[6-text p 432]
¶ ffor out of doute / this olde poure man
Line 904
Was euere / in suspect of hir mariage
ffor euere he demed / sith þat it bigan
That whan the lord / fulfild hadde his corage
Line 907
Hym wolde thynke / it were a disparage
To his estat so lowe for talighte
And voyden hire / as soone as euere he myghte
Line 910
¶ Agayns his doghter / hastiliche goth he
Line 911
ffor he by noyse of folk / knew hir comynge
And with hir olde cote / as it myghte be
He couered hire / ful sorwefully wepynge
Line 914
But on hir body / myghte he it nat brynge
ffor rude was the clooth / and she moore of age
By dayes fele / than at hir mariage
Line 917
¶ Thus with hir fader / for a certein space
Line 918
Dwelleth this flour / of wifly pacience
That neyther / by hir wordes / ne hir face
Biforn the folk/ ne eek in hir absence
Line 921
Ne shewed she / þat hir was doon offence
Ne of hir heighe estat no remembrance
Ne hadde she / as by hir contenance
Line 924
¶ No wonder is / for in hir grete estat [folio 187a]
Line 925
Hir goost was euere / in pleyn humylitee
No tendre mouth / noon herte delicat
No pompe / no semblant of realtee
Line 928
But ful / of pacient benygnytee
Discreet and pridelees / ay honurable
And to hir housbonde / euere meke & stable
Line 931
¶ Men speke of Iob / and moost for his humblenesse
Line 932
As clerkes whan hem lest konne wel endite
Namely of men / but as in soothfastnesse
Thogh clerkes / preyse wommen but a lite
Line 935
