Chaucer was over seventy, but he was not convinced of his age. At a time he boasted: "My physical strength is as strong as that I was young."The opposite person asked: "What do you rely on?" Chaucer said, "There is a big stone roller in my compound. I couldn't heave（举起） it when was young, neither can I now."

乔叟年过六旬，仍不服老。一次，他对人夸耀说：“我和年轻时力气一样大。”对方问：“何以见得？”乔叟说：“我家大院里有个碌碡，年轻时我举不起来，现在我还是举不起来。”