The Canterbury Tales · The Wife of Bath’s Tale · The Prologue 1741 (2/4)

Ye wisë wivës, that can understand,

Thus should ye speak, and bear them wrong on hand,1823

For half so boldëly can there no man

Swearen and lien as a woman can.

(I say not this by wivës that be wise,

But if it be when they them misadvise.)1824

A wisë wife, if that she can1825 her good,

Shall bearë them on hand the cow is wood,1826

And takë witness of her owen maid

Of their assent: but hearken how I said.

“Sir oldë kaynard,1827 is this thine array?

Why is my neighëbourë’s wife so gay?

She is honour’d over all where1828 she go’th,

I sit at home, I have no thrifty cloth.1829

What dost thou at my neighëbourë’s house?

Is she so fair? art thou so amoroús?

What rown’st1830 thou with our maid? ben’dicite,

Sir oldë lechour, let thy japës1831 be.

And if I have a gossip, or a friend

(Withoutë guilt), thou chidest as a fiend,

If that I walk or play unto his house.

Thou comest home as drunken as a mouse,

And preachest on thy bench, with evil prefe:1832

Thou say’st to me, it is a great mischief

To wed a poorë woman, for costáge:1833

And if that she be rich, of high paráge,1834

Then say’st thou, that it is a tormentry

To suffer her pride and meláncholy.

And if that she be fair, thou very knave,

Thou say’st that every holour1835 will her have;

She may no while in chastity abide,

That is assailed upon every side.

Thou say’st some folk desire us for richéss,

Some for our shape, and some for our fairness,

And some, for she can either sing or dance,

And some for gentiless and dalliance,

Some for her handës and her armës smale:

Thus goes all to the devil, by thy tale;

Thou say’st, men may not keep a castle wall

That may be so assailed over all.1836

And if that she be foul, thou say’st that she

Coveteth every man that she may see;

For as a spaniel she will on him leap,

Till she may findë some man her to cheap;1837

And none so grey goose goes there in the lake,

(So say’st thou) that will be without a make.1838

And say’st, it is a hard thing for to weld1839

A thing that no man will, his thankës,1840 held.1841

Thus say’st thou, lorel,1842 when thou go’st to bed,

And that no wise man needeth for to wed,

Nor no man that intendeth unto heaven.

With wildë thunder dint1843 and fiery leven1844

Motë1845 thy wicked neckë be to-broke.

Thou say’st, that dropping houses, and eke smoke,

And chiding wivës, makë men to flee

Out of their owne house; ah! ben’dicite,

What aileth such an old man for to chide?

Thou say’st, we wivës will our vices hide,

Till we be fast,1846 and then we will them shew.

Well may that be a proverb of a shrew.1847

Thou say’st, that oxen, asses, horses, hounds,

They be assayed at diversë stounds,1848

Basons and lavers, ere that men them buy,

Spoonës, stoolës, and all such husbandry,

And so be pots, and clothës, and array,1849

But folk of wivës makë none assay,

Till they be wedded⁠—oldë dotard shrew!⁠—

And then, say’st thou, we will our vices shew.

Thou say’st also, that it displeaseth me,

But if1850 that thou wilt praisë my beauty,

And but1851 thou pore alway upon my face,

And call me fairë dame in every place;

And but1852 thou make a feast on thilkë1853 day

That I was born, and make me fresh and gay;

And but thou do to my norice1854 honoúr,

And to my chamberere1855 within my bow’r,

And to my father’s folk, and mine allies;1856

Thus sayest thou, old barrel full of lies.

And yet also of our prentice Jenkin,

For his crisp hair, shining as gold so fine,

And for he squireth me both up and down,

Yet hast thou caught a false suspicioún:

I will him not, though thou wert dead to-morrow.

But tell me this, why hidest thou, with sorrow,1857

The keyës of thy chest away from me?

It is my good1858 as well as thine, pardie.

What, think’st to make an idiot of our dame?

Now, by that lord that callëd is Saint Jame,1859

Thou shalt not both, although that thou wert wood,1860

Be master of my body, and my good,

The one thou shalt forego, maugré1861 thine eyen.

What helpeth it of me t’ inquire and spyen?

I trow thou wouldest lock me in thy chest.

Thou shouldest say, ‘Fair wife, go where thee lest;1862

Take your disport; I will believe no tales;

I know you for a true wife, Dame Ales.’1863

“We love no man, that taketh keep1864 or charge

Where that we go; we will be at our large.

Of allë men most blessed may he be,

The wise astrologer Dan1865 Ptolemy,

That saith this proverb in his Almagest:

‘Of allë men his wisdom is highést,

That recketh not who hath the world in hand.’

By this proverb thou shalt well understand,

Have thou enough, what thar1866 thee reck or care

How merrily that other folkës fare?

For certes, oldë dotard, by your leave,

Ye shall have [pleasure] right enough at eve.

He is too great a niggard that will werne1867

A man to light a candle at his lantérn;

He shall have never the less light, pardie.

Have thou enough, thee thar1868 not plainë1869 thee.

Thou say’st also, if that we make us gay

With clothing and with precious array,

That it is peril of our chastity.

And yet⁠—with sorrow!⁠—thou enforcest thee,

And say’st these words in the apostle’s name:

‘In habit made with chastity and shame1870

Ye women shall apparel you,’ quoth he,

‘And not in tressed hair and gay perrie,1871

As pearlës, nor with gold, nor clothës rich.’

After thy text nor after thy rubrich

I will not work as muchel as a gnat.

Thou say’st also, I walk out like a cat;

For whoso wouldë singe the cattë’s skin

Then will the cattë well dwell in her inn;1872

And if the cattë’s skin be sleek and gay,

She will not dwell in housë half a day,

But forth she will, ere any day be daw’d,

To shew her skin, and go a caterwaw’d.1873

This is to say, if I be gay, sir shrew,

I will run out, my borel1874 for to shew.

Sir oldë fool, what helpeth thee to spyen?

Though thou pray Argus with his hundred eyen

To be my wardécorps,1875 as he can best,

In faith he shall not keep me, but me lest:1876

Yet could I make his beard,1877 so may I thé.1878

“Thou sayest eke, that there be thingës three,

Which thingës greatly trouble all this earth,

And that no wightë may endure the ferth:1879

O lefe1880 sir shrew, may Jesus short1881 thy life.

Yet preachest thou, and say’st, a hateful wife

Y-reckon’d is for one of these mischances.

Be there none other manner resemblánces1882

That ye may liken your parables unto,

But if a silly wife be one of tho?1883

Thou likenest a woman’s love to hell;

To barren land where water may not dwell.

Thou likenest it also to wild fire;

The more it burns, the more it hath desire

To cónsume every thing that burnt will be.

Thou sayest, right as wormës shend1884 a tree,

Right so a wife destroyeth her husbond;

This know they well that be to wivës bond.”

Lordings, right thus, as ye have understand,

Bare I stiffly mine old husbands on hand,1885

That thus they saiden in their drunkenness;

And all was false, but that I took witness

On Jenkin, and upon my niece also.

O Lord! the pain I did them, and the woe,

Full guiltëless, by Goddë’s sweetë pine;1886

For as a horse I couldë bite and whine;

I couldë plain,1887 an’1888 I was in the guilt,

Or ellës oftentime I had been spilt.1889

Whoso first cometh to the mill, first grint;1890

I plained first, so was our war y-stint.1891

They were full glad to excuse them full blive1892

Of things that they never aguilt their live.1893

Of wenches would I bearë them on hand,1894

When that for sickness scarcely might they stand,

Yet tickled I his heartë for that he

Ween’d1895 that I had of him so great cherté:1896

I swore that all my walking out by night

Was for to éspy wenches that he dight:1897

Under that colour had I many a mirth.

For all such wit is given us at birth;

Deceit, weeping, and spinning, God doth give

To women kindly,1898 while that they may live.

And thus of one thing I may vauntë me,

At th’ end I had the better in each degree,

By sleight, or force, or by some manner thing,

As by continual murmur or grudging,1899

Namely1900 a-bed, there haddë they mischance,

There would I chide, and do them no pleasance:

I would no longer in the bed abide,

If that I felt his arm over my side,

Till he had made his ransom unto me,

Then would I suffer him do his nicetý.1901

And therefore every man this tale I tell,

Win whoso may, for all is for to sell;

With empty hand men may no hawkës lure;

For winning would I all his will endure,

And makë me a feigned appetite⁠—

And yet in bacon1902 had I never delight:

That made me that I ever would them chide.

For, though the Pope had sitten them beside,

I would not spare them at their owen board,

For, by my troth, I quit1903 them word for word.

As help me very God omnipotent,

Though I right now should make my testament,

I owe them not a word, that is not quit,

I brought it so aboutë by my wit,

That they must give it up, as for the best,

Or ellës had we never been in rest.

For, though he looked as a wood1904 lión,

Yet should he fail of his conclusión.

Then would I say, “Now, goodë lefe,1905 take keep1906

How meekly looketh Wilken ourë sheep!

Come near, my spouse, and let me ba1907 thy cheek.

Ye shouldë be all patient and meek,

And have a sweet y-spiced1908 conscience,

Since ye so preach of Jobë’s patience.

Suffer alway, since ye so well can preach,

And but1909 ye do, certáin we shall you teach

That it is fair to have a wife in peace.

One of us two must bowë1910 doubtëless:

And since a man is more reasónable

Than woman is, ye must be suff’rable.

What aileth you to grudgë1911 thus and groan?

Is it for ye would have my [love] alone?

Why, take it all: lo, have it every deal,1912

Peter shrew1914 you but ye love it well.

For if I wouldë sell my bellë chose,

I couldë walk as fresh as is a rose,

But I will keep it for your owen tooth.

Ye be to blame, by God, I say you sooth.”

Such manner wordës haddë we on hand.

Now will I speaken of my fourth husbánd.

My fourthë husband was a revellour;

This is to say, he had a paramour,

And I was young and full of ragerie,1915

Stubborn and strong, and jolly as a pie.

Then could I dancë to a harpë smale,

And sing, y-wis,1916 as any nightingale,

When I had drunk a draught of sweetë wine.

Metellius, the foulë churl, the swine,

That with a staff bereft his wife of life

For1917 she drank wine, though I had been his wife,

Never should he have daunted me from drink:

And, after wine, of Venus most I think.

For all so sure as cold engenders hail,

A liquorish mouth must have a liquorish tail.

In woman vinolent1918 is no defence,1919

This knowë lechours by experience.

But, lord Christ, when that it rememb’reth me

Upon my youth, and on my jollity,

It tickleth me about mine heartë-root;

Unto this day it doth mine heartë boot,1920

That I have had my world as in my time.

But age, alas! that all will envenime,1921

Hath me bereft my beauty and my pith:1922

Let go; farewell; the devil go therewith.

The flour is gon, there is no more to tell,

The bran, as I best may, now must I sell.

But yet to be right merry will I fand.1923

Now forth to tell you of my fourth husband,

I say, I in my heart had great despite,

That he of any other had delight;

But he was quit,1924 by God and by Saint Joce:1925

I made for him of the same wood a cross;

Not of my body in no foul mannére,

But certainly I madë folk such cheer,

That in his owen grease I made him fry

For anger, and for very jealousý.

By God, in earth I was his purgatory,

For which I hope his soul may be in glory.

For, God it wot, he sat full oft and sung,

When that his shoe full bitterly him wrung.1926

There was no wight, save God and he, that wist

In many wise how sore I did him twist.

He died when I came from Jerusalem,

And lies in grave under the roodë beam:1927

Although his tomb is not so curious

As was the sepulchre of Darius,

Which that Apelles wrought so subtlely.

It is but waste to bury them preciously.

Let him fare well, God give his soulë rest,

He is now in his grave and in his chest.