The Merchant's Tale
Folio 263r
5 of 30 folios
Sche schal not passe twenty ȝeer certayn
Old fysch & ȝong flesch / wolde I haue ful fayn
175
Bet is quod he a pyk thā a pykerel
And bet than old bef is the tendere veel
I wil no weman / thretty ȝeer of age
It is but benestraw / & gret forage
And ek these olde wyuys god it wot
180
They cūne so meche craft on wadis boot
So meche broke harm whā hē leste
That with hē schulde I neuere lyue in reste
For sundery scolys make subtyl clerkys
Woman of manye scole half a clerk is
185
But serteynly a ȝong thyng may men gye
Ryght as men may warm wex with hādis plye
Wherfore I sey ȝow pleynly in a clause
I wele noon old wyf han for this cause
For ȝif so were I hadde swich myschaūce
190
That I in hire ne coude haue no plesaūce
Thāne schulde lede myn lyf in a vouterye
And streyt to the deuyl whan I deye
Nechyldere schulde I none vp on hire gete
Ȝit were me leuere hoūdis haddȳ me etyn
195
Than that myn erytage schulde falle
In straūge hand & this I telle ȝow alle
I dote not I wot the cause why
Men schulde wedde & ferthere more wot I
There spekyth manye a man of mariage
200
That wot no more of it thā wot mȳ page
For whiche causis men schulde take a wyf
Sitħ he ne may nat liue chast his lyf
Tak hȳ a wyf wt gret deuocioū
By cause of leful procreacioun
205
Of childere too thonrofgod a boue
And nat only / for paramour or loue
And for they schulde / lecherye eschue
And ȝilde here dette whan þt it is dewe
Or for eche of hē / schulde helpȳ oþer
210
In myschif / as a systyr / schal the brothir