for a man / is heued of a woōman . algate / by ordinaunce it sholde be so ~
For if a wōman / hadde mo men than oon . thanne sholde she haue / moo
heuedes than oon . and that were an horrible thyng biforn god . and eek /
a wōman / ne mygħte nat plese to many folk / at oones ./ and also / ther
ne sholde neuere be pees ne reste amonges hem . for euerich / wolde / axen ~
his owene thyng
850
¶ And forther ouer / no man ne sholde knowe / his ~
owene engendrure . ne who sholde haue his heritage . and the wōman
sholde been the lasse biloued / fro the tyme that she were / conioynt to ma-
ny men
NOw comth / how that a man sholde bere hym with his wif /
and namely in two thynges . that is to seyn / in suffraūce and reuerence
as shewed Crist. whan he made first wōman .
For he ne made hir nat
of the heued of Adam . for she sholde nat clayme to greet lordshipe ~
for ther as the wōman hath the maistrie / she maketh to muche desray /
ther neden none ensamples of this . the experience of day by day oghte
suffise
¶ Also certes / god ne made nat wōman of the foot of Adam ~
for she ne sholde nat been holden to lowe . for she kan nat paciently
suffre . but god made wōman of the ryb of Adam . for womman ~
sholde be felawe vnto man
855
¶ Man sholde bere hym to his wyf ~
In feith / in trouthe / and in loue / as seith Seint Paul . that a man ~
sholde louen his wyf / as Crist loued hooly chirche . that loued it so ~
wel / that he deyde for it. so sholde a man for his wy if it were
nede
¶ Now / how that a wōman / sholde be subget to hir housbonde
that telleth seint Peter . First in Obedience
¶ And eek / as seith the ~
decree . a wōman that is wyf / as longe as she is a wyf / she hath noon
auctoritee to swere ne bere witnesse / with oute leue of hir housbonde .
that is hir lord / algate / he sholde be so by resoū
¶ She sholde eek / ser-
uen hym in alle honestee . and been attempree of hir array /. I woot
wel / that they sholde setten hir entente to plesen hir housbondes
but nat by hir queyntise of array
¶ Seint Ierome seith / that wy
ues / that been apparailled in silk and in percious purpre . ne mowe
nat clothen hem in Ihū Crist ./ what seith seint Ioħn eek in thys ~
matere ;
860
¶ Seint Gregorie eek seith . that no wig
ħt
seketh p
ercious
~array . but oonly for veyne glorie
/ to been honoured the moore
/ biforn
the peple
.
It is a greet folye /. a wōman to haue a fair array out-
ward / and in hir self / foul inward
¶ A wyf / sholde eek be mesura-
ble in lookynge and in berynge and in lawghynge / and discreet in
alle hir wordes / and hir dedes .
And abouen alle worldly thyng she
sholde louen hir housbonde with al hir herte . and to hym / be trewe of
hir body
¶ So sholde an housbonde eek be to his wyf. For sith that
al the body / is the housbondes . so sholde hir herte been . or elles / ther
is bitwixe hem two . as in that no parfit mariage
865
Thanne shal
men vnderstonde . that for thre thynges / a man and his wyf flessħ-
ly mowen assemble ¶ The firste . is in entente of engendrure of ~
children . to the seruice of god . For certes / that is the cause final of
matrimoyne
¶ Another cause is . to yelden euerich of hem to ~
oother / the dette of hir bodies . For neither of hem / hath power ~
ouer his owene body ¶ The thridde is . for to eschewe leccherye ~
and vileynye ¶ The ferthe / is for sothe deedly synne