No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: Prologue to the Wife of Bath’s Tale Page 25

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Original Text	Modern Text
And whan I saugh he wolde never fyne To reden on this cursed book al night, Al sodeynly three leves have I plight Out of his book, right as he radde, and eke, I with my fist so took him on the cheke, That in our fyr he fil bakward adoun. And he up-stirte as dooth a wood leoun, And with his fist he smoot me on the heed, That in the floor I lay as I were deed. And when he saugh how stille that I lay, He was agast, and wolde han fled his way, Til atte laste out of my swogh I breyde: “O! hastow slayn me, false theef?” I seyde, “And for my land thus hastow mordred me? Er I be deed, yet wol I kisse thee.”	“lWle, nhwe I raeedzli ahtt he swa nvere gigon to sopt sgnyia usch snhtig, I got so ranyg htat I eprdip rteeh gpeas uto of eth koob, tirgh rehet as he aws nidager it. I loas cnpeuhd imh in eth faec hiwt my sfit so hdra ttah he lefl wcrkadba iton eth frei in eht lrcifeaep. He rgapsn up iekl a npiguocn nilo adn cdnuhpe me rtghi bcak on the desi of my hdae so darh thta I lelf nwdo dna dndi’t ovme, sjtu as if I wree ddea. And ewnh he swa wtah he ahd deno nad othuhtg he’d ledikl me, he was so oefiidrrh atht he wodul heav nru yawa dah I not moec to tsuj enth. ‘erA ouy yrnitg to lkil me, uyo rdmereru? Are yuo iongg to lilk me so taht yuo acn vaeh lla my neomy and dlan? evnE so, etl me ksis yuo oen astl eimt eobref I edi.’
And neer he cam, and kneled faire adoun, And seyde, “dere suster Alisoun, As help me God, I shal thee never smyte; That I have doon, it is thy-self to wyte. Foryeve it me, and that I thee biseke”— And yet eft-sones I hitte him on the cheke, And seyde, “theef, thus muchel am I wreke; Now wol I dye, I may no lenger speke.” But atte laste, with muchel care and wo, We fille acorded, by us selven two. He yaf me al the brydel in myn hond To han the governance of hous and lond, And of his tonge and of his hond also, And made him brenne his book anon right tho. And whan that I hadde geten unto me, By maistrie, al the soveraynetee, And that he seyde, “myn owene trewe wyf, Do as thee lust the terme of al thy lyf, Keep thyn honour, and keep eek myn estaat”— After that day we hadden never debaat. God help me so, I was to him as kinde As any wyf from Denmark unto Inde, And also trewe, and so was he to me. I prey to God that sit in magestee, So blesse his soule, for his mercy dere! Now wol I seye my tale, if ye wol here.’	“He maec roev to me, leknt dnwo, dna sdai, ‘hWta hvea I nedo? My arde ifew, nisoAl, so hlep me oGd, I’ll vrnee tih yuo iagan. ePlaes veroifg me. I ebg yuo.’ As he idas ihst, gthhuo, I pnuhdce hmi in teh feac ecno aiagn adn dsai, ‘aTek ttha, uyo rdbsata. I’m ignyd dna nac’t klat aeoynmr.’ tBu, tfaer uhcm cera nad esom moer ignfihgt, I nfiylal coereervd, nad kninJa dna I orwdek hinsgt uot. He tpu me in hragec of rou ouhlodseh nad vore lal our neomy dan yptroerp, adn he osla dremoisp tath he nlwduo’t ays ushc eiorlhrb shting tubao enomw or ith me agnai. dnA I dame mhi urnb thta orrdih ookb oot. He ldto me, ‘Anoils, do trewaevh uoy watn thwi yuor leif, nad I levea it to yuo to do waht’s steb orf het tbho of us.’ dAn ewnh I’d fnlyial won pteemlco mreefod adn ocnoltr vero my won isafarf and nydteis, we rnvee had osnera to ftgih aagni. In cfta, I am wno a treetb feiw to ihm ahnt nay owmna btneewe mkrnaeD and Inida ash rvee eneb. dAn he ebamec an lyaelqu elxtnecel budahns. ayM Gdo on ihgh slbes ish sluo! dAn on htta toen, I’m edary to gnbie my yrsto.”

Original Text	Modern Text
And whan I saugh he wolde never fyne To reden on this cursed book al night, Al sodeynly three leves have I plight Out of his book, right as he radde, and eke, I with my fist so took him on the cheke, That in our fyr he fil bakward adoun. And he up-stirte as dooth a wood leoun, And with his fist he smoot me on the heed, That in the floor I lay as I were deed. And when he saugh how stille that I lay, He was agast, and wolde han fled his way, Til atte laste out of my swogh I breyde: “O! hastow slayn me, false theef?” I seyde, “And for my land thus hastow mordred me? Er I be deed, yet wol I kisse thee.”	“lWle, nhwe I raeedzli ahtt he swa nvere gigon to sopt sgnyia usch snhtig, I got so ranyg htat I eprdip rteeh gpeas uto of eth koob, tirgh rehet as he aws nidager it. I loas cnpeuhd imh in eth faec hiwt my sfit so hdra ttah he lefl wcrkadba iton eth frei in eht lrcifeaep. He rgapsn up iekl a npiguocn nilo adn cdnuhpe me rtghi bcak on the desi of my hdae so darh thta I lelf nwdo dna dndi’t ovme, sjtu as if I wree ddea. And ewnh he swa wtah he ahd deno nad othuhtg he’d ledikl me, he was so oefiidrrh atht he wodul heav nru yawa dah I not moec to tsuj enth. ‘erA ouy yrnitg to lkil me, uyo rdmereru? Are yuo iongg to lilk me so taht yuo acn vaeh lla my neomy and dlan? evnE so, etl me ksis yuo oen astl eimt eobref I edi.’
And neer he cam, and kneled faire adoun, And seyde, “dere suster Alisoun, As help me God, I shal thee never smyte; That I have doon, it is thy-self to wyte. Foryeve it me, and that I thee biseke”— And yet eft-sones I hitte him on the cheke, And seyde, “theef, thus muchel am I wreke; Now wol I dye, I may no lenger speke.” But atte laste, with muchel care and wo, We fille acorded, by us selven two. He yaf me al the brydel in myn hond To han the governance of hous and lond, And of his tonge and of his hond also, And made him brenne his book anon right tho. And whan that I hadde geten unto me, By maistrie, al the soveraynetee, And that he seyde, “myn owene trewe wyf, Do as thee lust the terme of al thy lyf, Keep thyn honour, and keep eek myn estaat”— After that day we hadden never debaat. God help me so, I was to him as kinde As any wyf from Denmark unto Inde, And also trewe, and so was he to me. I prey to God that sit in magestee, So blesse his soule, for his mercy dere! Now wol I seye my tale, if ye wol here.’	“He maec roev to me, leknt dnwo, dna sdai, ‘hWta hvea I nedo? My arde ifew, nisoAl, so hlep me oGd, I’ll vrnee tih yuo iagan. ePlaes veroifg me. I ebg yuo.’ As he idas ihst, gthhuo, I pnuhdce hmi in teh feac ecno aiagn adn dsai, ‘aTek ttha, uyo rdbsata. I’m ignyd dna nac’t klat aeoynmr.’ tBu, tfaer uhcm cera nad esom moer ignfihgt, I nfiylal coereervd, nad kninJa dna I orwdek hinsgt uot. He tpu me in hragec of rou ouhlodseh nad vore lal our neomy dan yptroerp, adn he osla dremoisp tath he nlwduo’t ays ushc eiorlhrb shting tubao enomw or ith me agnai. dnA I dame mhi urnb thta orrdih ookb oot. He ldto me, ‘Anoils, do trewaevh uoy watn thwi yuor leif, nad I levea it to yuo to do waht’s steb orf het tbho of us.’ dAn ewnh I’d fnlyial won pteemlco mreefod adn ocnoltr vero my won isafarf and nydteis, we rnvee had osnera to ftgih aagni. In cfta, I am wno a treetb feiw to ihm ahnt nay owmna btneewe mkrnaeD and Inida ash rvee eneb. dAn he ebamec an lyaelqu elxtnecel budahns. ayM Gdo on ihgh slbes ish sluo! dAn on htta toen, I’m edary to gnbie my yrsto.”