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For oute of olde feldys, as men sey,
Comyth al this newe corn from yere to yere;
And out of old bokis, in good fey,
Comyth al this newe science that men lere.
Topic: Age
Source: The Parlement of Fowles (l. 21)
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But every thyng which schyneth as the gold,
Nis nat gold, as that I have herd it told.
Topic: Appearance
Source: The Canterbury Tales (preamble, l. 17,362), The Canon's Yeoman's Tale
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Hyt is not al golde that glareth.
Topic: Appearance
Source: The House of Fame (bk. I, l. 272)
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Habit maketh no monke, ne wearing of guilt spurs maketh no
knight.
Topic: Appearance
Source: Testament of Love (bk. II), (Thomas Usk, Chaucer's contemporary, is generally accepted as author)
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Of harmes two the less is for to chose.
Topic: Choice
Source: Troilus and Criseyde (bk. II, l, 470)
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That men by reason will it calle may
The daisie or elles the eye of day
The emperice, and floure of floures alle.
Topic: Daisies
Source: The Legend of Good Women (l. 184)
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That of all the floures in the mede,
Thanne love I most these floures white and rede,
Suche as men callen daysyes in her toune.
Topic: Daisies
Source: The Legend of Good Women (l. 41)
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Therefore it behooveth hire a full long spoon
That shal ete with a feend.
Topic: Devil
Source: The Canterbury Tales (l. 602), The Squire's Tale
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It is nought good a sleeping hound wake.
Topic: Dogs
Source: Troilus and Criseyde (III, 764)
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The thrustelcok made eek hir lay,
The wode dove upon the spray
She sang ful loude and cleere.
Topic: Doves
Source: The Canterbury Tales, The Tale of Sir Thopas
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And broughte of mighty ale a large quart.
Topic: Drinking
Source: The Canterbury Tales (l. 3,497), The Miller's Tale
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This noble ensample to his sheepe he gaf,--
That firste he wroughte and after he taughte.
Topic: Example
Source: The Canterbury Tales (prologue, l. 496)
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Yet in oure asshen olde is fyr yreke.
Topic: Fire
Source: The Canterbury Tales (prologue, l. 3,881), The Reeve's Tale
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Every honest miller has a golden thumb.
Topic: Gold
Source: The Canterbury Tales, old saying
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For gold in phisik is a cordial;
Therefore he lovede gold in special.
Topic: Gold
Source: The Canterbury Tales (prologue, l. 443)
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And yet he hadde "a thombe of gold" pardee.
Topic: Gold
Source: The Canterbury Tales (prologue, l. 563)
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One eare it heard, at the other out it went.
Topic: Hearing
Source: The Canterbury Tales (bk. IV, l. 435)
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The false lapwynge, full of trecherye.
Topic: Lapwings
Source: The Parlement of Fowles (l. 47)
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And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche.
Topic: Learning
Source: The Canterbury Tales (prologue, l. 308)
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The life so short, the crafts so long to learn.
Topic: Learning
Source: None
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First he wrought, and afterward he taught.
Topic: Literature
Source: None
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She lovede Right fro the firste sighte.
Topic: Love
Source: None
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Love is blynde.
Topic: Love
Source: None
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Experience, though non auctoritee
Were in this world, is right ynough to me
To speke of wo that is in mariage. . . .
Topic: Marriage
Source: Canterbury Tales--The Wife of Bath's Prologue
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Marriage is a wonderful invention; but, then again, so is a
bicycle repair kit.
Topic: Marriage
Source: Canterbury Tales--The Wife of Bath's Prologue
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Mordre wol out, that see we day by day.
Topic: Murder
Source: The Canterbury Tales (l. 15,058), The Nun's Priest's Tale
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Nature vicarye of the Almighty Lord.
Topic: Nature
Source: The Parlement of Fowles (l. 379)
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Thanne is it wysdom, as thynketh me,
To maken vertu of necessite,
And take it weel, that we may not eschu,
And namely that that to us alle is due.
Topic: Necessity
Source: The Canterbury Tales (l. 2,182), The Knight's Tale
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Thus with hir fader for a certeyn space
Dwelleth this flour of wyfly pacience,
That neither by hir wordes ne his face
Biforn the fold, ne eek in her absence,
Ne shewed she that hir was doon offence.
Topic: Patience
Source: The Canterbury Tales (V, l. 13,254), The Clerk's Tale
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He koude songes make and well endite.
Topic: Poets
Source: The Canterbury Tales (prologue, l. 95)
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But Cristes loore, and his Apostles twelve
He taughte, but first he folowed it hymselfe.
Topic: Preaching
Source: The Canterbury Tales (prologue, l. 527)
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Many a smale maketh a grate.
Topic: Proverbs
Source: The Canterbury Tales, The Parson's Tale
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Felds hath eyen, and wode have eres.
Topic: Proverbs
Source: The Canterbury Tales (l. 1,522), The Knight's Tale
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So was hir jolly whistel wel y-wette.
Topic: Proverbs
Source: The Canterbury Tales (l. 4,155), The Reeve's Tale
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Certes, they been lye to hounds, for an hound when he cometh by the roses, or by other bushes, though he may nat pisse, yet wole he heve up his leg and make a countenance to pisse.
Topic: Psychological Subjects
Source: None
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Frieth in his own grease.
Topic: Punishment
Source: The Canterbury Tales (V, 6069), The Wife of Bath's Tale
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In jalousie I rede eek thou hym bynde
And thou shalt make him couche as doeth a quaille.
Topic: Quail
Source: The Canterbury Tales (l. 13,541), The Clerk's Tale
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Rose were sette of swete savour,
With many roses that thei bere.
Topic: Roses
Source: The Romaunt of the Rose
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I am not the rose, but I have lived near the rose.
[Fr., Je ne suis pas la rose, mais j'ai vecu pres d'elle.]
Topic: Roses
Source: The Romaunt of the Rose
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His studie was but litel on the Bible.
Topic: Scripture
Source: The Canterbury Tales (prologue, l. 4)
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For thre may kepe a counsel, if twain be awaie.
Topic: Secrecy
Source: The Ten Commandments of Love (41)
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And for to se, and eek for to be seye.
Topic: Sight
Source: The Canterbury Tales (preamble, l. 6,134), The Wife of Bath's Tale
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It is not good a sleping hound to wake.
Topic: Sleep
Source: Troilus and Criseyde (I, 640)
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For of Fortune's sharpe adversite,
The worste kynde of infortune is this,
A man to hav bent in prosperite,
And it remembren whan it passed is.
Topic: Sorrow
Source: Troilus and Criseyde (bk. III, l. 1,625)
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The jelous swan, agens hire deth that syngith.
Topic: Swans
Source: The Parlement of Fowles (l. 342)
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The first vertue, sone, if thou wilt lerne,
Is to restreyne and kepen wel thy tonge.
Topic: Tongue
Source: The Canterbury Tales (l. 18,213), The Manciple's Tale
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Ther n' is no werkman whatever he be,
That may both werken wel and hastily.
This wol be done at leisure parfitly.
Topic: Work
Source: The Canterbury Tales (l. 585), The Merchant's Tale
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Nowher so besy a man as he ther was,
And yet he semed bisier than he was.
Topic: Work
Source: The Canterbury Tales (prologue, l. 321)
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