Part 21

When my husband is from the world i-gone, Some Christian man shall wedde me anon.]

Beside a welle Jesus, God and man, Spake in reproof of the Samaritan: "Thou hast i-had five husbandes," quoth he, "And that ilk-man, which that now hath thee Is not thine husband." Thus he said certain; What that he meant thereby I cannot sayn, But that I axe why the fithe man Was not husband to the Samaritan?

The question is addressed to those who deny the validity of second marriages, and she asks them to explain upon their theory why the fifth man was not properly the husband of the Samaritan woman, when there is the authoritative declaration of Scripture that he was.]

Abide, quoth she, my tale is not begun. Nay, thou shalt drinke of another tun Ere that I go, shall savour worse than ale. And when that I have told thee forth my tale Of tribulation in marriage, Of which I am expert in all my age, That is to say, myself hath been the whip, Then might thou choose whether thou wilt sip Of thilke tunne that I shall abroach: Beware of it ere thou too nigh approach.

These dramatic touches omitted by Pope give life to the piece, and individuality to the characters.]

I shall say sooth of husbands that I had, As three of them were good, and two were bad.

She meant that the two were rebellious in comparison with the three who were her slaves; for in speaking of the entire five, at the commencement of the prologue, she added,

And all were worthy men in their degree.

Pope has fallen into an inconsistency. He states that the three old husbands were those who "were just tolerable." Yet when he comes to describe the youngest of the two, whom he here calls "bad," he makes the wife of Bath exclaim,

Now for my fifth loved lord, the last and best,

In Chaucer she distinctly denies that he was the best, but says she loved him best, and proceeds to explain the reason, which is that women always value those most who treat them with harshness or indifference.]

Me needeth not no longer doon diligence To win their love, or do them reverence. They loved me so well, high God above! That I tolde no deynte of their love. A wise woman will busy her ever in one To gete her love, there she hath none. But synnes I had them wholly in my hand And synnes they had me given all their land, What should I take keep them for to please But it were for my profit or mine ease?

"I tolde no deynte of their love," means I set no store by it; "ever in one" is always; and "take keep" is take care.]

Ye wise wives that can understand Thus should ye speak, and bear them wrong in hand; For half so boldely can there no man Swere and lie as a woman can.

"To bear them wrong in hand" is to affirm wrongfully or falsely. The phrase "to bear in hand" for "to asseverate," was still frequently used in the reign of Charles II.]

Or elles I had often time been spilt.

The poor man thus suddenly assailed stood upon the defensive, endeavoured to vindicate his innocence, and was heartily glad to hold his tongue on condition of receiving forgiveness for faults he had never committed.]

Under that colour had I many a mirth. For all such wit is given us of birth; Deceipt, weeping, spinning, God hath give To women kindely while they may live. And thus of one thing I avaunte me, At th' end I had the bet in each degree, By sleight or force, or of some maner thing, As by continual murmur or chiding.

"Kindely" is by nature.]

With empty hand men may no hawkes lure.

When the falconer had let fly his hawks, and wanted them to return, he was commonly obliged to entice them by some bait. The tassel, or tercel, was the male of the peregrine falcon, and was noted for its docility and gentleness. It would seem as if this species would obey the summons of the trainer without any other inducement, for when Juliet calls after Romeo, and he does not instantly reappear, she says,

O for a falconer's voice To lure this tassel-gentle back again.

That made me that ever I would them chide. For though the pope had seten them beside, I nold not spare them at their owne board, For, by my troth, I quit them word for word. As help me very God omnipotent, Though I right now should make my testament, I owe them nought a word, that it nis quit; I brought it so aboute by my wit, That they must give it up, as for the best, Or elles had we never been in rest. For though he looked as a grim lion, Yet should he fail of his conclusion.

Pope has omitted the latter half of the lines and thus obliterated one of those nicer traits of nature with which the original abounds. Men put on the grimness of the lion, and think to prevail by strength, but women conquer by pertinacity. The majority of men grow weary of perpetual conflict, and purchase peace by concession; but women of the stamp of the wife of Bath wilt wrangle for ever, and prefer endless discord to the subjugation of self-will. Dryden, adding to Virgil's thought, has expressed the idea, Æn. v. 1024:

Ev'n Jove is thwarted by his haughty wife, Still vanquished yet she still renews the strife.]

And I was young, and full of ragerie, Stubborn and strong and jolly as a pye.]

The flour is gone, there nis no more to tell, The bran as I best can, now must I sell.]

I made him of the same wood a cross. Not of my body in no foul manere; But certainly I made folk such cheer, That in his owne grease I made him fry For anger and for very jealousy. By God, in earth I was his purgatory, For which I hope his soule be in glory. For God it wot, he sat full still and sung, When that his shoe full bitterly him wrung. There was no wight save God and he that wist In many wyse how sore I him twist.