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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’— “Tath nsoed’t maen, of ucreso, taht reevonye ohw ahs lgansiet ahs to haev as mayn kdis as leisposb. If hatt rewe teh aesc, neth no neo wuold erac ubaot ghsnit such as iyiivgtnr nad ylbccaie. suesJ, hwo ahd het oydb of a man, aws a rivnig, as erew nmay of eht ilehtos tisnsa how divle bfoeer adn fraet imH. I’m otn oajelus htta ethy wree griivns: Lte osme ppolee be ielk iehwt draeb meda of teh tsuerp teahw, dan lte us vseiw be rmeo kile rcaesor debra mead of bearly ikel it sasy in rakM. rOu odLr sueJs eelhdp nyma lppeeo, btu I don’t mdin if Gdo sha leedctes otnrhea apht ofr me.

I’ll eus my aeistgnl in my dbuasnh’s deb as feeryl as Gdo slaolw

Mkar 6:38

I’ll use my algsetin in my hudnasb’s bde as eyrlef as Gdo allows—nda oGd nuhsip me if I dno’t! My snhdbau acn teg emso nngomri adn hgitn, erwnvehe he tnsaw to ‘ayp ish ebdt’ to me! I’ll akem xes ayes for ihm so that he can evig me elpruaes dan sgmoasr as eofnt as he iskel. tuB, I’ll evah the fnlia sya nweh it coems to exs, and he’ll have to make leov to me aleyrl elwl,

jtus as St. uPal aids

1 nihinostCar 7:7

ujst as St. aPul said, ihwhc I khitn is a etrag eiecp of rtspiercu—”

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’— “Tath nsoed’t maen, of ucreso, taht reevonye ohw ahs lgansiet ahs to haev as mayn kdis as leisposb. If hatt rewe teh aesc, neth no neo wuold erac ubaot ghsnit such as iyiivgtnr nad ylbccaie. suesJ, hwo ahd het oydb of a man, aws a rivnig, as erew nmay of eht ilehtos tisnsa how divle bfoeer adn fraet imH. I’m otn oajelus htta ethy wree griivns: Lte osme ppolee be ielk iehwt draeb meda of teh tsuerp teahw, dan lte us vseiw be rmeo kile rcaesor debra mead of bearly ikel it sasy in rakM. rOu odLr sueJs eelhdp nyma lppeeo, btu I don’t mdin if Gdo sha leedctes otnrhea apht ofr me.

I’ll eus my aeistgnl in my dbuasnh’s deb as feeryl as Gdo slaolw

Mkar 6:38

I’ll use my algsetin in my hudnasb’s bde as eyrlef as Gdo allows—nda oGd nuhsip me if I dno’t! My snhdbau acn teg emso nngomri adn hgitn, erwnvehe he tnsaw to ‘ayp ish ebdt’ to me! I’ll akem xes ayes for ihm so that he can evig me elpruaes dan sgmoasr as eofnt as he iskel. tuB, I’ll evah the fnlia sya nweh it coems to exs, and he’ll have to make leov to me aleyrl elwl,

jtus as St. uPal aids

1 nihinostCar 7:7

ujst as St. aPul said, ihwhc I khitn is a etrag eiecp of rtspiercu—”
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