The Canterbury Tales [98]
may he be, The wise astrologer Dan* Ptolemy, *Lord That saith this proverb in his Almagest:<13> 'Of alle men his wisdom is highest, That recketh not who hath the world in hand. By this proverb thou shalt well understand, Have thou enough, what thar* thee reck or care *needs, behoves How merrily that other folkes fare? For certes, olde dotard, by your leave, Ye shall have [pleasure] <14> right enough at eve. He is too great a niggard that will werne* *forbid A man to light a candle at his lantern; He shall have never the less light, pardie. Have thou enough, thee thar* not plaine** thee *need **complain Thou say'st also, if that we make us gay With clothing and with precious array, That it is peril of our chastity. And yet, -- with sorrow! -- thou enforcest thee, And say'st these words in the apostle's name: 'In habit made with chastity and shame* *modesty Ye women shall apparel you,' quoth he,<15> 'And not in tressed hair and gay perrie,* *jewels As pearles, nor with gold, nor clothes rich.' After thy text nor after thy rubrich I will not work as muchel as a gnat. Thou say'st also, I walk out like a cat; For whoso woulde singe the catte's skin Then will the catte well dwell in her inn;* *house And if the catte's skin be sleek and gay, She will not dwell in house half a day, But forth she will, ere any day be daw'd, To shew her skin, and go a caterwaw'd.* *caterwauling This is to say, if I be gay, sir shrew, I will run out, my borel* for to shew. *apparel, fine clothes Sir olde fool, what helpeth thee to spyen? Though thou pray Argus with his hundred eyen To be my wardecorps,* as he can best *body-guard In faith he shall not keep me, *but me lest:* *unless I please* Yet could I *make his beard,* so may I the. *make a jest of him*
"Thou sayest eke, that there be thinges three, *thrive Which thinges greatly trouble all this earth, And that no wighte may endure the ferth:* *fourth O lefe* sir shrew, may Jesus short** thy life. *pleasant **shorten Yet preachest thou, and say'st, a hateful wife Y-reckon'd is for one of these mischances. Be there *none other manner resemblances* *no other kind of That ye may liken your parables unto, comparison* But if a silly wife be one of tho?* *those Thou likenest a woman's love to hell; To barren land where water may not dwell. Thou likenest it also to wild fire; The more it burns, the more it hath desire To consume every thing that burnt will be. Thou sayest, right as wormes shend* a tree, *destroy Right so a wife destroyeth her husbond; This know they well that be to wives bond."
Lordings, right thus, as ye have understand, *Bare I stiffly mine old husbands on hand,* *made them believe* That thus they saiden in their drunkenness; And all was false, but that I took witness On Jenkin, and upon my niece also. O Lord! the pain I did them, and the woe, 'Full guilteless, by Godde's sweete pine;* *pain For as a horse I coulde bite and whine; I coulde plain,* an'** I was in the guilt, *complain **even though Or elles oftentime I had been spilt* *ruined Whoso first cometh to the nilll, first grint;* *is ground I plained first, so was our war y-stint.* *stopped They were full glad to excuse them full blive* *quickly Of things that they never *aguilt their live.* *were guilty in their lives* Of wenches would I *beare them on hand,* *falsely accuse them* When that for sickness scarcely might they stand, Yet tickled I his hearte for that he Ween'd* that I had of him so great cherte:** *though **affection<16> I swore that all my walking out by night Was
"Thou sayest eke, that there be thinges three, *thrive Which thinges greatly trouble all this earth, And that no wighte may endure the ferth:* *fourth O lefe* sir shrew, may Jesus short** thy life. *pleasant **shorten Yet preachest thou, and say'st, a hateful wife Y-reckon'd is for one of these mischances. Be there *none other manner resemblances* *no other kind of That ye may liken your parables unto, comparison* But if a silly wife be one of tho?* *those Thou likenest a woman's love to hell; To barren land where water may not dwell. Thou likenest it also to wild fire; The more it burns, the more it hath desire To consume every thing that burnt will be. Thou sayest, right as wormes shend* a tree, *destroy Right so a wife destroyeth her husbond; This know they well that be to wives bond."
Lordings, right thus, as ye have understand, *Bare I stiffly mine old husbands on hand,* *made them believe* That thus they saiden in their drunkenness; And all was false, but that I took witness On Jenkin, and upon my niece also. O Lord! the pain I did them, and the woe, 'Full guilteless, by Godde's sweete pine;* *pain For as a horse I coulde bite and whine; I coulde plain,* an'** I was in the guilt, *complain **even though Or elles oftentime I had been spilt* *ruined Whoso first cometh to the nilll, first grint;* *is ground I plained first, so was our war y-stint.* *stopped They were full glad to excuse them full blive* *quickly Of things that they never *aguilt their live.* *were guilty in their lives* Of wenches would I *beare them on hand,* *falsely accuse them* When that for sickness scarcely might they stand, Yet tickled I his hearte for that he Ween'd* that I had of him so great cherte:** *though **affection<16> I swore that all my walking out by night Was