| 1170 | And on her wombe he strikith her ful softe | |
| | And to the Paleys hoom he hath her lad | |
| | Now gode men I pray you be mery and glad | |
| | Thus endith here my tale of Ianuary | |
| | God blisse vs alle and his moder Mary | |
| | ¶ Here endith the Marchantis tale . And | |
| | begynneth the prolog of the wyf of Bathe . | |
| | E | ¶ Xperience though non auctorite | |
| | Were in this worlde is right ynow for me | |
| | To speke of woo that is in mariage | |
| | But lordis syn y . xij . wynter was of age | |
| 5 | Thankid be god that is eternal alyue | |
| | Husbondis at the chirche dore haue I had fyue | |
| | If I so often myghte haue weddid be | |
| | And alle were worthy men in here degre | |
| | But onys me was told not longe a go I wys | |
| 10 | That crist wente neuyr but onys | |
| | To weddynge in the Cane of galilee | |
| | That by the same ensaumpyl taughte he me | |
| | That I weddid sholde be but onys | |
| | Lo whiche a sharp word for the nonys | |
| 15 | Beside a welle Ihesus god and man | |
| | Spak in repreef of the samaritan | |
| | Thow hast had . v . husbondis sayd he | |
| | And that ilke man that now hath the | |
| | Is not thy husbond thus he sayde certeyn | |
| 20 | What he mente therby I can not sayn | |
| | But that I aske why that the . v . man | |
| | Was not husbond to the samaritan | |
