[6-text p 441]
O noble wyues ful of heigh prudence /
Line 1183
let noon humilite ȝour tonges nayle
Ne lat no clerk haue cause or diligence
Line 1185
To write of ȝow a story of such meruayle /
As of Grisildes pacience and kynde
Lest Chichiuache ȝow swolwe in hir entraile
Line 1188
Folwith Ecco þat holdith no silence
Line 1189
But euer answereth at þe countretayle
Beþ nouȝt bydaffed for ȝour Innocence
Line 1191
But scharply tak on ȝow þe gouernayle
Empryntith wel þis lessoun in ȝour mynde
For comun profyt sith it may auayle
Line 1194
Ȝe archewyues stondith at defens
Line 1195
Syn ȝe ben strong as is a greet/ Chamayle
Ne suffre not þat men ȝow don offens
Line 1197
And sclendre wydewes felle as in batayle
Beth egre as is a Tyger ȝond in Inde
Ay clappith as a mylle I ȝow counsaile
Line 1200
Ne drede hem not . do hem no reuerence [folio 132b]
Line 1201
For þough þin housbond armed be in mayle
The arwes of þy crabbid eloquence
Line 1203
Schal perse his brest and eek his aduentayle /
In gelousy I rede eek þou him bynde
And þou schalt make him couche as doth a quayle
Line 1206
If þou be fair þer folk ben in presence
Line 1207
Schew þou þy visage and þin apparaile
If þou be foul be fre of þy despense
Line 1209
To gete þe frendes do ay þy trauayle /
Be ay of chier as light as lef on lynde /
And let hem care and wepe and wryng and wayle
Line 1212
Explicit.
