As Chaucer's monk says, before he begins to "biwayle in maner of tragedie": Tragedie is to seyn a certeyn storie Of him that stood in great prosperitee, And is y-fallen out of heigh degree Into miserie, and endeth wrecchedly.

And alle tho that seyn for me a Pater nostre, with an Ave Maria, that God forzeve me my synnes, I make hem parteneres, and graunte hem part of alle the gode pilgrymages and of alle the gode dedes, that I have don, zif ony be to his plesance: and noghte only of tho, but of alle that evere I schalle do unto my lyfes ende.

Of the scheep I have seyn many tymes.