The Canterbury Tales; THE MARCHANTES TALE
Part
24
THE
PROLOGUE
OF
THE
MARCHANTES
TALE
The
Prologe
of
the
Marchantes
tale.
"Wepyng
and
waylyng,
care
and
oother
sorwe,
I
knowe
ynogh,
on
even
and
a
morwe,"
Quod
the
Marchant,
"and
so
doon
othere
mo
That
wedded
been,
I
trowe
that
it
be
so.
For
wel
I
woot,
it
fareth
so
with
me.
I
have
a
wyf,
the
worste
that
may
be,
For
thogh
the
feend
to
hire
ycoupled
were,
She
wolde
hym
overmacche,
I
dar
wel
swere.
What
sholde
I
yow
reherce
in
special
Hir
hye
malice?
She
is
a
shrewe
at
al!
Ther
is
a
long
and
large
difference
Bitwix
Grisildis
grete
pacience
And
of
my
wyf
the
passyng
crueltee.
Were
I
unbounden,
al
so
moot
I
thee,
I
wolde
nevere
eft
comen
in
the
snare.
We
wedded
men
lyve
in
sorwe
and
care;
Assaye
who
so
wole,
and
he
shal
fynde
I
seye
sooth,
by
Seint
Thomas
of
Ynde-
As
for
the
moore
part,
I
seye
nat
alle;
God
shilde,
that
it
sholde
so
bifalle!
Ay,
goode
Sir
Hoost,
I
have
ywedded
bee
Thise
monthes
two,
and
moore
nat,
pardee;
And
yet
I
trowe,
he
that
al
his
lyve
Wyflees
hath
been,
though
that
men
wolde
him
ryve
Unto
the
herte,
ne
koude
in
no
manere
Tellen
so
muchel
sorwe
as
I
now
heere
Koude
tellen
of
my
wyves
cursednesse!"
Now
quod
our
hoost,
"Marchant,
so
God
yow
blesse,
Syn
ye
so
muchel
knowen
of
that
art,
Ful
hertely
I
pray
yow
telle
us
part."
"Gladly,"
quod
he,
"but
of
myn
owene
soore,
For
soory
herte
I
telle
may
namoore."
THE
TALE.
(January,
a
rich
old
dotard,
who
has
married
May,
in
spite
of
his
friends'
objections
to
the
inequality
of
their
ages,
is
deceived
by
her
and
his
young
squire
Damian,
although
Pluto
in
pity
restores
his
lost
sight.)
Part
25
EPILOGUE
