The Wife of Bath's Tale

THE PROLOGUE. 1

Experience, though none authority* *authoritative texts

Were in this world, is right enough for me

To speak of woe that is in marriage:

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

(Thanked be God that is etern on live), lives eternally

Husbands at the church door have I had five,2

For I so often have y-wedded be,

And all were worthy men in their degree.

But me was told, not longe time gone is

That sithen* Christe went never but ones *since

To wedding, in the Cane* of Galilee, *Cana

That by that ilk* example taught he me, *same

That I not wedded shoulde be but once.

Lo, hearken eke a sharp word for the nonce,* *occasion

Beside a welle Jesus, God and man,

Spake in reproof of the Samaritan:

"Thou hast y-had five husbandes," said he;

"And thilke* man, that now hath wedded thee, *that

Is not thine husband:" 3 thus said he certain;

What that he meant thereby, I cannot sayn.

But that I aske, why the fifthe man

Was not husband to the Samaritan?

How many might she have in marriage?

Yet heard I never tellen in mine age in my life

Upon this number definitioun.

Men may divine, and glosen* up and down; *comment

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 husband

Should leave father and mother, and take to me;

But of no number mention made he,

Of bigamy or of octogamy;

Why then should men speak of it villainy?* *as if it were a disgrace

Lo here, the wise king Dan* Solomon, *Lord 4

I trow that he had wives more than one;

As would to God it lawful were to me

To be refreshed half so oft as he!

What gift* of God had he for all his wives? *special favour, licence

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

God wot, this noble king, as to my wit, as I understand

The first night had many a merry fit

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

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 wedde me anon.

For then th' apostle saith that I am free

To wed, a' God's half, where it liketh me. on God's part

He saith, that to be wedded is no sin;

Better is to be wedded than to brin.* *burn

What recketh* me though folk say villainy** *care **evil

Of shrewed* Lamech, and his bigamy? *impious, wicked

I wot well Abraham was a holy man,

And Jacob eke, as far as ev'r I can.* *know

And each of them had wives more than two;

And many another holy man also.

Where can ye see, in any manner age, in any period

That highe God defended* marriage *forbade 5

By word express? I pray you tell it me;

Or where commanded he virginity?

I wot as well as you, it is no dread,* *doubt

Th' apostle, when he spake of maidenhead,

He said, that precept thereof had he none:

Men may counsel a woman to be one,* *a maid

But counseling is no commandement;

He put it in our owen judgement.

For, hadde God commanded maidenhead,

Then had he ****** wedding out of dread;** *condemned **doubt

And certes, if there were no seed y-sow,* *sown

Virginity then whereof should it grow?

Paul durste not commanden, at the least,

A thing of which his Master gave no hest.* *command

The dart* is set up for virginity; *goal 6

Catch whoso may, who runneth best let see.

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

But there as God will give it of his might. except where

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 virginity.

And, since to be a wife he gave me leave

Of indulgence, so is it no repreve* *scandal, reproach

To wedde me, if that my make* should die, *mate, husband

Without exception* of bigamy; *charge, reproach

All were it good no woman for to touch though it might be

(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 frailty:

(Frailty clepe I, but if that he and she *frailty I call it,

Would lead their lives all in chastity), unless*

I grant it well, I have of none envy

Who maidenhead prefer to bigamy;

It liketh them t' be clean in body and ghost;* *soul

Of mine estate* I will not make a boast. *condition

For, well ye know, a lord in his household

Hath not every vessel all of gold; 7

Some are of tree, and do their lord service.

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.* *appoint, distribute

Virginity is great perfection,

And continence eke with devotion:

But Christ, that of perfection is the well,* *fountain

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:* *doctrine

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 marriage.

Tell me also, to what conclusion* *end, purpose

Were members made of generation,

And of so perfect wise a wight* y-wrought? *being

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 purgatioun

Of ***** and of other thinges smale,

And eke to know a female from a male:

And for none other cause? say ye no?

Experience wot well it is not so.

So that the clerkes* be not with me wroth, *scholars

I say this, that they were made for both,

That is to say, for office, and for ease *for duty and

Of engendrure, there we God not displease. for pleasure*

Why should men elles in their bookes set,

That man shall yield unto his wife her debt?

Now wherewith should he make his payement,

If he us'd not his silly instrument?

Then were they made upon a creature

To purge ***** and eke for engendrure.

But I say not that every wight is hold,* *obliged

That hath such harness* as I to you told, *equipment

To go and use them in engendrure;

Then should men take of chastity no cure.* *care

Christ was a maid, and shapen* as a man, *fashioned

And many a saint, since that this world began,

Yet ever liv'd in perfect chastity.

I will not vie* with no virginity. *contend

Let them with bread of pured* wheat be fed, *purified

And let us wives eat our barley bread.

And yet with barley bread, Mark tell us can,8

Our Lord Jesus refreshed many a man.

In such estate as God hath cleped us, *called us to

I'll persevere, I am not precious,* *over-dainty

In wifehood I will use mine instrument

As freely as my Maker hath it sent.

If I be dangerous* God give me sorrow; *sparing of my favours

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, will bear no hindrance

Which shall be both my debtor and my thrall,* *slave

And have his tribulation 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 sentence me liketh every deal.* *whit

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 bie* it on my flesh so dear? *suffer for

Yet had I lever* wed no wife this year." *rather

"Abide,"* quoth she; "my tale is not begun *wait in patience

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 tribulation in marriage,

Of which I am expert in all mine age,

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

Then mayest thou choose whether thou wilt sip

Of thilke tunne, that I now shall broach. that tun

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 same wordes writeth Ptolemy;

Read in his Almagest, and take it there."

"Dame, I would pray you, if your will it were,"

Saide this Pardoner, "as ye began,

Tell forth your tale, and spare for no man,

And teach us younge 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 take nought agrief* what I may say; *to heart

For mine intent is only for to play.

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

As ever may I drinke wine or ale

I shall say sooth; the husbands that I had

Three of them were good, and two were bad

The three were goode men, and rich, and old

Unnethes mighte they the statute hold *they could with difficulty

In which that they were bounden unto me. obey the law*

Yet wot well what I mean of this, pardie.* *by God

As God me help, I laugh when tha