"Now, sire," quod he, "han freres swich a grace That noon of hem shal come to this place?" "Yis," quod this angel, "many a millioun!" And unto Sathanas he ladde hym doun. "And now hath Sathanas," seith he, "a tayl Brodder than of a carryk is the sayl. Hold up thy tayl, thou Sathanas!" quod he.

"Now, sire," quod he, "han freres swich a grace
That noon of hem shal come to this place?"
"Yis," quod this angel, "many a millioun!"
And unto Sathanas he ladde hym doun.
"And now hath Sathanas," seith he, "a tayl
Brodder than of a carryk is the sayl.
Hold up thy tayl, thou Sathanas!" quod he.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Summoner’s Prologue. The Summoner mentions the story of a friar being led down to hell in a vision by an angel to show the pains and torments there. The friar queries if friars are in such a state of grace that none of them go to hell. The angel replies that there are millions there. He leads the friar down to Satan, who has a tail broader than the sail of a galleon, and the angel asks Satan to hold up his tail.

Geoffrey Chaucer Quotes