[6-text p 452]
To han his wyf allone / trusteth me
Ye shul nat plesen hire / fully yeres thre
This is to seyn / to doon hire ful plesance
A wyf axeth / ful many an obseruance
Line 1564
I prey yow / þat ye be nat yuele apayd
¶ Wel quod this Ianuarie / and hastow ysayd
Straw for thy Senek / and for thy prouerbes
I counte nat a panyer ful of herbes
Line 1568
Of scole termes // wyser men than thow
As thou hast herd / assenteden right now
To my purpos / Placebo / what sey ye?
¶ I seye / it is a cursed man quod he
Line 1572
That letteth matrimoigne sikerly
And with that word / they rysen sodeynly
And been assented / fully þat he sholde
Be wedded / whanne hym list and where he wolde
Line 1576
Heigh fantasye / and curious bisynesse
ffro day to day / gan in the soule impresse
Of Ianuarie / aboute his mariage
Many fair shape / and many a fair visage
Line 1580
Ther passeth thurgh his herte / nyght by nyght
And who so tooke a Mirour/ polisshed bryght
And sette it in a commune Market place
Thanne sholde he se / ful many a figure pace
Line 1584
By his Mirour / and in the same wyse
Gan Ianuarie / inwith his thoght deuyse
Of maydens / whiche þat dwellen hym bisyde
He wiste nat / wher þat he myghte abyde
Line 1588
ffor if þat oon / haue beaute / in hir face
Another stant so / in the peples grace
ffor hire sadnesse / and hire benyngnytee [folio 110b]
That of the peple / grettest voys hath she
Line 1592
And somme were riche / and hadden badde name
But nathelees / bitwixe ernest and game
He atte laste / apoynted hym on oon
And leet alle othere / from his herte goon
Line 1596
