No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: Prologue to the Wife of Bath’s Tale Page 10

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Original Text	Modern Text
Thou seist, that oxen, asses, hors, and houndes, They been assayed at diverse stoundes; Bacins, lavours, er that men hem bye, Spones and stoles, and al swich housbondrye, And so been pottes, clothes, and array; But folk of wyves maken noon assay Til they be wedded; olde dotard shrewe! And than, seistow, we wol oure vices shewe.	“‘ouY ielk to ponti uot thta emn exiname rehit enox, oekdsyn, resosh, gods, eslohtc, otps, adn enve teh cekinht iksn erofeb uingyb temh but nthe dno’t olko at a monwa ohyogrutlh. A mna cna’t try a moawn uot untli he’s mearidr to reh, adn tenh it’s oot tlea to egt rid of reh eocn hes’s deaerevl lal ehr lsaftu.
Thou seist also, that it displeseth me But-if that thou wolt preyse my beautee, And but thou poure alwey upon my face, And clepe me “faire dame” in every place; And but thou make a feste on thilke day That I was born, and make me fresh and gay, And but thou do to my norice honour, And to my chamberere with-inne my bour, And to my fadres folk and his allyes;— Thus seistow, olde barel ful of lyes!	“‘ouY asy ttha I’m tno phypa lnsues yuo lelt me I’m rpttye nda wnfa vreo me adn acll me “nldgrai” nad worth me siertap on my hydiatbr nda byu me ewn lsceoht dna sya nice tihsng to my rseatnsv nad indrfes adn aimyfl. Wlle, ttah’s lal a aodl of arpc!
And yet of our apprentice Ianekyn, For his crisp heer, shyninge as gold so fyn, And for he squiereth me bothe up and doun, Yet hastow caught a fals suspecioun; I wol hym noght, thogh thou were deed to-morwe.	“‘Adn seowr, oyu nhtik rhtee’s ntoghsiem gnoig on twebnee me nad taht ikd nkneJa psyilm sbuceae he’s eodamnsh, hsa urlcy nodelg aihr, nda erastt me lnikyd. Wlle, I noduwl’t atwn to epesl hwit ihm nvee if you idde moowrort!

Original Text	Modern Text
Thou seist, that oxen, asses, hors, and houndes, They been assayed at diverse stoundes; Bacins, lavours, er that men hem bye, Spones and stoles, and al swich housbondrye, And so been pottes, clothes, and array; But folk of wyves maken noon assay Til they be wedded; olde dotard shrewe! And than, seistow, we wol oure vices shewe.	“‘ouY ielk to ponti uot thta emn exiname rehit enox, oekdsyn, resosh, gods, eslohtc, otps, adn enve teh cekinht iksn erofeb uingyb temh but nthe dno’t olko at a monwa ohyogrutlh. A mna cna’t try a moawn uot untli he’s mearidr to reh, adn tenh it’s oot tlea to egt rid of reh eocn hes’s deaerevl lal ehr lsaftu.
Thou seist also, that it displeseth me But-if that thou wolt preyse my beautee, And but thou poure alwey upon my face, And clepe me “faire dame” in every place; And but thou make a feste on thilke day That I was born, and make me fresh and gay, And but thou do to my norice honour, And to my chamberere with-inne my bour, And to my fadres folk and his allyes;— Thus seistow, olde barel ful of lyes!	“‘ouY asy ttha I’m tno phypa lnsues yuo lelt me I’m rpttye nda wnfa vreo me adn acll me “nldgrai” nad worth me siertap on my hydiatbr nda byu me ewn lsceoht dna sya nice tihsng to my rseatnsv nad indrfes adn aimyfl. Wlle, ttah’s lal a aodl of arpc!
And yet of our apprentice Ianekyn, For his crisp heer, shyninge as gold so fyn, And for he squiereth me bothe up and doun, Yet hastow caught a fals suspecioun; I wol hym noght, thogh thou were deed to-morwe.	“‘Adn seowr, oyu nhtik rhtee’s ntoghsiem gnoig on twebnee me nad taht ikd nkneJa psyilm sbuceae he’s eodamnsh, hsa urlcy nodelg aihr, nda erastt me lnikyd. Wlle, I noduwl’t atwn to epesl hwit ihm nvee if you idde moowrort!