* * * * *
=Here biginneth the Tale of the Wyf of Bathe.=
In tholde dayes of the king Arthour,
Of which that Britons speken greet honour,
All was this land fulfild of fayerye.
The elf-queen, with hir Ioly companye, 860
Daunced ful ofte in many a grene mede;
This was the olde opinion, as I rede,
I speke of manye hundred yeres ago;
But now can no man see none elves mo.
For now the grete charitee and prayeres 865
Of limitours and othere holy freres, (10)
That serchen every lond and every streem,
As thikke as motes in the sonne-beem,
Blessinge halles, chambres, kichenes, boures,
Citees, burghes, castels, hye toures, 870
Thropes, bernes, shipnes, dayeryes,
This maketh that ther been no fayeryes.
For ther as wont to walken was an elf,
Ther walketh now the limitour him-self
In undermeles and in morweninges, 875
And seyth his matins and his holy thinges (20)
As he goth in his limitacioun.
Wommen may go saufly up and doun,
In every bush, or under every tree;
Ther is noon other incubus but he, 880
And he ne wol doon hem but dishonour.
HEADING. _From_ Hn. 857. E. Cm. _om._ the. 859. Cp. fayerie; _rest_
fairye. 872. Cp. fayeries; E. Hn. fairyes. 880. Hl. incumbent
(!). 881. Cm. non; _rest_ but. Hl. ne wol but doon hem.
[346: T. 6464-6498.]
And so bifel it, that this king Arthour
Hadde in his hous a lusty bacheler,
That on a day cam rydinge fro river;
And happed that, allone as she was born, 885
He saugh a mayde walkinge him biforn, (30)
Of whiche mayde anon, maugree hir heed,
By verray force he rafte hir maydenheed;
For which oppressioun was swich clamour
And swich pursute un-to the king Arthour, 890
That dampned was this knight for to be deed
By cours of lawe, and sholde han lost his heed
Paraventure, swich was the statut tho;
But that the quene and othere ladies mo
So longe preyeden the king of grace, 895
Til he his lyf him graunted in the place, (40)
And yaf him to the quene al at hir wille,
To chese, whether she wolde him save or spille.
882. E. Hn. Cm. _om._ it. 883. E. _om._ his. 885. E. Hn. he(!).
887. Cm. Ln. whiche; _rest_ which. 888. E. Cm. Hl. birafte; _rest_ he
rafte (refte). 895. Hl. Cm. preyeden; E. Hn. preyden. 898. E.
wheither.
The quene thanketh the king with al hir might,
And after this thus spak she to the knight, 900
Whan that she saugh hir tyme, up-on a day:
‘Thou standest yet,’ quod she, ‘in swich array,
That of thy lyf yet hastow no suretee.
I grante thee lyf, if thou canst tellen me
What thing is it that wommen most desyren? 905
Be war, and keep thy nekke-boon from yren. (50)
And if thou canst nat tellen it anon,
Yet wol I yeve thee leve for to gon
A twelf-month and a day, to seche and lere
An answere suffisant in this matere. 910
And suretee wol I han, er that thou pace,
Thy body for to yelden in this place.’
907. E. Hl. tellen it; Hn. tellen me; Cm. telle me; _rest_ telle it
me. 908. E. shal (_for_ wol).
Wo was this knight and sorwefully he syketh;
But what! he may nat do al as him lyketh.
And at the laste, he chees him for to wende, 915
And come agayn, right at the yeres ende, (60)
[347: T. 6499-6536.]
With swich answere as god wolde him purveye;
And taketh his leve, and wendeth forth his weye.