The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 105v
9 of 12 folios
1115
Ȝet wol þe fyr as faire lye and brenne
As þougħ a þousand men migħt it beholde
His office naturel ay wol it holde /
Vp peril of lyf til þat it dye /
Here may ȝe se wel how þat genterie /
1120
Is not annexed to possessioū
Siþþe folk do nat here operacioū
Alwey as doþ þe fir lo in his kinde
For god it wot men may ful often fynde
A lordes sone do schame and vilanye
1125
And he þat wol haue pris of his gentrie
For he was boren of a gentil hous
And hadde his eldres noble and vertuous
And nyl himseluen do no gentil dedes
Ne folwe his gentil ancestr þat ded is
1130
He nys nat gentil be he duk or eerle
For vyleyns synful dedes make a cheerle
For gentilnesse nys but reneute
Of þin ancestres for here beaute
Which is a strong þing for þi persone
1135
The gentilesse comeþ fro god allone
Thanne comeþ oure verray gentilesse of gace
It was noþing byqueþe vs wiþ oure place /
Þinkeþ how noble as seiþ valerius
Was þilke TulliĆ« hostilius
1140
That out of pouert ros to heigħ noblesse
Redeþ Senec and redeþ eek Boesse /
Þer schulde ȝe seen expres þat it no dredis
That he is gentil þat doþ gentil dedis
And þerfore deere housbonde I þus conclude
1145
Al were \it/ þat myne ancestres were rude
Ȝet may þat heye god and so hope I
Graunte me grace to lyue vertuously
Thanne am I gentil whan þat I begynne
To lyuen vertuously and weyuen synne
1150
And þer as ye of pouert me repreue