The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 100r
6 of 11 folios
1020
Which þat þe knight saugħ sittyng on þe grene
Mercy quod sche my soueraign lady queene
Er þat ȝour court departe doþ me rigħt
I taughte þis answer vnto þe knight
For which he plighte me his trouþe there
1025
The firste þing þat I wold him requer
He wold it do if it lay in his might
Bifore þe court þen pray I þe sir knigħt
Quod sche þat þou me take vnto þy wif
For wel þou wost þat I haue kept þy lif
1030
If I say fals sey nay vpon þy fey
This knight answerd allas and waylawey
I wot right wel þat such was my byhest
For goddes loue as chese a ne request
Tak al my good and let my body go
1035
Nay quod sche þan I schrew vs boþe tuo
For þough þat I be foule old and poure
I nolde for al þe metal ne for þe oure
That vnder erthe is graue or lith aboue
But I þy wife . were and eek þy loue
1040
My loue quod he . nay nay . my dampnaciou~
Allas þat eny of my naciou~
Schuld euer so foule disparagid be
But al for nougħt . þe ende is þis þat he
Constreigned was . he needes most hir wedde
1045
And takith his wyf and goþ wiþ hir to bedde
¶ Now wolden som men say par aduenture
That for my necgligence I do no cure
To telle ȝow þe ioye and tharray
That at þat fest was maad þat ilke day
1050
To which þing schortly answeren I schal
And say þer nas feste ne ioy at al
Ther nas but heuynes and mochil sorwe
For priuely he weddyd hir in a morwe
And alday hudde him . as doþ an oule .
1055
So wo was him his wyf loked so foule
Gret was þe wo . þe knight had in his þougħt
Whan he was with his wyf on bedde brought