Tale Flashcards
For now the grete charitee…
…and prayeres of limitours and other holy freres
Be verray force…
…he rafte hir maydenhede
What thyng…
…is it that wommen most desiren?
A man shal winne us best…
…with flaterye; and with attendance, and with bisinesse
For to be free, and do right…
…as us lest, and that no man repreve us of our vyce
Where as he saugh upon a daunce…
…go, of ladies faire and twenty
Vanisshed was the daunce…
…sane on the grene he saugh sittinge a wyf; a fouler wight ther may no man devyse
Wommen desiren to have sovereynetee…
…as wel over hir housbande as hir love, and for to been in maistrie him above
In Al the court be was ther wyf…
…ne mayde, ne widwe that contraired what he seyde
Thou mak me take unto…
…thy wyf; for wel thou wost that I have kept thy lyf
For Goddes love, as chees a newe…
…requeste; tak al my good, and lat my body go
For though that I be foul, and old, and pove…
…I nolde for al the metal, ne for ore, that under erthe is grave, or lym above, but if thy wyf I were, and eek thy love
That any of my nacioun…
…sholde ever so foule disparaged be!
And al day after hidde…
…him as an oule, so wo was him, his wyf looked so foul
Whan he was with his wyf…
…a-bedde y-broght; he walweth, and he turneth to and fro
His olde wyf lay…
…smylinge evermo
Fareth every knight…
…thus with his wyf as ye?
Thou art so loothly…
…and so old also
And ther to comen…
…of so lowe a kinde
But for ye speken of swich gentillesse…
…as is descended out of old richesse, that therefore sholde not ye be gentil man, swich arrogance is nat worth an hen
Loke who that is most vertuous alway…
…privee and apert, and most entendeth ay to do the gentil dedes that he kan, and tak him for the grettest gentil man
Crist wol we clayme…
…of him our gentillesse, nat of our eldres for hir old richesse
For though they yeve us al hir heritage…
…for which we clayme to been of heigh parage, yet may they nat biquethe, for no thyng to noon of us hir vertuous living
Dantes tale: ful selde up riseth by his branches smale prowesse…
…of a man, for God, of his goodnesse wol that of hym we clayme our gentillesse
If gentillesse were planted naturelly…
…unto a certeyn lineage, down the lyne, privee and apert, than wolde they never fyne to doon of gentillesse the fain offyce; they might do no villeyne or vice
Genterye is nat…
…annexed to possessioun
And nil him-selven do no gentil dedes…
…he is nat gentil. For he was boren of gentillesse
For vileyns sinful dedes…
…make a cherl
Thy gentillesse cometh fro God allone; than comth…
…our verray gentillesse of grace, it was no-thing biquethe us with our place
Thanne am I gentil whan that…
…I beginne to liven vertuously and weyve sinne
And ther as ye of povert…
…me repreve
In wilful povert chees…
…to live hys lyf
Glad povert is…
…an honest thyng
Who so that halt him…
…paid of his poverte, I holde him riche, al hadde he nat a sherte
He that coveiteth…
…is a povre wight
Al was this…
…land fulfild of fayerye
But he that noght hath…
…ne coveyteth have, is riche, al though he holde him but a knave
Poverte is…
…hateful good
al though it seme elenge: posessioun, that…
…ne wight wol challenge
Maketh his God…
…and eek him-self to knowe
Of elde…
…ye repreve ME
Now there ye seye…
…that I am foul and old
For filthe and elde, also moot I thee…
…been grete wardeyns upon chastitee
To han me foul and old til that I seye and to be…
…to yow trewe humble wyf, and never yow displese in al my lyf
Or elles ye wol Han me yong…
…and fair and take your aventure of the repair
I put me in your wys governance…
…cheseth yourself, which may be most plesance, and most honour to yow and me also
That she so fair…
…was and so young ther-to
His herte bathed…
…in a bathe of blisse
In parfit…
…joye
Eek I preye Jesu shorte…
…hir lyves that wol nat be governed by hir wyves
And olde and angry nigardes of dispence…
…God sende hem soone verray pestilence!
