And certeynly he hadde a mery note; Wel couthe he synge and pleyen on a rote.
Ne swa sleygh payntur never nan was, Thogh his sleght mught alle other pas, That couthe ymagyn of thair [devils'] gryslynes.
Couthe I lye to do men laughe, {260} Thanne lacchen I sholde Outher mantel or moneie Amonges lordes or mynstrals.
Hadde ich a clerc that couthe write, 8520 I wolde caste hym a bille, That he sente me under his seel A salve for the pestilence, And that his blessynge and hise bulles Bocches myghte destruye.
Al the wikkednesse that I woot By any of oure bretheren, I couthe it in oure cloistre, That al oure covent woot it.
Men dede him worschipe ek therfore, That he the ferste in thilke lond Was which the melodie fond 1030 Of Riedes, whan thei weren ripe, With double pipes forto pipe; Therof he yaf the ferste lore, Til afterward men couthe more.
Thus was acorded er thei wente, That he with al that evere he may This yonge faire freisshe May Of that he couthe scholde enforme; And full assented in this forme Thei token leve as for that nyht.
Ye slen me with youre eyen, Emelye; Ye ben the cause wherfore that I dye: be Of al the remenant of myn other care remnant Ne sette I nought the mountaunce of a tare, amount So that I couthe don aught to youre pleasaunce!
Thorgh wiche craft he couthe come To bred and to ale, And ovar more to an hater To helye with hus bones, And lyveth like a lollere, Godes lawe him dampneth.
This faire kynges doughter, Canace, That on hir fynger bar the queynte ryng, Thurgh which sche understood wel every thing That eny foul may in his lydne sayn, And couthe answer him in his lydne agayn.
And rage he couthe and pleye as a whelpe, In love-dayes, ther couthe he mochil helpe.
And he began the points devise, Which as the king tolde him by mouthe, And said her pleinly, that he couthe Answeren to no point of this.
The fader herd his doughters speche, And thought there was no reson in, And sigh his owne life to winne He couthe done himself no cure.
Who couthe telle, or who couthe it endyte, The Ioye that is maked in the place Whan Theseus hath doon so fair a grace?
Wel couthe he peynten lyfly that it wroghte, With many a florin he the hewes boghte.
I couthe ryght well, yef that hyt lykyd me Tell all hys doyng; but hyt ys vanyte.
Therto he couthe endite and make a thing, Ther couthe no wight pynche at his writyng, was certainly not pronounced in ordinary speech with the same stress on the last syllable as is here demanded both by the rhythm and rhyme.
And faste than I avysed me To drawen out the shafte of tree; But ever the heed was left bihinde For ought I couthe pulle or winde.
The line--'And couthemake in song swich refreininge' is obviously too long.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "couthe" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
