The Merchant's Tale
Folio 146v
28 of 32 folios
1020
Ȝe schal quod preserpine and wol ȝe so
Now by my modres sires soule I swere
That I schal ȝiue hir suffisaunt answere /
And alle wōmen after for hir sake
That þough þay be in any gult I take
1025
With face bold þay schul hemself excuse
And bere hem doun þat wolde hem accuse
For lak of answer noon of hem schal dyen
Al had a man seyn a þing wiþ boþe his yen
Ȝit schul we wȳmen visage it hardily
1030
And wepe and swere and chide subtilly
So þat ȝe men schul ben as lewed as gees
What rekkith me of ȝour auctoritees
I wot wel þat þis Iew þis Salamon
Fond of vs wōmen fooles many oon
1035
But þough he ne fond no good wōman
Ȝet haþ þer founde many anoþer man
Wōmen ful trewe . ful good and vertuous
Witnesse on hem þat duelle in cristes hous
With martirdom þay proued her constaunce
1040
The romayn gestes eek make remembraunce
Of many a verray trewe wyf also
But sire be nought wroth al be it so
Though þat he sayd he fond no good wōman
I pray ȝow tak þe sentens of þe man
1045
He mente þus þat in souereign bounte
Nis noon but god þat sit in trinite
Ey for verrey god þat nys but oon
What make ȝe so moche of Salamon
What þough he made a temple goddes hous
1050
What þough he were riche and glorious
So made he eek a temple of fals godis
How might he do a þing þat more forbod is
Parde als fair as ȝe his name emplastre
He was a lecchour and an ydolastre
1055
And in his eelde he verraily god forsook
And if god ne had as saiþ þe book
I spared him for his fadres sake he scholde