The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 72v
3 of 11 folios
Yet may the hye god / and so hope I /
Graunte me grace / to lyuen vertuously
Thanne am I gentil / whan þt I bigynne
To lyuen vertuously / and weyue synne
1150
¶ And ther as ye / of pouerte me repreue
The hye god / on whom þt we bileue
In wilful pouerte / chees to lyue his lyf
And certes euery man / mayden / or wyf
May vnderstonde / þt Ihūs heuene kyng
1155
Ne wolde nat chese / a vicious lyuyng
Glad pouerte / is an honeste thyng certeyn
This wol Senek and othere clerkes seyn
Who so þt halt hym payd / of his pouerte
I holde hym riche / al hadde he nat a sherte
1160
He that coueiteth / is a poure wight
For he wolde han / that is nat in his myght
But he þt noght hath / ne coueiteth haue
Is riche / al thogh we holde hym but a knaue
Verray pouerte / is synne proprely
1165
Iuuenal seith / of pouerte myrily
¶ The poure man / whan he gooth by the weye
Biforn the theues / he may synge and pleye
Pouerte is hateful good / and as I gesse
A ful greet brynger / out of bisynesse
1170
A greet amendere eek of Sapience
To hym / that taketh it in pacience
Pouerte is thyng al thogh it seme elenge
Possessioū / that no wight wol chalenge
Pouerte ful often / whan a man is lowe
1175
Maketh hym self / and eek his god to knowe
Pouerte / a spectacle is / as thynketh me
Thurgh which he may / his verray freendes se
And ther fore sire / syn þt I noght yow greue
Of my pouerte / namoore ye me repreue
1180
¶ Now sire / of elde ye repreue me
And certes sire / thogh noon auctoritee
Were in no book / ye gentils of honour
Seyn / þt men an old wight sholde doon fauour
And clepe hym fader / for youre gentilesse
1185
And Auctours / shal I fynden / as I gesse