T. 9253-9289.]
E. THE MARCHANTES TALE.
431
And yet she wol obeye of curteisye.
1380A wyf is keper of thyn housbondrye;
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,
(140)Love wel thy wyf, as Crist loveth[1] his chirche.
1385If thou lovest thy-self, thou lovest thy wyf;
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,
1390Of worldly folk holden the siker weye;
They been so knit, ther may noon harm bityde;
And namely, up-on the wyves syde.
For which this Ianuarie, of whom I tolde,
(150)Considered hath, in with his dayes olde,
1395The lusty lyf, the vertuous quiete,
That is in mariage hony-swete;
And for his freendes on a day he sente,
To tellen hem theffect of his entente.
With face sad, his tale he hath hem told;
1400He seyde, 'freendes, I am hoor and old,
And almost, god wot, on my pittes brinke;
Up-on my[2] soule somwhat moste I thinke.
I have my body folily despended;
(160)Blessed be god, that it shal been amended!
1405For I wol be, certeyn, a wedded man,
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;
1410And I wol fonde tespyen[3], on my syde,
To whom I may be wedded hastily.
But for-as-muche as ye ben mo than I,
Ye shullen rather swich a thing espyen
(170)Than I, and wher me best were to allyen.
1415 But o thing warne I yow, my freendes dere,
1380A wyf is keper of thyn housbondrye;
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,
(140)Love wel thy wyf, as Crist loveth[1] his chirche.
1385If thou lovest thy-self, thou lovest thy wyf;
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,
1390Of worldly folk holden the siker weye;
They been so knit, ther may noon harm bityde;
And namely, up-on the wyves syde.
For which this Ianuarie, of whom I tolde,
(150)Considered hath, in with his dayes olde,
1395The lusty lyf, the vertuous quiete,
That is in mariage hony-swete;
And for his freendes on a day he sente,
To tellen hem theffect of his entente.
With face sad, his tale he hath hem told;
1400He seyde, 'freendes, I am hoor and old,
And almost, god wot, on my pittes brinke;
Up-on my[2] soule somwhat moste I thinke.
I have my body folily despended;
(160)Blessed be god, that it shal been amended!
1405For I wol be, certeyn, a wedded man,
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;
1410And I wol fonde tespyen[3], on my syde,
To whom I may be wedded hastily.
But for-as-muche as ye ben mo than I,
Ye shullen rather swich a thing espyen
(170)Than I, and wher me best were to allyen.
1415 But o thing warne I yow, my freendes dere,
