Specimens of Early English: A New Edition, Revised for Third Time with Introduction, Notes, and Glossarial Index

Front Cover
Clarendon Press, 1894 - English literature

From inside the book

Common terms and phrases

Popular passages

Page 354 - Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog, Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg and howlet's wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Page 295 - For those that fly may fight again, Which he can never do that's slain.
Page 353 - The weird sisters, hand in hand, Posters of the sea and land, Thus do go about, about: Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine, And thrice again, to make up nine.
Page 168 - For thinges passed out of longe tyme from a Mannes mynde or from his syght, turnen sone into forzetynge: Because that Mynde of Man ne may not ben comprehended ne witheholden, for the Freeltee of Mankynde.
Page 174 - In that Contree ben many Griffounes, more plentee than in ony other Contree. Sum men seyn, that thei han the Body upward as an Egle, and benethe as a Lyoun: and treuly thei seyn sothe, that thei ben of that schapp. But o Griffoun...
Page 222 - Forsothe an other felde doun on stony placis, wher it had nat myche erthe ; and anoon it sprong vp, for it hadde nat depnesse of erthe.
Page 167 - ... the Holy Citee of Jerusalem, and the holy Places that are thereaboute. And I schalle telle the Weye, that thei schulle holden thidre. For I have often tymes passed and ryden the way, with gode Companye of many Lordes : God be thonked.
Page 167 - Crist MCCCXXII, in the Day of Seynt Michelle; and hidre to have ben longe tyme over the See, and have seyn and gon thorghe manye dyverse Londes, and many Provynces and Kingdomes and...
Page 166 - Covetyse and Envye han so enflawmed the Hertes of Lordes of the World, that thei are more besy for to disherite here Neyghbores, more than for to chalenge or to conquere here righte Heritage before seyd. And the comoun Peple, that wolde putte here Bodyes and here Catelle, for to conquere oure Heritage, thei may not don it withouten the Lordes. For a semblee of Peple withouten a Cheventeyn, or a chief Lord, is as a Flock of Scheep withouten a Schepperde; the which departeth and desparpleth, and wyten...
Page 255 - O firste moevyng! cruel firmament, With thy diurnal sweigh that crowdest ay And hurlest al from est til Occident That naturelly wolde holde another way...

Bibliographic information