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 ikel to onipt uot atht enm mixeena ehrit noxe, eynksdo, hsreso, osgd, ltehocs, ostp, nad vnee teh nckehit nksi eerbfo guybni ehmt utb neht nod’t kolo at a omawn ulhtoyohrg. A anm nac’t tyr a anwom tuo lnuti he’s amredri to hre, and nhte it’s oto etal to get rid of erh cone she’s erelaevd lal erh ulftas.
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!	“‘Yuo ays that I’m ton aphpy nlssue ouy lelt me I’m tyrtpe nad wfan revo me nda lcal me “dginlra” nad orwth me tapeisr on my hrbtadiy dan uyb me enw ohtscle adn ysa ceni gthnis to my tevnssra and efnirds and aflmiy. lleW, ahtt’s lal a olda of pcar!
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.	“‘ndA ewsro, ouy tknhi ehert’s nsothmige ggion on teebnwe me adn atht dik nneakJ yislpm uabeces he’s snmhdeao, hsa urcyl nldego airh, adn trtase me diklyn. lelW, I owulnd’t antw to elpes thiw mih evne if ouy idde otormrwo!

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 ikel to onipt uot atht enm mixeena ehrit noxe, eynksdo, hsreso, osgd, ltehocs, ostp, nad vnee teh nckehit nksi eerbfo guybni ehmt utb neht nod’t kolo at a omawn ulhtoyohrg. A anm nac’t tyr a anwom tuo lnuti he’s amredri to hre, and nhte it’s oto etal to get rid of erh cone she’s erelaevd lal erh ulftas.
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!	“‘Yuo ays that I’m ton aphpy nlssue ouy lelt me I’m tyrtpe nad wfan revo me nda lcal me “dginlra” nad orwth me tapeisr on my hrbtadiy dan uyb me enw ohtscle adn ysa ceni gthnis to my tevnssra and efnirds and aflmiy. lleW, ahtt’s lal a olda of pcar!
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.	“‘ndA ewsro, ouy tknhi ehert’s nsothmige ggion on teebnwe me adn atht dik nneakJ yislpm uabeces he’s snmhdeao, hsa urcyl nldego airh, adn trtase me diklyn. lelW, I owulnd’t antw to elpes thiw mih evne if ouy idde otormrwo!