From Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales

The Prologue:
In April: ...Then people long to go on pilgrimages....
... And especially , from every shires end
Of England , down to Canterbry they wend
To see! the holy blissfl martyr, "ic!
To give his help to them when they were sic!...

.... It happened in that season that one day
In #othwar!, at The Tabard, as I lay
$eady to go on pilgrimage and start
%or Canterbry, most devot at heart,
At night there came into that holstery
#ome anine and twenty in a company
Of sndry fol! happening then to fall
In fellowship, they were pilgrims all
That towards Canterbry meant to ride.
The rooms and satbles of the inn were wide&
They made s easy, all was of the best,
And, briefly, when the sn had gone to rest...
Id spo!en to them all pon the trip
And was soon one with them in fellowship,
'ledged to rise early and to ta!e the way
Towards Canterbry as yo heard me say....
The (night:
There was a !night, a most distingished man,
who from the day on which he frirst began
to ride abroad had followed chivalry
trth, honor, generosness and cortesy)
he had *oined or ran!s to do his pilgrimage and render than!s..
The #"ire
+e was embroidered li!e a meadow bright
And fll of freshest flowers, red or white.
#inging he was or flting all the day
+e was as fresh as is the month of ,ay)
+e loved so hotly tha till dawn grew pale
+e slept as little as a nightingale.
The -octor
%or, being gronded in astronomy
+e watched his patients closely for the hors
.hen, by his horoscope, he !new the powers
Of favorable powers, then ascendent).
/et he was rather close as to e0penses
And !ept the gold he won in pestilences.
1old stimlates the heart, or so were told
+e therefore had a special love of gold)
The /eoman
This yeoman wore a coat and hood of green,
And peacoc!2feathered arrows, bright and !een
And neatly sheathed, hng at his belt a while
2 %or he cold dress his gear in yeomans style,
+is arrows never drooped their feathers low 3
And in his hand he bore a mighty bow,)
+e was a proper forester, I gess
The 4n
There also was a nn, a prioress,
+er way of smiling very simple and coy).
And she spo!e daintily in %rench, e0tremely,
After the school of #tratford2atte25owe&
%rench in the 'aris style she did not !now.
At meat her manners were taght withal&
4o morsel from her lips did she let fall
4or dipped her fingers in the sace too deep&
5t she cold carry a morsel p and !eep
The smallest drop from falling on her breast)
#he certainly was very entertaining
'leasant and friendly in her ways, and straining
To conterfeit a cortly !ind of grace
The ,on!
A mon! there was, one of the finest sort
.ho rode the contry& hnting was his sport.
The $le of good #t 5ennet or #t ,ar
As old and strict he tended to ignore&
+e let go by the things of yesterday
And too! the worlds more spacios way)
And that a mon! ot of his cloister is a mere
%ish ot of water, flapping on the pier,..
That was a te0t he held no worth an oyster).
I saw his sleeves were garnished at the hand,
.ith fine grey fr, the finest in the land,
And on his hood to fasten it at his chin
+e had a wroght2gold cnningly fashioned pin.
+e was a fat and personable priest)
The %riar
+e was a noble pillar to his Order
+ighly beloved and intimate was he
.ith conty fol! within his bondary,
And city dames of honor and possessions&
%or he was "alified to hear confessions,
Or so he said, with more than priestly scope,
+e had a special license form the 'ope
#weetly he heard his penitents at shrift
.ith pleasant absoltion, for a gift,
+e was an easy man in penance giving
.here he cold hope to ma!e a decent living)
The O0ford Cleric
An O0ford cleric, still a stdent thogh,
.as there, his horse was thinner than a ra!e
And he was not too fat I nderta!e,
5t had a hollow loo!, a sober stare)
+e preferred having twenty boo!s in red
And blac!, of Aristotles philosophy
Than costly clothes, fiddle or psaltery,
Thogh a philosopher, as I have told
+e had not fond the stone for ma!ing gold..
A tone of moral virte filled his speech
And gladly wold he learn and gladly teach)