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1. The General Prologue
2. The Knight's Tale
3. The Miller's Prologue
4. The Miller's Tale
5. The Reeve's Prologue
6. The Reeve's Tale
7. The Cook's Prologue
8. The Cook's Tale
9. Introduction to the Man of Law's Tale
10. The Man of Law's Tale
11. The Wife of Bath's Prologue
12. The Wife of Bath's Tale
13. The Friar's Prologue
14. The Friar's Tale
15. The Summoner's Prologue
16. The Summoner's Tale
17. The Clerk's Tale
18. Lenvoye de Chaucer
19. Words of the Host
20. The Merchant's Prologue
21. The Merchant's Tale
22. Epilogue to the Merchant's Tale
23. The Squire's Tale
24. The Franklin's Tale
25. The Physician's Tale
26. Introduction to the Pardoner's Tale
27. The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
28. The Shipman's Tale
29. The Prioress' Tale
30. The Tale of Sir Thopas
31. Here the Host 'stynteth' Chaucer's Tale of Sir Thopas
32. The Tale of Melibeus
33. The Monk's Prologue
34. The Monk's Tale
35. The Nun's Priest's Prologue
36. The Nun's Priest's Tale
37. Epilogue to the Nun's Priest's Tale
38. The Second Nun's Tale
39. The Canon's Yeoman's Prologue
40. The Canon's Yeoman's Tale
The Wife of Bath's Tale Folio 80v 10 of 10 folios
1175
Pouerte / a spectakil is / as thynketħ me
Thurgħ whicħ he may / his verray frendes se
And þ er fore sire / syn that I nouȝt ȝow greue
Of my pouerte / no more ȝe me repreeue
1180
Now sire / of elde ȝe repreeue me
And certes Sire / thougħ non auctorite
Were in no bok / ȝe gentiles of honour
Seyn / þ t men shulde / an olde wygħ t do fauour
And clepe hī fader / for ȝoure gentilnesse
1185
And auctoures shal I fynden / as I gesse
Now there as ȝe seyn / þ at I am foul and old
Than drede ȝow nougħ t / to ben a Cokewold
For filthe and elde / also mot I the
Ben grete wardeyns / vp on chastite
1190
But neuer etheles / syn I knowe ȝoure delite
I shal fulfille / ȝoure worldly appetite
Chese now qd she / on of theise thynges twey
To han me foul and old / til that I Corrected from: deydyde y
And be to ȝow / a trewe humble wyf
1195
Or ellis ȝe wyl han me / ȝong and faire
And take ȝoure auenture / of the repaire
That shal be to ȝoure hous / by cause of me
Or in som other place / it may wel be
1200
Now chese ȝoure self / wheiþ er that ȝow liketħ
This knygħ t auysetħ hī / & sore syketħ
But at the last / he seide in this manere
My lady & my loue / and wyf so dere
I putte me / in ȝoure wyse gouer naunce
1205
Chesetħ ȝoure self / whicħ may be most plesaunce
And most honour / to ȝow and me also
I do no force / wheither of the two
For as ȝow liketħ / it suffisetħ me
Than haue I get of ȝow / the maistrye qd she
1210
Syn I may chese / and gouerne as me list
Ȝe certes wyf qd he / I holde it the best
Kisse me qd she / we be no lengere wrothe
For be my trouthe / I shal be to ȝow bothe
This is to seyn / ȝe bothe fair and good
1215
I preye to god / that I mot steruen wood
But I to ȝow / be also good and trewe
As euer e was wyf / sithe þ t the world was newe
And but I be to morwe / as fair to sene
As any lady / Emper esse or Quene
1220
That is be twix the Est / & eke the west
Do witħ my lif and detħ / rigħ t as ȝow list