The Canterbury Tales · The Wife of Bath’s Tale · The Prologue 1741 (1/4)

The Prologue1741

Experience, though none authority1742

Were in this world, is right enough for me

To speak of woe that is in marriáge:

For, lordings, since I twelve year was of age,

(Thanked be God that is etern on live),1743

Husbands at the church door have I had five⁠—1744

For I so often have y-wedded be⁠—

And all were worthy men in their degree.

But me was told, not longë timë gone is,

That sithen1745 Christë went never but onës

To wedding, in the Cane1746 of Galilee,

That by that ilk1747 example taught he me,

That I not wedded shouldë be but once.

Lo, hearken eke a sharp word for the nonce,1748

Beside a wellë Jesus, God and man,

Spake in reproof of the Samaritan:

“Thou hast y-had five husbandës,” said he;

“And thilkë1749 man, that now hath wedded thee,

Is not thine husband:”1750 thus said he certáin;

What that he meant thereby, I cannot sayn.

But that I askë, why the fifthë man

Was not husband to the Samaritan?

How many might she have in marriáge?

Yet heard I never tellen in mine age1751

Upon this number definitioún.

Men may divine, and glosen1752 up and down;

But well I wot, express without a lie,

God bade us for to wax and multiply;

That gentle text can I well understand.

Eke well I wot, he said, that mine husbánd

Should leave father and mother, and take to me;

But of no number mentión made he,

Of bigamy or of octogamy;

Why then should men speak of it villainy?1753

Lo here, the wisë king Dan1754 Solomon,

I trow that he had wivës more than one;

As would to God it lawful were to me

To be refreshed half so oft as he!

What gift1755 of God had he for all his wivës?

No man hath such, that in this world alive is.

God wot, this noble king, as to my wit,1756

The first night had many a merry fit

With each of them, so well was him on live.1757

Blessed be God that I have wedded five!

Welcome the sixth whenever that he shall.

For since I will not keep me chaste in all,

When mine husband is from the world y-gone,

Some Christian man shall weddë me anon.

For then th’ apostle saith that I am free

To wed, a’ God’s half,1758 where it liketh me.

He saith, that to be wedded is no sin;

Better is to be wedded than to brin.1759

What recketh me1760 though folk say villainy1761

Of shrewed1762 Lamech, and his bigamy?

I wot well Abraham was a holy man,

And Jacob eke, as far as ev’r I can.1763

And each of them had wivës more than two;

And many another holy man also.

Where can ye see, in any manner age,1764

That highë God defended1765 marriáge

By word express? I pray you tell it me;

Or where commanded he virginity?

I wot as well as you, it is no dread,1766

Th’ apostle, when he spake of maidenhead,

He said, that precept thereof had he none:

Men may counsél a woman to be one,1767

But counseling is no commandëment;

He put it in our owen judgëment.

For, haddë God commanded maidenhead,

Then had he damned1768 wedding out of dread;1769

And certes, if there were no seed y-sow,1770

Virginity then whereof should it grow?

Paul durstë not commanden, at the least,

A thing of which his Master gave no hest.1771

The dart1772 is set up for virginity;

Catch whoso may, who runneth best let see.

But this word is not ta’en of every wight,

But there as1773 God will give it of his might.

I wot well that th’ apostle was a maid,

But natheless, although he wrote and said,

He would that every wight were such as he,

All is but counsel to virginitý.

And, since to be a wife he gave me leave

Of indulgence, so is it no repreve1774

To weddë me, if that my make1775 should die,

Without exceptión1776 of bigamy;

All were it1777 good no woman for to touch

(He meant as in his bed or in his couch),

For peril is both fire and tow t’ assemble;

Ye know what this example may resemble.

This is all and some, he held virginity

More profit than wedding in fraïlty:1778

(Frailty clepe I, but if1779 that he and she

Would lead their livës all in chastity),

I grant it well, I have of none envý

Who maidenhead prefer to bigamy;

It liketh them t’ be clean in body and ghost;1780

Of mine estate1781 I will not make a boast.

For, well ye know, a lord in his household

Hath not every vessel all of gold;1782

Some are of tree, and do their lord servíce.

God calleth folk to him in sundry wise,

And each one hath of God a proper gift,

Some this, some that, as liketh him to shift.1783

Virginity is great perfectión,

And continence eke with devotión:

But Christ, that of perfection is the well,1784

Bade not every wight he should go sell

All that he had, and give it to the poor,

And in such wise follow him and his lore:1785

He spake to them that would live perfectly⁠—

And, lordings, by your leave, that am not I;

I will bestow the flower of mine age

In th’ acts and in the fruits of marriáge.

Tell me also, to what conclusión1786

Were members made of generatión,

And of so perfect wise a wight1787 y-wrought?

Trust me right well, they were not made for nought.

Glose whoso will, and say both up and down,

That they were made for the purgatioún

Of urine, and of other thingës smale,

And eke to know a female from a male:

And for none other causë? say ye no?

Experience wot well it is not so.

So that the clerkës1788 be not with me wroth,

I say this, that they werë made for both,

That is to say, for office,1789 and for ease1790

Of engendrure, there we God not displease.

Why should men ellës in their bookës set,

That man shall yield unto his wife her debt?

Now wherewith should he make his payëment,

If he us’d not his silly instrument?

Then were they made upon a creature

To purge urine, and eke for engendrure.

But I say not that every wight is hold,1791

That hath such harness1792 as I to you told,

To go and usë them in engendrure;

Then should men take of chastity no cure.1793

Christ was a maid, and shapen1794 as a man,

And many a saint, since that this world began,

Yet ever liv’d in perfect chastity.

I will not vie1795 with no virginity.

Let them with bread of pured1796 wheat be fed,

And let us wivës eat our barley bread.

And yet with barley bread, Mark tell us can,1797

Our Lord Jesus refreshed many a man.

In such estate as God hath cleped us,1798

I’ll persevere, I am not precious,1799

In wifehood I will use mine instrument

As freely as my Maker hath it sent.

If I be dangerous1800 God give me sorrow;

Mine husband shall it have, both eve and morrow,

When that him list come forth and pay his debt.

A husband will I have, I will no let,1801

Which shall be both my debtor and my thrall,1802

And have his tribulatión withal

Upon his flesh, while that I am his wife.

I have the power during all my life

Upon his proper body, and not he;

Right thus th’ apostle told it unto me,

And bade our husbands for to love us well;

All this senténce me liketh every deal.⁠—1803

Up start the Pardoner, and that anon;

“Now, Dame,” quoth he, “by God and by Saint John,

Ye are a noble preacher in this case.

I was about to wed a wife, alas!

What? should I bie1804 it on my flesh so dear?

Yet had I lever1805 wed no wife this year.”

“Abide,”1806 quoth she; “my tale is not begun.

Nay, thou shalt drinken of another tun

Ere that I go, shall savour worse than ale.

And when that I have told thee forth my tale

Of tribulatión in marriáge,

Of which I am expert in all mine age,

(This is to say, myself hath been the whip),1807

Then mayest thou choose whether thou wilt sip

Of thilkë tunnë,1808 that I now shall broach.

Beware of it, ere thou too nigh approach,

For I shall tell examples more than ten:

Whoso will not beware by other men,

By him shall other men corrected be:

These samë wordës writeth Ptolemý;

Read in his Almagest, and take it there.”

“Dame, I would pray you, if your will it were,”

Saidë this Pardoner, “as ye began,

Tell forth your tale, and sparë for no man,

And teach us youngë men of your practique.”

“Gladly,” quoth she, “since that it may you like.

But that I pray to all this company,

If that I speak after my fantasy,

To takë nought agrief1809 what I may say;

For mine intent is only for to play.⁠—

Now, Sirs, then will I tell you forth my tale.

As ever may I drinkë wine or ale

I shall say sooth; the husbands that I had

Three of them werë good, and two were bad.

The three were goodë men, and rich, and old.

Unnethës1810 mightë they the statute hold1811

In which that they were bounden unto me.

Yet wot well what I mean of this, pardie.1812

As God me help, I laugh when that I think

How piteously at night I made them swink,1813

But, by my fay,1814 I told of it no store:1815

They had me giv’n their land and their treasór,

Me needed not do longer diligence

To win their love, or do them reverence.

They loved me so well, by God above,

That I toldë no dainty1816 of their love.

A wise woman will busy her ever-in-one1817

To get their lovë, where that she hath none.

But, since I had them wholly in my hand,

And that they had me given all their land,

Why should I takë keep1818 them for to please,

But1819 it were for my profit, or mine ease?

I set them so a-workë, by my fay,

That many a night they sangë, well-away!

The bacon was not fetched for them, I trow,

That some men have in Essex at Dunmow.1820

I govern’d them so well after my law,

That each of them full blissful was and fawe1821

To bringë me gay thingës from the fair.

They were full glad when that I spake them fair,

For, God it wot, I chid them spiteously.1822

Now hearken how I bare me properly.