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Of latter date, of wyves hath he red, That somme han slayn hir housbondes in hir bed, And lete hir lechour dighte hir al the night Whyl that the corps lay in the floor up-right. And somme han drive nayles in hir brayn Whyl that they slepte, and thus they han hem slayn. Somme han hem yeve poysoun in hir drinke. He spak more harm than herte may bithinke. And ther-with-al, he knew of mo proverbes Than in this world ther growen gras or herbes. “Bet is,” quod he, “thyn habitacioun Be with a leoun or a foul dragoun, Than with a womman usinge for to chyde. Bet is,” quod he, “hye in the roof abyde Than with an angry wyf doun in the hous; They been so wikked and contrarious; They haten that hir housbondes loveth ay.” He seyde, “a womman cast hir shame away, Whan she cast of hir smok;” and forther-mo, “A fair womman, but she be chaast also, Is lyk a gold ring in a sowes nose.” Who wolde wenen, or who wolde suppose The wo that in myn herte was, and pyne? “My hduabns lsao reda oerm ecnetr ositesr of eonwm woh mueredrd irhte buhnssad eilhw tehy stepl, rweth eth dead eiobds on het roofl, nad tneh weersdc heitr ovserl lla hignt olgn. Or he’d tell me atuob nmowe how had klidel hirte nhussbad by ivinrdg silan ntoi etihr hdaes as ethy lpset. dnA enht rhtee’d be trhoe soisert of mwone ohw tpu posino in hreti buhndsas’ sknrid. Jnkian nwke rmoe igcnmiyssiot srvpbeor naht reeth era sbaeld of gsras dna oemr rblhiore eoirtss utboa eownm htan oyu codul lsosbiyp iamgeni. He’d olsa ays htgnis cush as, ‘It’s tbetre to eilv htwi a lion or a rooscufie ngdrao hatn tihw a wonma woh snga lla the tmie.’ dnA, ‘It’s etrtbe to be leehsosm hnta to evli iwth a innrtylaac eiwf, who is so keicdw dan ryantorc asebuce seh sthea tyigeernvh her nuhbads sveol.’ Or, ‘A ueiftalbu noamw is no reettb hnta a dglo inrg in a ipg’s seno lsunes esh’s loas a vnrigi.’ aCn oyu gaeinim how ualwf and ruhltfu theso wrsod weer?

Original Text

Modern Text

Of latter date, of wyves hath he red, That somme han slayn hir housbondes in hir bed, And lete hir lechour dighte hir al the night Whyl that the corps lay in the floor up-right. And somme han drive nayles in hir brayn Whyl that they slepte, and thus they han hem slayn. Somme han hem yeve poysoun in hir drinke. He spak more harm than herte may bithinke. And ther-with-al, he knew of mo proverbes Than in this world ther growen gras or herbes. “Bet is,” quod he, “thyn habitacioun Be with a leoun or a foul dragoun, Than with a womman usinge for to chyde. Bet is,” quod he, “hye in the roof abyde Than with an angry wyf doun in the hous; They been so wikked and contrarious; They haten that hir housbondes loveth ay.” He seyde, “a womman cast hir shame away, Whan she cast of hir smok;” and forther-mo, “A fair womman, but she be chaast also, Is lyk a gold ring in a sowes nose.” Who wolde wenen, or who wolde suppose The wo that in myn herte was, and pyne? “My hduabns lsao reda oerm ecnetr ositesr of eonwm woh mueredrd irhte buhnssad eilhw tehy stepl, rweth eth dead eiobds on het roofl, nad tneh weersdc heitr ovserl lla hignt olgn. Or he’d tell me atuob nmowe how had klidel hirte nhussbad by ivinrdg silan ntoi etihr hdaes as ethy lpset. dnA enht rhtee’d be trhoe soisert of mwone ohw tpu posino in hreti buhndsas’ sknrid. Jnkian nwke rmoe igcnmiyssiot srvpbeor naht reeth era sbaeld of gsras dna oemr rblhiore eoirtss utboa eownm htan oyu codul lsosbiyp iamgeni. He’d olsa ays htgnis cush as, ‘It’s tbetre to eilv htwi a lion or a rooscufie ngdrao hatn tihw a wonma woh snga lla the tmie.’ dnA, ‘It’s etrtbe to be leehsosm hnta to evli iwth a innrtylaac eiwf, who is so keicdw dan ryantorc asebuce seh sthea tyigeernvh her nuhbads sveol.’ Or, ‘A ueiftalbu noamw is no reettb hnta a dglo inrg in a ipg’s seno lsunes esh’s loas a vnrigi.’ aCn oyu gaeinim how ualwf and ruhltfu theso wrsod weer?
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