A Brief Passage from Chaucer

A CLERK ther was of Oxenford also,
That unto logyk hadde longe ygo.
As leene was his hors as is a rake,
And he nas nat right fat, I undertake,
But looked holwe, and therto sobrely...
Nought o word spak he moore than was neede,
And that was seyd in forme and reverence,
And short and quyk and ful of hy sentence;
Sownynge in moral vertu was his speche,
And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche.

 

(translation)
A Clerk there was also, from Oxford,
That had gone into the study of logic long ago.
His horse was as lean as a rake,
And he was not at all fat, I declare,
But looked scrawny, and also serious.
He spoke not one word more than was necessary,
And that was said with formality and reverence,
And short and quick and full of elevated meaning;
His speech was always consistent with moral virtue,
And gladly would he learn, and gladly teach.

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