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Now wherwith fhuld he make his
If he ne used his sely instrument?
Than were they made upon a creature
To purge urine, and eke for engendrure.

But I fay not that every wight is hold,
That hath swiche harneis as I to you told,
To gon and ufen hem in engendrúre;
Than fhuld men take of chastitee no cure.

Crift was a maide, and shapen as a man,

And many a feint, fith that this world began,
Yet lived they ever in parfit chastitee?

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I n'ill envie with no virginitee.

Let hem with bred of pured whete be fed,

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And let us wives eten barly bred :

And yet with barly bred, Mark tellen can,

Our Lord Jefu refreshed many a man.

In swiche eftat as God hath cleped us
I wol perfever, I n'am not precious.
In wifhode wol I ufe min inftrument
As frely as my Maker hath it fent.

If I be dangerous God yeve me forwe,

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Min hufbond fhal it have both even and morwe, Whan that him lift come forth and pay his dette. 5735

An hufbond wol I have, I wol not lette,

Which shal be both my dettour and my thrall,
And have his tribulation withall

Upon his flesh, while that I am his wif.

I have the power during all my lif

5749

Upon his propre body and nat he;

Right thus the apostle told it unto me,
And bad our hufbonds for to love us wel:
All this fentence me liketh every del.

Up ftert the Pardoner, and that anon;

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Now, Dame, quod he, by God and by Seint John Ye ben a noble prechour in this cas:

I was about to wed a wif, alas!

What? fhuld I bie it on my flesh fo dere?
Yet had I lever wed no wif to-yere.

Abide, quod fhe, my Tale is not begonne;
Nay, thou shalt drinken of another tonne,
Er that I go, fhal favor worse than ale:

And whan that I have told thee forth my
Of tribulation in mariage,

Of which I am expert in all min age,

Tale

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(This is to fayn myself hath ben the whippe)
Than maieft thou chefen whoder thou wolt fippe
Of thilke tonne that I fhal abroche:
Beware of it er thou to neigh approche,
For I fhal tell enfamples mo than ten.
Who fo that n'ill beware by other men
By him fhal other men corrected be:
Thife fame wordes writeth Ptholomee,

V. 5764. writeth Ptholomee] In the margin of mf. C. x is the following quotation; "Qui per alios non corrigitur, ală 66 per ipfum corrigentur:" but I cannot find any fuch paffage in The Almagefte. I fufpect that The Wife of Bathes copy of Ptolemy was very different from any that I have been able to meet with. See another quotation from him, ver. 7906,

Rede in his Almajeste, and take it there.

Dame, I wold pray you, if your will it were,

Sayde this Pardoner, as ye began

5765

Tell forth your Tale, and spareth for no man,
And techeth us yonge men of your practike.
Gladly, quod fhe, fin that it may you like. 5770
But that I pray to all this compagnie,

'

If that I fpeke after my fantasie,

As taketh not a greefe of that I fay,
For min entente is not but for to play.
Now, Sires, than wol I tell you
As ever mote I drinken win or ale

forth my Tale. 5775

Ihal fay foth, the hufbondes that I had
As three of hem were good and two were bad.
The three were goode men and riche and olde;
Unnethes mighten they the statute holde
In which that they were bounden unto me;
Ye wot wel what I mene of this parde.
As God me helpe I laugh whan that I thinke
How pitoufly a-night I made hem fwinke,
But by my fay I tolde of it no ftore:
They had me yeven fond and hir trefore;
Me neded not to lenger diligence

To win hir love or don hem reverence.
They loved me fo wel by God above
That I ne tolde no deintee of hir love.
A wife woman wol befie hire ever in on
To geren hir love ther as fhe hath non.

Volume III.

B

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Upon his propre body and nat he;

Right thus the apostle told it unto me, And bad our husbonds for to love us wel: All this fentence me liketh every del.

Up ftert the Pardoner, and that anon;
Now, Dame, quod he, by God and by Seint
Ye ben a noble prechour in this cas:
I was about to wed a wif, alas!

What? fhuld I bie it on my flesh so dere?
Yet had I lever wed no wif to-yere.

Abide, quod fhe, my Tale is not begonne
Nay, thou shalt drinken of another tonne,
Er that I go, fhal favor worse than ale:
And whan that I have told thee forth my
Of tribulation in mariage,

Of which I am expert in all min age,

T

(This is to fayn myself hath ben the whippe
Than maieft thou chefen wheder thou wolt
Of thilke tonne that I fhal abroche:
Beware of it er thou to neigh approche,
For I fhal tell enfamples mo than ten.
Who fo that n'ill beware by other men
By him fhal other men corrected be:
Thife fame wordes writeth Ptholomee,

66

v. 5764. writeth Ptholomee] In the margin of the following quotation; "Qui per alios non corri per ipfum corrigentur:" but I cannot find any fu in The Almagefte. I fufpect that The Wife of Bathe Ptolemy was very different from any that I have be meet with. See another quotation from him, ver. 7

maiefte, and take it there. drav von, if your wil it were, kroner, as ve beran

par Tale, and fpareth for no man, alvonge men of your tre.

he, in that it may roy..ke. !!". to all this comma raie,

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