The Merchant's Tale
Folio 107v
22 of 27 folios
She seitħ nat ones nay / whan she seiħ ȝe
Do this seitħ he / al redy Sire seitħ she
O blisseful ordre of wedlak / preciouse
Thow that art so mery / and eke so vertuouse
105
And so comended / and approued eke
That ony man / þt holditħ hī wortħ a leke
Vp oon his bare knees / ougħt al his lyf
Thanke his god / that hī hatħ sent a wyf
Or ellis preye to god / hym for to sende
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A wyf / to laste / vn to his lyues ende
For than his lyf / is sette in sekernes
He may nat be / disseyued as I gesse
So that he werke / after his wyues rede
Than may he boldely / bere vp his hede
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They ben so trewe / and ther witħ al so wyse
For whicħ / if þu wylt werke / as the wyse
Do alwey / so as wommen wol the rede
Lo how þat Iacob / as theise Clerkes rede
By good counseil / of his moder rebekke
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Bond the kydes skyn / a boute his nekke
For whicħ / his fadres benysoū he wan
Lo Iudytħ / as the story ekeeke telle can
Be wys counseil / she goddis peeple kepte
And slougħ hī / Olofernë / while he slepte
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Lo Abygaƚƚ / by good counseil / how she
Saued hire husbonde / Nabal / whan that he
Shulde haue be slayn / and loke Ester also
By good counseil / delyuered out of woo
The peeple of god / and mad hī Mardochee
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Of assureassuerassuere / enhaunced for to be
There nys no thyng / in gree superlatyf
As seitħ Senek / a boue an humble wyf
Suffre thy wyues tonge / as Catoū byt
She shal comaunde / and þu shalt suffren it
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And ȝet she wyl obeye / of curteisye
A wyf is kepere / of thyn husbondrye
Wel may the Syke man / bywaylle and wepe
There as nys no wyf / the hous to kepe
I warne the / if wysely þu wolt werche
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Loue wel thy wyf / as cist loued his chirche
If þu loue thy self / thow louest thy wyf
Noman hatetħ his flessħ / but in his lyf
He fostretħ it / and therfore bidde I the
Chere thy wyf / or thow shalt neuere thee
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Husbonde or wyf / what so men iape or pleye
Of worldly folk / holden the sekyr weye