Right with these wordes she stinte of that lamentable
melodye; and I gan with a lyvely herte to praye, if that
it were lyking unto her noble grace, she wolde her deyne to
declare me the mater that firste was begonne, in which she lefte
and stinte to speke beforn she gan to singe. 5
'O,' quod she, 'this is no newe thing to me, to sene you men
desyren after mater, whiche your-selfe caused to voyde.'
'Ah, good lady,' quod I, 'in whom victorie of strength is proved
above al other thing, after the jugement of Esdram, whos lordship
al lignes: who is, that right as emperour hem commaundeth, 10
whether thilke ben not women, in whos lyknesse to me ye aperen?
For right as man halt the principaltè of al thing under his beinge,
in the masculyne gender; and no mo genders ben there
but masculyn and femenyne; al the remenaunt ben no gendres but
of grace, in facultee of grammer: right so, in the femenyne, the 15
women holden the upperest degree of al thinges under thilke
gendre conteyned. Who bringeth forth kinges, whiche that ben
lordes of see and of erthe; and al peoples of women ben born.
They norisshe hem that graffen vynes; they maken men comfort
in their gladde cheres. Her sorowe is deth to mannes herte. 20
Without women, the being of men were impossible. They conne
with their swetnesse the crewel herte ravisshe, and make it meke,
buxom, and benigne, without violence mevinge. In beautee
of their eyen, or els of other maner fetures, is al mens desyres;
ye, more than in golde, precious stones, either any richesse. 25
And in this degree, lady, your-selfe many hertes of men have
so bounden, that parfit blisse in womankynde to ben men wenen,
and in nothinge els. Also, lady, the goodnesse, the vertue of
women, by propertè of discrecion, is so wel knowen, by litelnesse
of malice, that desyre to a good asker by no waye conne they 30
warne. And ye thanne, that wol not passe the kynde werchinge
of your sectes by general discrecion, I wot wel, ye wol so enclyne
to my prayere, that grace of my requeste shal fully ben graunted.'
'Certes,' quod she, 'thus for the more parte fareth al mankynde,
to praye and to crye after womans grace, and fayne many fantasyes 35
to make hertes enclyne to your desyres. And whan these
sely women, for freeltè of their kynde, beleven your wordes, and
wenen al be gospel the promise of your behestes, than graunt[en]
they to you their hertes, and fulfillen your lustes, wherthrough
their libertè in maystreship that they toforn had is thralled; and 40
so maked soverayn and to be prayed, that first was servaunt,
and voice of prayer used. Anon as filled is your lust, many of you
be so trewe, that litel hede take ye of suche kyndnesse; but
with traysoun anon ye thinke hem begyle, and let light of that
thing whiche firste ye maked to you wonders dere; so what 45
thing to women it is to loven any wight er she him wel knowe,
and have him proved in many halfe! For every glittring thing
is nat gold; and under colour of fayre speche many vices may
be hid and conseled. Therfore I rede no wight to trust on you
to rathe; mens chere and her speche right gyleful is ful ofte. 50
Wherfore without good assay, it is nat worth on many +of you
to truste. Trewly, it is right kyndely to every man that thinketh
women betraye, and shewen outward al goodnesse, til he have
his wil performed. Lo! the bird is begyled with the mery voice
of the foulers whistel. Whan a woman is closed in your nette, 55
than wol ye causes fynden, and bere unkyndenesse her +on
hande, or falsetè upon her putte, your owne malicious trayson
with suche thinge to excuse. Lo! than han women non other
wreche in vengeaunce, but +blobere and wepe til hem list stint,
and sorily her mishap complayne; and is put in-to wening that 60
al men ben so untrewe. How often have men chaunged her
loves in a litel whyle, or els, for fayling their wil, in their
places hem set! For fren[d]ship shal be oon, and fame with another
him list for to have, and a thirde for delyt; or els were he lost
bothe in packe and in clothes! Is this fair? Nay, god wot. 65
I may nat telle, by thousande partes, the wronges in trechery
of suche false people; for make they never so good a bond,
al sette ye at a myte whan your hert tourneth. And they that
wenen for sorowe of you deye, the pitè of your false herte is flowe
out of towne. Alas! therfore, that ever any woman wolde take 70
any wight in her grace, til she knowe, at the ful, on whom she
might at al assayes truste! Women con no more craft in queynt
knowinge, to understande the false disceyvable conjectementes
of mannes begylinges. Lo! how it fareth; though ye men
gronen and cryen, certes, it is but disceyt; and that preveth wel 75
by th'endes in your werkinge. How many women have ben
lorn, and with shame foule shent by long-lastinge tyme, whiche
thorow mennes gyle have ben disceyved? Ever their fame shal
dure, and their dedes [ben] rad and songe in many londes; that
they han don, recoveren shal they never; but alway ben demed 80
lightly, in suche plyte a-yen shulde they falle. Of whiche slaunders
and tenes ye false men and wicked ben the verey causes; on you
by right ought these shames and these reproves al hoolly discende.
Thus arn ye al nighe untrewe; for al your fayre speche, your
herte is ful fickel. What cause han ye women to dispyse? Better 85
fruite than they ben, ne swetter spyces to your behove, mowe ye
not fynde, as far as worldly bodyes strecchen. Loke to their
forminge, at the making of their persones by god in joye of
paradyce! For goodnesse, of mans propre body were they
maked, after the sawes of the bible, rehersing goddes wordes in 90
this wyse: "It is good to mankynde that we make to him an
helper." Lo! in paradyse, for your helpe, was this tree graffed,
out of whiche al linage of man discendeth. If a man be noble
frute, of noble frute it is sprongen; the blisse of paradyse, to
mennes sory hertes, yet in this tree abydeth. O! noble helpes 95
ben these trees, and gentil jewel to ben worshipped of every
good creature! He that hem anoyeth doth his owne shame; it is
a comfortable perle ayenst al tenes. Every company is mirthed
by their present being. Trewly, I wiste never vertue, but a woman
were therof the rote. What is heven the worse though Sarazins 100
on it lyen? Is your fayth untrewe, though +renegates maken
theron lesinges? If the fyr doth any wight brenne, blame his
owne wit that put him-selfe so far in the hete. Is not fyr gentillest
and most comfortable element amonges al other? Fyr
is cheef werker in fortheringe sustenaunce to mankynde. Shal 105
fyr ben blamed for it brende a foole naturelly, by his own stulty
witte in steringe? Ah! wicked folkes! For your propre malice
and shreudnesse of your-selfe, ye blame and dispyse the precious[es]t
thing of your kynde, and whiche thinges among other
moste ye desyren! Trewly, Nero and his children ben shrewes, 110
that dispysen so their dames. The wickednesse and gyling of
men, in disclaundring of thilke that most hath hem glad[d]ed
and plesed, were impossible to wryte or to nempne. Never-the-later
yet I say, he that knoweth a way may it lightly passe; eke
an herbe proved may safely to smertande sores ben layd. So 115
I say, in him that is proved is nothing suche yvels to gesse.
But these thinges have I rehersed, to warne you women al at
ones, that to lightly, without good assaye, ye assenten not to
mannes speche. The sonne in the day-light is to knowen from
the moone that shyneth in the night. Now to thee thy-selfe 120
(quod she) as I have ofte sayd, I knowe wel thyne herte; thou
art noon of al the tofore-nempned people. For I knowe wel the
continuaunce of thy service, that never sithen I sette thee
a-werke, might thy Margaryte for plesaunce, frendship, ne fayrhede
of none other, be in poynte moved from thyne herte; wherfore 125
in-to myne housholde hastely I wol that thou entre, and al the
parfit privitè of my werking, make it be knowe in thy understonding,
as oon of my privy familiers. Thou desyrest (quod she)
fayn to here of tho thinges there I lefte?'
'Ye, forsothe,' quod I, 'that were to me a greet blisse.' 130
'Now,' quod she, 'for thou shalt not wene that womans condicions
for fayre speche suche thing belongeth:--
CH. III. 2. ganne. 5. beforne. 6. thynge. menne. 9. thynge. whose.
10. lignes (_sic_). 11. whose lykenesse. 12. halte. 15. facultie. 17.
forthe. 18. borne. 19. comforte. 20. dethe. 23. buxome. beautie. 27.
parfyte. 32. wotte. 38. graunt. 40. toforne.
48. golde. 51. worthe. on; _read_ of. 53. -warde. 54. birde. 56. beare.
vnha_n_de; _read_ on hande. 58. none. 59. bloder; _read_ blobere. 61. Howe.
63. sette. frenship (_sic_). one. 64. lyste. delyte. 65. faire. 66. maye.
tel. 67. bo_n_de. 69. dey. 72. trust. crafte. 74. howe. 76. thendes. Howe.
77. lorne. longe-. 78. thorowe. 79. _I supply_ ben. radde. 80. done. 81.
fal. 83. holy.
84. arne. 87. farre. stretchen. 97. dothe. 99. wyst. 101. faythe. thoughe
rennogates. 102. leasynges. fyre (_four times_) 103. wytte. farre. heate.
104, 112. moste. 104. element comfortable; _read_ comfortable element. 105.
chefe. 108. precioust. 109. amonge. 112-3. gladed and pleased. 115. layde.
120. Nowe. the.
122. arte none. 123. set the. 124. frendeshyp. fayrehede. 127. parfyte.
128. one. 129. fayne. 130. great. 131. Nowe.