Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 60

37. _So all but_ E., _which has_ it were leueful vn-to me. 42. E.

myrie; Hn. murye. 44. E. Hl. Yblessed; _rest_ Blessed (Blissed).

46. E. chaast. 49. E. _om._ that. 50. Hl. wher so it be; _rest_ wher it liketh me (_correctly; for_ a G.o.ddes half = a G.o.d's half).

51. E. _om._ that. 52. E. Hn. Hl. Bet; _rest_ Better. 54. E. Hl.

of; _rest_ his. 58. E. _om._ holy. 59. Hl. Whan; E. Whanne; _rest_ Where (Wher). E. _om._ any. 64. E. Whan thapostel speketh. 67. E.

nat; _rest_ no (non). 71. E. certein. 73. E. Hl. _ins._ ne _after_ Poul. 75. E. of; Cp. fro; Hl. on; _rest_ for.

But this word is nat take of every wight, But ther as G.o.d list give it of his might.

I woot wel, that thapostel was a mayde; But natheless, thogh that he wroot and sayde, 80 He wolde that every wight were swich as he, Al nis but conseil to virginitee; And for to been a wyf, he yaf me leve Of indulgence; so it is no repreve To wedde me, if that my make dye, 85 With-oute excepcioun of bigamye.

Al were it good no womman for to touche, He mente as in his bed or in his couche; For peril is bothe fyr and tow ta.s.semble; Ye knowe what this ensample may resemble. 90 [323: T. 5673-5706.]

This is al and som, he heeld virginitee More parfit than wedding in freletee.

Freeltee clepe I, but-if that he and she Wolde leden al hir lyf in chast.i.tee.

77. E. Hl. taken. 78. E. Cm. l.u.s.t; Hn. Hl. list. 79. E. _om._ that. 85. E. Cm. _om._ that. 89. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. to a.s.semble. 91.

E. Cm that; Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln. he heeld; Hl. he holdith. 92. E. Cm.

profiteth; _rest_ parfit. 94. Hn. Hl. leden; _rest_ lede.

I graunte it wel, I have noon envye, 95 Thogh maydenhede preferre bigamye; Hem lyketh to be clene, body and goost, Of myn estaat I nil nat make no boost.

For wel ye knowe, a lord in his houshold, He hath nat every vessel al of gold; 100 Somme been of tree, and doon hir lord servyse.

G.o.d clepeth folk to him in sondry wyse, And everich hath of G.o.d a propre yifte, Som this, som that,--as him lyketh s.h.i.+fte.

104. _So all but_ Hl. Ln. _which have_ to schifte. _Perhaps read_ right as him.

Virginitee is greet perfeccioun, 105 And continence eek with devocioun.

But Crist, that of perfeccioun is welle, Bad nat every wight he shold go selle All that he hadde, and give it to the pore, And in swich wyse folwe hime and his fore. 110 He spak to hem that wolde live parfitly; And lordinges, by your leve, that am nat I.

I wol bistowe the flour of al myn age In the actes and in fruit of mariage.

108. E. Cm. Hl. _om._ he. 109, 110. E poore, foore; _and_ foore _is glossed by_ steppes. 113. E Hl. _om._ al.

Telle me also, to what conclusioun 115 Were membres maad of generacioun, And for what profit was a wight y-wroght?

Trusteth right wel, they wer nat maad for noght.

Glose who-so wole, and seye bothe up and doun, That they were maked for purgacioun Of urine, and our bothe thinges smale Were eek to knowe a femele from a male, And for noone other cause: sey ye no?

The experience woot wel it is noght so; [324: T. 5707-5741.]

So that the clerkes be nat with me wrothe, 125 I sey this, that they maked been for bothe, This is to seye, for office, and for ese Of engendrure, ther we nat G.o.d displese.

Why sholde men elles in hir bokes sette, That man shal yelde to his wyf hir dette? 130 Now wher-with sholde he make his payement, If he ne used his sely instrument?

Than were they maad up-on a creature, To purge uryne, and eek for engendrure.

116 E. ymaad. 120. Cm. makyd; _rest_ maad; _see_ l. 126. 121. _So_ Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln.; E. vryne bothe and thynges. 122. E. Cm. And; Hn. Hl.

Was; _rest_ Were. 126. this] E. yis. E. Cm. beth maked. 130. E.

Cm. a man. 133. E. Thanne. 134. E. Cm. _om._ eek.

But I seye noght that every wight is holde, 135 That hath swich harneys as I to yow tolde, To goon and usen hem in engendrure; Than sholde men take of chast.i.tee no cure.

Crist was a mayde, and shapen as a man, And many a seint, sith that the world bigan, 140 Yet lived they ever in parfit chast.i.tee.

I nil envye no virginitee; Lat hem be breed of pured whete-seed, And lat us wyves hoten barly-breed; And yet with barly-breed, Mark telle can, 145 Our lord Iesu refresshed many a man.

In swich estaat as G.o.d hath cleped us I wol persevere, I nam nat precious.

In wyfhode I wol use myn instrument As frely as my maker hath it sent. 150 If I be daungerous, G.o.d yeve me sorwe!

Myn housbond shal it have bothe eve and morwe, Whan that him list com forth and paye his dette.

An housbonde I wol have, I nil nat lette, Which shal be bothe my dettour and my thral, 155 And have his tribulacioun with-al Up-on his flessh, whyl that I am his wyf.

I have the power duringe al my lyf Up-on his propre body, and noght he.

[325: T. 5742-5776.]

Right thus the apostel tolde it un-to me; 160 And bad our housbondes for to love us weel.

Al this sentence me lyketh every-deel'--

136. Hn. Hl. to yow; E. Cm. of. 138. E. Cm. They shul nat; _rest_ Than sholde men. 140. E. Cm. _om._ that (_perhaps read_ se-int).

142. E. Cm. nil nat. 144. E. hoten; Hn. Cm. hote; Cp. Pt. Ln. ete(!); Hl. eten(!). 146. E. Cm. Hl. _om._ Iesu. 148. E. Hn. precius.

Up sterte the Pardoner, and that anon, 'Now dame,' quod he, 'by G.o.d and by seint Iohn, Ye been a n.o.ble prechour in this cas! 165 I was aboute to wedde a wyf; allas!

What sholde I bye it on my flesh so dere?

Yet hadde I lever wedde no wyf to-yere!'

163. E. Hn. stirte.

'Abyde!' quod she, 'my tale is nat bigonne; Nay, thou shalt drinken of another tonne 170 Er that I go, shal savoure wors than ale.

And whan that I have told thee forth my tale Of tribulacioun in mariage, Of which I am expert in al myn age, This to seyn, my-self have been the whippe;-- 175 Than maystow chese whether thou wolt sippe Of thilke tonne that I shal abroche.

Be war of it, er thou to ny approche; For I shal telle ensamples mo than ten.

Who-so that nil be war by othere men, 180 By him shul othere men corrected be.

The same wordes wryteth Ptholomee; Rede in his Almageste, and take it there.'

172. Hn. Hl. thee; _rest om._ 173. E. Cm. that is in (_for_ in).

176. E. wheither. 177. E. Cm. that; _rest_ thilke. 180. Hn. nyle; Hl. nyl; _rest_ wol nat. 182. Ln. tholome; Pt. ptholome; Hl.

p_ro_tholome; E. Hn. Cm. Cp. Protholome(!). 183. E. Cm. Rede it in.

'Dame, I wolde praye yow, if your wil it were,'

Seyde this Pardoner, 'as ye bigan, 185 Telle forth your tale, spareth for no man, And teche us yonge men of your praktike.'

184. E. Cm. _om._ yow.

'Gladly,' quod she, 'sith it may yow lyke.

But yet I praye to al this companye, If that I speke after my fantasye, 190 As taketh not a-grief of that I seye; For myn entente nis but for to pleye.

188. E. sires; Cm. sire; _rest_ quod she. 191. E. Cm. _om._ of.

192. Hn. nis; E. Cm. is; _rest_ is not.

Now sires, now wol I telle forth my tale.-- As ever mote I drinken wyn or ale, [326: T. 5777-5811.]

I shal seye sooth, tho housbondes that I hadde, 195 As three of hem were G.o.de and two were badde.

The three men were G.o.de, and riche, and olde; Unnethe mighte they the statut holde In which that they were bounden un-to me.

Ye woot wel what I mene of this, pardee! 200 As help me G.o.d, I laughe whan I thinke How pitously a-night I made hem swinke; And by my fey, I tolde of it no stoor.

They had me yeven hir gold and hir tresoor; Me neded nat do lenger diligence 205 To winne hir love, or doon hem reverence.

They loved me so wel, by G.o.d above, That I ne tolde no deyntee of hir love!

A wys womman wol sette hir ever in oon To gete hir love, ther as she hath noon. 210 But sith I hadde hem hoolly in myn hond, And sith they hadde me yeven all hir lond, What sholde I taken hede hem for to plese, But it were for my profit and myn ese?

I sette hem so a-werke, by my fey, 215 That many a night they songen "weilawey!"

The bacoun was nat fet for hem, I trowe, That som men han in Ess.e.x at Dunmowe.

I governed hem so wel, after my lawe, That ech of hem ful blisful was and fawe 220 To bringe me gaye thinges fro the fayre.

They were ful glad whan I spak to hem fayre; For G.o.d it woot, I chidde hem spitously.

193. E. Hn. Cm. sire. 195. E. of tho; Hl. Cm. of; Hn. Cp. Pt. tho; Ln. the. 197. Cp. Pt. Ln. men; _rest om._ 210. Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln. ye ther; _but read_ lov-e. 215. E. Hn. a-werk; _rest_ a-werke. 220. E.

was ful blisful; Cm. was blysful and ful.

Now herkneth, how I bar me proprely, Ye wyse wyves, that can understonde. 225