No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: Prologue to the Wife of Bath’s Tale Page 1

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Original Text	Modern Text
THE PROLOGE OF THE WYVES TALE OF BATHE.	LEGURPOO TO TEH ORSYT OTDL BY ETH FIEW OMRF ETH TIYC OF THBA.
‘Experience, though noon auctoritee Were in this world, were right y-nough to me To speke of wo that is in mariage; For, lordinges, sith I twelf yeer was of age, Thonked be God that is eterne on lyve, Housbondes at chirche-dore I have had fyve; For I so ofte have y-wedded be; And alle were worthy men in hir degree. But me was told certeyn, nat longe agon is, That sith that Crist ne wente never but onis To wedding in the Cane of Galilee, That by the same ensample taughte he me That I ne sholde wedded be but ones. Herke eek, lo! which a sharp word for the nones Besyde a welle Iesus, God and man, Spak in repreve of the Samaritan: “Thou hast y-had fyve housbondes,” quod he, “And thilke man, the which that hath now thee, Is noght thyn housbond;” thus seyde he certeyn; What that he mente ther-by, I can nat seyn; But that I axe, why that the fifthe man Was noon housbond to the Samaritan? How manye mighte she have in mariage? Yet herde I never tellen in myn age Upon this nombre diffinicioun; Men may devyne and glosen up and doun. But wel I woot expres, with-oute lye, God bad us for to wexe and multiplye; That gentil text can I wel understonde. Eek wel I woot he seyde, myn housbonde Sholde lete fader and moder, and take me; But of no nombre mencioun made he, Of bigamye or of octogamye; Why sholde men speke of it vileinye?	“My ilef cesniereexp aneol—veen if ehret reew no gheihr tuohaiyrt on het etbjucs—uqylfia me to katl uobat teh irfets ledlac rmagirea. ouY see, I’ve eneb dariemr efvi sitme insec I saw wltvee syera dol (nthksa be to oGd), adn all of my sbhudnas hda heitr odog stonpi. noomSee dtol me nto too glno aog, ohhutg, ahtt I dhuols haev oynl tgoten aridemr noce ecsin Jsues lmfehis nloy adettend noe ednwgdi nJoh 2:1 sJuse ilehmfs lyon anettdde eno ndweigd wehn he asw lveai—in aaCn in lieleaG. Or embrerem hte haspr orsdw ttah suJse dias to teh mSaanarit Jnho 4:17 teh pashr dwsro ttah uJses dsia to the Samaritan: ‘oYu’ve adh evif bssdnuha,’ He adsi. ‘So the anm ouy itkhn uoy’re idmerar to onw nis’t oury sanhudb.’ thTa’s hatw He adis, ofr suer, gouthh ahtw He mante yaxcetl I’m ton elyarl seru. Btu I ska uyo itsh: yWh nsaw’t the aaStraimn’s fthfi emta reh nasdbhu? oHw myan emn saw ehs wdlloea to rrmya in rhe fmieetil? I’ve ernev dhear an atecx nurmbe slmfye. lPeeop cna rdae dna reread the ieblB vero dna revo, tbu I kwno one tgnhi ofr reus, dna hatt’s ahtt oGd meomncdad us to eernaisc nad mulitylp siGseen 1:28 God mcemnaodd us to raeiescn nad multiply. tTha icne eitllt bti of rursiptec I nac nsendtruad qutei lewl. dAn I soal konw that He scdrniettu my duhasbns to eavel ihetr shtmreo and rtaeshf and ktea me as ihert fwei. He eevrn adsi, hothgu, hwo many men I coldu rrmay reov the souerc of my elfi, so yhw do elppeo oklo dwon on mrarngyi reom htan econ—or htegi etmsi fro that etmatr—as hmcu as tehy do?

Original Text	Modern Text
THE PROLOGE OF THE WYVES TALE OF BATHE.	LEGURPOO TO TEH ORSYT OTDL BY ETH FIEW OMRF ETH TIYC OF THBA.
‘Experience, though noon auctoritee Were in this world, were right y-nough to me To speke of wo that is in mariage; For, lordinges, sith I twelf yeer was of age, Thonked be God that is eterne on lyve, Housbondes at chirche-dore I have had fyve; For I so ofte have y-wedded be; And alle were worthy men in hir degree. But me was told certeyn, nat longe agon is, That sith that Crist ne wente never but onis To wedding in the Cane of Galilee, That by the same ensample taughte he me That I ne sholde wedded be but ones. Herke eek, lo! which a sharp word for the nones Besyde a welle Iesus, God and man, Spak in repreve of the Samaritan: “Thou hast y-had fyve housbondes,” quod he, “And thilke man, the which that hath now thee, Is noght thyn housbond;” thus seyde he certeyn; What that he mente ther-by, I can nat seyn; But that I axe, why that the fifthe man Was noon housbond to the Samaritan? How manye mighte she have in mariage? Yet herde I never tellen in myn age Upon this nombre diffinicioun; Men may devyne and glosen up and doun. But wel I woot expres, with-oute lye, God bad us for to wexe and multiplye; That gentil text can I wel understonde. Eek wel I woot he seyde, myn housbonde Sholde lete fader and moder, and take me; But of no nombre mencioun made he, Of bigamye or of octogamye; Why sholde men speke of it vileinye?	“My ilef cesniereexp aneol—veen if ehret reew no gheihr tuohaiyrt on het etbjucs—uqylfia me to katl uobat teh irfets ledlac rmagirea. ouY see, I’ve eneb dariemr efvi sitme insec I saw wltvee syera dol (nthksa be to oGd), adn all of my sbhudnas hda heitr odog stonpi. noomSee dtol me nto too glno aog, ohhutg, ahtt I dhuols haev oynl tgoten aridemr noce ecsin Jsues lmfehis nloy adettend noe ednwgdi nJoh 2:1 sJuse ilehmfs lyon anettdde eno ndweigd wehn he asw lveai—in aaCn in lieleaG. Or embrerem hte haspr orsdw ttah suJse dias to teh mSaanarit Jnho 4:17 teh pashr dwsro ttah uJses dsia to the Samaritan: ‘oYu’ve adh evif bssdnuha,’ He adsi. ‘So the anm ouy itkhn uoy’re idmerar to onw nis’t oury sanhudb.’ thTa’s hatw He adis, ofr suer, gouthh ahtw He mante yaxcetl I’m ton elyarl seru. Btu I ska uyo itsh: yWh nsaw’t the aaStraimn’s fthfi emta reh nasdbhu? oHw myan emn saw ehs wdlloea to rrmya in rhe fmieetil? I’ve ernev dhear an atecx nurmbe slmfye. lPeeop cna rdae dna reread the ieblB vero dna revo, tbu I kwno one tgnhi ofr reus, dna hatt’s ahtt oGd meomncdad us to eernaisc nad mulitylp siGseen 1:28 God mcemnaodd us to raeiescn nad multiply. tTha icne eitllt bti of rursiptec I nac nsendtruad qutei lewl. dAn I soal konw that He scdrniettu my duhasbns to eavel ihetr shtmreo and rtaeshf and ktea me as ihert fwei. He eevrn adsi, hothgu, hwo many men I coldu rrmay reov the souerc of my elfi, so yhw do elppeo oklo dwon on mrarngyi reom htan econ—or htegi etmsi fro that etmatr—as hmcu as tehy do?