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

CHAPTERS XXIII, XXIV.

[of Boucicaut and the three ladies; and of three other ladies who accused a knight.]

THese .iij. ladies satte togedres in a priue chambre, and talked of her auentures, unto the tyme that one saide, " Moche maugre haue she of us that wiƚƚ not teƚƚ, of good felawship here amonge us .iij., of that she shal be asked, that is, yef ani of us was this yeere praied of loue." " Truly," saide the furst, "y haue ben praied." The seconnde and the thridde saide the same. " Now," saide the boldest [fol/col 11b/2] ladi, "sori loue haue she that tellith not the name of hym that last praied her;" and there thei were acorded they shulde teƚƚ. "Forsothe," saide the furst, "it was Bursigaunt that praied me." "And in good sothe," saide the secound, "so dede he me." "By my trouthe," quod the thridde, "and he praied me also." "In good faithe," saide the .iij. ladies, "he nis not so trewe a knight as we wende, for he is hut a tromper and a iaper, nofors, late us sende for hym." And whanne he coiue he saide, "My ladyes, what wolde ye ?" and thei bade hym sitte downe on the grounde by hem. And he saide, "Sethe y am come and must sitte, late me haue sum quyshon or a stole, for y might, and y satte lowe, brake sum of my pointes, and ye wold̛ saie perauenture it were sumwhat ellys." And so thei gate hym a stole; and, whanne he was sette, as thei that wero fuƚƚ of ire and wrathe,, saide, "Bursegaunt, we are foule deceiued in you the tyme passed, for we wende that ye had be a true knight, and ye are but a mocker, and a iaper of ladies, and that is a foule tache." And he ansuered, "Ladies, how knowe ye that ? " "For, sire, y[e] haue here praied my cosin of loue, and so haue ye me, and ye saide ye loued us, and eche of us had youre herte, the whiche was fals lesinge, for ye might [not] loue us aƚƚ thre best, for ye are not .iij. persones, nor ye haue not thre hertys, and therfor ye are fals and deseiuable, and ye aught not to be sette in the nombre of true knightis." And he saide, "Ladyes, ye haue wronge, & that woƚƚ y shewe

you and ye wyƚƚ yeue me leue to speke, and y wiƚƚ teƚƚ you whi. For atte that tyme y spake [fol/col 12/1] with eche of you, y loued her best that y spake with, and thought truly the same, and me thinkithe therfor ye be in the wronge to haue suche langage on me, but y must sufre." And whanne thei sawe hym nomore abasshed, thei saide they wolde drawe cutte amonge hem ther, to wete to whom he shulde abide. "In good faithe," saide the furst ladye, " y wiƚƚ drawe no cutte for hym, for y quite my parte of hym;" and that other .ij. ladyes saide, "So do we oure part, for we wiƚƚ not of hym." "A!" saide the knight,"ye nede not stryue, for she nys not here that shaƚƚ haue parte of me ; " and with that he rose and yede his waye, and lete the .iij. ladies be there aƚƚ abasshed and shamed. And therfor it is a gret periƚƚ to beginne to haue langage with suche men that canne skiƚƚ of the worlde; and therfor here is an ensaumple that no woman shulde take no striff nor wordes with suche men, for there is mani women that beginnithe langage with a man that canne not ende it weƚƚ, for men canne fynde weyes to helpe hem selff, as dede a man that was acused to .iij. ladies of suche an other dede as dede Bursigaunt; and thei swore he shulde deye, and neuer deceiue ladi more, and thei caught and shette hym in a chambre, and as thei come eueriche with a knyff forto slee him, he saide, "Ladies, it likitℏ you that y shaƚƚ deye withoute mercy, y praie you of a bone." And they graunted hym. And thanne he required hem that the strengest hore of hem shulde smite furst the stroke. And thei stode and loked eueriche upon other, and ther was none that wolde toucℏ [fol/col 12/2] hym for shame, for there was none that wolde take it on her that it were she. And he sawe hem so abaisshed, & he ranne and opened the dore, and yede his waye; and thus was the knight saued, and thei abode abasshed and mocked. And therfor there be mani thoughtes and wyles with a man to helpe hym self atte nede; but y wiƚƚ leue this matere, and go to women that wol goo to see iustinge and other diuerse sightes, and also wol go on pilgrimage more for sporte than for deuocion.