The sketch which prefaces the Freres Tale was probably drawn from the life:-- Whilom ther was dwellinge in my contree An erchedeken, a man of heigh degree For smale tythes and for smal offringe He made the peple pitously to singe.
Tigris and Eufrates resolven and springen of oo welle, in the cragges of the roche of the contree of Achemenie, ther-as the fleinge bataile ficcheth hir dartes, retorned in the brestes of hem that folwen hem.
Certes, yif that honour of poeple were a naturel yift to dignitees, it ne mighte 45 never cesen nowher amonges no maner folk to don his office, right as fyr in every contree ne stinteth nat to eschaufen and to ben hoot.
And thus maketh Love entrechaungeable the perdurable courses; and thus is discordable bataile y-put out of the contree of the sterres.
Ther saw I graven eek how he, His fader eek, and his meynee, With his shippes gan to sayle 195 Toward the contree of Itaile, As streight as that they mighte go.
He seide, unto his contree moste he saile, For ther he wolde her wedding apparaile (80) As fil to her honour and his also.
Philotetes anoon the sail up-drow, Whan that the wind was good, and gan him hye 1460 Out of his contree called Tessalye.
And at the laste he took avisement (50) To senden him in-to som fer contree Ther as this Iasoun may destroyed be.
And, for the outlawe hath but smal meynee, And may nat doon so greet an harm as he, Ne bringe a contree to so greet mescheef, Men clepen him an outlawe or a theef.
It is an honour to everich that is heer, That ye mowe have a suffisant pardoneer Tassoille yow, incontree as ye ryde, For aventures which that may bityde.
In that contree ben longe apples of gode savour; where of ben mo than 100 in a clustre, and als manye in another; and thei han gret longe leves and large, of 2 fote long or more.
The folk of that contree usen alle longe clothes, with outen furroures.
And this contree is gode and pleyn and fulle of peple.
For alle the contree of Ynde is devysed in yles, for the grete flodes, that comen from Paradys, that departen alle the lond in many parties.
Fro that contree men comen be the lond of the grete Chane also, that I have spoken of before.
Syrie is a gret contreeand a gode, as I have told zou before.
And the beste cytee of that contree is clept Chorasme.
And that contree lyzth a long fro the see ocean, toward the southe; and toward the northe, it marchethe to Nubye, and to the highe Lybye.
And alle weys in that contree ben 2 kynges, and thei ben bothe Cristene: but the Kyng of Georgie is in subieccioun to the grete Chane.
Yif thou remembre of what contree thou art born, it nis nat governed by emperours .
Serien contreewith the blode of a maner shelfisshe that men finden in Tyrie, with whiche blode men deyen purpur.
It seem all de skeeter on w'ole contree Is jump on de head of dat Englishman.
And the Contree is sett along upon the Ryvere of Nyle; be als much as that Ryvere may serve be Flodes or otherwise that whanne it flowethe it may spreden abrood thorghe the Contree; so is the Contreelarge of Lengthe.
And for als moche as it ne reyeneth not in that Contree, but the Eyr is alwey pure and clear, therefor in that Contree ben the gode Astronomyeres; for thei fynde there no Cloudes to letten hem.
The comune clamat cotidie Ech a man til oother, {421} The contree is the corseder That cardinals comme inne; And ther thei ligge and lenge moost, Lecherie there regneth.
And thanne shal Feith be forster here, {355} And in this fryth walke, And kennen out comune men That knowen noght the contree Which is the wey that I wente, And wher forth to Jerusalem.
A noble historye of the largesse of Romaynys, how amplye they departed ther godes yn a tym of urgent necessite to make an armee yn to the contree of Auffrique.
Whan that this worthy duk, this Theseus, Hath Creon slayn, and wonne Thebes thus, Stille in that feeld he took al night his reste, And dide with al the contree as him leste.
Thou spak right now of thilke traitour Deeth, That in this contree alle our frendes sleeth.
Ye mote nempne him to what place also (310) Or to what contree that yow list to ryde.
This olde sowdanesse, cursed crone, Hath with hir frendes doon this cursed dede, For she hir-self wolde al the contree lede.
That never-mo ye shul my contree dere, Ne make werre up-on me night ne day, But been my freendes in al that ye may; I yow foryeve this trespas every del.
And therfore, ther mote been marchants to bringen fro that o contree to that other hire marchandyses.
And preyde he sholde hem telle To Conscience what craft he kouthe, And to what contree he wolde.
In thatcontree is no nedy man, ne none that gothe on beggynge.
From that contree men passen be many marches, toward a contree, a 10 iourneyes thens, that is clept Mabaron: and it is a gret kyngdom, and it hathe many faire cytees and townes.
In that contree growen manye stronge vynes: and the wommen drynken wyn, and men not: and the wommen schaven hire berdes, and the men not.
And alle hire clothes ben so nobely and so richely wroughte with gold and precious stones and riche perles, that zif a man of this contree hadde but only on of hire robes, he myghte wel seye, that he sholde nevere be pore.
There ben also in that contree a kynde of snayles, that ben so grete, that many persones may loggen hem in here schelles, as men wolde done in a litylle hous.
Also whan it reynethe ones in the somer, in the lond of Egipt, thanne is alle the contree fulle of grete myrs.
In that contree of Libye, is the see more highe than the lond; and it semethe that it wolde covere the erthe, and natheles zit it passethe not his markes.
And the contree is sett along upon the ryvere of Nyle; be als moche as that ryvere may serve be flodes or otherwise, that whanne it flowethe, it may spreden abrood thorghe the contree: so is the contree large of lengthe.
And the kyng of that contree is a fulle gret lord and a ryche and a myghty, and hathe undre him 7 other kynges of 7 other yles abouten hym.
And for als moche as it ne reynethe not in that contree, but the eyr is alwey pure and cleer, therfore in that contreeben the gode astronomyeres; for thei fynde there no cloudes, to letten hem.
And the folk of [th]at contree ben lyghtly dronken, and han but litill appetyt to mete.
I am von Frenchiman; in my contree every Frenchiman he is von soldat.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "contree" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
