Bicorn and Chichevache.
Reading edition
By JOHN LYDGATE.
First there shall stand an image in Poet-wise, saying these verses:—
O Prudent folkés, taketh heed, And remembreth in your lives How this story doth proceed Of the husbands and their wives, Of their áccord and their strives, With life or death which to darrain [85a] Is granted to these beastés twain.
Then shall be pourtrayed two beasts, one fat; another lean.
For this Bicorn of his natúre Will none other manner food, But patient husbands his pastúre, And Chichevache eat’th the women good; And both these beastés, by the Rood, Be fat or lean, it may not fail, Like lack or plenty of their vitail.
Of Chichevache [85b] and of Bicorn, Treateth wholly this matere, Whose story hath taught us beforn How these beastés both infere [85c] Have their pastúre, as you shall hear, Of men and women in senténce Through suffrance or through impatiénce.
Then shall be pourtrayed a fat beast called Bicorn, of the country of Bicornis, and say these three verses following:—
“Of Bicornis I am Bicorn, Full fat and round here as I stand, And in marriage bound and sworn To Chichevache as her husbánd, Which will not eat on sea nor land But patient wivés debonair, Which to their husbands be n’t contraire
“Full scarce, God wot, is her vitail, Humble wives she finds so few, For always at the contre tail Their tongúe clappeth and doth hew. Such meeké wivés I beshrew, That neither can at bed ne board Their husbands not forbear one word.
“But my food and my cherishing, To tell plainly and not to vary, Is of such folks which, their living, Dare to their wives be not contrary, Ne from their lustés dare not vary, Nor with them hold no champarty, [86a] All such my stomach will defy.” [86b]
Then shall be pourtrayed a company of men coming towards this beast Bicornis, and say these four ballads:—
“Fellows, take heed and ye may see How Bicorn casteth him to devour All humble men, both you and me, There is no gain may us succóur; Wo be therefore in hall and bower To all those husbands which, their lives, Make mistrésses of their wives.
“Who that so doth, this is the law, That this Bicorn will him oppress And devouren in his maw That of his wife makes his mistréss; This will us bring in great distress, For we, for our humility, Of Bicorn shall devouréd be.
“We standen plainly in such case, For they to us mistrésses be; We may well sing and say, ‘Alas, That we gave them the sovereigntie! For we ben thrall and they be free. Wherefore Bicorn, this cruel beast, Will us devouren at the least.
“But who that can be sovereign, And his wife teach and chastise, That she dare not a word gainsain Nor disobey in no manner wise, Of such a man I can devise He stands under protectión From Bicornis jurisdictión.”
Then shall there be a woman devoured in the mouth of Chichevache, crying to all wives, and say this verse:—
“O noble wivés, be well ware, Take example now by me; Or else affirmé well I dare Ye shall be dead, ye shall not flee; Be crabbéd, void humilitie, Or Chichevache ne will not fail You for to swallow in his entrail.”
Then shall there be pourtrayed a long-horned beast, slender and lean, with sharp teeth, and on her body nothing but skin and bone.
“Chichevache, this is my name, Hungry, meagre, slender, and lean, To show my body I have great shame, For hunger I feel so great teen; [88c] On me no fatness will be seen, Because that pasture I find none, Therefore I am but skin and bone.
“For my feedíng in existénce Is of women that be meek, And like Grisield in patiénce Or more their bounty for to eke; But I full long may go and seek Ere I can find a good repast, A morrow to break with my fast.
“I trow there be a dear year Of patient women now-a-days. Who grieveth them with word or cheer Let him beware of such assays; For it is more than thirty Mays That I have sought from lond to lond, But yet one Grisield ne’er I fond.
“I found but one in all my live, And she was dead ago full yore; For more pastúre I will not strive Nor seeké for my food no more. Ne for vitail me to restore; Women ben woxen [88a] so prudént They will no more be patient.”
Then shall be pourtrayed, after Chichevache, an old man with a baton on his back, menacing the beast for devouring of his wife.
“My wife, alas, devouréd is, Most patiént and most pesíble! She never said to me amiss, Whom now hath slain this beast horrible! And for it is an impossible To find again e’er such a wife I will live solé all my life.”
For now of newé, for their prow, [88b] The wivés of full high prudénce Have of assent made their avow T’ exile for ever patiénce, And cried wolfs-head obedience, To maké Chichevaché fail Of them to findé more vitail.
Now Chichevaché may fast long And die for all her cruelty, Women have made themselves so strong For to outrage humility. O silly husbands, wo ben ye! Such as can have no patiénce Against your wivés violence.
If that ye suffer, ye be but dead, Bicorn awaiteth you so sore; Eke of your wives go stand in dread, If ye gainsay them any more! And thus ye stand, and have done yore, Of life and death betwixt coveyne [89] Linkéd in a double chain.