• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

afyre And chiden heere , the sely Innocent Youre wyf , that is so meke and pacient And therfore Thomas , trowe me if thee leste Ne stryue nat with thy wyf , as for thy beste And ber this

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

Metellius , the foule cherl the swyn That with a staf , birafte his wyf hir lyf For she drank wyn thogh I hadde been his wyf He sholde nat han daunted me fro drynke And after wyn , on

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

he often tymes wolde perche And me , of olde Romayn geestes teche How he symplicius Gallus , lefte his wyf And hir forsook , for terme of al his lyf Noght but for open heueded , he hir say

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

, that bar lyf Saue on the grene , he saugh sittynge a wyf A fouler wight ther may no man deuyse Agayn the knyght this olde wyf gan ryse And seyde sir knyght , heer forth ne lith no

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

of it thā wot mȳ page For whiche causis men schulde take a wyf Sith he ne may nat liue chast his lyf Tak hȳ a wyf wt gret deuocioū By cause of leful procreacioun Of childere too thonurofgod a

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

or to oþer werkes of charite Eke whan he vseþ his wyf wiþoute souerayn desir of engendrure to thonour of god or for þentent to ȝelde to his wyf þe dette of his body . eek whan he wil not

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

sith I am a wyf , it sit nat me To tellen no wight of oure priuetee Neither abedde , ne in noon oother place God shilde , I sholde it tellen for his grace A wyf ne shal nat

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

I be no loue ne wyf I am thow woost yit of thi compaygnye A mayde and loue huntyng and venerye And for to walken in the wodes wilde And noght to ben a wyf and be wyth childe Nat

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

And thus this swete clerk his tyme spent Aftyr his frendes fyndyng and his rent This Carpenter had wedded anew wyf Which that he loued moore thanne his lyf Of seuentene yer she was of age Gelous he was and

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

what thow wolt I shal yt neuer telle To child ne wyf by hym that harryed helle Now Iohñ quod this Nicholas I wol not lye I haue y founde in myn astrologie As I haue loked in the mone

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

tellen goddes pryuyte Suffiseth the but yif thi wyttes madde To han as gret a grace as Noe hadde Thi wyf shal I wel sauen out of doute Go thow thi wey and spede the here aboute But whan thow

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

the kyng comth home sone after this Vn to his Castel of the which I tolde And asketh where his wyf and his child is The Constable gan aboute his hert colde And pleynly al the maner he him tolde

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

the cradel and in his hond hit hent And bar it softe vnto his beddes feet Soon aftyr this the wyf hir routyng leet And gan awake and went hir out to pisse And cam agayn and can hir cradel

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

she be Seyde this man and she wil come anon Ey maister wilcome be ye bi seynt Iohn Seyde this wyf how fare ye hertily This frere aryseth vp ful curteysly And hir enbraceth in his armes narwe And kysseth

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

lyf but if þat I wolde fight That wil ben ouerled wiþ euery wight Thou darst nouȝt stonde by þy wyf aright To wedde a melksop or a coward ape , Allas sche saiþ þat euer I was y schape

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

, Ful gulteles þat durst I swere ywys That were to me so sadde and eek so trewe O deere wyf o gemme of lustyhed Thou hast me brought to my confusioū Allas þat I was wrought why nere I

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

Salomon as wise clerkes sein He wole ȝow haten mortelly certein How þat anoþer man haþ dight his wyf Ne telleþ neuer no man in ȝour lyff Beþ war and takeþ keepe what þat ȝe seye Lordynges by þis ensample

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

care Ful priuyly siþ þat I hadde a wyf Preyse who so wole a wedded mannes lijf And al þis askeþ leiser for to enquere , For god it woot I haue wepte many a teere Mo goode þewes þan

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

and wo Ther is no tonge þat it telle may But now wol I vnto Custance go Makeþ for his wyf and for his child The sorwe þat þis Alla night and day Thus endeþ olde Donegild wiþ meschance His

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

by seint Martyn Wiþ mȳ housband and þeigh he be ȝour cosyn What I haue suffred sethens I was a wyf þanne wolde I telle a legende of my lyf As I haue non and namely in þis place Cosyn