But atte laste, with muchel care and wo, We fille acorded by us selven two. He yaf me al the bridel in myn hond, To han the governance of hous and lond, And of his tonge, and of his hond also; And made hym brenne his book anon right tho.

But atte laste, with muchel care and wo,
We fille acorded by us selven two.
He yaf me al the bridel in myn hond,
To han the governance of hous and lond,
And of his tonge, and of his hond also;
And made hym brenne his book anon right tho.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. After a fist fight between Jankin and Alison during which she lay down as if dead, Jankin asked Alison for forgiveness and they made an agreement. He gave her control of all their property and she made him burn his Book of Wicked Wives there and then. In that way the Wife of Bath masterfully gained sovereignty over her fifth husband.

Geoffrey Chaucer Quotes