The Lansdowne ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

Lenvoye de Chaucer

Criselde is dede and hir pacience And boþe at ones beried in ytaile Wher-fore .I. crie in open audience Line 1179 No wedded man be hardie to assaile His wives pacience in hope to finde Crisildez for certes he schal faile Line 1182

[6-text p 441] Line 1182

O noble wyues ful of ire prudence Lat none humylite ȝoure tonge naile Ne late no clerke haue cause or diligence [folio 128b] Line 1185 To write of ȝowe a storie of suche merveile As Crisilde pacient and kinde Lest chicheuache ȝowe swelowe in hire entreile Line 1188

Foloweþ here to and holdeþ no silence Bot euer answer att þe countretaile Beþ nouht bedaffed for ȝoure innocence Line 1191 Bot scharpely take on ȝowe þe gouernaile Enprinteþ wele þis lesson in ȝoure mynde For commune profite seþþe it maie availe Line 1194

þe Archewyues standeþ att þe fense Seþ ȝe be stronge as is a grete Camaile Ne suffreþ nouȝt þat men do ȝowe offence Line 1197 And sclender wives and febel as in a bataile Beþ egre as is a tigre ȝonde in. Inde Ay clappeþ as a melle .I. ȝowe counseile Line 1200

Ne drede hem nouht . ne do hem no reuerence For þouhe þi husbonde armed be in maile Þe arwes of þi crabbed eloquence Line 1203 Schal pers his breste and eke his aduentaile In gelowsye .I. rede eke þou him binde And þou make him couche as doþe a qwaile Line 1206

If þow bue faire þere folke bue in presence schew þou þi visage and þine aparaile If þo be foule be fre of þi dispence Line 1209 To gete þe frendes do aye þi trauayle Be ay of chier as liht as lef on lynde And late him care and wepe and wringe and wayle. Line 1212