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Virginitee is greet perfeccioun, And continence eek with devocioun. But Crist, that of perfeccioun is welle, Bad nat every wight he shold go selle All that he hadde, and give it to the pore, And in swich wyse folwe hime and his fore. He spak to hem that wolde live parfitly; And lordinges, by your leve, that am nat I. I wol bistowe the flour of al myn age In the actes and in fruit of mariage. Virginitee is greet perfeccioun, And continence eek with devocioun. But Crist, that of perfeccioun is welle, Bad nat every wight he shold go selle All that he hadde, and give it to the pore, And in swich wyse folwe hime and his fore. He spak to hem that wolde live parfitly; And lordinges, by your leve, that am nat I. I wol bistowe the flour of al myn age In the actes and in fruit of mariage.
Telle me also, to what conclusioun Were membres maad of generacioun, And for what profit was a wight y-wroght? Trusteth right wel, they wer nat maad for noght. Glose who-so wole, and seye bothe up and doun, That they were maked for purgacioun Of urine, and our bothe thinges smale Were eek to knowe a femele from a male, And for noone other cause: sey ye no? The experience woot wel it is noght so; So that the clerkes be nat with me wrothe, I sey this, that they maked been for bothe, This is to seye, for office, and for ese Of engendrure, ther we nat God displese. Why sholde men elles in hir bokes sette, That man shal yelde to his wyf hir dette? Now wher-with sholde he make his payement, If he ne used his sely instrument? Than were they maad upon a creature, To purge uryne, and eek for engendrure. Telle me also, to what conclusioun Were membres maad of generacioun, And for what profit was a wight y-wroght? Trusteth right wel, they wer nat maad for noght. Glose who-so wole, and seye bothe up and doun, That they were maked for purgacioun Of urine, and our bothe thinges smale Were eek to knowe a femele from a male, And for noone other cause: sey ye no? The experience woot wel it is noght so; So that the clerkes be nat with me wrothe, I sey this, that they maked been for bothe, This is to seye, for office, and for ese Of engendrure, ther we nat God displese. Why sholde men elles in hir bokes sette, That man shal yelde to his wyf hir dette? Now wher-with sholde he make his payement, If he ne used his sely instrument? Than were they maad upon a creature, To purge uryne, and eek for engendrure.

Original Text

Modern Text

Virginitee is greet perfeccioun, And continence eek with devocioun. But Crist, that of perfeccioun is welle, Bad nat every wight he shold go selle All that he hadde, and give it to the pore, And in swich wyse folwe hime and his fore. He spak to hem that wolde live parfitly; And lordinges, by your leve, that am nat I. I wol bistowe the flour of al myn age In the actes and in fruit of mariage. Virginitee is greet perfeccioun, And continence eek with devocioun. But Crist, that of perfeccioun is welle, Bad nat every wight he shold go selle All that he hadde, and give it to the pore, And in swich wyse folwe hime and his fore. He spak to hem that wolde live parfitly; And lordinges, by your leve, that am nat I. I wol bistowe the flour of al myn age In the actes and in fruit of mariage.
Telle me also, to what conclusioun Were membres maad of generacioun, And for what profit was a wight y-wroght? Trusteth right wel, they wer nat maad for noght. Glose who-so wole, and seye bothe up and doun, That they were maked for purgacioun Of urine, and our bothe thinges smale Were eek to knowe a femele from a male, And for noone other cause: sey ye no? The experience woot wel it is noght so; So that the clerkes be nat with me wrothe, I sey this, that they maked been for bothe, This is to seye, for office, and for ese Of engendrure, ther we nat God displese. Why sholde men elles in hir bokes sette, That man shal yelde to his wyf hir dette? Now wher-with sholde he make his payement, If he ne used his sely instrument? Than were they maad upon a creature, To purge uryne, and eek for engendrure. Telle me also, to what conclusioun Were membres maad of generacioun, And for what profit was a wight y-wroght? Trusteth right wel, they wer nat maad for noght. Glose who-so wole, and seye bothe up and doun, That they were maked for purgacioun Of urine, and our bothe thinges smale Were eek to knowe a femele from a male, And for noone other cause: sey ye no? The experience woot wel it is noght so; So that the clerkes be nat with me wrothe, I sey this, that they maked been for bothe, This is to seye, for office, and for ese Of engendrure, ther we nat God displese. Why sholde men elles in hir bokes sette, That man shal yelde to his wyf hir dette? Now wher-with sholde he make his payement, If he ne used his sely instrument? Than were they maad upon a creature, To purge uryne, and eek for engendrure.