But he was far too shrewd and honest an observer of life to persuade himself that all women were angels, or to allow reverence to degenerate into sentimentality. His attitude towards marriage is characteristic. Reference has already been made to his acceptance of the comic convention of the shrewish wife, and certainly both the Host and the Merchant have but few illusions left concerning wives. The virago whom the Host has married cannot as much as go to say her prayers without finding some cause of quarrel:-- And if that any neighebour of myne Wol nat in chirche to my wyf enclyne,[92] Or be so hardy to hir to trespace, Whan she comth hoom, she rampeth in my face And cryeth, "false coward, wreek[93] thy wyf!" The Merchant's wife would "overmatch the devil himself" were he foolish enough to wed her. In the Lenvoy to the _Clerkes Tale_ Chaucer warns modern husbands to look for no patient Griseldas among their wives, and gives much satiric advice to "archewyves" to stand no nonsense from their husbands. In the _Lenvoy a Bukton_ he warns his friend of "the sorwe and wo that is in mariage":-- I wol nat seyn how that it is the cheyne[94] Of Sathanas, on which he gnaweth ever, But I dar seyn, were he out of his peyne, As by his wille, he wolde be bounne never. A fair proportion of the _Canterbury Tales_ deal with the tricks by which a faithless wife imposes on her too credulous husband, and the bitterest of all the words which Chaucer utters on the subject are those which preface the _Marchantes Tale_ of January and May, when with biting sarcasm he rebukes Theophrastus for daring to say that a good servant is of more value than a wife, and goes on to discuss at length the happiness of wedded life:-- How mighte a man han any adversitee That hath a wyf? certes I can nat seye. The blisse which that is bitwixe hem tweye Ther may no tonge telle, or herte thinke. If he be poore, she helpeth him to swinke;[95] She kepeth his good, and wasteth never a deel; Al that her housbonde lust,[96] hir lyketh weel;[97]