The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 70r
8 of 11 folios
She leyde hir mouth / vn to the water down
Biwrey me nat thow water with thy sown
Quod she / to thee I telle it and namo
Myn housbonde / hath longe Asses erys two
950
Now is myn herte al hool / now it is oute
I myghte no lenger / kepe it out of doute
Heere may ye see / thogh we a tyme abyde
Yet out it moot we kan no conseil hyde
The remenant of the tale / if ye wol heere
955
Redeth Ouyde / and ther ye may it leere
¶ This knyght of which my tale is specially
Whan that he say / he myghte nat come ther by
This is to seye / what wommen louen moost
With Inne his brest ful sorweful was the goost /
960
But hom he gooth / he myghte nat soiorne
The day was come / that homward moste he torne
And in his wey / it happed hym to ryde
In al this care / vnder a Forest syde
Wher as he say / vp on a daunce go
965
Of ladyes .xxiiij. and yet mo
Toward the whiche daunce / he drow ful yerne
In hope / that som wisdom sholde he lerne
But certeynly / er he cam fully there
Vanysshed was this daunce / he nyste where
970
No creature say he / that bar lyf
Saue on the grene / he say sittynge a wyf
A fouler wight ther may no man deuyse
Agayn the knyght this olde wyf gan ryse
And seyde sire knyght heer forth ne lyth no wey
975
Tel me / what þt ye seken by youre fey
Par auenture / it may the bettre be
This olde folk konne muchel thyng quod she
¶ My leeue moder / quod this knyght certeyn
I nam but deed / but if that I kan seyn
980
What thyng it is / that wommen moost desire
Koude ye me wisse / I wolde wel quyte youre hyre
¶ Plight me thy trouthe / here in myn hand quod she
The nexte thyng that I requere thee
Thow shalt it do / if it lye in thy myght
985
And I wol telle it yow / er it be nyght