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GEOFFREY CHAUCER

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Boold of his speche, and wys and wel y-taught,
And of manhod hym lakkede right naught.
Eek therto 1 he was right a myrie man,
And after soper pleyen he bigan,
And spak of myrthe amonges othere thynges,
Whan that we hadde maad our rekenynges;
And seyde thus: "Now, lordynges, trewely,
Ye been to me right welcome, hertely;
For by my trouthe, if that I shal nat lye,
I ne saugh this yeer so myrie a compaignye
At ones in this herberwe 2 as is now;
Fayn wolde I doon yow myrthe, wiste I how.3
And of a myrthe I am right now bythoght,
To doon yow ese, and it shal coste noght.
"Ye goon to Canterbury; God yow speede,
The blisful martir quite yow youre meede! *
And, wel I woot," as ye goon by the weye,
Ye shapen yow to talen 6 and to pleye;
For trewely comfort ne myrthe is noon
To ride by the weye doumb as a stoon;
And therfore wol I maken yow disport,
As I seyde erst," and doon yow som comfort.
And if you liketh alle, by oon assent,
Now for to stonden at my juggement,
And for to werken as I shal yow seye,
To-morwe, whan ye riden by the weye,
Now by my fader soule that is deed,
But ye be myrie, I wol yeve yow myn heed!
Hoold up youre hond withouten

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speche."

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moore

Oure conseil was nat longe for to seche; Us thoughte it was noght worth to make it wys, And graunted hym withouten moore avys,? 785 And bad him seye his verdit, as hym leste.10 "Lordynges,' "11 quod he, "now herkneth

for the beste,

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But taak it nought, I prey yow,
This is the poynt, to speken short and pleyn,
in desdeyn;
That ech of yow, to shorte with your weye,
In this viage shal telle tales tweye
To Caunterburyward, — I mean it so,
And homward he shal tellen othere two,
Of aventures that whilom 12 han bifalle.
And which of yow that bereth hym beste of
alle,

795

That is to seyn, that telleth in this caas
Tales of best sentence 13 and moost solaas,
Shal have a soper at oure aller cost,14
Heere in this place, sittynge by this post, 800

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1 besides 2 inn 3 if I knew how give you your reward know 6 tell tales before 8 unless 9 pleased him 11 gentlemen 12 formerly 14 cost of us all

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Amorwe, whan that day bigan to sprynge,
Up roos oure Hoost and was oure aller cok,5
And gadrede us togidre alle in a flok,
And forth we riden, a litel moore than paas,
Unto the Wateryng of Seint Thomas;
And there oure Hoost bigan his hors areste,
And seyde, "Lordynges, herkneth, if yow

leste !

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Ye woot youre forward, and I it yow recorde.

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If even-song and morwe-song accorde, Lat se now who shal telle the firste tale. As evere mote I drynke wyn or ale, Whoso be rebel to my juggement Shal paye for all that by the wey is spent! Now draweth cut, er that we ferrer twynne.8 He which that hath the shorteste shal bigynne. Sire Knyght," quod he, "my mayster and my 836 lord, Now draweth cut, for that is myn accord. Cometh neer,' ,"9 quod he, "my lady Prioresse, And ye, sire Clerk, lat be your shamefast840

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Quene of comfort and of good companye,
Beth hevy ageyn, or elles mot I dye!

Now purs, that be to me my lyves light, 15
And saveour, as doun in this worlde here,
Out of this toune help me through your might,
Sin that ye wole nat ben my tresorere;
For I am shave as nye1 as any frere.2
But yit I pray un-to your curtesye:
Beth hevy ageyn, or elles mot I dye!

LENVOY DE CHAUCER

O conquerour of Brutes Albioun !
Which that by lyne and free eleccioun
Ben3 verray king, this song to you I sende;
And ye, that mowen al myn harm amende,
Have mynde up-on my supplicacioun !

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A TREATISE ON THE ASTROLABE 5 PROLOGUS

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Litel Lowis my sone, I have perceived wel by certeyne evidences thyn abilite to lerne sciencez touchinge noumbres and proporciouns; and as wel considere I thy bisy preyere in special to lerne the Tretis of the Astrolabie. Than," for as mechel 19 as a philosofre seith, "he wrappeth him in his frend, that condescendeth to the rightful preyers of his frend," therfor have I yeven" thee a suffisaunt Astrolabie as for oure orizonte, compowned 13 after the latitude of Oxenford; upon which, by mediacion 14 of this litel tretis, I purpose to teche thee a certein nombre of conclusions 15 apertening 16 to the same instrument. I seye a certein of conclusiouns, for three causes. The furste cause is this: truste wel that alle the conclusiouns that han 17 ben founde, or elles 18 possibly mighten be founde in so noble an instrument as an Astrolabie, ben 3 unknowe perfitly to any mortal man in this regioun, as I suppose. Another cause is this: that sothly,19 in any tretis of the Astrolabie that I have seyn,2 20 there ben 3 some conclusions that wole 21 nat in alle thinges performen hir 22 bihestes; 23 and some of hem ben 3 to 24

may

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harde to thy tendre age of ten yeer to conseyve. This tretis, divided in fyve parties 2 wole I shewe thee under ful lighterewles and naked wordes in English; for Latin ne canstow 6 yit but smal, my lyte sone. But natheles, suffyse to thee thise trewe conclusiouns in English, as wel as suffyseth to thise noble clerkes Grekes thise same conclusiouns in Greek, and to Arabiens in Arabik, and to Jewes in Ebrew, and to the Latin folk in Latin; whiche Latin folk han hem 10 furst out of othre diverse langages, and writen in hir owne tonge, that is to sein,12 in Latin. And God wot, that in alle thise langages, and in many mo,14 han thise conclusiouns ben 15 suffisantly lerned and taught, and yit by diverse rewles, right as diverse pathes leden diverse folk the righte wey to Rome. Now wol I prey meekly every discret persone that redeth or hereth this litel tretis, to have my rewde endyting 17 for excused, and my superfluite of wordes, for two causes. The firste cause is, for-that 18 curious 19 endyting "7 and hard sentence 20 is ful hevy 21 atones 22 for swich 23 a child to lerne. And the seconde cause is this, that sothly 24 mesemeth 25 betre to wryten unto a child twyes 26 a good sentence, than he forgete it ones.27 And, Lowis, yif 28 so be that I shewe thee in my lighte 29 English as trewe conclusiouns touching this matere, and naught 30 only as trewe but as many and as subtil conclusiouns as ben 31 shewed in Latin in any commune tretis of the Astrolabie, con me the more thank; 32 and preye God save the king, that is lord of this langage, and alle that him feyth bereth 33 and obeyeth, everech 34 in his degree, the more 35 and the lasse.36 considere wel, that I ne usurpe nat to have founde this werk of my labour or of myn engin.37. I nam 38 but a lewd 39 compilatour of the labour of olde Astrologiens, and have hit translated in myn English only for thy doctrine; and with this swerd 41 shal I sleen

envye.

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JOHN DE TREVISA (1326-1412)

HIGDEN'S POLYCHRONICON

BOOK I. CHAPTER LIX

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This apayrynge1 of the burthe of the tunge is bycause of tweie thinges; oon is for children in scole ayenst the usage and manere of alle othere naciouns beeth compelled for to leve 2 hireowne langage, and for to construe hir 3 lessouns and here thynges in Frensche, and so they haveth seth 5 the Normans come first in-to Engelond. Also gentil-men children beeth i-taught to speke Frensche from the tyme that they beeth i-rokked in here cradel, and kunneth 7 speke and playe with a childes broche; and uplondisshe men wil likne hym-self to gentil-men, and fondeth 10 with greet besynesse for to speke Frensce, for to be i-tolde of. Trevisa.12 This manere was moche i-used to-for 13 [the] Firste Deth 14 and is siththe 15 sumdel 15 i-chaunged; for John Cornwaile, a maister of grammer, chaunged the lore in gramer scole and construccion of 16 Frensche in-to Englische; and Richard Pencriche lerned the manere techynge of hym and othere men of Pencrich; so that now, the yere of oure Lorde a thowsand thre hundred and foure score and fyve, and of the secounde kyng Richard after the Conquest nyne, in alle the gramere scoles of Engelond, children leveth Frensche and construeth and lerneth an 18 Englische, and haveth therby avauntage in oon side and disavauntage in another side; here 3 avauntage is, that they lerneth her 3 gramer in lasse 19 tyme than children were i-woned 20 to doo; disavauntage is that now children of gramer scole conneth 21 na more Frensche than can 22 hir 3 lift 23 heele, and that is harme for hem 24 and 25 they schulle passe the see and travaille in straunge landes and in many other places. Also gentil-men haveth now moche i-left 26 for to teche here3 children Frensche.

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This deterioration of the birth of the tongue is because of two things: one is because children in school, against the usage and custom of all other nations, are compelled to give up their own language and to construe their lessons and their exercises in French, and so they have since the Normans came first into England. Also gentlemen's children are taught to speak French from the time that they are rocked in their cradles and can talk and play with a baby's brooch; and countrymen wish to be like gentlemen and attempt with great effort to speak French, in order to be highly regarded.

Trevisa: This custom was much used before the first plague and has since been somewhat changed; for John Cornwaile, master of grammar, changed the teaching in grammar school and the translation of French into English; and Richard Pencriche learned this sort of teaching from him, and other men from Pencriche, so that now, the year of Our Lord 1385 and of the second King Richard after the Conquest nine, in all the grammar schools of England, children give up French and construe and learn in English, and have thereby advantage on one side and disadvantage on another side; their advantage is that they learn their grammar in less time than children were accustomed to do; the disadvantage is that now children in grammar school know no more French than does their left heel; and that is harm for them if they shall pass the sea and travel in strange lands and in many other places. Also gentlemen have now in general ceased to teach their children French.

follows is Trevisa's addition. 13 before 14 the First 1 deterioration 2 leave, give up 3 their 4 have Plague, 1348-1349 15 somewhat 16 from 17 kind 5 since 6 came 1 can of 18 in 8 brooch (ornament in gen19 less 20 accustomed know 22 knows eral) 9 country attempt accounted 12 What

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23 left 24 them 25 if 26 ceased

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