The General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales
Lines 118-162: The Portrait of the Prioress

118    Ther was also a nonne, a prioresse,
119    That of hir smylyng was ful symple and coy;
120    Hire gretteste ooth was but by seinte loy;
121    And she was cleped madame eglentyne.
122    Ful weel she soong the service dyvyne,
123    Entuned in hir nose ful semely,
124    And frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly,
125    After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe,
126    For frenssh of Parys was to hire unknowe.
127    At mete wel ytaught was she with alle:
128    She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle,
129    Ne wette hir fyngres in hir sauce depe;
130    Wel koude she carie a morsel and wel kepe
131    That no drope ne fille upon hire brest.
132    In curteisie was set ful muchel hir lest.
133    Hir over-lippe wyped she so clene
134    That in hir coppe ther was no ferthyng sene
135    Of grece, whan she dronken hadde hir draughte.
136    Ful semely after hir mete she raughte.
137    And sikerly she was of greet desport,
138    And ful plesaunt, and amyable of port,
139    And peyned hire to countrefete cheere
140    Of court, and to been estatlich of manere,
141    And to ben holden digne of reverence.
142    But, for to speken of hire conscience,
143    She was so charitable and so pitous
144    She wolde wepe, if that she saugh a mous
145    Kaught in a trappe, if it were deed or bledde.
146    Of smale houndes hadde she that she fedde
147    With rosted flessh, or milk and wastel-breed.
148    But soore wepte she if oon of hem were deed,
149    Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte;
150    And al was conscience and tendre herte.
151    Ful semyly hir wympul pynched was,
152    Hir nose tretys, hir eyen greye as glas,
153    Hir mouth ful smal, and therto softe and reed;
154    But sikerly she hadde a fair forheed;
155    It was almoost a spanne brood, I trowe;
156    For, hardily, she was nat undergrowe.
157    Ful fetys was hir cloke, as I was war.
158    Of smal coral aboute hire arm she bar
159    A peire of bedes, gauded al with grene,
160    And theron heng a brooch of gold ful sheene,
161    On which ther was first write a crowned a,
162    And after amor vincit omnia.