How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Line). We used the line numbering found on Librarius's online edition.
Quote #7
Now sire, of elde ye repreve me,
And certes, sire, though noon auctoritee
Were in no book, ye gentils of honour
Seyn, that men sholde an oold wight doon favour,
And clepe hym fader for your gentillesse;
And auctours shal I fynde, as I gesse.
(1213 – 1218)
The loathly lady's reminder to the knight that men ought to honor the elderly is a double whammy because she has just established that gentle acts make one a gentleman. Were the knight to fail to honor the elderly, he would definitively establish himself as not a gentleman.
Quote #8
Now, ther ye seye that I am foul and old,
Than drede you noght to been a cokewold;
For filthe and eelde, al so moot I thee,
Been grete wardeyns upon chastitee.
(1219 – 1222)
The statement that age is a guardian of chastity is particularly ironic given the Wife of Bath's Prologue. There, the Wife stated her intention to continue having lots of sex despite her increasing years.