Were it by aventure, or sort, or cas,
The sothe is this, the cut fil to the Knight.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Knight is selected as the first character to tell his tale, after the Host suggests that the pilgrims draw straws for the honor. But you would expect him to go first, as he is the highest on the social scale of all the characters, being a member of the nobility. The Knight is also the first described in the General Prologue at the very beginning.