A Tale of a Citizen and his Wife
I sing no harme good sooth to any wight,To Lord or foole, Cuckold, begger or knight,To peace-teaching Lawyer, Proctor, or braveReformed or reduced Captaine, Knave,Officer, Iugler, or Iustice of peace,Iuror or Iudge; I touch no fat sowes grease,I am no Libeller, nor will be any,But (like a true man) say there are too many.I feare not ore tenus; for my tale,Nor Count nor Counsellour will redd or pale.A Citizen and his wife the other dayBoth riding on one horse, upon the wayI overtooke, the wench a pretty peate,And (by her eye) well fitting for the feate.I saw the lecherous Citizen turne backeHis head, and on his wifes lip steale a smacke,Whence apprehending that the man was kinde,Riding before, to kisse his wife behinde,To get acquaintance with him I beganTo sort discourse fit for so fine a man:I ask'd the number of the Plaguy Bill,Ask'd if the Custome Farmers held out still,Of the Virginian plot, and whether WardThe traffique of the Inland seas had marr'd,Whether the Brittaine Burse did fill apace,And likely were to give th'Exchange disgrace;Of new-built Algate, and the More-field crosses,Of store of Bankerouts, and poore Merchants lossesI urged him to speake; But he (as muteAs an old Courtier worne to his last suite)Replies with onely yeas and nayes; At last(To fit his element) my theame I castOn Tradesmens gaines; that set his tongue agoing:Alas, good sir (quoth he) There is no doingIn Court nor City now; she smil'd and I,And (in my conscience) both gave him the lieIn one met thought: but he went on apace,And at the present time with such a faceHe rail'd, as fray'd me; for he gave no praise,To any but my Lord of Essex dayes;Call'd those the age of action; true (quoth Hee)There's now as great an itch of bravery,And heat of taking up, but cold lay downe,For, put to push of pay, away they runne;Our onely City trades of hope now areBawd, Tavern-keeper, Whore and Scrivener;The much of Privileg'd kingsmen, and the storeOf fresh protections make the rest all poore;In the first state of their Creation,Though many stoutly stand, yet proves not oneA righteous pay-master. Thus ranne he onIn a continued rage: so void of reasonSeem'd his harsh talke, I sweat for feare of treason.And (troth) how could I lesse? when in the prayerFor the protection of the wise Lord Major,And his wise brethrens worships, when one prayeth,He swore that none could say Amen with faith.To get him off from what I glowed to heare,(In happy time) an Angel did appeare,The bright Signe of a lov'd and wel-try'd Inne,Where many Citizens with their wives have binWell us'd and often; here I pray'd him stay,To take some due refreshment by the way.Looke how hee look'd that hid the gold (his hope)And at's returne found nothing but a Rope,So he on me, refus'd and made away,Though willing she pleaded a weary day:I found my misse, struck hands, and praid him tell(To hold acquaintance still) where he did dwell;He barely nam'd the street, promis'd the Wine,But his kinde wife gave me the very Signe.
Words in this poem 23
- sooth a.
- True; faithful; trustworthy. [OE. soth, AS. s, for san; akin to OS. s, OHG. sand, Icel. sannr, Sw. sann, Dan. sand, Skr. sat, sant, real, genuine, present, being; properly p. pr. from a root]
- wight n.
- A whit; a bit; a jot. [OE. wight, wiht, a wight, a whit, AS. wiht, wuht, a creature, a thing; skin to D. wicht a child, OS. & OHG. wiht a creature, thing, G. wicht a creature, Icel. v]
- knave n.
- A boy; especially, a boy servant. Wyclif. [OE., boy, servant, knave, AS. cnafa boy, youth; cf. AS. cnapa boy, youth, D. kna, G. knabe boy, knappe esquire, Icel. knapi, Sw. knape esquire, knäfvel knave.]
- redd
- . imp. & p. p. of Read.
- lecherous a.
- Like a lecher; addicted to lewdness; lustful; also, lust- provoking.
- plaguy a.
- Vexatious; troublesome; tormenting; as, a plaguy horse.
- burse n.
- A purse; also, a vesicle; a pod; a hull. Holland. [LL. bursa, or F. bourse. See Bourse, and cf. Bursch, Purse.]
- apace adv.
- With a quick pace; quick; fast; speedily. [Pref. a- + pace. OE. a pas at a walk, in which a is the article. See Pace.]
- algate adv.
- Always; wholly; everywhere. [All + gate way. The s is an adverbial ending. See Gate.]
- courtier n.
- One who is in attendance at the court of a prince; one who has an appointment at court. [From Court.]
- suite n.
- A retinue or company of attendants, as of a distinguished personage; as, the suite of an ambassador. See Suit, n., 5. [F. See Suit, n.]
- agoing adv.
- In motion; in the act of going; as, to set a mill agoing. [Pref. a- + p. pr. of go.]
- quoth v. t.
- Said; spoke; uttered; -- used only in the first and third persons in the past tenses, and always followed by its nominative, the word or words said being the object; as, quoth I. quoth he. [AS.cweedhan, imp cwæedh, pl. cwædon; akin to OS. queedhan, OHG. quethan, quedan, Icel. kveedha, Goth. qiþan. sq. root22. Cf. Bequeath.]
- conscience n.
- Knowledge of one's own thoughts or actions; consciousness. [F. conscience, fr. L. conscientia, fr. consciens, p.pr. of conscire to know, to be conscious; con- + scire to know. See Science.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- bawd n.
- A person who keeps a house of prostitution, or procures women for a lewd purpose; a procurer or procuress; a lewd person; -- usually applied to a woman. [OE. baude, OF. balt, baut, baude, bold, merry, perh. fr. OHG. bald bold; or fr. Celtic, cf. W. baw dirt. Cf. Bold, Bawdry.]
- whore n.
- A woman who practices unlawful sexual commerce with men, especially one who prostitutes her body for hire; a prostitute; a harlot. Wyclif. [OE. hore, AS. h; akin to D. hoer, hoere, G. hure, OHG. huora, huorra, Icel. h, Dan. hore, Sw. hora, Goth. h an adulterer, AS. h adultery, OHG. huor, and probabl]
- scrivener n.
- A professional writer; one whose occupation is to draw contracts or prepare writings. [From older scrivein, OF. escrivain, F. écrivain, LL. scribanus, from L. scribere to write. See Scribe.]
- stoutly adv.
- In a stout manner; lustily; boldly; obstinately; as, he stoutly defended himself.
- ranne n.
- Open robbery. Lambarde. [As. ran.]
- troth n.
- Belief; faith; fidelity. [A variant of truth. See Truth.]
- amen interj.
- An expression used at the end of prayers, and meaning, So be it. At the end of a creed, it is a solemn asseveration of belief. [L. amen, Gr. am certainly, truly.]
- dwell v. i.
- To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
A Tale of a Citizen and his Wife is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of John Donne, Volume 1 (of 2) Edited from the Old Editions and Numerous Manuscripts, Project Gutenberg ebook #48688; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: John Donne, A Tale of a Citizen and his Wife, in Poems (1633), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #48688, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/donne-poems/a-tale-of-a-citizen-and-his-wife.html, id L04932.
Form and metre
A Tale of a Citizen and his Wife is 71 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 54% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%).
See other poems in heroic couplets, other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKK--LL----MMNNOOPPQQ--------RRRRR--SSTTUUVVWWVVXX-- wightA · knightA · braveB · knaveB · peaceC · greaseC · anyD · manyD · taleE · paleE · dayF · wayF · peateG · feateG · backeH · smackeH · kindeI · behindeI · beganJ · manJ · billK · stillK · ward · marr'd · apaceL · disgraceL · crosses · losses · mute · suite · lastM · castM · agoingN · doingN · iO · lieO · apaceP · faceP · praiseQ · dayesQ · hee · bravery · downe · runne · are · scrivener · store · poore · creationR · oneR · onR · reasonR · treasonR · prayer · major · prayethS · faithS · heareT · appeareT · inneU · binU · stayV · wayV · hopeW · ropeW · awayV · dayV · tellX · dwellX · wine · signe
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| I sing no harme good sooth to any wight, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| To Lord or foole, Cuckold, begger or knight, | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| To peace-teaching Lawyer, Proctor, or brave | 10 | ··/˘/˘/˘·· |
| Reformed or reduced Captaine, Knave, | 10 | ˘/˘·˘/˘··· |
| Officer, Iugler, or Iustice of peace, | 10 | /˘˘······· |
| Iuror or Iudge; I touch no fat sowes grease, | 10 | ·········· |
| I am no Libeller, nor will be any, | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| But (like a true man) say there are too many. | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| I feare not ore tenus; for my tale, | 9 | ········· |
| Nor Count nor Counsellour will redd or pale. | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| A Citizen and his wife the other day | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Both riding on one horse, upon the way | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| I overtooke, the wench a pretty peate, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And (by her eye) well fitting for the feate. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| I saw the lecherous Citizen turne backe | 10 | ···/˘/˘˘·· |
| His head, and on his wifes lip steale a smacke, | 11 | ··········· |
| Whence apprehending that the man was kinde, | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Riding before, to kisse his wife behinde, | 10 | /˘········ |
| To get acquaintance with him I began | 10 | ··˘/˘···˘/ |
| To sort discourse fit for so fine a man: | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| I ask'd the number of the Plaguy Bill, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Ask'd if the Custome Farmers held out still, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Of the Virginian plot, and whether Ward | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| The traffique of the Inland seas had marr'd, | 10 | ·····/···· |
| Whether the Brittaine Burse did fill apace, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| And likely were to give th'Exchange disgrace; | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| Of new-built Algate, and the More-field crosses, | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Of store of Bankerouts, and poore Merchants losses | 12 | ········/˘/˘ |
| I urged him to speake; But he (as mute | 10 | ··˘······· |
| As an old Courtier worne to his last suite) | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Replies with onely yeas and nayes; At last | 10 | ˘/·/˘····· |
| (To fit his element) my theame I cast | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| On Tradesmens gaines; that set his tongue agoing: | 11 | ·/˘·····˘/˘ |
| Alas, good sir (quoth he) There is no doing | 11 | ˘/·······/˘ |
| In Court nor City now; she smil'd and I, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And (in my conscience) both gave him the lie | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| In one met thought: but he went on apace, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| And at the present time with such a face | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| He rail'd, as fray'd me; for he gave no praise, | 10 | ·········· |
| To any but my Lord of Essex dayes; | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Call'd those the age of action; true (quoth Hee) | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| There's now as great an itch of bravery, | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| And heat of taking up, but cold lay downe, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| For, put to push of pay, away they runne; | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| Our onely City trades of hope now are | 10 | //˘/˘····· |
| Bawd, Tavern-keeper, Whore and Scrivener; | 9 | ·/˘/˘··/˘ |
| The much of Privileg'd kingsmen, and the store | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Of fresh protections make the rest all poore; | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| In the first state of their Creation, | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| Though many stoutly stand, yet proves not one | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| A righteous pay-master. Thus ranne he on | 10 | ·/˘·/˘···· |
| In a continued rage: so void of reason | 11 | ··˘/˘····/˘ |
| Seem'd his harsh talke, I sweat for feare of treason. | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| And (troth) how could I lesse? when in the prayer | 10 | ·········· |
| For the protection of the wise Lord Major, | 11 | ··˘/˘····/˘ |
| And his wise brethrens worships, when one prayeth, | 11 | ···/˘/˘··/˘ |
| He swore that none could say Amen with faith. | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| To get him off from what I glowed to heare, | 10 | ·········· |
| (In happy time) an Angel did appeare, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| The bright Signe of a lov'd and wel-try'd Inne, | 10 | ·········· |
| Where many Citizens with their wives have bin | 10 | ·//˘˘····· |
| Well us'd and often; here I pray'd him stay, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| To take some due refreshment by the way. | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Looke how hee look'd that hid the gold (his hope) | 10 | ·········· |
| And at's returne found nothing but a Rope, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| So he on me, refus'd and made away, | 10 | ····˘/··˘/ |
| Though willing she pleaded a weary day: | 10 | ·/˘·/˘·/˘· |
| I found my misse, struck hands, and praid him tell | 10 | ·········· |
| (To hold acquaintance still) where he did dwell; | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| He barely nam'd the street, promis'd the Wine, | 10 | ·/˘···/˘·· |
| But his kinde wife gave me the very Signe. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
Notes from the edition 22
Herbert Grierson's record of the readings of the early editions and manuscripts, from his Poems of John Donne (Oxford, 1912; Project Gutenberg #48688).
- Line 2 or foole,] to fool, 1669
- Line 5 Iugler, 1635-39: Iudge, 1650-69
- Line 9 tenus; Ed: tenus, 1635-69
- Line 10 will redd or pale. 1669, B, O'F (shall): will looke redd or pale. 1635-54
- Line 14 feate. Ed: feate, 1635-69
- Line 16 steale] seale O'F
- Line 21 Plaguy 1669, B, O'F: Plaguing 1635-54
- Line 22 Custome] custome 1635
- Line 27 More-field] Moorefields B
- Line 32 To fit] To hit O'F
- Line 33 agoing: Ed: agoing, 1635-69
- Line 35 In ... now; Ed: roman 1635-69
- Line 38 time 1669: times O'F
- Line 41 those ... (quoth Hee) 1669, B, O'F: that ... (quoth I) 1635-54
- Line 46 Bawd, ... Scrivener; B, O'F: Bawds, Tavernkeepers, Whores and Scriveners, 1635-54: Bawds, Tavernkeepers, Whore and Scrivener 1669
- Line 47 kingsmen, and the store 1669, B, O'F (kingsman): kinsmen, and store 1635-54
- Line 58 him off O'F: off him 1669: him 1635-54
- Line 61 have bin B, O'F: had beene, 1635-69
- Line 64 the gold (his hope)] his gold, his hope 1669
- Line 65 at's 1669: at 1635-54
- Line 67 day: 1669, B, O'F: stay. 1635-39: stay: 1650-54
- Line 69 dwell; 1635: dwell 1639-54: dwell, 1669
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.