Lydgate's Fall of Princes Edited by Dr. Henry Bergen ... presented to The Early English Text Society by The Carnegie Institution of Washington |
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Thexcus of Bochas for his vriting ageyn mysgovern[ed] vommen in stede of lenvoye. |
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 | Lydgate's Fall of Princes |  |
Thexcus of Bochas for his vriting ageyn mysgovern[ed] vommen in stede of lenvoye.
Ye women all, that shal beholde & see
This chapitle and the processe reede,—
Ye that be goode founde in your degre,
And vertuous bothe in thouht and deede,
What Bochas sei[e]th, tak[e] ye noon heede;
For his writyng, yiff it be discernyd,
Is nat ageyn hem that be weel gouernyd.
This chapitle and the processe reede,—
Ye that be goode founde in your degre,
And vertuous bothe in thouht and deede,
What Bochas sei[e]th, tak[e] ye noon heede;
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Is nat ageyn hem that be weel gouernyd.
For thouh it fall that oon, or too, or three
Ha[ue] doon amysse, as therfore God forbeede
That other women which stable & feithful be
Sholde be atwited off ther ongoodliheede,
But mor comendid for ther womanheede:
For this scripture, yiff it be concernyd,
Is ageyn hem that be nat weel gouernyd.
Ha[ue] doon amysse, as therfore God forbeede
That other women which stable & feithful be
Sholde be atwited off ther ongoodliheede,
But mor comendid for ther womanheede:
For this scripture, yiff it be concernyd,
Is ageyn hem that be nat weel gouernyd.
A gallid hors, the sooth yff ye list see,
Who touchith hym, boweth his bak for dreede;
And who is knowe ontrewe in his cuntre,
Shrynkith his hornis whan men speke of falsheede.
But goode women ha[ue] ful litil neede
To gruchch or frowne whan the trouthe is lernyd,
T[h]ouh ther be summe which be nat weel gouernyd.
Who touchith hym, boweth his bak for dreede;
And who is knowe ontrewe in his cuntre,
Shrynkith his hornis whan men speke of falsheede.
But goode women ha[ue] ful litil neede
To gruchch or frowne whan the trouthe is lernyd,
T[h]ouh ther be summe which be nat weel gouernyd.
Off Dalida and queen Pasiphe,
Thouh doubilnesse dede ther bridil leede,
Yit off Lucrece and Penolope
The noble fame abrood doth shyne and spreede:
Out off good corn men may sum darnel weede,
Women rebuke, in ther diffautis wernyd,
And nat touche hem that be weel gouernyd.
Thouh doubilnesse dede ther bridil leede,
Yit off Lucrece and Penolope
The noble fame abrood doth shyne and spreede:
Out off good corn men may sum darnel weede,
Women rebuke, in ther diffautis wernyd,
And nat touche hem that be weel gouernyd.
| Lydgate's Fall of Princes | |