The Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath's Prologue Events Quotes

'Experience, though noon auctoritee Were in this world, is right y-nough for me To speke of wo that is in mariage. For lordinges, sith I twelf yeer was of age, Thonked be God that is eterne on lyve...

Blessed be God that I have wedded fyve, Of whiche I have pyked out the beste, Bothe of here nether purs of here cheste. (44-46)

[Christ] spak to hem that wolde live parfitly, And lordinges, by youre leve, that am nat I. I wol bistowe the flour of myn age In the actes and in fruit of mariage. (117-120)

Telle me also, to what conclusioun Were membres maad of generacioun And of so parfit wys a wright y-wroght? Trusteth right wel, they were nat maad for noght. (121-124)

I nil envye no virginitee: Lat hem be breed of pure whete-seed, And lat us wyves hoten barly-breed. And yet with barly-breed, Mark telle can, Oure Lord Jesu refresshed many a man. (148-152)

And whan that I have told thee forth my tale Of tribulacioun in mariage, Of which I am expert in al my age – This to seyn, myself have been the whippe – Than maystow chese whether thou...

The three men were gode, and riche, and olde; Unnethe mighte they the statut holde In which that they were bounden unto me. Ye woot wel what I mene of this, pardee! As help me God, I laughe whan I...

Now herkneth how I bar me proprely: Ye wyse wyves, that can understonde, Thus shul ye speke and bere hem wrong on honde. (230-232)

Thus seistow, lorel, whan thow goost to bedde, And that no wys man nedeth for to wedde, Ne no man that entendeth unto hevene. (279-281)

But folk of wyves maken noon assay Til they be wedded. Olde dotard shrewe! And thanne, seistow, we wol oure vices shewe. (290-292)

He is to greet a nigard that wol werne A man to lighte a candle at his lanterne; He shal have never the lasse light, pardee. Have thou y-nough, thee nar nat pleyne thee. (333-336)

By this proverbe thou shalt understonde, Have thou y-nogh, what that thee recche or care How merily that othere folkes fare? For certeyn, olde dotard, by youre leve, Ye shul have queynte right y-no...

Thou seyst also, that if we make us gay with clothyng and with precious array, That it is peril of oure chastitee: And yet, with sorwe, thou most enforce thee, And seye thise wordes in the Apostles...

Thou lykenest eek wommanes love to helle, To bareyne lond, ther water may not dwelle, Thou lyknest it also to wilde fyr: The more it brenneth, the more it hath desyr To consume every thing that bre...

Whoso that first to mille comth, first grint. I pleyned first: so was our werre y-stint. (395-396)

Under that colour hadde I many a mirthe, For al swich wit is yeven us in our birthe. Deceite, weping, spinning God hath yive To wommen kindely whyl they may live. (405-408)

One of us two moste bowen, doutelees, And sith a man is more resonable Than womman is, ye moste been suffrable. (446-448)

For al so siker as cold engendreth hayl, A likerous mouth moste han a likerous tayl. In wommen vinolent is no defense, This knowen lecchours by experience. (471-474)

In wommen vinolent is no defence, This knowen lecchours by experience. (473-474)

We wommen han, if that I shal nat lye, In this matere a queynte fantasye; Wayte what thyng we may nat lightly have, Therafter wol we crie al day and crave. Forbede us thyng, and that desiren we; Pr...

My fifthe housbonde, God his soule blesse, Which that I took for love and no richesse, He somtyme was a clerk at Oxenford. (531-533)

For certeinly, I sey for no bobance, Yet was I nevere withouten purveyance Of mariage, n'of othere thinges eek. I holde a mouses herte nat worth a leek that hath but oon hole for to sterte to, And...

He was, I trowe, twenty winter old, And I was fourty, if I shal seye sooth; But yet I hadde alwey a coltes tooth. (606-608)

This joly clerk Jankin, that was so hende, Hath wedded me with greet solempnitee, And to him yaf I al the lond and fee That evere was me yeven therbifore. But afterward repented me ful sore; He nol...

For trusteth wel, it is an impossible That any clerk wol speke wel of wyves, But if it be of holy seintes lyves, Ne of noon other womman never the mo. (694-697)

Of latter date, of wyves han he red That somme han slayn hir housbondes in hir bed, And lete hir lechour dighte hire al the night Whyl that the corps lay in the floor up-right. (771-774)

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. (...