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A good WIF was ther OF biside
BATHE,
But she was somdel deef, and that was
Of clooth makyng she hadde swich an haunt,
She passed
hem of Ypres and of Gaunt.
In al the parisshe wif ne was ther noon
That to the
offrynge bifore hire sholde goon;
And if ther dide, certeyn so wrooth was she
That she was out of alle charitee.
Hir
ful fyne weren of
.
I dorste swere they weyeden
ten pound.
That on a Sonday weren upon hir heed.
Hir hosen
weren of fyn scarlet reed,
Ful streite
yteyd, and shoes ful moyste and newe.
Boold was hir face, and fair, and reed of hewe,
She was a worthy womman al hir lyve.
Housbondes at
chirche dore she hadde fyve,
Withouten
oother compaygnye in youthe--
But therof nedeth nat to speke as nowthe.
And thries hadde she been at Jerusalem.
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445
450
455
460
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St.
Michael's juxta Bathon was a parish just north of Bath given over to weaving.
A good Wife was there, from near Bath.
She was somewhat deaf, which was a shame.
She had such a talent for making cloth
that she surpassed the weavers of Ypres and Ghent.
In all the parish there was no wife
entitled to make her offering before her,
and if one did, certainly she was so angry
that she was out of all charity.
Her kerchiefs were of very fine fabric:
I dare say that the ones that were on her head of
a Sunday must have weighed ten pounds.
Her hose were of fine scarlet red,
laced tightly, and her shoes very new and supple.S
Her face was bold and handsome and ruddy.
She had been a worthy woman all her life;
she had had five husbandsat the church door,
aside from other campany in youth;
but of that there is no need to speak now.
And three times had she been at Jerusalem.
surpassed;
perhaps humorous since the west of England weavers were known to be inferior
to those of the Low Countries (Ypres and Ghent are both in modern Belgium)
the
marriage was performed at the door, after which the couple entered the
church for mass
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