¶ Here beginneth a little book named the School house of women: wherein every man may read a goodly praise of the conditions of women. The year of our Lord: M. D. Xli THe proverb old, who so denieth Is my conceit, doth greatly are Both wit & discretion ill he applieth That thing of truth, would debar Howbeit that folks, presume so far Whereby the truth, is often blamed Yet in no wise, truth may be shamed ❧ A fool of late, contrived a book And all in praise, of the femynye Who so taketh labour, it to over look Shall prove, all is but flattery Pehan he calleth it, it may well be The Peacock is proudest, of his fair tail And so be all women of their apparel ☞ Wherefore as now, in this treatise What so be said, in rude sentence Virtue to increase, & to lay vice In chief occasion, of my pretence And where that truth is none offence Who so therefore, that blameth me I say he deemeth, wrongfully ❧ parchance the women, take displeasure Because I rub them, on the gall To them that good be peradventure It shall not be, material The other sort, no force at all Say what they will, or bend the brew Themself shall prove, my saying true ☞ Each other man, in general And namely those, that married be give evident, testimonyall Afterming the same, if I would lie And thus report, that femynye Ben evil to please, and worse to trust Crabbed and cumbrous, when themself lust. ❧ Have tongue at large, voice loud & shryl Of words wondrous, passing store Stomach stout, with froward will And namely, when ye touch the sore With one bare word, or little more They flusshe and flame, as hot as fire And swell as a toad, for fervent ire ☞ And where they here, one word the soundeth. little against, their lewd behaviour And twice so moche else, which that redoundeth To their high praise, ye may be sure So light of ear, they be and sour That of the better, they never record The worse rehearse they, word by word ❧ It were much hurt, for to dyscrye The properties all, of the feminine kind Howbeit a man may, conjecture nigh And say also, as experience doth bind That very few, there be to find But that they can, how soever the mattet stand Bear fire and water, both in one hand ☞ Euations they have, fayut and feeble Them to excuse, of duplycyte As though they were invencyble Spotted, in any wise to be And with oaths/ so craftily They shallbe forged, on such a ground As all thing were, both hole and sound ❧ And be it in ernyste, or else in jape To them it is, one manner a thing Surely nought else, they after gape But evermore, in coming To let a man of his saying Reason will, they not attend But tell their own tail, to the end ¶ And for to say, most commonly This vice, is appropryate to them all For let a man, to them reply In reasons, of matters small These women be, so sensual That by their reason, not worth a torde Yet will the woman, have the last word ¶ There may no reason, theirs debar Nor none example, can them convert They study algate, to be at war And with evil saws, to be overthwart Malice is so roteth/ in their heart That seldom a man, may of them here One good word, in a hole long year ☞ Albeit the number, of them are great Yet doth their folly, far exceed For all is fish, that cometh to net In case that they, of their ●ynde spied brooch, ring, cloth, or thread Shame have they none, to tear and snatch All is their own, that they may catch ¶ What so it be, they finger once Of wedded man, or single plain He may as soon, eat the adamunde stones As the self same, of them to retain Moche they crave, and nought give again As wholesome for a man, is a woman's corpse As a shoulder of motton, for a sick horse ¶ And yet we may not, them long miss For many sundry, commodities. So tryckey way, they have no kiss With mouth, and rolling eyes Tongue to tongue, disclose thighs One and other, commonly Have in such case, like property ❧ That heard it were, in mine opinion. If god himself, would company keep But that would, bring him upon Waking, or other else a sleep Displease them once, and then they weep By mean whereof, love doth the cure young fools to keep/ in long ure ☞ And whiles, the wooing time doth last. I mean with them, that maidens be Loath to displease, love sure and fast Are what ye will, and speed may ye Few or none, for the most party Gently entreated, deny you can With her tables, to entre your man ☞ That done they say, that ye did make. Promise to them, by good assurance Them to marry, and to wives take Else had ye not, had such dalliance And all is for fere, of good utterance In case the belly, do not swell They hold them pleased, and all is well ❧ Yet must ye be, at further danger If ye do endende, to use them oft Keep them both at rack, and manger Array them well, and lay them soft Yet shall another man, come aloft Have you once turned, your eye and back Another she will have, to smycke and smack ☞ Perchance the belly, may rise with all. Then will they swear, and stare apace That thine it is, when it doth fall Be it mylary, porne or base Look they say, on thine own face Behold well, both nose and eye Nature itself, the father will try ❧ And either there is, a singular grace Given unto babe, forth on Or sure it is, a marvelous face That god hath given, unto the man For were they. rx. they must each one Look they straight, either else a shore Be like the father, least and more ☞ And when they are once, waxed small And able to ride, or else to go Unto like act, again they fall As who would say, they felt no woe If ye renounce, kindness to sho Then must ye send them, to some strange place As good a maid, as she before was ❧ Then if there come, a lover new And them appoint, whether to come They be like ready, unto the mewe And to be close, from wind and son With little labour, they are soon won Not one I warrant you, amongs twenty But she eftsoons, will be as ready ☞ Wed them once, and then a dew Far well all trust, and houswyfrye Keep their chambres, and themself mewe For staining, of their fysmye And in their bed, all day do lie Must ones or twice, every week Feane themself, for to be sick ❧ Send for this, and send for that little or nothing, may them please Come in good gossip, and keep me chat I trust it shall, do me great ease Complain of many, a sundry disease A gossyps cup, between, or twain Till she be gotten, up again. ¶ Then must she have, maidens two or three That may then gossyps together bring Set them to labour, to blear the eye Themself will neither, wash ne wring Bake ne brew, nor other thing Sit by the fire, let the maidens trot Brew of the best, in a halfpenny pot ¶ Play who will, the man must labour And bring to house, all that he may The wife again, doth nought but glavour And hold him up, with ye and nay But of her cup/ he shall not assay Other she sayeth, it is to thine Other else iwis, there is nothing in. ¶ And when these gossyps are once mot. Of every tail, and new tiding They babble fast, and nothing forget They put (I warrant) between riding This learn the younger, of the elders guiding Day by day, keeping such schools The semple men, they make as fools ¶ Themself always, do make good cheer With one or other, they never rest Our johan shall pay, that is not here How say you gossip, is it not best I beshrew his heart/ now is he blessed He bet me gossip, I may tell you That yet I am, both black and blue Thus out it shall/ what so it be Good or bad, all is one thing What soever cometh, to memory Shall not be lost, for the telling God wot they make, many a losing Hit doth their stomach/ greatly ease To learn what may/ their husbands displease. ¶ The young complaineth unto the old Somewhat to ease, their hearts thereby The elder sayeth/ good gossip behold To show your mind, holly to me Fere it not, ye know pardy That I have been, both old and young Both close and sure/ of tail and tongue. ❧ Then sayeth the younger, I may tell you I am so matchet, as no woman is Of all this night, till the cock crew He would not once, turn me for to kiss Every night, he riseth to piss And when he cometh/ again unwarme Doth turn his arse/ in to my barm ¶ Lappeth himself, round all about And thrusteth me/ out of my place Leaveth me scantly, one rag or clout To cover and cast, over my face Full little manner/ gossip he hase The most unkyndest, man have I That ever woman, laid her by ¶ And be the day, never so long He doth nothing, but chide and brawl Ye ye gossyppe, the more is my wrong whore and herlot, he doth me call And bids me gossip, scrape and scrall And for my living, labour and sweet For as of him, no penny I get ☞ I was a cursed, or else stark mad And when I married, with him unwise I may tell you, I might have had Another manner of man, than he is If I had followed, my friends advise I should have had, a mynyan A man of land, a gentleman ❧ The devils gossip, ought me a shame And paid I am now, every penny Would god he had, be blind and lame That day and hour, he first wooed me Ware not gossip, these children three I would not tarry, ye may be sure Longer with him, day ne hour ☞ Then sayeth the elder, do as I do Be sharp and quick, with him again If that he chide, chide you also And for one word, give you him twayve Keep him short, and have disdain He should use you, after such rate Bid him be still, with one evil date ❧ Cherysshe yourself, all that ye may And draw unto, good company Cast not yourself, gossip away Because he playeth, the churl with the And by your will, keep him hungree And bid him go, when he would game Unto his customers, god give him shame ☞ Be ever with him, at yea and nay And by your will, begin the war If he would smite, then may ye say Go to hardly, if thou so dare I besh rue thy heart, if that thou spare All the world, shall wonder on the How thou dost wroke, thy tene of me ☞ Because thou hast be, at the dice And played away, all that thou haste Or from thy gylloutes, thou couldst not rise Of all this day, ye sat so fast And now god, give the shame at last Comest drunken home, with a mischief And wouldest be revenged, upon thy wife ☞ Better ywys, to hold thy hand And more is, for thine honesty I had liefer thine neck, where in a band Than I would take it, long of the Trust me, I will find remedy Smite and thou dare, I make god avow I will acquit it, I wot well how ☞ In case there be, no remedy But that ye must, have strokes sad Take up the babe/ that than is nigh Be it wench, or be it lad And bid him strike, if he be mad Smite hardly, and kill thy son And hang therefore, when thou hast done ☞ Thus among, they keep such schools The young to draw, after the old Moting ever/ upon theirs stoles Of every matter, that they have would By mean whereof, the young wax bold So that within, a month they be Quarter master, or more than he ❧ Truly some men, there be That live alway, in great horror And say it goeth, by destiny To hang or wed, both hath one hour And whither it be, I am well sure Hanging is better, of the twain Sooner done, and shorter pain ¶ On pilgrimage, then must they go To wylesdon, barking, or some hallows Perchance be forth, a night or two On foot for wearing, of horse shows A viage make, unto the stews And neither kneel, to stones, ne stocks But the offering take, with a quick box ¶ Sometime also, licence they crave To be with some neighbour, in the midwives' stead And all to the end, some other knave Shall dub her husband, a summer bird The truth is so known, it can not be hide Albeit that few men, do him here The kucko, singeth every year ¶ They have also another cast In case the husband, be present The child I warrant, shallbe cast And to her lover, therewith sent The silly man, none evil meant Regardeth little, or nothing this How by the babe, she sends her kiss ❧ And for she would, by reckoned true The matter to cloak, more craftily Her kinsman call him, I warrant you And to blear, the husbands eye God wot the blind/ eateth many a fly So doth the husband, often iwis Father the child, that is not his ☞ Trim themself, every day new And in their glasses/ poor and pry Plate and plant, and their hairs hew And all to make it, for the eye The finest ware, that they may buy And all that ever/ they may imagine Is to enlure, the masculine ☞ Paint them round, with many a pin Rynged for routing, of pure gold Fair without, and foul within And of their tails/ have slipper hold Buy who will/ ware will be sold Ye need go farther, the fair is here Buy when ●e list/ it lasteth over year ❧ Spare for no cost/ but drink of the best. And also of every, dainty eat Hot in operation/ and light to digest Nature to provoke, and set on a heat Oysters, kocles, and else what they may yet Now this, now that, & fain themself sick Such things to receive/ as for their phisyck ☞ By mean whereof, Tyresyas Arbyter chose, the truth to dyscus give judgement plain, in this case That the woman is: far more lecherous Gallus gallinus, ter quinque sufficit unus Sed ter quinque viri/ non sufficiunt mulieri ❧ In case they would/ aught of you crave. Anon they weep, and lower a pace And say that they/ can nothing have Them to apparel, as other wives have Trust not overmuch, their morning face Record enough, of Samsons two wives who followeth their minds/ seldom when thryves ☞ Albeit the byrder, with his bleared eye dissemble sorrow/ with his sad face Yet is there no bird, he may come by By his engines/ that may have grace By women it followeth/ in semblable case Weep they or laugh they: all is one thing They deal most craftily, when they be weeping ¶ And yet among/ who so will thrive And office bear, in town or city Must needs be ruled, by his wife Or else in faith, it will not buy The wife must able him, to the degree Able or unable, little careth she Because herself, would honoured be ¶ Fear not she sayeth, unto her spouse A man or a mouse, whither be ye Should ye, your honestly refuse And be as like, as other men be In person, and in each degree Take it upon you, do not refuse And I mine own self, find your house ¶ So by the mean, of her counsel The man may not, the office forsake Because the wife, would have a tail Come raking after, & a bonnet black A velvet heed, and also be take With the best and not the worst The man must be ruled: till all be in the dust. ¶ Of all the diseases, that ever wore. Wedding is next unto the gout A saulue there is, for every sore To help a man within, or without But of these two, I am in doubt No pain so fervent, hot ne cold As is a man, to be called cockolde ¶ And be never, so fearful to fray So stark a coward, yet will he rage's And draw his knife, even straight way Be he never so far in eage Call him once cockolde, and his courage Forthwith will kindle, and force him strike Worse than ye, named him heretic ☞ And sith there is, no salve therefore ●it putteth many, a man in fere To be infect, with the self same sore How well so ever, they them bear Good taken have they, also else where That whosoever weddeth a wife Is sure of sorrow/ all his life ☞ Of Socrates, the patient Example good/ of his wives twain Which on a time/ fell at dissent And unto him, did them complain He laughed thereat/ and they again Fall both on him, with an evil date A pisspot they broke, upon his pate ☞ He held him pleased, and well content The piss ran down/ by his cheeks twane Will wist I, said he, what it meant And true it is, that all men sayne That after thunder, cometh rain Who hath a wife, is sure to find At home in his house, many a sour wind. ☞ A certain wife, said to me once I would thou knew it, god made us Nother of earth, stock ne stones But of a thing, moche precious Of a rib of a man, scripture sayeth thus Because the woman, in every need Should be help to the man, in word and deed ☞ Man made of earth, and woman of man As of a thing, most principal Which argueth well, sayeth she then By judgement just, and reason natural That we be ever substantyall And yet ye men, thus of hus babble That women always are variable ❧ Which thing, as far as I see can Should be employed, rather to you Sith of the earth, god create man And figures thereof, maketh ever new Nature thus naturate, me seemeth now Must needs, his first original Ensue, or be unnatural. ☞ As ye say (said I) help him well Evil to thrive, and worse to far Who was the cause, that Adam fell His wife or no● I make you ware One and other, little ye care So ye may have, that ye desire Though dun, and the pack, lie in the mire ❧ Made of a bone, ye said were ye Truth it is, I can not denay Crooked it was, stiff, and sturdy And that would bend, no manner way Of nature like, I dare well say, Of that condition, all women be Evil to rule, both stiff, and sturdy ☞ And over that, who listeth to try Put me two bones, in a bag Or more as it is, of quantity That done, hold it somewhat sagge Shake it also, that it may wag And ye shall here, none other matter Of these bones, but clytter clatter ¶ Like so of women, in field and town. Assembled where, that many be A man may hear them, by the sown Farther far, than the eye may see Wherefore men say/ most commonly Where many geese be, are many tordes And where be women, are many words. ¶ And so the husband, is like to have A singular treasure, of his wife He needeth never, an ill word to crave All the days, of his long life Hath not that man, a prerogative That may alway, of his wife have A thing of nought, and it not crave ¶ And commonly, where cause is none Some thing imagined is kept in store Which that she may, come the good man home With speedful spirit, lay him before Of little or nought, they make much more And be it true, or false they tell All is sothed, as the gospel ¶ And yet the rib, as I suppose That god did take, out of the man A dog up caught, and away goose Eat it clean, so that as than The work to finish, that god began Coude not be, as we have said Because the dog, the rib conveyed ¶ A remedy, god found as yet Out of the dog, he took a rib The woman forthwith he made of it As to the man, neither kin nor sib Nature she followeth, and playeth the gyb And at her husband, doth bark and ball As doth the cur, for nought at all ¶ Another reason, if ye mark well Doth cause the woman, of words be rive A certain man, as fortune fell A woman tongles, wedded to wife Whose froning countenance, perceiving belive Till he might know, what men thought long And wished full oft, she had a tongue ¶ The devil was ready, & appeared anon An aspen leaf, he bade the man take And in her mouth, should put but one A tongue said the devil, it shall her make Till he had done, his heed did ache leaves he gathered, and took plenty And in her mouth/ put two or three ¶ Within a while, this medicine wrought The man could tarry, no longer time But wakened her, to the end he mought The virtue prove, of the medicine The first word, she spoke to him She said thou whoreson, knave, and thief How dared thou waken me, with a mischief ¶ From that day forward, she never ceased Her boyster babel, grieved him sore The devil he met, and him entreated To make her tongles, as she was before Not so said the devil, I will meddle no more I devil, a woman to speak may constrain But all that in hell be, can not let it again ¶ And by proof, daily we see What inclination nature maketh The aspyn leaf, hanging where it be With little wind, or none it shaketh A woman's tongue, in like wise taketh little ease, and little rest For if it should, the heart would breast ❧ Look when the see, doth water want Nor no wind bloweth, to miln the walk When Ethna hill, of fire is scant The crown white, and black is chalk Then women cease, will of their talk It is like appropried, all women to babble As dogs to bark, and geese to gagle ☞ And that more is, all men do say That woman to man, is most comfort Howbeit they mean it, another way And say she is, man's utter extort And over that, by just report The smaller pease, the more to the pot The fairer woman, the more gyllot ❧ The fairer of face, the brouder of heart The loather to woe, the sooner won The less of speech, the more overthwart Not one so dangerous, as is dame dun The fouler she is, the sooner it is done So short of he'll/ they be over all That and if ye blow/ they must needs fall ☞ By mean whereof, all men report And say that women, can not be stable For be one gone, and other resort And proffereth them, thing serviceable Our fyly is fettled, unto the saddle ride who will, shod is our mare And thus they eschaunge, ware for ware ❧ In case thou wouldest, not have it so But rather to find/ every thing well I counsel the before thou go Forth of town, to crouch and kneel And offer a candle, to the devil Percase thy wife would, be so lewd He would for let it, all beshrewed ❧ Example thereof, and that was this. A certain man, from home should ride Which fearing his wife, would do amiss To an image of Satan, upon a wall side Offered a candle, and that was espied And said sir Satan, now I charge thee My wife in mine absence, thou do over see ☞ His journey ended, came home again And the self image, went straight unto The devil him showed, every thing plain How he had let, that should have be do And from her bacwarde, drawn one or two The daungerest cure, that ever he had Was to keep good, that would have been bad ☞ Another thing as pryncypals Be not with her, in jalosye What mysaduenture, so ever befall Forbid her no man's company Nor yet rebuke her/ singularly In case thou do, though thou hadst sworn A blast shalt thou blow, in Nynerus horn ☞ For as we see, by experience Every day before our eye And by report of men of credence For the most part/ the femynye By their innatyve, destynye first and formest, when they be chid Will that thing do, they be forbid ☞ And over that, thy wife present I counsel thee, be wise and ware Thou praise, no other man's instrument Better than thine own, bearing ware For if thou do, she will not spare Were he never, so natural a fool Till she have assayed, the self same toll ❧ So frail they be, of disposition So crooked, so crabbed, with that so ill. So lewd, so shrewd, light of condition That sure, it were unpossible To let them, of their own self will And but it ●ome, of their own mind A man were as good, throw stones at the wind ☞ say what ye will, they will do as then lust The proof thereof, in a certain fable I husband man, having good trust His wife to him, had be agreeable Thought to attempt/ if she had be reformable Bade take the pot, that sod over the fire And set it above, upon the astyre ❧ She aswered him, I hold the mad And I more fool, by saint Martyne The dinner is ready, as thou me bad And time it were that thou shouldest dine And thou wilt not, I will go to mine I bid the said ●e, bear up the pot A ha she said, I trow thou dote ☞ Up she goeth, for fear at last No question moved, where it should stand Upon his head, the pottage she cast And held the pot, still in her hand And towards him, she cursed and band Said and swore, he might her trust She would with the pottage, do what her lust ❧ No remedy, to discontent. To tratle to them, of reason or law For be a woman's, purpose bend Nothing prevaleth, to withdraw Nor yet to keep/ them under awe give them counsel, the best ye can They will follow their own will, now & than ❧ Look of discretion, few womanly And to the were few, profitable Not three I dare say, among thirty That be discrete, and reasonable And yet always, they bible babble Of every matter, and make it nice And in conclusion, be wondrous peevish ☞ As holy as saints, in church they be And in street as angels they were At home, for all their hypocrisy A devilish life, they led all the year When lenten cometh, then to the frere The frere lymlyfter, for a pair of pense Will for all causes, with them dispense ❧ And that more is, I dare avow That if thy wife, displeasure take Be it right or wrong, yet thou Must needs of force, for thy wives sake Fight and fray, and high words crack Swear and state, as who would say Thou wouldest not let, to kill and slay ☞ In case thou take the matter light As man of peace, love and concord Then will the weep, anon forth right And give the many, an evil word And bid the gird, to the thy sword And say, if I had married a man This thing should not, be long undone ¶ Record, the wicked jesabel. Which would have stain/ good Helyas Record also of the gospel The wife of Phylyp/ Herodyas Which through her daughter, brought to pass That Herode her granted, or that they wist To give her the heed/ of johan baptist ☞ Thus were themself, may little do As in regard of corporal might Of cruelness they rest not so But steer their husbands, for to fight The proverb old, accordeth right Women and dogs, causeth moche strife And most occasions, to be mischief ¶ In case that thou, so foolysshe be For thy wives words, to make a brawl If it so fortune, that she do it see Regardeth little, what may befall The first thing, that she doth of all On the she runneth, and holdeth the still Whiles that an other, may the kill ☞ And if it chance, any unkind word Escape thy mouth, whereby that ye between yourself/ fall at discord Trust me well/ in case that she By any mean/ may master the For the most part, all women be In such case, all without pity ¶ Weak and feeble, albeit they be Of body/ moche impotent Example daily, yet may ye see Cumbrous they be, and malevolent Harmless creatures, none evil mente The upper hand, if they once get Can no more harm, then amerseset ❧ Who was so busy, as was the maid. With crooked language, Peter to appose Ones, twice, or thrice, to him she said And thou fellow, art one of those The truth said she/ thy language show Peter abashed, swore and denayed And all by reason, of the lewd maid ☞ Some men their be also, that say Be she syngule, or be she wed To much she coveteth, of chamber play As did Byblis, the thing forbed Presume to be, in her mother stead Myrrah also, inordynatelye With her own father, found means to lie ❧ The daughters twain, of Loath the sage. Having like tykle, in their tail Could not refrain, their wilful rage To satisfy, with evil hail Their father feasted, with costly victual Made him drunk, and so at last Meddled with him, he sleeping fast ☞ Examples hereof, divers there be To approve my saying, straight as a line As first of thee, abominable Pasyphe And then the insacyat, myssalyne Pyrra, Fabulla, and fair Helyne With other thousands, many more Which all to recite, would never be do ❧ I pray you, why was Adam shent. Because he only, did transgress Eve him moved, first to consent To eat of the apple, she did him dress So all came, of her wilfulness And sith that woman, that office began She is more to blame then is than man ☞ The wife of loath, willing also The will of god, to prevarycate Out of the city, when she should go Looked behind her, in her gate To see by proof, the pronostycate Displeased god, and she anon transformed was, in to a salt stone ❧ I pray you, what did queen atthalye Look in Paralypomenon Mother of young king Othozye Of all, and of all, the wylfullest one Moved the king foresaid, her son To do moche evil, especially The temple of god, for to destroy ☞ Mighty Samson, two wives had The first a Philistian, by generation Neither of them good, but passing bad And false to him, far out of fashion The first him caused, by lacrimation His problem to her, so that he said When she it knew, she him betrayed ❧ The second dealt much worse than so Deceyving him, as ye shall hear For she his strength/ did take him fro In her lap sleeping, she clypte his here Betrayed her lord, and her bewpere Thus Dalyda, for meed him served And caused his eyes out to be carved ☞ The wife of job, the man elect Saluted him with scorns and mocks And full unseemly, oft him cheete Saying thou foul, full of the pocks Full like a fool, thy breast thou knocks Weenest thou, for thy fair speech God will come, the for to seche ☞ Thy prating leave, fowl the befall Trust me, he will the never hele Thy beasts/ thy goods, and thy children all Be deed and breute, now every deal And thou liest here, with many a bile prating, and praying, to the divine And worse than thou stynkest, than a deed swine ❧ Likewise the wife, of old Thoby Whose name, as I remember was Anne Which him entreated, bosteously With sad rebukes, now and than Called him dryvyll, and witless fan Because he gave/ with heart so liberal part of his goods, to the porall ☞ The wanton wife, of king Pharaoh joseph adjprted/ with her to lie In place secret, between them two God forbid madame said he Because she saw, it would not be A shameful lie she did invent In prison to cast/ that innocent ☞ In women all, this properties Is known sure, and manifest That if a man, may come so nigh To show them game, that they love best And will not do it, than well they jest But trust me sure, that with the heart They will never love him afterwarte ☞ The wise man sayeth, in his proverbs A strumpettes lips are dulce as honey But in her dealing, she is sour as herbs Wormewode, or rue, or worse sayeth he For when them liketh, to mock with the With tongue & eye, such semblance the show. That hard it were them to mystrowe ¶ As though they spoke, with mouth & heart With face they make, so good semblance That hard it were, a man to start From their fair glozing, countenance Thus with their sugared, utterance The simple men/ that mean but just deceived are, where they most trust ¶ In case they do you, but one benefit An hundredth times by you recompensed They will you ever, with that one entwyte With little cause, or none offensed All your demerits, shallbe unrecensed So be it less, or be it more All is lost, ye gave them before ☞ If ye renounce, your copy hold And would be tenant, by Indenture There is no ware, then to be sold Ye must go seek, at your adventure For as of you, they have no deynture Think ye that I, will be so ready Nay by jesse, I hold you a penny ❧ And than if ye, no labour make Ye may be sure that then will she The lure out throw, the hawk to take Be like, of her affinity Good god how strange, now adays be ye I would have thought, ye had been none such But by the little, is known the moche ☞ So at length, by howche or by crouch, Less or more, ever they crave until the hand, be in the pouch No words provaylen, the to save A thousand thousand ways they have To make a man, a thread bare cote And leave him, neither penny ne groat ❧ Now this now that, they crave always One thing or other, they never rest Say what ye will, they will no nay Nor none excuse, but their own request So they may be trimmed, and fed of the best They have no remorse, who beareth the name Nor whom they put to open shame ☞ The truth is known as in this case By holy write, autenticate Between Thamer, and the judge judas The book called Genesis, examynate How thamar the widow, in the way sat D●sgysed herself, in strange array judas to deceive, after that way. ❧ Her fresh attire, & countenance thereto Provoked this man, a question to make She lightly consenting, as some other do Said what wilt thou give, thy pleasure to take Some pledge she said, for promise is slake Of him she required, staff mantel and ring His mind to follow, and do the thing ☞ Short tail to make, the law was then A woman that found was, in adultery Dew proof allege, by credible men Should suffer death, sans remedy The matter appeared, by her belly She openly said, in slander of judas Who oweth these three, this deed done has ¶ Thus be they all, past shame and dread. And careth not, who doth bid them bail With ghostly sentence, them to feed little or nothing, doth them prevail Be the back turned, anon they rail And say, for all your counsel good Ye had liefer a bare ars, than a furred hood. ¶ To say that they can, counsel keep. It were to me, a marvelous thing unless it be, when they do sleep Or no body, to give the hearing Desirous ever, of new tiding And were it matter, of limb and life Out it shall, be told believe ¶ Tully the Roman, upon a day Though to approve, his wife secrye In counsel told her, he had put away The Emperor son, to the end that we May reign and rule, both land and see Glad was she, and yet she went And him disclosed, incontinent ¶ Tully escaped, hard with the life. And all by mean/ of his own folly Had not the truth, be known believe To have be hanged/ it was jeopardy Be it therefore true tale, or lie Be wise and ware, wake ye or wink And tell not your wife, all that ye think ¶ King Solomon, both witty & wise A woman doth, assymylate Unto a dropping, evesing guise distilling down, after rain late Who drops unclean, doth maculate The finest vesture, that any man wears With cold and wet, the body deries ☞ even so a woman/ litygyous Disquieteth, a hole household And who so he be, that in his house Intendeth to keep, a woman scold The wind that bloweth, both moist & cold Were better far, for to herpour And less should find, of displeasure ☞ Envious they be, it is daily seen And proud also, of comparison Record of Saba, the gorgeous queen Before, nor sins, was never such one Because she envy, king Solomon To prove his wisdom, and take with a trip Passed the sees, in a marvelous ship ☞ Because that Naboth, would not sell Unto the king, of samary The vineyard he had, at Israel Achab the king, became angry As soon as jesubell, the queen knew why She straightly commanded, by writing to fain Some crime upon Naboth, & so was he slain ☞ Look and read, the book Bockas And ye shall find, many a reason The pride of women, to deface For their m●slyuynge, in their season Good women he wrote, were very geson As ye shall find of, ri●he wrote But of the. xx. neither letter nor jot ☞ Solomon sayeth, three things there be Seldom, or never saturate ●ell the first, is of the three The second, a woman's water gate The ground of water/ insacyate Of every lewd fashion, reckon who can And ever I warrant, the woman is one. ¶ Hard to be known, like member therebe The fourth to know, who is he con The first which way, a bird will flee Or of a serpent, sprent from a stone What haven a ship, shall be drive upon The craft of a hore, perceive who con And ever I warrant the woman is one ¶ The ground also/ doth vary by three The fourth may not, be stablished sure A bond man set, in majesty A fool fed fat, whiles he will in power An odious woman, in wedding ure An heir made of, a bond woman So ever I warrant, the woman is one. ¶ Which things remembered, well near each man Report of them, accordingly And say plainly, that in the woman Is little thing, of praise worthy lettered or unlearned, whether they be They say of all creatures, women are the best Cuius contrarium, verum est ¶ And were not, two small venyalles The feminine might, be gloryfyde Set in thrones perpetualles And as the gods, be deyfyde Two venial sins, they have and hide None of the seven, their names who can tell They can neither do, nor say well ¶ So to conclude, of this treatise A final end, rude though it be The process through, who will superuyse Shall well perceive, I make no lie An end therefore, to make shorflye In my conceit/ he liveth in rest That meddleth with them, of all people least. FINIS. ❧ Go forth little book, be not afraid To be accept, with them that are wise And show them plain, what so be said In any part of this treatise Doth not disdain, their honestyse But for the lewd, might have a mirror Hereby to amend, their damnable error ☞ Like as the preacher, doth dyscommende. All vicious living, with mouth and will Or as the mynstryll, doth endend With help of lute, finger or quyll Example she wing, to convert the ill Like so mine author, doth the same No creature living, spoken be name ❧ Percase any one, displeasure take Because it toucheth, her properly In case that she/ such ways forsake Which most accord, to her property She needeth not, herewith to be angry God grant us all, we may do this Every man to amend one, in that is amiss ☞ The good always/ will be content With that, that is spoken/ in general There will none/ so soon be dyscontent As they that fretesyd, be with all Rub a scald horse/ upon the gall And he will bite, wynse, and vent So will all people, that are malyvolent. ☞ Go forthotherfore, among the thick And bear in mind, who is with the The words that Solomon, and David speak In judicium, and in Genesye Hierome, Juvenal, and old Thobie Cathon, and ovid, will testyfyve And martial also, who listeth to try. ☞ And unto them, that learned be I would, and will, thou meekly went And show them, who so made thee Nothing purposed, of ill intent That should prohyoyte the sacrament But that the masculine, might hereby Have somewhat to jest, with the feminy EXPLICIT ¶ printed at London in Paul's Charthe yard/ at the sign of the maidens heed, by Thomas Petyt. M. D. Lxi