¶ Here beginneth a treatise of the smith which that forged him a new dame. the smith and his assistant forging a new wife GOd that died on a tree He glad them all with his gle That will hearken unto me And here what I will say And ye shall here a marvel Of a tale I shall you tell How in Egypt it befell And in that same countraye Some time there dwelled a smith that had both land and lieth Many a ploughman him with By night and eke by day the smith was a subtle sire For well could he work with the fire what men of him would desire I tell you troth by my faith He could work with a mall Many manner of metal Himself master did he call withouten any pere Moche boast 'gan he blow And said he had no fellow that could work worth a straw To him far nor near He called himself the king without any leafing Of all manner of cunning And of certes clear Till it befell upon a day Our lord came there away And thought the smith to assay as ye shall after here For his pomp and his pride That he blewe in each side Our lord thought at that tide His pride should be laid As the smith stood working To him came our heaven king Now he that made all thing Speed the he said He said I have a thing to make And thou wilt it under take And do for my sake Thou shalt be well paid the smith said so moat I the tell on and let me see It shall be done full wyghtely within a little brayed For I am master of all That smiteth with hamer or maul And so may thou me call I tell the for very I saw him never with mine eye That could work like I I tell the full truly By night ne by day Can thou make a yard of steel To lead a blind man weal Our lord 'gan to say And make it so with thy mall That he shall never stumble ne ●all Than a master I will the call Sir by my faith The smith than in a study stood Said I trow thou be wode Or else thou can but little good To talk of such a thing And he be blind he must need Have a fellow him to lead That may see well in deed to keep him fro falling For and two blind men together go Full oft they fall both two It must needs be so they have no manner of saying How should a blind dotard walk with a blind yard If it be steel never so hard● It is but a very leasing It were a little mastery To make a blind man to see As such a yard truly withouten any lain yes said our lord that I can Make such yard certain Or he that is an old man to make him young again The smith said so moat I the I have an old quayne with me Mine old beldame is she I tell the without any lain It is forty winter and more Sith on foot she did go And thou could make her young so than would I be fain Our lord said where is she Anon let me her see And thou shalt see a master More than thou can the smith said so moat I the I shall her fetch unto the Anon than full wyghtely After her the smith ran And said dame sleepest thou I am come for the thou mayest me trow Thou shalt be made now Again a young woman He hent her up than on high Than set she forth a loud cry And said strong thief let me lie Thou art I trow a mad man Let me lie thou unthrifty swain She shall be made at a brayed young now again the smith blewe as god bed Till she was reed as a gleed yet for all that deed Felt she no manner of pain The smith said now is she shent Both her eyen are out brent they will never be meant Our works are all in vain She hath had such a heat She will never eat meet I have blow on till I sweet withouten any lain Our lord said let me alone thou shalt see and that anon a full fair woman Of this old wight Our lord blessed her at a brayed and on the styth he her laid Take thy hamer he said Dame I shall the wake and make her now right with a hamer he her struck No bone of her he broke She was a bird bright Stand up now let me see Than at that word rose she a fair woman truly and seemly unto sight Our lord laid to the smith She is sound of limb and lieth Now I have made her on the stith with hamer and with mall Than was she loveseme of there Bright as blossom on briar None in Egypt her peer So fair and so tall Her colour was clear She seemed but thirty year She was whiter of lere Than bone is of whale than our lord 'gan say Now is here a fair may Smyth by night and by day thy master thou me call Now mayest thou see here in sight Hole and of limb light That was before an old wight Both crooked foot and hand Gramercy sir said she For thou hast wrought on me It was a full great mastery As I understand I was blind now may I see Crooked I was truly Now may I walk wyghtly My bales are unbande Such a smith as thou art one I dare say here is none And a man should gone Through out this land For I dare say that thou can if here wert a dead man Make him on live anon with thy excellent mastery Than the smith 'gan say Sir what shall I to the pay Or thou wend thy way thy craft to teach me Our lord said than to him again that thou desirest is all in vain Thought thou wouldest never so feign yet will it never be Thou shalt never if thou would Make an young man of an old Therefore be not to bold least it do deceive thee yet thou toldest me long ere Thou were wisest man of leer that was known any where Other far or else near Farewell now and have good day I must forth wend on my journey Into an other country Among many crafts there And leave thy boasts I read the For I tell the now trevely Is none so wise ne to slay But ever ye may some what lere ¶ The second fit. NOw listen sirs at a sent And ye will now my tale tent How the smith his dame brent In the next fit ye shall here when our lord was gone The smith rathely and and anon Called on his dame jone And bade her come on fast A none she answered though Thou wottest I may not go whereto criest thou so Is thy wit passed I am crooked and also lame And now to go it is no shame age doth me much grame Me thinketh my bones braced Thou wottest well I may no see almost I am as blind as a be And if I buy me truly To fall I am aghast The smith hand on her laid Come forth dame he said thou shalt be made at a brayed young and lusty again thy dame is young again I wis She is mended of her miss Her rudde redder it is Than the rose is in rain that is a lyequod she I faith that will never be She is blind of that one eye Her bones are unbayne The smith said lo she is here the sweet dame that the bear She is lovesome of there withouten any lain Art thou my mother said she ye said she truly Than said she benedicite who hath made the thus anon to her 'gan she say I was made thus to day with one that came by the way Men call his name jesus Now truly than said she He hath amended well thy ble For yester day so moat I the thou were a foul sose Dame said the smith though I can make the yond so Had I a fire brenning blo But now thou must help us than the symth at a brayed A quarter of coals on he laid Let us blow now he said till all be on gleed And thou shalt see dame in hy a craft for the mastery Full few men can it but I I tell the truth in deed why what wilt thou do with me Dame brenne the said he Nay not so said she christ it for bede To brenne me were a shrewd game wottest not thou knave whom I am Thief I am thine own dame Evil might thou speed Traitor and thou burn me Thou shalt be hanged on a tree My malyson I give thee wouldest thou me slo God let thee never eat breed wouldest thou have thy dam deed touch me not I thee read For both thine eyen two The first time I thee see I would I had throttled thee Now thou wouldest burn me And work me this woe I tell thee by sweet saint john thou shalt have my malyson But thy hamer anon thou cast thee fro much woe hast thou wrought I kept the when thou were nought Fostered and forth the brought Full oft did I make Dame said the smith I trow Old shrew it is for thy prow that on this wise now young I shall thee make Anon see that thou shall Had I my hamer and mimall I would make the full tall And young I undertake He laid hand on hit though Than she spurnedat him so that his shins both two In sunder she there broke Than the smith began to stare And said deign god give the care what ailest thee thus to far I trow thou art wooed young full soon I can make thee And that anon thou shalt see I am waxed now full crafty I tell thee by the road Thou spendest now and may not pay Thou hast lain full many a day By the wall for so the I thee say And can do no good Full fast the fire 'gan he blow And said be thou never so throw I shall amend the son I trow Of bone and eke of blood She said sir by saint Ihone Of thy mending keep Inone Therefore let me alone And touch me no more yes said he that I moat Come for the old dote She catched him by the throat That blood out 'gan fate As he drew her near She set her foot against a spear And said thief wilt thou me dear God give the care He cast her on the smiths stock And than she hent him by the lock And gave him many a great knock She spared not the bare Ever she sporned with her foot In hand a hamer she gate And knocked him above the pate the blood 'gan out braced And she tapped at him then Strong thief she said I shall the ken thine own dame for to brenne She bet upon him fast there she had wellnigh Stryken out his one eye though the smith big be Of her he was abashed Stefly on her feet she stood and smote on him as she were wode the smith ran on reed blood All to rend and rasshed the smith at a brayed would her in the fore have laid Nay thief though she said Yet will I not come there Help some good man said she this thief will burn me Anon than full mightily She caught him by the here Of his locks 'gan she pull Many great handful Rend the skin from the skull The pan 'gan appear She said thief let me go wilt thou thy dame slo Loud out cried she though That many a man might here the smith than in haste water on the coals cast The fire he blewe full fast and made it brenne full bright The smith angered with that Cast her in the fire flat All way fast 'gan she scrat at him with all her might Into the fire he her thrust and said I hold thy wit past Old shrew at the l●st Thou shalt be new dight when he had smored her in the smok Out of the fire he her took She had none eyen for to look For lost was her sight He laid her on the stythe a long and with an hamer he on throng that both her arms of sprung Than waxed he unfayne and said so ever eat I meat thou shalt have a better heat More coals 'gan he get To blow he was full fain the fire sparkeled and sprung He cast on water some times among and said yet I hope to make the young without any lain Than he heut her up on hy And laid her on the stethy And hamered her strongly with strokes that were ungayne Fast on her he laid Wax young dame he said than both her legs at a brayed Fell soon her fro what evil hail said he wilt not thou young be Speke now let me see And say once bo Than he took her by the heed And said dame art thou deed Speke now in this steed And say ye or else nay Though both thy legs be away yet speak pardy thou may Say on dame I the pray feelest thou any woe Dame I have lost on the Moche labour truly Now and thou deed be So fair must me be fall Loud on her he can cry And said dame speak on high Or by my troth truly burn thee up I shall what canst thou nothing say I hold● thee deed by this day Her arm● anon he threw away Even against the wall And lightly his way he went than After jesus fast he ran As he had been a mad man And full fast kan him call And said for saint charity Abide now and speak with me But thou me help truly My cares are full cold My own dame I have slain I would have made her young again all my labour was in vain Her legs would not hold Our lord said verament Hast thou thy dame brent He said lord she is shent But if thou help would Our lord said go we full yare Yet I bade the long care Of such craft to beware And be not to bold A good lord said he I cry the heartily mercy I would have wrought after the and learned of thy lore Said our lord go thy way Now thou dost me pray I shall help that I may Her for to restore A none as he her se He blessed her full fairly And bade her stand upon hy anon she rose up there She seemed young and not old Bright as blossom her to behold Fairer by a thousand fold Than she was before She was white as a bone of whale brighter than be tall Than to the earth 'gan she fall And thanked god inter The smith had good game And fetched forth his beldame Than they all three in same Kneeled there in fere And held up their hands on hy And thanked god with all their might That he had them so dight And mended their cheer Our lord said to the smith though Look thou burn never more For this craft I shall tell the Can thou never lere But here a point I give the The master shalt thou yet be Of all thy craft truly Without any delay What man of craft so ever be And he have no help of the Though he be never so sle work not he may Than our lord forth went And bade the smith take good tent That he no me folk brent By night nor yet by day Our lord thus forth 'gan go And left them together so and did many a marvel more In divers countries He made many a crooked right And gave blind men again their sight Dead men through his might He raised full soon again Leprous made he clear Deaf men for to here and other sicknesses in fere He healed them certain all sick men that to him sought and to him that were brought and loved lely in their thought And were loosed of their paint Pray we all to him this That such a lordy is That he bring us to bliss That never shall miss. Amen. ❀ Thus endeth the game How the smith brent his dame and after made again By our blessed lord FINIS. imprinted at London in Lothburi over a 'gainst Saint Margarites church by me William Copland.