Yet is there so perfect felicity,
And so great ease and lust,2847 in marriáge,
That ev’r I am aghast,2848 now in mine age
That I shall head now so merry a life,
So delicate, withoutë woe or strife,
That I shall have mine heav’n on earthë here.
For since that very heav’n is bought so dear,
With tribulatión and great penánce,
How should I then, living in such pleasánce
As allë wedded men do with their wivës,
Come to the bliss where Christ etern on live is?2849
This is my dread;2850 and ye, my brethren tway,
Assoilë2851 me this question, I you pray.”
Justinus, which that hated his follý,
Answér’d anon right in his japery;2852
And, for he would his longë tale abridge,
He wouldë no authority2853 allege,
But saidë; “Sir, so there be none obstácle
Other than this, God of his high mirácle,
And of his mercy, may so for you wirch,2854
That, ere ye have your rights of holy church,
Ye may repent of wedded mannë’s life,
In which ye say there is no woe nor strife:
And ellës God forbid, but if2855 he sent
A wedded man his grace him to repent
Well often, rather than a single man.
And therefore, Sir, the bestë rede I can,2856
Despair you not, but have in your memóry,
Paráventure she may be your purgatóry;
She may be Goddë’s means, and Goddë’s whip;
And then your soul shall up to heaven skip
Swifter than doth an arrow from a bow.
I hope to God hereafter ye shall know
That there is none so great felicity
In marriáge, nor ever more shall be,
That you shall let2857 of your salvatión;
So that ye use, as skill is and reasón,
The lustës2858 of your wife attemperly,2859
And that ye please her not too amorously,
And that ye keep you eke from other sin.
My tale is done, for my wit is but thin.
Be not aghast2860 hereof, my brother dear,
But let us waden out of this mattére,
The Wife of Bath, if ye have understand,
Of marriáge, which ye have now in hand,
Declared hath full well in little space;
Fare ye now well, God have you in his grace.”
And with this word this Justin’ and his brother
Have ta’en their leave, and each of them of other.
And when they saw that it must needës be,
They wroughtë so, by sleight and wise treatý,
That she, this maiden, which that Maius hight,2861
As hastily as ever that she might,
Shall wedded be unto this Januáry.
I trow it were too longë you to tarry,
If I told you of every script and band2862
By which she was feoffed in his hand;
Or for to reckon of her rich array.
But finally y-comen is the day
That to the churchë bothë be they went,
For to receive the holy sacrament,
Forth came the priest, with stole about his neck,
And bade her be like Sarah and Rebecc’
In wisdom and in truth of marriáge;
And said his orisons, as is uságe,
And crouched2863 them, and bade2864 God should them bless,
And made all sicker2865 enough with holiness.
Thus be they wedded with solemnity;
And at the feastë sat both he and she,
With other worthy folk, upon the dais.
All full of joy and bliss is the paláce,
And full of instruments, and of vitáille,
The mostë dainteous2866 of all Itále.
Before them stood such instruments of soun’,
That Orpheus, nor of Thebes Amphioún,
Ne madë never such a melody.
At every course came in loud minstrelsy,
That never Joab trumped for to hear,
Nor he, Theodomas, yet half so clear
At Thebes, when the city was in doubt.
Bacchus the wine them skinked2867 all about.
And Venus laughed upon every wight
(For January was become her knight,
And wouldë both assayë his couráge
In liberty, and eke in marriáge),
And with her firebrand in her hand about
Danced before the bride and all the rout.
And certainly I dare right well say this,
Hyméneus, that god of wedding is,
Saw never his life so merry a wedded man.
Hold thou thy peace, thou poet Marcian,2868
That writest us that ilkë2869 wedding merry
Of her Philology and him Mercúry,
And of the songës that the Muses sung;
Too small is both thy pen, and eke thy tongue,
For to describen of this marriáge.
When tender youth hath wedded stooping age,
There is such mirth that it may not be writ;
Assay it yourëself, then may ye wit2870
If that I lie or no in this mattére.
Maius, that sat with so benign a cheer,2871
Her to behold it seemed faërie;
Queen Esther never look’d with such an eye
On Assuere, so meek a look had she;
I may you not devise all her beauty;
But thus much of her beauty tell I may,
That she was hike the bright morrow of May
Full filled of all beauty and pleasánce.
This January is ravish’d in a trance,
At every time he looked in her face;
But in his heart he gan her to menace,
That he that night in armës would her strain
Harder than ever Paris did Heléne.
But natheless yet had he great pitý
That thilkë night offendë her must he,
And thought, “Alas, O tender creatúre,
Now wouldë God ye mightë well endure
All my couráge, it is so sharp and keen;
I am aghast2872 ye shall it not sustene.
But God forbid that I did all my might.
Now wouldë God that it were waxen night,
And that the night would lasten evermo’.
I would that all this people were y-go.”2873
And finally he did all his laboúr,
As he best mightë, saving his honoúr,
To haste them from the meat in subtle wise.
The timë came that reason was to rise;
And after that men dance, and drinkë fast,
And spices all about the house they cast,
And full of joy and bliss is every man,
All but a squire, that hightë Damian,
Who carv’d before the knight full many a day;
He was so ravish’d on his lady May,
That for the very pain he was nigh wood;2874
Almost he swelt2875 and swooned where he
