In the Nonnes Prestes Tale the subject is treated satirically.
Now ben prestes pokes so wyde, Men must enlarge the vestement; The holy gospell they don hyde, 935 For they contrarien in rayment.
And Christ himself was apayed with twelve apostles and a few disciples, to preche and do prestes office to all 285 the hole world; than was it better don than it is now at this tyme by a thousand deel.
He wol have tythinge and offringe, 885 Maugre who-so-ever it gruche; And twyes on the day woll singe; Goddes prestes nere none suche!
Why be ye evell apayed that secular prestes shulde preche the gospel; sith god him-selfe hath boden hem?
Whan feyth failleth in prestes sawes, And lordes hestes ar holden for lawes, And robbery is holden purchas, And lechery is holden solas, Than shal the lond of Albyon 5 Be brought to grete confusioun.
Here is what he printed:-- 'Whan feyth failleth in prestes sawes And lordes hestes ar holden for lawes And robbery is holden purchas And lechery is holden solas Than shal the lond of albyon Be brought to grete confusioun.
The prestes of that temple han alle here wrytinges, undre the date of the foul that is clept Fenix: and there is non but on in alle the world.
And at the 500 zeers ende, the prestes arrayen here awtere honestly, and putten there upon spices and sulphur vif [Footnote: Live.
So farenprestes now by dawe, They beth blynde in Goddes lawe, etc.
Sir Thomas Lynes, to the prestes at the deryge at Bromholm, xliiis.
And also by your seid lettirs patentes to licence the seid prestes to take and reseyve, and to hold to them and to ther successours the seid annuite, rent charge, vj.
And sche began to bidde and preie Upon the bare ground knelende, And after that made hire offrende, And to the Prestes yiftes grete Sche yaf, and homward be the Strete.
The Prestes tho gon hom ayein, And sche goth to hire sovereign, Of goddes wille and as it was Sche tolde him al the pleine cas, Wherof he was deceived eke, And bad that sche hire scholde meke Al hol unto the goddes heste.
Thus was it seid, thus was it sworn Of all the Prestes that ther are; And sche which causeth al this fare Seid ek therto what that sche wolde, And every man thanne after tolde 4310 So as the queene hem hadde preid.
Betwen the lif and deth I herde This Prestes tale er I answerde, 290 And thanne I preide him forto seie His will, and I it wolde obeie After the forme of his apprise.
And thus be lawe resonable 1030 Among the wise jugges there The Prestes bothe dampned were, So that the prive tricherie Hid under fals Ipocrisie Was thanne al openliche schewed, That many a man hem hath beschrewed.
Petersen, On the Sources of the Nonne Prestes Tale, 1898, pp.
Yeat les they shulde seame to saye nothing / They saye / That the Lord did delyuer it in bothe kindes vnto prestesonlye / that is to his Apostles.
And yet when they themselues do mynister it vnto prestes whiche do not saye Masse / they do gyue but the one kinde only.
These are the trewe keyes and twoo swordes which God hath put into prestes handes.
We now paye half so moch vnto the prestes only/ besyde their other craftye exactions.
And he appoynted the people vnto the cities/ from one syde of Egipte vnto the other: only the londe of the Prestes bought he not.
Sixteen lines short in Wright, because the Epilogue to the Nonne Prestes Tale (see p.
In fact, Chaucer uses the phrase 'with greyn' in the epilogue to the Nonne Prestes Tale; B.
See the use of Eneydos in the Nonne Prestes Tale, B.
Nonne Prestes Tale, and at the Knightes Tale [Footnote: Ib.
Chaucer says-- Bucklers brode and swerdes long Baudrike with baselardes kene Sech toles about her necke they hong: With Antichrist seche prestes been.
To my prestesfor to bere me to the churche ev'y preste, 8d.
And dame Peronelle a prestes file--Priouresse worth she neuere For she had childe in chirityme--all owre chapitere it wiste.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "prestes" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
