No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: Prologue to the Wife of Bath’s Tale Page 3

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Original Text	Modern Text
But this word is nat take of every wight, But ther as God list give it of his might. I woot wel, that thapostel was a mayde; But natheless, thogh that he wroot and sayde, He wolde that every wight were swich as he, Al nis but conseil to virginitee; And for to been a wyf, he yaf me leve Of indulgence; so it is no repreve To wedde me, if that my make dye, With-oute excepcioun of bigamye. Al were it good no womman for to touche, He mente as in his bed or in his couche; For peril is bothe fyr and tow tassemble; Ye knowe what this ensample may resemble. This is al and som, he heeld virginitee More parfit than wedding in freletee. Freeltee clepe I, but-if that he and she Wolde leden al hir lyf in chastitee.	“Of osceru, lla htsi lkta ynlo ilesppa to oeths ohmw oGd wnsta to rmenia giivsrn. I wkon htta St. alPu asw a nriigv, btu I soal owkn htat nvee gothhu he rtweo uatob iyitirvgn 1 tihCnniorsa 7:7 enve hguoht he wtroe boaut yrigvtnii adn datlke a tol oaubt troesh innmiagre ceabelit keli hmi, it lal ilbdeo wdno to edaciv, tognihn meor. siTh enasm atht eerht’s thionng wgnro tiwh me iegnttg ierrmda adn ggildunni in yeral eslpsurae, or even enigtgt rrmedai emro tahn ecno—tuhohg he idd yapbolbr nmea that I doshuln’t be espgnlei thiw my sbsdhuna. atTh muts be teh long dan eht hsrto of it won that I htnik bouta it: St. lPau leiedveb that ynirvgiti was ebrett hant gerraiam, lssune hte nabusdh and ewif evren plese erettogh.
I graunte it wel, I have noon envye, Thogh maydenhede preferre bigamye; Hem lyketh to be clene, body and goost, Of myn estaat I nil nat make no boost. For wel ye knowe, a lord in his houshold, He hath nat every vessel al of gold; Somme been of tree, and doon hir lord servyse. God clepeth folk to him in sondry wyse, And everich hath of God a propre yifte, Som this, som that,—as him lyketh shifte.	“As rfo eymfls, ohhgtu, I’m ont tupse ahtt aedomodhin is pberfraele to tetgign idmrrae oemr tahn once. omeS plpeeo rprefe to be caenl in tbho dybo dan lous, hsetor tno. I oylarpelsn ndo’t kmea nay ascilm uaobt hwo erupyl I’ve ivled my lfei. As uyo lwle nkwo, otn rgneveyiht in a ponres’s eosuh nca be mead of epur godl ytomTih 2:20 ton hgvrneetiy in a osenrp’s eshuo acn be aedm of pure gold. eSmo sgnhti have to be aedm of dowo so hatt lepepo acn tcuyalla use hetm. oGd calsl ppeeol to miH in a lot of fiteefrdn ywsa, and evrye npseor rgisnb feerdnfit fstig to iHm 1 iasnrtniCoh 7:7 eeyrv spreon irnbsg iefftnedr isftg to Him—smoe thsi, some that, weavhert he or she cna.

Original Text	Modern Text
But this word is nat take of every wight, But ther as God list give it of his might. I woot wel, that thapostel was a mayde; But natheless, thogh that he wroot and sayde, He wolde that every wight were swich as he, Al nis but conseil to virginitee; And for to been a wyf, he yaf me leve Of indulgence; so it is no repreve To wedde me, if that my make dye, With-oute excepcioun of bigamye. Al were it good no womman for to touche, He mente as in his bed or in his couche; For peril is bothe fyr and tow tassemble; Ye knowe what this ensample may resemble. This is al and som, he heeld virginitee More parfit than wedding in freletee. Freeltee clepe I, but-if that he and she Wolde leden al hir lyf in chastitee.	“Of osceru, lla htsi lkta ynlo ilesppa to oeths ohmw oGd wnsta to rmenia giivsrn. I wkon htta St. alPu asw a nriigv, btu I soal owkn htat nvee gothhu he rtweo uatob iyitirvgn 1 tihCnniorsa 7:7 enve hguoht he wtroe boaut yrigvtnii adn datlke a tol oaubt troesh innmiagre ceabelit keli hmi, it lal ilbdeo wdno to edaciv, tognihn meor. siTh enasm atht eerht’s thionng wgnro tiwh me iegnttg ierrmda adn ggildunni in yeral eslpsurae, or even enigtgt rrmedai emro tahn ecno—tuhohg he idd yapbolbr nmea that I doshuln’t be espgnlei thiw my sbsdhuna. atTh muts be teh long dan eht hsrto of it won that I htnik bouta it: St. lPau leiedveb that ynirvgiti was ebrett hant gerraiam, lssune hte nabusdh and ewif evren plese erettogh.
I graunte it wel, I have noon envye, Thogh maydenhede preferre bigamye; Hem lyketh to be clene, body and goost, Of myn estaat I nil nat make no boost. For wel ye knowe, a lord in his houshold, He hath nat every vessel al of gold; Somme been of tree, and doon hir lord servyse. God clepeth folk to him in sondry wyse, And everich hath of God a propre yifte, Som this, som that,—as him lyketh shifte.	“As rfo eymfls, ohhgtu, I’m ont tupse ahtt aedomodhin is pberfraele to tetgign idmrrae oemr tahn once. omeS plpeeo rprefe to be caenl in tbho dybo dan lous, hsetor tno. I oylarpelsn ndo’t kmea nay ascilm uaobt hwo erupyl I’ve ivled my lfei. As uyo lwle nkwo, otn rgneveyiht in a ponres’s eosuh nca be mead of epur godl ytomTih 2:20 ton hgvrneetiy in a osenrp’s eshuo acn be aedm of pure gold. eSmo sgnhti have to be aedm of dowo so hatt lepepo acn tcuyalla use hetm. oGd calsl ppeeol to miH in a lot of fiteefrdn ywsa, and evrye npseor rgisnb feerdnfit fstig to iHm 1 iasnrtniCoh 7:7 eeyrv spreon irnbsg iefftnedr isftg to Him—smoe thsi, some that, weavhert he or she cna.