13. EXAMPLES AGAINST WOMEN.
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[MS. Bodl. Digby 181, leaves 8, back, to 10.]
1
T]o Adam and Eve Crist gave the soueraig[n]te
Of Paradice, and domynacion,
A place fullfilled of all ffelicite,
The ffrutes all in there subieccion,
Save that of oon was made excepcion,
Which God forbade, the Bible canne devise,
They sholde it touche in no maner wyse.
2
Which vertu hadde agayn all maladie,
Folk to preferre in youth in ther ffresshnes;
Who ate þerof sholde neuer die,
But leve ever in ioy and gladnes,
And nothir ffele trouble nor sikenes
But in that place haue ever hertis ease
And sufficiant of all that myght hem please,
3
Ever indure, and neuer ffall in age,
For which it was called the tre of lyff.
But whan Adam was ffallen in dotage,
And agayn God beganne to holden stryff,
Through excityng of Eve, þat was his wyff,
And wilfully gave to here assent
Goddes preceptis to breke, and commaundment,
4
They were banysshed out of that blisfull lyf—
Whan Adam gafe credence to a snake,
And wrecchidly gaue trust vnto his wyff,
Which did the apple of the serpent take,
And plesauntly did a present make
Vnto Adam, as she ffirst bygan
Deth to devise and poyson to man.
5
To Salamon also, Kynge of Israell,
Sonne of Dauid, Crist gave in commaundment
With straungers in no wise that he sholde mell;
And for he not liste sue Cristis intent,
But to straunge women gave wilfully his assent,
Ther goddes worshippid, the Bible ye may see,
And folowed his own wyll, and sensualite,
6
Crist wolde hym chast[i]e, in this maner wise:
Gave his kyngdom, aftir his mortall fate,
To Ieroboan his seruant, the Bible doth deuyse,
Disheretyng his heires from house and estate.
Who doth aftir women erly or late
Accomplyssh ther willes & desires euermore,
Grete wonder is at laste, but he repent sore.
7
Also Iacob his wyff, called Rachell,
Her own faþer Laban mokked & disceyued;
Stale his goodes, the story doth it tell;
Leyde hem on the grownde, þe trouth well conceyved,
And fforthwith anoon, or it was perceyued,
Sate vpon them, these goodes for to hyde,
Disceyvyng her ffaþer with surquedry and pride.
8
Holyfernus also, leder of the oste
Of Nebugodonoser, the grete warrioure,
Of all women loued Iudith most,
Trustyng to haue had her to his paramour;
But he, wyne-dronken, to slepe lay in his boure
With his own swerde, was it not [a] wonder,
Att two strokes she smote his nek a-sondir.
9
And Iob in ricches all othir did excell
Of his contre, suche was þat tyme his grace,
And noon so poure, thus doth the story tell,
Was not alyve, borne as he was;
But was it not pite, in his most wrecchid caas,
In his most povert and moste myserie,
His wyf hym rebuked & on a donghyll left hym lye?
10
Sampson also, the strengest man of myght
That ever was, loved Dalida the ffeyre,
On whom his hert was sett, both day & nyght,
She cowde here ffayne so meke and so debonayre,
Make hym suche chere whan hym list repaire;
But I may call here “Dalida the double,”
Cheff cause and rote of his mortall trouble.
11
For he ment trouth, and she was variable;
He was ffeithfull, and she was vntrewe;
He was stedfast, and she [was] vnstable;
He trustith euer oon, she loved thynges newe;
She wered colours of many diuers hewe,
In stede of blewe, which is stedfast & clene,
She loved chaungis of many dyvers grene.
12
But to the purpose for to condiscende,
Whan she of Sampson knewe the prevyte,
Here ffalshode shortly for to comprehende,
She made hym slepe full softly on hir kne,
And a sharp rasour aftir toke she
Shove of his here, large & of grete lengthe;
Wherby, allas, he lost all his strengthe.
13
Thus Sampson was by Dalida deceyved,
She cowde so well fflatter, fforge, & ffeyne;
Which whan þe Philistens haue conceyued,
Vnwarly bounde hym in a myghty cheyne,
Cast hym in preson, put out his eyen tweyne,
And of despite after, as I fynde,
Att þer quernys made hym [for] to grynde.
14
Damage in erth is noon so greuous
As an enmy which is secre;
Nor pestilens noon so perilous
As falsnes, wher it is preve,
And specially in ffemynyte,
For wher women woll flitte & be variable,
Shall no man make hem stedfast & stable.
15
Thise olde ensamples ought i-nowgh suffice
Men to be ware, though ther were no newe;
But who-so listeth not by othir hym-silf chastice,
Othir woll by hym, whan he shall it rewe.
Some women outrage, some stedfast been & true;
Some renne in riote, of custome this is no faile,
Suche woll disceyue, there nature is so frayle.
Explicit.
