14th-century Poet Quotes

Geoffrey Chaucer
Petrarch
William Langland

One shouldn't be too inquisitive in life Either about God's secrets or one's wife.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
A king may spille, a king may save; A king may make of lorde a knave; And of a knave a lorde also.

There are fools who seek to understand the secrets of nature.

Petrarch
Petrarch
There never has been a time when I did not fall in love with one or two in a single day.

It fetches crops from the rich earth,
It's a good beast biting the ground.
It must have its knife and its board
And its food right under its thigh.
It goes unwillingly through stones,
It skins the field with leg outstretched.

Storys to rede ar delitabill,
Suppos that thai be nocht bot fabill.

The snail will get to Easter just as soon.

O yowthe allas why wilt thow nat enclyne,
And un-to reuled reform bowe thee?
Syn resoun is the verray streighte lyne
Þat ledith folk un-to felicitee.

Al the povere peple tho pescoddes fetten; Benes and baken apples thei broghte in hir lappe, Chibolles and chervelles and ripe chiries manye, And profrede Piers this present to plese with Hunger.

William Langland
William Langland
A prowde hert in a beggers brest,
A fowle visage with gay temples of atyre,
Horrible othes with an holy prist,
A justice of juges to selle and lete to hyre,
A knave to comande and have an empire,
To yeve a jugement of that never was wrought,
To preche of pees and sette eche man on fyre,
It may wele ryme but it accordith nought.

The world is comparable to ice, and the Truth to water, the origin of this ice. The name 'ice' is only lent to this coagulation; it is the name of water which is restored to it, according to its essential reality.

Quhen Alysander oure kyng wes dede,
That Scotland led in luve and le,
Away wes sons of ale and brede,
Of wyne and wax, of gamyn and gle;
Oure gold wes changyd into lede,
Cryst, borne into virgynyte,
Succour Scotland, and remede,
That stad is in perplexyte.

The chemist of love Will this perishing mould, Were it made out of mire, Transmute into gold.