They had me yeven hir lond and hir tresoor;
Me neded nat do lenger diligence
To wynne hir love, or doon hem reverence.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. The first three husbands of the Wife of Bath gave their land and wealth to her, so she no longer needed to work hard to win their love or respect. Marriage for these husbands sounded little better than slavery and they might have been in need of little mens’ liberation!