How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Line). We used the line numbering found on Librarius's online edition.
Quote #7
For trewely, ther is noon of us alle,
If any wight wol clawe us on the galle,
That we nel kike; for he seith us sooth:
For, be we never so vicious withinne,
We sol been holden wise, and clene of synne.
(945 – 950)
Now the Wife connects women's aversion to correction to vanity, or the desire to appear a certain way to others. Recall that in her Prologue, though, the Wife asserts that no one, including a man, likes to be reproved of his vices. It's not just women, then, that are guilty of vanity.
Quote #8
And somme seyn, that greet delit han we
For to been holden stable and eek secree,
And in o purpos stedefastly to dwelle,
And nat biwreye thyng that men us telle.
(951 – 954)
What's curious about this passage is the way it mixes what appear to us to be two separate attributes as if they're the same thing. Women want to be considered "steadfast" or focused on their goals. But what does this have to do with being able to keep a secret? Perhaps a steadfast person is better able to keep a secret because their loyalty remains focused upon the person who told them the secret.
Quote #9
But that tale is nat worth a rake-stele,
Pardee, we wommen konne no thyng hele.
(955 – 956)
The idea that women were unable to keep a secret was related to the antifeminist stereotype as women as indiscriminate chatterboxes and gossips. The Wife herself confirms this stereotype when she describes how she caused her husband great shame by revealing everything about him to her gossips, even something as mundane as when he peed on a wall.