A Haberdasher, a Carpenter, a Webber (weaver), a Dyer, and a Tapiser (tapestry-maker) came next, with the Cook they brought with them, a Shipman, a Doctor of Physic, and a ‘worthy[66] woman,’ called the Wife of Bath, because she lived near that city.
The Doctor of Physic.
The Wife of Bath.
The Wife of Bath.
She was so expert in weaving cloth, that there was no one who could come up to her; and she thought so much of herself, that if another woman even went up to the church altar before her, she considered it a slight upon her. The Wife of Bath was middle-aged, and somewhat deaf: she had had five husbands, but they had all died—she was such a shrew: and she had taken pilgrimages to Cologne and Rome, and many other places; for she had plenty of money, as one might see by her showy dress.
Hire hosen weren of fyn scarlet reed,hose
Ful streyte yteyd, and schoos ful moyst and newe.
Bold was hire face, and fair and rede of hew.
Her stockings were of finest scarlet red,
All straitly tied, and shoes all moist and new.
Bold was her face, and fair and red of hue.
She was well wimpled with fine kerchiefs, and her hat was as broad as a buckler or a target.