THE WRIGHT'S CHASTE WIFE.

Al̴l̴myghty god, maker of alle, My sovereigns, Saue you my souereyns in towre & halle, 3And send yoū good grace! If ye wyl̴l̴ a stounde blynne, I will tell you a tale Of a story I wyl̴l̴ begynne, 6And telle you al̴l̴ the cas, Meny farleyes þat I haue herde, Ye would haue wondyr how yt ferde; 9Lystyn, and ye schal̴l̴ here; of a wright Of a wryght I wyl̴l̴ you telle, of this land, That some tyme in thys land gan dwelle, 12And lyued by hys myster. who, at work, was afraid of no earthly man. Whether that he were yn or owte, Of erthely man hadde he no dowte, 15To werke hows, harowe, nor plowgh, Or other werkes, what so they were, Thous wrought he hem farre and nere, 18And dyd tham wele I-nough. At first he would wed no wife, Thys wryght would wedde no wyfe, Butt yn yougeth to lede hys lyfe [leaf 178, back] 21In myrthe and oþer melody; for wherever he went he was welcome; Ouer al̴l̴ where he gan wende, Al̴l̴ they seyd "welcome, frende, 24Sytt downe, and do gla[d]ly." THE WRIGHT FALLS IN LOVE, AND PROPOSES. but at last he wished Tyl̴l̴ on a tyme he was wyllyng, As tyme comyth of alle thyng, 27(So seyth the profesye,) to have a spouse to look after his goods. A wyfe for to wedde & haue That myght hys goodes kepe and saue, 30And for to leue al̴l̴ foly. A widow near had a fair daughter Ther dwellyd a wydowe in þat contre That hadde a doughter feyre & fre; 33Of her, word sprang wyde, true and meek. For sche was bothe stabyl̴l̴ & trewe, Meke of maners, and feyr̛ of hewe; 36So seyd men in that tyde. The wryght seyde, "so god me saue, Her the wright would like to lie by him, Such a wyfe would I haue 39To lye nyghtly by my syde." He þought to speke wyth þat may, and therefore went to her mother And rose erly on a daye 42And þyder gan he to ryde. The wryght was welcome to þe wyfe, And her saluyd al̴l̴ so blyve, 45And so he dyd her doughter fre: and proposed for the maiden. For the erand that he for ca{m~} Tho he spake, þat good yema{n)}; 48Than to hym seyd sche: The mother says she can only give him as a portion The wydowe seyd, "by heuen kyng, I may geue wyth her no þing, 51(And þat forthynketh me;) a garland Saue a garlond I wyl̴l̴ the geue, Ye schal̴l̴ neuer see, whyle ye lyve, 54None such in thys contre: of roses Haue here thys garlond of roses ryche, In al̴l̴ thys lond ys none yt lyche, that will keep its colour 57For ytt wyl̴l̴ euer be newe, [leaf 179] Wete þou wele withowtyn fable, while his wife is true, Al̴l̴ the whyle thy wyfe ys stable 60The chaplett wolle hold hewe; but change when she is faithless. HE RECEIVES A ROSE GARLAND WITH HIS WIFE.And yf thy wyfe vse putry, Or tolle eny man to lye her by, 63Than wolle yt change hewe, And by the garlond þou may see, Fekyl̴l̴ or fals yf þat sche be, 66Or ellys yf sche be trewe." The wright is delighted with his garland and wife, Of thys chaplett hym was ful̴l̴ fayne, And of hys wyfe, was nott to layne; marries her and takes her home; 69He weddyd her ful̴l̴ sone, And ladde her home wyth solempnite, And hyld her brydal̴l̴ dayes thre. 72Whan they home come, and then begins to think that when he is out at work Thys wryght in hys hart cast, If that he walkyd est or west 75As he was wonte to done, men will try to corrupt his wife. "My wyfe þat ys so bryght of ble, Men wolle desyre her̛ fro me, 78And þat hastly and sone;" So he plans a crafty room and tower, Butt sone he hym byþought That a chambyr schuld be wrought 81Bothe of lyme and stone, Wyth wallys strong as eny stele, And dorres sotylly made and wele, 84He owte framyd yt sone; and builds it soon with plaster of Paris, The chambyr he lett make fast, Wyth plaster of parys þat wyl̴l̴ last, 87Such ous know I neuer none; which no one could ever get out of if he once got into it, Ther ys [ne] kyng ne emperoure, And he were lockyn in þat towre, 90That cowde gete owte of þat wonne. Nowe hath he done as he þought, And in the myddes of the flore wrought 93A wondyr strange gyle, for there was a trapdoor in the middle, A trapdoure rounde abowte [leaf 179, back] That no man myght come yn nor owte; 96It was made wyth a wyle, and if any one only touched it, down he'd go into a pit. THE WRIGHT GOES TO WORK, AND LEAVES HIS WIFE AT HOME.That who-so touchyd yt eny thyng, In to þe pytt he schuld flyng 99Wythyn a lytyl̴l̴ whyle. This was to stop any tricks with his wife. For hys wyfe he made that place, That no man schuld beseke her of grace, 102Nor her to begyle. Just then the town Lord By þat tyme þe lord of the towne Hadde ordeynyd tymbyr redy bowne, 105An halle to make of tre. sends for him to build a Hall, After the wryght the lord lett sende, For þat he schuld wyth hym lende (a job for two or three months,) 108Monythys two or thre. The lord seyd, "woult þou haue þi wyfe? and offers to fetch his wife too. I wyl̴l̴ send after her blyve 111That sche may com to the." The wryght hys garlond hadde take wyth hy{m~}, That was bryght and no þing dymme, 114Yt wes feyre on to see. He sees the wright's garland, and asks what it means. The lord axyd hym as he satt, "Felowe, where hadyst þou þis hatte 117That ys so feyre and newe?" The wryght answerd al̴l̴ so blyue, "Sir, it will And seyd, "syr, I hadde yt wyth my wyfe, 120And þat dare me neuer̛ rewe; tell me whether my wife is false or true; Syr, by my garlond I may see Fekyl̴l̴ or fals yf þat sche be, 123Or[1] yf þat sche be trewe; and will change its colour if she go wrong." And yf my wyfe loue a paramoure, Than wyl̴l̴ my garlond vade coloure, 126And change wyl̴l̴ yt the hewe." The lord þought "by godys myght, "I'll try that," thinks the Lord, That wyl̴l̴ I wete thys same nyght 129Whether thys tale be trewe." and goes to the wright's wife. To the wryghtys howse anon he went, He fonde the wyfe ther-in presente [leaf 180] THE LORD BRIBES THE WRIGHT'S WIFE TO LIE WITH HIM.132That was so bryght and schene; Sone he hayled her trewly, And so dyd sche the lord curtesly: 135Sche seyd, "welcome ye be;" Thus seyd the wyfe of the hows, She asks after her husband "Syr, howe faryth my swete spouse 138That hewyth vppon your̛ tre?" but the Lord "Sertes, dame," he seyd, "wele, And I am come, so haue I hele, 141To wete the wylle of the; declares his own love for her, My loue ys so vppon the cast That me thynketh my hert wolle brest, 144It wolle none otherwyse be; and prays her to grant him his will. Good dame, graunt me thy grace To pley with the in some preuy place 147For gold and eke for fee." She entreats him to let that be, "Good syr, lett be youre fare, And of such wordes speke no mare 150For hys loue þat dyed on tre; Hadde we onys begonne þat gle, My husbond by his garlond myght see; 153For sorowe he would wexe woode." but he presses her, "Certes, dame," he seyd, "naye; Loue me, I pray you, in þat ye maye: 156For godys loue change thy mode, and offers her 40 marks. Forty marke schal̴l̴ be youre mede Of syluer and of gold[e] rede, 159And that schal̴l̴ do the good." On this she consents if he'll put down the money. "Syr, that deede schal̴l̴ be done; Take me that mony here anone." 162"I swere by the holy rode I thought when I cam hydder̛ For to bryng[2] yt al̴l̴ to-gydder̛, 165As I mott broke my heele." The 40 marks she takes Ther sche toke xl marke Of syluer and gold styff and sterke: THE LORD IS DROPPED THROUGH A TRAPDOOR,168Sche toke yt feyre and welle; and tells him to go Sche seyd, "in to the chambyr wyl̴l̴ we, [leaf 180, back] Ther no man schal̴l̴ vs see; into the secret chamber. 171No lenger wyl̴l̴ we spare." Upstairs he goes, Vp the steyer they gan[3] hye: The stepes were made so queyntly 174That farther myght he nott fare. stumbles, The lord stumbyllyd as he went in hast, and pops down 40 feet through the wright's trapdoor. He fel̴l̴ doune in to þat chaste 177Forty fote and somedele more. The lord began to crye; The wyfe seyd to hym in hye, 180"Syr, what do ye there?" He prays the "Dame, I can nott seye howe That I am come hydder nowe 183To thys hows þat ys so newe; I am so depe in thys sure flore That I ne can come owte att no dore; good dame to have pity on him. 186Good dame, on me þou rewe!" "Nay," says she, "not till my husband sees you." "Nay," sche seyd, "so mut y the, Tyl̴l̴ myne husbond come and se, 189I schrewe hym þat yt þought." The Lord tries to get out, but can't, The lord arose and lokyd abowte If he myght eny where gete owte, 192Butt yt holpe hy{m~} ryght nogħt, The wallys were so thycke wythy{n)}, That he no where myght owte wynne 195But helpe to hy{m~} were brought; and then threatens the wife, And euer the lord made euyl̴l̴ chere, And seyd, "dame, þou schalt by thys dere." 198Sche seyd that sche ne rougħt; but she doesn't care for that, Sche seyd "I recke nere Whyle I am here and þou art there, 201I schrewe herre þat þe doth drede." The lord was sone owte of her þought, and goes away to her work. The wyfe went in to her lofte, AND HAS TO BEAT FLAX TO EARN HIS DINNER.204Sche satte and dyd her dede. Next day the Lord begs for food. Than yt fel̴l̴ on þat oþer daye, Of mete and drynke he gan her pray, 207There of he hadde gret nede. [leaf 181] He seyd, "dame, for seynt charyte, Wyth some mete þou comfort me." "You'll get none from me 210Sche seyd, "nay, so god me spede, For I swere by swete seynt Iohne, Mete ne drynke ne getyst þou none unless you sweat for it," says she; 213Butt þou wylt swete or swynke; "spin me some flax." For I haue both hempe and lyne, And a betyngstocke ful̴l̴ fyne, 216And a swyngyl̴l̴ good and grete; If þou wylt worke, tell me sone." He says he will: "Dame, bryng yt forthe, yt schal̴l̴ be done, 219Ful̴l̴ gladly would I ete." she throws him the tools, Sche toke the stocke in her honde, And in to the pytt sche yt sclang 222With a grete hete: the flax and hemp, Sche brought the lyne and hempe on her backe, and says, "Work away." "Syr lord," sche seyd, "haue þou þat, 225And lerne for to swete." Ther sche toke hym a bonde For to occupy hys honde, 228And bade hym fast on to bete. He does, He leyd yt downe on the[4] stone, lays on well, And leyd on strockes wel̴l̴ good wone, 231And sparyd nott on to leyne. Whan þat he hadde wrought a thraue, and then asks for his food, Mete and drynke he gan to craue, 234And would haue hadde yt fayne; "That I hadde somewhat for to ete Now after my gret swete; 237Me thynketh yt were rygħt, for he's toiled night and day. For I haue labouryd nyght and daye The for to plese, dame, I saye, 240And therto putt my myght." The wife THE STEWARD RESOLVES TO TEMPT THE WRIGHT'S WIFE.The wyfe seyd "so mutt I haue hele, And yf þi worke be wrought wele 243Thou schalt haue to dyne." gives him meat and drink Mete and drynke sche hym bare, [leaf 181, back] Wyth a thrafe of flex mare and more flax, 246Of ful̴l̴ long boundyn lyne. So feyre the wyfe the lord gan praye and keeps him up to his work. That he schuld be werkyng aye, 249And nought þat he schuld blynne; The lord was fayne to werke tho, Butt hys men knewe nott of hys woo 252Nor of þer lordes pyne. The Steward asks the wright after his Lord, The stuard to þe wryght gan saye, "Sawe þou owte of my lord to-daye, 255Whether that he ys wende?" The wryght answerde and seyd "naye; I sawe hym nott syth yesterdaye; 258I trowe þat he be schent." then notices the garland, The stuard stode þe wryght by, And of hys garlond hadde ferly 261What þat yt be-mente. and asks who gave it him. The stuard seyd, "so god me saue, Of thy garlond wondyr I haue, 264And who yt hath the sent." "Sir, it will tell me whether my wife goes bad." "Syr," he seyd, "be the same hatte I can knowe yf my wyfe be badde 267To me by eny other ma{n)}; If my floures ouþer fade or falle, Then doth my wyfe me wrong wyth-alle, 270As many a woman ca{n)}." "I'll prove that this very night," says the steward, The stuard þought "by godes mygħt, That schal̴l̴ I preue thys same nygħt 273Whether þou blys or banne," gets plenty of money, and goes off And in to hys chambyr he gan gone, And toke tresure ful̴l̴ good wone, AND THINKS HE HAS SUCCEEDED SO WELL.276And forth he spedde hem tha{n)}. Butt he ne stynt att no stone to the wright's house, Tyl̴l̴ he vn-to þe wryghtes hows come 279That ylke same nygħt. He mett the wyfe amydde the gate, takes her round the neck, Abowte þe necke he gan her take, and offers her all 282And seyd "my dere wyght, [leaf 182] Al̴l̴ the good þat ys myne he has, to lie by her that night. I wyl̴l̴ the geue to be thyne 285To lye by the al̴l̴ nyght." She refuses, Sche seyd, "syr, lett be thy fare, My husbond wolle wete wyth-owty{n)} mare 288And I hym dyd that vnrygħt; I would nott he myght yt wete For al̴l̴ the good that I myght gete, 291So Ihesus[5] mutt me spede as her husband would be sure to know of it. For, and eny man lay me by, My husbond would yt wete truly, 294It ys wythowtyn eny drede." The steward urges her again, The stuard seyd "for hym þat ys wrought, There-of, dame, drede the nogħt 297Wyth me to do that dede; and offers her 20 marks. Haue here of me xx marke Of gold and syluer styf and starke, 300Thys tresoure schal̴l̴ be thy mede." She says, "Then don't tell any one," "Syr, and I graunt þat to yoū, Lett no man wete butt we two nowe." 303He seyd, "nay, wythowtyn drede." The stuard þought, 'sykerly Women beth both queynte & slye.' takes his money, 306The mony he gan her bede; He þought wele to haue be spedde, And of his erand he was onredde 309Or he were fro he{m~} I-gone. sends him up the quaint stairs, Vp the sterys sche hym leyde THE STEWARD IS SHOT THROUGH THE TRAPDOOR,Tyl̴l̴ he saw the wryghtes bedde: 312Of tresoure þought he none; and lets him tumble through the trapdoor. He went and stumblyd att a stone; In to þe seller̛ he fylle sone, 315Downe to the bare flore. "What the devil are you?" says the Lord. The lord seyd "what deuyl̴l̴ art þoū? And þou hadest falle on me nowe, 318Thowe hadest hurt me ful̴l̴ sore." [leaf 182, back] The stuard stert and staryd abowte The steward finds he can't get out; If he mygħt ower gete owte 321Att hole lesse or mare. The lord seyd, "welcome, and sytt be tyme, For þou schalt helpe to dyght thys lyne 324For al̴l̴ thy fers[e] fare." The stuard lokyd on the knygħt, and wonders why his Lord is there. He seyd, "syr, for godes myght, 327My lord, what do you here?" He seyd "felowe, wyth-owtyn oth, "We both came on one errand, man." For o erand we come bothe, 330The sothe wolle I nott lete." The wife asks what they're doing; Tho cam the wyfe them vn-to, And seyd, "syres, what do you to, 333Wyl̴l̴ ye nott lerne to swete?" the Lord says, Than seyd þe lord her vn-to, "Your flax is done, and I want my dinner." 'Dame, your̛ lyne ys I-doo, 336Nowe would I fayne ete: And I haue made yt al̴l̴ I-lyke, Ful̴l̴ clere, and no þing thycke, 339Me thynketh yt gret payne." The steward says if he ever gets out he'll crack her skull. The stuard seyd "wyth-owtyn dowte, And euer I may wynne owte, 342I wyl̴l̴ breke her brayne." But the wife chaffs him, "Felowe, lett be, and sey nott so, For þou schalt worke or euer þou goo, says he'll soon be glad to eat his words, 345Thy wordes þou torne agayne, Fayne þou schalt be so to doo, And thy good wylle put þerto; BUT IS PROUD, AND WILL NOT WORK FOR HIS DINNER.348As a man buxome and bayne and unless he rubs and reels, he'll get no meat. Thowe schalt rubbe, rele, and spynne, And þou wolt eny mete wynne, 351That I geue to god a gyfte." "I'll die for hunger first, unhouseled," answers he. The stuard seyd, "then haue I wondyr; Rather would I dy for hungyr 354Wyth-owte hosyl̴l̴ or shryfte." The lord seyd, "so haue I hele, [leaf 183] Thowe wylt worke, yf þou hungyr welle, 357What worke þat the be brought." The Lord works away, The lord satt and dyd hys werke, The stuard drewe in to the derke, 360Gret sorowe was in hys þought. The lord seyd, "dame, here ys youre lyne, Haue yt in godes blessyng and myne, 363I hold yt welle I-wrought." and gets his food and drink. Mete and drynke sche gaue hym y{n)}, "The stuard," sche seyd, "wolle he nott spynne, 366Wyl̴l̴ he do ryght nogħt?" The lord seyd, "by swete sen Ione, None of it will he give to the steward, Of thys mete schal̴l̴ he haue none 369That ye haue me hydder brought." but eats it all up, The lord ete and dranke fast, The stuard hungeryd att þe last, 372For he gaue hym nought. The stuard satt al̴l̴ in a stody, Hys lord hadde forgote curtesy: 375Tho[6] seyd þe stuard, "geue me some." and won't give him one crumb: The lord seyd, "sorowe haue þe morsel̴l̴ or sope That schal̴l̴ come in thy throte! 378Nott so much as o crome! let him work and earn some for himself. Butt þou wylt helpe to dyght þis lyne, Much hungyr yt schal̴l̴ be thyne 381Though þou make much mone." The steward gives in, Vp he rose, and went therto, "Better ys me þus to doo 384Whyle yt must nedys be do." asks for work; the wife throws it him, THE STEWARD IS OBLIGED TO WORK AFTER ALL.The stuard began fast to knocke, The wyfe þrew hym a swyngelyng stocke, 387Hys mete þerwyth to wy{n)}; Sche brought a swyngyl̴l̴ att þe last, "Good syres," sche seyd, "swyngylle on fast; 390For no þing that ye blynne." Sche gaue hy{m)} a stocke to sytt vppo{n)}, And seyd "syres, þis werke must nedys be done, 393Al̴l̴ that that ys here y{n)}." [leaf 183, back] The stuard toke vp a stycke to saye, and steward and Lord are both spinning away "Sey, seye, swyngyl̴l̴ better yf ye may, 396Hytt wyl̴l̴ be the better to spynne." Were þe lord neuer so gret, to earn their dinner, Yet was he fayne to werke for hys mete 399Though he were neuer so sadde; Butt þe stuard þat was so stowde, Was fayne to swyngelle þe scales owte, 402Ther-of he was nott glad. while the Lord's people cannot make out what has become of him. The lordys meyne þat were att home Wyst nott where he was bycome, 405They were ful̴l̴ sore adrad. Then the Proctor sees the wright The proctoure of þe parysche chyrche rygħt Came and lokyd on þe wryght, 408He lokyd as he ware madde; Fast þe proctoure gan hym frayne, and asks where he got his garland from. "Where hadest þou þis garlond gayne? 411It ys euer lyke newe." The wryght gan say "felowe, "With my wife; Wyth my wyfe, yf þou wylt knowe; 414That dare me nott rewe; and while she is true it will never fade, For al̴l̴ the whyle my wyfe trew ys, My garlond wolle hold hewe I-wys, 417And neuer falle nor fade; but if she's false it will." And yf my wyfe take a paramoure, Than wolle my garlond vade þe floure, 420That dare I ley myne hede." The proctor thinks he'll test this, THE PROCTOR TEMPTS THE WIFE, AND IS TRAPDOORED.The proctoure þought, "in good faye That schal̴l̴ I wete thys same daye 423Whether yt may so be." goes to the wright's wife To the wryghtes hows he went, He grete þe wyfe wyth feyre entente, 426Sche seyd "syr, welcome be ye." and declares his love for her; "A! dame, my loue ys on you fast Syth the tyme I sawe you last; 429I pray you yt may so be That ye would graunt me of your̛ grace he must have her or die. To play wyth you in some priuy place, [leaf 184] 432Or ellys to deth mutt me." Fast þe proctoure gan to pray, She says nay, And euer to hy{m~} sche seyd "naye, 435That wolle I nott doo. as her husband will know of it by his garland. Hadest þou done þat dede wyth me, My spouse by hys garlond myght see, 438That schuld torne me to woo." The proctor The proctoure seyd, "by heuen kyng, If he sey to the any þing 441He schal̴l̴ haue sorowe vn-sowte; offers her 20 marks. Twenty marke I wolle þe geue, It wolle þe helpe welle to lyue, 444The mony here haue I brought." These she takes; Nowe hath sche the tresure tane, they go upstairs, And vp þe steyre be they gane, 447(What helpyth yt to lye?) The wyfe went the steyre be-syde, and the proctor tumbles into the cellar, The proctoure went a lytyl̴l̴ to wyde 450He fel̴l̴ downe by and by. Whan he in to þe seller felle, and thinks he is going to hell. He wente to haue sonke in to helle, 453He was in hart ful̴l̴ sory. The stuard lokyd on the knyght, The steward asks him to sit down; And seyd "proctoure, for godes myght, 456Come and sytt vs by." The proctoure began to stare, he doesn't know where he is, THE PROCTOR CAN'T MAKE OUT WHERE HE HAS GOT TO.For he was he wyst neuer whare, 459Butt wele he knewe þe knyght And the stuard þat swyngelyd þe lyne. but asks what the Lord and steward are after there, He seyd "syres, for godes pyne, 462What do ye here thys nygħt?" The stuard seyd, "god geue the care, Thowe camyst to loke howe we fare, 465Nowe helpe þis lyne were dyght." He stode styl̴l̴ in a gret þought, What to answer he wyst noght: 468"By mary ful̴l̴ of myght," working the wife's flax; The proctoure seyd, "what do ye in þis yne For to bete thys wyfees lyne? [leaf 184, back] 471For Ihesus loue, fful̴l̴ of myght," The proctoure seyd ryght as he þougħt, he, the proctor, will never do the like, "For me yt schal̴l̴ be euyl̴l̴ wrougħt 474And I may see arygħt, it's not his trade. For I lernyd neuer in lon{d+} For to haue a swyngel̴l̴ in hond 477By day nor be nyght." The steward says, "We're as good as you, and yet The stuard seyd, "as good as þoū. We hold vs that be here nowe, 480And lett preue yt be sygħt; have to work for our food." Yet must vs worke for owre mete, Or ellys schal̴l̴ we none gete, 483Mete nor drynke to owre honde." The Lord says, "And you'll have to work ere you go." The lord seyd, "why flyte ye two? I trowe ye wyl̴l̴ werke or ye goo, 486Yf yt be as I vndyrstond." Abowte he goys twyes or thryes; They eat and drink, and give the proctor nothing, They ete & drunke in such wyse 489That þey geue hym ryght noght. The proctoure seyd, "thynke ye no schame, to his great disgust, Yheue me some mete, (ye be to blame,) 492Of that the wyfe ye brougħt." The stuard seyd "euyl̴l̴ spede the soppe If eny morcel̴l̴ come in thy throte HE HAS TO WIND AND SPIN FOR HIS DINNER.495Butt þou wyth vs hadest wrought." till at last The proctoure stode in a stody Whether he mygħt worke hem by; 498And so to torne hys þougħt, To the lord he drewe nere, And to hym seyd wyth myld[e] chere, 501"That mary mott the spede!" he too knocks for work, The proctoure began to knocke, The good wyfe rawte hym a rocke, 504For therto hadde sche nede; Sche seyd "whan I was mayde att home, Other werke cowde I do none 507My lyfe ther-wyth to lede." gets a distaff and some winding to do, Sche gaue hym in hande a rocke hynde, And bade hem fast for to wynde [leaf 185] 510Or ellys to lett be hys dede. "Yes, dame," he seyd, "so haue I hele, I schal̴l̴ yt worke both feyre & welle 513As ye haue taute me." He wauyd vp a strycke of lyne, and spins away well. And he span wele and fyne 516By-fore the swyngel̴l̴ tre. The lord seyd "þou spynnest to grete, Therfor þou schalt haue no mete, 519That þou schalt wel̴l̴ see." Thus they all sit and work till the wright comes home. Thus þey satt and wrought fast Tyl̴l̴ þe wekedayes were past; 522Then the wryght, home came he, As he approaches he hears a noise. And as he cam by hys hows syde He herd[7] noyse that was nott ryde 525Of persons two or thre; One of hem knockyd lyne, A-nothyr swyngelyd good and fyne 528By-fore the swyngyl̴l̴ tre, The thyrde did rele and spynne, Mete and drynke ther-wyth to wynne, 531Gret nede ther-of hadde he. THE WRIGHT COMES HOME AND FINDS THE THREE CULPRITS.Thus þe wryght stode herkenyng; his wife comes to meet him, Hys wyfe was ware of hys comyng, 534And ageynst hym went sche. "Dame," he seyd, "what ys þis dynne? and he asks what all that noise is about. I here gret noyse here wythynne; 537Tel̴l̴ me, so god the spede." "Why, three workmen have come to help us, dear. "Syr," sche seyd, "workemen thre Be come to helpe you and me, 540Ther-of we haue gret nede; Who are they?" Fayne would I wete what they were." The wright sees his Lord in the pit, Butt when he sawe hys lord there, 543Hys hert bygan to drede: To see hys lord in þat place, He þought yt was a strange cas, and asks how 546And seyd, "so god hym spede, [leaf 185, back] What do ye here, my lord and knygħt? Tel̴l̴ me nowe for godes mygħt he came there. 549Howe cam thys vn-to?" The knyght seyd "What ys best rede? The Lord asks mercy: he is very sorry. Mercy I aske for my mysdede, 552My hert ys wondyr wo." "So am I," says the wright, "to see you among the flax and hemp," "So ys myne, verament, To se you among thys flex and hempe, 555Ful̴l̴ sore yt ruytħ me; To se you in such hevynes, Ful̴l̴ sore myne hert yt doth oppresse, 558By god in trinite." and orders his wife to let the Lord out. The wryght bade hys wyfe lett hy{m~} owte, "No, bother my snout if I do," says the wife, "Nay, þen sorowe come on my snowte 561If they passe hens to-daye "before his lady sees what he wanted to do with me." Tyl̴l̴ that my lady come and see Howe þey would haue done wyth me, 564Butt nowe late me saye." So she sends for the dame to fetch her lord home, Anon sche sent after the lady brygħt For to fett home her lord and knyght, 567Therto sche seyd nogħt; Sche told her what they hadde ment, and tells her what he and his companions came there for. THE LORD'S WIFE SEES HIM IN THE CELLAR.And of ther purpos & ther intente 570That they would haue wrought. The lady Glad was þat lady of that tydyng; When sche wyst her lord was lyuyng, 573Ther-of sche was ful̴l̴ fayne: Whan sche came vn-to þe steyre aboue{n)}, looks down into the cellar, Sche lokyd vn-to þe seller downe, and says, "Good sirs, what are you doing?" 576And seyd,—þis ys nott to leyne,— "Good syres, what doo you here?" "Earning our meat full dear: "Dame, we by owre mete ful̴l̴ dere, 579Wyth gret trauayle and peyne; help us out, and I'll never come here again." I pray you helpe þat we were owte, And I wyl̴l̴ swere wyth-owtyn dowte 582Neuer to come here agayne." The lady asks the wife why The lady spake the wyfe vn-tylle, [leaf 186] And seyd "dame, yf yt be youre wylle, the men are there 585What doo thes meyny here?" The wife says they wanted to lie with her, and offered her gold and silver; The carpentarys wyfe her answerd sykerly, "Al̴l̴ they would haue leyne me by; 588Euerych, in ther manere, Gold and syluer they me brought, And forsoke yt, and would yt noght, 591The ryche gyftes so clere. Wyllyng þey were to do me schame, she took their gifts, and there they are. I toke ther gyftes wyth-owtyn blame, 594And ther they be al̴l̴ thre." The lady says she really wants her lord for herself, The lady answerd her ano{n)}, "I haue thynges to do att home 597Mo than two or thre; I wyst my lord neuer do ryght noght Of no þing þat schuld be wrought, 600Such as fallyth to me." and laughs heartily when the three culprits come out. The lady lawghed and made good game Whan they came owte al̴l̴ in-same 603From the swyngyl̴l̴ tre. The Lord says, The knyght seyd "felowys in fere, I am glad þat we be here, THE WRIGHT'S WIFE SETS THE CULPRITS FREE.606By godes dere pyte; "Ah, you'd have worked too if you'd been with us, Dame, and ye hadde bene wyth vs, Ye would haue wrought, by swete Ihesus, 609As welle as dyd we." And when they cam vp aboue{n)} They turnyd abowte and lokyd downe, 612The lord seyd, "so god saue me, I never had such a turn in my life before, I can tell you." Yet hadde I neuer such a fytte As I haue hadde in þat lowe pytte; 615So mary so mutt me spede." Then the Lord and lady go home, The knyght and thys lady bryght, Howe they would home that nygħt, 618For no thyng they would abyde; And so they went home; as Adam of Cobsam says. Thys seyd Adam of Cobsa{m~}.[8] [leaf 186, back] 621By the weye as they rode On their way home Throwe a wode in ther playeng, For to here the fowlys syng they halt, 624They hovyd stylle and bode. and the steward and proctor swear they'll never go back for five and forty years. The stuard sware by godes ore, And so dyd the proctoure much more, 627That neuer in ther lyfe Would they no more come in þat wonne Whan they were onys thens come, 630Thys forty yere and fyve. The lady gives all their money to the wright's wife. Of the tresure that they brought, The lady would geue hem ryght noght, 633Butt gaue yt to the wryghtes wyfe. The garland is fresh as ever. Thus the wryghtes garlond was feyre of hewe, And hys wyfe bothe good and trewe: 636There-of was he ful̴l̴ blythe; I take wytnes att gret and smal̴l̴, Thus true are all good women now alive! Thus trewe bene good women al̴l̴ 639That nowe bene on lyve, So come thryste on ther hedys MAY ALL GOOD WIVES GO TO HEAVEN!Whan they mombyl̴l̴ on ther bedys 642Ther pater noster ryue. Here then is written a tale of the Wright and his Garland. Here ys wretyn a geste of the wryght That hadde a garlond wel̴l̴ I-dyght, 645The coloure wyl̴l̴ neuer fade. God grant us all his blessing, Now god, þat ys heuyn kyng, Graunt vs al̴l̴ hys dere blessyng 648Owre hertes for to glade; and may all true faithful wives And al̴l̴ tho that doo her husbondys rygħt, Pray we to Ihesu ful̴l̴ of myght, 651That feyre mott hem byfalle, come to heaven's bliss, And that they may come to heuen blys, For thy dere moderys loue ther-of nott to mys, 654Alle good wyues alle. and be such Now alle tho that thys tretys hath hard, Ihesu graunt hem, for her reward, true lovers as the 657As trew louers to be [leaf 187] As was the wryght vn-to hys wyfe wright and his wife were. And sche to hym duryng her lyfe. Amen! 660Amen, for charyte. Here ends our tale of the Garland Here endyth the wryghtes processe trewe Wyth hys garlond feyre of hewe 663That neuer dyd fade the coloure. It was made, by the avyse Of hys wywes moder wytty and wyse, 666Of flourys most of honoure, which was made of White Roses, Of roses whyte þat wyl̴l̴ nott fade, the flowers that gladden all England, Whych floure al̴l̴ ynglond doth glade, 669Wyth trewloues medelyd in sygħt; Vn-to the whych floure I-wys and receive the love of God, and of the Commons too. The loue of god and of the comenys Subdued[9] bene of rygħt. Explicit.