Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 61

224. E. baar.

Thus shul ye speke and bere hem wrong on honde; For half so boldely can ther no man Swere and lyen as a womman can.

I sey nat this by wyves that ben wyse, [327: T. 5812-5845.]

But-if it be whan they hem misavyse. 230 A wys wyf, if that she can hir good, Shal beren him on hond the cow is wood, And take witnesse of hir owene mayde Of hir a.s.sent; but herkneth how I sayde.

226. E. beren: _om._ wrong. 228. MSS. lye; _read_ lyen. Hn. Ln. a womman kan; Pt. womman can; _rest_ kan a womman. 231. E. Hn. Cm. A wys; Hl. I-wis a; _rest_ wise. _Read_ wys-e? 232. Hl. beren; _rest_ bere. Cm. cou; Pt. Ln. cowe.

'Sir olde kaynard, is this thyn array? 235 Why is my neighebores wyf so gay?

She is honoured over-al ther she goth; I sitte at hoom, I have no thrifty cloth.

What dostow at my neighebores hous?

Is she so fair? artow so amorous? 240 What rowne ye with our mayde? _benedicite_!

Sir olde lechour, lat thy Iapes be!

And if I have a gossib or a freend, With-outen gilt, thou chydest as a feend, If that I walke or pleye un-to his hous! 245 Thou comest hoom as dronken as a mous, And prechest on thy bench, with yvel preef!

Thou seist to me, it is a greet meschief To wedde a povre womman, for costage; And if that she be riche, of heigh parage, 250 Than seistow that it is a tormentrye To suffre hir pryde and hir malencolye.

And if that she be fair, thou verray knave, Thou seyst that every holour wol hir have; She may no whyle in chast.i.tee abyde, 255 That is a.s.sailled up-on ech a syde.

242. E. Pt. Hl. lecchour. 250. E. Cm. _om._ that. E. Cm. Hl. and of; _rest_ of. 251. E. Cm. Hl. _om._ that. 252. E. soffren.

Thou seyst, som folk desyre us for richesse, Somme for our shap, and somme for our fairnesse; And som, for she can outher singe or daunce, And som, for gentillesse and daliaunce; 260 Som, for hir handes and hir armes smale; Thus goth al to the devel by thy tale.

Thou seyst, men may nat kepe a castel-wal; [328: T. 5846-5880.]

It may so longe a.s.sailled been over-al.

257. E. Cm. that som. E. Hn. Cm. desiren. 258. E. Cm. _om._ and.

259. E. Cm. Hl. _om._ outher. E. Cm. Hl. and (_for_ or). 260. and]

E. Cm. and som for; Hl. or.

And if that she be foul, thou seist that she 265 Coveiteth every man that she may se; For as a spaynel she wol on him lepe, Til that she finde som man hir to chepe; Ne noon so grey goos goth ther in the lake, As, seistow, that wol been with-oute make. 270 And seyst, it is an hard thing for to welde A thing that no man wol, his thankes, helde.

Thus seistow, lorel, whan thow goost to bedde; And that no wys man nedeth for to wedde, Ne no man that entendeth un-to hevene. 275 With wilde thonder-dint and firy levene Mote thy welked nekke be to-broke!

269. Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln. ther; _rest om._ 270. Cp. Pt. Ln. that; _rest om._ 271, 272. Hn. Hl. wolde, holde. 277. E. Hn. Pt. Ln. welked; Cm. wekede; Cp. Hl. wicked.

Thow seyst that dropping houses, and eek smoke, And chyding wyves, maken men to flee Out of hir owene hous; a! _benedicite_! 280 What eyleth swich an old man for to chyde?

280. E. Hn. Cp. houses.

Thow seyst, we wyves wol our vyces hyde Til we be fast, and than we wol hem shewe; Wel may that be a proverbe of a shrewe!

282. E. Cm. that we.

Thou seist, that oxen, a.s.ses, hors, and houndes, 285 They been a.s.sayed at diverse stoundes; Bacins, lavours, er that men hem bye, Spones and stoles, and al swich housbondrye, And so been pottes, clothes, and array; But folk of wyves maken noon a.s.say 290 Til they be wedded; olde dotard shrewe!

And than, seistow, we wol oure vices shewe.

286. E. a.s.sayd; Pt. Ln. a.s.saide; _rest_ a.s.sayed. 292. Hn. Hl.

_supply_ And.

Thou seist also, that it displeseth me But-if that thou wolt preyse my beautee, And but thou poure alwey up-on my face, 295 And clepe me "faire dame" in every place; And but thou make a feste on thilke day That I was born, and make me fresh and gay, [329: T. 5881-5913.]

And but thou do to my norice honour, And to my chamberere with-inne my bour, 300 And to my fadres folk and his allyes;-- Thus seistow, olde barel ful of lyes!

295. Hl. pore; _rest_ poure. 300. Cm. chaumberere; Hl. chamberer; E.

Hn. chambrere.

And yet of our apprentice Ianekyn, For his crisp heer, shyninge as gold so fyn, And for he squiereth me bothe up and doun, 305 Yet hastow caught a fals suspecioun; I wol hym noght, thogh thou were deed to-morwe.

303. E. Ianekyn; _rest_ Iankyn.

But tel me this, why hydestow, with sorwe, The keyes of thy cheste awey fro me?

It is my good as wel as thyn, pardee. 310 What wenestow make an idiot of our dame?

Now by that lord, that called is seint Iame, Thou shalt nat bothe, thogh that thou were wood, Be maister of my body and of my good; That oon thou shalt forgo, maugree thyne yen; 315 What nedeth thee of me to enquere or spyen?

I trowe, thou woldest loke me in thy chiste!

Thou sholdest seye, "wyf, go wher thee liste, Tak your disport, I wol nat leve no talis; I knowe yow for a trewe wyf, dame Alis." 320 We love no man that taketh kepe or charge Wher that we goon, we wol ben at our large.

308. E. Cm. Hl. _om._ this. 309. thy] E. Cm. my. 311. E. Cm. to make; _rest om._ to. 313. Hn. Ln. that; _rest om._ 315. Hl. yen; E.

eyen. 316. E. nedeth thee; _rest_ helpeth it. Hn. Cp. Ln. _om._ to. Hl. tenqueren; _read_ t'enquere. 319. _All but_ Cp. Ln. _om._ not (nat). 320. E. Pt. Alys; Ln. Ales.

Of alle men y-blessed moot he be, The wyse astrologien Dan Ptholome, That seith this proverbe in his Almageste, 325 "Of alle men his wisdom is the hyeste, That rekketh never who hath the world in honde."

By this proverbe thou shalt understonde, Have thou y-nogh, what thar thee recche or care How merily that othere folkes fare? 330 For certeyn, olde dotard, by your leve, [330: T. 5914-5949.]

Ye shul have queynte right y-nough at eve.

He is to greet a nigard that wol werne A man to lighte his candle at his lanterne; He shal have never the la.s.se light, pardee; 335 Have thou y-nough, thee thar nat pleyne thee.

323. Hn. Hl. yblessed; _rest_ blessed. 324. MSS. Daun. E.

Protholome; Hn. Cm. Hl. P_ro_tholome. 326. E. Cm. _ins._ the _before_ hyeste; (_read_ th' hy-est-e). 328. Cp. Pt. Ln. shal wel. 330. E.

myrily. 333. E. Cm. wolde.

Thou seyst also, that if we make us gay With clothing and with precious array, That it is peril of our chast.i.tee; And yet, with sorwe, thou most enforce thee, 340 And seye thise wordes in the apostles name, "In habit, maad with chast.i.tee and shame, Ye wommen shul apparaille yow," quod he, "And noght in tressed heer and gay perree, As perles, ne with gold, ne clothes riche;" 345 After thy text, ne after thy rubriche I wol nat wirche as muchel as a gnat.

Thou seydest this, that I was lyk a cat; For who-so wolde senge a cattes skin, Thanne wolde the cat wel dwellen in his in; 350 And if the cattes skin be slyk and gay, She wol nat dwelle in house half a day, But forth she wole, er any day be dawed, To shewe hir skin, and goon a-caterwawed; This is to seye, if I be gay, sir shrewe, 355 I wol renne out, my borel for to shewe.

348. Hl. thus; Cp. Pt. Ln. als; _rest_ this. 350. _All_ his.

Sire olde fool, what eyleth thee to spyen?

Thogh thou preye Argus, with his hundred yen, To be my warde-cors, as he can best, In feith, he shal nat kepe me but me lest; 360 Yet coude I make his berd, so moot I thee.

358. Hl. yen; E. eyen. 359. Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. -corps. 360. E.

_om. 2nd_ me.

Thou seydest eek, that ther ben thinges three, The whiche thinges troublen al this erthe, And that no wight ne may endure the ferthe; O leve sir shrewe, Iesu shorte thy lyf! 365 Yet prechestow, and seyst, an hateful wyf Y-rekened is for oon of thise meschances.

[331: T. 5950-5982.]

Been ther none othere maner resemblances That ye may lykne your parables to, But-if a sely wyf be oon of tho? 370

364. _All but_ Pt. Ln. _om._ ne. 366. E. and (_for_ an). 368. Cp.

Pt. Ln. maner; Cm. of these; Hl. of thy; E. _om._

Thou lykenest wommanes love to h.e.l.le, To bareyne lond, ther water may not dwelle.

Thou lyknest it also to wilde fyr; The more it brenneth, the more it hath desyr To consume every thing that brent wol be. 375 Thou seyst, that right as wormes shende a tree, Right so a wyf destroyeth hir housbonde; This knowe they that been to wyves bonde.'

371. Cp. Ln. Hl. likenest; Cm. likkenyst; E. Hn. Pt. liknest. E.

wommennes. 375. E. Hn. consumen. 376. Cp. Pt. that; _rest om._ Hn. Cp. Pt. shende; E. Pt. shendeth.

Lordinges, right thus, as ye have understonde, Bar I stifly myne olde housbondes on honde, 380 That thus they seyden in hir dronkenesse; And al was fals, but that I took witnesse On Ianekin and on my nece also.