Enfample left, whiche is write,
And for thou shalt the fothe wite
Of this enfample, what I mene,
All though it be now litel fene
Among the men thilke evidence,
Yet he was upon pacience
So fet, that he him self affay
In thing, which might him most mispay,
Defireth and a wicked wife
He weddeth, which in forwe and ftrife
Ayein his ese was contraire.
But he spake ever soft and faire,
Till it befell, as it is tolde,
In winter, whan the day is colde,
This wife was fro the welle come,
Where that a pot with water nome
She hath and brought it into house,
And figh, how that her sely spouse
Was fet and loked on a boke
Nigh to the fire as he, which toke
His efe as for a man of
age.
And she began the wode rage
And axeth him, what divel he thought
And bare on hond, that him ne rought
What labour that she toke on honde,
And faith, that fuche an hufbonde
Was to a wife nought worth a stre.
He faide nouther nay ne ye,
But helde him stille and lete her chide.
And she, which may her felf nought hide,
lites habenda, et narrat, qualiter uxor Socratis ipfum quodam die multis fermonibus litigavit, fed cum ipfe abfque ulla refponfione omnia probra pacienter fuftulit, indignata uxor quandam ydriam plenam aque, quam in manu tenebat, fuper caput viri fui fubito effudit, dicens: evigila et loquere, qui refpondens tunc ait: O vere jam scio et expertus fum, quod poft ventorum rabiem fequuntur ymbres. Et ifto modo litis contumeliam fua paciencia devicit.
Began withinne for to swelle
And that she brought in fro the welle
The water pot she hent a lofte
And bad him speke, and he all fofte
Sat stille and nought a word answerd.
And she was wroth, that he fo ferd,
And axeth him, if he be dede,
And all the water on his hede
She poured out and bad him awake.
But he, whiche wol nought forfake
His pacience, thanne spake
And faid, how that he fond no lake
In nothing which she hadde do,
For it was winter time tho
And winter, as by wey of kinde,
Which stormy is as men it finde,
First maketh the windes for to blowe
And after that within a throwe
He reineth and the water gates
Undoth, and thus my wife algates,
Which is with refon well besein,
Hath made me bothe winde and rein
After the fefon of the yere.
And than he fet him ner the fire
And as he might his clothes dreide,
That he nomore o word ne faide,
Wherof he gat him fomdele rest,
For that him thought was for the best.
I not if thilke enfample yit
Accordeth with a mannes wit
To fuffre, as Socrates dede.
And if it fal in any ftede
A man to lefe so his galle,
Him ought among the women alle
In loves court by jugement
The name bere of pacient
To yive enfample to the good
Of pacience how that it stood,
That other men it mighte knowe.
And fone, if thou at any throwe
Be tempted ayein pacience,
Take hede upon this evidence,
It shall par cas the laffe greve.
My fader, fo as I beleve
Of that shall be no maner nede,
For I woll take fo good hede,
That er I fall in fuche affay
I thenke escheue, if that I
Wherof thou might thy word restreigne,
Er that thou falle in any peine.
For who that can no counseil hide,
He may nought faile of wo befide,
Which shall befalle, er he it wite,
As I finde in the bokes write.
Hic ponit confeffor exemplum, quod de
Yet cam there never good of strife
alterius lite intromit- To feche in all a mannes life,
tere cavendum eft. Though it beginne on pure game,
Et narrat, qualiter
Jupiter cum Junone Full ofte it torneth into grame
fuper quadam quefi-
tione litigabat, vide- And doth grevaunce on som side.
mulier in amoris con- Wherof the grete clerk Ovide
us ardebat, fuper quo After the lawe, which was tho, Tirefiam eorum ju- Of Jupiter and of Juno
Et quia ille contra Maketh in his bokes mencion,
Junonem in dicte litis
caufa fentenciam dif- How they felle at diffencion
finivit, irata dea ipfum
amborum oculorum In maner as it were a borde,
que remiffione priva- As they begunne for to worde Among hem felf in privete.
And that was upon this degre,
Whiche of the two more amorous is
Or man or wife. And upon this
They mighten nought accorde in one
And toke a juge therupon,
Which cleped is Tirefias
And bede him demen in this cas.
And he withoute avisement
Ayein Juno yaf jugement.
This goddeffe upon his answere
Was wroth and wolde nought forbere,
But toke awey for evermo
The light from both his two.
Whan Jupiter this harm hath sein
Another bienfait there ayein
He yaf and fuche a grace him doth,
That for he wifte he faide foth
A foth-faier he was for ever.
But yet that other were lever
Have had the loking of his eye
Than of his word the prophecie.
But how fo that the fothe went,
Strife was the cause, of that he hent
So great a peine bodily.
My fone, be thou ware thereby
And hold thy tunge stille close,
For who that hath his word disclose
Er that he wite what he mene
He is full ofte nigh his tene
And lefeth full many time grace,
Wher that he wold his thank purchace.
And over this, my fone dere,
Of other men, if thou might here
In privite, what they have wrought,
Hold counfeil and discover it nought,
For chefte can no counfeil hele,
Or be it wo or be it wele,
And take a tale into thy minde,
The which of olde enfample I finde.
Phebus, which maketh the daies light, Quia litigantes ora fua
A love he hadde, which tho hight
Cornide, whom aboven alle
He plefeth. But what shall befalle
Of love, there is no man knoweth.
But as fortune her happes throweth,
So it befell upon a chaunce
A yonge knight toke her acqueintaunce
cohibere nequeunt, hic ponit confeffor exemplum contra illos, qui in amoris caufa alterius confilium revelare prefumunt. Et narrat, qualiter quedam avis tuncalbiffima nomine Corvus, confilium domine fue Cornide Phebo denudavit, unde contigit non fo
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