No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath's Tale Prologue to the Wife of Bath’s Tale Page 6

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Original Text	Modern Text
Up sterte the Pardoner, and that anon, ‘Now dame,’ quod he, ‘by God and by seint Iohn, Ye been a noble prechour in this cas! I was aboute to wedde a wyf; allas! What sholde I bye it on my flesh so dere? Yet hadde I lever wedde no wyf to-yere!’	Up sterte the Pardoner, and that anon, ‘Now dame,’ quod he, ‘by God and by seint Iohn, Ye been a noble prechour in this cas! I was aboute to wedde a wyf; allas! What sholde I bye it on my flesh so dere? Yet hadde I lever wedde no wyf to-yere!’
‘Abyde!’ quod she, ‘my tale is nat bigonne; Nay, thou shalt drinken of another tonne Er that I go, shal savoure wors than ale. And whan that I have told thee forth my tale Of tribulacioun in mariage, Of which I am expert in al myn age, This to seyn, my-self 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; For I shal telle ensamples mo than ten. Who-so that nil be war by othere men, By him shul othere men corrected be. The same wordes wryteth Ptholomee; Rede in his Almageste, and take it there.’	‘Abyde!’ quod she, ‘my tale is nat bigonne; Nay, thou shalt drinken of another tonne Er that I go, shal savoure wors than ale. And whan that I have told thee forth my tale Of tribulacioun in mariage, Of which I am expert in al myn age, This to seyn, my-self 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; For I shal telle ensamples mo than ten. Who-so that nil be war by othere men, By him shul othere men corrected be. The same wordes wryteth Ptholomee; Rede in his Almageste, and take it there.’
‘Dame, I wolde praye yow, if your wil it were,’ Seyde this Pardoner, ‘as ye bigan, Telle forth your tale, spareth for no man, And teche us yonge men of your praktike.’	‘Dame, I wolde praye yow, if your wil it were,’ Seyde this Pardoner, ‘as ye bigan, Telle forth your tale, spareth for no man, And teche us yonge men of your praktike.’

Original Text	Modern Text
Up sterte the Pardoner, and that anon, ‘Now dame,’ quod he, ‘by God and by seint Iohn, Ye been a noble prechour in this cas! I was aboute to wedde a wyf; allas! What sholde I bye it on my flesh so dere? Yet hadde I lever wedde no wyf to-yere!’	Up sterte the Pardoner, and that anon, ‘Now dame,’ quod he, ‘by God and by seint Iohn, Ye been a noble prechour in this cas! I was aboute to wedde a wyf; allas! What sholde I bye it on my flesh so dere? Yet hadde I lever wedde no wyf to-yere!’
‘Abyde!’ quod she, ‘my tale is nat bigonne; Nay, thou shalt drinken of another tonne Er that I go, shal savoure wors than ale. And whan that I have told thee forth my tale Of tribulacioun in mariage, Of which I am expert in al myn age, This to seyn, my-self 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; For I shal telle ensamples mo than ten. Who-so that nil be war by othere men, By him shul othere men corrected be. The same wordes wryteth Ptholomee; Rede in his Almageste, and take it there.’	‘Abyde!’ quod she, ‘my tale is nat bigonne; Nay, thou shalt drinken of another tonne Er that I go, shal savoure wors than ale. And whan that I have told thee forth my tale Of tribulacioun in mariage, Of which I am expert in al myn age, This to seyn, my-self 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; For I shal telle ensamples mo than ten. Who-so that nil be war by othere men, By him shul othere men corrected be. The same wordes wryteth Ptholomee; Rede in his Almageste, and take it there.’
‘Dame, I wolde praye yow, if your wil it were,’ Seyde this Pardoner, ‘as ye bigan, Telle forth your tale, spareth for no man, And teche us yonge men of your praktike.’	‘Dame, I wolde praye yow, if your wil it were,’ Seyde this Pardoner, ‘as ye bigan, Telle forth your tale, spareth for no man, And teche us yonge men of your praktike.’