The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 223v
3 of 11 folios
And with attendaunce & besynesse
Be we I lymyd boþe more & lesse
And some men seyn þt we louyn best
910
For to be fre & do ryȝt as vs lest
And þt no man repreue vs of oure vice
But seye þt we be wys & no thyng nyse
For trewely þere is non of vs alle
Ȝif ony wyȝt wele clawe vs on the galle
915
That we nolde kyke for he seyth vs soth
A say he schal fȳde it þt so doth
For be we neuere so vicious with inne
And some seyn that gret haue we
We wele be holde wis & clene of sȳne
920
For to ben holde wyse & secre
And in on purpos stedefastly to dwelle
And not be wreye thyng þt men vs telle
But þt tale nys not worth a rake stele
Parde we wemē can nothyng hele
925
Witnesse of Mida wil ȝe here þe tale
Ouyde a mongis oþere thȳgis smale
Seyde Mida hadde vndyr hyse longe herys
Growȳge on his hed two assis erys
The whiche vice he hyde as he best myghte
930
Ful subtyly from euery manys syȝte
That saue his wyf þere wiste of it no moyȝt
He louede hyre most & trostid to hyre also
He preyede hyre þt to no cryature
Sche schulde telle of his disfygure
935
Sche swor hȳ nay for al this world to wȳne
Sche nolde not do þt vilany or synne
To make hyre husbonde to haue so foul a name
Sche nele it telle for hyre owene schame
But neuere þe les hire thouȝte þt sche dyde
940
That sche so longe a conseylde hyde
Hire thouȝte it swal so sore a boute hyre herte
That nedely sū word muste a sterte
And sythe sche durste telle it to no man
Doun to a mareys faste by sche ran