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Canterbury Tales Quotes

In sangwyn and in pers he clad was al,
Lyned with taffata and with sendal.
And yet he was but esy of dispence;
He kepte that he wan in pestilence.
For gold in phisik is a cordial;
Therefore he lovede gold in special.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Physician is portrayed at a rich man with a lust for gold. He dresses in red and blue robes of silk and taffeta but is moderate in spending, suggesting he is stingy. He keeps what he earns in times of pestilence and has a very special love for gold. Medicine is more of a money maker than a vocation to the greedy Physician.

In al the parisshe wif ne was ther noon
That to the offrynge bifore hire sholde goon;
And if ther dide, certeyn so wrooth was she
That she was out of alle charitee.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Wife of Bath views herself as the most important woman in her parish church. So much so that no other woman dares to go to the altar steps in front of her. If by chance they did, they would incur her wrath and she would forget God’s commandment in their case, "Love thy neighbor."

Hir coverchiefs ful fyne weren of ground;
I dorste swere they weyeden ten pound
That on a Sonday weren upon hir heed.
Hir hosen weren of fyn scarlet reed,
Ful streite yteyd, and shoes ful moyste and newe.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The-larger-than life Wife of Bath wears fine textured scarves on her head when going to mass on Sunday that the Narrator says must weight ten pounds. Her expensive stockings are of the finest scarlet red and her shoes soft and new. She wears clothes to reflect who she is: confident, bold and powerful.

And thries hadde she been at Jerusalem;
She hadde passed many a straunge strem;
At Rome she hadde been, and at Boloigne,
In Galice at Seint-Jame, and at Coloigne.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. Alison the Wife of Bath is well traveled and has gone on many pilgrimages, along the Way of Saint James to Galicia, to Jerusalem, Rome and Cologne. This devotion may convey the impression that she is a religious woman, but we later learn that she likes to be socially seen and her pilgrimage tourism has nothing to do with religious piety.

She koude muchel of wandrynge by the weye.
Gat-tothed was she, soothly for to seye.
Upon an amblere esily she sat,
Ywympled wel, and on hir heed an hat
As brood as is a bokeler or a targe;
A foot-mantel aboute hir hipes large,
And on hir feet a paire of spores sharpe.
In felaweshipe wel koude she laughe and carpe.
Of remedies of love she knew per chaunce,
For she koude of that art the olde daunce.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The final lines describing the Wife of Bath are very sexually suggestive. She is gap-toothed, sits easily on her horse, wears a wimple overskirt over her broad hips, and sharp spurs on her feet. She is able to give first hand advice on matters of love, Chaucer tells us, going on to describe her sexual expertise with a dance metaphor: For she knew the old dance of that art.

A good man was ther of religioun,
And was a povre persoun of a toun,
But riche he was of hooly thoght and werk.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. These lines about the Parson are rich in irony, coming as they do after the descriptions of the wealth and decadence associated with some of the previous pilgrims, like the Monk and Friar. The Parson by contrast is poor, but rich in holy thought and work. He is the one religious character that actually lives his vow of poverty. But for morals and virtues and honest living, he is probably the richest of all.

But rather wolde he yeven, out of doute,
Unto his povre parisshens aboute
Of his offring, and eek of his substaunce.
He koude in litel thyng have suffisaunce.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Parson is a very selfless, kindly and generous man. He is a stark contrast to some of other characters who pocket all they can and take from the poor. He is not interested in accumulating wealth and finds sufficiency in few possessions. In fact the Parson gives some of his offering received at mass and some of his own income to poor parishioners.

A bettre preest I trowe that nowher noon ys.
He waitede after no pompe and reverence,
Ne maked him a spiced conscience;
But Cristes loore and his apostles twelve
He taughte, but first he folwed it hymselve.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Narrator believes there there is no better priest anywhere than the Parson. Leading a humble life without pomp or ceremony, he practices what he preaches. First he follows the teaching of Christ and the apostles, and then teaches it to others.

And yet he had a thomb of gold parde.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. Here Chaucer is referencing the old proverb, "Every honest miller has a golden thumb". The saying can mean honest millers are as rare as men with gold thumbs, or successful millers have their thumb on the scales to cheat. The Miller in this case grinds grain at the mill for flour and meal, and he is dishonest. He puts a thumb on the scales to cheat his customers, taking more money from them and enriching himself.

For wheither that he payde or took by taille,
Algate he wayted so in his achaat
That he was ay biforn and in good staat.
Now is nat that of God a ful fair grace
That swich a lewed mannes wit shal pace
The wisdom of an heep of lerned men?

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Manciple, who works for a law school, is in charge of buying food and supplies there. Questions are raised about his honesty. For we learn that whether he purchases with cash or credit, he always manages to come out ahead on his accounts. It is suggested that he is cooking the books and making money for himself, as we are told with delicious irony that this unlearned man surpasses the wisdom of his masters, a bunch of lawyers.

Of maistres hadde he mo than thries ten,
That weren of lawe expert and curious,
Of which ther were a duszeyne in that hous
Worthy to been stywardes of rente and lond
Of any lord that is in Engelond…
And yet this Manciple sette hir aller cappe.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Manciple has more than thirty masters, all skilled and expert in law. It is an irony that he is able to fool all these legal eagles, making good bargains in his purchases of food and supplies, to fraudulently gain money for himself.

A Summoner was ther with us in that place,
That hadde a fyr-reed cherubynnes face,
For saucefleem he was, with eyen narwe.
As hoot he was and lecherous as a sparwe,
With scalled browes blake and piled berd.
Of his visage children were aferd.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Summoner is so hideous looking that children fear him. He is pimpled, discolored, swollen eyelids, scabby eyebrows, and as if that isn’t enough he is also a lecher. This corrupt character’s grossness on the outside also reflects his ugliness on the inside.
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