The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 225r
6 of 11 folios
Whiche þt þe knyȝt saw syttȳge on þe grene
Mercy quod sche myn souereyn lady quene
Er þt ȝore court departe doth me rygħt
I taughte this answere to þõ knyth
1025
For which he plyȝte me his trouthe þere
The fyrste thyng þt I wolde hȳ requere
He wolde it do ȝif it lay in his myȝt
By fore þe court þanne preye I þe syre knyȝt
Quod sche þt þu me take on to þyn wyf
1030
For weel þu wist þt I haue kept þȳ lyf
Ȝif I seye fals say nay vp on þyfey
This knyȝt answe\r/de allas & weyleawey
I wot ryȝt wel þt swich was mȳ be heste
For goddys loue as ches a newe requeste
1035
Tak al mȳ good & lat myn body goo
Nay þāne quod sche I be schrewe vs boþe too
For þow I be foul old & pore
I nolde for al þõ metal ne for ore
That vndyr þe erþe is graue or lyth a boue
1040
But ȝif þȳ wyf I were & ek þȳ loue
Myn loue quod he nay myn dampnacyoū
Allas þt ony of myn nacyoū /
Schulde euere so foule disparagit be
But al for nouȝt þāne is þis quod sche
1045
Constreynede was he nedys he muste hyre wedde
And takyth his olde wif & goth to bedde
Now wil some men seye perauenture
That for mȳ neclygens I do no cure
To telle ȝow þe ioye & also tharray
1050
That at þt ilke feste was þt day
To whiche thyng sothely I answere schal
And seye þere was no Ioye ne feste at al
There was but heuynesse & meche sorwe
For piuyly he wedde hire in þe morwe
1055
And alday aftyr hydde hȳ as an houle
So \wo was/ hȳ his wyf lokede so foule
Gret was þe wo þe knyȝt hadde in his thouȝt
Whā he was wyth his wyf in bedde I brouȝt