I nyl envye no virginitee.
Lat hem be breed of pured whete-seed,
And lat us wyves hoten barly-breed.
And yet with barly-breed, Mark telle kan,
Our Lord Jesus refreshed many a man.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. It is Alison’s strong belief that her sexuality is a gift from God and she will use it as often as she can. Virginity represents perfection, let the virgins be bread of pure wheat-seed, the Wife of Bath says using a metaphor. But she does not envy virginity and is happy for wives like her to be called barley bread, another metaphor. Jesus refreshed many a man with the cheaper, simpler barley bread, likely a reference to the miracle of the loaves and fishes.