2
Man, bewar of thin wowynge
For weddyng is the longe wo.
~"The Trials and Joys of Marriage" (Anonymous)

3
Seeke out ye goode in everie man, and speke of alle the beste ye can; then wil alle men speke wel of thee and say how kynde of hearte ye bee
~Geoffrey Chaucer

4
Thanne is it wysdom, as thynketh me,
To maken vertu of necessite,
And take it weel, that we may not eschu,
And namely that that to us alle is due.
~Geoffrey Chaucer

5
The God of Love, a benedicité!
How myghty and how grete a lorde is he!
For he can make of low hertys hie,
And high hertis low and like for to die
~The Boke of Cupide (Anonymous)

6
Ne hadde the apple taken been, the apple taken been,
Ne hadde nevere Oure Lady ybeen hevene Queen.
Blessed be the time that apple taken was:
Therfore we mown singen Deo Gratias
~"Adam Lay Bound" Anonymous Song

7
The story sayth man in the begynnynge
Loke well and take good heed to the endynge
Be you neuer so gay
Ye thynke synne in the begynnynge full swete
~John Skot

8
But every thyng which schyneth as the gold,
Nis nat gold, as that I have herd it told.
~Geoffrey Chaucer

9
For every vertu folowyth ryth aftyr othyr:
Whanne on is come he callyth ine his felaw;
Thei love togydir as systir or as the brother
~Capgrave, John

10
This morall men may haue in mynde
Ye hearers take it of worth olde and yonge
And forsake pryde for he deceyueth you in the ende
~John Skot

11
There smites nothing so sharp, nor smelleth so sour as shame.
~William Langland

12
For to be yong i wald not for my wis
Off all this warld to mak me lord and king
The more of age the nerar hevynnis blis
~Robert Henryson

13
Done is battell on the dragon blak,
Our campioun Chryst confountet hes his force
~William Dunbar

14
He for our saik that sufferit to be slane,
And lyk a lamb in sacrifice wes dicht,
Is lyk a lyone rissin up agane
~William Dunbar

15
And that is love, of which I mene
To trete, as after schal be sene.
In which ther can noman him reule,
For loves lawe is out of reule
~John Gower

16
Sith no man may here in this lyffe present
Doo no good dede but he enspyred be
Of that Goste whech fro the omnipotent
Fader of hevyn and fro the Sune so fre
Is sent to us
~Capgrave, John

17
Forthi, if that thou wolt pourchace
How that thou miht Envie flee,
Aqueinte thee with charite,
Which is the vertu sovereine.
~John Gower

18
And remembre beaute & wyttes strength & dyscrecion
They all at the last do euery man forsake
Saue his good dedes there [heaven] dothe he take
~John Skot

19
For love is of a wonder kinde,
And hath hise wittes ofte blinde,
That thei fro mannes reson falle;
~John Gower

20
Now gratious God he save owre kynge,
His peple and all his welwyllynge,
Gef him gode lyfe and gode endynge,
That we with merth mowe savely singe
~"Agincourt Carol" (Anonymous)

21.
A woman ys a worthy wyght,
She servyth man both daye and nyght,
Therto she puttyth all her myght,
And yet she hathe bot care and woo.
~"The Trials and Joys of Marriage" (Anonymous)

22.
The goode laboureres are likened to the bees,
Specyaly thei that oute of Goddys lawe
Of dyvers partyes, syttyng on the floures,
Lerne and teche, bothe soke and drawe,
Of goode exaumples of holy predecessoures
~Capgrave, John

23.
O thou Fortune, that causist pepill playne
Upon thi chaunge and mutabilité,
Did Y thee so, Y blamyd wrong, certayne,
For stabill yet herto as fynde Y thee
Withouten chaunge for to prevaylen me
~Charles d'Orleans

24.
Old proverbe says, That byrd ys not honest That fyleth hys owne nest
~John Skelton

25.
For love is blind and may noght se,
Forthi may no certeinete be set upon his jugement,
Bot as the whiel aboute went
He yifth his graces undeserved
~John Gower

26.
Go forth kynge, rule thee by sapyence.
Bysshop, be able to mynyster doctrine.
Lorde, to trewe counsell gyve audyence.
Womanhede, to chastyté ever enclyne.
Knyght, lette thy dedes worshyp determyne.
Be ryghtwyse juge, in savynge thy name.
Ryche, do almes lest thou lese blysse with shame.
~Duodecim Abusiones (Anonymous)

27.
But Cristes loore, and his Apostles twelve
He taughte, but first he folowed it hymselfe.
~Geoffrey Chaucer

28.
Thocht thow be blind or haif (hurt) ane halt,
Or in thy face deformit ill,
Sa it cum nocht throw thy defalt,
Na man sowld the repreif by skill:
Blame nocht thy lord, sa is his will
~ Henryson, Robert

29.
Sum be nyse, and some be fonde,
And some be tame, y vndirstonde,
And some can take brede of a manes hande,
Yit all thei be nat soo.
some be lewde, some all be schrewde;
Go schrewes wher thei goo.
~"Women" Anonymous Song

30.
The first vertue, sone, if thou wilt lerne,
Is to restreyne and kepen wel thy tonge.
~Geoffrey Chaucer

31.
And man is he which reson can,
As he which is of his nature
The moste noble creature
Of alle tho that god hath wroght
~John Gower

32.
He that loveth God will do diligence to please God by his works, and abandon himself, with all his might, well for to do.
~ Geoffrey Chaucer

33.
Whan the cherye was a flowr,
Thanne hadde it no stoon;
Whan the dove was an ey,
Thanne hadde it no boon.
~"I Have a Yong Suster" Anonymous Song

34.
Ther n' is no werkman whatever he be,
That may both werken wel and hastily.
This wol be done at leisure parfitly.
~Geoffrey Chaucer

35
When lordes wille is londes law,
Prestes wylle trechery, and gyle hold soth saw,
Lechery callyd pryvé solace,
And robbery is hold no trespace -
Then schal the lond of Albyon (England) torne into confusioun!
~The Dublin Manuscript (Anonymous)

36
For he that alway wantyth money
   Stondyth a mated chere,
Can never wel syng, lang daunce nor springe,
   Nor make no lusty chere.
~"Above All Thing Thow Arte a Kyng" (Anonymous)
...................................("mated chere"--sitting checkmated in your chair--stuck)

Middle English Dictionary (scroll down to get past the notes)
Concise Dictionary of Middle English (definitions start on page 15 --skip ahead using "Goto Page" function)
St. John's College--Collection of Medieval Illuminations
The Middle English Prose Merlin
TEAMS Middle English Text
Middle English Lyrics

Illuminated saying

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Modern Interpretation of an Illumination

Another Modern Interpretation of Illumination

One Last Modern Interpretation