The Tales of The Clerk and The Wife of Bath

Geoffrey Chaucer, Marion Wynne-Davies

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2002
• Print ISBN: 9780415001342
• eBook ISBN: 9781134989416
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

The first feminist edition of these two tales. Wynne-Davies addresses the social and cultural context of the poems' production in a critical commentary to the texts. Also includes a line by line gloss and a historical introduction.

THE WIFE OF BATH’S PROLOGUE AND TALE

and

THE CLERK’S PROLOGUE AND TALE

Here bigynneth the prologe of the tale of the Wyf of Bathe

‘Experience thogh noon auctoritee	1
Were in this world is right ynogh for me To speke of wo that is in mariage; For, lordynges, sith that I twelf yeer was of age,
Thonked be God that is eterne on lyve,	5
Housbondes atte chirche dore I have had fyve – If I so ofte myghte han wedded be – And alle were worthy men in hir degree. But me was told, certeyn, noght longe agon is,
That sith that Crist ne wente nevere but onys	10
To weddyng in the Cane of Galilee, That by the same ensample taughte he me That I ne sholde wedded be but ones. Herke eek, lo, which a sharp word for the nones:
Bisyde a welle, Jesus, God and man,	15
Spak in repreeve of the Samaritan, “Thow hast yhad fyve housbondes,” quod he, “And that ilke man which that now hath thee Is nat thyn housbonde”, thus he seyde certeyn.
What that he mente therby, I kan nat seyn,	20
But that I axe, why that the fifthe man Was noon housbonde to the Samaritan? How manye myghte she han in mariage? Yet herde I nevere tellen in myn age
Upon this nombre diffynycioun.	25
Men may dyvyne and glosen up and doun, But wel I woot, expres, withouten lye, God bad us for to wexe and multiplye; That gentil text kan I wel understonde.
Eek wel I woot, he seyde that myn housbonde	30
Sholde lete fader and moder, and take to me. But of no nombre mencioun made he, Of bigamye or of octogamye; Why sholde men thanne speke of it vileynye?
Lo, here the wise kyng, daun Salomon,	35
I trowe he hadde wyves many oon. As wolde God it leveful were to me To be refresshed half so ofte as he! Which yifte of God hadde he for alle hise wyvys!
No man hath swich that in this world alyve is.	40
God woot, this noble kyng, as to my wit, The firste nyght hadde many a murye fit With ech of hem, so wel was hym on lyve. Blessed be god that I have wedded fyve!
Wel come the sixte, whan that evere he shal.	45
For sith, I wol nat kepe me chaast in al. Whan myn housbonde is fro the world agon, Som Cristen man shal wedde me anon, For thanne, th’apostle seith that I am free
To wedde, a Goddes half, where it liketh me.	50
He seith that to be wedded is no synne; Bet is to be wedded than to brynne. What rekketh me, theigh folk seye vileynye Of shrewed Lameth and his bigamye?
I woot wel Abraham was an holy man,	55
And Jacob eek, as fer as evere I kan, And ech of hem hadde wyves mo than two, And many another holy man also. Where kan ye seye in any maner age,
That heighe God ...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale
• The Clerk’s Prologue and Tale
• Critical commentary
• Notes
• Glossary
• Bibliography