¶ The praise of all women/ called Mulierun Pean. Very fruitful and delectable unto all the readers. ¶ Look & read who that call. This book is praise to each woman. WHat time the crab his course had past And Phoebus attained the Aquarye The self same time when it froze fast amids the month of Ianuarye I in my bed, and sleep in mine eye A sudden assemble before me did appear And women they seemed by habit and cheer. ❧ A wake they said, sleep not so fast Consider our grief, and how we b● blamed And all by a book, that lately is past Which by report, by the was first framed The school of wom●n, none author named In print it is passed, lewdly compiled All women whereby be sore reviled. ☞ Consider therein, thine own good name Consider also our infamy Send forth some other, contrary the same For thine and outs, both honesty The Pean thou wrote, and lieth the buy Be quick herein, prolong not thus As thou wouldest our savour, now do for us ¶ Amongst all other, one boldly priest Obey said she shalt thou/ be thou ned so strong Her male & he●●antell, she threw on my breast For I am she said she, thou hast do most wrong A wake a wake, thou sleepest over long Venus am I cleped, my name shall not be hid Now sharpen thy pen, and write as a the bid. ❧ Of truth it is, write on quoth she The nature of man inclineth to sin Rather than virtue, and reason is why Each nature doth end, as it doth begin Salt will be water, thought none be therein The tree of the cote, doth take his verdure The fruit whenby, is known sweet or sour. ☞ So at the beginning, where man had that use Of wit and reason, to be ruled by By cause he offended, he made excuse The fault alleging, to the femynye God to have deceived, if it would have be And as he tho, to lie begun So to this day, he holdeth on. ¶ Of us poor women customably Without cause just, to rail and jest No nature naturate, under the sky fish, fowl, worm, ne be'st But with their own kind, the live at rest Man of all other, of manners so rude Can not say well by his similitude. ❧ A great abuse, and shamefully hold Such frowardness, in hand to have The self same thing, which most they should Laud and love, it to deprave And that of need▪ which most they crave So to improper, great folly it is For in no wise they may us long miss. Record the goodness, of god almighty At the creation, which he began Perceiving it could not endure a right Without any help made to the man Faciamus (said he) and made Eve than The woman the man, to help and assist It followeth therefore, we can not be mist ¶ How be it, ye men fast poor and pry All that ye may us women again Nothing left out, ye may come by Of holy writ, nor thot poets do feign All is alleged as thing certain And what that makes not, for your purpose Shall be interpretate, with a lewd gloze. ❧ Exemples many, faint and feeble more than ye may well justify And say it is a thing impossible Any one good woman found to be Which evil saying to ratyfye A sense of Solomon ye allege, which saith Mulierem fortem quis inveniet. ☞ But as to that thou shalt not tarry Longer than needs to make report As at this time them to contrary By any example, the next to retor● Taken an now of the living sort Continue thy process, till thou may espy A place therefore more necessary. ❧ How should this world continued be Man I mean in his most need Were not women, what were ye Examples many, hereof may ye read And over that ye see in deed How by the virtue of the feminine face Mirth increaseth, and thoughts give place. Pri. Re. xviii. ☞ Exempled in Saul, when he should fight Against the army phylystyne Had neither heart, courage ●e might Ne wist not what to do the●in With hungry thought himself to pine Had not the woman him counseled and f●● For fear in that fury, Saul had be deed ¶ When ye lie sick and like to die Who then attendeth you unto. Were not the woman, there might ye lie Dung in your den, as beasts do The woman is ever ready to go For this and that to watch and wake You to recover many labours to take. ❧ If that your finger other heed ache Or else what aileth you, hand or foot There can no medicine the pain aslake Without the woman be your boat Lap you warm in clothes soft A kercheyffe bond unto your head And in her arms bear you to bed. ¶ night and day than must she wak● And ready be at the first call A culles or some caudel make As for the sick doth best befall whiles the woman come withal No man can get him up to sit Thereof to taste morsel or bit ❧ Thus of the woman great pleasures ye have Which man to man can not suffice And yet ye do us all deprave saying we be neither sad ne wise And that no profit by us doth ry●e Where as in truth record I can As many arise as by the man. ☞ A women plain did first invent Ou●. meth▪ li.u. All manner grain to inn and sow Ceres named by common assent And for her wisdom, the people did know Honours divine they did her show And as her merits did than express They named her the good goddess. ¶ And in like manner a woman found Isido. l●. i. of't. ix. The letters first that we now write The A.B.C. as they do stand Whereby we use our minds to indite One to another full and perfit Carmenta call●d as I remember Mother unto the famous evander. ❧ Pallas the daughter of jupiter August. de civita lib. v●i. & Oui. in fast. etc. Through her enter and pured brain The goddess named of the artificer Of wool and oil, first found the vain For which invention the story is plain Preferred she was before Neptune To give the name to Athenes town. ☞ Soppho the poetresse did also find With the harp to sing the tune to wrest Which greatly comforteth man's mind With sighs of sorrow over priest i Reg. xvi. Saul the king could never have rest Till david had harped a fit or two The malign sprite, would not him fro. ¶ The Sybbilles' xii did prophesy The sone of god should man become One of them showed the mystery Unto octavian in the son Many is the years, that sith is run And yet the church doth occupy The self same Sybbilles' prophecy. ❧ histories many I could forth lay That maketh well with the feminye Of like sentence I dare well say And grounded on good authority How be it because that poetry Is taken now in such despite Of other reasons, I will thou write ❧ But first this question, ●ske quoth she Demurely, and after a gentle rate. To whom be holden more are y● Unto the man that you begat▪ Or to the woman puerperate I know no reason for your excuse But that it should yourselves confuse. ☞ As soon as the woman, doth conceive Full divers is her appetite Both belly and heart doth rise and heu● The stomach seldom satysfyde For many sundry meats provide Long for more than she may get. And many a sorry morsel eat. ¶ In case she may it not obtain Hard she escapeth with the life And in her labour such is the pain That as god knoweth the urgent grief Without a gracious prerogative Beware thing, no doubt, impossible She should escape, and after have heel. ❧ And when she is delivered Syke and weep continually And as ye know but little considered With many a man, the more blame he Who but the woman must keeper be provide for every rag and clout And in her arms bear you about. ❧ In case the man such labour should tak● I mean to bear you to and fro His armer and shoulders would so ache That lame he would be of both two The silly woman hath never do What in her arms and in her lap Night and day she must you wrap ☞ little or nothing may she rest But always busy you for to keep Arise and feed you with her breast And all to still you when ye weep Where of yourself, ye can scant creep She must be ready to give you pap From wind & wether, you warm to lap. ¶ The man may lie and snowre full fast When that the wife must watch and wak● Out of the bed her arms cast The cradle to rock till they both ache The babe also unto her take And when he is unclean beneath Must be content with many ill breath ❧ Shift him oft, wipe and wash Clou●es and clothes new prepare And be it hard or be it nestle She woman must do a way the ware Thus hath the mother all the care All the labour and disease Where as the father doth what him please. ☞ When that ye draw near, xii. months old● Than may the woman neither rest ne sit But ●uer dadle you in sure hold Till time that ye have found your fit Her breasts ye ●ere with many a bit And scratch also with your sharp nails And yet the woman you never fails. ¶ Where as the man would sure disdain And be therewith impatient And peradventure strike again Nother be eftsoons so diligent If once ye did him discontent For as ye see when him misliketh The man daily his children striketh ❧ The mother tendereth them always And scant can suffer them in the wind Of them in doubt both night and day● Lest any male chance should them blind Aught you not then to the woman to be kind How be it ye have no better sport Than of the woman evil to reports ☞ Some say the woman had no tongue After that god had her create until the man took leaves louge And put them under her palate An aspyn leffe of the devil he got And for it moveth with every wind They say women's tongues be of like kind. ❧ I say the fable rehearsed before The truth well known is but a lie All the clerks that ever were Do write the same and testify That god made all thing parfetlye How should the woman then t●nge have none And be of god's creation, ☞ Because that Eve our prime parent The will of god did onhis transgress They blame all women in like consent And make themself always faultless There be of women as of men doubtless All be it that divers have offended Yet ought not all to be reprehended ¶ All manner cloth is not like fine Nor yet all men complexyoned like Some more of colour, some more sanguine Some malancolye, some fleamatyke Some long and small, some short and thick not every man of one complexion Nor every woman of one condition ☞ Why should the woman than be blamed More than ●he man, and he like bad Me thinks ye ought to be ashamed And also in conscience sore adrade In case that ye any conscience had Ro. two. witness saint Paul; it doth no man beseem Worse of another than of himself to ●ome ¶ admit that woman ●yrste offended The man persuading to transgress A woman was she, the fault that amended By mean of her great humbleness. Genises. Of man's restore the chief foundress Eve was she that made us thrall And Mary was she that ●oused all. ❧ And over that in Genesis I find it written, that god did make The woman for man an help to be not of vile earth out of the lake But of a rib that he did take Out of the man's right side And the woman made of thing well tried ☞ Like as ye s● by experience Gold torged ●f lead▪ ●ren and tin And is himself in his first essence No better than the matter he was first in And now more valued than man wyn● Like so did god the feminine Plasmate of the ma●culyne. ¶ Ye see also the rich Rubies And other stones of high ●eco●e Set in gold at point devise And in thing of small value In symblable wise hy●rselfe jesus Would of the woman incarnate be Maiden and wife his mother Mary. ❧ And sith that god the woman create Of thing thus pured, and not the man To the end she should help him algate Of congruence it followeth than That in no wise miss ye can The man (as who sayeth) is the adjective And the woman is plain the substantive. ☞ For as witnesseth the accidence The adjective may nothing do whiles it be under pretence Of other substance put thereto The man unlike effect also Without the wonans helping hand By himself may not long stand ¶ If a man without woman's consent Might have redressed the first offence It had not needed the omnipotent To hau● come himself to make the admendes The woman was chosen by divine assence To be through her humility The well of our tranquily●y. ❧ And who that listeth the truth to try● Shall find in the Bible thorough & thorough That god did favour the feminine Many times as well as you And in the woman did of renew Against all natural disposition In sterile age parental fruition. ☞ As first in the book of Genesy● Goe iii. i. Reg. i. judici. xiii. iiii. Reg. iiii. Of joseph, Isaac, and Samuel With other more in places sundry As of Samson ye may find well Like of the Sunamyte befell The Bible read and ye shall find That these were borne past course of kind. ¶ And in like case Elyzabeth Luce. i The mother, of holy johan baptist Saint Anne also as scripture sayeth conceived Mary mother of Chryst Mary also that man never wist Math. i. conceived by grace both god and man Maiden & mother both now and than ❧ Thus have ye sure certificate That god much favoureth the femyn kind Sith he himself after such rate Tendereth in them the devout mind And furthermore no doubt I find That god permitted man to make Wonders many for the woman's sake. ☞ As first we find by divine spiration iiii. Reg iiii. Done by the prophet Helysy● A little oil and all by miracle Made to increase and multiply Ibedem. And to his hosties by prophesy Gave a child, and to the same wife Ibedem. Restored he soon from death to life. ❧ Over tha● it may not be nayde When man had broken the precept saying himself so nakedly arrayed For shame among the leaves 〈◊〉 crept God him called, he no ●ot● stepped But blamed the woman for his consent To fortify his his evil intent ❧ But what said god, look and read Genes. Maladicta terra in opere tuo Cursed be the earth thou dost on feed And sweet for thy living thou shalt also Mind had he none to call for grace though So where god made him of earth or than If he cursed the earth, he cursed man ¶ So of the woman it can not be said For she of a rib was made before. But for she was so lightly betrayed Penance she had, but not so sore Cursed was she not, how be it evermore God said in childing when she did lie With sorrow her seed shusde multiply. ❧ That man was cursed oft we read Gene. 9. iiii. re. two Tren. i●. et Mala. two. Besides that I rehearsed have As Chain and Cham for their lewd deed And those that the prophet did mock & deprave With other (no few) where as god gave Many time's unto the woman His blessing as well as to the man. ❧ Thus all thing pondered in balance play●● God favoureth always the femynitye We then to have them in disdain Standeth not well with equity And who so said the good rare be I durst adventure my heed to lose To prove he lieth that maketh that gloze. ¶ thousands or two I dare well say Of them that yet hear living be In full record forth bring I may And seek not far out of the country I could also manifestly divers rehearse and their names tell The place assigning where they do dwell. ☞ How be it as now it shall suffice Nf them that gone be many years past Example to take and this treatise By their goodness to make sure and fast That none hereafter presume to cast Fables forged of wilful mind. Against the devout feminine kind ¶ Abraham married one Sara● Genes●● xiiii. A perfit woman as other be more In word and deed always ready To be obedient him unto God bad Abraham that he should go Out of the land Cananye In to Egypt from his kin nigh ❧ How be it before he thither came In his conce●te thus waded he Called his wife, and said good dame One thing I will thou do for me By mean dear wife of thy beauty I doubt if thou be known my wife That I perchance shall lose my life. ☞ Say therefore my sister thou art That I may far the better for the I shall (she said) with all my har●e And else what do, that ye bid me To help you in necessity There shall no p●rsone have knowledge other But that ye be my natural brother ¶ So into Egypte when that they came Sarra was sent for to king Pharaoh And for her sake was Abraham The better take with friend and foe Her brother she called him, he bade her so How be it god punished the people sore Till Pharaoh ot her had made restore Goe xx. ❧ And in like manner afterward When that he came to G●ratye Abraham the bette● fared By reason of his w●●e Saray God likewise punysshe● grievously So that the king ●bym●lech Gave him his wy●e wi●h a so●● cheek. ☞ Like case befell with Isaac And Rebecca his trusty wife Which in likewise did her forsake And all for to enlength his life The woman was his prerogative how say ye now by your lewd fable Were not these women profitable. ¶ God preserved Sarra twice And once Rebacca graciously In case that they had done amiss It had be long of the man surely God would there should be no such folly In the woman if ye mark well Record Saara the daughter of Raguel. ❧ To seven divers married was she Thobi. vi. & iii And always maiden arose them fro Because the man would by and by His carnal lust with her have do No reverence given the sacrament unto At night the devil was there alway And strangled them before the day. ☞ Preserved was the feminine Because she was so virtuous Strangled were the masculine Because they were so vicious Sodom and Gomore, the lecherous In brimstone we read doth boil & bran Goe xx. For the misliving of the man ❧ The daughter of jacob amiable dine For the foul rape upon her done Geneses xxxiii. Her brethren two brought to ruin The c●te and slew the masculine echon● Emmor the father and Sychem the son God would they should such revel mak● And on the men such vengeance take ☞ Of david the daughter fair Thamar two. Reg. xiii. Whom her own brother Amon by name Feigning him sick and she not ware Against her will, she not to blame Unlawfully used to his own shame Long time bewailed her evil chance In token plain she took repentance joshua. two ¶ Because Raab did them defend From joshua sent to Jericho Holy write doth her commend And justify her life also Luce. seven. Mary magdalyne another of though For her great ●ayth and contrition Of all her crimes she had remission ❧ Whereby appeareth plain and evident What grace is given the feminine For small offence so sore to repent Recorded in Thamer and in dine Where stubborn and stiff is the masculine A●am ●o witness which had no grace Mercy to ask for his trespass. ☞ And furthermore admit the case That many women have sore offended And thousands more done well oft hast Should all the name be dyscommended Because the best number be reprehended If that should be report me then What might be spoken of the men ¶ Large be the volumes in every nation For ever in chronicle to remain If ye perceive, and note the fashion Euydens enough ye shall have plain Against one woman, men twain Ye twenty I dare avow doubtless Which be improved for their lewdness ❧ In token that man should be content His wife to love especially Genesis xxi Abraham had straight commandment To follow the mind of Sarai And so expulsed by and by Agar his harlot out of his house Against her master presumptuous. ☞ How be it because of repentance For none example of like folly God did accept her meek penance And quite for gave her by and by The angel was sent and bade her high Home again and know her dame And god would multiply her fame. Ibidem. ❧ Again she came, her masters content And ●ate Abraham one Ishmael Which pas●ynge all other was more fervent And passing reason more cruel Than ever yet ye hard of ●ell His ly●e during to war he was moved He loved no man, nor none him loved. ☞ So can be not read of any woman Namely in writing authentical To be so cruel as was this man At war to be with one and all O that ye men can fight and brawl And kill ●che other commonly Which is not seen in the feminine. ¶ How be it there is found in holy writ That some women have done like case Nat to themself but marked to it Of god only, b● special grace Such deeds martial to bring to pass judith. xiii. That man might not Judith to witness Which slew alone mighty Holofernes. ❧ And in like case of Delbora Whom god elect his prophet to be The death to declare of Sisara judic. iiii. Where and when to signify And gave her also more specially Knowledge in many other cause And made her judge over the laws, ☞ At mount Thabor as sh● did tell judic. v. T●is captain dyscomfe● fled out of the throng The wife of Abner named Iah●l Sisara slew dying a long God strengthened the woman & the laud strong Unto the feminine less and more 〈◊〉 to the man no ●rayse therefore. ¶ Abymalech that fearful king ●i. re. x●▪ At liege dying before Thebes A ●●one that on the wall did hang A woman thr●we into the press And on the he●d it him doubtless S●●we him stark, and ●o thereby The liege gave over, this is no lie ❧ Who was the cause that Abela Was not by joab beaten down ●i. re. x●. Who kept the deed but good Raspha The woman only did ●aue the town And ●or her deed, ought have renown I me reperte, now how say ye Be not the women praise worthy. ☞ Sith god them marked graciously ●i. Reg. xxi. Unto the●e deeds before specyfyde It can not be ●ayde to them plainly Neither of malice ne yet of pride ●or singular wisdom in then tried God preferred the w●man than Such things to do before the man Hester. seven. ¶ Of singular wisdom note queen Hester The king her husband which did pacify Where Aman the wretch did mo●e Assuer vengeance to have taken on Mardochye And the jews to have slain generally With pe●y & wisdom she dealt so than That she saved the jews and hanged Aman. ❧ Of thousand thousands there was not one Unto joab the woman sent That could procure for Absalon A fenall peace wi●h his parent two. Reg. nineteen. david t●e king did ●one consent At the woman's request the Bible to record To call his son home and be his good lord. ☞ The prophet also called Nathan Of counsel privy with his sovereign perceived well their might no man Of his full mind david refrain three Re. i. But Adonyas should be king and reign Sent Barsa●e to him forth on And she obtained for Solomon. ¶ A●d further where as the Egypcyan king Against the Hebrews sore moved was Exo. i. Because he see their increase and spring A●uaunsed moche in every place Commandment gave for any case The midwives of the Hebrean line To kill and slay all masculine. ❧ And this we read in places two But god would not the exercise Ibedem. So that the woman would it not do But made excuse, after this wise Abhorringe the shameful enterprise And said the Hebreans, in their needs Can help themself and do such deeds. ☞ About which time holy Moses Into this world was brought & borne Exo. two. Three months kept in secretness Magre Pharaoh, though he had sworn In a ukele of rushes, to have be lost Cast in the water, to sink or to swim Ready was the woman, & she saved him. ¶ The daughter of Pharaoh feared not compassion her moved inwardly Hearing him cry, and see him float Commanded her maidens that wass●ed her by A norse to get, and mod●rly She him adopt to be her son God would have thus, by the woman done. ❧ The prophet also good H●ly Unto the woman from god was sent three Reg. xvii. B●cause Galaad and Samary No moisture had from the firmament And careth stone dry, for punishment The widow of Sarapt, the prophet fed Or else perchance he had been deed. ❧ And in likewise the S●●amyte Moved her husband be●ylye And in conclusion obtained it iiii. Re. iiii. A place to make for Helysye The prophet of god, necessary Thus ho●ped they him, in an habitacle After the latin called a cenacle. ☞ Who was the cause that duke Naaman Was healed of his foul lyppecye iiii. re. v No doubt the fair young wo●an Taken with the robbers of Syrye Because she spoke and praised Helysye The king sent Naaman into Israel Where in short space he had his heel. ¶ Who was the first I pray you who That praised god for victory After that drowned was Pharaoh E●odi. Look in the book of Exodye And ye shall find it was Mary Mary the ●yster of Aaron With ●ounde of tympan she played upon. ❧ What time david the glorious king Aged sore and ●e●led fast ●●i. Re. i. A virgin took a tender thing For no ●ynne, but for he did waste Pre●erued thereby, till at the la●t By very course of natural kind The ●oule to god he up resind. ☞ Where young Abya week and feeble Ibidem. xiiii. Had lain long seek continually To know if it were possible He should recover or else die The woman was sent this no lie T●e wife I mean of jeroboas Into Sylo was sent to Ahyas. ¶ I pray you who did first dy●crye The evil intent of Achytophel? The maiden escried the conspiracy two. Reg. xvii. Whereby the king escaped peril jonathan and Achymaas she did it tell For had it not ●e shortly known King David had been all to hewn. ❧ To whom I pray you did Selysye Declare the dearth that should ensue To the man or the woman how say ye If that ye can, disclose it now? The woman it was that first it know iiii Reg viii. She told her husband as a kind wife Whereby at length she saved his ly●e. ☞ Who but the woman of Bahurye Saved the life of jonathas? two Reg. xvii If Ab●alon might have come hy●●y He never had seen David in the face Neither his compe●e A●hymaas A cursed vow did them descry A ●lessed woman kept them secrye. i Reg. xxv. ❧ Had not been Abygall The gentle wife of the churl Nabal david had followed his oath and will And left him not one great ne small Upon the morrow to have pyst on the wall She sent him victual, and went also And made him his friend, that erst was his foe. iiii. Re. xi. ☞ And as I remember good josabeth Daughter unto the king joram young joas saved from the oeth Son and heir of Ochezyam Where Athalia then wilfully came Intending to have slain without pyty● All the kings progeny. ¶ What time the mighty Galadit judi. xi. Jepte cleped by name as I ●ynde Against the Amonytes should fight On god he called with mouth and mind And ●ayde good god my le●te I bind If I prevail to o●tre to the The first that I meet after victory ❧ Save one daughter no child he had Which when he came the baryil from In token that she was of him glad Her father met, and welcom●● home An instrument she played upon His vow remembered than sighed he saying daughter woe is ●e ●or the. ☞ Answer she made meek and demur● Be nothing heavy father for me That you have promised keep it sure And it to fulfil I am ready So had not than the woman be The man had changed perchance his intent A●d falsed his promise, sith he did repent. ¶ The devout mother of one Mychye Of promise just a mirror fit judic. xvii. Doth show that women constant be And from their behests loath to fly The money that she to god behyt Sent by her son to the gold swyth Thereof to make Sculptile quid. ❧ Many and divers other there be Of whom the man example ●ay take As of god R●th and Ncomy Of her that neither would god forsake Ruth. i. Nother ye consent idolatry to make But strenghtned her sons in number seven two. Machab▪ seven To die for the laws of god of heaven. ☞ Great is the praise of the aunceent Unto this day h●d in memory three Reg. xxii. Luce. two. iii. re. x. For their high virtues excellent As faith, wisdom, a●d mere pity With 〈…〉 in adversity To witness the profyte● Solda and Anne With Saba the queen, to Solomon that came. Marce. xvi. ❧ The testament new also telleth me After that Chryst ●hese words had said Hely Hely ●amaza●atan● Luc. two. That faith in man was clear decided In Mary his mother, both wife and maid joh. xx. It never failed, for the f●mynyne In Thomas it failed for the masculine. ☞ B●fore also ye shall w●ll find The woman was ever prompt and ready Wi●h hole he●te and devour mind Luce. i. Of Chr●tes birth to believe the mystery Where as the woman, old Zacharye Blamed of the Angel, lost his sight Elysabeth him knowledged, tuyn ●urth right. joh. xx. ¶ Great was the love of the feminine During the danger of his passion Record therein good Magdalyne Which never backed, but followed on Where his disciples were fled and gone Oft the sepulchre she did vy●yt And long there weeping would she sit. ❧ She with his compers Maries two Marce. xvi. Salomye and jacobye with oils pure For singular love they bore him to Sought him laid in sepulture Supposing their oyntemences should him recure For well the ●ekenynge by his saying plain He would revive, shortly again. ☞ God himself praise to her gave At table sitting for the oil she spend And openly the men did deprave Lu●. xxi Said poor have ye daily, but I must wend Her also except he, in mites that did send In G●z●philacum, before the rich man And Martha likewise, that called him god's son. ❧ Was not she plainly full of grace Act. ●x. Thab●●a the widow the poor that fed Whom P●ter by prayer revived hast To live again were she was dead And she also that nature led iii re▪ iii. Rather her child quick to for go Than Solomon should part him in two ☞ The wife of pilate did pity more The tournament of our saviour Than all the men that than there were The scribes and the pha●isys to there power Luc. xxi The works of Chryst blasphemed each hour The woman pre●ent said I make you ware Blessed be the belly that the bare. ¶ When he arose, Math. xxvii. xxviii. this is clear though whom appeared he, I pray you first Sure for aught that I can here To women two, or any man wist To her that him with her breast nursed To Mary Magdalyne, and bade her go joh. xx. And his apostles tell it to. Luc. viii ❧ Seldom I find that christ did blame Any one woman properly Or that any woman so far past shame So ly●le to set our saviour by As Peter d●d Chryst to deny Luc. seven. Chryst blamed Peter, now and than For lack of faith, and called him Satan. ☞ And where Scribes maliciously Brought unto him adulteram The woman he saved, graciously wrote in the dust, to the men's shame johan. viii. Do no more women, said he the same Now tell me plain if ye so can Did he ever like miracle for any man. ¶ The woman also of Cananye Whose daughter posseit was of a devil Seized not on Chryst to cr●e Math. xv. Her daughter to he●e of that sore yvyll Chryst heard her well, and held him still To the end all men, might notyfye What faith was in the femynye. ❧ The man he blamed of Ipocrysye johan. xiii. And also upon the Saboth day healed the woman graciously eighteen years long that sort sick lay● And meekly did the Samaritane pray johan. iiii. water to draw him ou● of the stone Where o● the man he asked none. ❧ And also at the women's request Because they lacked necessary johan. two. Turned water to wine at the feast Kept in Cana Galylye At the instance of Martha or Mary He raised Lazarhole and sound Four days buried under ground. ¶ Where as he wept full tenderly joh. xi. To the woman that him oft fed Martha the one the other Marry Weep and by wail their brother deed As farforth yet as ever I read I can not find that he did make Any like sorrow for the man's sake. ❧ And over that the truth doth prove The saying of Luke who so well wayth It was a very slender love Luce. viii▪ And a less token of any faith In the man the E●angelyst saith In judas by name his master that sold With a false kiss and thirty pens gold. ¶ Thus may ye see by holy writ That women be no cast aways Neither they that live as yet Nor those that were in the ancient days Proved I have who so denayes For more witness I shall report Of later time and so be short ❧ The church militant doth once yearly A ●euen thousand virgins ha●●●e in on● So many of men I can not espy Sith time the world first ●egon All be it they were not women echove Yet for the woman was principal Like name is given unto them all. ☞ I read of seven cleping men And also of four coronate Now two and three▪ of thousands ten Of one alone with his associate Of fort knights martyry●a●e But of a xi thousand never Could I find as yet together. ¶ All be it there be of the infant s●ate Of innocences I m●a●e many one Yet have these vyrg●us immaculate If any comparison may be thereto More meed of god, I suppose ●o These ●yrg●us for god died willingly The infants by force and knew not why ❧ Moche other things alleged might be Aucro●ysed by holy writ Besides much more in p●yetrye In sundry m●tyrs craftily knit Which only I ●ut●e to omit On●●s it ●e o● two or of three To writ them all 〈◊〉 will not be ¶ As first of Luctes the noble wife Oui●. in fast. li. primi. August. de ci. li. A mirror to all other of ghostly fame Which wilfully with a small knife Slew herself in avoiding shame And thereby saved her old good name What time Tarquyne new made king Had her forlain, she not willing. ❧ Where Rome besieged was about By Cor●olane then exulate Vala●. li. primo So that no man durst onhis peer out For fere of losing of his pat● Uetur●a bad open the gate Her arms cast cross, her here to rend Most woefully forth thus she went. ☞ Large were the tears that from her eyes ran Her ●restes before him when she dysplayde Behold she said thou unkind man Thy natural mother thus wretchely arrayed Nature should move thee, though will denayed To war with other than thy native country Peace said he mother so shall it be. ¶ Whose act to be had in memory A law forth with the Romyanes' let make From that day forward to the feminine E●he man should vow for Ueturys sake Granted also that the woman might take To her attire brooch, ow●he, or ring Velvet pu●ple or any other t●ynge. Hester. ● ❧ Where as before through queen Uasthye All honour was take the woman fro By reason of her obstinacy In ●y●obeyinge king Assuero Now was restored with moche more to Many men saved that might have been slain And the city set frank fire again. Mar●. ii.i. epigre ☞ When Portia hard that Brute was deed Longer to live no hour thought she Eat brenning coals as fast as breed ovid. eplar. ●i. primo. Because she could no knife come by In moche like case Penelope To put of wedding till Ulyxes came home Untwyned at night that in the day she ●poue. ¶ And as it cometh unto my mind Of one history catholical Which almost clean was left behind Daniel. xiii. As nothing worthy memorial That one remembered conclude I shall The history I mean of good Su●an Falsely accused by the man. ❧ Attempt she was of rybaldes' two With them to have dea●ed, she nold consent They he● accused, and said she had ado W●th a young man, and should be brent God know the woman innocent And caused the infant Danyell To speak to the people and the truth tell. ☞ A babe to speak was a strange marvel The people assembled on every side The tales both varied that they did tell Whereby it was known the rybaldes lied The woman saved and the truth tried Her false accusers by comen assent To die forthwith had just judgement. ¶ Which things remembered with other more That might perchance ●nlarge this book Estates commonly where I go Trust their wives to over look Baker, brewer, butler, and roke With other all, man meddleth no whit Because the woman hath quycket wit. ❧ My lady must receive and pay And every man in his office control And to each cause give ye and nay Bargain and buy and set all so●e By indenture other by court roll My lady must order thus all thing Or small shall be the man's winning ☞ A further proof herein as yet By common report we here each day The child is praised for his mother wit For the father's conditions depraved always And over that yourself will say Surgeon's advantage, by women small Because they be no fighters at all. ¶ An end therefore hereof to make Me thinks these men do nothing well So wilfully to brag and crack And against all women so to gevell And yet who so that longest doth revel And this book readeth I know plainly Shall say: or be shamed, tongue I lie. ❧ Explicit. ☞ The author. GO forth little book god be thy speed Oodre thyself accordingly Set nought by him that doth y● read In case he warble the to deny Nat one so good ●ut he hath an enemy Hyde not thy face for a proud crack Let him be known that did the make ¶ Go forth queckely with pace demure Of one prerogative sure thou ar●e Set for to be in high honour In mids of the ●ole feminine heart next god they will all ●ake thy part Hill the with silk and limb the with gold Now pass on thy way thou mayst be boide. ❧ Glory be thy garment so worthy thou art Of silver thy clasyes, and of fine gold So true is thy procelle in every part In the high hierarchy thou may be enrolled None other like the that ever was sold highest of all other in truth is thy dytye Lygth where thou shalt now farewell from me. ☞ If question be moved who is thine author Be not ado●ad to v●ter his name Say Edwa●de Gosynhyll took the labour For woman heed the for to frame Call h●m thy●e author, do not asshame Thanks looks he none for, yet would he be glad staff to ●tand● by that all women had. ❧ Thus endeth this fruitful treatese of the press of women's called Mu●erum Pean. Imprinted at London in Fleetstreet at the sign of the George by me Wylyam Myddylton. ¶ CUM PRIVILEGIO AD IMRPIMENDVN SOLUM.