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And yaf him to the quene, all at hire will

To chefe whether she wold him fave or fpill. 6480

The quene thanketh the king with al hire might; And after this thus fpake fhe to the knight,

Whan that fhe faw hire time upon a day.

Thou ftandeft yet (quod fhe) in swiche array, That of thy lif yet hast thou not seuretee;

I grant thee lif if thou canft tellen me

What thing is it that women moit defiren:
Beware, and keppe thy nekke bone from yren.
And if thou canst not tell it me anon,
Yet wol I yeve thee leve for to gon

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A twelvemonth and a day to feke and lere

An anfwer fuffifant in this matere;

And feuretee wol I have, or that thou pace,
Thy body for to yelden in this place...

Wo was the knight, and forwefully he liketh: 6495
But what? he may not don all as him liketh.
And at the laft he chefe him for to wende,
And come agen right at the yeres ende
With fwiche anfwer as God wold him purvay,
And taketh his leve, and wendeth forth his way.
He feketh every hous and every place,

6500

Wher as he hopeth for to finden grace,

To lernen what thing women loven mofe;

But he ne coude ariven in no cofte

Wher as he mighte find in this matere

6505

Two creatures according in fere.

Som faiden women loven best richeffe,"
Som faiden honour, fom faiden jolineffe,

Som riche array, som faiden luft a-bedde,

And oft time to be widewe and to be wedde. 6510
Some faiden that we ben in herte moft efed
Whan that we ben yflatered and ypreised.
He goth ful nigh the foth, I wol not lie;
A man fhal winne us beft with flaterie;
And with attendance and with befineffe
Ben we ylimed bothe more and leffe.

And fom men faiden that we loven best

6515

For to be free, and do right as us left,
And that no man repreve us of our vice,

But say that we ben wife and nothing nice;

6520

For trewely ther n'is non of us all,

If any wight wol claw us on the gall,
That we n'ilkkike for that he faith us foth;
Affay, and he fhal find it that fo doth:

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For be we never fo vicious withinne

6525

We wol be holden wife and clene of finne.

And fom faiden that gret delit han we For to be holden ftable and eke fecre, And in o purpos ftedfaftly to dwell,

And not bewreyen thing that men us tell;
But that tale is not worth a rake-stele.
Parde we women connen nothing hele,
Witneffe on Mida; wol ye here the Tale?
Ovide, amonges other thinges fmale,

6530

Said Mida had under his longe heres

Growing upon his hed two affes eres,
The whiche vice he hid, as he befte might,
Ful fubtilly from every mannes fight,
That fave his wif ther wift of it no mo;

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He loved hire most, and trusted hire also;

6540

He praied hire that to no creature

She u'olde tellen of his disfigure.

She wore him Nay, for all the world to winne

She nolde do that vilanie ne finne,

To make hire hufbond han fo foule a name:

6545

She n'olde not tell it for hire owen fhame.

But natheles hire thoughte that she dide

That the fo longe fhuld a confeil hide;

Hire thought it swal fo fore aboute hire herte,
That nedely fom word hire must afterte;
And fith the dorft nat telle it to no man,
Doun to a mareis fafte by the ran;
Til fhe came ther hire herte was a fire:
And as a bitore bumbleth in the mire,
She laid hire mouth unto the water doun.

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Bewrey me not, thou water, with thy foun,

Quod fhe; to thee I tell it, and no mo,

Min hufbond hath long affes eres two.
Now is min herte all hole, now is it out,
I might no lenger kepe it out of dout.
Herc may ye fee, though we a time abide,
Yet out it mofte; we can no confeil hide.

6560

The remenant of the Tale, if ye wol here,
Redeth Ovide, and ther ye may it lere.

This knight, of which my Tale is fpecially, 6565 Whan that he saw he might not come therby, (This is to sayn, what women loven most) Within his breft ful forweful was his goft.

But home he goth, he mighte not fojourne;

The day was come that homward must he turne.

And in his way it happed him to ride,

6571

In all his care, under a foreft fide,'

Wheras he faw upon a dance go

Of ladies foure-and-twenty, and yet mo.
Toward this ilke dance he drow ful yerne,

657,5

In hope that he fom wisdom fhulde lerne;

But certainly er he came fully there

Yvanished was this dance he n'ifte not wher;

No creature faw he that bare lif,

Save on the grene he faw fitting a wif,

6580

A fouler wight ther may no man devife.

Againe this knight this olde wif gan arise,

And faid, Sire Knight, here forth ne lith no way.
Tell me what that ye feken by your fay,

Paraventure it may the better be:

Thife olde folk con mochel thing, quod fhe.

6585

My leve mother, quod this knight, certain

I n'am but ded but if that I can fain

What thing it is that women moft defire:

Coude ye me wiffe I wold quite wel your hire. 6590

Plight me thy trouthe here in myn hond, quod fhe,

The nexte thing that I requere of thee

Thou shalt it do, if it be in thy might,

And I wol tell it you or it be night.

6596

Have here my trouthe, quod the knight, I graunte.
Thanne, quod fhe, I dare me wel avaunte
Thy lif is fauf, for I wol ftond therby,
Upon my lif the quene wol fay as I.

Let see which is the proudest of hem alle,
That wereth on a kerchef or a calle,
That dare fayn nay of that I shal you teche.
Let us go forth withouten lenger speche.

Tho rowned the a pistel in his ere,

6600

And bad him to be glad, and have no fere.

Whan they ben comen to the court, this knight

Said he had hold his day as he had hight,

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And redy was his anfwere, as he faide.

Ful many a noble wif, and many a maide,

And many a widewe, for that they ben wife, (The quene hirefelf fitting as a juftice)

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Affembled ben his answer for to here,

And afterward this knight was bode appere.

To every wight commanded was filence,

And that the knight fhuld tell in audience

What thing that worldly women loven beft. 6615
This knight ne stood not ftill as doth a best,
But to this queftion anon anfwerd

With manly vois, that all the court it herd.

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