And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche. Nowher so besy a man as he ther n' as, His studie was but litel on the Bible. For gold in phisike is a cordial; Line 323. Line 440. Therefore he loved gold in special. Line 445. Wide was his parish, and houses fer asonder. Line 493. This noble ensample to his shepe he yaf, That first he wrought, and afterwards he taught. Line 498. But Cristes lore, and his apostles twelve, He taught, but first he folwed it himselve. Line 529. Line 565. And yet he had a thomb of gold parde.1 Line 733. The Knightes Tale. Line 1044. Up rose the sonne, and up rose Emelie. And brought of mighty ale a large quart. Line 2275. Line 3044. The Milleres Tale. Line 3497. 1 In allusion to the proverb, "Every honest miller has a golden thumb." Yet in our ashen cold is fire yreken.1 Canterbury Tales. The Reves Prologue. Line 3880. So was hire joly whistle wel ywette. The Reves Tale. Line 4153. And for to see, and eek for to be seye.2 The Wif of Bathes Prologue. Line 6134. I hold a mouses wit not worth a leke, Line 6154. The Wif of Bathes Tale. Line 6695. That he is gentil that doth gentil dedis. Line 6752. The Clerkes Tale. Pars v. Line 8797. They demen gladly to the badder end. The Squieres Tale. Line 10538. Fie on possession, But if a man be vertuous withal. The Frankeleines Prologue. Line 10998. Truth is the highest thing that man may keep. The Frankeleines Tale. Line 11789. Mordre wol out, that see we day by day.1 The Nonnes Preestes Tale. Line 15058. 1 E'en in our ashes live their wonted fires.- Gray, Elegy, St. 23. 2 Spectatum veniunt, veniunt spectentur ut ipsæ. 3 See Pope. Page 289. Ovid, Art of Love, i. 99. Murder, though it have no tongue, will speak Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act ii. Sc. 2. But all thing, which that shineth as the gold, Ne is no gold, as I have herd it told.1 Canterbury Tales. The Chanones Yemannes Tale. Line 16430. The firste vertue, sone, if thou wilt lere, The Manciples Tale. Line 17281. Of harmes two the lesse is for to cheese.2 Troilus and Creseide. Book ii. Line 470. For of fortunes sharpe adversite, Book iii. Line 1625. Book iv. Line 435. The lyfe so short, the craft so long to lerne, The Assembly of Foules. Line 1. For out of the old fieldes, as men saithe, Nature, the vicar of the almightie Lord. Of all the floures in the mede, Than love I most these floures white and rede, Line 22. Line 379. Prologue of the Legend of Good Women. Line 41. That well by reason men it call may 1 See Appendix, p. 635. Line 183. 2 See Appendix, p. 646. THOMAS À KEMPIS. 1380-1471. Man proposes, but God disposes.1 Imitation of Christ. Book i. Ch. 19. And when he is out of sight, quickly also is he out of mind." Of two evils, the less is always to be chosen." Ch. 23. Book iii. Ch. 12. THOMAS TUSSER. 1523-1580. Time tries the troth in everything. Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry. Author's God sendeth and giveth, both mouth and the meat. Good Husbandry Lessons. 4 The stone that is rolling can gather no moss. Ibid. 1 This expression is of much greater antiquity; it appears in the Chronicle of Battel Abbey, p. 27 (Lower's translation), and in Piers Ploughmans Vision, line 13,994. A man's heart deviseth his way; but the Lord directeth his steps. -Proverbs xvi. 9. 2 Out of syght, out of mynd.—Googe's Eglogs. 1563. And out of mind as soon as out of sight. Fer from eze, fer from herte, Lord Brooke, Sonnet lvi. Quoth Hendyng. - Hendyng's Proverbs, MSS. Circa 1320. * Compare Chaucer. Page 4. 4 A rowling stone gathers no moss. Gosson's Ephemerides of Phialo. Better late than never.1 Fire Hundred Points of Good Husbandry. An Habitation Enforced. At Christmas play, and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year. The Farmer's Daily Diet. Except wind stands as never it stood, A Description of the Properties of Winds. All 's fish they get For buying or selling of pig in a poke. 1 Potius sero quam numquam. — Livy, iv. 2. 11. 2 See Appendix, p. 642. Washing. 3 On the authority of M. Cimber, of the Bibliothèque Royale, we owe this proverb to Chevalier Bayard, Tel maitre, tel valet. 4 Merry swithe it is in halle, When the beards waveth alle. Attributed to Adam Davie (1312), Life of Alexander. 5 See Appendix, p. 643. Fast bind, fast find. - Heywood's Proverbs. 1546. |