Specimens of English Literature from the 'Ploughmans Crede' to the 'Shepheardes Calendar, ' A.D. 1394-A.D. 1579Walter William Skeat |
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a-nother Æneid agayne ageyn batayle Chaucer Christ dayes dede deth doth doun eche edition English euery fayre forto French furth fynde Gods worde grekes grene gret grete hath haue hede herte holi in-to knyghtes kynde kyng kyng Arthur Latin leue lord loue Lucan lyke maner Mery moche mony myght mynde neuer noble nocht nouzt Nut-Brown Maid Old text ouer peple Percy Folio poem Priam printed quene Quhill quod Royster sall saue sawe sayd saye sche scho scripture serue shal shold shulde slayne sone sonne swerde syr Bedwere syr Mordred thai thaim thar thenne ther therfore therof theyr Thomas Malory thou thow thre thyng toke tonge translated trewe trouth Tydeus tyll tyme vnder vnto vpon whan Whou wolde word wyll wyse wyst wyth ymagis þat þei þis
Popular passages
Page 388 - I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house. Also I had great possessions of great and small cattle, above all that were in Jerusalem before me. I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings ; and of the provinces I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts ; so I was great and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem.
Page 396 - To drive the deer with hound and horn Earl Percy took his way ; The child may rue that is unborn The hunting of that day.
Page 353 - Winter breede you greater griefe. Winter is come, that blowes the balefull breath, And after Winter commeth timely death.
Page 84 - a ! my lord Arthur, what shal become of me now ye goo from me. And leue me here allone emonge 80 myn enemyes ?' ' Comfort thy self,' sayd the kyng, ' and doo as wel as thou mayst; for in me is no truste for to truste in. For I wyl in to the vale of auylyon, to hele me of my greuous wounde. And yf thou here neuer more of me, praye for my soule ; ' but euer the quenes and ladyes wepte and shryched that hit was pyte to here.
Page 217 - The swift swallow pursueth the flies smale; The busy bee her honey now she mings ; Winter is worn that was the flowers' bale. And thus I see among these pleasant things Each care decays; and yet my sorrow springs.
Page 398 - Atthe same time that our poet shews a laudable partiality to his countrymen, he represents the Scots after a manner not unbecoming so bold and brave a people : Earl Douglas on a milk-white steed, Most like a baron bold, Rode foremost of the company, Whose armour shone like gold.
Page 217 - The soote season, that bud and blome furth bringes, With grene hath clad the hill and eke the vale: The nightingale with fethers new she singes : The turtle to her make hath tolde her tale: Somer is come, for...
Page 399 - Vicisti, et victum tendere palmas Ausonii videre. jEn. xii. 936. The Latin chiefs have seen me beg my life. DRYDEN. Earl Percy's lamentation over his enemy is generous, beautiful, and passionate : I must only caution the reader not to let the simplicity of the style, which one may well pardon in so old a poet, prejudice him against the greatness of the thought...
Page 441 - Poesie as nouices newly crept out of the schooles of Dante Arioste and Petrarch, they greatly pollished our rude and homely maner of vulgar Poesie, from that it had bene before, and for that cause may iustly be sayd the first reformers of our English meetre and stile.
Page 106 - Ye shape some wyle me to begyle, And stele fro me, I wene ; Then were the case wurs than it was, And I more woo-begone ; For in my mynde, of all mankynde I love but you alone.