The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 224r
4 of 11 folios
945
Tyl sche cam þere hire herte was a fyre
And as a bitore būbith in þe myre
Sche leyde hyre mouth to þe watyr a doū
Be wrey me not þu watyr with thȳ soun
Quod sche to þe I telle it & no mo
950
Myn husbonde hath longe erys too
Now is al myn herte hol now is it oute
I myȝte no lengere kepe it out of doute
Here may ȝe se þow we no tyme abyde
Ȝit out mote it we cā no cōseyl hyde
955
The remenaunt of þe tale ȝif ȝe wele here
Rede ouyde & þere mowe ȝe it leere
This knyȝt of which mȳ tale is specyally
Whā he saw he myȝte not come þerby
This is to seye what wemen louyn most
960
With inne his brest ful sorwefully was þe gost
But hō he goth he myȝte not soiorne
The day was come that hōward muste he turne
And In hyse wey as happede hȳ to ryde
In al hise care vndyr a forest syde
965
Where as he saw vp on a daūce go
Of ladyis foure & twēty & ȝit mo
Toward þis dauns he drow ful ȝerne
In hope þt sū wisdā schulde he lerne
But serteyn fully er he cā ther
970
Vanysschid was the daūce he nyste wher
No cryateure saw he þt bar lyf
Saue on þe grene he saw sȳttȳge a wyf
A foulere wyȝt þere may no man devyse
A ȝens þis knyȝt this olde whiȝt gan ryse
975
And seyde syre knyȝt here forth lyth no weye
Telle ȝe me what ȝe seke be ȝore feye
Perauenture þe betere may it be
These olde folk can moche thyng quod sche
Mȳ leue modyr quod this knyght serteyn
980
I ne am but deed but ȝif þt I can seyn
What thyng ist þt wemen most desyre
Koude ȝe me wische I wolde quyte ȝoure hyre /