Compose a thoughtful and substantive paragraph, explicit and specific, explaining the significance of the passages as they relate to each other.

Instructions:

For each pair of quotations below,

A) identify both by their title(s);

then B) provide a statement of context (where and how the excerpt fits into the larger whole including the identification of the speaker when applicable;

last C) compose a thoughtful and substantive paragraph, explicit and specific, explaining the significance of the passages as they relate to each other.

[Start each new response on a new page.]

But first I pray yow, of your curteisye,
That ye n’arette it nat my vileinye, attribute / crude
Thogh that I pleynly speke in this matere,
To tell yow hir wordes and hir chere, behavior
Ne thogh I speke hir wordes properly. exactly
For this ye known al so wel as I:
Whoso shal telle a tale after a man,
He moot reherce as ny as evere he can may / closely
Everich a word, if it be in his charge,
Al speke he never so rudeliche and large; however
Or ells he moot telle his tale untrewe,
Or feyne thing, or finde wordes newe. invent

“Now herkneth, … alle and some!
But first I make a protestacioun
That I am dronke, I knowe it by my soun.
And therefore, if that I misspeke or seye,
Wyte it the ale of Southwerk, I you preye; blame
For I wol tell a legend and a lyf
Bothe of a carpenter and of his wyf,
How that a clerk hath set the wrightes cappe.” made / carpenter / foolish

This carpenter hadde wedded newe a wif
Which that he lovede more than his lyf;
Of eightetene yeer she was of age.
Jalous he was, and heeld hire narwe in cage,
For she was wilde and yong, and he was old
And demed himself ben lyk a cokewold. judged / to be

“For in oure wil ther stiketh evere a nayl, nail (obstruction)
To have an hoor heed and a grene tayl grey
As hath a leek, for thogh our might be goon,
Oure wil desireth folie evere in oon. nonetheless
For whan we may nat doon, than wol we speke;
Yet in oure asshen olde is fyr y-reke. … raked up
And yet ik have alwey a coltes tooth,
As many a yeer as it is passed henne hence
Sin that my tappe of lyf bigan to renne. Run
“Brother,” quod he, “wiltow that I thee telle?
I am a feend. My dwelling is in helle,
And here I ryde about my purchasing, acquisitions
To wite wher men wold yeve me any thing. know / give
My purchas is th’effect of al my rente. total / income
Loke how thou rydest for the same entente,
To winne good, thou rekkest never how; profit / care
Right so fare I, for ryde wolde I now
Unto the worldes ende for a preye.” Victim

“Hold up thy tayl, thou Sathanas,” quod he.
“Shewe forth thyn ers, and lat the frere see
Where is the nest of freres in this place.”

Out of the ground a furie infernal sterte, leaped
From Pluto sent at requeste of Saturne,
For which his hors for fere gan to turne
And leep aside, and foundred as he leep; stumbled
And er that [he] may taken keep, heed
He pighte him on the pomel of his heed, pitched / crown
That in the place he lay as he were deed,
His brest tobrosten with his sadel-bowe. shattered / pommel

Sone after this the wfy hir routing leet, snoring ceased
And gan awake, and wente hir out to pisse,
And cam again, and gan her cradel misse,
And groped heer and ther, but she fond noon. None

He knewe the tavernes wel in every toun,
And everich hostiler and tappestere innkeeper / barmain
Bet than a lazar or a beggestere, leper / beggar woman
For unto swich a worthy man as he
Acorded nat, as by his facultee, suited / position
To have with seke lazars aqueyntaunce: sick
It is nat honest, it may nat avaunce profit
For to delen with no swich poraille, deal / paupers
But al with rich and sellers of vitaille. vittles
And over al, ther as profit sholde aryse, everywhere / wherever
Curteys he was, and lowely of servyse.

“Now wel,” quod he, “and somwhat shal I yive something / give
Unto your holy covent whyl I live,
And in thyn hand thou shalt it have anoon, at once
On this condicioun and other noon: noon
That thou depart it so, my dere brother, divide
That every frere have as muche as other.”

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