The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 74v
6 of 9 folios
Ther nas but heuynesse / and muche sorwe
For piuely / he wedded hir on a morwe
And al day after hidde hym as an Owle
1055
So wo was hym / his wyf looked so foule
¶ Greet was the wo / the knygħt hadde in his thogħt
Whan he was with his wyf abedde ybrogħt /
He walweth / and he turneth to and fro
His olde wyf / lay smylynge euere mo
1060
And seyde / o deere housbonde benedicitee
Fareth euery knygħt / thus wt his wyf / as ye ;
Is this the lawe / of kyng Arthures hous ;
Is euery knygħt of his so dangerous ;
I am youre owene loue / and your wyf /
1065
I am she / which þt saued hath youre lyf /
And certes / yet ne dide I yow neuere vnrigħt /
Why fare ye thus with me / this firste nygħt ;
Ye faren lyk a man / had lost his wit
What is my gilt ; for goddes loue tel it
1070
And it shal been amended / if I may
¶ Amended quod this knygħt ; allas / nay / nay /
It wol nat been amended neuere mo
Thou art so loothly / and so oold also
And ther to comen / of so lougħ a kynde
1075
That litel wonder is / thogh I walwe and wynde
So wolde god / myn herte wolde breste
¶ Is this quod she / the cause of youre vnreste ;
¶ Ye certeinly quod he / no wonder is
¶ Now sire quod she / I koude amende al this
1080
If that me liste / er it were dayes thre
So wel ye mygħte / bere yow vn to me
Bvt for ye speken / of swich gentillesse
As is descended / out of old richesse
That therfore / sholden ye be gentil men
1085
Swich arrogance / is nat worth an hen
Looke / who that is / moost vertuous alway
Pryuee and apert and moost entendeth ay
To do / the gentil dedes that he kan
Taak hym / for the grettest gentil man
1090
Crist wole / we clayme of hym oure gentillesse
Nat of oure eldres / for hir old richesse
For thogh they yeue vs / al hir heritage
For which we clayme / to been of heigh parage
Yet may they nat biquethe / for no thyng
1095
To noon of vs / hir vertuous lyuyng
That made hem / gentil men ycalled be
And bad vs / folwen hem in swich degree
¶ Wel kan / the wise Poete of Florence
That highte Dant speken in this sentence