CHAPTER XCI.
[Of love to stepchildren.]
AN other ensaumple y shal teƚƚ you, of a good lady named Rutℏ, of whom des [fol/col 38b/2] cended the kinge Dauid. Holy scripture praisithe moche the same lady, for she louithe God truly, and she honoured hym. And she honoured and obeyed vnto her husbonde, as a good woman, atte aƚƚ tymes; and for the loue of her husbonde she honoured and loued aƚƚ his frendes, and bare hem more fauour and priuete thanne vnto her owne frendes; wherupon it befeƚƚ that after, whanne her husbonde was dede, his sones that were of another wyff, they wolde haue lefte her no thinge, nor londes, heritage, nor meuble; and she was of a straunge contre, and fer from her frendes. And the woman feƚƚ into a gret heuinesse bi the occasion hereof; but the frendes of her husbonde, that loued her for the gret goodnesse and chersinge that thei had founde in her the tyme before in her husbondes [lyff] [" Mais les amis de son feu seigneur, qui l'amoient pour la grant doulceur et la priveté et le grant semblant d'amour et service qu'elle avoit toujours porté," p. 179, ed 1854.] , they withstode ayenst the sones of her husbonde. And thei were with her in her helpinge, in so moche that she had al that she aught to haue by right and of custume. And in this wise the good woman saued and wanne her owne, for the frenshipe and good campani that she had ydo vnto the kyn of her husbonde, and vnto his frendes, whiles he was leuinge. And therfor here is a good ensaumple how euery good woman owithe to worshippe and to loue kyn and frendes of her husbonde; for ay the more semblaunt of loue that she shewithe vnto hem, the more welthe she shal haue amonges hem. So as it befeƚƚ vnto the good lady right that, forto loue and worshippe the kyn and frendes of her husbonde, she [fol/col 39/1] recouered her iuste partie of the heritage and the goodes of her husbonde, in the manere as ye haue herde.