I grante thee lyf, if thou kanst tellen me
What thyng is it that wommen moost desiren.
Be war, and keep thy nekke-boon from iren!
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Tale. The female tribunal led by the queen grants life to the young Knight facing being beheaded for raping a maiden, on one condition. He must answer one question: what is it that women most desire? If he cannot answer the question there and then, he is given twelve months to come up with a satisfactory answer. If he fails, he faces the axe on his neck.