Prologue Flashcards
And alle were…
…Worthy men in hir degree
Yet herde I never…
…tellen in myn age upon this nombre definicioun
God bad…
…us for to wexe and multiplye
But of no nombre…
…mencioun made he of bigamye or octogamye
To speke…
…of wo that is in marriage
Welcome the…
…sixte whan that ever he shall
Abraham and Jacob: And each of hem…
…hadde wyves mo than two; and many another holy men also
Men may conseille…
…a womman to be oon, but conseilling is no comandement
For hadde God…
…commanded maydenhede, than hadde he dampned wedding with the dede
And certes if ther were no…
…seed y-sowe, Virginitee, wher of than sholde it growe?
I wol bistowe the…
…flour of al myn age in the actes and in fruit of marriage
A lord in his houshold, he hath nat every vessel…
…al of gold; Somme been of tree, and doon hir Lord servyse
Crist: he spoke to hem that wolde live parfitly…
…and lordinges, by your leve, that am nat I
Trusteth right wel, …
…they were nat maad for noght
That they were makes for purgacioun…
…of urine, and our bothe things smale were eek to knowe a female from a male and for noon other cause
They maked been for bothe…
…this is to seye for ese and of engendrure
Lat ham be breed of…
…pured whete-seed, and lat us wyves hoten barly breed
In wyfhode I wol use myn…
…instrument as frely as my maker hath it sent
Whan that hym…
…list com forth and paye his dette
Which shal…
…be both my dettour and my thral
I have the power duryng…
…al my lyf upon his propre body and noght he
Pardoner: and teche us yonge men…
…of your praktike
As three of hem…
…were gode and two were badde
I laughe whan I thynk…
…how pitously a night I made hem swynke
The three men…
…were gode, and riche and olde
They had me yeven hir gold and hir treat; me neded…
…nat do lenger dilligence to winne hir love and doon hem reverence
A wys womman wol sette hir ever in oon…
…to get hir love, ther as she hath noon
But sith I hadde hem hoolly in myn honde, and sith they hadde me yeven all hir lond…
…what sholde I taken hede hem for to plead, but it were for myn profit and myn ese?
I governed…
…hem so wel
Thus shul ye speke…
…and bere hem wrong on honde
For half so boldely…
…kan ther no man, swere and lyen as a womman kan
A wys wyf of that she can hir good…
…shal beren him on hond the cow is wood
She is honoured over al ther she goth;…
…I sitte at hoom, I have no thrifty cloth
Thou seist to me, it is a greet mischief…
…to wedde a povre womman, for costage
And if that she be rich, of heigh parage…
…than seistow that it is tormentyre to suffre hir pryde and hir melancolye
And if that she be fair, thou verray knave, thou seyst that every holour…
…wol hir have; she may no whyle in chastitee abide, that is assailled upon ech syde
Thou seyst, some folk desyre is for richesse…
…Somme for our shap, and somme for our fairness
And if that she be foul, thou seist that she coveiteth every man that she may se…
…foe as a spanyel she wol on him lepe, til that she finde som man hir to chepe
Thou seyst we wyves wol our vyces hyde…
…til we be fast and then we wol hem shewe
Thou seist also, that it displeseth me…
…but if that they wolt preysee my beautee
Why hydestow, with sorwe, the keyes…
…of thy cheste awey fro me? It is thy good as wel as myn
Thou shalt nat bothe…
… Be maister of my body and of my good
Ptolemy: of alle man his wisdom is the hyeste…
…that rekketh never who hath the world in hende
Thou seyst also that if we make us gay with clothing…
…and with precious array, that it is peril of our chastitee
St Paul, Apostle: ye women shul apparaille yow…
…and noght to tressed heer and gay peree, as perles, ne with gold, ne clothes riche
If the cattes skin be slyk and gay…
…she wol nat dwelle in house half a day
Thou lykenest wommanes love…
…to hell, to bareyne lond, ther water may nat dwell
Thou lykenst it also to wyld fyre…
…the moore it brenneth, the moore it hath desir to consum every day thing that brent wol be
Thou seyst that right as wormes…
…shende a tree, right so a wyf destroyeth hir housbande
Thus they seyden in hir drokenesse…
…and al was fals
For as an hors…
…I koude byte and whyne
Who-so that first to mille comth, first grint…
…I pleyned first so was our werre y-stint
Deceive, weping, spinning…
…God hath yive to wommen kindely
Atte ende I hadde the bettre in ech degree, by sleighte, or force…
…or by som maner thing, as by continuel murmer or grucching
Namely abedde hadden they meschaunce…
…ther I wolde chide and do hem no plesaunce; I wolde no lenger in the bed abyde
Til he maad…
…his raunson unto me
Winne who-so may…
…for al is to selle
Whan that it remembreth me upon my yowth…
…and on my jolitee it tikleth me aboute myn herte roote
Unto this day it dooth myn herte…
…bote that I have had my world as in my tyme
But age, allas! That al wol envenyme…
…hath biraft my beautee and my pith
The flour is goon, there is na-more to telle…
…the bren, as best I can, now moste I selle
I made him of the…
…same wode a croce
That in his owene grece…
…I made hym freye
In erthe I was…
…his Purgatorie
In many wyse, how sore…
…I made him twiste
It nis but was to burie…
…him preciously
That fele I on my ribs…
…al by rewe
That thogh he had me bet on every boon…
…he could winne agayn my love anoon
Was of his love…
…daungerous to me
Wayte what thing we may nat lightly have…
…ther-after wol we crye al day and crave
Forbede us thing…
…and that desiren we
Prees on us faste…
…and thanne wol we flee
This knoweth every…
…woman that is wys
Which that I took for…
…love and no richesse
I holde a mouses herte nat worth a leek, that hath but oon hole…
…for to sterte to, and if that faille, than all is y’do
Me thought he hadde a paire of…
…legge, and of feer so clene and faire
Venus me yaf my lust, my likerousnesse…
…and Mars yaf me my sturdy hardiness
And to him yaf I al the lond…
…and fee, that ever was me yeven ther-bifore
Simplicus Gallis: lefte his wyf, and hir sook for terme of al his lyf…
…noght but for open-heeded he hir say lokinge out his dore upon a day
Another Romayn tolde he by name, that, for his wyf was at…
…a sommres game without-oute his witing, he for sook hir eke
I hate him that…
…my vices telleth me
To reden on his book…
…of wyked wyves
It is impossible that any clerk wol…
…Speke good of wyves
Who peynted…
…the leon, tel me who?
If wommen hadde written stories…
…they wolde han written men moore wikkednesse
Of Eva first, that, for hir wikkedness…
…was al mankynde broght to wrecchednesse
Sampson lost…
…his heres, slepinge
Of Hercules and of his Dianyne…
…that caused him to sette himself a-fyre
Of Clitemistra, for hir lecherye…
…that falesly made hir housband for to dye
Eriphilem, that for an ouch of gold hath prively…
…unto the Grekes told wher that hir housbande hidde him in a place
Lyma and Lucye: they bothe made hir…
…housbande a for to dye
He knew of mo proverbes…
…than in this world ther growen gras or herbes
Thyn habitacioun be with a leoun or a foul dragon…
…than with a womman usinge for to chide
Hye in the roof abyde than…
…with an angry wyf doun in the hous
A fair womman, but she be chaast also, is lyk…
…a gold ring in a sowes nose
And some han drive…
…nayles in hir brayn whyl that they slepe
Somme han hem yeve…
…poysoun in hir drinke
Three leves…
…have I phlight out of his book
I with my fist so…
…took him on the cheke, that in our fyr he fal backward
And with this he smoot me on…
…the heed, that in the floor I lay as I were deed
I hitte hym…
…on the cheke
But atte lasts, with muchel…
…care and wo, we fille acorded by us selven two
He yaf me al the brydel in myn hond…
…to han the governance of hous and lond and of his tongue
Do as thee lust in the terme of al thy lyf…
…keep thyn honour and keep eek myn estaat
After that day…
…we hadden never debaat
I was to him as kinde…
…as any wyf from Denmark to Inde
And also trewe…
…and so was he to me
A flye and eek a frere…
…wol falle in every dish and eek matere
They loved me so wel…
…by God above, that I ne tolde no deyntee of hir love
Experience…
…though noon auctoritee
I laughe whan I thynke…
…how pitously a nyght I made hem swynke
I hadde hem…
…hoolly in myn hond
What sholde I taken keep hem…
…for to plese, but it were for my profit and myn ese
I chidde hem…
…spitiously
Thus shulde ye Speke…
…and bere hem wrong on honde
Lat hem be breed of pured…
…whete-seed and let us wyves hoten barly-breed
With empty hand…
…men may none haukes lure
