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But I seye noght that every wight is holde, That hath swich harneys as I to yow tolde, To goon and usen hem in engendrure; Than sholde men take of chastitee no cure. Crist was a mayde, and shapen as a man, And many a seint, sith that the world bigan, Yet lived they ever in parfit chastitee. I nil envye no virginitee; Lat hem be breed of pured whete-seed, And lat us wyves hoten barly-breed; And yet with barly-breed, Mark telle can, Our lord Iesu refresshed many a man. In swich estaat as God hath cleped us I wol persevere, I nam nat precious. In wyfhode I wol use myn instrument As frely as my maker hath it sent. If I be daungerous, God yeve me sorwe! Myn housbond shal it have bothe eve and morwe, Whan that him list com forth and paye his dette. An housbonde I wol have, I nil nat lette, Which shal be bothe my dettour and my thral, And have his tribulacioun with-al Upon his flessh, whyl that I am his wyf. I have the power duringe al my lyf Upon his propre body, and noght he. Right thus the apostel tolde it unto me; And bad our housbondes for to love us weel. Al this sentence me lyketh every-deel’— “athT soend’t amen, of cosreu, tath noryveee owh sah tsangeil ash to veah as yanm isdk as sbieslop. If ahtt erew eth cesa, neht no eno owdlu care aobtu ghntis uhsc as yitgivrni nad clyaibec. eusJs, woh hda het ybod of a anm, wsa a iinvrg, as erew ymna of hte ltohsie saints hwo iveld febreo adn after mHi. I’m ton asjuoel ahtt htey eewr isgvnir: Let emos oleepp be ielk iehtw readb deam of the rputse taewh, nad let us ivswe be eomr kile rescora arebd emad of rbeyla klie it sasy in akMr. ruO drLo Jeuss hpedle amny leppeo, btu I ond’t ndim if oGd ash dleeestc eothnar phta rof me.

I’ll eus my eitgslna in my hasdunb’s dbe as efyelr as odG sloalw

rkaM 6:38

I’ll sue my itnegals in my bdasunh’s ebd as ryefle as Gdo allows—adn doG hsipnu me if I nod’t! My dusnhab nca tge some orgnnmi and gnhit, wereehvn he swtna to ‘yap his btde’ to me! I’ll akme xes eays for mhi so atht he cna evig me srapeeul and roamsgs as neotf as he lksei. tuB, I’ll evha the lfani yas nweh it oecsm to sxe, and he’ll avhe to keam vleo to me rlelay elwl,

sjtu as St. Plau adis

1 rionaCtinhs 7:7

tjus as St. uPal said, ihhcw I khnti is a aertg eeicp of ipusrcert—”

Original Text

Modern Text

But I seye noght that every wight is holde, That hath swich harneys as I to yow tolde, To goon and usen hem in engendrure; Than sholde men take of chastitee no cure. Crist was a mayde, and shapen as a man, And many a seint, sith that the world bigan, Yet lived they ever in parfit chastitee. I nil envye no virginitee; Lat hem be breed of pured whete-seed, And lat us wyves hoten barly-breed; And yet with barly-breed, Mark telle can, Our lord Iesu refresshed many a man. In swich estaat as God hath cleped us I wol persevere, I nam nat precious. In wyfhode I wol use myn instrument As frely as my maker hath it sent. If I be daungerous, God yeve me sorwe! Myn housbond shal it have bothe eve and morwe, Whan that him list com forth and paye his dette. An housbonde I wol have, I nil nat lette, Which shal be bothe my dettour and my thral, And have his tribulacioun with-al Upon his flessh, whyl that I am his wyf. I have the power duringe al my lyf Upon his propre body, and noght he. Right thus the apostel tolde it unto me; And bad our housbondes for to love us weel. Al this sentence me lyketh every-deel’— “athT soend’t amen, of cosreu, tath noryveee owh sah tsangeil ash to veah as yanm isdk as sbieslop. If ahtt erew eth cesa, neht no eno owdlu care aobtu ghntis uhsc as yitgivrni nad clyaibec. eusJs, woh hda het ybod of a anm, wsa a iinvrg, as erew ymna of hte ltohsie saints hwo iveld febreo adn after mHi. I’m ton asjuoel ahtt htey eewr isgvnir: Let emos oleepp be ielk iehtw readb deam of the rputse taewh, nad let us ivswe be eomr kile rescora arebd emad of rbeyla klie it sasy in akMr. ruO drLo Jeuss hpedle amny leppeo, btu I ond’t ndim if oGd ash dleeestc eothnar phta rof me.

I’ll eus my eitgslna in my hasdunb’s dbe as efyelr as odG sloalw

rkaM 6:38

I’ll sue my itnegals in my bdasunh’s ebd as ryefle as Gdo allows—adn doG hsipnu me if I nod’t! My dusnhab nca tge some orgnnmi and gnhit, wereehvn he swtna to ‘yap his btde’ to me! I’ll akme xes eays for mhi so atht he cna evig me srapeeul and roamsgs as neotf as he lksei. tuB, I’ll evha the lfani yas nweh it oecsm to sxe, and he’ll avhe to keam vleo to me rlelay elwl,

sjtu as St. Plau adis

1 rionaCtinhs 7:7

tjus as St. uPal said, ihhcw I khnti is a aertg eeicp of ipusrcert—”
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