91. In villa, in villa, quid vidistis in villa?
1
Many a man blamys his wyffe parde;
Yet he ys more to blame than she,
Trow ye þat any suche ther be
In villa?
2
Ye, ye, hold your pease, for shame!
By owr Lady, ye be to blame,
Wene you that womenys tongis be lame
In villa?
3
Nay, God for-bede! yt ys naturall
For them to be right lyberall,
Now I report me, overall
In villa.
4
On thyng for-soth I haue esspyed;
All women be not tong-tyed;
For yf they be, they be by-lyed
In villa.
5
Yff owght be sayd to them, sertayn,
Wene you þei will not answer a-gayn?
Yes, for euery word, twayn!
In villa.
6
Now, in gud feyth, the soth to say,
They haue gret cavse, from day to day,
For they may nother sport ne play
In villa.
7
Þer husbondis controll them so streytly;
But ȝet no force for þat hardely;
Þer skuse shall be made full craftyly
In villa.
8
How say ye, women þat husbondis haue?
Will not ye ther honowr saue,
& call them ‘lowsy stynkyng knave’?
In villa!
9
Yes, so haue I hard tell or this,
Not fer owt of this cuntrey ywys,
Of sum of them, men shall not mys,
In villa.
10
God wot, gret cavse þei haue a-mong;
But dowt ye not, ther hartis be strong,
For they may sofer no maner wrong
In villa.
11
And yff þei dyde, ther hartis wold brest,
Wher-for in feyth I hold yt best,
Lett them a-lone with evyll rest
In villa.
12
Ye, husbondis all, with on asent,
Lett your wyffys haue þer yntent,
Or suerly ye will be shent
In villa.
13
Ytt ys hard a-yenst þe strem to stryve,
For hym þat cast hym for to thryve,
He mvst aske leve of hys wyff,
In villa.
14
Or ellis by God & by the rode,
Be he never so wyld & wode,
Hys here shall grow thorow his hode
In villa.
Explicit.
