The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 101r
8 of 11 folios
That made hem gentil men y callid be
And bad vs folwe hem in such degre /
Wel can þe wyse poet of Florence
That hatte Daunt speke of þis sentence /
1100
Lo in such maner of rym is Dauntes tale
Ful seeld vprisith by his braunchis smale /
Prowes of man . for god of his prowesse
Wol þat we clayme of him our gentilesse
For of our auncestres . we no þing clayme
1105
But temporal þing þat men may hurt and mayme
Ek euery wigħt wot þis as wel as I
If gentiles were plaunted naturelly
Vnto a certayn lignage doun þe line
Pryue ne apart . þay wolde neuer fine
1110
To don of gentilesce þe fair office
Thay migħt nought doon no vileny or vice
Tak fuyr and ber it in þe derkest hous
Bitwixe þis . and þe moūt Cankasous
And let men schit . þe dores and go þenne
1115
Ȝit wol þe fuyr as fair and lighte brenne
As twenty þousand men might it biholde
His office naturel ay wol it holde /
Vp peril on my lif til þat it dye
Her may ȝe se wel how þat genterye
1120
Is nought annexid to possessiou~
Sithins folk ne doon her operaciou~
Alway as doth þe fuyr lo in his kynde /
For god it wot men may ful often fynde
A lordes sone do schame and vilonye
1125
And he þat wol haue pris of his gentrie
For he was boren of a gentil hous
And had his eldres noble and vertuous
And nyl himselue doo no gentil dedis
Ne folw his gentil auncet er . þat deed is
1130
He is nought gentil be he duk or erl .
For vileyn synful deedes makeþ a cherl .
For gentilnesse nys but renome
Of þin auncestres for her heigħ bounte /