But for to tellen you of his array, His hors were goode, but he was nat gay. For he was late ycome from his viage, And he wente for to doon his pilgrimage. The rust-stained mail is indicative that his armor was worn out, perhaps really useless, and only serves to weigh him down. The idea of an artifice such as armor or clothing that was designed to protect but later becomes a worn-out,useless, binding, and ultimately harmful object is echoed throughout the tale. Chaucer may have been satirizing the Romantic tale rather than glorifying it by copying it.
Formal language is a form of dress, an ornamentation.
The naturalism that lacks in the Knyghts Tale is certainly found in the Miller's fableaux with it's frequent descriptions of nakedness. The nakedness in the Miller's tale is almost a weapon of itself, i.e. the poker up the arse and copulating behind he carpenter's back. The lofty language ornaments the tale. But this ormament may in fact hinder the tale. Chaucer transcends the Romantic stereotype, but the characters don't.