Th’ apostle, when he spake of maidenhead,
He said, that precept thereof had he none:
Men may counsél a woman to be one,1767
But counseling is no commandëment;
He put it in our owen judgëment.
For, haddë God commanded maidenhead,
Then had he damned1768 wedding out of dread;1769
And certes, if there were no seed y-sow,1770
Virginity then whereof should it grow?
Paul durstë not commanden, at the least,
A thing of which his Master gave no hest.1771
The dart1772 is set up for virginity;
Catch whoso may, who runneth best let see.
But this word is not ta’en of every wight,
But there as1773 God will give it of his might.
I wot well that th’ apostle was a maid,
But natheless, although he wrote and said,
He would that every wight were such as he,
All is but counsel to virginitý.
And, since to be a wife he gave me leave
Of indulgence, so is it no repreve1774
To weddë me, if that my make1775 should die,
Without exceptión1776 of bigamy;
All were it1777 good no woman for to touch
(He meant as in his bed or in his couch),
For peril is both fire and tow t’ assemble;
Ye know what this example may resemble.
This is all and some, he held virginity
More profit than wedding in fraïlty:1778
(Frailty clepe I, but if1779 that he and she
Would lead their livës all in chastity),
I grant it well, I have of none envý
Who maidenhead prefer to bigamy;
It liketh them t’ be clean in body and ghost;1780
Of mine estate1781 I will not make a boast.
For, well ye know, a lord in his household
Hath not every vessel all of gold;1782
Some are of tree, and do their lord servíce.
God calleth folk to him in sundry wise,
And each one hath of God a proper gift,
Some this, some that, as liketh him to shift.1783
Virginity is great perfectión,
And continence eke with devotión:
But Christ, that of perfection is the well,1784
Bade not every wight he should go sell
All that he had, and give it to the poor,
And in such wise follow him and his lore:1785
He spake to them that would live perfectly—
And, lordings, by your leave, that am not I;
I will bestow the flower of mine age
In th’ acts and in the fruits of marriáge.
Tell me also, to what conclusión1786
Were members made of generatión,
And of so perfect wise a wight1787 y-wrought?
Trust me right well, they were not made for nought.
Glose whoso will, and say both up and down,
That they were made for the purgatioún
Of urine, and of other thingës smale,
And eke to know a female from a male:
And for none other causë? say ye no?
Experience wot well it is not so.
So that the clerkës1788 be not with me wroth,
I say this, that they werë made for both,
That is to say, for office,1789 and for ease1790
Of engendrure, there we God not displease.
Why should men ellës in their bookës set,
That man shall yield unto his wife her debt?
Now wherewith should he make his payëment,
If he us’d not his silly instrument?
Then were they made upon a creature
To purge urine, and eke for engendrure.
But I say not that every wight is hold,1791
That hath such harness1792 as I to you told,
To go and usë them in engendrure;
Then should men take of chastity no cure.1793
Christ was a maid, and shapen1794 as a man,
And many a saint, since that this world began,
Yet ever liv’d in perfect chastity.
I will not vie1795 with no virginity.
Let them with bread of pured1796 wheat be fed,
And let us wivës eat our barley bread.
And yet with barley bread, Mark tell us can,1797
Our Lord Jesus refreshed many a man.
In such estate as God hath cleped us,1798
I’ll persevere, I am not precious,1799
In wifehood I will use mine instrument
As freely as my Maker hath it sent.
If I be dangerous1800 God give me sorrow;
Mine husband shall it have, both eve and morrow,
When that him list come forth and pay his debt.
A husband will I have, I will no let,1801
Which shall be both my debtor and my thrall,1802
And have his tribulatión withal
Upon his flesh, while that I am his wife.
I have the power during all my life
Upon his proper body, and not he;
Right thus th’ apostle told it unto me,
And bade our husbands for to love us well;
All this senténce me liketh every deal.—1803
Up start the Pardoner, and that anon;
“Now, Dame,” quoth he, “by God and by Saint John,
Ye are a noble preacher in this case.
I was about to wed a wife, alas!
What? should I bie1804 it on my flesh so dear?
Yet had I lever1805 wed no wife this year.”
“Abide,”1806 quoth she; “my tale is not begun.
Nay, thou shalt drinken of another tun
Ere that I go, shall savour worse than ale.
And when that I have told thee forth my tale
Of tribulatión in marriáge,
Of which I am expert in all mine age,
(This is to say, myself hath been the whip),1807
Then mayest thou choose whether thou wilt sip
Of thilkë tunnë,1808 that I now shall broach.
Beware of it, ere thou too nigh approach,
For I shall tell examples more than ten:
Whoso will not beware by other men,
By him shall other men corrected be:
These samë wordës writeth Ptolemý;
Read in his Almagest, and take it there.”
“Dame, I would pray you, if your will it were,”
Saidë this Pardoner, “as ye began,
Tell forth your tale, and sparë for no man,
And teach us youngë men of your practique.”
“Gladly,” quoth she, “since that it may you like.
But
