The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 114(b)v
1 of 12 folios
830
forþ þi tale I wol here
? þe goode wyues tale of bathe
?N olde dayes of þe king arthour
?f which þat britons speken gret honor
?l was þis land fulfild of fayerie
The elfe queen with hire ioly compaignie
835
Daunced wiþouten in many a greene meede
This was þe olde opynioū as I rede
?ow can no man see non elues moo
? þe grete charite and þe preyeres
840
? lymytoures and oþre pouere freeres
?hat serchen euery land and euery streem
As þikke as motes in þe sonne beem
Blissynge halles chambres boures
xitees burghes castels hihe toures
845
xhropes bernes schipenes dayeries
This makeþ þat þer ben no fayeries
For þer as wont to walke was an elf
Ther walkeþ now þe lymytour himself
In vndermeles and in morwenynges
850
And seiþ his matyns and his holy þinges
As he goþ in his lymytacioū
Wōmen may go now saufly vp and doū
In euery buscħ or vnder euery tree
Þer is non oþer Incubz but he
855
And he wol do hem but dishonor
And so feƚƚ it / þat þis king arthour
Hadde in his hous a lusty bacheler
Þat on a day cam rydyng fro ryuer
And happed alone as sche was born
860
He saugħ a mayden walkyng him biforn
Of which mayde maugre hire heed
By verray force he reste hir maydenhed
For which opperssioū was such clamour