Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 82

Mariage is a ful gret sacrement; He which that hath no wyf, I holde him shent; 1320 He liveth helplees and al desolat, I speke of folk in seculer estaat.

And herke why, I sey nat this for noght, That womman is for mannes help y-wroght. (80) The hye G.o.d, whan he hadde Adam maked, 1325 And saugh him al allone, bely-naked, G.o.d of his grete goodnesse seyde than, 'Lat us now make an help un-to this man Lyk to him-self;' and thanne he made him Eve.

Heer may ye se, and heer-by may ye preve, 1330 That wyf is mannes help and his confort, His paradys terrestre and his disport.

So buxom and so vertuous is she, They moste nedes live in unitee. (90) O flesh they been, and o flesh, as I gesse, 1335 Hath but on herte, in wele and in distresse.

1323. Cp. herkne; Pt. Ln. Hl. herken.

A wyf! a! Seinte Marie, _benedicite!_ How mighte a man han any adversitee That hath a wyf? certes, I can nat seye.

The blisse which that is bitwixe hem tweye 1340 Ther may no tonge telle, or herte thinke.

If he be povre, she helpeth him to swinke; [430: T. 9217-9252.]

She kepeth his good, and wasteth never a deel; Al that hir housbonde l.u.s.t, hir lyketh weel; (100) She seith not ones 'nay,' whan he seith 'ye.' 1345 'Do this,' seith he; 'al redy, sir,' seith she.

O blisful ordre of wedlok precious, Thou art so mery, and eek so vertuous, And so commended and appreved eek, That every man that halt him worth a leek, 1350 Up-on his bare knees oghte al his lyf Thanken his G.o.d that him hath sent a wyf; Or elles preye to G.o.d him for to sende A wyf, to laste un-to his lyves ende. (110) For thanne his lyf is set in sikernesse; 1355 He may nat be deceyved, as I gesse, So that he werke after his wyves reed; Than may he boldly beren up his heed, They been so trewe and ther-with-al so wyse; For which, if thou wolt werken as the wyse, 1360 Do alwey so as wommen wol thee rede.

1340. Hl. ioye (_for_ blisse). 1348. E. Hn. murye. 1350. Hl. holt; Ln. holdeth. 1351. E. oughte; Hn. Cm. oghte. 1357. E. reede; Hn.

Cm. Cp. reed. _The scribe of_ E. _misses 1358-61, by confusing this_ reed _with_ rede (1361). 1358-61. _From_ Hn.; _so_ Cm.; _so the rest (nearly)_. 1358. Hn. kepen; _rest_ beren, bere.

Lo, how that Iacob, as thise clerkes rede, By good conseil of his moder Rebekke, Bond the kides skin aboute his nekke; (120) Thurgh which his fadres benisoun he wan. 1365

Lo, Iudith, as the storie eek telle can, By wys conseil she G.o.ddes peple kepte, And slow him, Olofernus, whyl he slepte.

Lo Abigayl, by good conseil how she Saved hir housbond Nabal, whan that he 1370 Sholde han be slayn; and loke, Ester also By good conseil delivered out of wo The peple of G.o.d, and made him, Mardochee, Of a.s.suere enhaunced for to be. (130)

Ther nis no-thing in gree superlatyf, 1375 As seith Senek, above an humble wyf.

Suffre thy wyves tonge, as Caton bit; She shal comande, and thou shalt suffren it; [431: T. 9253-9289.]

And yet she wol obeye of curteisye.

A wyf is keper of thyn housbondrye; 1380 Wel may the syke man biwaille and wepe, Ther-as ther nis no wyf the hous to kepe.

I warne thee, if wysly thou wolt wirche, Love wel thy wyf, as Crist loveth his chirche. (140) If thou lovest thy-self, thou lovest thy wyf; 1385 No man hateth his flesh, but in his lyf He fostreth it, and therfore bidde I thee, Cherisse thy wyf, or thou shalt never thee.

Housbond and wyf, what so men Iape or pleye, Of worldly folk holden the siker weye; 1390 They been so knit, ther may noon harm bityde; And namely, up-on the wyves syde.

For which this Ianuarie, of whom I tolde, Considered hath, in with his dayes olde, (150) The l.u.s.ty lyf, the vertuous quiete, 1395 That is in mariage hony-swete; And for his freendes on a day he sente, To tellen hem theffect of his entente.

1384. E. Hn. loued; Cm. louede; Cp. Pt. Ln. loueth; Hl. doth.

With face sad, his tale he hath hem told; He seyde, 'freendes, I am hoor and old, 1400 And almost, G.o.d wot, on my pittes brinke; Up-on my soule somwhat moste I thinke.

I have my body folily despended; Blessed be G.o.d, that it shal been amended! (160) For I wol be, certeyn, a wedded man, 1405 And that anoon in al the haste I can, Un-to som mayde fair and tendre of age.

I prey yow, shapeth for my mariage Al sodeynly, for I wol nat abyde; And I wol fonde tespyen, on my syde, 1410 To whom I may be wedded hastily.

But for-as-muche as ye ben mo than I, Ye shullen rather swich a thing espyen Than I, and wher me best were to allyen. (170)

1402. E. Cm. the; _rest_ my. 1410. Cp. Ln. aspye.

But o thing warne I yow, my freendes dere, 1415 [432: T. 9290-9324.]

I wol non old wyf han in no manere.

She shal nat pa.s.se twenty yeer, certayn; Old fish and yong flesh wolde I have ful fayn.

Bet is,' quod he, 'a pyk than a pikerel; And bet than old boef is the tendre veel. 1420 I wol no womman thritty yeer of age, It is but bene-straw and greet forage.

And eek thise olde widwes, G.o.d it woot, They conne so muchel craft on Wades boot, (180) So muchel broken harm, whan that hem leste, 1425 That with hem sholde I never live in reste.

For sondry scoles maken sotil clerkis; Womman of manye scoles half a clerk is.

But certeynly, a yong thing may men gye, Right as men may warm wex with handes plye. 1430 Wherfore I sey yow pleynly, in a clause, I wol non old wyf han right for this cause.

For if so were, I hadde swich mischaunce, That I in hir ne coude han no plesaunce, (190) Thanne sholde I lede my lyf in avoutrye, 1435 And go streight to the devel, whan I dye.

Ne children sholde I none up-on hir geten; Yet were me lever houndes had me eten, Than that myn heritage sholde falle In straunge hand, and this I tell yow alle. 1440 I dote nat, I woot the cause why Men sholde wedde, and forthermore wot I, Ther speketh many a man of mariage, That woot na-more of it than woot my page, (200) For whiche causes man sholde take a wyf. 1445 If he ne may nat liven chast his lyf, Take him a wyf with greet devocioun, By-cause of leveful procreacioun Of children, to thonour of G.o.d above, And nat only for paramour or love; 1450 [433: T. 9325-9360.]

And for they sholde lecherye eschue, And yelde hir dettes whan that they ben due; Or for that ech of hem sholde helpen other In meschief, as a suster shal the brother; (210) And live in chast.i.tee ful holily. 1455 But sires, by your leve, that am nat I.

For G.o.d be thanked, I dar make avaunt, I fele my limes stark and suffisaunt To do al that a man bilongeth to; I woot my-selven best what I may do. 1460 Though I be hoor, I fare as dooth a tree That blosmeth er that fruyt y-woxen be; A blosmy tree nis neither drye ne deed.

I fele me nowher hoor but on myn heed; (220) Myn herte and alle my limes been as grene 1465 As laurer thurgh the yeer is for to sene.

And sin that ye han herd al myn entente, I prey yow to my wil ye wole a.s.sente.'

1418. E. Hn. Pt. _om._ ful. 1420. Cm. bef; Cp. Pt. beef. Hl. Ln.

_om._ the. 1427. E. sotile. 1432. E. Cm. Cp. Ln. _om._ right.

1433. E. were that I. 1436. Hl. Hn. go; Cp. Pt. Ln. so; E. Cm.

_om._ E. vnto (_for_ to). 1438. E. Pt. leuere that houndes. 1446.

E. Siththe; Cm. Sith (_for_ If). Hn. Cm. Hl. ne; _rest om._ 1451.

E. Hl. Cp. Pt. leccherye. 1456. Cm. siris. 1462. E. Cp. that; Ln.

Hl. that the; Cm. than; Hn. Pt. the. 1463. E. Hn. And; Pt. That; _rest_ A.

Diverse men diversely him tolde Of mariage manye ensamples olde. 1470 Somme blamed it, somme preysed it, certeyn; But atte laste, shortly for to seyn, As al day falleth altercacioun Bitwixen freendes in disputisoun, (230) Ther fil a stryf bitwixe his bretheren two, 1475 Of whiche that oon was cleped Placebo, Iustinus soothly called was that other.

Placebo seyde, 'o Ianuarie, brother, Ful litel nede had ye, my lord so dere, Conseil to axe of any that is here; 1480 But that ye been so ful of sapience, That yow ne lyketh, for your heighe prudence, To weyven fro the word of Salomon.

This word seyde he un-to us everichon: (240) "Wirk alle thing by conseil," thus seyde he, 1485 "And thanne shaltow nat repente thee."

[434: T. 9361-9394.]

But though that Salomon spak swich a word, Myn owene dere brother and my lord, So wisly G.o.d my soule bringe at reste, I hold your owene conseil is the beste. 1490 For brother myn, of me tak this motyf, I have now been a court-man al my lyf.

And G.o.d it woot, though I unworthy be, I have stonden in ful greet degree (250) Abouten lordes of ful heigh estaat; 1495 Yet hadde I never with noon of hem debaat.

I never hem contraried, trewely; I woot wel that my lord can more than I.

What that he seith, I holde it ferme and stable; I seye the same, or elles thing semblable. 1500 A ful gret fool is any conseillour, That serveth any lord of heigh honour, That dar presume, or elles thenken it, That his conseil sholde pa.s.se his lordes wit. (260) Nay, lordes been no foles, by my fay; 1505 Ye han your-selven shewed heer to-day So heigh sentence, so holily and weel, That I consente and conferme every-deel Your wordes alle, and your opinioun.

By G.o.d, ther nis no man in al this toun 1510 Nin al Itaille, that coude bet han sayd; Crist halt him of this conseil wel apayd.

And trewely, it is an heigh corage Of any man, that stopen is in age, (270) To take a yong wyf; by my fader kin, 1515 Your herte hangeth on a Ioly pin.

Doth now in this matere right as yow leste, For finally I holde it for the beste.'

1479. E. hadde. 1490. MSS. holde. 1491. E. taak. 1503. E. Hn. Cm.

elles; _rest_ ones. 1506. Hn. Cm. shewed; E. seyd; Hl. y-spoken; _rest_ spoken. 1511. E. Nyn; _rest_ Ne in. Cm. al; _rest om._ 1512. E. Hn. _ins._ ful (Cm. wol) _before_ wel; _rest_ Crist holdeth him of this ful wel apayd. 1514. Cp. Hl. stopen; Ln. stoupin; E. Hn.

stapen; Cm. schapyn. 1517. E. matiere.

Iustinus, that ay stille sat and herde, Right in this wyse to Placebo answerde: 1520 [435: T. 9395-9430.]

'Now brother myn, be pacient, I preye, Sin ye han seyd, and herkneth what I seye.

Senek among his othere wordes wyse Seith, that a man oghte him right wel avyse, (280) To whom he yeveth his lond or his catel. 1525 And sin I oghte avyse me right wel To whom I yeve my good awey fro me, Wel muchel more I oghte avysed be To whom I yeve my body; for alwey I warne yow wel, it is no childes pley 1530 To take a wyf with-oute avys.e.m.e.nt.

Men moste enquere, this is myn a.s.sent, Wher she be wys, or sobre, or dronkelewe, Or proud, or elles other-weys a shrewe; (290) A chydester, or wastour of thy good, 1535 Or riche, or poore, or elles mannish wood.

Al-be-it so that no man finden shal Noon in this world that trotteth hool in al, Ne man ne beest, swich as men coude devyse; But nathelees, it oghte y-nough suffise 1540 With any wyf, if so were that she hadde Mo G.o.de thewes than hir vyces badde; And al this axeth leyser for tenquere.

For G.o.d it woot, I have wept many a tere (300) Ful prively, sin I have had a wyf. 1545 Preyse who-so wole a wedded mannes lyf, Certein, I finde in it but cost and care, And observances, of alle blisses bare.

And yet, G.o.d woot, my neighebores aboute, And namely of wommen many a route, 1550 Seyn that I have the moste stedefast wyf, And eek the mekeste oon that bereth lyf.

But I wot best wher wringeth me my sho.

Ye mowe, for me, right as yow lyketh do; (300) Avyseth yow, ye been a man of age, 1555 How that ye entren in-to mariage, [436: T. 9431-9465.]

And namely with a yong wyf and a fair.

By him that made water, erthe, and air, The yongest man that is in al this route Is bisy y-nogh to bringen it aboute 1560 To han his wyf allone, trusteth me.

Ye shul nat plese hir fully yeres three, This is to seyn, to doon hir ful plesaunce.

A wyf axeth ful many an observaunce. (320) I prey yow that ye be nat yvel apayd.' 1565

1520. _All but_ Cm. _insert_ he _before_ Right, _or_ to, _or_ answerde. 1531. E. Hn. Ln. withouten. 1539. E. Cm. which. Hl. man can; Cp. Pt. men conne; E. Hn. Cm. men koude. 1543. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl.

to enquere. 1545. Hn. Cm. Cp. Pt. Ln. sin that I hadde. 1551. Ln.

stedfast. 1559. E. yongeste. 1560. E. ynough; Cm. I-nogh. 1562.

Cm. Hl. plese; _rest_ plesen.

'Wel,' quod this Ianuarie, 'and hastow sayd?