Now, sire, of elde ye repreve me;
And certes, sire, thogh noon auctoritee
Were in no book, ye gentils of honour
Seyn that men sholde an oold wight doon favour
And clepe hym fader, for youre gentillesse;
And auctours shal I fynden, as I gesse.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Tale. The Knight scorns his wife for being old, and here she reminds him that gentlefolk of honor such as he say that men should be courteous to an old person. She is effectively telling him that he is not noble or a gentleman.