¶ Narrat
Whilom þer was duellyng in lombardy
A worþy knight þat born was of pauy
In which he lyued in gret prosperite
And fourty ȝer . a wifles man was he
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And folwed ay his bodily delyt
On wommen . ther was his appetyt
As doon þese fooles þat/ ben seculere
And whan þat he was passed fourty ȝere
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were it for holyness or for dotage
I can not say . but such a gret corrage
hadde þis knight . to ben a weddid man
That day and night . he doþ al þat he can
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Taspye wher þat he mighte weddid be
Praying our lord to graunte him þat he
Might oones knowen of þat blisful lif
Þat is bitwix an housbond and his wyf
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And for to lyue vnder þat holy bond
with which god first . man to womman bond
Noon oþer lif said he is worth a bene
For wedlok is so holy and so clene
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That in þis world it is a paradis
Thus sayd þis olde knight þat was so wys
And certeinly as soth as god is king
To take a wyf . is a glorious þing/
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And namely whan a man is old and hoor
Than is a wyf þe fruyt of his tresor
Than schuld he take a ȝong wif and a fair
On which he might engendre him an hair
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