Geoffrey Chaucer, d.1400:
Canterbury Tales: Prologue to Wife of Bath's Tale [Parallel Texts]
1: Experience, though noon auctoritee
2: Were in this world, is right ynogh for me
3: To speke of wo that is in mariage;
4: For, lordynges, sith I twelve yeer was of age,
5: Thonked be God that is eterne on lyve,
6: Housbondes at chirche dore I have had fyve, -7: If I so ofte myghte have ywedded bee, -8: And alle were worthy men in hir degree.
9: But me was toold, certeyn, nat longe agoon is,
10: That sith that crist ne wente nevere but onis
11: To weddyng, in the cane of galilee,
12: That by the same ensample taughte he me
13: That I ne sholde wedded be but ones.
14: Herkne eek, lo, which a sharp word for the
nones,
15: Biside a welle, jhesus, God and man,
16: Spak in repreeve of the samaritan:
17: Thou hast yhad fyve housbondes, -- quod he,
18: -- And that ilke man that now hath thee
19: Is noght thyn housbonde, -- thus seyde he
certeyn.
20: What that he mente therby, I kan nat seyn;
21: But that I axe, why that the fifthe man
22: Was noon housbonde to the samaritan?
23: How manye myghte she have in mariage?
24: Yet herde I nevere tellen in myn age
25: Upon this nombre diffinicioun.
26: Men may devyne and glosen, up and doun,
Experience, though no authority
Were in this world, were good enough for me,
To speak of woe that is in all marriage;
For, masters, since I was twelve years of age,
Thanks be to God Who is for aye alive,
Of husbands at church door have I had five;
For men so many times have wedded me;
And all were worthy men in their degree.
But someone told me not so long ago
That since Our Lord, save once, would never go
To wedding (that at Cana in Galilee),
Thus, by this same example, showed He me
I never should have married more than once.
Lo and behold! What sharp words, for the
nonce,
Beside a well Lord Jesus, God and man,
Spoke in reproving the Samaritan:
'For thou hast had five husbands,' thus said He,
'And he whom thou hast now to be with thee
Is not thine husband.' Thus He said that day,
But what He meant thereby I cannot say;
And I would ask now why that same fifth man
Was not husband to the Samaritan?
How many might she have, then, in marriage?
For I have never heard, in all my age,
Clear exposition of this number shown,
Though men may guess and argue up and
down.
27: But wel I woot, expres, withoute lye,
But well I know and say, and do not lie,
28: God bad us for to wexe and multiplye;
God bade us to increase and multiply;
29: That gentil text kan I wel understonde.
That worthy text can I well understand.
30: Eek wel I woot, he seyde myn housbonde
And well I know He said, too, my husband
31: Sholde lete fader and mooder, and take to me. Should father leave, and mother, and cleave to
me;
32: But of no nombre mencion made he,
But no specific number mentioned He,
33: Of bigamye, or of octogamye;
Whether of bigamy or octogamy;
34: Why sholde men thanne speke of it vileynye? Why should men speak of it reproachfully?
35: Lo, heere the wise kyng, daun salomon;
Lo, there's the wise old king Dan Solomon;
36: I trowe he hadde wyves mo than oon.
I understand he had more wives than one;
37: As wolde God it were leveful unto me
And now would God it were permitted me
38: To be refresshed half so ofte as he!
To be refreshed one half as oft as he!
39: Which yifte of God hadde he for alle his
Which gift of God he had for all his wives!
wyvys!
40: No man hath swich that in this world alyve is. No man has such that in this world now lives.
41: God woot, this noble kyng, as to my wit,
God knows, this noble king, it strikes my wit,
42: The firste nyght had many a myrie fit
The first night he had many a merry fit
43: With ech of hem, so wel was hym on lyve.
With each of them, so much he was alive!
44: Yblessed be God that I have wedded fyve!
Praise be to God that I have wedded five!