The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 98r
3 of 11 folios
And att þe last he chase him for to wende
An com aȝeine riht att þe ȝeres ende
890
W suche answere as god wold him purueye
And takeþ his leue & wendeþ forþ his weye
He sekeþe euery house & euery place
Where as hopeþ for to finde grace
To leren whatt þinge wemmen louen most
895
Bot he nowe couþe riven in no cost
Where as he myht finde in þis matier
Two creatures accordinge in fere
Some som seide wemmen louen best riches
Some seide honor some seid Iolynes
900
Some seide Riche araye & lust abedde
And oft tim to be wedowe & wedde
Some seide þat we be most esede
Whan þat we bene flaterde & yplesede
He goþ ful nyhe þe soþe .I. wil nouht lye
905
A man schal wynne vs best wiþ flaterye
And wiþ attendance & wiþ besines
Bene we y lymede boþ more & les
And som men sein howe þat we louen best
For to bue fre & do riht as vs lest
910
And þat noman repreue vs of oure vice
Bot sei þat we bue wise & no þinge nice
For trewly þare is none of vs al
If any wight wil clowe vs on þe gal
Þat we nyl loke or he seie þe soþe
915
Assaie & he schal finde it þat he doþe
For be we neuer so vicious wt inne
We wil be ho\l/den wise & clene of sinne
And sūmen seine þat grete delite haue we
For to be holden stable & eke secre
920
And in opurpos stedfastly to dweƚƚ
And nouht be wrye þinge þat men vs teƚƚ
Bot þat tale is nouȝt worþ a rake stele
Parde we wēmen kan no þinge hele
Wittenesse on myda wil ȝe here þe tale
925
Ouide a monges oþer þinges smale
Seiþ Mida ha vnder his longe heres
Growinge vpon his tuo asse eres
The whiche vice he hidde as he best myht
Ful subtily from eueryche mannes siht