Continue reading with a SparkNotes PLUS trial

Original Text

Modern Text

Now of my fifthe housbond wol I telle. God lete his soule never come in helle! And yet was he to me the moste shrewe; That fele I on my ribbes al by rewe, And ever shal, unto myn ending-day. But in our bed he was so fresh and gay, And ther-with-al so wel coude he me glose, Whan that he wolde han my bele chose, That thogh he hadde me bet on every boon, He coude winne agayn my love anoon. I trowe I loved him beste, for that he Was of his love daungerous to me. We wommen han, if that I shal nat lye, In this matere a queynte fantasye; Wayte what thing we may nat lightly have, Ther-after wol we crye al-day and crave. Forbede us thing, and that desyren we; Prees on us faste, and thanne wol we flee. With daunger oute we al our chaffare; Greet prees at market maketh dere ware, And to greet cheep is holde at litel prys; This knoweth every womman that is wys. Now of my fifthe housbond wol I telle. God lete his soule never come in helle! And yet was he to me the moste shrewe; That fele I on my ribbes al by rewe, And ever shal, unto myn ending-day. But in our bed he was so fresh and gay, And ther-with-al so wel coude he me glose, Whan that he wolde han my bele chose, That thogh he hadde me bet on every boon, He coude winne agayn my love anoon. I trowe I loved him beste, for that he Was of his love daungerous to me. We wommen han, if that I shal nat lye, In this matere a queynte fantasye; Wayte what thing we may nat lightly have, Ther-after wol we crye al-day and crave. Forbede us thing, and that desyren we; Prees on us faste, and thanne wol we flee. With daunger oute we al our chaffare; Greet prees at market maketh dere ware, And to greet cheep is holde at litel prys; This knoweth every womman that is wys.
My fifthe housbonde, God his soule blesse! Which that I took for love and no richesse, He som-tyme was a clerk of Oxenford, And had left scole, and wente at hoom to bord With my gossib, dwellinge in oure toun, God have hir soule! hir name was Alisoun. She knew myn herte and eek my privetee Bet than our parisshe-preest, so moot I thee! To hir biwreyed I my conseil al. For had myn housbonde pissed on a wal, Or doon a thing that sholde han cost his lyf, To hir, and to another worthy wyf, And to my nece, which that I loved weel, I wolde han told his conseil every-deel. And so I dide ful often, God it woot, That made his face ful often reed and hoot For verray shame, and blamed him-self for he Had told to me so greet a privetee. My fifthe housbonde, God his soule blesse! Which that I took for love and no richesse, He som-tyme was a clerk of Oxenford, And had left scole, and wente at hoom to bord With my gossib, dwellinge in oure toun, God have hir soule! hir name was Alisoun. She knew myn herte and eek my privetee Bet than our parisshe-preest, so moot I thee! To hir biwreyed I my conseil al. For had myn housbonde pissed on a wal, Or doon a thing that sholde han cost his lyf, To hir, and to another worthy wyf, And to my nece, which that I loved weel, I wolde han told his conseil every-deel. And so I dide ful often, God it woot, That made his face ful often reed and hoot For verray shame, and blamed him-self for he Had told to me so greet a privetee.

Original Text

Modern Text

Now of my fifthe housbond wol I telle. God lete his soule never come in helle! And yet was he to me the moste shrewe; That fele I on my ribbes al by rewe, And ever shal, unto myn ending-day. But in our bed he was so fresh and gay, And ther-with-al so wel coude he me glose, Whan that he wolde han my bele chose, That thogh he hadde me bet on every boon, He coude winne agayn my love anoon. I trowe I loved him beste, for that he Was of his love daungerous to me. We wommen han, if that I shal nat lye, In this matere a queynte fantasye; Wayte what thing we may nat lightly have, Ther-after wol we crye al-day and crave. Forbede us thing, and that desyren we; Prees on us faste, and thanne wol we flee. With daunger oute we al our chaffare; Greet prees at market maketh dere ware, And to greet cheep is holde at litel prys; This knoweth every womman that is wys. Now of my fifthe housbond wol I telle. God lete his soule never come in helle! And yet was he to me the moste shrewe; That fele I on my ribbes al by rewe, And ever shal, unto myn ending-day. But in our bed he was so fresh and gay, And ther-with-al so wel coude he me glose, Whan that he wolde han my bele chose, That thogh he hadde me bet on every boon, He coude winne agayn my love anoon. I trowe I loved him beste, for that he Was of his love daungerous to me. We wommen han, if that I shal nat lye, In this matere a queynte fantasye; Wayte what thing we may nat lightly have, Ther-after wol we crye al-day and crave. Forbede us thing, and that desyren we; Prees on us faste, and thanne wol we flee. With daunger oute we al our chaffare; Greet prees at market maketh dere ware, And to greet cheep is holde at litel prys; This knoweth every womman that is wys.
My fifthe housbonde, God his soule blesse! Which that I took for love and no richesse, He som-tyme was a clerk of Oxenford, And had left scole, and wente at hoom to bord With my gossib, dwellinge in oure toun, God have hir soule! hir name was Alisoun. She knew myn herte and eek my privetee Bet than our parisshe-preest, so moot I thee! To hir biwreyed I my conseil al. For had myn housbonde pissed on a wal, Or doon a thing that sholde han cost his lyf, To hir, and to another worthy wyf, And to my nece, which that I loved weel, I wolde han told his conseil every-deel. And so I dide ful often, God it woot, That made his face ful often reed and hoot For verray shame, and blamed him-self for he Had told to me so greet a privetee. My fifthe housbonde, God his soule blesse! Which that I took for love and no richesse, He som-tyme was a clerk of Oxenford, And had left scole, and wente at hoom to bord With my gossib, dwellinge in oure toun, God have hir soule! hir name was Alisoun. She knew myn herte and eek my privetee Bet than our parisshe-preest, so moot I thee! To hir biwreyed I my conseil al. For had myn housbonde pissed on a wal, Or doon a thing that sholde han cost his lyf, To hir, and to another worthy wyf, And to my nece, which that I loved weel, I wolde han told his conseil every-deel. And so I dide ful often, God it woot, That made his face ful often reed and hoot For verray shame, and blamed him-self for he Had told to me so greet a privetee.