Ye archewyves, stondeth at defense,
Syn ye be strong as is a greet camaille;
Ne suffreth nat that men yow doon offense.
And sklendre wyves, fieble as in bataille,
Beth egre as is a tygre yond in Ynde;
Ay clappeth as a mille, I yow consaille.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Chaucer’s Envoy gives this health warning for wives after the misfortunes of submissive Griselda in the Clerk’s Tale. Be ready to do battle for you are as strong as a great camel, he urges arch-wives, using a colorful simile. And he tells slender wives who are feeble in battle to be fierce like an Indian tiger and wag their tongues like a windmill, using two more expressive similes.