The Wife of Bath's Prologue Folio 67r 1 of 20 folios
The transcription of the Wife of Bath's Prologue was created by Orietta Da Rold and has no relationship to the transcription which appears on the Cambridge University Press CD-ROM.
1055
Doun on hire knees / falletħ she to go unde
Wepynge for tendirnesse / in hert blithe
She herietħ god / an hundred thousand sithe
They lyuen alle / and neuer e a sonder wende
1060
Til deetħ departetħ hem / this lif they lede
And faretħ now wel / my tale is at an ende
Now iħ u crist / that of his mygħ t may sende
Ioye after woo / gouerne vs / in his grace
And kepe vs alle / that ben in this place ¶ Amen qd Wytton;¶ A men qd Wytton : These words occur in the right margin .
/ Incipit pro logus vxoris de Bathe
Exper ience / thougħ noon auctoritee
Were in this world / is rigħ t I now for me
To speken of woo / that is in mariage
For lordynges / syn I twelue ȝer was of age
5
Thanked be god / that is eterne on lyue
Husbondes at the chirche doore / haue I had fyue
If I so often mygħ t / han wedded be
But me was told / nougħ t longe agon is
10
That sithen Crist / ne went neuer e but oonys
To weddyng / in the Cane of Galilee
That by the same ensaumple / taugħ t he me
That I ne wedded / shuld be but ones
Loo ; herkene whicħ / a sharpe word / for the nones
15
Beside a welle / iħ c god and man
Spak in repreue / of the Samaritan
Thow hast I had / fyue husbondes qd he
And that ilke man / whicħ that now hatħ the
Is nat thyn husbonde / thus seide he certeyn
20
What that he ment ther by / I can nougħ t seyn
But that I aske why / that the fifte man
Was noon husbonde / to the Samaritan
How many mygħ t she haue / in mariage
Ȝet herd I neuer e / tellen in myn age
25
Vp on this noumbre / diffinicioū
Men may deuyne / and glosen vp and douñ
But wel I woot / expresse / witħ outen lye
God bad vs for to wexe / and multiplie