Canterbury Tales (Middle English) — The Wife of Bath's Prologue - Part Two
Swiche maner wordes hadde we on honde.
Now wol I speken of my fourthe housbonde.
My fourthe housbonde was a revelour, This is to seyn, he hadde a paramour;
And I was yong and ful of ragerye, 455 Stiborn and strong, and Ioly as a pye.
Wel coude I daunce to an harpe smale, And singe, y-wis, as any nightingale, Whan I had dronke a draughte of swete wyn.
Metellius, the foule cherl, the swyn, 460 That with a staf birafte his wyf hir lyf, For she drank wyn, thogh I hadde been his wyf, He sholde nat han daunted me fro drinke;
And, after wyn, on Venus moste I thinke: For al so siker as cold engendreth hayl, 465 A likerous mouth moste han a likerous tayl.
In womman vinolent is no defence, This knowen lechours by experience.
456. Cm.
Cp.
Ln.
Styborne; Pt.
Hl.
Stiborn; E. Hn.
Stibourne.
464. Cm.
muste; Ln.
must.
467. E.
Hl.
wommen.
But, lord Crist!
whan that it remembreth me Up-on my yowthe, and on my Iolitee, 470 It tikleth me aboute myn herte rote.
Unto this day it dooth myn herte bote That I have had my world as in my tyme.
But age, allas!
that al wol envenyme, [334: T.
6057-6093. ] Hath me biraft my beautee and my pith; 475 Lat go, fare-wel, the devel go therwith!
The flour is goon, ther is na-more to telle, The bren, as I best can, now moste I selle;
But yet to be right mery wol I fonde.
Now wol I tellen of my fourthe housbonde.
480 479. E.
myrie; Hn.
murye.
I seye, I hadde in herte greet despyt That he of any other had delyt.
But he was quit, by god and by seint Ioce!
I made him of the same wode a croce;
Nat of my body in no foul manere, 485 But certeinly, I made folk swich chere, That in his owene grece I made him frye For angre, and for verray Ialousye.
By god, in erthe I was his purgatorie, For which I hope his soule be in glorie.
490 For god it woot, he sat ful ofte and song Whan that his shoo ful bitterly him wrong.
Ther was no wight, save god and he, that wiste, In many wyse, how sore I him twiste.
He deyde whan I cam fro Ierusalem, 495 And lyth y-grave under the rode-beem, Al is his tombe noght so curious As was the sepulcre of him, Darius, Which that Appelles wroghte subtilly;
It nis but wast to burie him preciously.
500 Lat him fare-wel, god yeve his soule reste, He is now in the grave and in his cheste.
486. E.
c_er_tein.
497. E.
Hn.
curyus.
Now of my fifthe housbond wol I telle.
God lete his soule never come in helle!
And yet was he to me the moste shrewe; 505 That fele I on my ribbes al by rewe, And ever shal, un-to myn ending-day.
But in our bed he was so fresh and gay, And ther-with-al so wel coude he me glose, Whan that he wolde han my _bele chose,_ 510 That thogh he hadde me bet on every boon, [335: T.
6094-6129. ] He coude winne agayn my love anoon.
I trowe I loved him beste, for that he Was of his love daungerous to me.
We wommen han, if that I shal nat lye, 515 In this matere a queynte fantasye;
Wayte what thing we may nat lightly have, Ther-after wol we crye al-day and crave.
Forbede us thing, and that desyren we;
Prees on us faste, and thanne wol we flee.
520 With daunger oute we al our chaffare;
Greet prees at market maketh dere ware, And to greet cheep is holde at litel prys;
This knoweth every womman that is wys.
508. E.
ful; _rest_ so.
511. Cp.
Hl.
boon; _rest_ bon.
513. Cm.
Hl.
beste; E. Hn.
best; Cp.
Pt.
the bet; Ln.
bette.
520. E.
Hn.
Preesse;
Cm Presse.
521. E.
Hn.
Cm.
oute; Cp.
Ln.
Hl.
outen; Pt.
outer.
My fifthe housbonde, god his soule blesse!
525 Which that I took for love and no richesse, He som-tyme was a clerk of Oxenford, And had left scole, and wente at hoom to bord With my gossib, dwellinge in oure toun, God have hir soule!
hir name was Alisoun.
530 She knew myn herte and eek my privetee Bet than our parisshe-preest, so moot I thee!
To hir biwreyed I my conseil al. For had myn housbonde pissed on a wal, Or doon a thing that sholde han cost his lyf, 535 To hir, and to another worthy wyf, And to my nece, which that I loved weel, I wolde han told his conseil every-deel.
And so I dide ful often, god it woot, That made his face ful often reed and hoot 540 For verray shame, and blamed him-self for he Had told to me so greet a privetee.
528. E.
hadde; hom.
532. E.
Hn.
as; _rest_ so.
534. E.
Hn.
Cm.
Cp.
hadde.
And so bifel that ones, in a Lente, (So often tymes I to my gossib wente, For ever yet I lovede to be gay, 545 And for to walke, in March, Averille, and May, Fro hous to hous, to here sondry talis), [336: T.
6130-6164. ] That Iankin clerk, and my gossib dame Alis, And I my-self, in-to the feldes wente.
Myn housbond was at London al that Lente; 550 I hadde the bettre leyser for to pleye, And for to see, and eek for to be seye Of lusty folk; what wiste I wher my grace Was shapen for to be, or in what place?
Therefore I made my visitaciouns, 555 To vigilies and to processiouns, To preching eek and to thise pilgrimages, To pleyes of miracles and mariages, And wered upon my gaye scarlet gytes.
Thise wormes, ne thise motthes, ne thise mytes, 560 Upon my peril, frete hem never a deel;
And wostow why?
for they were used weel.
545. Hn.
Cm.
louede; E. Hl.
loued.
550. E.
the; _rest_ that.
558. E.
Hn.
and to; Cm.
Cp.
Pt.
Ln.
and of; Hl.
_om.
_ to (_or_ of).
561. E.
Hn.
Cm.
Cp.
peril (_correctly_); Pt.
perile; Ln.
Hl.
perel.
Now wol I tellen forth what happed me.
I seye, that in the feeldes walked we, Til trewely we hadde swich daliance, 565 This clerk and I, that of my purveyance I spak to him, and seyde him, how that he, If I were widwe, sholde wedde me.
For certeinly, I sey for no bobance, Yet was I never with-outen purveyance 570 Of mariage, nof othere thinges eek.
I holde a mouses herte nat worth a leek, That hath but oon hole for to sterte to, And if that faille, thanne is al y-do.
571. E.
Hn.
nof; Cm.
and more; _rest_ ne of.
572. herte] Cp.
Pt.
Ln.
witte.
I bar him on honde, he hadde enchanted me; 575 My dame taughte me that soutiltee.
And eek I seyde, I mette of him al night;
He wolde han slayn me as I lay up-right, And al my bed was ful of verray blood, But yet I hope that he shal do me good; 580 For blood bitokeneth gold, as me was taught.
And al was fals, I dremed of it right naught, [337: T.
6165-6199. ] But as I folwed ay my dames lore, As wel of this as of other thinges more.
575-584. _All but_ E. Cm.
_omit these lines;_ (Dd.
_has them_).
583. E.
Cm.
_om.
_ as; _but it occurs in_ MSS.
Camb.
Dd.
4. 24, Ii.
I.
36, &c. But now sir, lat me see, what I shal seyn?
585 A!
ha!
by god, I have my tale ageyn.
Whan that my fourthe housbond was on bere, I weep algate, and made sory chere, As wyves moten, for it is usage, And with my coverchief covered my visage; 590 But for that I was purveyed of a make, I weep but smal, and that I undertake.
592. E.
wepte; _but see_ 588. To chirche was myn housbond born a-morwe With neighebores, that for him maden sorwe;
And Iankin oure clerk was oon of tho.
595 As help me god, whan that I saugh him go After the bere, me thoughte he hadde a paire Of legges and of feet so clene and faire, That al myn herte I yaf un-to his hold.
He was, I trowe, a twenty winter old, 600 And I was fourty, if I shal seye sooth;
But yet I hadde alwey a coltes tooth.
Gat-tothed I was, and that bicam me weel;
I hadde the prente of sëynt Venus seel.
As help me god, I was a lusty oon, 605 And faire and riche, and yong, and wel bigoon;
And trewely, as myne housbondes tolde me, I had the beste _quoniam_ mighte be.
For certes, I am al Venerien In felinge, and myn herte is Marcien.
610 Venus me yaf my lust, my likerousnesse, And Mars yaf me my sturdy hardinesse.
Myn ascendent was Taur, and Mars ther-inne.
Allas!
allas!
that ever love was sinne!
I folwed ay myn inclinacioun 615 By vertu of my constellacioun;
That made me I coude noght withdrawe [338: T.
6200-6225. ] My chambre of Venus from a good felawe.
Yet have I Martes mark up-on my face, And also in another privee place.
620 For, god so wis be my savacioun, I ne loved never by no discrecioun, But ever folwede myn appetyt, Al were he short or long, or blak or whyt;
I took no kepe, so that he lyked me, 625 How pore he was, ne eek of what degree.
595. _Or_ Ianekin, _see_ 383; MSS.
Iankyn.
603. Ln.
Gate-toþede.
605-612. Hl.
_omits.
_ 608. E.
hadde.
E.
Hn.
quonyam; Cm.
Pt.
Ln.
quoniam; Cp.
queynte.
609-612. Hn.
Cp.
Pt.
Ln.
_omit.
_ 619-626. Hn.
Cp.
Pt.
Ln.
Hl.
_omit.
_ 623. Cm.
folwede; E. folwed.
626. Cm.
pore;
E.
poore.
What sholde I seye, but, at the monthes ende, This Ioly clerk Iankin, that was so hende, Hath wedded me with greet solempnitee, And to him yaf I al the lond and fee 630 That ever was me yeven ther-bifore;
But afterward repented me ful sore.
He nolde suffre nothing of my list.
By god, he smoot me ones on the list, For that I rente out of his book a leef, 635 That of the strook myn ere wex al deef.
Stiborn I was as is a leonesse, And of my tonge a verray Iangleresse, And walke I wolde, as I had doon biforn, From hous to hous, al-though he had it sworn.
640 For which he often tymes wolde preche, And me of olde Romayn gestes teche, How he, Simplicius Gallus, lefte his wyf, And hir forsook for terme of al his lyf, Noght but for open-heeded he hir say 645 Lokinge out at his dore upon a day.
634. E.
Hn.
on the lyst; (Ln.
luste; Cp.
Pt.
lest); Hl.
Cm.
with his fist.
636. E.
Hl.
wax.
637. E.
Hn.
Stibourne.
645. E.
Hn.
-heueded; Hl.
heedid.
Another Romayn tolde he me by name, That, for his wyf was at a someres game With-oute his witing, he forsook hir eke.
And than wolde he up-on his Bible seke 650 That ilke proverbe of Ecclesiaste, Wher he comandeth and forbedeth faste, Man shal nat suffre his wyf go roule aboute;
[339: T.
6226-6271. ] Than wolde he seye right thus, with-outen doute, “Who-so that buildeth his hous al of salwes, 655 And priketh his blinde hors over the falwes, And suffreth his wyf to go seken halwes, Is worthy to been hanged on the galwes!
” But al for noght, I sette noght an hawe Of his proverbes nof his olde sawe, 660 Ne I wolde nat of him corrected be.
I hate him that my vices telleth me, And so do mo, god woot!
of us than I. This made him with me wood al outrely;
I nolde noght forbere him in no cas.
665 649. E.
Hn.
Cm.
With-outen.
650. E.
thanne.
654. E.
Thanne.
660. E.
Hn.
nof; _rest_ ne of.
E.
awe; Hn.
Cm.
Hl.
sawe; Cp.
Pt.
Ln.
lawe.
Now wol I seye yow sooth, by seint Thomas, Why that I rente out of his book a leef, For which he smoot me so that I was deef.
He hadde a book that gladly, night and day, For his desport he wolde rede alway.
670 He cleped it Valerie and Theofraste, At whiche book he lough alwey ful faste.
And eek ther was som-tyme a clerk at Rome, A cardinal, that highte Seint Ierome, That made a book agayn Iovinian; 675 In whiche book eek ther was Tertulan, Crisippus, Trotula, and Helowys, That was abbesse nat fer fro Parys;
And eek the Parables of Salomon, Ovydes Art, and bokes many on, 680 And alle thise wer bounden in o volume.
And every night and day was his custume, Whan he had leyser and vacacioun From other worldly occupacioun, To reden on this book of wikked wyves.
685 He knew of hem mo legendes and lyves Than been of gode wyves in the Bible.
For trusteth wel, it is an impossible That any clerk wol speke good of wyves, [340: T.
6272-6305. ] But-if it be of holy seintes lyves, 690 Ne of noon other womman never the mo.
Who peyntede the leoun, tel me who?
By god, if wommen hadde writen stories, As clerkes han with-inne hir oratories, They wolde han writen of men more wikkednesse 695 Than all the mark of Adam may redresse.
The children of Mercurie and of Venus Been in hir wirking ful contrarious;
Mercurie loveth wisdom and science, And Venus loveth ryot and dispence.
700 And, for hir diverse disposicioun, Ech falleth in otheres exaltacioun;
And thus, god woot!
Mercurie is desolat In Pisces, wher Venus is exaltat;
And Venus falleth ther Mercurie is reysed; 705 Therfore no womman of no clerk is preysed.
The clerk, whan he is old, and may noght do Of Venus werkes worth his olde sho, Than sit he doun, and writ in his dotage That wommen can nat kepe hir mariage!
710 676. Cm.
Ln.
whiche; _rest_ which.
Cp.
Pt.
Hl.
Terculan.
680. Hl.
bourdes; _rest_ bookes (bokes).
683. E.
hadde.
691. E.
Ne; Hn.
