No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath's Tale Prologue to the Wife of Bath’s Tale Page 23

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Original Text	Modern Text
Of Clitemistra, for hir lecherye, That falsly made hir housbond for to dye, He redde it with ful good devocioun.	Of Clitemistra, for hir lecherye, That falsly made hir housbond for to dye, He redde it with ful good devocioun.
He tolde me eek for what occasioun Amphiorax at Thebes loste his lyf; Myn housbond hadde a legende of his wyf, Eriphilem, that for an ouche of gold Hath prively unto the Grekes told Wher that hir housbonde hidde him in a place, For which he hadde at Thebes sory grace.	He tolde me eek for what occasioun Amphiorax at Thebes loste his lyf; Myn housbond hadde a legende of his wyf, Eriphilem, that for an ouche of gold Hath prively unto the Grekes told Wher that hir housbonde hidde him in a place, For which he hadde at Thebes sory grace.
Of Lyma tolde he me, and of Lucye, They bothe made hir housbondes for to dye; That oon for love, that other was for hate; Lyma hir housbond, on an even late, Empoysoned hath, for that she was his fo. Lucya, likerous, loved hir housbond so, That, for he sholde alwey upon hir thinke, She yaf him swich a maner love-drinke, That he was deed, er it were by the morwe; And thus algates housbondes han sorwe.	Of Lyma tolde he me, and of Lucye, They bothe made hir housbondes for to dye; That oon for love, that other was for hate; Lyma hir housbond, on an even late, Empoysoned hath, for that she was his fo. Lucya, likerous, loved hir housbond so, That, for he sholde alwey upon hir thinke, She yaf him swich a maner love-drinke, That he was deed, er it were by the morwe; And thus algates housbondes han sorwe.
Than tolde he me, how oon Latumius Compleyned to his felawe Arrius, That in his gardin growed swich a tree, On which, he seyde, how that his wyves three Hanged hem-self for herte despitous. “O leve brother,” quod this Arrius, “Yif me a plante of thilke blissed tree, And in my gardin planted shal it be!”	Than tolde he me, how oon Latumius Compleyned to his felawe Arrius, That in his gardin growed swich a tree, On which, he seyde, how that his wyves three Hanged hem-self for herte despitous. “O leve brother,” quod this Arrius, “Yif me a plante of thilke blissed tree, And in my gardin planted shal it be!”

Original Text	Modern Text
Of Clitemistra, for hir lecherye, That falsly made hir housbond for to dye, He redde it with ful good devocioun.	Of Clitemistra, for hir lecherye, That falsly made hir housbond for to dye, He redde it with ful good devocioun.
He tolde me eek for what occasioun Amphiorax at Thebes loste his lyf; Myn housbond hadde a legende of his wyf, Eriphilem, that for an ouche of gold Hath prively unto the Grekes told Wher that hir housbonde hidde him in a place, For which he hadde at Thebes sory grace.	He tolde me eek for what occasioun Amphiorax at Thebes loste his lyf; Myn housbond hadde a legende of his wyf, Eriphilem, that for an ouche of gold Hath prively unto the Grekes told Wher that hir housbonde hidde him in a place, For which he hadde at Thebes sory grace.
Of Lyma tolde he me, and of Lucye, They bothe made hir housbondes for to dye; That oon for love, that other was for hate; Lyma hir housbond, on an even late, Empoysoned hath, for that she was his fo. Lucya, likerous, loved hir housbond so, That, for he sholde alwey upon hir thinke, She yaf him swich a maner love-drinke, That he was deed, er it were by the morwe; And thus algates housbondes han sorwe.	Of Lyma tolde he me, and of Lucye, They bothe made hir housbondes for to dye; That oon for love, that other was for hate; Lyma hir housbond, on an even late, Empoysoned hath, for that she was his fo. Lucya, likerous, loved hir housbond so, That, for he sholde alwey upon hir thinke, She yaf him swich a maner love-drinke, That he was deed, er it were by the morwe; And thus algates housbondes han sorwe.
Than tolde he me, how oon Latumius Compleyned to his felawe Arrius, That in his gardin growed swich a tree, On which, he seyde, how that his wyves three Hanged hem-self for herte despitous. “O leve brother,” quod this Arrius, “Yif me a plante of thilke blissed tree, And in my gardin planted shal it be!”	Than tolde he me, how oon Latumius Compleyned to his felawe Arrius, That in his gardin growed swich a tree, On which, he seyde, how that his wyves three Hanged hem-self for herte despitous. “O leve brother,” quod this Arrius, “Yif me a plante of thilke blissed tree, And in my gardin planted shal it be!”