He pleynthe sore his mariage is not meete,
For his wyff, Beautryce Bittersweete,
Cast upon him an hougly cheerful rowghe.
Whane he komethe home ful wery from the
ploughe,

Whith hungry stomake, deed and paale of cheere,

In hope to fynde redy his dynier,
Thanne sittethe Beautryce bolling at the
nale,"

As she that gyvethe of him no maner tale;
For she al day with hir jowsy nolle
Hathe for the collyk pouped in the bolle; 40
And for heedache, with pepir and gynger
Drank dolled ale to make hir throte cleer;
And kemethe hir hoome whane hit drawethe

Is noon so olde ne ryveld 22 on hir face,
Wit tong or staff but that she dare manase.
Mabyle God hir sauve and blesse
Koude, yif hir list, bere hereof witnesse. 80

10 harm. 13 heat. "fooled him." 17 back.

19 alehouse.

11 gruel.

12 heated-up vegetables. 14 measuring-stick. is Figuratively, 16 play ator, possibly, complain of. comfort. The word also means assail

18

20 joke. 21 believe. 22 wrinkled.

Wordes, strookes, unhappe, and harde

grace,

With sharp nayles kracching in the face
I mene thus, whane the distaff is broke
With theyre fistes wyves wol be wrooke.1
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 Hevon, for his hooly grace. 90 Nexst in order this bochier 2 stoute and bolde,

That killed hathe bulles and boores olde,
This Berthilmewe, for al his broode knyff,
Yit durst he never with his sturdy wyff
In no mater holde chaumpartye.3
And if he did, sheo wolde anoon defye
His pompe, his pryde, with a sterne thought,
And sodeynly setten him at nought.
Thoughe his bely were rounded lyche an
ooke,

99

He foonde for haste no better bokeller,
Upon his cheke 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. 10

130

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
For a medecyne whane the forst is colde,
Making his teethe to ratle, that beon olde.
This is the compleynt that theos dotardes
olde

Make on theyre wyves, that beon so stoute and bolde.

Thes holy martirs preved ful pacyent,
Lowly beseching in al hir best entent
Unto youre noble ryal magestee

To graunte hem fraunchyse, and also liber

1 Imperative of "see."

2 decide.

Settle it in the lists. On the rights and liabilities of women in the judicial combat see H. C. Lea's Superstition and Force (Phil. 1892), p. 152. On behalf of.

$ early. 6 stick out as if made of hards, flax fibres. 7 won by them.

An allusion to the celebrated Dunmore flitch for happy couples, given yearly ever since the early thirteenth century. Chancer (Wife of Bath's Prologue, 218) and Langland (Piers Plowman A, X, 188) allude to it. See Skeat's note to the latter passage and the Illustrated London News for Aug. 24th, 1912, p. 289.

218

The complaynte of the lewed housbandes with the cruwell answers of theyre wyves herde, the kyng yivethe therupon sentence and Jugement. This noble Prynce, moost royal of estate, Having an eyeghe to this mortal debate, First adverting of ful hyeghe prudence, Wil unavysed gyve here no sentence, Witheoute counseylle of haste to procede By sodeyne doome, for he takethe heede To eyther partye as juge indifferent, Seing the paryll of hasty jugement; Pourposithe him in this contynude stryff To gif no sentence therof diffynytyff Til ther be made examynacyoun. • bow. 10 grumble. 11 choose.

1: royalty.

Wherfore the kyng wol al this nexst yeere That wyves fraunchyse stonde hoole and entier;

And that no man withstonde it, ne withdrawe,

240

Til man may fynde some processe oute by lawe,

That they should by nature in theyre lyves Have soverayntee on theyre prudent wyvesA thing unkouthe, which was never founde. Let men be ware, therfore, or they beo bounde.

The bonde is harde, who soo that lookethe weel.

Some men were lever fetterd beon in steel; Raunsoun might help his peyne to aswaage; But who is wedded lyvethe ever in servage; And I knowe never nowher, for ner neer, Man that was gladde to bynde him prysonier,

251