12. BEWARE OF DOUBLENESSE.
[_]
[From MS. Bodley Fairfax 16, leaves 199 to 199, back].
1
This worlde is ful of variaunce
In euery thing, whoo taketh hede,
That feyth and trust and al constaunce
Exiled ben, this is noo drede;
And, safe oonly in womanhede,
I kan see no sykyrnesse;
But for al that, yet as I rede,
Be-ware alwey of doublenesse.
2
Also these fresh somer floures,
White and rede, blewe and grene,
Ben sodeynly with wynter shoures
Made feynt and fade with-oute wene;
That truste is noon, as ye may sene,
In no thinge, nor noo stedfastnesse;
Except in women, thus I mene,
Yet ay be-ware of doublenesse.
3
The croked moone—this is no tale—
Som while is shene and bryght of hewe;
And after that ful derke and pale,
And euery monyth chaungeth newe;
That, who-so the verray sothe knewe,
Alle thynge is bilte on brotilnesse,—
Save that women ay be trewe,
Yet ay be-war of doublenesse.
4
The lusty fressh[e] somers day
And Phebus, with his bemes clere,
Towardes nyght they drawe away
And no lenger lyste appere;
So in this present lyfe now here,
Noo-thinge abytte in hys fairenesse,
Save women ay be founde entere
And devoide of doublenesse.
5
The see eke, with his sterne wawes,
Eche day floweth new ageyn,
And by concourse of his lawes
The ebbe foloweth, in certeyn;
After grete drought ther cometh a reyne,
That fare-wel alle her stablenesse,—
Save that women be hool and pleyne;
Yet ay be-war of doublenesse.
6
Fortunes whele gooth rounde about
A thousande tymes, day and nyght,
Whos course stondeth euer in doute,
For to transmewe, she ys so lyght;
For which aduertyth in your syght
The vntrust of worldly fikelnesse,—
Saue women which, of kyndely ryght,
Ne haue no tachche of doublenesse.
7
What man may the wynde restreyne,
Or holde a snake by the tayle,
Or a slepur eele constreyne
That yt wil voyde, withoute fayle?
Or whoo kan dryve so a nayle
To make sure new fanglenesse,—
Save women that kan guye her sayle
To rowe her boote with doublenesse?
8
Atte euery haven they kan arryve
Where as they woote ys good passage.
Of innocence they kan not strive
Wyth wawes, nor noo rokkes rage;
So happe ys her lodmanage
Wyth nelde and stoon her course to dresse,
That Salamon was not so sage
To fynde in hem noo doublenesse.
9
Wher-fore, who-so hem accuse
Of any double entencion,
To speke rovne, outher to muse,
To pynche at hyr condicion—
Alle is but fals collusion,
I dar ryght welle the sothe expresse:
They haue no bette proteccion
But shrowde hem vnder doublenesse.
10
So wel ffortuned ys hir chaunce
The dise to turne vp so don,
With sis and synke they kan avaunce
And than by revolucion
They sette a felle conclusion
Of ambesase, in sothfastnesse,
Though clerkes make mencion
Ther kynde ys frete with doublenesse.
11
Sampson hadde experience
That women weren ful trew[e] founde
Whan Dalida of innocence
With sheres gan his hede to rounde;
To speke also of Rosamounde,
And Cleopatris feythfulnesse,
The storyes pleynly wil confounde
Men that apeche her doublenesse.
12
Sengle thing ne is nat preysed,
Nor oo folde is of noo renovne,
In balaunce whan they be peysed
For lakke of weght they be bore dovne;
And for this cause of iuste resovne
These women alle, of ryghtwysnesse,
Of choys and free eleccion,
Muste love eschaunge and doublenesse.
Lenvoy.
O ye women whiche ben enclyned,
By influence of youre nature,
To ben as pure as golde y-fyned,
In your trouthe for to endure,
Arme your-selfe in stronge armure,
Leste men assayle youre sikernesse;
Sette on your brest, your-self tassure,
A myghty shelde of doublenesse.
Explicit.
