Book of the Knight of La Tour-Landry : compiled for the instruction of his daughters : translated from the original French into English in the reign of Henry VI / [by Geoffroy de La Tour Landry] ; edited ... with an introduction and notes by Thomas Wright

CHAPTER XIX.

It happed onis there were .iij. marchauntes that yede homwarde from a faiere, and [fol/col 9b/1] as thei feƚƚ in talkinge, ridyng on the waye, one of hem saide, "it is a noble thinge a man to haue a good wiff that obeiethe and dothe his biddinge atte aƚƚ tymes." "Be my trouthe" saide that other "my wiff obeiethe me truly." "Be God," saide that other "y trowe myn obeieth best to her husbonde." Thanne he that beganne furst to speke saide, "lete leye a wager of a dener, and whos wiff that obeiethe worst, lete her husbonde paie for the dener;" and thus the wager was leyde. And thei ordeined amonges hem how thei shulde saie her wyfes, for thei ordeined that eueri man shulde bidde his wyff lepe into a basin that thei shulde sette afore her, and they were suoren that none shulde lete his wiff haue weting of her wager, saue only thei shulde saye, "lokithe, wiff, that y comaunde be done." How euer it be, after one of hem hade his wiff lepe into the basin that he had sette afore her on the grounde, and she ansuered and axed wherto, and he saide, "for it is myn luste,and y wiƚƚ ye do it." "Be God," quod̛ she, "ywiƚƚ furst wete wherto ye

wiƚƚ haue me lepe into the basin." And for no thinge her husbond̛ coude do she wolde not do it. So her husbonde up with his fust, and gaue her .ij. or .iij. gret strokes; and thanne yede thei to the secounde marchauntys hous, and he comaunded that what euer he bade do it shulde be do, but it was not longe after but he bade his wiff lepe into the basin that was afore her on the flore, and she asked wherto, and she saide she wolde not for hym. And thanne he toke a staffe, and al tobete her; and thanne thei yode to the [fol/col 9b/2] thridde marchauntes hous, and there thei fonde the mete on the borde, and he rowned in one of his felawes heres, and saide, "after dyner y wiƚƚ assaie my wiff, and bidde her lepe into the basin." And so thei sette hem to her dyner. And whan thei were sette, the good man saide to his wiff, " whateuer y bidde, loke it be done, how euer it be." And she that loued hym, and dredde hym, herde what he saide, and toke hede to that worde; but she wost not what he ment, but it happed that thei had atte her dyner rere eggis, and there lacked salt on the borde, and the good man saide, "wiff, sele sus table ;" and the wiff understode that her husbonde had saide, "seyle sus table," the whiche is in Frenshe "lepe on the borde." And she, that was aferde to disobeie, lepte upon the horde, and threw down mete, and drinke, and brake the verres, and spilt aƚƚ that there was on the borde. "What," saide the good man, "thanne canne ye none other plaie, wiff?" "Be ye wode, sir," she saide, "y haue do youre biddinge, as ye bade me to my power, notwithstondinge it is youre harme and myn; but y had leuer ye had harme and y bothe, thanne y disobeied youre biddinge. For ye saide 'seyle sus table.' " "Nay," quod̛ he, "y saide, sele sus table, that is to saie, salt on the borde." "Bi my trouthe," she saide, "y understode that ye bade me lepe on the borde," and there was moche mirthe and laughinge. And the other two marchauntes saide it was no nede to bidde her lepe into the basin, for she obeied ynough; wher thorugℏ thei consented that her husbond had wonne the wager, and thei had lost bothe. And after she was gretly preised [fol/col 10/1] for her obeisaunce to her husbonde, and she was not bete as were that other .ij. wyues that wolde not do her

husbondes comaundement. And thus pore men canne chaste her wyues with fere and strokes, but a gentiƚƚ woman shulde chastise her selff with fairenesse, for other wise thei shulde not be taught. And a gentiƚƚ woman, the fairer that she is ferde with, the more ferdfuƚƚ she shulde be to displese or to disobeye her husbonde; for the good doutithe and louithe her husbondes, as dede the thridde marchauntes wiff, that for fere to disobeye her husbonde leped on the borde. & so aught eueri good woman do the comaundement of her husbonde, be it euel or weƚƚ, for yef he bidde her thing that she aught not to do, it is his shame. Now haue y treted of the obeysaunce of the drede that a woman aught to haue to her husbonde; and how she shulde not ansuere hym ouerthwartly atte euery worde, for it is gret shame for her; and also what perile it is to ansuere to eueri worde, as dede the knightes doughter, that spake to the leude squier, the whiche thorugℏ her wordes undede her good name and her worshippe. But there be mani folke that are so hasti and higℏ herted, that for her hastinesse saithe aƚƚ that thei knowe that comithe to her mouthe; and therfor it is gret perile to beginne to chide with suche folke, for who doutithe it, he puttithe his worshippe in iupardye and auenture. For many folke wiƚƚ saie more thanne they know, to venge hem selff, thow that they saie false.