The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 75v
8 of 9 folios
Thanne am I gentil / whan that I bigynne
To lyuen vertuously / and weyue synne
1150
ANd ther as ye / of pouerte me repreeue
The hye god / on whom þt we bileeue
In wilful pouerte / chees to lyue his lyf
And certes / euery man / mayden or wyf /
May vnderstonde / that Ihūs heuene kyng
1155
Ne wolde nat chesen vicious lyuyng
Glad pouerte / is an honeste thyng certeyn
This wole Senec 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 þt coueiteth / is a pouere wigħt
For he wolde han / that is nat in his mygħt
But he þt nogħt hath / ne coueiteth haue
Is riche / al though ye holde hym but a knaue
¶ Verray pouerte / it syngeth proprely
1165
Iuuenal / seith of pouerte myrily
The poure man / whan he goth by the weye
Bifore 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 amender eek of sapience
To hym / that taketh it in pacience
Pouerte is this / al though it seme alenge
Possessioū / that no wigħt wol chalenge
Pouerte ful ofte / whan a man is lowe
1175
Maketh his god / and eek hym self to knowe
Pouerte / a spectacle is / as thynketh me
Thurgħ which he may / hise verray freendes see
And therfore sire / syn þt I nogħt 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 sholde / an oold wigħt doon fauor
And clepe hym fader for youre gentillesse
1185
And Auctours / shal I fynden as I gesse
NOw ther ye seye / þt I am foul and old
Than drede you nogħt / to been a Cokewold
For filthe and eelde / al so moot I thee
Been grete wardeyns / vp on chastitee
1190
But nathelees / syn I knowe youre delit
I shal fulfille / youre worldly appetit
¶ Chese now quod she / oon of thise thynges tweye
To han me foul and old / til that I deye
And be to yow / a trewe humble wyf
1195
And neuere yow displese / in al my lyf /