The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Wright's Chaste Wife, by Adam of Cobsam.

REPRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY RICHARD CLAY
(THE CHAUCER PRESS) LTD., BUNGAY, SUFFOLK

PREFACE.

Good wine needs no bush, and this tale needs no Preface. I shall not tell the story of it—let readers go to the verse itself for that; nor shall I repeat to those who begin it the exhortation of the englisher of Sir Generides,

"for goddes sake, or ye hens wende,
Here this tale unto the ende."—(ll. 3769-70.)

If any one having taken it up is absurd enough to lay it down without finishing it, let him lose the fun, and let all true men pity him. Though the state of morals disclosed by the story is not altogether satisfactory, yet it is a decided improvement on that existing in Roberd of Brunne's time in 1303, for he had to complain of the lords of his day:

Also do þese lordynges,
Þe[y] trespas moche yn twey þynges;
Þey rauys a mayden aȝens here wyl,
And mennys wyuys þey lede awey þertyl.
A grete vylanye þarte he dous
Ȝyf he make therof hys rouse [boste]:
Þe dede ys confusyun,
And more ys þe dyffamacyun.

[Pg vi]The volume containing the poem was shown to me by Mr Stubbs, the Librarian at Lambeth, in order that I might see the version of Sir Gyngelayne, son of Sir Gawain, which Mr Morris is some day, I trust, to edit for the Society in one of his Gawain volumes.[1] Finding the present poem also on the paper leaves, I copied it out the same afternoon, and here it is for a half-hour's amusement to any reader who chooses to take it up.

The handwriting of the MS. must be of a date soon after 1460, and this agrees well with the allusion to Edward the Fourth's accession, and the triumph of the White Rose o'er the Red alluded to in the last lines of the poem. The Garlond,

It was made ...
Of flourys most of honoure,
Of roses whyte þat wyl̴l̴ nott fade,
Whych floure al̴l̴ ynglond doth glade....
Vn-to the whych floure I-wys
The loue of God and of the comonys
Subdued bene of ryght.

For, that the Commons of England were glad of their Yorkist king, and loved Duke Richard's son, let Holinshed's record prove. He testifies:

Would that we knew as much of Adam of Cobsam as of our White-Rose king. He must have been one of the Chaucer breed,[2] but more than this poem tells of him I cannot learn.

P.S.—There are other Poems about Edward IV. in the volume, which will be printed separately.[3] One on Women is given at the end of the present text.

PP.S. 1869.—Mr C.H. Pearson, the historian of the Early and Middle Ages of England, has supplied me with the immediate original of this story. He says:

With the Wright's Chaste Wife may also be compared the stories mentioned in the Notes, p. 20, and the Ballad "The Fryer well fitted; or[Pg viii]

A Pretty jest that once befel,
How a maid put a Fryer to cool in the well"

printed "in the Bagford Collection; in the Roxburghe (ii. 172); the Pepys (iii. 145); the Douce (p. 85); and in Wit and Mirth, an Antidote to Melancholy, 8vo. 1682; also, in an altered form, in Pills to purge Melancholy, 1707, i. 340; or 1719, iii. 325"; and the tune of which, with an abstract of the story, is given in Chappell's Popular Music, i. 273-5. The Friar makes love to the Maid; she refuses him for fear of hell-fire.

Tush, quoth the Friar, thou needst not doubt;
If thou wert in Hell, I could sing thee out.

So she consents if he'll bring her an angel of money. He goes home to fetch it, and she covers the well over with a cloth. When he comes back, and has given her the money, she pretends that her father is coming, tells the Friar to run behind the cloth, and down he flops into the well. She won't help him at first, because if he could sing her out of hell, he can clearly sing himself out of the well: but at last she does help him out, keeps his money because he's dirtied the water, and sends him home dripping along the street like a new-washed sheep.

THE WRIGHT'S CHASTE WIFE.

[MS. Lambeth 306, leaves 178-187.]

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."
[Pg 2]

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.

[Pg 3]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.

[Pg 4]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]

[Pg 5]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:
[Pg 6]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,
[Pg 7]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

[Pg 8]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,
[Pg 9]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
[Pg 10]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;
[Pg 11]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,

[Pg 12]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,

[Pg 13]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,

[Pg 14]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
[Pg 15]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.
[Pg 16]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.

[Pg 17]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,
[Pg 18]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
[Pg 19]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.

NOTES.

The two first of the three operations of flax-dressing described in lines 526-529, p. 15,

One of hem knocked lyne,
A-nothyr swyngelyd good and fyne
By-fore the swyngyl̴l̴-tre,
The thyrde did rele and spynne,

must correspond to the preliminary breaking of the plant, and then the scutching or beating to separate the coarse tow or hards from the tare or fine hemp. Except so far as the swingle served as a heckle, the further heckling of the flax, to render the fibre finer and cleaner, was dispensed with, though heckles (iron combs) must have been in use when the poem was written—inasmuch as hekele, hekelare, hekelyn, and hekelynge, are in the Promptorium, ab. 1440 a.d. Under Hatchell, Randle Holme gives a drawing of a heckle.

The lines through the h's in the MS. are not, I believe, marks of contraction. There are no insettings of the third lines, or spaces on changes of subject, in the MS.

For reference to two analogous stories to that of the Poem, I am indebted to Mr Thomas Wright. The first is that of Constant Duhamel in the third volume of Barbazan, and the second that of the Prioress and her three Suitors in the Minor Poems of Dan John Lydgate, published by the Percy Society, ed. Halliwell.

In the Barbazan tale "the wife is violently solicited by three suitors, the priest, the provost, and the forester, who on her refusal persecute her husband. To stop their attacks she gives them appointments at her house immediately after one another, so that when one is there and stripped for the bath, another comes, and, pretending it is her husband, she conceals them one after another in a large tub full of feathers, out of which they can see all that is going on in the room. She then sends successively for their three wives to come and bathe with her, the bath being still in the same room, and as each is stripped naked in the bath, she introduces her own husband, who dishonours them one after another, one à l'enverse, with rather aggravating circumstances, and all in view of their three husbands. Finally the latter are turned out of the house naked, or rather well feathered, then hunted by the whole town and their dogs, well bitten and beaten."

(If any one wants to see a justification of the former half of the proverb quoted by Roberd of Brunne,

Frenche men synne yn lecherye
And Englys men yn enuye,

let him read the astounding revelation made of the state of the early French mind by the tales in the 3rd and 4th vols. of Barbazan's Fabliaux, ed. 1808.)

The second story, told by Lydgate, is as follows:—A prioress is wooed by "a yonng knyght, a parson of a paryche, and a burges of a borrow." She promises herself to the first if he will lie for a night in a chapel sewn up in a sheet like a corpse; to the second, if he will perform the funeral service over the knight, and bury him; to the third, if he will dress up like a devil, and frighten both parson and knight. This the burges Sir John does well, but is himself terrified at the corpse getting up: all three run away from one another: the knight falls on a stake, and into a snare set for bucks, and breaks his fore top in falling from the tree; the merchant gets tossed by a bull; the parson breaks his head and jumps into a bramble bush; and the prioress gets rid of them all, but not before she has made the "burges" or "marchaunt" pay her twenty marks not to tell his wife and the country generally of his tricks.—Minor Poems, p. 107-117, ed. 1840.

GLOSSARY.

WOMEN.

[Lambeth MS. 306, leaf 135.]

Wome{n)}, wome{n)}, loue of wome{n)},
make bare purs with some me{n)},
Some be nyse as a nonne hene,[1]
4Ȝit al thei be nat soo.
some be lewde,
some all be schrewde;
Go schrewes wher thei goo.

8Su{m~} be nyse, and some be fonde,
And some be tame, y vndirstonde,
And some cane take brede of a manes hande,[2]
Yit all thei be nat soo.
12[Some be lewde, &c.]

[leaf 135, back]

Some cane part with-outen hire,
And some make bate in eueri chire,
And some cheke mate with oure Sire,
16Yit all they be nat so.
Some be lewde,
and sume be schreuede,
go wher they goo.

[Pg 24]20Som be browne, and some be whit,
And some be tender as a ttripe,
And some of theym be chiry ripe,
Yit all thei be not soo.
24Sume be lewde,
and some be schrewede,
go wher they goo.

Some of the{m~} be treue of love
28Benetħ þe gerdel̴l̴, but nat above,
And in a hode aboue cane chove,
Yit all thei do nat soo.
Some be lewde,
32and some be schreude,
go where they goo.

Some cane whister, & some cane crie,
Some cane flater, and some can lye,
36And some cane sette þe moke awrie,
Yit all thei do nat soo.
Sume be lewde,
and sume be schreuede,
40go where thei goo.

He that made this songe full good,
Came of þe nortħ and of þe sother{n)} blode,
And some-what kyne to Roby{n)} Hode,
44Yit all we be nat soo.
Some be lewde,
and some be schrewede,
go where they goo.

48Some be lewde, some be [s]chrwde,
Go where they goo.

Explicit.

P.S.—This Poem was printed by Mr Halliwell in Reliquiæ Antiquæ, vol. i., p. 248, and reprinted by Mr Thomas Wright, at p. 103 of his edition of Songs and Carols for the Percy Society, 1847. As, besides minor differences, the reprint has manne, and the original nanne, for what I read as nonne, l. 3, while both have withowte for with oure, l. 15, and accripe for a ttripe, l. 21 (see Halliwell's Dictionary, "accripe, a herb?"), I have not cancelled this impression. The other version of the song, from Mr Wright's MS. in his text, pp. 89-91, differs a good deal from that given above.

The Wright's Chaste Wife.

Early English Text Society

Original Series, No. 12

1865

Reprinted 1891, 1905, 1965

The

Wright's Chaste Wife,

OR

A Merry Tale, by Adam of Cobsam.

From a MS. in the Library of the Archbishop of Canterbury, at Lambeth, about 1462 A.D.

COPIED AND EDITED BY
FREDERICK J. FURNIVALL.

Published for
THE EARLY ENGLISH TEXT SOCIETY
by the
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
LONDON · NEW YORK · TORONTO

FIRST PUBLISHED 1865

REPRINTED 1891, 1905, 1965.

Original Series No. 12

PREFACE.

THE WRIGHT'S CHASTE WIFE.

[MS. Lambeth 306, leaves 178-187.]

NOTES.

GLOSSARY.

WOMEN.

[Lambeth MS. 306, leaf 135.]

The Wright's Chaste Wife.

Early English Text Society

Original Series, No. 12

1865

Reprinted 1891, 1905, 1965

The

Wright's Chaste Wife,

OR

A Merry Tale, by Adam of Cobsam.

From a MS. in the Library of the Archbishop of Canterbury, at Lambeth, about 1462 A.D.

COPIED AND EDITED BY FREDERICK J. FURNIVALL.

Published for THE EARLY ENGLISH TEXT SOCIETY by the OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON · NEW YORK · TORONTO

FIRST PUBLISHED 1865

REPRINTED 1891, 1905, 1965.

Original Series No. 12

PREFACE.

THE WRIGHT'S CHASTE WIFE.

[MS. Lambeth 306, leaves 178-187.]

NOTES.

GLOSSARY.

WOMEN.

[Lambeth MS. 306, leaf 135.]

COPIED AND EDITED BY
FREDERICK J. FURNIVALL.

Published for
THE EARLY ENGLISH TEXT SOCIETY
by the
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
LONDON · NEW YORK · TORONTO