* * * * *
=The prologe of the Wyves Tale of Bathe.=
‘Experience, though noon auctoritee
Were in this world, were right y-nough to me
To speke of wo that is in mariage;
For, lordinges, sith I twelf yeer was of age,
Thonked be god that is eterne on lyve, 5
Housbondes at chirche-dore I have had fyve;
For I so ofte have y-wedded be;
And alle were worthy men in hir degree.
But me was told certeyn, nat longe agon is,
That sith that Crist ne wente never but onis 10
To wedding in the Cane of Galilee,
That by the same ensample taughte he me
That I ne sholde wedded be but ones.
Herke eek, lo! which a sharp word for the nones
Besyde a welle Iesus, god and man, 15
Spak in repreve of the Samaritan:
“Thou hast y-had fyve housbondes,” quod he,
“And thilke man, the which that hath now thee,
Is noght thyn housbond;” thus seyde he certeyn;
What that he mente ther-by, I can nat seyn; 20
[321: T. 5603-5636.]
But that I axe, why that the fifthe man
Was noon housbond to the Samaritan?
How manye mighte she have in mariage?
Yet herde I never tellen in myn age
Upon this nombre diffinicioun; 25
Men may devyne and glosen up and doun.
But wel I woot expres, with-oute lye,
God bad us for to wexe and multiplye;
That gentil text can I wel understonde.
Eek wel I woot he seyde, myn housbonde 30
Sholde lete fader and moder, and take me;
But of no nombre mencioun made he,
Of bigamye or of octogamye;
Why sholde men speke of it vileinye?
HEADING. _So_ E.; Hn. Here bigynneth the prologe of the tale of the Wyf
of Bathe; Hl. Here bygynneth the prologe of the wyf of Bathe. 5. Hn.
Pt. Ln. Thonked; E. Ythonked. 7. _So_ E.; _rest_ If (Hl. For) I so
ofte myghte haue wedded be. 12. E. _om._ That. E. thoughte; _rest_
taughte he. 14. E. Herkne; Hl. Herken; _rest_ Herke (Herk). E. Hl.
_om._ lo. 18. E. And that; _rest_ And that ilke (_read_ thilke).
29. E. _om._ wel. 31. E. take; Hl. folwe; _rest_ take to.
Lo, here the wyse king, dan Salomon; 35
I trowe he hadde wyves mo than oon;
As, wolde god, it leveful were to me
To be refresshed half so ofte as he!
Which yifte of god hadde he for alle his wyvis!
No man hath swich, that in this world alyve is. 40
God woot, this noble king, as to my wit,
The firste night had many a mery fit
With ech of hem, so wel was him on lyve!
Blessed be god that I have wedded fyve!
Welcome the sixte, whan that ever he shal. 45
For sothe, I wol nat kepe me chast in al;
Whan myn housbond is fro the world y-gon,
Som Cristen man shal wedde me anon;
For thanne thapostle seith, that I am free
To wedde, a goddes half, wher it lyketh me. 50
He seith that to be wedded is no sinne;
Bet is to be wedded than to brinne.
What rekketh me, thogh folk seye vileinye
Of shrewed Lameth and his bigamye?
[322: T. 5637-5672.]
I woot wel Abraham was an holy man, 55
And Iacob eek, as ferforth as I can;
And ech of hem hadde wyves mo than two;
And many another holy man also.
Whan saugh ye ever, in any maner age,
That hye god defended mariage 60
By expres word? I pray you, telleth me;
Or wher comanded he virginitee?
I woot as wel as ye, it is no drede,
Thapostel, whan he speketh of maydenhede;
He seyde, that precept ther-of hadde he noon. 65
Men may conseille a womman to been oon,
But conseilling is no comandement;
He putte it in our owene Iugement.
For hadde god comanded maydenhede,
Thanne hadde he dampned wedding with the dede; 70
And certes, if ther were no seed y-sowe,
Virginitee, wher-of than sholde it growe?
Poul dorste nat comanden atte leste
A thing of which his maister yaf noon heste.
The dart is set up for virginitee; 75
Cacche who so may, who renneth best lat see.
37. _So all but_ E., _which has_ it were leueful vn-to me. 42. E.
myrie; Hn. murye. 44. E. Hl. Yblessed; _rest_ Blessed (Blissed).
46. E. chaast. 49. E. _om._ that. 50. Hl. wher so it be; _rest_
wher it liketh me (_correctly; for_ a goddes half = a god’s half).
51. E. _om._ that. 52. E. Hn. Hl. Bet; _rest_ Better. 54. E. Hl.
of; _rest_ his. 58. E. _om._ holy. 59. Hl. Whan; E. Whanne; _rest_
Where (Wher). E. _om._ any. 64. E. Whan thapostel speketh. 67. E.
nat; _rest_ no (non). 71. E. certein. 73. E. Hl. _ins._ ne _after_
Poul. 75. E. of; Cp. fro; Hl. on; _rest_ for.
But this word is nat take of every wight,
But ther as god list give it of his might.
I woot wel, that thapostel was a mayde;
But natheless, thogh that he wroot and sayde, 80
He wolde that every wight were swich as he,
Al nis but conseil to virginitee;
And for to been a wyf, he yaf me leve
Of indulgence; so it is no repreve
To wedde me, if that my make dye, 85
With-oute excepcioun of bigamye.
Al were it good no womman for to touche,
He mente as in his bed or in his couche;
For peril is bothe fyr and tow tassemble;
Ye knowe what this ensample may resemble. 90
[323: T. 5673-5706.]
This is al and som, he heeld virginitee
More parfit than wedding in freletee.
Freeltee clepe I, but-if that he and she
Wolde leden al hir lyf in chastitee.
77. E. Hl. taken. 78. E. Cm. lust; Hn. Hl. list. 79. E. _om._
that. 85. E. Cm. _om._ that. 89. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. to assemble. 91.
E. Cm that; Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln. he heeld; Hl. he holdith. 92. E. Cm.
profiteth; _rest_ parfit. 94. Hn. Hl. leden; _rest_ lede.
I graunte it wel, I have noon envye, 95
Thogh maydenhede preferre bigamye;
Hem lyketh to be clene, body and goost,
Of myn estaat I nil nat make no boost.
For wel ye knowe, a lord in his houshold,
He hath nat every vessel al of gold; 100
Somme been of tree, and doon hir lord servyse.
God clepeth folk to him in sondry wyse,
And everich hath of god a propre yifte,
Som this, som that,—as him lyketh shifte.
104. _So all but_ Hl. Ln. _which have_ to schifte. _Perhaps read_ right
as him.
Virginitee is greet perfeccioun, 105
And continence eek with devocioun.
But Crist, that of perfeccioun is welle,
Bad nat every wight he shold go selle
All that he hadde, and give it to the pore,
And in swich wyse folwe hime and his fore. 110
He spak to hem that wolde live parfitly;
And lordinges, by your leve, that am nat I.
I wol bistowe the flour of al myn age
In the actes and in fruit of mariage.
108. E. Cm. Hl. _om._ he. 109, 110. E poore, foore; _and_ foore _is
glossed by_ steppes. 113. E Hl. _om._ al.
Telle me also, to what conclusioun 115
Were membres maad of generacioun,
And for what profit was a wight y-wroght?
Trusteth right wel, they wer nat maad for noght.
Glose who-so wole, and seye bothe up and doun,
That they were maked for purgacioun
Of urine, and our bothe thinges smale
Were eek to knowe a femele from a male,
And for noone other cause: sey ye no?
The experience woot wel it is noght so;
[324: T. 5707-5741.]
So that the clerkes be nat with me wrothe, 125
I sey this, that they maked been for bothe,
This is to seye, for office, and for ese
Of engendrure, ther we nat god displese.
Why sholde men elles in hir bokes sette,
That man shal yelde to his wyf hir dette? 130
Now wher-with sholde he make his payement,
If he ne used his sely instrument?
Than were they maad up-on a creature,
To purge uryne, and eek for engendrure.
116 E. ymaad. 120. Cm. makyd; _rest_ maad; _see_ l. 126. 121. _So_
Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln.; E. vryne bothe and thynges. 122. E. Cm. And; Hn. Hl.
Was; _rest_ Were. 126. this] E. yis. E. Cm. beth maked. 130. E.
Cm. a man. 133. E. Thanne. 134. E. Cm. _om._ eek.
But I seye noght that every wight is holde, 135
That hath swich harneys as I to yow tolde,
To goon and usen hem in engendrure;
Than sholde men take of chastitee no cure.
Crist was a mayde, and shapen as a man,
And many a seint, sith that the world bigan, 140
Yet lived they ever in parfit chastitee.
I nil envye no virginitee;
Lat hem be breed of pured whete-seed,
And lat us wyves hoten barly-breed;
And yet with barly-breed, Mark telle can, 145
Our lord Iesu refresshed many a man.
In swich estaat as god hath cleped us
I wol persevere, I nam nat precious.
In wyfhode I wol use myn instrument
As frely as my maker hath it sent. 150
If I be daungerous, god yeve me sorwe!
Myn housbond shal it have bothe eve and morwe,
Whan that him list com forth and paye his dette.
An housbonde I wol have, I nil nat lette,
Which shal be bothe my dettour and my thral, 155
And have his tribulacioun with-al
Up-on his flessh, whyl that I am his wyf.
I have the power duringe al my lyf
Up-on his propre body, and noght he.
[325: T. 5742-5776.]
Right thus the apostel tolde it un-to me; 160
And bad our housbondes for to love us weel.
Al this sentence me lyketh every-deel’—
136. Hn. Hl. to yow; E. Cm. of. 138. E. Cm. They shul nat; _rest_
Than sholde men. 140. E. Cm. _om._ that (_perhaps read_ së-int).
142. E. Cm. nil nat. 144. E. hoten; Hn. Cm. hote; Cp. Pt. Ln. ete(!);
Hl. eten(!). 146. E. Cm. Hl. _om._ Iesu. 148. E. Hn. precius.
Up sterte the Pardoner, and that anon,
‘Now dame,’ quod he, ‘by god and by seint Iohn,
Ye been a noble prechour in this cas! 165
I was aboute to wedde a wyf; allas!
What sholde I bye it on my flesh so dere?
Yet hadde I lever wedde no wyf to-yere!’