The Merchant's Tale, l. 585
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.
“This noble ensample to his shepe he yaf, —
That first he wrought, and afterwards he taught.”
General Prologue, l. 498
The Canterbury Tales
General Prologue, l. 1044
The Canterbury Tales
“But Cristes lore, and his apostles twelve,
He taught; but first he folwed it himselve.”
General Prologue, l. 529
The Canterbury Tales
General Prologue, l. 295-300
The Canterbury Tales
“For gold in phisike is a cordial;
Therefore he loved gold in special.”
General Prologue, l. 445
The Canterbury Tales
“For thogh we slepe, or wake, or rome, or ryde,
Ay fleeth the tyme; it nyl no man abyde.”
The Clerk's Tale, l. 62-63
The Canterbury Tales
“But all thing which that shineth as the gold
Ne is no gold, as I have herd it told.”
The Chanones Yemannes Tale, l. 16430
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919), Canterbury Tales
“Fie on possession,
But if a man be vertuous withal.”
The Franklin's Tale, l. 10998
The Canterbury Tales
“The firste vertue, sone, if thou wilt lere,
Is to restreine and kepen wel thy tonge.”
The Manciples Tale, l. 17281
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919), Canterbury Tales
