The Wife of Bath's Tale
Folio 79r
7 of 10 folios
For goddes loue / as chese a newe requeste
Take al my good / and late my body goo
1035
Nay thanne qd she / I shrewe vs bothe twoo
For thougħ that I be foul / old and pore
I nold for al the metal / ne for ore
That vnder erthe is graue / or litħ a boue
But if thy wyf I were / and eke thy loue
1040
¶ My loue qd he / nay my dampnacione
Allas that ony / of my nacione
Shulde euere so foule / desparaged be
But al for nougħt / the ende is this / that he
Constreyned was / he nedes must hire wedde
1045
And taketħ this old wyf / & gotħ to bedde
Now wolde some men seyn / perauenture
That for my negligence / I do no cure
To telle ȝow the ioye / and al the array
That at the fest was / that ilke day
1050
To whicħ thyng / shortly answeren I shal
I seye there was no feest / ne ioye at al
There nas but heuynesse / and mechel sorwe
For preuyly he wedded hire / on the morwe
And al day after / hid hī as an Owle
1055
So woo was hī / his wyf loked so foule
Gret was the woo / the knygħt had in his thougħt
Whan he was witħ his wyf / abedde I brougħt
He waluetħ . and he turnetħ to and froo
This olde wyf / lay smylyng euere moo
1060
And seide / o dere husbonde benedicite
Faretħ euery knygħt thus / witħ his wyf as ȝe
Is this the lawe / of kyng Arthoures hous
Is euery knygħt of his / thus daungerous
I am ȝoure owen loue / & eke ȝoure wyf
1065
I am she / whicħ þat saued hatħ / ȝoure lyf
And certes / ȝet ne dide I ȝow / neuere vnrigħt
Why fare ȝe thus witħ me / this first nygħt
Ȝe faren like a man / had lost his wytte
What is my gilt / for goddes loue telle itte
1070
And it shal ben amended / if I may
Amendid qd this knygħt / allas nay nay
It wol not ben amended / neuere moo
Thow art so lotħly / and so old also
And ther to comen / of so lowe a kynde
1075
That lytel wonder is / thougħ I walwe & wynde
So wolde god / myn hert wold brest
Is this qd she / the cause of ȝoure vnrest
Ȝee certeynly qd he / no wonder is