Ergo thorugh his breeth mowen Men and beestes lyven, As holy writ witnesseth, Whan men seye hir graces.
And siththe he sente me to seye I sholde do sacrifise, And doon hym worship with breed And with wyn bothe; And called me the foot of his feith, His folk for to save, And defende hem fro the fend, Folk that on me leveden.
For, though I seye it myself, I have saved with this charme, Of men and of wommen Many score thousand.
For he myghten not seye no thing of newe, in the whiche the hereres myghten haven outher solace or desport or lust or lykynge in the herynge.
And therfore seye I of this folk, that ben so trewe and so feythefulle, that God lovethe hem.
But as I have herd seyeof wyse men bezonde, I schalle telle zou with gode wille.
The thridde ryvere, that is clept Tigris, is as moche for to seye as faste rennynge: for he rennethe more faste than ony of the tother.
But nathales for hem that knowen not, I schalle seyezou the cause.
The seconde ryvere is clept Nilus or Gyson: for it is alle weye trouble: and Gyson, in the langage of Ethiope, is to seye trouble: and in the langage of Egipt also.
And zif ony man seye to hem, that thei norrischen other mennes children, thei answeren, that so don other men hires.
Now schalle I seye zou sewyngly of contrees and yles, that ben bezonde the contrees that I have spoken of.
I sey no more, al have I for to seye To you wel more than I telle may; But whether that ye do me live or deye, 1410 Yet pray I god, so yeve yow right good day.
And have it brought to swich plyt as thou wost, So that, thorugh me, thow stondest now in weye To fare wel, I seye it for no bost, And wostow why?
I seye, that if the opinioun of thee 1030 Be sooth, for that he sit, than seye I this, That he mot sitten by necessitee; And thus necessitee in either is.
Wher shal I seyeto yow "wel come" or no, That alderfirst me broughte in-to servyse Of love, allas!
And certes, the remenaunt of thinges that ben yit to seye ben swiche, that first whan men tasten hem they ben bytinge, but whan they ben 20 receyved withinne a wight, than ben they swete.
For they that ben shrewes, I deneye nat that they ben shrewes; but I deneye, andseye simplely and pleinly, that they ne ben nat, ne han no beinge.
But what shal I seye of dignitees and of powers, the whiche ye men, that neither knowen verray dignitee ne verray power, areysen hem as heye as the hevene?
Yet were it bet my tonge for to stille 230 Than seye a sooth that were ayeins your wille.
Wherfore I nil have neither thank ne blame 15 Of al this werk, but pray yow mekely, Disblameth me, if any word be lame, For as myn auctor seyde, so seye I.
Thou wost wel that I seye sooth, ne I ne avauntede me never in preysinge of my-self.
But what shal I seye of delices of body, of whiche delices the desiringes ben ful of anguissh, and the fulfillinges of hem ben ful of penaunce?
I herd seye that a man was thys daye examyned, and he confessed that he knewe greet tresor was sende to the Erle off Oxenfford, wheroff a m^le li.
Item, my Lorde of Warwyk, as it is supposyd, schall goo with the Kynge in to Lyncolne schyre; some men seye that hys goyng shall doo goode, and som seye that it dothe harme.
L1000] sholde be conveyd by a Monke off Westminster, and some seye by a Monke off Chartrehows.
As ffor the worlde I woot nott what it menyth, men seye heer, as weell as Hogan, that we shall have adoo in hast; I know no lyklyhod but that suche a rumor ther is.
And men seye that the Lorde Ryverse schyppyd on Crystmesse evyn in to Portyngale warde; I am not serteyn.
As for any tydynges ther be noon heer, saffe that the Kyng hath kept a ryall Crystmesse; and now they seye that hastelye he woll northe, and some seye that he woll into Walys, and some seye that he woll into the West Contre.
I wolde it hadd doon weel; by Good, I spake ffor yow soo, that in ffeythe I trowe I kowde nott seye so weel ageyn.
And soom seye that the Kynge sholde come ageyn to London, and that in haste, and as it is sayde Cortenayes be londyd in Devenschyr, and ther rewle.
Item, men seye that the Erle off Oxenfford is abowt the Ilde off Tenett hoveryng, som seye wyth grett companye, and som seye, with ffewe.
First I schalle seye zou, whi he was clept the gret Chane.
Of this venym, the Jewes had let seche of on of here frendes, for to empoysone alle Cristiantee, as I have herd hem seye in here confessioun, before here dyenge.
And thei seye also, that oure Lord ne eet nevere mete: but he made tokene etyng.
Now schall I seyezou also the weye, that gothe fro Babiloyne to the Mount of Synay, where Seynte Kateryne lythe.
The inmortalle God hathe sent me to the; and it is his wille, that thou go to the 7 lynages, and seye to hem, that thou schalt ben here emperour.
And men seye in theise contrees, that philosophres som tyme wenten upon theise hilles, and helden to here nose a spounge moysted with watre, for to have eyr; for the eyr above was so drye.
Egypt is a long contree; but it is streyt, that is to seye narow; for thei may not enlargen it toward the desert, for defaute of watre.
And tho that han ben in tho contrees and in the gret Canes houshold, knowen wel, that I seye sothe.
For the which thing I seyeto thee, manye synnes ben forgiuen to hir, for sche hath loued myche; and to whom is lesse forgyuen to hir, he loueth lesse.
And Jhesus answerde and seide to him, Symount, I han sum thing to seye to thee.
And thei that saten togider at the mete bigunnen to seye withinne hemsilf, [themselves], Who is this that forgyveth synnes?
Now schalle I seye [y]ou semyngly of Countrees and Yles that ben be[y]onde the Countrees that I have spoken of.
Wherefore I seye you in passynge be the Lond of Cathaye toward the high Ynde, and towards Bacharye, men passen be a Kyngdom that men clepen Caldilhe: that is a fair Contree.
And they that hadde y-knowen hir of yore Seye hir so wepe, and thoughte it kindenesse, And eche of hem wepte eek for hir distresse.
The Franklin shows himself well abreast of scientific discovery when he speaks of This wyde world, which that men seye is round.
I seye for me it is a greet disese Wher-as men han ben in greet welthe and ese To heren of hir sodyn fal, allas!
For trewely I holde it greet deyntee A kinges sone in armes wel to do, 165 And been of good condiciouns ther-to; For greet power and moral vertu here Is selde y-seye in o persone y-fere.
Wherfore I nil have neither thank ne blame 15 Of al this werk, but prey yow mekely, Disblameth me if any word be lame, For as myn auctor seyde, so seye I.
Thus wole I seye and thus; Thus wole I pleyne unto my lady dere; That word is good, and this shal be my chere; This nil I not foryeten in no wyse.
But sith I see my lord mot nedes dye, And I with him, here I me shryve, and seye 440 That wikkedly ye doon us bothe deye.
And sithen I loked upon the see, 7300 And so forth upon the sterres; Manye selkouthes I seigh, Ben noght to seye nouthe.
Of this matere I myghte Mamelen ful longe; Ac I shal seye as I saugh, So me God helpe!
Ac be nevere moore the firste 6780 Defaute to blame; Though thow se yvel, seye it noght first, Be sory it nere amended.
Whan Symonye and Cyvylle Seighe hir bothe wille, Thei assented, for silver, To seye as bothe wolde.
I seigh somme that seiden Thei hadde y-sought seintes; 100 To ech a tale that thei tolde Hire tonge was tempred to lye, Moore than to seye sooth, It semed bi hire speche.
Thi compaignie wol I folwe; Thow shalt seye I am thi suster, I ne woot where thei bicome.
He may answere and seye this and that: I do no fors, I speak ryght as I mene: I care not Syn I fro Love escaped am so fat.
Tak hem agayn, for now maistow not seye mayest thou That thou hast lorn noon of thy children tweye.
And on the iiij day of March after, was the pardon of the lord Cobbeham, that is to seye S^{r}.
This same yere there was a clerk that beleved nought on the sacrament of the auter, that is to seye Godes body,[89] which was dampned and brought into Smythfeld to be brent, and was bounde to a stake where as he schulde be brent.
Engelond, that is to seye of sylver, for every man, because of the said newe eschange, outred gold and kept sylver in as moche as they myghte.
Also in this yere the kyng seyled into Fraunce, that is to seye the yere of oure lord a m^{l}cccxxviij, and dede homage to the kyng of Fraunce for the ducherye of Guyene and for the counte of Pountyf.
Also this same yere, that is to seye the xv yere of his reigne of England, was the first yere of his reigne of France, and he came fro Tourney.
Ordeyne ze that Jenneys mown ben in the Parlement, for they kun seye well.
And seye to yowre brothir John it weer wel don to thinkke on Stansted Chirche;[73.
And þus moche I seye þat þe laste charge of contrarious fortune is þis.
But now in these thinges, after dyversite of reson, revers in one thinge may be seye without repugnaunce.
Therfor I wol seye a proverbe, That "he that fully knoweth th'erbe 290 May saufly leye hit to his ye" .
I coude of Ire seye so muche sorwe, My tale sholde laste til to-morwe.
This cook shal drinke ther-of, if I may; 85 Up peyne of deeth, he wol nat seyeme nay!
What shal I seye of Nicerates wyf, That for swich cas birafte hir-self hir lyf?
Now wol I seye yow sooth, by seint Thomas, Why that I rente out of his book a leef, For which he smoot me so that I was deef.
I ne can seyeit noon other weyes in English, but in Latin it highte Centesimus fructus.
He was, I trowe, a twenty winter old, 600 And I was fourty, if I shal seye sooth; But yet I hadde alwey a coltes tooth.
I seye ye been nat of might and power as now to venge yow.
He dorste nat, for verray filthe and shame, Seye that he was a somnour, for the name.
I ne seye but for this ende this sentence, That litel whyl in Ioye or in plesance 1140 Lasteth the blisse of Alla with Custance.
And therfore seye I, that it is good as now that ye suffre and be pacient.
Ye," quod he; He dorste nat for verray filthe and shame Seye that he was a somnour for the name.
But thus I seye yow trewely, What hir cause was, I niste.
I seye a certein of conclusiouns, 10 for three causes.
Thenne seide she, Knowiste thow him if thou seye him?
Then saide he, thow harde me neverseye but that I wolde have my covenaunte kept.
Wherefore I seye you in pessynge be [by] the Lord of Cathaye toward the high Ynde and towards Bacharye, men passen be a Kyngdom that men clepen Caldhille, that is a fair contree.
Now schalle I seye you semyingly of Countries and Yles that bea beyonde the Countries that I have spoken of.
Men tolde hym that they were ffrowarde karlys butte he wolde nott beleve it and yitt men seye that he woll to them ageyn.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "seye" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
