Great Throughts Treasury

"The gretest clerkes ben not the wisest men."

"The Iyf so short, the craft so long to lerne, Thassay so hard, so sharp the conquenng. . . . . For out of olde feldes, as men seith, Cometh al this newe corn fro yeer to yere; And out of olde bokes, in good feith, Cometh al this newe science that men lere."

"The jelous swan, agens hire deth that syngith."

"The latter end of joy is woe."

"The life so brief, the art so long in the learning, the attempt so hard, the conquest so sharp, the fearful joy that ever slips away so quickly - by all this I mean love, which so sorely astounds my feeling with its wondrous operation, that when I think upon it I scarce know whether I wake or sleep."

"The lyf so short, the craft so longe to lerne. Th’ assay so hard, so sharp the conquerynge, the dredful joye, alwey that slit so yerne; al this mene I be love."

"The proverbe saith that many a smale maketh a grate."

"The smiler with the knife under his cloak."

"The smylere with the knyf under the cloke."

"The thrustelcok made eek hir lay, the wode dove upon the spray she sang ful loude and cleere."

"Then you compared a woman's love to Hell, to barren land where water will not dwell, and you compared it to a quenchless fire, the more it burns the more is its desire. To burn up everything that burnt can be. You say that just as worms destroy a tree a wife destroys her husband and contrives, as husbands know, the ruin of their lives."

"Ther n' is no werkman whatever he be, that may both werken wel and hastily. This wol be done at leisure parfitly."

"Ther seyde oones a clerk in two vers, "What is bettre than Gold? Jaspre. What is bettre than Jaspre? Wisdom. And what is bettre than Wisdom? Womman. And what is bettre than a good Womman? No thyng.""

"Therefore it behooveth hire a full long spoon that shal ete with a feend."

"There's never a new fashion but it's old."

"There's no workman, whatsoever he be, that may both work well and hastily."

"Therfore bihoveth hire a ful long spoon that shal ete with a feend."

"They demen gladly to the badder end."

"This flour of wifly patience."

"This noble ensample to his sheep he yaf, that first he wroghte, and afterward he taughte."

"This world nys but a thurghfare ful of wo, and we been pilgrymes, passynge to and fro; deeth is an ende of every worldly soore."

"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."

"Til crowes feet be growe under your ye."

"To maken vertue of necessite."

"Up rose the sonne, and up rose Emelie."

"Valentine's day, when every fowl doth choose his mate."

"Very wise is he that can know himself."

"We know little of the things for which we pray."

"Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, and bathed every veyne in swych licour of which vertu engendred is the flour; whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth inspired hath in every holt and heath the tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne, and smale foweles maken melodye, that slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages."

"Whan that it remembreth me Upon my yowthe, and on my jolitee, It tickleth me aboute myn herte roote. Unto this day it dooth myn herte boote That I have had my world as in my tyme. But age, alias! that al wole envenyme, Hath me biraft my beautee and my pith. Lat go, farewel! the devel go therwith! The flour is goon, ther is namoore to telle; The bren, as I best kan, now most I selle."

"What is better than wisdom? Woman. And what is better than a good woman? Nothing."

"What is this world? what asketh men to have? Now with his love, now in his colde grave allone, withouten any compaignye."

"What maketh this, but Juppiter the kyng, that is prince and cause of alle thing convertynge al unto his propre welle from which it is deryved, sooth to telle, and heer-agayns no creature on lyve of no degree availleth for to strive. Thanne is it wysdom, as it thynketh me, to maken vertu of necessity, and take it weel, that we may nat eschue; and namely, that to us alle is due."

"When that Aprille with his shoures sote. The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote, and bathed every veyne in swich licour, of which vertue engendred is the flour."

"Who so shall telle a tale after a man, he moste reherse, as neighe as ever he can, everich word, if it be in his charge, all speke he never so rudely and so large; or elles he moste tellen his tale untrewe, or feinen thinges, or finden word."

"Whoso will pray, he must fast and be clean, And fat his soul, and make his body lean."

"Wide was his parish, and houses fer asonder."

"With emptie hands men may no haukes lure."

"Women desire six things: They want their husbands to be brave, wise, rich, generous, obedient to wife, and lively in bed."

"Wommen desiren to have sovereynetee as wel over hir housbond as hir love."

"Yblessed be god that I have wedded fyve! Welcome the sixte, whan that evere he shal."

"Ye knowe eek, that in forme of speche is change withinne a thousand yeer, and wordes tho that hadden prys, now wonder nyce and straunge us thinketh hem; and yet they spake hem so, and spedde as wel in love as men now do; eek for to winne love in sondry ages, in sondry londes, sondry ben usages."

"Yet do not miss the moral, my good men. For Saint Paul says that all that’s written well is written down some useful truth to tell. Then take the wheat and let the chaff lie still."

"Yet in our ashen cold is fire yreken."

"Your duty is, as ferre as I can gesse."

"Your eyen two will slay me suddenly, I may the beauty of them not sustain, so woundeth it throughout my herte kene."