The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 103r
4 of 12 folios
935
Sche wolde do þat vylanye or þat synne
To make hire housbonde han so foul a name
For reproeuyng of him and foule schame
But naþeles hir þoughte þat sche dyde
That sche so longe scholde a counseil hyde
940
Hir þought it sat so sore aboute hir herte
That needely som word hir most asterte
And siþþe sche dorste tellen it no man
Doun to a mareys faste sche ran
Til sche cam þer hir herte was a fyre
945
And as a bytore bumliþ in þe myre
Sche leyde hire mouþ vnto þe water doun
Bewreye me nougħt þou water with þy soun
Quod sche to þe I telle it and nomo
Myn housebonde haþ longe asses eeres tuo
950
Now is myn herte al hool now it is oute
I might no lenger kepe it out of doute
Here may ȝe see þough we a tyme abyde
Yet out it moot we mowe no counseil hyde
The remenant of þe tale if ye wol heere
955
Redeþ Ovyde and ȝe may it leere
This knight of which my tale is specially
Whan þat he saugħ he mighte nougħt come þerby
Þis is to seye what wōmen louen most
Wiþinne his herte sorwful was þe gost
960
But home he goþ he mighte nought soiourne
Þe day was come þat homward most he tourne
And in his way it happed him to ryde
In aƚƚ his care vnder a forest syde
Wher he saugh on one daunce go
965
Of ladyes .xxiiij. and ȝit mo
Toward þe daunce he drowe him yerne
In hope þat som wisdam schulde he lerne
But certeinly or he cam fully þere /
Vanyssched was þe daunce he nyste not where /
970
No creature saugh he þat bar lyf