ENGL120: Quote IDS (midterm)

Beowulf, II.866-73 and 912-13 (Sigemund & Beowulf)

"Meanwhile, a thane

of the king's household, a carrier of tales,

a traditional singer deeply schooled

in the lore of the past, linked a new theme

to a strict metre. The man started

to recite with skill, rehearsing Beowulf's

triumphs and feats in well-fashioned lines,

entwining his words.

. . . Such was Beowulf

in the affection of his friends, and of everyone alive."

Beowulf, II. 1010-18 (politics in Beowulf)

"No group ever gathered in greater numbers

or better order around their ring-giver.

The benches filled with famous men

who fell to with relish; round upon round

of mead was passed; those powerful kinsmen,

Hrothgar and Hrothulf, were in high spirits

in the raftered hall. Inside Heorot

there was nothing but friendship. The Shielding nation

was not yet familiar with feud and betrayal."

Beowulf, II. 459-61, 470-72 (Hrothgar to Beowulf)

"There was a feud one time, begun by your father.

With his own hands he had killed Heatholaf,

Who was a Wulfing; so war was looming . . .

Finally I healed the feud by paying:

I shipped a treasure-trove to the Wulfings

And Ecgtheow acknowledged me with oaths of allegiance."

Beowulf, II. 277-90 (Beowulf speaking to the Danish guard)

". . . I come to proffer

my wholehearted help and counsel.

I can show the wise Hrothgar a way

to defeat his enemy and find respite—

if any respite is to reach him, ever.

I can calm the turmoil and terror in his mind.

Otherwise, he must endure woes

and live with grief for as long as his hall

stands at the horizon, on its high ground."

Beowulf, II. 501-5 (Unferth's hatred of Beowulf)

". . . Beowulf's coming,

his sea-braving, made him sick with envy:

he could not brook or abide the fact

that anyone else alive under heaven

might enjoy greater regard than he did."

Beowulf, II. 599-603 (Beowulf to Unferth)

"[Grendel] knows he can trample down you Danes

to his heart's content, humiliate and murder

without fear of reprisal. But he will find me different.

I will show him how Geats shape to kill

in the heat of battle."

Beowulf, II. 1174-76 (Wealhtheow to Hrothgar)

"The bright court of Heorot has been cleansed

and now the word is that you want to adopt

this warrior as a son."

Beowulf, II. 88-93 (Grendel on Heorot)

". . . It harrowed him

to hear the din of the loud banquet

every day in the hall, the harp being struck

and the clear song of a skilled poet

telling with mastery of man's beginnings,

how the Almighty had made the earth

a gleaming plain girdled with waters. . ."

Beowulf, II. 144-66 (Grendel's attacks on the Danes)

"So Grendel ruled in defiance of right,

one against all, until the greatest house

in the world stood empty, a deserted wallstead.

[. . .]

Sad lays were sung about the beset king,

the vicious raids and ravages of Grendel,

his long and unrelenting feud,

nothing but war; how he would never

parley or make peace with any Dane

nor stop his death-dealing nor pay the death-price.

[. . .]

So Grendel waged his lonely war,

inflicting constant cruelties on the people,

atrocious hurt."

Beowulf, II. 1085-94, 1096-1103, 1146-52 (The story of Finn and the Danes)

"So a truce was offered as follows: first

separate quarters to be cleared for the Danes,

hall and throne to be shared with the Frisians.

Then, second: every day

at the dole-out of gifts, Finn, son of Focwald,

should honor the Danes, bestow with an even

hand to Hengest and Hengest's men,

the wrought-gold rings, bounty to match

the measure he gave his own Frisians—

to keep morale in the beer-hall high.

[. . .]

"With oaths to Hengest, Finn swore

openly, solemnly, that the battle survivors

would be guaranteed honor and status.

No infringement by word or deed,

no provocation, would be permitted.

Their own ring-giver, after all,

was dead and gone, they were leaderless,

in forced allegiance to his murderer.

[. . .]

". . . blood was spilled, the gallant Finn

slain in his home after Guthlaf and Oslaf

back from their voyage made old accusation:

the brutal ambush, the fate they had suffered,

all blamed on Finn. The wildness in them

had to brim over. The hall ran red

with blood of enemies."

Beowulf, II. 671-85 (Beowulf removes his armor)

"He began to remove his iron breast-mail,

took off the helmet and handed his attendant

the patterned sword, a smith's masterpiece,

ordering him to keep the equipment guarded.

And before he bedded down, Beowulf,

that prince of goodness, proudly asserted:

"When it comes to fighting, I count myself

as dangerous any day as Grendel.

So it won't be a cutting edge I'll wield

to mow him down, easily as I might.

He has no idea of the arts of war,

of shield or sword-play, although he does possess

a wild strength. No weapons, therefore,

for either this night: unarmed he shall face me

if face me he dares.""

Beowulf, II. 2682-87 (Beowulf prepares for battle)

". . . Beowulf got ready,

donned his war-gear, indifferent to death;

his mighty, hand-forged, fine-webbed mail

would soon meet with the menace underwater.

It would keep the bone-cage of his body safe:

no enemy's clasp could crush him in it,

no vicious armlock choke his life out.

To guard his head he had a glittering helmet

that was due to be muddied on the mere bottom

and blurred in the upswirl. It was of beaten gold,

princely headgear hooped and hasped

by a weapon-smith who had worked wonders

in days gone by and adorned it with boar-shapes;

since then it had resisted every sword . . ."

Beowulf, II. 1441-58 (Beowulf prepares for battle, cont.)

". . . And another item lent by Unferth

at that moment of need was of no small importance:

the brehon handed him a hilted weapon,

a rare and ancient sword named Hrunting."

Beowulf's struggle with Grendel's mother

She grabs him with a "brutal grip" (1502) and drags him to her lair

His chainmail saved him from her "savage talons" and later, a knife blow (1503-4 and 1545-49)

He tries to grapple her, as he did Grendel, but she forces him to his knees (1543-44)

Only by using a sword made by the giants, hanging on the wall of her lair, can he defeat her (1557-69)

Beowulf, II. 1689-98 (The Hilt of the Ancient Sword)

". . . It was engraved all over

and showed how war first came into the world

and the flood destroyed the tribe of giants.

They suffered a terrible severance from the Lord;

the Almighty made the waters rise,

drowned them in the deluge for retribution.

In pure gold inlay on the sword-guards

there were rune-markings correctly incised,

stating and recording for whom the sword

had been first made and ornamented

with its scrollworked hilt."

Beowulf, II. 787-96 (Beowulf fights Grendel)

". . . He was overwhelmed,

manacled tight by the man who of all men

was foremost and strongest in the days of this life.

But the earl-troop's leader was not inclined

to allow his caller to depart alive:

he did not consider that life of much account

to anyone anywhere. Time and again,

Beowulf's warriors worked to defend

their lord's life, laying about them

as best they could, with their ancestral blades."

Beowulf, II. 1738-47 (Beowulf's Heroism)

". . . The whole world

conforms to his will, he is kept from the word

until an element of overweening

enters him and takes hold

while the soul's guard, its sentry, drowses,

grown too distracted. A killer stalks him,

an archer who draws a deadly bow.

And then the man is hit in the heart,

the arrow flies beneath his defences,

the devious promptings of the demon start."

Beowulf, II. 2345-54 (Beowulf's pride)

". . . the prince of the rings was too proud

to line up with a large army

against the sky-plague. He had scant regard

for the dragon as a threat, no dread at all

of its courage or strength, for he had kept going

often in the past, through perils and ordeals

of every sort, after he had purged

Hrothgar's hall, triumphed in Heorot

and beaten Grendel. He outgrappled the monster and

his evil kin."

Beowulf, II. 2419-24 (Beowulf and Wyrd)

"[Beowulf] was sad at heart,

unsettled yet ready, sensing his death.

His fate hovered near, unknowable but certain:

it would soon claim his coffered soul,

part life from limb. Before long

the prince's spirit would spin free from his body."

Beowulf, II. 2524-28 (Beowulf's boast)

"I won't shift a foot

when I meet the cave-guard: what occurs on the wall

between the two of us will turn out as fate,

overseer of men, decides. I am resolved."

Beowulf, II. 1885-87, 2208-9, 2510-15 (on Beowulf's old age)

". . . he was a peerless king

until old age sapped his strength and did

him mortal harm, as it has done so many.

[. . .]

"for fifty winters, [Beowulf] grew old and wise

as a warden of the land . . ."

[. . .]

."Now I am old,

but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight

for the glory of winning, if the evil one will only

abandon his earth-fort and face me in the open.""

Beowulf, II. 2752-66 (The dragon's hoard)

"And so, I have heard, the son of Weohstan

quickly obeyed the command of his languishing

war-weary lord; he went in his chain-mail

under the rock-piled roof of the barrow,

exulting in his triumph, and saw beyond the seat

a treasure-trove of astonishing richness,

wall-hangings that were a wonder to behold,

glittering gold spread across the ground,

the old dawn-scorching serpent's den

packed with goblets and vessels from the past,

tarnished and corroding. Rusty helmets

all eaten away. Armbands everywhere,

artfully wrought. How easily treasure

buried in the ground, gold hidden

however skilfully, can escape from any man!"

Beowulf, II. 3003-7 (Wiglaf's Eulogy for Beowulf)

". . . In days gone by

when our warriors fell and we were undefended,

he kept our coffers and our kingdom safe.

He worked for the people, but as well as that

he behaved like a hero."

Marie de France, "Epilogue" to Fables (II. 1-4)

"At the close of this text,

which I have written and composed in French,

I shall name myself for posterity:

my name is Marie and I come from France."

Marie de France, "Prologue" to Lais (II. 43-48)

"In your honor, noble king,

you who are so worthy and courtly,

you to whom all joy pays homage

and in whose heart all true virtue has taken root,

did I set myself to assemble lays,

to compose and to relate them in rhyme."

Marie de France, Lanval, (II. 93-106)

"In the tent lay the demoiselle;

the lily, the new rose as well,

that in the summertime appear—

Oh, she was so much lovelier!

She lay upon a gorgeous bed;

—worth a great castle was the spread—

And her chemise was all she wore.

Her body so well formed, so fair!

A costly cloak, of ermine fur,

and Alexandrine silk, she wore;

from the heat it protected her.

Her side, though, was revealed and bare

Face, neck, and breast bare too, and white

as hawthorn bloom, as delicate."

Marie de France, Lanval (II. 121-30)

"Fair one: if you should wish to give

to me such joy, to give your love,

I know of nothing you might ask

I would not honor as my task

if it lay in my power at all—

though good, or evil, might befall.

I will do all that you require;

forsake all those I might desire,

and never seek to part from you—

this, above all, I wish to do."

Marie de France, Milun (II. 49-59)

". . . in a garden, set nearby

her chamber, in great jollity

of spirit, she kept rendez-vous;

Oh, frequently they met, those two!

He came so much, he loved so well,

that she conceived, this demoiselle.

When she perceived she was enceinte,

she summoned Milun, made her plaint,

and told him what had come to pass;

honor and good name lost, alas,

since she'd engaged in this affair."

Marie de France, Milun (II. 77-80)

". . . hang around its neck your ring,

also a letter you must bring,

written within, its father's name

and the hard story of its dame."

Marie de France, Chevrefoil (II. 1-4)

"Much pleased am I to tell the tale,

The lai that folk call Chevrefoil.

I shall recount the truth, the sum,

Why it was made, and how: for whom."

Marie de France, Chevrefoil (II. 117-18)

"Now I've recounted all that's true

about this lai I've told to you."

Marie de France, Chevrefoil (II. 17-24)

"For a full yearn was his sojourn,

in exile; he could not return,

but then he chose, most recklessly,

to risk death and calamity.

That choice should not astonish you,

for loyal lovers, steadfast, true,

are troubled, full of doleful thought,

when their great longings are not met."

Marie de France, Chevrefoil (II. 67-78)

". . . live he could not, if not with her.

The two of them were similar

To honeysuckle, which must find

a hazel, and around it bind;

when it enlaces it all round,

both in each other are all wound.

Together they will surely thrive

but split asunder, they'll not live.

Quick is the hazel tree's demise;

quickly the honeysuckle dies.

"So with us never, belle amie,

me without you, you without me.""

Gawain-Poet, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 651-55)

"The fifth set of five which I heard the knight followed

included friendship and fraternity with fellow men,

purity and politeness that impressed at all times,

and pity, which surpassed all pointedness. Five things

which meant more to Gawain than to most other men."

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 278-312): the Green Knight's insults

". . . bum-fluffed bairns"

". . . lightweight men"

"Where's the fortitude and fearlessness you're so famous for? And the breathtaking bravery and the big-mouth bragging?"

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 179-202)

The fellow in green was in fine fettle.

The hair of his head was as green as his horse,

Fine flowing locks which fanned across his back,

Plus a bushy green beard growing down to his breast,

Which hung with the splendid hair from his head

And was lopped in a line at elbow length

So half his arms were gowned in green growth,

Crimped at the collar, like a king's cape.

The mane of his mount was groomed to match,

Combed and knotted into curlicues

Then tinseled with gold, tied and twisted

Green over gold, green over gold

. . . the fetlocks were finished in the same fashion

With bright green ribbon braided with beads,

As was the tail—to its tippety-tip!

And a long, tied throng lacing it tight

Where bright and burnished gold bells chimed clearly.

No waking man had witnessed such a warrior

Or weird warhorse—otherworldly, yet flesh

and bone.

His look was lightning bright

Said those who glimpsed its glow.

It seemed no man there might

Survive his violent blow."

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 403-4): Gawain's Troth

"". . . I shall use all my wit to work out the way,

and keep to our contract, so cross my heart.""

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 1060-67)): Gawain's Troth (cont,)

""For I am bound by a bond agreed by us both

to link up with him there, should I live that long.

As dawn on New Year's Day draws near,

if God sees fit, I shall face that freak

more happily than I would the most wondrous wealth!

With your blessing, therefore, I must follow my feet.

In three short days my destiny is due,

and I would rather drop dead than default from duty.""

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 491-95)

"This happening was a gift—just as Arthur had asked for

and had yearned to hear of while the year was young.

And if guests had no subject as they strolled to their seats,

now this serious concern sustained their chatter.

And Gawain had been glad to begin the game . . ."

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 358-65)

""Such a foolish affair is unfitting for a king,

so; being first to come forward, it should fall to me.

And if my proposal is improper, let no other person

stand blame."

The knighthood then unites

and each knight says the same:

their king can stand aside

and give Gawain the game."

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 674-83)

""A pity, by Christ,

if a lord so noble should lose his life.

To find his equal on earth would be far from easy.

Cleverer to have acted with caution and care,

deemed him a duke—a title he was due—

a leader of men, lord of many lands;

better that than being battered into oblivion,

beheaded by an ogre, through headstrong pride.

Whoever knew any king to take counsel of a knight

in the grip of an engrossing Christmas game?"

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 521-35)

"Then autumn arrives to harden the harvest

and with it comes a warning to ripen before winter.

The drying airs arrive, driving up dust

from the face of the earth to the heights of heaven,

and wild sky wrestles the sun with its winds,

and the leaves of the lime lie littered on the ground,

and grass that was green turns withered and gray.

Then all which had risen over-ripens and rots

and yesterday on yesterday the year dies away,

and winter returns, as is the way of the world,

through time. . .

At Michaelmas the moon

stands like that season's sign,

a warning to Gawain

to rouse himself and ride."

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 941-46)

"She was fairest amongst them—her face, her flesh,

her complexion, her quality, her bearing, her body,

more glorious than Guinevere, or so Gawain thought,

and in the chancel of the church they exchanged courtesies."

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: First Bedroom Scene

Move no. 1: (The Lady; II. 1234-40)

"You're free to have my all,

do with me what you will.

I'll come just as you call

and swear to serve you well."

Move no. 2: (____; II. 1241-42)

"In-good faith," said ____, "such gracious flattery,

though in truth I'm not now such a noble knight.

Move no. 3: (The Lady; 1251-52)

"But what lady in this land wouldn't latch the door,

wouldn't rather hold you as I do here . . ."

Move no. 4 (____; II. 1263-64)

"Madam," said our man, "may Mary reward you,

in good faith, I have found your fairness noble.

Move no. 5 (The Lady; II. 1268-75)

"By Mary," she declared, "it's quite the contrary.

[. . .]

no person on this planet would be picked

before you."

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 1292-1304)

"May the Lord repay you for your prize performance,

But I know that Gawain could never be your name."

"But why not?" the knight asked nervously,

afraid that some fault in his manners had failed him.

The beautiful woman blessed him, then rebuked him:

"A good man like Gawain, so greatly regarded,

the embodiment of courtliness to the bones of his being,

could never have lingered so long with a lady

without craving a kiss, as politeness requires,

or coaxing a kiss with his closing words."

"Very well," said Gawain, "Let it be as you wish.

I shall kiss at your command, as becomes a knight,

and further, should it please you, so press me no more."

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 1849-58)

". . . the knight who knew of the power knitted in it

would pay a high price to possess it, perhaps.

For the body which is bound within this green belt,

as long as it is buckled robustly about him,

will be safe against anyone who seeks to strike him,

and all the slyness on earth wouldn't see him slain.

. . . it entered his mind

it must be just the jewel for the jeopardy he faced

and save him from the strike in his challenge at the chapel.

With luck, it might let him escape with his life."

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 2156-59)

"By Christ, I will not cry,"

announced the knight, "or groan,

but find my fortune by

the grace of God alone."

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 2265-67)

". . . glimpsing the axe at the edge of his eye

bringing death earthwards as it arced through the air,

and sensing its sharpness, Gawain shrank at the shoulders."

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 2374-83) — Gawain on Sin

"A curse upon cowardice and covetousness.

They breed villainy and vice, and destroy all virtue."

Then he grabbed the girdle and ungathered its knot

And flung it in fury at the man before him.

"My downfall and undoing; let the devil take it!

Dread of the death blow and cowardly doubts

Meant I gave in too greed, and in doing so forgot

The freedom and fidelity every knight knows too follow.

And now I am found to be flawed and false.

Through treachery and untruth I have totally failed."

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (II. 2505-12) — Gawain on Sin

"Regard," said Gawain, as he held up the girdle,

"the symbol of my sin, for which my neck bears the scar;

a sign of my fault and offence and failure,

of the cowardice and covetousness I came to commit.

I was tainted by untruth. This, its token,

I will drape across my chest till the day I die.

For man's crimes can be covered but never made clean;

once sin is entwined it is attached for all time."

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (ll. 2513-21) — Arthur on Sin

"The king gave comfort, then the whole of the court

allow, as they laugh in lovely accord,

that the lords and ladies who belong to the Table,

every knight in the brotherhood, should bear such a belt,

a bright green belt worn obliquely to the body,

crosswise, like a sash, for the sake of this man.

So that slanting green stripe was adopted as their sign,

and each knight who held it was honored ever after,

as all the best books on romance remind us . . ."

Chaucer, General Prologue, II. 1-10 (Stage one)

"Whan that April with his showres soote°

The droughte° of March hath perced° to the roote,

And bathed every veine° in swich licour, °

Of which vertu engendred° is the flowr—

Whan Zephyrus° eek with his sweete breeth

Inspired hath in every holt° and heeth

The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne

Hath in the Ram° his halve cours yronne—

And small fowles maken melodye

That slepen al the night with open ye°—

So priketh hem° Nature in hir corages ° . . ."

Chaucer, General Prologue, II. 11-16 (Stage two)

"". . . Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,

And palmeres° for to seeken straunge strondes°

To ferne halwes° , couthe° in sondry londes,

And specially from every shires ende

Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende° ,

The holy blisful martyr° for to seeke,

That hem hath holpen° whan that they were seke.°"

Chaucer, General Prologue, II. 11-16 (Stage three)

"Bifel° that in that season on a day,

In Southwerk at the Tabard° as I lay,

Redy to wenden° on my pilgrimage

To Caunterbury with ful devout corage, °

At night was come into that hostelrye°

Wel nine and twenty in a compaignye

Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle°

In felaweshipe, ° and pilgrimes were they alle

That toward Caunterbury wolden ride. °"

Chaucer, General Prologue, II. 34-41 (Stage four)

"But nathelees, ° whil I have tyme and space,

Er that I ferther in this tale pace,°

Me thynketh it acordaunt to resoun °

To telle yow al the condicioun

Of ech of hem, so as it semed me, °

And whiche they weren, and of what degree,°

And eek in what array° that they were inne.

And at a knyght than wol I first bigynne."

Chaucer, General Prologue, II. 72-78 (the Knight)

"A Knight ther was, and that a worthy man,

That fro° the time that he first bigan

To riden out, he loved chivalrye,

Trouthe and honour, freedom and curteisye°.

Ful° worthy was he in his lordes werre ° ,

And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre° ,

As wel in Cristendom as hethenesse° ,

And evere ° honoured for his worthinesse."

Chaucer, General Prologue, II. ?? (the Knight)

"He was a verray, ° parfit, gentil knight.

But for to tellen you of his array,°

His hors were goode, but he was nat gay. °

Of fustian° he wered a gipoun°

Al bismotered with his haubergeoun, °

For he was late come from his viage, °

And wente for to doon his pilgrimage."

Chaucer, General Prologue, II. 53-63 (the campaigns)

"At Alisaundre he was whan it was wonne °.

Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bigonne.1

Aboven alle nacions in Pruce;

In Lettow hadde he reysed° and in Ruce,

No Cristen man so ofte of his degree.°

In Gernade at the seege eek° hadde he be

Of Algezir, and riden in Belmarye.

At Lyeys was he and at Satalye,

Whan they were wonne, and in the Grete See

At many a noble armee hadde he be°.

At mortal° batailles hadde he been fiftene,

And foughten for oure feith° at Tramyssene

In lystes thries, ° and ay slayn his foo."

Chaucer, General Prologue, II. 144-50 (the Prioress)

"But for to speken of hire conscience,

She was so charitable and so pitous, °

She wolde weepe ° if that she saw a mous

Caught in a trappe, if it were deed° or bledde°.

Of smale houndes° hadde she that she fedde

With rosted° flessh, or milk and wastelbreed;

But sore wepte she if oon ° of hem were deed,

Or if men smoot it° with a yerde° smerte;

And al was conscience and tendre° herte."

Chaucer, General Prologue, II. 547-68 (on the Miller)

"The Millere was a stout carl° for the nones °.

Ful big he was of brawn and eek° of bones—

That preved wel1 , for overal ther° he cam°

At wrastling he wolde have always the ram°.

He was short-shuldred, brood° , a thikke knarre°.

Ther was no dore that he nolde heve of harre ,

Or breke° it at a renning with his heed°.

His beerd as any sowe ° or fox was reed° ,

And therto° brood, as though it were a spade;

Upon the cop° right of his nose he hade

A werte°, and theron stood a tuft of heres° ,

Rede as the bristles of a sowes eres ° . . ."

". . . A swerd° and a bokeler° bar he by his side,

His mouth as greet° was as a greet furnais°.

He was a janglere and a Goliardais1 ,

And that was most of sinne and harlotries°.

Wel coude he stelen corn ° and tollen thries —

And yit he hadde a thombe of gold, pardee°.

A whit cote° and a blew° hood wered he.

A baggepipe° wel coude he blowe and soune,

And therwithal° he broughte us out of towne."

Chaucer, General Prologue, II. 548-52

"Ful big he was of brawn and eek° of bones—

That preved wel1 , for overal ther° he cam°

At wrastling he wolde have always the ram °.

He was short-shuldred, brood° , a thikke knarre °.

Ther was no dore that he nolde heve of harre . . ."

Chaucer, Miller's Tale: the Miller's aggression

He declares that he will "quite," or pay back, the "Knightes Tale" with his own "noble tale" (17-19)

He suggests that the Reeve, whom she sarcastically calls "leve brother Osewold," may be a a "cokewold" (43-45)

The host explains that the Miller is rude, and would not "abiden no man for his curteisye" (15)

Chaucer, General Prologue, II. 788-801 (the Host speaking)

""Lordynges," quod he, "now herkneth° for the beste;

But taak it nought°, I prey yow, in desdeyn.

This is the poynt, ° to speken short and pleyn,

That ech of yow, to shorte with oure weye, °

In this viage° shal telle tales tweye

To Caunterbury-ward, I mene it so,°

And homward° he shal tellen othere two,

Of aventures that whilom han bifalle.°

And which of yow that bereth hym best° of alle -

That is to seyn, that telleth in this caas °

Tales of best sentence° and moost solaas° -

Shal have a soper ° at oure aller cost

Heere in this place, sittynge by this post,

Whan that we come agayn ° fro Caunterbury."

Chaucer, Miller's Tale, II. 1-5

"Whan that the Knight hadde thus his tale ytold,

In al the route nas ° ther yong ne old

That he ne saide it was a noble storye,

And worthy for to drawen° to memorye,

And namely the gentils° everichoon."

Chaucer, Miller's Tale, II. 17-19

". . . "By armes and by blood and by bones,°

I can a noble tale for the nones,

With which I wol now quite° the Knightes tale.""

Chaucer, Miller's Tale, II. 125-38, 160-62 - (critique on hegemonic norms of how beauty is displayed/conveyed in writing)

"Fair was this yonge wif°, and therwithal

As any wesele° hir body gent° and smal.

A ceint° she wered, barred al° of silk;

A barmcloth° as whit as morne °

Upon her lendes° , ful of many a gore° ;

Whit was hir smok, and broiden al bifore°

And eek behinde, on hir coler° aboute,

Of col-blak° silk, withine and eek withoute;

The tapes° of hir white voluper°

Were of the same suite of hir coler° ;

Hir filet brood° of silk and set ful hye;

And sikerly° she hadde a likerous° yë;

Ful smale ypulled° were hir browes two,

And tho were bent°, and blake as any slo°."

Chaucer, Miller's Tale, II. 91-94

"This clerk was cleped hende° Nicholas.

Of derne° love he coude, and of solas° ,

And therto he was sly and ful privee° ,

And lik a maide° meeke for to see."

Chaucer, Miller's Tale, II. 163-70

". . . on a day this hende° Nicholas

Fil° with this yonge wif to rage° and playe,

Whil that hir housbonde was at Oseneye°

(As clerkes been ful subtil° and ful quainte°),

And prively° he caughte hire by the queinte° ,

And saide, "Ywis, but if ich have° my wille,

For derne° love of thee, lemman, I spille°.""

Chaucer, Miller's Tale, II. 623-27

"This Absolon gan wipe° his mouth ful drye:

Derk was the night as pich° or as the cole, °

And at the windowe out she putte hir hole,°

And Absolon, him fil no bet ne wers, °

But with his mouth he kiste° hir naked ers, °

Ful savourly, ° er he were war° of this."

Chaucer, Miller's Tale, II. 105-8

"And al above ther lay a gay sautrye, °

On which he made a-nightes° melodye

So swetely that al the chambre roong, °

And Angelus ad Virginem he soong ° . . ."

Chaucer, Miller's Tale, II. 55-58 (the Miller speaking)

""An housbonde shal nat been inquisityf°

Of Goddes pryvetee° nor of° his wyf,

So° he may fynde Goddes foyson° there,

Of the remenant° nedeth nat enquere °!""

Chaucer, Miller's Tale, II. 696-707

"And therwith spak this clerk, this Absolon,

"Spek, sweete bryd, ° I noot nat° where thou art."

This Nicholas anon leet fle° a fart

As greet as it had been a thonder-dent,°

That with the strook he was almoost yblent° ;

And he was redy with his iren hoot,°

And Nicholas amydde the ers ° he smoot:

Off gooth the skin an hande-breede° aboute;

The hote cultour brende so his toute°

That for the smert° he wende° for to die;

As he were wood for wo° he gan to crye,

"Help! Water! Water! Help, for Goddes herte!°""

Chaucer, Miller's Tale, II. 708-15

"This carpenter out of his slomber sterte, °

And herde oon cryen "Water!" as he were wood,°

And thoughte, "Allas, now cometh Noweles flood!°"

He sette him up° withoute wordes mo,

And with his ax he smoot° the corde atwo, °

And down gooth al: he foond neither to selle°

Ne breed ne ale til he cam to the celle, °

Upon the floor, and ther aswoune ° he lay."

Chaucer, General Prologue, II. 462-78 (on the Wife of Bath)

"A good Wif was ther of biside° Bathe,

But she was somdeel deef°, and that was scathe.

Of cloth-making she hadde swich an haunt° ,

She passed° hem of Ypres and of Gaunt.

In al the parish wif° ne was ther noon

That to the offring before° hire sholde goon,

And if ther dide, certain so wroth° was she

That she was out of° alle charitee.

Hir coverchiefs ful fine were of ground°—

I dorste° swere they weyeden° ten pound

That on a Sonday° weren upon hir heed."

Chaucer, General Prologue, II. 462-78 (on the Wife of Bath)

Housbondes at chirche dore she hadde five ,

Withouten° other compaignye in youthe— excepting

But therof needeth nought to speke as nouthe°.

[. . .]

Gat-toothed° was she, soothly for to saye.

Upon an amblere° esily she sat . . .

[. . .]

In felaweshipe° wel coude she laughe and carpe:

Of remedies of love she knew parchaunce° ,

For she coude of that art° the olde daunce."

Chaucer, Wife of Bath's Prologue, II. 1-8

"Experience, though noon auctoritee°

Were in this world, is right ynogh° for me

To speke of wo ° that is in mariage;

For, lordynges, sith° I twelve yeer ° was of age,

Thonked be God° that is eterne on lyve,

Housbondes at chirche dore I have had fyve—

If I so ofte myghte have ywedded bee°—

And alle were worthy men in hir degree."

Wife of Bath's Prologue, II. 17-19

"Thoug hast yhad° fyve housbondes," quod he,

"And that ilke° man that now have thee

Is noght° thyn housbonde."

Wife of Bath's Prologue, II. 35-36, 56-59, 52-55

"Lo, heere° the wise king, daun Salomon;

I trowe° he hadde wyves mo ° than oon

[. . .]

I woot wel°Abraham was an hooly man,

And Jacob eek, as ferforth as I kan° ,

And ech of hem hadde wyves mo than two,

And many another holy man also.

[. . .]

[The Apostle] seïth to be wedded is no synne;

"Bet is° to be wedded than to brynne°."

What rekketh me ° thogh folk seye vileynye

Of shrewed° Lameth, and his bigamye?"

Wife of Bath's Prologue, II 26-29, 125-131

"Men may devyne and glosen°, up and doun,

But wel I woot, ° expres ° , withoute lye,

God bad us for to wexe and multiplye° ;

That gentil° text kan I wel understonde.

[. . .]

Glose whoso wol, ° and saye bothe up and down

That they were maked for purgacioun°

Of urine, and oure bothe thinges smale°

Was eek to knowe a femele from a male,

And for noon other cause—saye ye no?

Th'experience woot° it is nought so."

Wife of Bath's Prologue, II 778-93

"He spak° more harm than herte may bithinke,

And therwithal° he knew of mo proverbs

Than in this world ther growen gras or herbes:

"Bet is°," quod he, "thyn habitacioun°

Be with a leon° or a foul dragoun

Than with a womman using for to chide.°"

"Bet is," quod he, "hye° in the roof abide°

Than with an angry wif down in the hous:

They been so wikked and contrarious,

They haten that° hir housbondes loveth ay.°"

He saide, "A womman cast hir shame away°

Whan she cast of hir smok°," and ferthermo,

"A fair womman, but° she be chast° also,

Is like a gold ring in a sowes ° nose."

Who wolde weene °, or who wolde suppose

The wo that in myn herte was and pine°?"

Wife of Bath's Prologue, II 511-18

". . . he was to me the moste shrewe° :

That feele I on my ribbes al by rewe, °

And evere shal unto myn ending day.

But in oure bed he was so fressh and gay,

And therwithal so wel koude he me glose, °

Whan that he wolde han my bele chose; °

That thogh he hadde me bete° on every bon,°

He koude° wynne agayn my love anon.

I trowe° I loved hym best, for that he

Was of his love daungerous to me.°"

Wife of Bath's Prologue, II 788-807

"Al sodeynly thre leves have I plyght°

Out of his book, right as he radde, ° and eke

I with my fest° so took hym on the cheke

That in oure fyr° he fil° bakward adoun.

And up he sterte° as dooth a wood leoun° ,

And with his fist he smoot me ° on the heed

That in the floor I lay as° I were deed.

And whan he sawgh° how stille that I lay,

He was agast, ° and wolde have fled his way° ,

Til atte laste out of my swough I braide°

"O! hastow slayn me, ° false theef?" I seyde,

"And for my land thus hastow mordred° me?

Er I be deed,° yet wol I kisse thee."

And neer ° he cam, and kneled faire adoun, °

And seyde, "Deere suster°Alisoun,

As help me God, I shall thee nevere smyte!°

That I have doon, it is thyself to wyte.°

Foryeve° it me, and that I thee biseke!°"

Chaucer, General Prologue (II. 361-72), on the Guildsmen

"An Haberdasshere° and a Carpenter,

A Webbe, ° a Dyere, and a Tapycer, °

And they were clothed alle in o lyveree°

Of a solempne and a greet fraternitee.°

Ful fressh and newe hir geere apiked was. °

Hir knyves were chaped noght with bras°

But al with silver, wroght ful clene and weel°

Hire girdles° and hir pouches everydeel.

Wel semed ech of hem a fair burgeys°

To sitten in yeldehalle° on a deys.°

Everich for the wisdom that he kan°

Was shaply° for to been an alderman."

York Plays, "Creation," II. 81-94

"LUCIFER: Oh, look how I am worthily praised with worship like this!

Look at my glorious glow, my glittering gleams.

I am so mightily made that my joy may not fail—

I shall always abide in this bliss, by my brightness of beams.

I'm driven by no concerns, for

All might in my hand do I wield.

In the heights I shall always be dwelling,

Far above, in the peaks of Heaven.

There shall I set myself, sublimely in sight,

To receive my due reverence, my rightful renown.

I shall be like the One who is highest on height—

Oh, how worthy I am, and how deft—

Oh, Deus! All goes down!

My might and my mirth are unsound!

I am falling, in faith! Help me, friends!"

York Plays, "Crucifixion," II. 19-26

"1 SOLDIER: He'll hang and learn his lesson soon,

With grief for him and all his kin.

2 SOLDIER: The foulest death of all

He'll die because of sin.

3 SOLDIER: That means, "cross" him we shall?

4 SOLDIER: We will: so let's begin.

1 SOLDIER: Then to this work we must take heed,

So that our working be not wrong."

York Plays, "Crucifixion," II. 106-11, 188-90

3 SOLDIER: His arm's a foot too short;

The sinews must have shrunk.

4 SOLDIER: Perhaps the holes were bored too wide.

2 SOLDIER: Then he'll feel some bitter pain!

3 SOLDIER: Indeed, the drill was misapplied;

That makes this work a bad bargain.

[. . .]

4 SOLDIER: The devil him hang!

1 SOLDIER: I've done great harm here:

My shoulder's out of joint!

York Plays, "Play of the Last Judgement," II. 65-80

GOD: Angels, now, blow your horns quick,

So that, to yourselves, you may every creature call:

"Learned" and "lewd," husbands and wives,

All together shall receive their doom this day.

Every soul that ever had life,

Let none be forgotten, great or small.

Today they shall see the wide wounds five,

That my Son suffered for them all.

Before my eyes, you'll divide them in two—

For they will not, as one group, all attain bliss.

As I've commanded before, my blessed children

Should stand in my sight, nearby my right hand.

As for the wicked men, though, I'd like to see them

On my left-hand side, fleeing away for fear.

Today, I ordain judgment for each person—

For each and every man, as he served me.

York Plays, "Play of the Last Judgement," 285-90

JESUS: Whenever I was hungry, you fed me,

And to slake my thirst, your heart was always free.

When I lacked clothes, you dressed me—

For you would no sorrow upon me see.

In difficult straits, whenever I was stuck,

Upon my pains you always had pity.

Whenever I was brought, in sickness, to bed,

Kindly you came to comfort me.

York Plays, "Play of the Last Judgement," 309-16

JESUS: My blessed children, I'll tell you all

What time this deed to me was done:

Whenever any needy person, night or day,

Did ask your help and received it soon.

Your generous hearts never told them no,

Whether it was early or late, midday or noon,

As oftentimes as they did pray,

They needed only to ask you for a boon.

York Plays, "Play of the Last Judgement," 333-40

JESUS: When I was sick and in the sorriest of states,

You didn't visit me, for I was poor.

In prison, when I was shut up behind gates,

There was not one of you who asked how I fared.

When I didn't know where to find rest,

With blows you drove me away from your doors.

When ever-greater pride pressed you on,

My flesh and my blood—these you often forswore.

More, Utopia, p. 576 (Peter Giles to More, on the appearance of Hythloday)

""[His] sailing has not been like that of Palinurus, but more that of Ulysses, or rather of Plato. This man, who is named Raphael—his family name is Hythloday—knows a good deal of Latin, and is particularly learned in Greek. He studied Greek more than Latin because his main interest is philosophy, and in that field he found that the Romans have left us nothing very valuable except certain works of Seneca and Cicero.""

More, Utopia, p. 578 (Peter Giles to Hythloday)

""Your learning and your knowledge of various countries and peoples would entertain him, while your advice and your supply of examples would be very helpful in the council chamber. Thus you might advance your own interests and be useful at the same time to all your relatives and friends.""

More, Utopia, (Hythloday's reasons against serving a king at court)

""I think they [my friends and relatives] should be content . . . and not expect that for their sake I should enslave myself to any king whatever." (578)

[. . .]

"I don't have the capacity [for counsel] you ascribe to me, and if I had it in the highest degree, the public would still not be any better off if I exchanged my contemplative leisure for this kind of action." (579)

[. . .]

"[W]ise men are right in keeping clear of public business. They see the people swarming through the streets and getting soaked with rain, and they cannot persuade them to go indoors and get out of the wet . . . So they stay indoors and are content to keep at least themselves dry, since they cannot remedy the folly of others."" (595)

More, Utopia, p. 593-94 (More to Hythloday)

""This academic philosophy is quite agreeable in the private conversation of close friends, but in the councils of kings, where grave matters are being authoritatively decided, there is no place for it."

[. . .]

"There is another philosophy that is more civic minded, that takes its cue, adapts itself to the drama in hand, and acts its part neatly and appropriately. This is the philosophy for you to use . . . You pervert a play and ruin it when you add irrelevant speeches, even if they are better than the play itself. So go through with the drama in hand as best you can, and don't spoil it all just because you happen to think of a play by someone else that might be better. That's how things go in the commonwealth, and in the councils of princes.""

More, Utopia, p. 596 (Hythloday to More)

""I'm not surprised," said Raphael, "that you think of it this way, since you have no idea, or only a false idea, of such a commonwealth. But you should have been with me in Utopia, and seen with your own eyes their manners and customs as I did—for I lived there more than five years,and would never have left, if it had not been to make that new world known to others. If you had seen them, you would frankly confess that you had never seen a people well governed anywhere but there.""

More, Utopia, p. 607 (Hythloday on Utopian cities)

"Each city is divided into four equal districts, and in the middle of each district is a market for all kinds of commodities. Whatever each household produces is brought here and stored in warehouses, each kind of goods in its own place. Here the head of each household looks for what he or his family needs, and carries off what he wants without any sort of payment or compensation. Why should anything be refused him? There is plenty of everything, and no reason to fear that anyone will claim more than he needs."

More, Utopia, p. 582 (Hythloday to More)

"Your sheep . . . that used to be so meek and eat so little, now have become so greedy and fierce that they devour human beings themselves, as I hear. They devastate and depopulate fields, houses, and towns. For in whatever parts of the land the sheep yield the softest and most expensive wool, there the nobility and gentry, yes, and even some abbots—holy men—are not content with the old rents that the land yielded to their predecessors. Living in idleness and luxury, without doing any good to society, no longer satisfies them; they have to do positive harm. For they leave no land free for the plow: they enclose every acre for pasture; they destroy houses and abolish towns, keeping only the churches, and those for sheep-barns."