¶ Here followeth a little treatise of the beauty of women newly translated out of french in to english.  
 a nude woman plays a stringed instrument while a man dressed as a jester watches her 
PECCATI· FORMA· FEMINA· EST· ET HORTIS· CONDICIO    

THe son of the maid whom never none resembled  
In beauty nor bounty sith the world began  
For both in hyr were perfaytely assembled  
name is she Marye daughter to saint Anne  
guide mine hand so that the gentleman  
That me desired to reduce this book  
From french to english/ be content/ and than  
I take little cure what other there on look.  
¶ In french( la beauty de femmes) is yt name  
The beauty of women/ in our english languag  
whereof to treat/ I ought well to be blamed  
considered that I had never the usage  
womens beauty in body nor visage  
For to regard/ and there vpon good reason  
sith I am made( as an unpleasant page.)  
A cast a way from presence at each season  
¶ But what therof shall I leave of to write  
sith no man having more practise then I  
will take the pain to set black on the white  
And yt a thing so dygne of memory  
Nay trust me plain I shall my selffe apply  
Of the french book to follow the sentence  
beauty( as right requireth) to glorify  
what ever followeth of the consequence  
¶ what caused the wourthy troilus of troy  
To cast his love on Cresyde the sheen  
why set Parys on fair Helayne his joy  
what caused Achylles to love Polexene  
why loved Trystram la belle Koude the queen  
Or Arthur of bretayne the fair Florence  
All cam of their beauty and their pleasant eyen  
what haue I to do as of the consequence.  
¶ beauty as for the first require wolde  
That the womam( how ever stand the case)  
simple manyer and countenance should hold  
For otherwise she will avoid the place  
¶ womans beauty each person reproveth  
yf so be that she bayre the countenance  
More elevate or high than yt behoveth  
Hyr beauty turneth but all to dysplesance  
¶ beauty requireth as for the second parte  
That woman bayre ever naturally  
simple regade and not overthwart  
with playsante and simple casting of the eye  
¶ beauty is lost in woman oultrely  
yf she haue this of very condition  
As to regard or look dyspyteously  
For that is the manner of the lion  
¶ womans beauty requireth thirdly  
That steadfastly with out oultrage  
She keep as discrete continually  
simple answer ever in her language  
¶ womans beauty that should be magnified  
Lyetly compassed in these three poyntes onely  
what beauty so ever is to her applied  
The woman ought to lead hyr life simply  
¶ beauty of surety doth that woman follow  
That hath the brows and raynes of the back  
And there withall the feet light and hollow  
yf these three be hollow there is no lack.  
¶ beauty in woman is nothing pleasant  
That glometh with her eyen with frowarde cheer  
And is of hyr raynes so heavy and peasant  
And of hyr feet as yf a beest yt were  
¶ womans beauty shall ye finde doubtless  
In three high poyntes that on hyr body gent  
Ought for to be/& them I shall express  
Here after/ yf my remembrance assent  
¶ beauty saith/ the first point to know  
The woman should haue the forehead high& fair  
For when she hath the forehead over low  
evil hyr beseemeth a frontelet to bayre  
¶ womans beauty requireth secondly  
Of beauty a right who that inquire wolde  
That woman ought to haue the head high  
The better therewith hyr hat she doth uphold  
¶ beauty in woman plainly doth abound  
yf she ne fail as for the thyrde parte  
To haue the breasts high fair and round  
with fine gorgias well and fair covert  
¶ womans beauty as in pre-eminence  
Requireth these three poyntes principal  
For to be found vpon hyr corpulence  
And well on height they ought for to be all  
¶ womans beauty expressly for to show  
As to the regard of hyr countenance  
Requireth over this to haue three poyntes low  
which all women ought to haue in remembrance  
¶ womans beauty that pourchase will praising  
woll that the woman set her busy cure  
To maintain in hyr self a low laughing  
To laugh over high beseemeth no creature  
¶ beauty yet commandeth afterward  
unto all women this point secondly  
To haue always a lowly regard  
Not over much but moderately  
¶ That woman hath the bent of beaultyes bow  
That can regard in health and in disease  
when she shall niece to make the sound but low  
To do otherwise yt may no person please  
¶ womans beauty will in conclusion  
Of these low poyntes without desloyaulte  
That women bear ever a lowly condition  
For otherwise she loseth her beauty.  
¶ beauty demandeth these poyntes to haue sene  
In women that be fair and feat at all  
To haue trayteys the brows/ and traytys eyen  
And little the hands/ traytys slendre and small  
¶ beauty hath she that hath the chin dympled  
The joints of the hands should be in like manner  
The cheeks also be they bare or wympled  
Especyally when she smyleth with hyr cheer.  
¶ beauty requireth large to haue these three  
The first is the space going from eye to eye  
betwixt the shoulders should the second be  
The thyrde betwixt the raynes ye shall espy.  
¶ Perfayt beauty ye may well determine  
In woman/ so that these three in hyr repair  
The nails and the lips complexyon sanguine  
And ruddy the cheeks well vermayled and fair  
¶ womans beauty thou dost well expose  
Or mayst expose without tarrying  
yf thou retain in thy mind close  
All that is set before in this writing.  
¶ Of beauty yf there be any woman  
More purely sped than is comprised in this  
was never woman sith the world began  
So perfaytly sped of beauty as she is  
¶ I haue expressed their pre-eminence  
As well of their bodies as of their mayntyen  
But speak what ye will apart or in silence  
beauty sans bonte ne vault rien.  
¶ Beaultyes there be in women strove  
But of bontyes there is but little speech  
beauty is them given as thing requisite  
who will haue bonte let him go seek  
this not wythstandyng I could a man teach  
To finde right good of the gendre feminyn  
And fair also/ but what ever we preach  
beauty sans bonte ne vault rien.  
¶ beauty ennobleth the person doubtless  
And plainly she is of the more valeure  
But with beauty is requisite goodness  
To speak a right who so will set his cure  
Bonte will not be under coverture  
where ever she be/ hyr purere is so fine  
wherefore I set again in this scripture  
beauty sans bonte ne vault rien.  
¶ maid/ wife/ or widow/ dame/ or damosel  
That haue the ray of beauty comprised in your face  
Adiouste thereto bonte/ than shall ye do right well  
For beauty with bonte assembled in a place  
give demonstrance of an especial grace  
given to the person/& as I take the cause  
At size smyleth bonte/ where beauty laugheth at ace  
As daily yt is sene/ and there a final clause.  
FINIS   

¶ Thus endeth the beauty of women neuly imprinted  
By richard Fawkes dwelling in duram rent