| | But weel he knew that next hym self certeyn | |
| 695 | She louyd her children best in euery wyse | |
| | But now of women wolde I axe ful feyn | |
| | Yf thyse assayes myght not suffyse | |
| | What coude a sturdy husbonde more deuyse | |
| | To preue her wifhood or her stedfastnes | |
| 700 | And he contynuynge euer in his sturdynes | |
| | But ther ben folk of suche maner condicion | |
| | And so wilful suche assayes to make | |
| | That can not stynte of here entencion | |
| | But right as they were boundyn to a stake | |
| 705 | They wol not of hir firste purpos slake | |
| | Right so this Markis hath fully purposid | |
| | To tempte his wyf as he was first disposed | |
| | He waytid as yf be word or contenaunce | |
| | That she to hym was chaungid of corage | |
| 710 | But neuer coude he fynde ony variaunce | |
| | She was ay in on herte and in visage | |
| | And the ferther that she was in age | |
| | The more trewe yf it were possibil | |
| | She was to hym and the more plesibill | |
| 715 | For whiche it semyd thus that of hem two | |
| | Ther was but on will for but as walter leste | |
| | The same lust was her plesaunce also | |
| | And god bethankid al fyl for the beste | |
| | She shewde weel for non wordly vnreste | |
| 720 | A wyf as of her self no thing ne sholde | |
| | Wille in effect but as her husbond wolde | |
| | The slaunder of Walter wonder wyde spradde | |
