Justice of Peace and, in 1389, Clerk of the King's work. It was during these years that Chaucer began working on his most famous text, The Canterbury Tales. The tales are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The prize for this contest is a free meal at the Tabard Inn at Southwark on their return.
“Men sholde wedden after hir estat,
For youthe and elde is often at debat.”
The Miller's Tale, l. 121-122
The Canterbury Tales
“Right as an aspen lefe she gan to quake.”
Source: Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919), Canterbury Tales, L. 1201
General Prologue, l. 1-12
The Canterbury Tales
“And yet he had a thomb of gold parde.”
General Prologue, l. 565; referencing the proverb, "Every honest miller has a golden thumb".
The Canterbury Tales
The Parson's Tale, sect. 77
The Canterbury Tales
“Nowher so bisy a man as he ther nas,
And yet he semed bisier than he was.”
About the Sergeant of Law
General Prologue, l. 323-324
The Canterbury Tales
General Prologue, l. 733
The Canterbury Tales
“The proverbe saith that many a smale maketh a grate.”
Persones Tale
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919), Canterbury Tales
“I hold a mouses wit not worth a leke,
That hath but on hole for to sterten to.”
The Wife of Bath's Tale, l. 6154
The Canterbury Tales
“Ther nis no werkman, whatsoevere he be,
That may bothe werke wel and hastily.”
The Merchant's Tale, l. 1832-1833
The Canterbury Tales
