Canterbury Tales Religion Quotes

And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre,
As wel in cristendom as in hethenesse,
And evere honoured for his worthynesse;
At Alisaundre he was whan it was wonne.
Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bigonne
Aboven alle nacions in Pruce;
In Lettow hadde he reysed and in Ruce,
No Cristen man so ofte of his degree.
In Gernade at the seege eek hadde he be
Of Algezir, and riden in Belmarye.
At Lyeys was he and at Satalye,
Whan they were wonne, and in the Grete See
At many a noble armee hadde he be.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Knight has a very impressive military career. He fought in the Crusades, religious wars between Christians and Muslims launched to secure control of holy sites sacred to both sides. He battled in Egypt, Russia, Lithuania, Spain, Morocco and Turkey. He saw many times in the place of honor.

Ful swetely herde he confessioun,
And plesaunt was his absolucioun:
He was an esy man to yeve penaunce,
Ther as he wiste to have a good pitaunce.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. God’s forgiveness does not come free, it seems. The Friar offers a friendly ear in confession to penitants…but at a price. This corrupt and despicable character uses confessions as his course of income. Selling forgiveness is subverting the sacrament of penance and God’s forgiveness, which is supposed to be given freely to the true penitant. Friar Hubert is religious in name only, he’s the one who should go to confession and seek forgiveness for his sins.

For unto a povre ordre for to yive
Is signe that a man is wel yshryve;
For if he yaf, he dorste make avaunt,
He wiste that a man was repentaunt.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. In the Friar’s Alice in Wonderland version of Christianity, a sinner makes a true confession and shows repentance by giving him a donation! After all the Friar is a member of a "povre ordre" (poor order), isn’t he? So much for remorse, showing true sorrow for your sins and acts of restitution – which is what confession is meant to be about! But greedy Hubert has turned the sacrament into a nice earner for himself.

And thries hadde she been at Jerusalem;
She hadde passed many a straunge strem;
At Rome she hadde been, and at Boloigne,
In Galice at Seint-Jame, and at Coloigne.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. Alison the Wife of Bath is well traveled and has gone on many pilgrimages, along the Way of Saint James to Galicia, to Jerusalem, Rome and Cologne. This devotion may convey the impression that she is a religious woman, but we later learn that she likes to be socially seen and her pilgrimage tourism has nothing to do with religious piety.

A good man was ther of religioun,
And was a povre persoun of a toun,
But riche he was of hooly thoght and werk.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. These lines about the Parson are rich in irony, coming as they do after the descriptions of the wealth and decadence associated with some of the previous pilgrims, like the Monk and Friar. The Parson by contrast is poor, but rich in holy thought and work. He is the one religious character that actually lives his vow of poverty. But for morals and virtues and honest living, he is probably the richest of all.

But rather wolde he yeven, out of doute,
Unto his povre parisshens aboute
Of his offring, and eek of his substaunce.
He koude in litel thyng have suffisaunce.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Parson is a very selfless, kindly and generous man. He is a stark contrast to some of other characters who pocket all they can and take from the poor. He is not interested in accumulating wealth and finds sufficiency in few possessions. In fact the Parson gives some of his offering received at mass and some of his own income to poor parishioners.

A bettre preest I trowe that nowher noon ys.
He waitede after no pompe and reverence,
Ne maked him a spiced conscience;
But Cristes loore and his apostles twelve
He taughte, but first he folwed it hymselve.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Narrator believes there there is no better priest anywhere than the Parson. Leading a humble life without pomp or ceremony, he practices what he preaches. First he follows the teaching of Christ and the apostles, and then teaches it to others.

The Reve was a sclendre colerik man.
His berd was shave as ny as ever he kan;
His heer was by his erys ful round yshorn;
His top was dokked lyk a preest biforn.
ful longe were his legges and ful lene,
Ylyk a staf; ther was no calf ysene.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. This passage describes the Reeve as being slender with long stick-like legs. His beard is shaved close and he has haircut like a priest, the top of his head being cut short in front. He was also “choleric” or bad tempered and irritable. His physical appearance is meant to make him look harmless, which he definitely is not.

He wolde techen him to have noon awe
In swich caas of the ercedekenes curs,
But if a mannes soule were in his purs;
For in his purs he sholde ypunysshed be.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Summoner has created a nice little earner for himself when dealing with people accused of violating Church law before the ecclestiastical court. A person faced with excommunication for some infraction can simply have the threat removed if he offers the Summoner a bribe. What does the Bible say about the wages of sin?

For in his male he hadde a pilwe-beer,
Which that he seyde was Oure Lady veyl:
He seyde he hadde a gobet of the seyl
That Seint Peter hadde, whan that he wente
Upon the see, til Jhesu Crist hym hente.
He hadde a croys of latoun ful of stones,
And in a glas he hadde pigges bones.
But with thise relikes, whan that he fond
A povre person dwellynge upon lond,
Upon a day he gat hym moore moneye
Than that the person gat in monthes tweye;
And thus, with feyned flaterye and japes,
He made the person and the peple his apes.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. Though representing the Church, the Pardoner is quite simply a conman and hypocrite who exploits other people’s fears and faith for his own profit. In this passage he takes from the poor. He has a pillowcase full of fake relics and crosses that he charges people to view. He fools a poor parson and his parishioners with these, managing to earn more money in a day than the parson earns in a month. If ever there was a sinner in need of a Pardoner, it’s the Pardoner!

He was in chirche a noble ecclesiaste.
Wel koude he rede a lessoun or a storie,
But alderbest he song an offertorie;
For wel he wiste, whan that song was songe,
He moste preche and wel affile his tonge
To wynne silver, as he ful wel koude;
Therefore he song the murierly and loude.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. In church the Pardoner uses his pleasant voice to tell stories, sing songs and preach, but not to praise and glorify the Lord. He does it for silver! He knows that the better he sings and preaches the more money he will get, so he makes sure he gives the congregation their money’s worth. The corrupt churchman sets out to make money and profit for himself every opportunity he can get.

His walet, biforn hym in his lappe
Bretful of pardoun comen from Rome al hoot.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Pardoner has a knapsack brimful of Church pardons (indulgences) all fresh from Rome. Selling indulgences was big business then for the Church and brought in a lot of income. Pardoners were meant to offer indulgences to contrite penitants in return for a charitable donation to the Church. But pardoners were known throughout history for keeping the "donations" for themselves.

"I noot wher she be womman or goddesse,
But Venus is it soothly, as I gesse."
And therwithal on knees doun he fil,
And seyde, "Venus, if it be thy wil
Yow in this gardyn thus to transfigure
Bifore me, sorweful, wrecched creature,
Out of this prisoun help that we may scapen."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. At first the love-struck Palamon, speaking to fellow prisoner Arcite, says he does not know whether Emily is a woman or the goddess of love Venus herself. He then falls down on his knees and starts praying to Venus (Emily) to help him escape from his prison.

"Thow shalt," quod he, "be rather fals than I;
And thou art fals, I telle thee outrely,
For paramour I loved hire first er thow.
What wiltow seyen? Thou woost nat yet now
Wheither she be a womman or goddesse!
Thyn is affeccioun of hoolynesse,
And myn is love as to a creature.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Arcite disputes Palamon claim that he loved Emily first. He says Palamon’s affection for Emily is as to a goddess, it is a feeling of holiness and spirituality. Arcite is adament that he loved her first as a mistress, his love "is love as to a creature" not a goddess. He says Palamon is the false one in their sworn brotherhood.

Allas, why pleynen folk so in commune
On purveiaunce of God, or of Fortune,
That yeveth hem ful ofte in many a gyse
Wel bettre than they kan hemself devyse?

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Why do people complain about the providence of God, or of Fortune, that gives them something better than they can themselves imagine, Arcite asks? He is referring to the fact that when he was a prisoner in Theseus’s tower he could see the woman he loves Emily, but now that he has freedom and is banished from Athens he cannot see her.

O crueel goddes that governe
This world with byndyng of youre word eterne,
And writen in the table of atthamaunt
Youre parlement and youre eterne graunt,
What is mankynde moore unto you holde
Than is the sheep that rouketh in the folde?
For slayn is man right as another beest…
And whan a beest is deed he hath no peyne;
But man after his deeth moot wepe and pleyne,
Though in this world he have care and wo.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Palamon complains bitterly about the cruel gods treating men worse than the beasts. Men and animals die, but animals have no pain after death whereas man must weep and lament after his even though in this world he has cares and woe.

Hym thoughte how that the wynged god Mercurie
Biforn hym stood and bad hym to be murie.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Arcite is asleep one night when it seems that the god Mercury stands in front of him, bidding him to be merry and happier. Mercury is a messenger of the Roman gods who sometimes appears in dreams to sleepers. But he is also the god of thieves, responsible for conveying souls to the underworld. His appearance forshadows the death of Arcite on his return to Athens.

Arrayed was this god, as he took keep,
As he was whan that Argus took his sleep;
And seyde hym thus: "To Atthenes shaltou wende,
Ther is thee shapen of thy wo an ende.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Arcite notices that the Roman god Mercury who appears to him in a dream is dressed as the Greek god Hermes. Hermes was sent by Zeus to kill the hundred-eyed giant Argus, making the giant go to sleep and then crushing him with a rock. The god commands Arcite to go to Athens, where he says his woes will end. This is foreshadowing that Arcite will die when he returns to Athens.

Wroght on the wal, ful pitous to biholde,
The broken slepes, and the sikes colde,
The sacred teeris, and the waymentynge,
The firy strokes, and the desirynge
That loves servantz in this lyf enduren;
The othes that hir covenantz assuren;
Pleasance and Hope, Desir, Foolhardynesse,
Beautee and Youthe, Bauderie, Richesse,
Charmes and Force, Lesynges, Flaterye,
Despense, Bisynesse, and Jalousye.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. The Knight describes the temple of Venus, Roman goddess of love, which is by the gate of the enormous stadium constructed by Theseus for the tournament between Arcite and Palamon. At the temple is shown both the pleasures and woes of love – beauty and youth, lies and flattery, broken sleep, tears and fiery desire. Palamon prays to Venus for victory in the tournament.

Thus may ye seen that wysdom ne richesse,
Beautee ne sleighte, strengthe ne hardynesse,
Ne may with Venus holde champartie,
For as hir list the world than may she gye.
Lo, alle thise folk so caught were in hir las,
Til they for wo ful ofte seyde "allas!"

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Venus is portrayed at the all-powerful goddess of love, who shares power with no one and rules the world as she pleases. Those who get caught up in her snare inevitably suffer misfortune.

The crueel Ire, reed as any gleede…
The smylere with the knyf under the cloke;
The shepne brennynge with the blake smoke;
The tresoun of the mordrynge in the bedde;
The open werre, with woundes al bibledde;
Contek, with blody knyf and sharp manace.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. The Knight is describing the temple of Mars, god of war, built by Theseus in his stadium for the tournament between Arcite and Palamon. The temple portrays a bleak picture of every imaginable form of brutality and bloody conflict, violence and suffering – all caused by Mars. Arcite prays to Mars for victory in the tournament.

Depeynted was the slaughtre of Julius,
Of grete Nero, and of Antonius;
Al be that thilke tyme they were unborn,
Yet was hir deth depeynted ther-biforn.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Depicted at the temple to the god of war Mars are the slaughter of great men in history like Caesar, Nero and Marc Antony. Their deaths were preordained even before they were born by this powerful god. This forewarns of a death among the knights Arcite and Palamon, in the tournament they will engage in in the stadium housing the temple.
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