Under that colour hadde I many a myrthe.
For al swich wit is yeven us in oure byrthe;
Deceite, wepyng, spynnyng God hath yive
To wommen kyndely, whil that they may lyve.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. Enjoying great fun from pretending to be jealous of her husbands, the Wife of Bath says that women are gifted from birth with skills in deceit, weeping and spinning. These come naturally to them their whole lives. Honesty and truth don’t seem to rank very high in the Wife’s moral code.