THE FRANKLIN’S PROLOGUE These ancient gentle Bretons, in their days, Of divers high adventures made great lays And rhymed them in their primal Breton tongue, The which lays to their instruments they sung, Or else… 

THE CANON’S YEOMAN’S PROLOGUE When Saint Cecilia’s Life was done, and whiles We had not farther gone a good five miles, At Boughton-under-Blean us did o’ertake A man, who was clothed all in clothes of… 

THE MANCIPLE’S PROLOGUE Do you not know where stands a little town That’s called by all about Bob-up-and-down, Under the Blean, down Canterbury way? There did our host begin to jape and play, And he… 

THE PRIORESS’S TALE Domine, dominus noster. O Lord, Our Lord, Thy name how marvelous Is spread through all this mighty world,” said she; “For not alone Thy praise so glorious Is given by men of… 

THE FRIAR’S PROLOGUE This worthy limiter, this noble friar, He turned always a lowering face, and dire, Upon the summoner, but for courtesy No rude and insolent word as yet spoke he. But at the… 

THE MILLER’S PROLOGUE The Words between the Host and the Miller Now when the knight had thus his story told, In all the rout there was nor young nor old But said it was a… 

THE LAWYER’S PROLOGUE O Hateful evil! State of Poverty! With thirst, with cold, with hunger so confounded! To ask help shameth thy heart’s delicacy; If none thou ask, by need thou art so wounded That… 

THE CLERK’S PROLOGUE Sir clerk of Oxford,” our good host then said, “You ride as quiet and still as is a maid But newly wedded, sitting at the board; This day I’ve heard not from… 

THE FRANKLIN’S TALE In old Armorica, now Brittany, There was a knight that loved and strove, did he To serve a lady in the highest wise; And many a labour, many a great emprise He… 

THE CANON’S YEOMAN’S TALE Prima pars Seven years I’ve served this canon, but no more I know about his science than before. All that I had I have quite lost thereby; And, God knows, so…