William Dunbar's The tretis of the twa mariit women and the wedo

About this Item

Title

Author

Dunbar, William, 1460?-1520?

Publication

Oxford and New York: Clarendon Press and Oxford University Press

1979

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DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States

Link to this Item

http://name.umdl.umich.edu/DunTwa

Cite this Item

"William Dunbar's The tretis of the twa mariit women and the wedo." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/DunTwa. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 23, 2025.

Pages

Lines 451 through 530

                  
                     Wise wemen has wayis and wonderfull gydingis 
                    Line 451 
                  
                     With gret engyne to bejaip ther jolyus husbandis; 
                    Line 452 
                  
                     And quyetly, with sic craft, convoyis our materis 
                    Line 453 
                  
                     That, under Crist, no creatur kennis of our doingis. 
                    Line 454 
                  
                     Bot folk a cury may miscuke, that knawledge wantis, 
                    Line 455 
                  
                     And has na colouris for to cover thair awne kindly fautis; 
                    Line 456 
                  
                     As dois thir damysellis, for derne dotit lufe, 
                    Line 457 
                  
                     That dogonis haldis in dainte and delis with thaim so lang, 
                    Line 458 
                  
                     Quhill all the cuntre knaw ther kyndnes and faith: 
                    Line 459 
                  
                     Faith has a fair name, bot falsheid faris bettir: 
                    Line 460 
                  
                     Fy one hire that can nought feyne her fame for to saif! 
                    Line 461 
                  
                     Yit am I wise in sic werk and wes all my tyme; 
                    Line 462 
                  
                     Thoght I want wit in warldlynes, I wylis haif in luf, 
                    Line 463 
                  
                     As ony happy woman has that is of hie blude: 
                    Line 464 
                  
                     Hutit be the halok las a hunder yeir of eild!    
                    Line 465

Page 57

                  
                    Line 465 
                  
                     I have ane secrete servand, rycht sobir of his toung, 
                    Line 466 
                  
                     That me supportis of sic nedis, quhen I a syne mak: 
                    Line 467 
                  
                     Thoght he be sympill to the sicht, he has a tong sickir; 
                    Line 468 
                  
                     Full mony semelyar sege wer service dois mak: 
                    Line 469 
                  
                     Thought I haif cair, under cloke, the cleir day quhill nyght, 
                    Line 470 
                  
                     Yit haif I solace, under serk, quhill the sone ryse. 
                    Line 471 
                  
                     Yit am I haldin a haly wif our all the haill schyre, 
                    Line 472 
                  
                     I am sa peteouse to the pur, quhen ther is personis mony, 
                    Line 473 
                  
                     In passing of pilgrymage I pride me full mekle, 
                    Line 474 
                  
                     Mair for the prese of peple na ony perdoun wynyng. 
                    Line 475

                  
                     Bot yit me think the best bourd, quhen baronis and knychtis, 
                    Line 476 
                  
                     And othir bachilleris, blith blumyng in youth, 
                    Line 477 
                  
                     And all my luffaris lele, my lugeing persewis, 
                    Line 478 
                  
                     And fyllis me wyne wantonly with weilfair and joy: 
                    Line 479 
                  
                     Sum rownis; and sum ralyeis; and sum redis ballatis; 
                    Line 480 
                  
                     Sum raiffis furght rudly with riatus speche; 
                    Line 481 
                  
                     Sum plenis, and sum prayis; sum prasis mi bewte, 
                    Line 482 
                  
                     Sum kissis me; sum clappis me; sum kyndnes me proferis; 
                    Line 483 
                  
                     Sum kerffis to me curtasli; sum me the cop giffis; 
                    Line 484 
                  
                     Sum stalwardly steppis ben, with a stout curage, 
                    Line 485 
                  
                     And a stif standand thing staiffs in my neiff; 
                    Line 486 
                  
                     And mony blenkis ben our, that but full fer sittis, 
                    Line 487 
                  
                     That mai, for the thik thrang, nought thrif as thai wald. 
                    Line 488 
                  
                     Bot, with my fair calling, I comfort thaim all: 
                    Line 489 
                  
                     For he that sittis me nixt, I nip on his finger; 
                    Line 490 
                  
                     I serf him on the tothir syde on the samin fasson; 
                    Line 491 
                  
                     And he that behind me sittis, I hard on him lene; 
                    Line 492 
                  
                     And him befor, with my fut fast on his I stramp; 
                    Line 493 
                  
                     And to the bernis far but sueit blenkis I cast: 
                    Line 494 
                  
                     To every man in speciall speke I sum wordis 
                    Line 495 
                  
                     So wisly and so womanly, quhill warmys ther hertis.    
                    Line 496

Page 58

                  
                    Line 496 
                  
                     Thar is no liffand leid so law of degre 
                    Line 497 
                  
                     That sall me luf unluffit, I am so loik hertit; 
                    Line 498 
                  
                     And gif his lust so be lent into my lyre quhit, 
                    Line 499 
                  
                     That he be lost or with me lig, his lif sall nocht danger. 
                    Line 500 
                  
                     I am so mercifull in mynd, and menys all wichtis, 
                    Line 501 
                  
                     My sely saull salbe saif, quhen sa bot all jugis. 
                    Line 502 
                  
                     Ladyis leir thir lessonis and be no lassis fundin: 
                    Line 503 
                  
                     This is the legeand of my lif, thought Latyne it be nane. 
                    Line 504

                  
                     Quhen endit had her ornat speche, this eloquent wedow, 
                    Line 505 
                  
                     Lowd thai lewch all the laif, and loffit hir mekle; 
                    Line 506 
                  
                     And said thai suld exampill tak of her soverane teching, 
                    Line 507 
                  
                     And wirk efter hir wordis, that woman wes so prudent. 
                    Line 508 
                  
                     Than culit thai thair mouthis with confortable drinkis; 
                    Line 509 
                  
                     And carpit full cummerlik with cop going round. 
                    Line 510

                  
                     Thus draif thai our that deir nyght with danceis full noble, 
                    Line 511 
                  
                     Quhill that the day did up daw, and dew donkit flouris; 
                    Line 512 
                  
                     The morow myld wes and meik, the mavis did sing, 
                    Line 513 
                  
                     And all remuffit the myst, and the meid smellit; 
                    Line 514 
                  
                     Silver schouris doune schuke as the schene cristall, 
                    Line 515 
                  
                     And berdis schoutit in schaw with thair schill notis; 
                    Line 516 
                  
                     The goldin glitterand gleme so gladit ther hertis, 
                    Line 517 
                  
                     Thai maid a glorius gle amang the grene bewis. 
                    Line 518 
                  
                     The soft sowch of the swyr and soune of the stremys, 
                    Line 519 
                  
                     The sueit savour of the sward and singing of foulis, 
                    Line 520 
                  
                     Myght confort ony creatur of the kyn of Adam, 
                    Line 521 
                  
                     And kindill agane his curage, thocht it wer cald sloknyt. 
                    Line 522 
                  
                     Than rais thir ryall roisis, in ther riche wedis, 
                    Line 523 
                  
                     And rakit hame to ther rest through the rise blumys; 
                    Line 524 
                  
                     And I all prevely past to a plesand arber, 
                    Line 525 
                  
                     And with my pen did report thair pastance most mery. 
                    Line 526

                  
                     Ye auditoris most honorable, that eris has gevin 
                    Line 527 
                  
                     Oneto this uncouth aventur, quhilik airly happinnit; 
                    Line 528 
                  
                     Of thir thre wantoun wiffis, that I haif writtin heir, 
                    Line 529 
                  
                     Quhilk wald ye waill to your wif, gif ye suld wed one?   
                    Line 530

William Dunbar's The tretis of the twa mariit women and the wedo

About this Item

Pages

Lines 451 through 530

description Page 57

description Page 58

Page 57

Page 58