What is "tellen"

Usage examples of "tellen".

Now would to God my witte might suffice To tellen all that longeth to that art!

This Persoun him answerede, al atones, "Thou getest fable noon ytoold for me, For Paul, that writeth unto Thymothee, Repreveth hem that weyveth soothfastnesse, And tellen fables, and swich wrecchednesse.

What sholde I tellen of the roialtee At mariages, or which cours goth biforn, Who bloweth in the trumpe, or in an horn?

I may nat tellen every circumstance, Be as be may, ther was he at the leeste, But sooth is this, that at his moodres heeste Biforn Alla durynge the metes space, The child stood lookynge in the kynges face.

But first, I yow biseeke in this mateere, Though I by ordre telle nat this thynges, Be it of popes, emperours, or kynges, After hir ages, as men writen fynde, But tellen hem, som bifore and som bihynde, As it now comth unto my remembraunce.

But atte laste, to tellen short and pleyn, The sergeantz of the toun of Rome hem soghte, And hem biforn Almache the Prefect broghte, Which hem opposed, and knew al hire entente, And to the ymage of Juppiter hem sente, And seyde, "Whoso wol nat sacrifise, Swap of his heed, this my sentence heer.

It fell that in the seventh year, in May The thirde night (as olde bookes sayn, That all this story tellen more plain), Were it by a venture or destiny (As when a thing is shapen* it shall be), *settled, decreed That soon after the midnight, Palamon By helping of a friend brake his prison, And fled the city fast as he might go, For he had given drink his gaoler so Of a clary , made of a certain wine, With *narcotise and opie* of Thebes fine, *narcotics and opium* That all the night, though that men would him shake, The gaoler slept, he mighte not awake: And thus he fled as fast as ever he may.

Then muste we to bookes that we find (Through which that olde thinges be in mind), And to the doctrine of these olde wise, Give credence, in ev'ry skilful* wise, *reasonable That tellen of these old approved stories, Of holiness, of regnes,* of victories, *reigns, kingdoms Of love, of hate, and other sundry things Of which I may not make rehearsings.

But nevere dorste he tellen hir his grevaunce, Withouten coppe he drank al his penaunce.

Of which, if I shal tellen al tharray, Thanne wolde it occupie a someres day, And eek it nedeth nat for to devyse, At every cours, the ordre of hire servyse.

Eek in that lond, as tellen knyghtes olde, Ther is som mete that is ful deynte holde, That in this lond men recche of it but smal- Ther nys no man that may reporten al.

Explicit secunda pars Sequitur pars tercia I trowe men wolde deme it necligence, If I foryete to tellen the dispence Of Theseus, that gooth so bisily To maken up the lystes roially.