The Wife of Bath's Prologue
Folio 70v
19 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.
Spones stoles / and al swiche husbondrye
And so ben pottes / clothes and array
290
But men of wommen / maken noon assay
Til they ben wedded / olde doted shrewe
And thañe seist þu / we wol oure vices shewe
Thow seist also / that it displesetħ me
But if þat þu wylt preyse / my beaute
295
And but thow poure / alwey invp oninvp on my face
And clepe me fair dame / in euery place
And but thow make a feest / on thilke day
That I was born / and make me fressħ and gay
And but thow do / to my norice honour
300
And to my chaumberer / witħ Inne my boure
And to my fadres folk / and hise allies
Thus seist þu olde barel / ful of lyes
And ȝet of oure p p Apprentys / Iankyn
For his crispe heer shynynge / as gold fyn
305
And for he squyeretħ me / vp and doun
Ȝet hast þu caugħt / a fals suspeciou
I wol hī nougħt / thougħ þu were ded to morwe
But telle me þis why / hidest thow witħ sorwe
The keyes of thy chest / a wey fro me
310
It is my good / as wel as thyn / parde
What wenest thow / to make an Idiote of oure dame
Now by that lord / that cleped is Seynt Iame
Thow shalt nat bothe / thougħ þat þu were wood
Be maistre of my body / and of my good
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That oon þu shalt for gon / maugre thyne eyen
What nedetħ the of me / to enqueren & spyen
I trowe þu woldest lokke me / in thy cheste
Thow shuldest seye good wyf / go where the liste
Taketħ ȝoure disport / I wol nat leue no tales
320
I knowe ȝow for a trewe wyf / Dame Alys
We loue noman / that taketħ kepe or charge
Where þat we goo / we wol be at oure large
Of alle men / I blessed mot he be
The wyse Astrologien / Dan Protholomee
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That seitħ this prouerbe / in his almagest
Of alle men / his wysdom is heyest
That rekketħ nat / who hatħ the world in honde
By this prouerbe / þu shalt vnderstonde
Haue thow I now / what thar the rekke or care
330
How merily / that othere folkes fare
For certes olde dotard / be ȝoure leue