[6-text p 441]
O noble wyues ful of heih prudence
lat non humilite ȝoure tonge nayle /
Ne lat no clerk haue cause or diligence
Line 1185
To write of ȝou a story of such meruayle
As Grisildis pacient and kynde
lest chychevache ȝow swolwe in hire entrayle
Line 1188
ffolweþ herto and holdeþ no scilence [[a leaf out]]
[but euere answerith / in the contir-taille [MS Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 82a]
beth nat bidaffid / for youre innocence
Line 1191
but sharply take on yow / the gouernaille
enpoynteth wel this lessoun / in youre mynde
for comune profit / sith hit may availle
Line 1194
And ye Archiwivis / stondith at defence
syn ye be stronge / as is a grete Camaille
ne suffrith not / that men do yow offence
Line 1197
and slender wivis / as feble in bataille
beith egre as a Tigre / bi-yende the se fer in ynde
ay clappith as a mylle / I yow consaille
Line 1200
Ne dredith hem nought doith hem no reuerence
for though thyn housbond armed be / in maille
the wordis of thi crabbed eloquence
Line 1203
shal persshe his breste / and eke his auentaille
in gelousie I rede eke / thow him bynde
and thow shalt make him covche / as a quaille
Line 1206
Yf thow be feyre / there folk ben in presence
shewe thow thi visage / and thin apparaille
yf thow be foule / be fre of thi dispence
Line 1209
to gete the frendis / ay do thi travaille
be euer of chere as light / as leff on lynde
and lete him care · wepe / wrynge and waille
Line 1212
Here endith the Clerke of Oxonford his tale /]
