O noble wyves, ful of heigh prudence, Lat noon humilitee your tonge naille, 1184 Ne lat no clerk have cause or diligence To wryte of yow a storie of swich mervaille As of Grisildis pacient and kinde; (1131) Lest Chichevache yow swelwe in hir entraille !
Folweth Ekko, that holdeth no silence, But evere answereth at the countretaille; Beth nat bidaffed for your innocence, 1191 But sharply tak on yow the governaille. Emprinteth wel this lesson in your minde For commune profit, sith it may availle. Ye archewyves, stondeth at defence, 1195 Sinye be stronge as is a greet camaille; (1140) Ne suffreth nat that men yow doon offence. And sclendre wyves, feble as in bataille,
Beth egre as is a tygre yond in Inde; Ay clappeth as a mille, I yow consaille. 1200 Ne dreed hem nat, do hem no reverence; For though thyn housbonde armed be in maille,
The arwes of thy crabbed eloquence
Shal perce his brest, and eek his aventaille; In jalousye I rede eek thou him binde, 1205 And thou shalt make him couche as dooth a quaille. (1150)
If thou be fair, ther folk ben in presence Shew thou thy visage and thyn apparaille; If thou be foul, be free of thy dispence, 1209 To gete thee freendes ay do thy travaille; Be ay of chere as light as leef on linde, And lat him care, and wepe, and wringe, and waille! (1156)
Here biginneth the Marchantes Tale.
WHYLOM ther was dwellinge in Lumbardye | They live but as a brid or as a beste,
A worthy knight, that born was of Pavye,
In which he lived in greet prosperitee; And sixty yeer a wyflees man was he, And folwed ay his bodily delyt On wommen, ther-as was his appetyt, 1250 As doon thise foles that ben seculeer. And whan that he was passed sixty yeer, Were it for holinesse or for dotage, I can nat seye, but swich a greet corage, (10) Hadde this knight to been a wedded man, That day and night he dooth al that he can T'espyen where he mighte wedded be; Preyinge our lord to granten him, that he Mighte ones knowe of thilke blisful lyf That is bitwixe an housbond and his wyf; And for to live under that holy bond 1261 With which that first god man and
'Non other lyf,' seyde he, 'is worth a bene; For wedlok is so esy and so clene, That in this world it is a paradys.' Thus seyde this olde knight, that was so wys.
And certeinly, as sooth as god is king, To take a wyf, it is a glorious thing, And namely whan a man is old and hoor; Thanne is a wyf the fruit of his tresor. 1270 Than sholde he take a yong wyf and a feir, On which he mighte engendren him an heir,
And lede his lyf in joye and in solas, Wher-as thise bacheleres singe 'allas,' (30) Whan that they finden any adversitee 1275 In love, which nis but childish vanitee. And trewely it sit wel to be so,
That bacheleres have often peyne and wo; On brotel ground they builde, and brotel-
In libertee, and under non areste, Ther-as a wedded man in his estaat Liveth a lyf blisful and ordinaat, (40) Under the yok of mariage y-bounde; 1285 Wel may his herte in joye and blisse habounde.
For who can be so buxom as a wyf? Who is so trewe, and eek so ententyf To kepe him, syk and hool, as is his make? For wele or wo, she wol him nat forsake, She nis nat wery him to love and serve, Thogh that he lye bedrede til he sterve. And yet somme clerkes seyn, it nis nat so, Of whiche he, Theofraste, is oon of tho. (50) What force though Theofrastelistelye?1295 'Ne take no wyf,' quod he, 'for hous- bondrye,
As for to spare in houshold thy dispence; A trewe servant dooth more diligence, Thy good to kepe, than thyn owene wyf. For she wol clayme half part al hirlyf; 1300 And if that thou be syk, so god me save, Thy verray frendes or a trewe knave Wol kepe thee bet than she that waitethay After thy good, and hath don many a day.' And if thou take a wyf un-to thyn hold, (61) [T. om.
Ful lightly maystow been a coke- wold. 1306 [T. om. This sentence, and an hundred thinges worse,
Wryteth this man, ther god his bones
As londes, rentes, pasture, or commune, Or moebles, alle ben yiftes of fortune, (70)
I speke of folk in seculer estaat. And herke why, I sey nat this fornoght,(79) That womman is for mannes helpy-wroght. The hye god, whan he hadde Adam maked, And saugh him al allone, bely-naked, 1326 God of his grete goodnesse seyde than, 'Lat us now make an help un-to this man Lyk to him-self;' and thanne he made him Eve. 1329 Heer may ye se, and heer-by may ye preve, That wyf is mannes help and his confort, His paradys terrestre and his disport So buxom and so vertuous is she, They moste nedes live in unitee. (90) 1334 O flesh they been, and o flesh, as I gesse, Hath but on herte, in wele and in distresse. A wyf! a! Seinte Marie, ben'cite ! How mighte a man han any adversitee That hath a wyf? certes, I can nat seye.1339 The blisse which that is bitwixe hem tweye Ther may no tonge telle, or herte thinke. If he be povre, she helpeth him to swinke; She kepeth his good, and wasteth never a deel;
Al that hir housbonde lust, hir lyketh weel;
(100) She seith not ones 'nay,' when he seith 'ye.' 1345
'Do this,' seith he; 'al redy, sir,' seith she. O blisful ordre of wedlok precious, Thou art so mery, and eek so vertuous, And so commended and appreved eek, That every man that halt him worth a leek,
Up-on his bare knees oghte al his lyf Thanken his god that him hath sent a wyf;
Or elles preye to god him for to sende A wyf, to laste un-to his lyves ende. (110) For thanne his lyf is set in sikernesse; 1355 He may nat be deceyved, as I gesse, So that he werke after his wyves reed; Than may he boldly beren up his heed,
They been so trewe and ther-with-al so wyse;
For which, if thou wolt werken as the wyse, 1360 Do alwey so as wommen wol thee rede. Lo, how that Jacob, as thise clerkes rede,
By good conseil of his moder Rebekke, Bond the kides skin aboute his nekke; (120) Thurgh which his fadres benisoun he wan
Lo, Judith, as the storie eek telle can, By wys conseil she goddes peple kepte, And slow him, Olofernus, whyl he slepte.
Lo Abigayl, by good conseil how she 1369 Saved hir housbond Nabal, whan that he Sholde han be slayn; and loke, Ester also By good conseil delivered out of wo The peple of god, and made him, Mardochee,
Of Assuere enhaunced for to be. Ther nis no-thing in gree superlatyf, 1375 As seith Senek, above an humble wyf.
Suffre thy wyves tonge, as Caton bit; She shal comande, and thou shalt suffren it;
And yet she wol obeye of curteisye.
A wyf is keper of thyn housbondrye; 1380 Wel may the syke man biwaille and wepe, Ther-as ther nis no wyf the hous to kepe. I warne thee, if wysly thou wolt wirche, Love wel thy wyf, as Crist loveth his chirche. (140) 1384
If thou lovest thy-self, thou lovest thy wyf; No man hateth his flesh, but in his lyf He fostreth it, and therfore bidde I thee, Cherisse thy wyf, or thou shalt never thee. Housbond and wyf, what so men jape or
And almost, god wot, on my pittes brinke; Up-on my soule somwhat moste I thinke. I have my body folily despended; (159) Blessed be god, that it shal been amended! | For I wol be, certeyn, a wedded man, 1405 And that anoon in al the haste I can, Un-to som mayde fair and tendre of age. I prey yow, shapeth for my mariage Al sodeynly, for I wol nat abyde; And I wol fonde t'espyen, on my syde, 1410 To whom I may be wedded hastily. But for-as-muche as ye ben mo than I, Ye shullen rather swich a thing espyen Than I, and wher me best were to allyen. But o thing warne I yow, my freendes dere, (171) 1415
I wol non old wyf han in no manere. She shal nat passe twenty yeer, certayn; Old fish and yong flesh wolde I have ful fayn.
Bet is,' quod he, 'a pyk than a pikerel ; And bet than old boef is the tendre veel. I wol no womman thritty yeer of age, 1421 It is but bene-straw and greet forage. And eek thise olde widwes, god it woot, They conne so muchel craft on Wades boot, (180)
So muchel broken harm, whan that hem leste, 1425 That with hem sholde I never live in reste. For sondry scoles maken sotil clerkis ; Womman of manye scoles half a clerk is. But certeynly, a yong thing may men gye, Right as men may warm wex with handes plye.
For if so were, I hadde swich mischaunce, That I in hir ne coude han no plesaunce, Thanne sholde I lede my lyf in avoutrye, And go streight to the devel, whan I dye. Ne children sholde I none up-on hir geten; Yet were me lever houndes had me eten, Than that myn heritage sholde falle 1439 In straunge hand, and this I tell yow alle. I dote nat, I woot the cause why Men sholde wedde, and forthermore wot I, Ther speketh many a man of mariage, That woot na-more of it than woot my page, (200) 1444
For whiche causes man sholde take a wyf. If he ne may nat liven chast his lyf, Take him a wyf with greet devocioun, By-cause of leveful procreacioun Of children, to th'onour of god above, And nat only for paramour or love; 1450 And for they sholde lecherye eschue, And yelde hir dettes whan that they ben due;
Or for that ech of hem sholde helpen other (209) In meschief, as a suster shal the brother; And live in chastitee ful holily. 1455
But sires, by your leve, that am nat I. For god be thanked, I dar make avaunt, I fele my limes stark and suffisaunt To do al that a man bilongeth to; I woot my-selven best what I may do. 1460 Though I be hoor, I fare as dooth a tree That blosmeth er that fruyt y-woxen be; A blosmy tree nis neither drye ne deed. I fele me nowher hoor but on myn heed; Myn herte and alle my limes been as grene (221) 1465
As laurer thurgh the yeer is for to sene. And sin that ye han herd al myn entente, I prey yow to my wil ye wole assente.' Diverse men diversely him tolde Of mariage manye ensamples olde. Somme blamed it, somme preysed it,
So wisly god my soule bringe at reste, I hold your owene conseil is the beste. 1490 For brother myn, of me tak this motyf, I have now been a court-man al my lyf. And god it woot, though I unworthy be, I have stonden in ful greet degree (250) Abouten lordes of ful heigh estaat; 1495 Yet hadde I never with noon of hem debaat.
I never hem contraried, trewely;
I woot wel that my lord can more than I. What that he seith, I holde it ferme and stable;
I seye the same, or elles thing semblable. A ful gret fool is any conseillour, That serveth any lord of heigh honour, That dar presume, or elles thenken it, That his conseil sholde passe his lordes wit. (260) Nay, lordes been no foles, by my fay; 1505 Ye han your-selven shewed heer to-day So heigh sentence, so holily and weel, That I consente and conferme every-deel Your wordes alle, and your opinioun. 1509 By god, ther nis no man in al this toun N'in al Itaille, that coude bet han sayd; Crist halt him of this conseil wel apayd. And trewely, it is an heigh corage Of any man, that stapen is in age, To take a yong wyf; by my fader kin, Your herte hangeth on a joly pin. 1516 Doth now in this matere right as yow leste,
For finally I holde it for the beste.'
Or proud, or elles other-weys a shrewe; A chydester, or wastour of thy good, 1535 Or riche, or poore, or elles mannish wood. Al-be-it so that no man finden shal Noon in this world that trotteth hool in al,
Ne man ne beest, swich as men coudo devyse;
But nathelees, it oghte y-nough suffise 1540 With any wyf, if so were that she haddo Mo gode thewes than hir vyces badde; And al this axeth leyser for t'enquere. For god it woot, I have wept many a tere Ful prively, sin I have had a wyf. (301) 1545 Preyse who-so wole a wedded mannes lyf, Certein, I finde in it but cost and care, And observances, of alle blisses bare. 1548 And yet, god woot, my neighebores aboute, And namely of wommen many a route, Seyn that I have the moste stedefast wyf, And eek the mekeste oon that bereth lyf. But I wot best wher wringeth me my sho.
Ye mowe, for me, right as yow lyketh do; Avyseth yow, ye been a man of age, 1555 How that ye entren in-to mariage, And namely with a yong wyf and a fair. By him that made water, erthe, and air, The yongest man that is in al this route Is bisy y-nogh to bringen it aboute 1560 To han his wyf allone, trusteth me. Ye shul nat plese hir fully yeres three, This is to seyn, to doon hir ful plesaunce. A wyf axeth ful many an observaunce. (320) I prey yow that ye be nat yvel apayd.' 'Wel,' quod this Januarie,' and hastow sayd?
1566 Straw for thy Senek, and for thy proverbes,
I counte nat a panier ful of herbes Of scole-termes; wyser men than thow, As thou hast herd, assenteden right now To my purpos; Placebo, what sey ye?'
'I seye, it is a cursed man,' quod he, 'That letteth matrimoine, sikerly.' (329) And with that word they rysen sodeynly, And been assented fully, that he sholde Be wedded whanne him list and wher he wolde. 1576
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