The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 70v
7 of 11 folios
¶ Haue here my trouthe / quod the knyght I graunte
¶ Thanne quod she / I dar me wel auaunte
Thy lyf is sauf / for I wole stonde ther by
Vp on my lyf / the queene wol seye as I
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Lat see / which is the prouddeste of hem alle
That wereth on / a couerchief / or a calle
That dar seye nay / of that I shal thee teche
Lat vs go forth / with outen lenger speche
Tho rowned she / a pistel in his ere
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And bad hym to be glad / and haue no fere
¶ Whan they be comen to the Court this knyght
Seyde / he hadde holde his day / as he had hight
And redy was his answere / as he sayde
Ful many a noble wyf and many a mayde
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And many a widwe / for þt they ben wise
The queene hir self / sittyng as Iustise
Assembled been / this answere for to here
And afterward / this knyght was bode appere
To euery wight comanded was silence
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And that the knyght sholde telle in audience
What thyng that worldly wommen louen best
This knyght ne stood nat stille as dooth a best
But to his question / anon answerde
With manly voys / that al the court it herde
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¶ My lige lady / generally quod he
Wommen desire / to haue souereyntee
As wel / ouer hir housbonde / as hir loue
And for to been in maistrie / hym aboue
This is youre mooste desir / thogh ye me kille
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Dooth as yow list I am here at youre wille
¶ In al the Court ne was ther wyf ne mayde
Ne wydwe / that contraryed that he sayde
But seyden / he was worthy han his lyf
¶ And with that word / vp stirte that olde wyf
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Which that the knyght say sittyng on the grene
Mercy quod she / my souereyn lady queene
Er that youre Court departe / do me right
I taughte this answere / vn to the knyght
For which / he plighte me his trouthe there
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The firste thyng I wolde hym requere