John Lydgate

“ Athalans, so fair of hir visage;
But Love, alas! quitte him so his wage
With cruel daunger plainly, at the laste,
That, with the dethe, guerdonles he paste.
Lo! here the fyne of loveres servyse! 400
Lo! how that Love can his servaunts quyte!
Lo! how he can his faythful men despyse,
To slee the trewe, and false to respyte! ”

“ Hit is no game, but an hernest play For lack of wit a man his wyf to greeve. Theos housbondemen : who so wolde hem leeve, Koude yif they dourst telle : in Audyence, What folowethe ther of wyves to doone offence. Is noon so olde ne ryveld on hir face, Wit tong or staff but that she dare manase. Mabyle, God hir sauve and blesse, Koude yif hir list bere here of witnesse, 80 Wordes, strookes vnhappe, and harde grace, With sharp nayles kracching in the face. ”

“ To bidde lovers out of hir sleepe awake,
And hertes hevy for to recomforte
From dreriheed of hevy nightes sorowe,
Nature bad hem ryse, and hem disporte, 10
Ayen the goodly, gladde, greye morowe;
And Hope also, with seint Johan to borowe,
Bad, in dispyt of daunger and dispeyre,
For to take the hoolsom lusty eyre:
And with a sigh I gan for to abreyde 15
Out of my slombre, and sodainly up sterte
As he, alas! that nigh for sorowe deyde,
My sekenes sat ay so nigh my herte. ”

“ Loo yit theos fooles, god gyf hem sory chaunce, Wolde sette hir wyves vnder gouuernaunce, Make vs to hem for to lowte lowe: We knowe to weel the bent of Iackys bowe. Al that we clayme, we clayme it but of right. Yif they say nay let preve it out by ffight. 200 We wil vs grounde not vpon womanhede. Fy on hem, cowardes. When hit komethe to nede, We clayme maystrye by prescripcyoun, Be long tytle of successyoun Frome wyff to wyff, which we wol not leese. Men may weel gruchche, but they shal not cheese. Custume is vs for nature and vsaunce To set oure housbandes lyf in gret noysaunce. ”

“ The unique book here reprinted in facsimile came to the Cambridge University Library in a famous volume of tracts described by Mr Blades (Biography and Typography of W. Caxton, 1882, p. 201) .
The volume had formed part of the collection of John Moore, Bishop of Ely, which was given to the University by King George the First in 1715.
The first leaf, which is wanting, was probably blank.
F. JENKINSON
I certify that I have printed 250 copies only of this facsimile, that the impressions have been rubbed off the plates and the negatives destroyed. ”

“ The light, men say, that passeth in a throw;
Al if the light be nat so variable
As is the wind that every wey [can] blow;
And yet, of reson, som men deme and trow 40
Women be lightest of hir company ”

“ Had in love hir lust and al hir wille;
And, save falshood, ther was non other skille.
Of Thebes eek the false [knight] Arcyte,
And Demophon †also, for [al] his slouthe, 380
They had hir lust and al that might delyte
For al hir falshode and hir greet untrouthe.
Thus ever Love (alas! and that is routhe!)
His false leges forthereth what he may,
And sleeth the trewe ungoodly, day by day. 385
For trewe Adon was slayn with the bore
Amid the forest, in the grene shade;
For Venus love he feltë al the sore. ”

“ I mene thus, whane the distaff is brooke With theyre fistes wyves wol be wrooke. Blessed thoo men that cane in suche offence Meekly souffre, take al in pacyence Tendure suche wyfly purgatorye. Heven for theyre meede, to regne ther in glorye. God graunt al housbandes that beon in this place To wynne so heven for his hooly grace. 90 Nexst in ordre, this bochier stoute and bolde That killed hathe bulles and boores olde, This Berthilmew, for al his broode knyff, Yit durst he neuer with his sturdy wyff In no mater holde chaumpartye. ”

“ Yet let hem spekë—and trust right wel this,
A wikked tonge wol alway deme amis.
Who that is holy by perfeccioun,
Men, of malyce, wol calle him ipocryte; 65
And who is mery, of clene entencioun,
Men say, in ryot he doth him delyte;
Som mourne in blak; som laughe in clothes whyte ”

“ And fresshest flour, to whom good thrift god sende.
Your child, if it list you me so to cal,
Al be I unable my-self so to pretende,
To your discrecioun I recommende 5
Myn herte and al, with every circumstaunce,
Al hoolly to be under your governaunce.
Most desyre I, and have, and ever shal
Thing, whiche might your hertës ese amende;
Have me excused, my power is but smal; 10
Natheles, of right ye ought [e] to commende
My good [e] will, which fayn wolde entende
To do you service; for al my suffisaunce
Is hoolly to be under your governaunce. ”

“ As the characters used to display the, that and thou are not in unicode, they were replaced with the words that they represent. The character for per is found in unicode, but is rare, so it was also replaced by the phrase it represents. ”

“ Ther beth four thinges that maketh a man a fool,
Hónour first putteth him in outrage,
And alder-next solitarie and sool;
The second is unweldy croked age;
Women also bring men in dotage; 5
And mighty wyne, in many dyvers wyse,
Distempreth folk which [that] ben holden wyse.
⁠ (B) . YET OF THE SAME.
Ther beth four thinges causing gret folye,
Honour first, and [than] unweldy age;
Women and wyne, I dar eek specifye,
Make wyse men [to] fallen in dotage ”

“ For theyre vertu of parfyte pacyence Partenethe not to wyves nowe adayes, Sauf on theyre housbandes for to make assayes. Ther pacyence was buryed long agoo, Gresyldes story recordethe pleinly soo. It longethe to vs to clappen as a mylle, No counseyle keepe, but the trouth oute telle. We beo not borne by hevenly influence Of oure nature to keepe vs in sylence. 180 For this is no doute, euery prudent wyff Hathe redy aunswere in al suche maner stryff, Thoughe theos dotardes, with theyre dokked berdes Which strowtethe out as they were made of herdes, Haue ageyn hus a gret quarell nowe sette. ”

“ For innocencë and for womanhede; 205
For seemlinessë, unto Canacee;
And over this, to speke of goodlihede,
She passeth alle that I can of rede;
For worde and dede, that she naught ne falle,
Acorde in vertue, and her werkes alle. 210
For though that Dydo, with [her] witte sage,
Was in her tyme stedfast to Enee,
Of hastinesse yet she did outrage;
And so for Jason did also Medee.
But my lady is so avisee 215
That, bountee and beautee bothe in her demeyne,
She maketh bountee alway soverayne. ”

“ Som drope of graceful dewe to us propyne;
Light withoute nebule, shyning in thy spere,
Medecyne to mischeves, pucelle withouten pere,
Flame doun to doleful light of thyn influence 55
On thy servauntes, for thy magnificence! ”

“ Wherfore I say, for tristesse doth me grame, 55
Tant me fait mal departir de ma dame!
Why nere my wisshing brought to suche esploit
That I might say, for joye of your presence,
'Ore a man cuer ce quil veuilloit,
Ore a man cuer the highest excellence 60
That ever had wight;' and sith myn advertence
Is in you, reweth on my paynes smerte,
I am so sore wounded to the herte.
To live wel mery, two lovers were y-fere,
So may I say withouten any blame; 65
If any man [per cas] to wilde were,
I coude him [sonë] teche to be tame ”

“ And hard it is, for a man to seche,
Upon the point of dethe in jupardye, 475
Unto his fo, to finde remedye!
Thus fareth it now even by me,
That to my fo, that yaf myn herte a wounde,
Mote aske grace, mercy, and pitè,
And namëly, ther wher non may be founde! 480
For now my sore my leche wil confounde,
And god of kinde so hath set myn ure,
My lyves fo to have my wounde in cure!
Alas! the whyle now that I was born!
Or that I ever saw the brighte sonne! 485
For now I see, that ful longe aforn,
Or I was born, my desteny was sponne
By Parcas sustren, to slee me, if they conne ”

“ Honest array, men deme, †is pompe and pryde,
And who goth poore, men calle him a wastour;
And who goth [mene] , men marke him on every syde,
And saye that he is a spye or a gylour;
Who wasteth, men seyn [that] he hath tresour ”

“ Wher fore the Kyng wol al this nexst yeere That wyves fraunchyse : stonde hoole and entier, 240 And that no man withstonde it ne withdrawe, Til man may fynde some pcesse oute by lawe That they shoulde by nature in theyre lyves Haue souerayntee on theyre prudent wyves, A thing vnkouthe, which was neuer founde. Let men be ware ther fore, or they beo bounde. ”

“ To hem that putte hem in palestre for thy sake,
Cours of her conquest, thou whyte as any lake! 70
Thou mirthe of martyrs, sweter than citole,
Of confessours also richest donatyf,
Unto virgynes eternal lauriole,
Afore al women having prerogatyf ”

“ Than sith it is, that no man may eschewe 120
The swerde of tonge, but it wol kerve and byte,
Ful hard it is, a man for to remewe
Out of hir daunger, so they hem delyte
To hindre or slaundre, and also to bakbyte ”

“ Trew servant, be dredful, and keep thee under awe, 10
And thou, povre, fy on presumpcioun;
Inobedience to youth is utter distruccioun;
Remembre you how god hath set you, lo!
And do your part, as ye be ordained to.
From Th. (Thynne, ed. 1532) ; I give rejected spellings. 1. forthe; the. 2. Bishoppe. 3. Lorde; trewe counsayle. 4. Womanhede. 5. lette. 6. rightous (read rightwis) ; iuge. 7. blysse. 9. relygion. 10. Trewe; dredeful; kepe. 11. poore; presumption. 12. distruction. 13. howe. 14. parte. ”

“ Lest men assaile your sikernesse:
Set on your brest, your-self t'assure,
A mighty sheld of doublenesse.
1. From F. (Fairfax 16) ; collated with Ed. (ed. 1561) . Also in A. (Ashmole 59) , in which it is much altered; other copies in Ha. (Harl. 7578) , and Ad. (Addit. 16165) . 2. F. whoo. 6. I supply nat. 9. F. A. these; Ed. that. 12. F. feynt; Ha. Ed. feinte. 13. F. Ed. sene. 18. F. A. Ad. is shene; Ed. ishene. 21. F. A. who so; Ha. Ad. Ed. who. 23. Ad. these; rest om. ”

“ Shew now thy might, and on hir wo have routhe
Er fals Daunger slee hem and confounde.
And specially, let thy might be founde 635
For to socourë, what-so that thou may,
The trewe man that in the herber lay,
And alle trewe forther, for his sake,
O gladde sterre, O lady Venus myne! ”

“ A wikked tonge wol alway deme amis. ”

“ For the purposes of this multi-platform electronic text, the medieval 'thorn' (a character representing 'th') has been changed to 'th'. It was impracticable to reproduce the original punctuation, which mainly consisted of the virgule or slash. Modern commas and full stops have been sparingly imposed. ”

“ Whan Mistrust also, and Fals-Suspeccioun, 505
With Misbeleve, she made for to be
Cheef of counsayl to this conclusioun,
For to exyle Routhe, and eek Pitè,
Out of her court to make Mercy flee,
So that Dispyt now holdeth forth her reyne, 510
Through hasty bileve of tales that men feyne. ”

“ Cristallin welle, of clennesse clere consigned,
Fructif olyve, of foyles faire and thikke,
And redolent cedre, most dereworthly digned,
Remembre on sinners unto thee assigned 40
Er wikked fendes hir wrathe upon hem wreche ”

“ With suche a metyerde she hathe shape him an hoode. And Colyn Cobeller, folowing his felawe, Hathe hade his part of the same lawe, For by the fayth that the preost him gaf His wyff hathe taught him to pleyne at the staff. Hir quarter strooke were so large and rounde That on his rigge the towche was alwey founde. 60 Cecely Sourechere, his owen precyous spouse, Kowde him reheete whan he came to house. Yif he ought spake whanne he felt peyne, Ageyne oon worde alweys he hade tweyne. Sheo qwytt him euer, ther was no thing to seeche, Six for oon, of worde and strookes eeche. ”

“ Cold of dispyt, and cold of cruel hate; 240
This is the cold that doth his besy payne
Ayeines trouthe to fighte and to debate.
This is the cold that wolde the fyr abate
Of trewe mening; alas! the harde whyle! ”

“ H. sith; Th. sythen. H. it is; Ff. it; Th. it is so (om. that) . 121. Ff. wyll (= wol) ; H. wil; Th. om. 122. Ff. H. om. for. 123. H. hir; Ff. ar; Th. theyr. Ff. so them hem delyte; Th. him for to aquyte. 124. Ff. Tho (for To) hindre sclaunder, and also to bacbyte; Th. Wo to the tonges that hem so delyte. 125. Ff. For thayre study fynaly it ys; Th. To hynder or sclaunder, and set theyr study in this (cf. l. 124) . ”