The Wife of Bath's Prologue
Folio 70r
18 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.
245
If that I walke or rome / vn to hir hous
Thow comest hom / as dronken as a mous
And prechest on thy benche / with euele preef
Thow seist to me / it is a gret myschief
To wedde a poore womman / for costage
250
And if that she be riche / of heigħ parage
Than seist thow / that it is a turmentrie
To suffre hire pride / and hire malacolie
And if that she be fair / thow verray knaue
Thow seist that euery holour / wol hire haue
255
She may nowhile / in chastite a byde
That is assayled / vp on eche a syde
Thow seist sōme folk / desiren vs for richesse
Sōme for oure shape / and sūme for oure fairnesse
And sum for she can / either synge or daunce
260
And sum for gentilnesse / and daliaunce
Sum for hire hondes / and hire armes smale
Thus gotħ al to the deuele / by thy tale
Thow seist men moun nat kepe / a castel wal
It may so longe / assailed ben / oueral
265
And if that she be foul / thow seist that she
Coueytet
ħ eu
ery man
/ that she may
sheese
sheese
For as a spaynel / she wol on hī lepe
Til that she fynde sum man / hire to chepe
Ne noon so grey goos / gotħ there in the lake
270
As seist þu / wyl be witħ outen a make
And seist it is / an hard thyng for to welde
A thyng þt noman wyl / his thankes helde
Thus seist þu lorel / whan thow gost to bedde
And that no wyseman / nedetħ for to wedde
275
Ne noman that entendetħ / vn to heuen
Witħ wylde thundir dynt / and firy leuen
Mote thy welked nekke / be to broke
Thow seist that droppyng houses / & eke smoke
And chidyng wyues / maken men to flee
280
Out of here owen houses / a benedicite
What eilitħ swicħ an olde man / to chide
Thow seist we wyues / wyln oure vices hide
Til we be fast / and thanne we wol hem shewe
Wel may this be / a prouerbe of a shrewe
285
Thow seist that Oxen / Assen / hors and houndes
They ben assayed / at diuerse stoundes
Basyns / lauours / or that men hem bye