Deffie Theofraste, and herke me.
A wyf is Goddes yifte verraily;
Alle othere manere yiftes hardily,
As londes, rentes, pasture, or commune,
Or moebles – alle been yiftes of Fortune
That passen as a shadwe upon a wal.
But drede nat, if pleynly speke I shal:
A wyf wol laste, and in thyn hous endure.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. The Merchant urges January to defy the advice of philosopher Theophrastus and his hatred of women and marriage, and instead listen to him. The narrator goes on to describe a wife a gift from God. Comparing her with lands, rents, pasture and personal possessions, he uses the language of commerce and objectifies women. A wife will ensure unlike these gifts of Fortune which pass like a shadow upon a wall, says the Merchant.