A Comment Upon the Two Tales of our Ancient Renovvned, and Ever Living Poet Sr Jeffray Chaucer, Knight. Who, For his Rich Fancy, Pregnant Invention, and Present Composure, deserved the Countenance of a Prince, and his Laureat Honour. The Miller's Tale, and The Wife of Bath [by Richard Brathwait] |
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 | A Comment Upon the Two Tales of our Ancient |  |
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A Commentary upon Chaucer's Prologue to the Wife of Bath's Tale.
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An husband woll I have I woll not let
Which shall be both my dettour and my thrall
And have his tribulacion with all
Upon his flesh, while that I am his wife
I haue the power during all my life
Upon his proper body, and nat he,
Right thus the apostle tolde to me
And bad our husbonds for to loue us well
All this sentence me liketh every dell.
Great's her Ambition, though her Size be small;
Give but a Wench her will, and she has all.
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I shall not have the Patience I vow.
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The bacon was not fet for hem I trowe
That some men haue in Essex at Donmowe.
He that is not with Penitence taken
For that he married not before, or married now,
May challenge a Flitch of Essex Bacon,
And carve his Morsel in the Cow of Donmow.
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I governed hem so well after my lawe
That eche of them full blisful was and fawe
To bring me gay things fro the fayre
They were full fain whan I spake hem faire.
With Price or Prayer the hardest heart is won,
Which Age must do, when nought else can be done.
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Ye wise wives that can understonde
Thus shuld ye speke, and bere hem an honde
For halfe so boldly there can no man
Swere and lye, as a woman can.
Women are least of Goods, the worst of Evils,
Their best are worse than men, their worst than Devils.
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A wise wife shall if that she can her goode
Bere him in honde the cowe is woode
And take witnesse of her owne mayde
Of her assent:
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Who us'd to Capricorn her Husband's head;
Which he suspecting, lay in private wait,
To catch the Knave, and keep his Wife more strait
But all in vain; they day by day did mate it,
Yet could his four Eyes never take them at it.
This subtil Wench perceiving how they should
At last prevented be, do all they could:
For now Italian-like, her Husband grew
Horn-mad, I wis, and kept her in a Mew;
Invent'd a Trick, which to accomplish better,
Unto her Friend she closely sent a Letter,
And thus it was; Friend, you shall know by me
My Husband keeps me far more narrowly
Than he was wont; so as to tell you true,
You cannot come to me, nor I to you.
Yet spite of his Eyes, and as many more,
Wee'l use those Pleasures which we us'd before:
Only be wise, and second what I wish;
Which to express (my Friend) know this it is;
My Husband, as he hates the Horn to wear,
Of all the Badges forth, so fears he th' Bear,
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The Heathy Forest's spatious Continent.
If thou wilt right me then, and pepper him,
Cover thy Servant in a false Bear's Skin:
And come to morrow as thou us'd before,
Tying thy Servant to my Chamber door.
After this quaint Direction he attir'd
His man in Bear-skin, as she had desir'd:
Entring the Chamber, he received is
With many a Smile, Back-fal, and sweetned Kiss.
For they're secure of all that was before,
Having a Bear, that kept the Busse from Dore.
The Wittal Fool no sooner Inckling had,
Then up the Stairs he ran as he were mad:
But seeing none but th' Bear to entertain him,
Of Horns he never after did complain him.
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Sir old foole, what helpeth thee to spien
For though thou play Argus with his hundred iyen &c.
No Jealousie can ever that prevent,
Where as two parties once be full content.
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I trow I lov'd him the better, for that he
Was of his love so daungerous to me.
Follow women, they will fly you,
Fly but Women, they'l draw nigh you.
If you would a Woman move,
Seem to love not, when you love.
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Alas, alas, that ever love was sin.
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From Heaven: How comes it then thou liv'st on Earth?
I live not there. Yet each usurps thy Name:
'Tis true indeed, but hence redounds their shame.
“I live not there, my Nature's pure and just,
“But Lust lives there, and Love's a Foe to Lust.
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And thus God wote, Mercury is desolate
In Pisces, where Uenus is exaltate
And Uenus falleth where Mercury is reised
Therefore no woman of no clerke is preised.
For true it is, Employment hath no time
To offer Sacrifice to Venus Shrine.
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Lo here expresse of women may ye find
That woman was the losse of all mankind.
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To think that Rain should follow Thunder.
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Oh, hast thou slain me false these I saied
For my lond thus hast thou murdred me?
Er I be dedde, yet woll I ones kisse thee.
Wheel of a Womans Tongue is like a River,
Set it once going, it will go for ever.
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A Comment upon the Wife of Bathes Tale.
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All was this lond fulfilled of fairy
The Elfe quene, with her joly company &c.
Pug wooed Jug, a wily Cub,
To drink with him a Sillibub,
Which drunk, they so familiar grew,
As Jug became one of the Crew.
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My liege lady: generally, qd. he
Women desiren to haue souerainte
As well ouer her husbonds as her loue
And for to ben in maistry hem aboue
This is your most desire, though ye me kill
Doth as you list, I am here at your will.
Nor Love, nor Life, nor Liberty, nor Land,
Can please a Wench, unless she have Command.
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My loue (qd he) nay my dampnation
Alas that any of my nation &c.
Paula likes me, so shall I never her,
Because she's old, unless she elder were.
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Wel can the wise poete of Florence
That hight Daunte, speke in this sentence.
Ingenuous Daunt, who had the Art to fit
His Subject to his Verse, his Verse to it.
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And there as ye of pouertie me repreue
The hie God, on whom that we bileue
In wilful pouerte chese to lede his life &c.
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Before a Thief may sing a merry Note.
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Now sir, eke of elde ye repreued me
And certes sir, though none autorite
Were in no boke ye gentils of honour
Saine that men shuld an old wight honour &c.
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So were deep Furrows in an Aged Brow.
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And so they slepte till it was morow graie
And than she said, whan it was daie
Cast vp the courteine, and loke how it is.
And when this knight saw all this
That she so faire was and so yong therto
For joy he hent her in his armes two.
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Ten Kisses short as one, one long as Twenty.
—And Iesu Christ us sende
Husbondes meke, yong, and fresh a bedde
And grace to ouerliue hem that we wed.
And I pray to God, to short her liues
That will not be gouerned by her wiues
And olde and angry nigardes of dispence
God send hem sone a very pestilence.
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The Bridegroom joyes in his new-formed Bride
No Part in her appears from Top to Toe
But may give Nature thanks for making't so;
Inward and Outward Graces joyntly meet,
To make his Comfort in her more compleat;
Long did they live together in true Love,
While each with other in Affection strove:
“May all Folk marry so that would live well,
“Or let them tarry, and lead Apes in Hell.
| A Comment Upon the Two Tales of our Ancient | |