The Disguising at Heord | Page 5

dette. [110]
She made no taylle,
but qwytt him by and by.
His quarter sowde, she payde him
feythfully.
And his waages, wt al hir best entent,
She made ther of
noon assignement.
Eeke Thome Tynker, with alle hees pannes olde

And alle the wyres
of Banebury that he solde,
His styth, his hamour, his bagge portatyf,

Bare vp his arme whane he faught with his wyff:
He foonde for
haste no better bokeller,
Vpon his cheeke the distaff came so neer.

[120]
Hir name was cleped Tybot Tapister.
To brawle and broyle
she nad no maner fer,
To thakke his pilche stoundemel nowe and
thanne
Thikker thane Thome koude clowten any panne.
Nexst Colle Tyler, ful hevy of his cheer,
Compleynethe on Phelyce
his wyff the wafurer
Al his bred with sugre nys not baake,
Yit on
his cheekis some tyme he hathe a caake
So hoot and nuwe, or he can
taken heede,
That his heres glowe verray reede [130]
For a
medecyne whane the forst is colde,
Makyng his teethe to ratle that
beon oolde.
This is the compleynt that theos dotardes oolde
Make on theyre
wyves that beon so stoute and bolde,
Theos holy martirs preued ful
pacyent,
Lowly beseching, in al hir best entent,
Vnto youre noble
ryal magestee,
To graunte hem fraunchyse and also liberte
Sith they
beothe fetird and bounden in maryage,
A saufconduct to sauf him
frome damage. [140]
Eeke vnder support of youre hyeghe renoun

Graunt hem also a proteccyoun.
Conquest of wyves is rone thoroughe this lande,
Cleyming of Right
to haue the hyegher hande.
But if you list, of youre Regallye,
The
olde testament for to modefye,
And that yee list asselen theyre
request
That theos poure husbandes might lyf in rest,
And that
theyre wyves in theyre felle might
Wol medle amonge mercy with
theyre right. [150]
For it came neuer of nature ne raysoun
A
lyonesse toppresse the lyoun,
Ner a wolfesse for al hir thyraunye

Ouer the wolf to haven the maystrye.
Ther beon nowe wolfesses moo
thane twoo or three
The bookys recorde, wheeche tht yonder bee.

Seothe to this mater of mercy and of grace,
And or thees dotardes
parte out of this place,
Vpon theyre compleynt to shape remedye,

Or they beo likly to stande in iupardye. [160]
It is no game with
wyves for to pleye,

But for foolis, that gif no force to deye.
Takethe heed of thaunswer of the wyves.

Touching the substance of this hyeghe discorde,
We six wyves : beon
ful of oon acorde,
Yif worde and chyding may vs not avaylle
We
wol darrein it in chaumpcloos by bataylle,
Iupart oure right laate or
ellys raathe.
And for oure partye, the worthy Wyff of Bathe
Cane
shewe statutes moo than six of seven
Howe wyves make hir
housbandes wynne heven, [170]
Maugre the feonde and al his
vyolence.
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.
I trowe the bakoun was neuer of hem fette
Awaye at
Dounmowe in the Pryorye.
They weene of vs to haue ay the maystrye.

Ellas theos fooles let hem aunswere here to,
Whoo cane hem
wasshe, who can hem wring alsoo, [190] Wryng hem, yee wryng, so als
god vs speed,
Til that some tyme we make hir nases bleed,
And
sowe hir cloothes whane they beothe to rent,
And clowte hir bakkes
til some of vs beo shent.
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.
Humbelly byseching nowe at

oon worde
Vn to oure liege, and moost souerein lord, [210]
Vs to
defende of his regallye,
And of his grace susteenen oure partye,

Requering the statuyt of olde antiquytee
That in youre tyme it may
confermed bee.
The complaynte of the lewed housbandes wt the cruwell aunswers of
theyre wyves herde, the kyng yivethe ther vpon sentence and iugement.
This noble Prynce, moost royal of estate,
Having an eyeghe to this
mortal debate,
First aduerting of ful hyeghe prudence,
Wil
vnavysed gyve here no sentence
With oute counseylle of haste to
procede
By sodeyne doome, for he takythe heede [220]
To eyther
partye as iuge indifferent,
Seing the paryll of hasty iugement.

Pourposithe him in this contynude stryffe
To gif no sentence ther of
diffynytyff
Til ther beo