The Wife of Bath's Prologue
Folio 69v
17 of 20 folios
The transcription of the Wife of Bath's Prologue was created by Orietta Da Rold and has no relationship to the transcription which appears on the Cambridge University Press CD-ROM.
As god helpe me / I laugħe whan that I thynke
How pitously a nygħt / I made hem swynke
But be me fey / I tolde of it no store
They had me ȝeuen / here lond and here tresore
205
Me neded nat / do lengere diligence
To wynne here loue / or do hem reuerence
They loued me so wel / by god a boue
That I ne told / no deynte of here loue
A wys wōman / wyl besy hire euere in oon
210
To geten hire loue / there as she hatħ noon
But syn I had hem / holly in myn hand
And syn that they / had ȝeue me al here land
What shulde I take kepe / hem for to pleese
But if it were for my profyt / and myn eese
215
I sette hem so a werk / be my fey
That many a nygħt / they songen weylawey
The bacon was nat fet / for hem as I trowe
That sūme men han in Essex / at Donmowe
I gouerned hem so wel / after my lawe
220
That iche of hem / ful blisful was and fawe
To brynge me gay thynges / fro the feyre
They were ful glad / whan I spak to hē fayre
For god it woot / I chidde hem spitously
Now herkenetħ how / I bar me proprely
225
Ȝe wyse wyues / that can vnderstonde
Thus shuld ȝe speke / & bere hem wrong on honde
For half so boldly / there can noman
Sweren and lyen / as a womman can
I sey nat this / be wyues that ben wyse
230
But if it be / whan they hē mys a vyse
A wys wyf shal / if that she can hire good
Bere hī an honde / that the kow is wood
And take wytnesse / of hire owen mayde
Of hire assent / but herkenetħ how I sayde
235
Sire olde kaynard / is this thyn array
Why is my neygħebores wyf / so gay
She is honoured / ouer alle there she gotħ
I sitte at hom / I haue no thrifty clotħ
What dost thow / at my neyħebores hous
240
Is she so fair / art thow so amerous
What rovne ȝe witħ oure mayden / benedicite
Sire olde lechour / late thyne iapes be
xxxx if that I haue / a gosshipe or a freende
xxxħ outen gilt / ȝe chiden as a fende