Full heartily I pray you tell us part.”
“Gladly,” quoth he; “but of mine owen sore,
For sorry heart, I tellë may no more.”
The Tale2746
Whilom there was dwelling in Lombardy
A worthy knight, that born was at Pavie,
In which he liv’d in great prosperity;
And forty years a wifeless man was he,
And follow’d aye his bodily delight
On women, where as was his appetite,
As do these foolës that be seculeres.2747
And, when that he was passed sixty years,
Were it for holiness, or for dotáge,
I cannot say, but such a great coráge2748
Haddë this knight to be a wedded man,
That day and night he did all that he can
To espy where that he might wedded be;
Praying our Lord to grantë him, that he
Mightë once knowen of that blissful life
That is betwixt a husband and his wife,
And for to live under that holy bond
With which God firstë man and woman bond.
“None other life,” said he, “is worth a bean;
For wedlock is so easy, and so clean,
That in this world it is a paradise.”
Thus said this oldë knight, that was so wise.
And certainly, as sooth2749 as God is king,
To take a wife it is a glorious thing,
And namely2750 when a man is old and hoar,
Then is a wife the fruit of his treasór;
Then should he take a young wife and a fair,
On which he might engender him an heir,
And lead his life in joy and in solace;2751
Whereas these bachelors singen “Alas!”
When that they find any adversity
In love, which is but childish vanity.
And truëly it sits2752 well to be so,
That bachelors have often pain and woe:
On brittle ground they build, and brittleness
They findë, when they weenë sickerness:2753
They live but as a bird or as a beast,
In liberty, and under no arrest;2754
Whereas a wedded man in his estate
Liveth a life blissful and ordinate,
Under the yoke of marriáge y-bound;
Well may his heart in joy and bliss abound.
For who can be so buxom2755 as a wife?
Who is so true, and eke so áttentíve
To keep2756 him, sick and whole, as is his make?2757
For weal or woe she will him not forsake:
She is not weary him to love and serve,
Though that he lie bedrid until he sterve.2758
And yet some clerkës say it is not so;
Of which he, Theophrast, is one of tho:2759
What force2760 though Theophrast list for to lie?
“Takë no wife,” quoth he, “for husbandry,2761
As for to spare in household thy dispence;
A truë servant doth more diligence
Thy good to keep, than doth thine owen wife,
For she will claim a half part all her life.
And if that thou be sick, so God me save,
Thy very friendës, or a truë knave,2762
Will keep thee bet2763 than she, that waiteth aye
After2764 thy good, and hath done many a day.”
This sentence, and a hundred timës worse,
Writeth this man, there God his bonës curse.
But take no keep2765 of all such vanity,
Defy2766 Theóphrast, and hearken to me.
A wife is Goddë’s giftë verily;
All other manner giftës hardily,2767
As landës, rentës, pasture, or commúne,2768
Or mebles,2769 all be giftës of fortúne,
That passen as a shadow on the wall:
But dread2770 thou not, if plainly speak I shall,
A wife will last, and in thine house endure,
Well longer than thee list, paráventure.2771
Marriage is a full great sacrament;
He which that hath no wife, I hold him shent;2772
He liveth helpless, and all desolate
(I speak of folk in secular estate):2773
And hearken why—I say not this for nought—
That woman is for mannë’s help y-wrought.
The highë God, when he had Adam maked,
And saw him all alonë belly naked,
God of his greatë goodness saidë then,
Let us now make a help unto this man
Like to himself; and then he made him Eve.
Here may ye see, and hereby may ye preve,2774
That a wife is man s help and his comfórt,
His paradise terrestre and his disport.
So buxom2775 and so virtuous is she,
They mustë needës live in unity;
One flesh they be, and one blood, as I guess,
With but one heart in weal and in distress.
A wife? Ah! Saint Marý, ben’dicite,
How might a man have any adversity
That hath a wife? certes I cannot say
The bliss the which that is betwixt them tway,
There may no tongue it tell, or heartë think.
If he be poor, she helpeth him to swink;2776
She keeps his good, and wasteth never a deal;2777
All that her husband list, her liketh2778 well;
She saith not onës Nay, when he saith Yea;
“Do this,” saith he; “All ready, Sir,” saith she.
O blissful order, wedlock precioús!
Thou art so merry, and eke so virtuous,
And so commended and approved eke,
That every man that holds him worth a leek
Upon his barë knees ought all his life
To thank his God, that him hath sent a wife;
Or ellës pray to God him for to send
A wife, to last unto his lifë’s end.
For then his life is set in sickerness,2779
He may not be deceived, as I guess,
So that he work after his wifë’s rede;2780
Then may he boldëly bear up his head,
They be so true, and therewithal so wise.
For which, if thou wilt worken as the wise,
Do alway so as women will thee rede.2781
Lo how that Jacob, as these clerkës read,
By good counsel of his mother Rebecc’
Boundë the kiddë’s skin about his neck;
For which his father’s benison2782 he wan.
Lo Judith, as the story tellë can,
By good counsel she Goddë’s people kept,
And slew him, Holofernes, while he slept.
Lo Abigail, by good counsél, how she
Saved her husband Nabal, when that he
Should have been slain. And lo, Esther also
By counsel good deliver’d out of
