Rabelais (Gargantua, ch. 27, ed. Pléiade):

En l’abbaye estoit pour lors un moine claustrier nommé frere Jean des entommeures, jeune gallant: frisque : de hayt : bien à dextre, hardy : adventureux, deliberé : hault, maigre, bien fendu de guele, bien advantagé en nez, beau despacheur d’heures, beau desbrideur de messes, vray croteur de vigiles, pour tout dire sommairement, vray moyne si oncques en feut depuys que le monde moynant moyna de moynerie.

Sir Thomas Urquhart (1653):

There was then in the abbey a claustral monk called Friar John of the Funnels, young, gallant, frisk, lusty, nimble, quick, active, bold, adventurous, resolute, tall, lean, wide-mouthed, long-nosed, a rare mumbler of matins, unbridler of masses, and runner-over of vigils; and to conclude summarily, in a word, a right monk, if ever there were any, since the monking world monked a monkery.

W. F. Smith (1893):

In the abbey at that time was a cloistered monk named Friar John of the Trencherites, young, gallant, frisky, lusty, very handy, bold, adventurous, resolute, tall, lean, with a rare gaping mouth and a mighty prominent nose, a fine mumbler of matins, unbridler of masses, and a scourer of vigils; to say everything summarily, a very monk, if ever there was one, since the monking world monked a monkery.

Samuel Putnam (1946):

In the abbey, there happened to be at this time a cloistered monk by the name of Friar John Hackem, young, gallant, spruce, good-natured, quite handy, bold, adventurous, level-headed, tall, lean, with a good chin and plenty of nose, a fine dispatcher of prayers and masses, an expert blinker of vigils – in short, a true monk, if ever there was one since this monking world of ours first monked a monkery.

J. C. Powys (1948):

But there chanced to be at that very crisis in this fortunate Abbey a cloistered monk called Friar John of the First Cut, or, if you prefer, of the Meat-Choppers, a monk who was young, gallant, lively, bold, adventurous, sturdy, tall and lean; a monk who had a big mouth and huge nose, a monk who was a mighty despatcher of canonical hours, a glorious rusher-through of masses and rattler-off of prayers, and indeed to sum it all up, as true and veritable a monk as there has ever been upon earth since a monking world first monked its monkeries.

J. M. Cohen (1955):

There was in the abbey at that time a cloister monk, named Friar John of the Hashes, a young, gallant, sprightly, jovial, resourceful, bold, adventurous, resolute, tall, and thin fellow with a great gaping mouth and a fine outstanding nose. He was grand mumbler of matins, dispatcher of masses, and polisher of vigils, and, to put it briefly, a true monk if ever there has been one since the monking world monked its first monkery…

Burton Raffel (1990):

Now, at that time there resided in the abbey a cloistered monk, Brother John Mincemeat – young, strong, lively, always in a fine humor, good with his hands, bold, adventurous, thoughtful, tall, lean, noisy, with a handsome nose, who knew the breviary inside out and could read it like a flash (and could say a mass, too, without wasting any time), who got through vigils in the twinkling of an eye – in short, a true monk if ever there monked one since the days when monks first practiced monking through this unmonkish world of ours…

Donald Frame (1991):

In the abbey at the time there was a claustral monk named Frere Jean des Entommeures (Friar John of the Hashes), young, gallant, frisky, cheerful, very deft, bold, adventurous, resolute, tall, thin, with a wide open throat, well fixed for a nose, a great dispatcher of hours, a great unbridler of masses, a fine polisher-off of vigils, to sum it all up briefly a real monk if ever there was one since the monking world first monked in monkery…

M. A. Screech (2006):

There was at this time in that abbey a cloistered monk called Frere Jean des Entommeures, young, gallant, lively, lusty, adroit, bold, daring, resolute, tall, slim, loud-mouthed, endowed with an ample nose, a galloper through of matins, an unbridler of masses (and a polisher-off of vigils): in short, a trued monk if ever there was one since the (monking) world first monked-about (with monkery…)