Nower so besy a man as he ther n'as,
And yet he semed besier than he was....
His wallet lay beforne him in his lappe,
Bret-ful of pardon come from Rome al hote....
Everich, for the wisdom that he can,
Was shapelich for to be an alderman.
For catel hadden they ynough and rent,
And eke hir wives wolde it wel assent....
Bold war hire face, and fayre and red of hew,
She was a worthy woman all hire live;
Housbandes at the chirche dore had she had five,
Without other compagnie in youthe....
In all the parish wif ne was ther non,
That to the offring before hire shulde gon,
And if ther did, certain so wroth was she,
That she was out of alle charitee....
God bad us for to wex and multiplie,
That gentil text can I wel understond;
Eke wel I wot, he sayed that min husbond,
Shuld leve fader and moder, and take to me;
But of no noumbre mention made he,
Of bigamie or of octogamie;
Why should men than speke of it vilanie?
Lo here the wise king Dan Salomon,
I trow he hadde wives mo than on,
(As wolde God it leful were to me
To be refreshed half so oft as he)
Which a gift of God had he for all his wives?....
Blessed be God that I hav wedded five.
Welcome the sixthe whan that ever he shall.
Christ spoke to hem that wold live parfitly
And Lordlings (by your leve) that am not I.
I wol bestow the flour of all myn age,
In th' actes and the fruit of mariage....
And husband wol I have, I wol not lette,
Which shall be both my dettour and my thrall,
And have his tribulation withall
Upon his flesh, while that I am his wif.
For as an horse I couth both bite and whine,
I couth compleine though I were in the gilt....
I pleinid first, and so was our war stint.
They were full glad t' excusin them full blive
Of what they agilt nevir in their live....
I swore that all my walking out by night
Was for to espy wenchis that he dight....
For though the Pope had sittin him beside,
I wold not sparin them at their owes bord....
But certainly I madin folk soche chere
That in his own grese made I him to frie
For angir and for very jalousie.
By God, on erth I was his Purgatory,
For which I hope his soule is now in glory....
And Jenkin eke our clerk was one of tho,
As help me God, whan that I saw him go
Aftir the bere, methought he had a paire
Of leggis and of fete so clene, so faire,
That all my hert I gave unto his hold.
He was, I trow, but twenty winter old,
And I was forty, if I shall say sothe ...
As help me God, I was a lusty one,
And faire, and rich, and yong, and well begone.