Following is an excerpt from “The Wife of Bath's Prologue” in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales:
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Modern English
translated by J. U. Nicolson
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Middle English
edited by W. W. Skeat
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“ ‘Of all men the most blessed may he be,
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Of alle men y-blessed moot he be,
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That wise astrologer, Dan Ptolemy,
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The wyse astrologien Dan Ptholome,
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Who says this proverb in his Almagest:
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That seith this proverbe in his Almageste,
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”Of all men he's in wisdom the highest
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“Of alle men his wisdom is the hyeste,
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That nothing cares who has the world in hand.”
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That rekketh never who hath the world in honde.”
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By this proverb shall you understand:
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By this proverbe thou shalt understonde,
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Since you've enough, why do you reck or care
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Have thou y-nogh, what that thee recche or care
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How merrily all other folks may fare?
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How merily that othere folkes fare?
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For certainly, old dotard, by your leave,
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For certeyn, old dotard, by your leve,
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You shall have cunt all right enough at eve.
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Ye shul have queynte right y-nough at eve.
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He is too much a niggard who's so tight
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He is to greet a nigard that wol werne
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That from his lantern he'll give none a light.
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A man to lighte his candle at his lanterne;
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For he'll have never the less light, by gad;
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He shal have never the lasse light, pardee;
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Since you've enough, you need not be so sad.
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Have thou y-nough, thee thar nat pleyne thee.
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“ ‘You say, also, that if we make us gay
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Thou seyst also, that if we make us gay
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With clothing, all in costliest array,
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With clothing and with precious array.
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That it's a danger to our chastity;
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That it is peril of our chastitee;
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And you must back the saying up, pardie!
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And yet, with sorwe, thou most enforce thee,
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Repeating these words in the apostle's name:
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And seye thise wordes in the apostles name,
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“In habits meet for chastity, not shame,
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“In habit, maad with chastitee and shame,
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Your women shall be garmented,” said he,
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Ye wommen shul apparaille yow,” quod he,
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“And not with broidered hair, or jewellery,
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“And noght in tressed heer and gay perree,
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Or pearls, or gold, or costly gowns and chic”;
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As perles, ne with gold, ne clothes riche”;
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After your text and after your rubric
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After thy text, ne after thy rubriche
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I will not follow more than would a gnat.
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I wol nat wirche as muchel as a gnat.
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You said this, too, that I was like a cat;
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Thou seydest this, that I was lyk a cat;
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For if one care to singe a cat's furred skin,
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For who-so wolde senge a cattes skin,
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Then would the cat remain the house within;
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Thanne wolde the cat wel dwellen in his in;
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And if the cat's coat be all sleek and gay,
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And if the cattes skin be slyk and gay,
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She will not keep in house a half a day,
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She wol nat dwelle in house half a day,
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But out she'll go, ere dawn of any day,
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But forth she wole, er any day be dawed,
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To show her skin and caterwaul and play.
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To shewe hir skin, and goon a-caterwawed;
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This is to say, if I'm a little gay,
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This is to seye, if I be gay, sir shrewe,
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To show my rags I'll gad about all day.
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I wol renne out, my borel for to shewe.
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“ ‘Sir Ancient Fool, what ails you with your spies?
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Sire olde fool, what eyleth thee to spyën?
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Though you pray Argus, with his hundred eyes,
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Thogh thou preye Argus, with his hundred yën,
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To be my body-guard and do his best,
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To be my warde-cors, as he can best,
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Faith, he sha'n't hold me, save I am modest;
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In feith, he shal nat kepe me but me lest;
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I could delude him easily — trust me!
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Yet coude I make his berd, so moot I thee.
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“ ‘You said, also, that there are three things — three —
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Thou seydest eek, that ther ben thinges three,
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The which things are a trouble on this earth,
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The whiche thinges troublen al this erthe,
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And that no man may ever endure the fourth:
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And that no wight ne may endure the ferthe:
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O dear Sir Rogue, may Christ cut short your life!
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O leve sir shrewe, Jesu shorte thy lyf!
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Yet do you preach and say a hateful wife
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Yet prechestow, and seyst, an hateful wyf
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Is to be reckoned one of these mischances.
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Y-rekened is for oon of thise meschances.
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Are there no other kinds of resemblances
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Been ther none othere maner resemblances
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That you may liken thus your parables to,
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That ye may lykne your parables to,
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But must a hapless wife be made to do?
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But-if a sely wyf be oon of tho?
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“ ‘You liken woman's love to very Hell,
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Thou lykenest wommanes love to helle,
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To desert land where waters do not well.
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To bareyne lond, ther water may not dwelle,
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You liken it, also, unto wildfire;
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Thou lyknest it also to wilde fyr;
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The more it burns, the more it has desire
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The more it brenneth, the more it hath desyr
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To consume everything that burned may be.
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To consume every thing that brent wol be.
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You say that just as worms destroy a tree,
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Thou seyst, that right as wormes shende a tree,
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Just so a wife destroys her own husband;
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Right so a wyf destroyeth hir housbonde;
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Men know this who are bound in marriage band.’
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This knowe they that been to wyves bonde.
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“Masters, like this, as you must understand,
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Lordinges, right thus, as ye have understonde,
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Did I my old men charge and censure, and
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Bar I stifly myne olde housbondes on honde,
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Claim that they said these things in drunkenness;
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That thus they seyden in hir dronkenesse;
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And all was false, but yet I took witness
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And al was fals, but that I took witnesse
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Of Jenkin and of my dear niece also.
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On Janekin and on my nece also.
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O Lord, the pain I gave them and the woe,
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O lord, the peyne I dide hem and the wo,
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All guiltless, too, by God's grief exquisite!
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Ful giltelees, by goddes swete pyne!
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For like a stallion could I neigh and bite.
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For as an hors I coude byte and whyne.
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I could complain, though mine was all the guilt,
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I coude pleyne, thogh I were in the gilt,
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Or else, full many a time, I'd lost the tilt.
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Or elles often tyme hadde I ben spilt.
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Whoso comes first to mill first gets meal ground;
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Who-so that first to mille comth, first grint;
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I whimpered first and so did them confound.
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I pleyned first, so was our werre y-stint.
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They were right glad to hasten to excuse
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They were ful glad t'excusen hem ful blyve
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Things they had never done, save in my ruse.
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Of thing of which they never agilte hir lyve.
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“With wenches would I charge him, by this hand,
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Of wenches wolde I beren him on honde,
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When, for some illness, he could hardly stand.
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Whan that for syk unnethes mighte he stonde.
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Yet tickled this the heart of him, for he
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Yet tikled it his herte, for that he
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Deemed it was love produced such jealousy.
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Wende that I hadde of him so greet chiertee.
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I swore that all my walking out at night
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I swoor that al my walkinge out by nighte
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Was but to spy on girls he kept outright;
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Was for t'espye wenches that he dighte;
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And under cover of that I had much mirth.
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Under that colour hadde I many a mirthe.
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For all such wit is given us at birth;
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For al swich wit is yeven us in our birthe;
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Deceit, weeping, and spinning, does God give
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Deceite, weping, spinning god have yive
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To women, naturally, the while they live.
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To wommen kindely, whyl they may live.
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And thus of one thing I speak boastfully,
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And thus of o thing I avaunte me,
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I got the best of each one, finally,
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Atte ende I hadde the bettre in ech degree,
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By trick, or force, or by some kind of thing,
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By sleighte, or force, or by som maner thing,
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As by continual growls or murmuring;
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As by continuel murmur or grucching;
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Especially in bed had they mischance,
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Namely a-bedde hadden they meschaunce;
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There would I chide and give them no pleasance;
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Ther wolde I chyde and do hem no plesaunce;
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I would no longer in the bed abide
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I wolde no lenger in the bed abyde,
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If I but felt his arm across my side,
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If that I felte his arm over my syde,
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Till he had paid his ransom unto me;
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Til he had maad his raunson un-to me;
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Then would I let him do his nicety.
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Than wolde I suffre him do his nycetee.
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And therefore to all men this tale I tell,
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And ther-fore every man this tale I telle,
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Let gain who may, for everything's to sell.
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Winne who-so may, for al is for to selle.
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With empty hand men may no falcons lure;
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With empty hand men may none haukes lure;
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For profit would I all his lust endure,
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For winning wolde I al his lust endure,
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And make for him a well-feigned appetite;
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And make me a feyned appetyt;
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Yet I in bacon never had delight;
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And yet in bacon hadde I never delyt;
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And that is why I used so much to chide.
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That made me that ever I wolde hem chyde.
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For if the pope were seated there beside
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For thogh the pope had seten hem bisyde,
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I'd not have spared them, no, at their own board.
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I wolde nat spare hem at hir owene bord.
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For by my truth, I paid them, word for word.
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For by my trouthe, I quitte hem word for word.
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So help me the True God Omnipotent,
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As help me verray god omnipotent,
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Though I right now should make my testament,
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Thogh I right now sholde make my testament,
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I owe them not a word that was not quit.
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I ne owe hem nat a word that it nis quit
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I brought it so about, and by my wit,
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I broghte it so aboute by my wit,
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That they must give it up, as for the best,
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That they moste yeve it up, as for the beste;
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Or otherwise we'd never have had rest.
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Or elles hadde we never been in reste.
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For though he glared and scowled like lion mad,
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For thogh he loked as a wood leoun,
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Yet failed he of the end he wished he had.
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Yet sholde he faille of his conclusioun.
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“Then I would say:
‘Good dearie, see you keep
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Thanne wolde I seye, ‘gode lief, tak keep
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In mind how meek is Wilkin, our old sheep;
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How mekely loketh Wilkin oure sheep;
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Come near, my spouse, come let me kiss your cheek!
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Com neer, my spouse, lat me ba thy cheke!
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You should be always patient, aye, and meek,
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Ye sholde been al pacient and meke,
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And have a sweetly scrupulous tenderness,
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And han a swete spyced conscience,
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Since you so preach of old Job's patience, yes.
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Sith ye so preche of Jobes pacience.
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Suffer always, since you so well can preach;
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Suffreth alwey, sin ye so wel can preche;
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And, save you do, be sure that we will teach
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And but ye do, certein we shal yow teche
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That it is well to leave a wife in peace.
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That it is fair to have a wyf in pees.
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One of us two must bow, to be at ease;
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Oon of us two moste bowen, doutelees;
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And since a man's more reasonable, they say,
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And sith a man is more resonable
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Than woman is, you must have patience aye.
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Than womman is, ye moste been suffrable.
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What ails you that you grumble thus and groan?
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What eyleth yow to grucche thus and grone?
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Is it because you'd have my cunt alone?
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Is it for ye wolde have my queynte allone?
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Why take it all, lo, have it every bit;
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Why taak it al, lo, have it every-deel;
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Peter! Beshrew you but you're fond of it!
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Peter! I shrewe yow but ye love it weel!
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For if I would go peddle my belle chose,
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For if I wolde selle my bele chose,
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I could walk out as fresh as is a rose;
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I coude walke as fresh as is a rose;
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But I will keep it for your own sweet tooth.
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But I wol kepe it for your owene tooth,
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You are to blame, by God I tell the truth.’
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Ye be to blame, by god, I sey yow sooth.’
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“Such were the words I had at my command.
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Swiche maner wordes hadde we on honde.
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Now will I tell you of my fourth husband.
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Now wol I speken of my fourthe housbonde.
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“My fourth husband, he was a reveller,
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My fourthe housbonde was a revelour,
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That is to say, he kept a paramour;
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This is to seyn, he hadde a paramour;
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And young and full of passion then was I,
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And I was yong and ful of regerye,
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Stubborn and strong and jolly as a pie.
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Stiborn and strong, and joly as a pye.
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Well could I dance to tune of harp, nor fail
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Wel coude I daunce to an harpe smale,
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To sing as well as any nightingale
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And singe, y-wis, as any nightingale,
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When I had drunk a good draught of sweet wine.
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Whan I had dronke a draughte of swete wyn.
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Metellius, the foul churl and the swine,
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Metellius, the foule cherl, the swyn,
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Did with a staff deprive his wife of life
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That with a staf birafte his wyf hir lyf,
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Because she drank wine; had I been his wife
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For she drank wyn, thogh I hadde been his wyf,
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He never should have frightened me from drink;
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He sholde nat han daunted me fro drinke;
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For after wine, of Venus must I think:
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And, after wyn, on Venus moste I thinke:
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For just as surely as cold produces hail,
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For al so siker as cold engendreth hayl,
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A liquorish mouth must have a lickerish tail.
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A likerous mouth moote han a likerous tayl.
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In women wine's no bar of impotence,
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In womman vinolent is no defence,
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This know all lechers by experience.
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This knowen lechours by experience.
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“But Lord Christ! When I do remember me
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But, lord Crist! whan that it remembreth me
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Upon my youth and on my jollity,
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Up-on my yowthe, and on my jolitee,
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It tickles me about my heart's deep root.
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It tikleth me aboute myn herte rote.
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To this day does my heart sing in salute
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Unto this day it dooth myn herte bote
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That I have had my world in my own time.
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That I have had my world as in my tyme.
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But age, alas! that poisons every prime,
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But age, allas! that al wol envenyme,
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Has taken away my beauty and my pith;
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Hath me biraft my beautee and my pith;
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Let go, farewell, the devil go therewith!
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Lat go, fare-wel, the devel go therwith!
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The flour is gone, there is no more to tell,
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The flour is goon, there is na-more to telle,
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The bran, as best I may, must I now sell;
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The bren, as I best can, now moste I selle;
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But yet to be right merry I'll try, and
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But yet to be right mery wol I fonde.
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Now will I tell you of my fourth husband.”
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Now wol I tellen of my fourthe housbonde.
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“I say that in my heart I'd great despite
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I seye, I hadde in herte greet despyt
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When he of any other had delight.
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That he of any other had delyt.
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But he was quit, by God and by Saint Joce!
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But he was quit, by god and by seint Joce!
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I made, of the same wood, a staff most gross;
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I made him of the same wode a croce;
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Not with my body and in manner foul,
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Nat of my body in no foul manere,
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But certainly I showed so gay a soul
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But certeinly, I made folk swich chere,
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That in his own thick grease I made him fry
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That in his owene grece I made him frye
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For anger and for utter jealousy.
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For angre, and for verray jalousye.
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By God, on earth I was his purgatory,
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By god, in erthe I was his purgatorie,
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For which I hope his soul lives now in glory.
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For which I hope his soule be in glorie.
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For God knows, many a time he sat and sung
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For god it woot, he sat ful ofte and song
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When the shoe bitterly his foot had wrung
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Whan that his shoo ful bitterly him wrong.
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There was no one, save God and he, that knew
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Ther was no wight, save god and he, that wiste,
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How, in so many ways, I'd twist the screw.
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In many wyse, how sore I him twiste.
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He died when I came from Jerusalem,
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He deyde whan I cam fro Jerusalem,
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And lies entombed beneath the great rood-beam,
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And lyth y-grave under the rode-beem,
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Although his tomb is not so glorious
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Al is his tombe noght so curious
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As was the sepulchre of Darius,
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As was the sepulcre of him, Darius,
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The which Apelles wrought full cleverly;
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Which that Appelles wroghte subtilly;
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'Twas waste to bury him expensively.
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It nis but wast to burie him preciously.
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Let him fare well. God give his soul good rest,
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Lat him fare-wel, god yeve his soule reste,
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He now is in the grave and in his chest.
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He is now in the grave and in his cheste.
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“And now of my fifth husband will I tell.
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Now of my fifthe housbond wol I telle.
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God grant his soul may never get to Hell!”
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God lete his soule never come in helle!
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