Yblessed be God, that I have wedded fyve;
Of whiche I have pyked out the beste,
Bothe of here nether purs and of here cheste.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Thanking God that she wedded five husbands and picked out the best, the Wife of Bath reveals what she looked for in each of them. Sexual potency ("nether purs" – scrotum) and wealth ("here cheste" – strongbox) were the two requirements. A husband had to provide her with sexual satisfaction and financial security.