without all deuotion / none otherwyse / than Nero pursued the apostles / or Domician / Maximine / Detius / or Dioclectā dyd pursue other christē folkes in theyr tyme And I suppose that this wyfe of Iob was lefte hym to make his aduersyte more payneful / and to oppresse hym the sorer with her myscheuous tonge O cursed and wycked woman / that rebukest thy husbāde for his goodnes / whiche thynge the deuyll hym selfe dourste neuer do / for he distroyed al the goodes of Iob / stowe his seruauntes / rydde vppe his chyldren out of the worlde / and fylled hym full of galles and scabbes yet dyd he neuer rebuke hym / for continuyng styll in his good mynde but his wyfe rebukedde hym therfore / that a mā myght se howe moche she was more bolde than the deuyll But let the wyfe trouble neuer so moche / the husbande ought to be as glad therof / as were the apostles / that they were rekened worthy to be putte to rebuke for the name of our lorde Iesu but thou good daughter / that wylt do well / shalt nat withdrawe thyn husbande from goodnes / but rather exhorte hym vnto vertue / thoughe thou shuldeste be sure to lees all thy goodes Therfore / that thou mayste opteyne the thynge / whiche saynt Paule speaketh of / sayeng If the husbande be an infidell / he shall be sanctified by his wyues saythe / remembre also the wordes of our lorde / that there is no bodye that refuseth any thynge in this worlde for Christis sake / but he shall haue moche more for hit both in this worlde and in an other Fyrst these ryches be sure and certayn / whiche are kepte saffe from all chaūses / neither wasted withī / as mettalles be by ruste clothing by moughtes / nor without as stolen by theues And also the prophet in the psalme sayth that he hath lerned by longe vse and by good experience / that neuer good man was yet destytute / nor any of his children lacked foode And we haue as it were an obligation of our lorde in the gospel / that we shall trust well on his benygnyte And vnderstande that our father in heuen wyll fynde vs all thȳg / that we shal nede / if we seke for his kyngdome / and the iustice thereof Wherfore if thyne husbande be foule / yet loue his harte and mynde / where vnto thou art maryed in dede And if thyne husbande be sycke / than must thou playe the true wyfe / comforte hym / norysshe hym / and make as moche of hym / as thoughe he were neuer so holle and so stronge / and so shall he be the lesse payned / if he sethe / as it were / take payne with hym and in a maner translate and chifte parte of his syckenes vnto thy selfe For she is no good wyfe / that is merye whan her husbande is sorye or holle and lustye / whā he is sicke and heuye byde thou styll by his beddis syde / and lighten his doloure sometyme with comfortable wordes / sometyme with gentyll fomentations Touche thou his woūdes thy selfe / touche thou his sore and paynfull bodye with thyne owne handes Do thou bothe couer and vncouer hym thyn owne selfe take and beare away the chamber vessel with his water thy selfe Nor aborre nat these seruices nor put them nat vnto thy seruauntes / whiche wyll go more slowly about them / bycause they loue hym nat so moche And whan the pacient perceyueth hym selfe nat loued / his sickenes increaseth Nowe than shulde a man calle those wyues good and vertuous women / that be so careles in theyr husbandes syckenes / that they can be well inough content with suche sleight seruices as her seruātes do about him And some there be / that wyll nothyng let theyr accustomed stations / and feastynges / and visettyng theyr gossyppes / nor breake any of theyr haunted pleasures / though theyr husbandes lye shutte vp sicke at home / but that is no wedlocke / but rather a poynt of concubynes / or cōmen harlottes whiche lye with men for theyr wages Wherfore shuld I be ashamed to name that / whiche the vngratious women shame nat to do For if thou thynke it maketh no force / nor order thy selfe other wyse in thyne husbandes sickenes / than if it were but thy neighboure / thou arte a foole to loke after / that I shulde name the for a wyfe / whanne thou vseste no wyues gyse For woldest thou I shulde name the for a wyfe / whanne thou vsest no wyues maners For shulde I call hym a weauer that neuer lerned to weaue / nor to drawe the woffe / nor to caste the shuttyll / nor strycke the webbe with the slaye Though that vertue by hit selfe can nat fayle to come to lyght / and shyneth well mough in the darke by the bryghtnes of hit selfe / nat withstandynge / as moche as lyethe in me / I wyll nat suffer / but that that I haue sene my selfe / many mo knowe as well as I / I wyll declare / that bothe they that nowe be / and they that shall come here after / may knowe it Clare the wyfe of Barnarde Valdaure / a fayre and a goodly mayde / whan she was fyrste maryed at Bruges / and brought to bed vnto her husbande / whiche was .xlvi. yere of age / the fyrste nyght sawe his legges rolled and wrapped with cloutes / and founde that she hadde chaunsed on a sore and a sekely husbande yet for all that / she lothed hym neuer the more / nor begane nat to hate hym / whom yet she had no space to loue Nat lōge after that / the forsayde Valdaure fell in to a great sickenes / in so moche / that all phisitions dispayred his lyfe than she and her mother gaue suche dilygence vnto the seke man / that of syx wekes contynually to gether / neither of them ones put of their clothes / excepte it were to chaunge their smockes nor rested in the nyght paste one houre / or .iij. at the most / and that but in theyr clothes The roote of the disease was that we call the frenche pockes / a wonderous sore / and contagious sickenes / phisitions counsayled her / nat to touche hym so / nor come so nere hym the same her frēdes coūsayled her And her cōpanyōs gossyppis sayde it was synfully done / to vexe the mā in the worlde / or kepe him lōger on lyue with his sickenes / bad her prouide some good thyng for the soule / as for the body care no more / but howe it myght be buryed with whiche sayeng she was neuer a whytte abasshed / but very dilygently procured bothe suche as was for the welthe of his soule / and prepared holsome meates for his body and gaue great intendaunce about hym / oftē chaūgyng his shetes / his cloutes / bycause he hadde an excedyng laxe / and matter / and fylthe ranne out of
/ and helpe them vp to the hyghest than to enforme teache the lower thynges But I wyll let passe all suche exhortatioÌ„s / bycause euery bodye shall chose and pyke out the wayes of lyuyng / out of these mennes authorite / rather than of my faÌ„tasie and I wyll coÌ„pyle rules of lyuyng Therfore in the fyrste boke / I wyll begynne at the begynnyng of a womans lyfe / and leade her forth vnto the tyme of maryage In the seconde / from maryage vnto wydowehede howe she ought to passe the tyme of her life well and vertuously with her husbande In the last boke I enforme teche the wydowhed And bicause the matter coude nat be other wyse handeled / there be many thynges tolde in the fyrst boke / perteynynge vnto wyues wydowes and moche in the seconde belongynge vnto vnmaried women and some in the thyrde ê‘teynyng vnto all Lest a mayde shuld thynke that she nede to rede but onely the fyrste boke / or a wyfe the seconde / or a wydowe onely the thyrde I wyll that euery of them shall rede all In whiche I haue ben more short / thaÌ„ many wold I shuld haue ben Nat withstandyng who so consydreth wel the cause of myne entent / and taketh good hede / shall fynde hit done nat without a skyll For in gyuynge preceptes / a man ought specially to be brefe leste he soner dull the wyttes of the reders / thaÌ„ teche them / with longe bablynge And preceptes oughte to be suche / that euery body maye soone can them / and beare easily in mynde Nor we shulde nat be ignorant of the lawes that Christe and his disciples / Petre / Paule / Iames / IohnÌ„ / and Iude taught vs where we maye se that they gyue vs the diuine preceptes brefe and shortly For who can beare in remembrance those lawes / whiche they beare nat well in mynde / that haue spende theyr holle lyfe in study of them And therfore haue I neither thrust in many examples / nor gone out of my matter to entreat generally of vice and vertue / whiche were a large felde to walke in vnto th eÌ„de that my boke myght be nat only redde without tediousnes but also be redde often More ouer though the preceptes for men be innumerable women yet maye be enfourmed with fewe wordes For men must be occupied both at home forth abrode / bothe in theyr owne matters and for the coÌ„mon weale Therfore hit can nat be declared in fewe bokes / but in many and longe / howe they shall handle them selfe in so many and diuers thynges As for a woman hath no charge to se to / but her honestie and chastyte Wherfore whan she is enfurmed of that / she is sufficiently appoynted Wherfore theyr wyckednes is the more cursed and detestable / that go about to perisshe that one treasure of women as though a man had but one eie / and an other wolde go about to put it out Some wryte fylthye and baudye rymes Whiche meÌ„ I can nat se what honeste excuse they can ley for them selfe But that theyr corrupt mynde / and swelled with poyson / can breathe non other thyng but venom / to distroye them that are nere vnto hit But they call them selfe louers / and I beleue they be so in dede / ye and blinde madde to withall And though thou loue / canst thou nat opteyne thyne owne / except thou infecte all other therfore In my mynde no man was euer banysshed more ryghtfully / thaÌ„ was Ouide / at lest wise if he was banisshed for writyng the crafte of loue For other write waÌ„ton and noughty balades / but this worshipful artificer / must make rules in goddis name preceptes of his vnthriftines / a schole maister of baudry / a coÌ„mon corrupter of vertue Nowe I doubt nat but some wyll thynke my preceptes ouer sore and sharpe Howe be it the nature of all thynges is suche / that the way of vertue is easy and large vnto good meÌ„ / and the way of vice contrarye / strayte and roughe But vnto yll men neither the way that they go in is pleasant / nor the waye of vertue large and easy inough and seyng it is so / hit is better to assent vnto good men than ill and rather to reken the bad folkes opinion false / than the good mennes Pythagoras the philosopher / other of his schole / in the descriptioÌ„ of this letter Y. say / that whan a man is paste the fyrste difficulte of vertue / all after is easy and playne Plato gyueth couÌ„sayle to chose the best way in lyuynge whiche way vse custome shall also make pleasant Our lorde in the gospell saythe / that the way into the kyngdome of heueÌ„ is strayte / nat bycause it is so in dede / but bycause fewe go it except a man wold couÌ„t his wordes false / where he saith My yocke is swete and my burthen lyght Orels where he promyseth / that there is no maÌ„ that forgoth any thynge for his sake / but he shall haue far more for it agayne / yea and that in this lyfe And what was ment therby / but the pleasures of vertue Therfore I se vnto whom my preceptes shal seme rigorous and sharpe / that is yonge meÌ„ / that be ignorant / wanton and vnthriftye whiche can nat ones beare the syght of a good woman And lyke as raÌ„ke horses neye vnto euery mare / so they go about euery tryflyng pyuysshe wenche / that hath a pleasure to be loked vpon loued and they wolde haue theyr folye to be allowable by the multytude of mysdoers As who sayth / the agrement abusion of people myght chaunge the nature of thynges Hit is no newes / that il folke hate them that auyse them well For Theophraste whan he wrote of this same matter / spake moche of mariage sadlye and wysely / he sette commen harlottis in his toppe And one Leontium the concubyne of Metrodorus / started out and babled forthe a boke without all reasoÌ„ / or shame / agaynst that maÌ„ most excellent in wisedome and eloquence whiche dede was thought so intollerable / that as though no more hope of goodnes were lefte / ther rose vp a ê“uerbe of that matter / that the nexte remedy was to seke a tre to go hange vpon Saynt Hierome wryteth of hym selfe vnto the holye mayde Demetrias in this wyse More than thyrty yere ago / I wryte a boke of virginite / in the whiche I must nedes speke agaynst vice and patefy the trappes of the deuyl / for the instruction of the maide that I taught the whiche wrytyng many be agreued withal whan euery one taketh the matter / as said by hym selfe / and wyll nat here me as an exhortour and counselloure / but lothis me as an accuser and rebuker of his doynge Thus saythe he Lo what maner of men we shall displease with teachynge them vertuouslye verely suche as
concorde / and charite / and specially where the man and wyfe be coupled with these thynges Thou shalt sone make god thy freÌ„de / if thou make thyne husbande thy frende afore God nedeth nat moche of our seruice But vertuous lyuynge / and high honour / them he reserueth vnto hym selfe / other thinges to be kepte in the worlde / as loue and concorde And that is the cause whye he reherseth â—o ofte charite in his gospell / and sayth / he gyueth â—is kyngdome vnto those / that haue vsed charite vnto folkes in this worlde and casteth out from the inheritaunce of heuen / that hath ben enuious and malytious agaynst theyr euen christen For thou shalte easily make god thy frende / if thou reconcile thyne euen Christen vnto the before Neyther there is any way more redye vnto goddes fauour / than fyrste to optayne fauour of thyne euen Christen Therfore let a woman thynke that she dothe a great sacrifyce / whan she serueth her husbande and thinke that she visetteth churches deuoutly / if she be diligent about her husbaÌ„des bed But there be some women / that if their husbande were neuer so sicke / yet wolde they neuer let theyr walkyng of their stations to churches about / and that more for theyr pleasure / than deuotion to god warde But where to shulde we talke of them Saynt Paule wrytyng vnto Tymothe speaketh of womannes duete in this wyse Let the woman lerne with all obedyence / kepynge sylence For I wyll nat haue the woman to be a teacher / nor to rule her husbande / but kepe sylence Also writyng vnto the Corinthies / he saythe Lette your women nat speake in the churche / but if they lyste lerne ought / that they be in doubte of / aske theyr husbandes at home Whiche lawe in myne opinion meaneth none other thynge / but that the woman ought to lerne of her husbande / and in such thynges as she standeth in doute of / to folowe his mynde / and beleue as he doth and if the husbaÌ„de do wronge / hym selfe shall beare all the blame / the wyfe shal be out of faute excepte it be so manifest that she maye perceyue the faute her selfe playnly mough / or els be taught other wise of suche as the husbande hym selfe myght well inoughe lerne For those thynges that be agaynste the lawes of god / she ought nat to do though her husbande coÌ„mauÌ„de her neuer so moche For she muste a knowlege one for better than her husbande and haue more in price / that is Christe The man is heed of the woman / but Christe is heed of the man Many holy women of our fayth haue bene sore punisshed of theyr husbandes / for folowynge Christ is preceptes agaynst theyr wyll And yet the apostle Paule coÌ„maunde that he wyfe nat to departe from her husbaÌ„de without his leaue / be he neuer so vngratious So great be the bondes of wedlocke / that the Christen myght nat departe from the hethen without leaue What than ought we to suppose / where bothe be Christened / and bothe good Aristotel sayth A good woman ought to take the maners of her husbande / as a lawe and rule of her lyuynge / gyuen her by god by the couplynge of matrimony And hit becommeth her to accorde with her husbande and serue hym / nat onely in prosperite / but also in aduersite If he lacke goodes / or be sicke of his body / or out of his mynde / let her suffre and obey hym / excepte it be some vnclenly thynge / or vncommelye Nor let her nat beare longe in mynde / if her husbande offende her / by reason of distresse of his mynde but lay the cause in his disease and ignorance For the more pacieÌ„tly she vseth him in these poyntes / the more thanke shall he gyue her / whanne he is amended And if there be any vncommely thynge commanded her by hym / whiche she hath nat done / he shall consydre that better after his amendynge Wherfore a woman ought to absteyne from yll / but in all good thynges / to obeye none other wyse / than thoughe she had ben bought in to the house as a bonde and hande mayde And in dede she is boughte with a great price / that is to say feloship of lyfe / and procreation of childreÌ„ / whiche / nothyÌ„g can be greatter nor holyer Moreouer if she had had a welthy husbande / than coude nat her goodnes bene so moche knowen For hit is but a small acte to handle prosperite well Howe be it to suffre aduersite paciently is counted a great thynge For in great aduersities and harmes nat to be in extreme dispayre / is a poynte of a noble stomacke Therfore she hadde nede to praye / that no harme bechaunce her husbande But if any aduersite fall / than let her considre / that she shall wynne great worship there by / if she behaue her selfe well And let her remembre / that neither quene Alcest shulde haue had so great honoure / nor quene Penolepe so great prayse / if they had lyued in prosperite with their husbaÌ„des For by the aduersite of kyng Admetus and Vlysses caused them eternall memory For in thaduersites of theyr husbandes they optayned and that well worthy / eternall glorye / for kepynge faythe and truthe towarde theyr husbandes For womeÌ„ wyll take no parte of aduersite / excepte it be suche as be wonderous good Wherfore to coÌ„clude / it is becomynge for the wyfe to haue her husbande in honour / and nat dispise hym These be Aristotles wordes Of the concorde of maryed couples The .v. Chaptre HIt were an infinite thyng / nor the tale shulde come vnto any ende / to reherse the goodnes of concorde and howe all thynge in the worlde / and also the worlde it selfe / standeth to gether by vnyte and concorde but our pourpose is to speke of wedlocke in whiche I say / the greattest quietnes and mooste parte of pleasure is concorde / and the greattest trouble and moste parte of misery in it is discorde They that were of Pythagoras disciplyne / amonge al the preceptes of Pythagoras / they kepte these rules / and mooste / and oftest vsed them That laÌ„guishenes shulde be voyded and put from the body / foly and lewdnes from the mynde / ryotte from the bealye / and sedition out of the cite / and discorde out of the house / and finally intemperaunce out of all thynges Vlysses in Homer wisheth for an husbaÌ„de / a house / and coÌ„corde vnto Nausicaa the doughter of kynge Alcynous whiche is the greattest treasure and moste to be desyred that can be For whan the wyfe and husbande lyue peasably to gether / they cause moche sorowe vnto theyr enemyes / moche ioye vnto theyr frendes / and moste of all vnto them selues Thus he sayde Howe happy a maryage suppose we that Albutius had / whiche lyued with his wyfe Terrentiana without any displeasure .xxv. yere And yet more fortunate was