The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations Preface

Than that the person gat in monthes tweye;
And thus, with feyned flaterye and japes,
He made the person and the peple his apes.
‘The Canterbury Tales’ ‘The General Prologue’ l. 699
‘O stormy peple! Unsad and evere untrewe!’
‘The Canterbury Tales’ ‘The Clerk’s Tale’ l. 995
Grisilde is deed, and eek hire pacience,
And bothe atones buryed in Ytaille;
For which I crie in open audience
No wedded man so hardy be t’assaille
His wyves pacience in trust to fynde
Grisildis, for in certein he shal faille.
‘The Canterbury Tales’ ‘The Clerk’s Tale: Lenvoy de Chaucer’ l. 1177
Ye archewyves, stondeth at defense,
Syn ye be strong as is a greet camaille;
Ne suffreth nat that men yow doon offense.
And sklendre wyves, fieble as in bataille,
Beth egre is a tygre yond in Ynde;
Ay clappeth as a mille, I yow consaille.
‘The Canterbury Tales’ ‘The Clerk’s Tale: Lenvoy de Chaucer’ l. 1195
Be ay of chiere as light as leef on lynde,
And lat hym care, and wepe, and wrynge, and waille!
‘The Canterbury Tales’ ‘The Clerk’s Tale: Lenvoy de Chaucer’ l. 1211
For o thyng, sires, saufly dar I seye,
That freendes everych oother moot obeye,
If they wol longe holden compaignye.
Love wol nat been constreyned by maistrye.
When maistrie comth, the God of Love anon
Beteth his wynges, and farewel, he is gon!
Love is a thyng as any spirit free.
Wommen, of kynde, desiren libertee,
And nat to been constreyned as a thral;
And so doon men, if I sooth seyen shal.
‘The Canterbury Tales’ ‘The Franklin’s Tale’ l. 761
Til that the brighte sonne loste his hewe;
For th’ orisonte hath reft the sonne his lyght—
This is as muche to seye as it was nyght.
‘The Canterbury Tales’ ‘The Franklin’s Tale’ l. 1016
Trouthe is the hyeste thyng that man may kepe.
‘The Canterbury Tales’ ‘The Franklin’s Tale’ l. 1479