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Quotes by Chaucer
42 quotations from The Cyclopedia of Practical Quotations (1896), with the subject each one is filed under.
For oute of olde feldys, as men sey, Comyth al this newe corn from yere to yere; And out of olde bokis, in good fey, Comyth al this newe science that men lere.— filed under Affliction
Mouse. I holde a mouses herte nat worth a leek. That hath but oon hole for to sterte to.— filed under Animals-Horse
The thrustelcok made eek hir lay, The wode dove upon the spray She sang ful loude and cleere.— filed under Birds-Dove
The false lapwynge, full of trecherye.— filed under Birds-Lark
Quail. In jalousie I rede eek thou hym bynde And thou shalt make him couche as doeth a quaille.— filed under Birds-Raven
Swan. The jelous swan, agens hire deth that syngith.— filed under Birds-Swallow
And then the wren gan scippen and to daunce.— filed under Birthday
And as for me, though than I konne but lyte, On bokes for to rede I me delyte, And to hem yeve I feyth and ful credence, And in myn herte have hem in reverence So hertely, that ther is game noon, That fro my bokes maketh me to goon, But yt be seldome on the holy day. Save, certeynly, when that the monthe of May Is comen, and that I here the foules synge, And that the floures gynnen for to sprynge, Farwel my boke, and my devocion.— filed under Books
Go, litel boke! go litel myn tregedie!— filed under Books
O little booke, thou art so unconning, How darst thou put thyself in prees for dred? C.— filed under Books
He was a verray perfight gentil knight.— filed under Character
But every thyng which schyneth as the gold, Nis nat gold, as that I have herd it told.— filed under Deceit
And broughte of mighty ale a large quart. C.— filed under Drinking
This noble ensample to his sheepe he gaf,- That firste he wroughte and afterward he taughte.— filed under Example
Yet in oure asshen olde is fyr yreke.— filed under Fire
FLOWERS-CACTUS. 223 Bramble. Rubus. And sweete as is the brembul flour That bereth the rede hepe.— filed under Flowers-Azalea
Ælla. That men by reason well it calle may The daisie or elles the eye of day The emperice, and floure of floures alle.— filed under Flowers-Dahlia
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.— filed under Flowers-Dahlia
Roses were sette of swete savour, With many roses that thei bere.— filed under Flowers-Rose
"Now, Sire," quod she, "for aught that may bityde, I moste haue of the peres that I see, Or I moote dye, so soore longeth me To eten of the smalle peres grene."— filed under Fruits
He is gentil that doth gentil dedis. S.— filed under Gentleness
And yet he hadde "a thombe of gold" pardee.— filed under Gold
For gold in phisik is a cordial; Therefore he lovede gold in special.— filed under Gold
S. And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche.— filed under Learning
in One. The Triumph of Honour. Sc. 1. L. 67. 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.— filed under Misfortune
Nature vicarye of the Almighty Lord.— filed under Nature
Thanne is it wysdom, as thynketh me, To maken vertu of necessité, And take it weel, that we may not eschu, And namely that that to us alle is due.— filed under Necessity
But Cristes loore, and his Apostles twelve, He taughte, but first he folowed it hymselfe.— filed under Occupations-Post
Thus with hir fader for a certeyn space Dwelleth this flour of wyfly pacience, That neither by hir wordes ne hir face Biforn the folk, ne eek in her absence, Ne shewed she that hir was doon offence. C.— filed under Patience
the Old and New Times. He koude songes make and wel endite.— filed under Poets
Every honest miller has a golden thumb.— filed under Archimedes
trans. Many a smale maketh a grate. ff.— filed under Proverbs
Of harmes two the lesse is for to chese.— filed under Proverbs
P. 153. Therefore it behooveth hire a ful long spoon That shal ete with a feend. cc.— filed under Proverbs
Mordre wol out, that see we day by day.— filed under Libanius
So was hir jolly whistel wel y-wette.— filed under Iii
That felde hath eyen, and wode hath eres.— filed under Iii
His studie was but litel on the Bible.— filed under Scripture
And for to se, and eek for to be seye.— filed under Sight
The firste vertue, sone, if thou wilt lerne, Is to restreyne and kepen wel thy tonge.— filed under Tongues
The firste vertu, sone, if thou wolt lerne, Is to restreyne, and kepe wel thy tonge.— filed under Virtue
Nowher so besy a man as he ther was, And yet he semed bisier than he was.— filed under Work