WOB Quotes

WOB Quotes

1. Marriage / Love

   • For lordinges, sith I twelf yeer was of age, Thonked be God that is eterne on lyve, Housbondes at chirche-dore I have had fyve.
   • But me was told, certeyn, nat longe agon is, That sith that Crist ne wente nevere but onis To wedding in the Cane of Galilee, That by the same ensample taughte he me That I ne sholde wedded be but onis
   • God bad for us to wexe and multiplye: That gentil text can I wel understonde. Eek wel I woot he seyde, myn housbonde Sholde lete fader and moder, and take to me
   • Blessed be God that I have wedded fyve, Of whiche I have pyked out the beste, Bothe of here nether purs of here cheste
   • Welcome the sixte, whan that evere he shall!
   • I wol bistowe the flour of myn age In the actes and in fruit of mariage.
   • And whan that I have told thee forth my tale Of tribulacioun in mariage, Of which I am expert in al my age – This to seyn, myself have been the whippe – Than maystow chese whether thou wolt sippe Of thilke tonne that I shal abroche. Be war of it, er thou to ny approche.
   • As wolde God it leveful were unto me To be refresshed half so ofte as he! Which yifte of God hadde he for alle his wyvis! No man hath swich, that in this world alyve is

2. Sex

   • But wel I woot expres, withoute lye, God bad us for to wexe and multiplye: That gentil text can I wel understonde.
   • As wolde God it leveful were unto me To be refresshed half so ofte as he! Which yifte of God hadde he for alle his wyvis! No man hath swich, that in this world alyve is. God woot this noble king, as to my wit, The firste night had many a mery fit With ech of hem, so wel was him on lyve!
   • So that clerkes be nat with me wrothe, I sey this, that they maked been for both – This is to seye, for office, and for ese of engendrure, ther we nat God displese
   • Why sholde men elles in hir bokes sette That man shal yelde to his wyf hire dette? Now wherwith sholde he make his payement If he ne used his sely instrument?
   • I nil envye no virginitee: Lat hem be breed of pure whete-seed, And lat us wyves hoten barly-breed. And yet with barly-breed, Mark telle can, Oure Lord Jesu refresshed many a man
   • I wol persevere, I nam nat precious. In wyfhode I wol use myn instrument As frely as my Makere hath it sent. If I be daungerous, God yeve me sorwe! Myn housbond shal it have bothe eve and morwe.
   • An housbonde I wol have, I wol nat lette, which shal be bothe my dettour and my thral, And have his tribulacioun withal Upon his flessh, whyl that I am his wyf.
   • The three men were gode, and riche, and olde; Unnethe mighte they the statut holde In which that they were bounden unto me. Ye woot wel what I mene of this, pardee! As help me God, I laughe whan I thinke How pitously a-night I made hem swinke.

3. Women and Femininity

   • A wys womman wol bisye hire evere in oon To gete hire love, ye, ther as she hath noon.
   • Now herkneth how I bar me proprely: Ye wyse wyves, that can understonde, Thus shul ye speke and bere hem wrong on honde.
   • For half so boldely can ther no man Swere and lyen as a womman can
   • A wys wyf, if that she can hir good, Shal beren him on hond the cow is wood, And take witnese of hir owene mayde Of hir assent. (
   • Thou seyst, som folk desiren us for richesse, Somme for oure shape, and somme for oure fairnesse, And som for she kan outher synge or daunce, And som for getillesse and daliaunce, Som for hir handes and hir armes smale; Thus goth al to the devel by thy tale. Thou seyst, men may nat kepe a castel wal, It may so longe assailled ben overa
   • And if that she be foul, thou seist that she Coveiteth every man that she may se; For as a spaynel she wol on him lepe,, Til that she finde som man hire to chepe.
   • how seyst we wyves wol oure vyces hyde Til we be fast, and thanne we wol hem shewe.
   • We love no man that taketh kepe or charge Wher that we goon; we wol ben at oure large.
   • Thou lykenest eek wommanes love to helle, To bareyne lond, ther water may not dwelle, Thou lyknest it also to wilde fyr: The more it brenneth, the more it hath desyr To consume every thing that brent wol be.
   • Under that colour hadde I many a mirthe, For al swich wit is yeven us in our birthe. Deceite, weping, spinning God hath yive To wommen kindely whyl they may live.
   • One of us two moste bowen, doutelees, And sith a man is more resonable Than womman is, ye moste been suffrable.
   • We wommen han, if that I shal nat lye, In this matere a queynte fantasye; Wayte what thyng we may nat lightly have, Therafter wol we crie al day and crave. Forbede us thyng, and that desiren we; Preesse on us faste, and thanne wol we fle.
   • With daunger oute we al oure chaffare. Greet prees at market maketh deere ware, And to greet cheep is holde at litel prys; This knoweth every womman that is wys.
   • For trusteth wel, it is an impossible That any clerk wol speke wel of wyves, But if it be of holy seintes lyves, Ne of noon other womman never the mo.

4. Power

   • Th'Apostel, whan he speketh of maydenhede, He seyde that precept therof hadde he noon. Men may conseille a womman to been oon, But conseilling is no comandement: He putte it in oure owene jugement.
   • An housbonde I wol have, I wol nat lette, Which shal be both my dettour and my thral, And have his tribulacioun withal Upon his flessh, wyl that I am his wif.
   • I have the power duringe al my lyf Upon his propre body, and noght he: Right thus th'Apostel tolde it unto me, And bad oure housbondes for to love us weel. Al this sentence me lyketh every deel.
   • As help me God, I laughe whan I thynke How pitously a-nyght I made hem swynke.
   • But sith I hadde hem hoolly in myn hond, And sith they hadde me yeven all hir lond, What sholde I taken keep hem for to plese, But if it were for my profit and myn ese?
   • I governed hem so wel after my lawe That ech of hem ful blisful was and fawe To bringe me gaye thinges fro the fayre.
   • Now by that lord that called is Seint Jame, Thou shalt nat bothe, thogh that thou were wood, Be maister of my body and my good; That oon thou shalt forgo, maugree thyne yen.
   • We love no man that taketh kepe or charge Wher that we goon; we wol ben at oure large.
   • Of alle men his wisdom is the hyeste, That rekketh nevere who hath the world in honde.'

5. Religion

   • But that I axe, why that the fifthe man Was noon housbond to the Samaritan? How manye mighte she have in mariage? Yet herde I never tellen in myn age Upon this nombre diffinicioun.
   • Whan myn housbond is fro the world y-gon, Som Cristen man shal wedde me anon; For thanne th'Apostle seith that I am free To wedde, a Goddes half, where it lyketh me. He seith that to be wedded is no sinne: Bet is to be wedded than to brinne.

6. Wealth

   • Yblessed be God, that I have wedded fyve; (Of whiche I have pyked out the beste, Bothe of here nether purs and of here cheste.)
   • For wel ye knowe, a lord in his houshold, He nath nat every vessel al of gold; Somme been of tree, and doon hir lord servyse.
   • Myn housbond shal it have bothe eve and morwe, Whan that hym list come forth and paye his dette. An housbonde I wol have, I wol nat lette, Which shal be bothe my dettour and my thral.
   • The thre men were goode, and riche, and olde; Unnethe myghte they the status holde In which that they were bounden unto me – Ye woot wel what I meene of this, pardee!
   • As help me God, I laughe whan I thynke How pitously a-nyght I made hem swynke. And, by my fey, I tolde of it no stoor, They had me yeven hir gold and hir tresoor
   • I governed hem so wel after my lawe, That ech of hem ful blisful was, and fawe To brynge me gaye thynges fro the fayre.