"I have," quod she, "a soule for to kepe
As wel as ye, and also myn honour,
And of my wyfhod thilke tendre flour,
Which that I have assured in youre hond.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. May is being deceptive to her husband January, when she lies about preserving her soul and honor and her wifehood, which metaphorically she describes as a tender flower which she has entrusted to January. Behind her husband’s back she is planning to be unfaithful to him with his squire Damian.