Virgin, Chaucer can find but little to say on the point: But for to spekenof hir conscience She was so charitable and so pitous-- that she would weep over a mouse in a trap or a beaten puppy!
But, for to speken of hir conscience, She was so charitable and so pitous, She wolde wepe, if that she sawe a mous Caught in a trap, if it were deed or bledde.
But the working of the poison is most brilliantly described by Chaucer, in his Persones Tale: "After the sinnes of Envie and of Ire, now wol I speken of the sinne of Accidie.
But ho, for we han right y-now of this, And late us ryse and streight to bedde go; And there lat vs speken of our wo.
Thanne seyde she, 'That manere wol I don thee'; and bigan to speken right thus.
For goddes speken in amphibologyes, And, for a sooth, they tellen twenty lyes.
And vulgarly to speken of substaunce Of tresour, may we bothe with us lede Y-nough to live in honour and plesaunce, 1515 Til in-to tyme that we shul ben dede; And thus we may eschewen al this drede.
So longe of this they speken up and doun, Til Troilus gan at the laste assente To ryse, and forth to Sarpedoun they wente.
Comenly the wyse speken esily and softe for many skilles.
And than wol I as blythly here thee speken thy mirthes in joye, as I now have y-herd thy sorowes and thy complayntes.
Thise ladies eek compleynen hem on clerkes 190 That they han maad bokes of hir diffame, In which they lakken wommen and hir werkes And speken of hem greet repreef and shame, And causelees yive hem a wikked name.
Bot now it stant al otherwise; 2580 Thei speken faste of thilke Ston, Bot hou to make it, nou wot non After the sothe experience.
Bot forto speken in what cost Of al this erthe he regneth most As for wisdom, it is in Grece, Wher is apropred thilke spiece.
Tho was ther mochel Pride alofte, Thei speken alle, and sche was softe, Thenkende on thilke unkynde Pride, Of that hire lord so nyh hire side Avanteth him that he hath slain And piked out hire fader brain, And of the Skulle had mad a Cuppe.
Bot nou to mi matiere forth, 2690 As forto speken overmore After the Philosophres lore, The thridde point of Policie I thenke forto specifie.
And forto spekenover this, In this partie of thair it is 320 That men fulofte sen be nyhte The fyr in sondri forme alyhte.
The bokes speken of this vice, And telle hou god of his justice, Be weie of kinde and ek nature And every lifissh creature, 4920 The lawe also, who that it kan, Thei dampnen an unkinde man.
And he made her grett chere, and hem that wer ther with her, and seyd that he desyryd for to spekyn with me, if it xuld ben non displesans to me; and Kateryn seyd to hym that sche supposyd that I desyryd not to speken with hym.
For goddes speken in amphibologyes, And, for o sooth they tellen twenty lyes.
And vulgarly to speken of substaunce Of tresour, may we bothe with us lede Y-nough to live in honour and plesaunce, 1515 Til in-to tyme that we shal ben dede; And thus we may eschewen al this drede.
To-morwe eek wol I speken with yow fayn, 995 So that ye touchen nought of this matere.
But ho, for we han right y-now of this, And late us ryse and streight to bedde go And there lat ys speken of oure wo.
They speken of Alocen and Vitulon, And Aristotle, that writen in hir lyves Of queynte mirours and of prospectyves, As knowen they that han hir bokes herd.
In tholde dayes of the king Arthour, Of which that Britons speken greet honour, All was this land fulfild of fayerye.
Now as to speken of bodily peyne, it stant in preyeres, in wakinges, in fastinges, in vertuouse techinges of orisouns.
Lat us thanne spekenof chydinge and reproche, whiche been ful grete woundes in mannes herte; for they unsowen the semes of frendshipe in mannes herte.
After the sinnes of Envie and of Ire, now wol I speken of the sinne of Accidie.
But for ye spekenof swich gentillesse As is descended out of old richesse, 1110 That therfore sholden ye be gentil men, Swich arrogance is nat worth an hen.
Arcite is cold, ther Mars his soule gye; 2815 Now wol I spekenforth of Emelye.
And thei that speken wel, han a large tonge, and han 5 toos upon a Fote.
Thei seyn also, that the aungeles of God speken to hem in tho ydoles, and that thei don manye grete myracles.
Of Paradys, ne can not I speken propurly: for I was not there.
But zit thei cone not speken perfytly; (for there is no man to techen hem) but only that thei cone devyse be hire naturelle wytt.
And there ben manye popegayes, that thei clepen psitakes in hire langage: and thei speken of hire propre nature, and salven men that gon thorghe the desertes, and speken to hem als appertely, as thoughe it were a man.
And there ben also of other manere, that han but 3 toos upon a fote; and thei speken not, or but litille: for thei cone not but cryen.
For thei han no knouleche of the Sone, ne of the Holy Gost: but thei cone alle speken of the Bible: and namely of Genesis, of the prophetes lawes, and of the Bokes of Moyses.
In that desert ben many wylde men, that ben hidouse to loken on: for thei ben horned; and thei speken nought, but thei gronten, as pygges.
In olde dayes of the king Artour, Of which that Bretons speken gret honour, All was this lond fulfilled of faerie; The elf-quene, with hire joly compagnie Danced ful oft in many a grene mede.
For it is better stille be Than for to speken harm, pardee!
I wol returne and spekenof my peyne; The point is this of my destruccioun, My righte lady, my salvacioun, Is in affray, and not to whom to pleyne.
Now for to speke of Alcyone his wyfe; read: Now for to speken of his wyf.
And whan that he wel dronken had the win, Than wold he speken no word but Latin.
Spycers speken with hym, To spien hire ware; For he kouthe of hir craft, And knewe manye gommes.
In that ile ben schippes with outen nayles of iren or bonds, for the roches of the Ademandes: for thei ben alle fulle there aboute in that see, that it is merveyle to speken of.
Also thei beleeven and speken gladly of the Virgine Marie and of the Incarnacioun.
Also whan menspeken to hem, of the Fadre and of the Sone and of the Holy Gost, thei seyn, that thei ben 3 persones; but not o God.
And thei eten flesche of serpentes; and thei eten but litille, and thei speken nought; but thei hissen, as serpentes don.
In that contree thei maken ydoles, half man, half ox; and in tho ydoles, eville spirites speken and zeven answere to men, of what is asked hem.
And the wonder was, that the man was calling familiar words to his oxen, "such wordes as men speken to bestes in his owne lond.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "speken" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
