THE WRIGHT'S CHASTE WIFE.

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

Attmyghty god, maker of alle,
Saue you my souereyns in towre & halle,
And send you good grace !
If ye wylt a stounde blynne,
Of a story I wytt begynne,

And telle you all the cas,
Meny farleyes þat I haue herde,
Ye would haue wondyr how yt ferde;
Lystyn, and ye schatt here;
Of a wryght I wytt you telle,
That some tyme in thys land gan dwelle,
And lyued by hys myster.
Whether that he were yn or owte,
Of erthely man hadde he no dowte,
To werke hows, harowe, nor plowgh,
Or other werkes, what so they were,
Thous wrought he hem farre and nere,
And dyd tham wele I-nough.
Thys wryght would wedde no wyfe,
Butt yn yougeth to lede hys lyfe
In myrthe and ober melody;
Ouer att where he gan wende,
Att they seyd "welcome, frende,
Sytt downe, and do gla[d]ly."

My sovereigns,

I will tell you a tale

of a wright

of this land,

who, at work, was afraid of no earthly man.

At first he would wed no wife,

[leaf 178, back]

for wherever he went he was welcome;

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but at last he wished

THE WRIGHT FALLS IN LOVE, AND PROPOSES.

Tytt on a tyme he was wyllyng,
As tyme comyth of alle thyng,
(So seyth the profesye,)
A wyfe for to wedde & haue
That myght hys goodes kepe and saue,
And for to leue att foly.

Ther dwellyd a wydowe in þat contre
That hadde a doughter feyre & fre;

Of her, word sprang wyde,
For sche was bothe stabylt & trewe,
Meke of maners, and feyr of hewe;
So seyd men in that tyde.

The wryght seyde, "so god me saue,
Such a wyfe would I haue

To lye nyghtly by my syde."
He bought to speke wyth bat may,
And rose erly on a daye

And byder gan he to ryde.

The wryght was welcome to be wyfe,
And her saluyd att so blyve,

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HE RECEIVES A ROSE GARLAND WITH HIS WIFE.

And yf thy wyfe vse putry,
Or tolle eny man to lye her by,

Than wolle yt change hewe,
And by the garlond bou may see,
Fekylt or fals yf þat sche be,

Or ellys yf sche be trewe."
Of thys chaplett hym was fult fayne,
And of hys wyfe, was nott to layne;
He weddyd her futt sone,
And ladde her home wyth solempnite,
And hyld her brydatt dayes thre.
Whan they home come,

Thys wryght in hys hart cast,
If that he walkyd est or west

As he was wonte to done,

"My wyfe bat ys so bryght of ble,
Men wolle desyre her fro me,

And bat hastly and sone;"

Butt sone he hym bybought

That a chambyr schuld be wrought
Bothe of lyme and stone,

Wyth wallys strong as eny stele,
And dorres sotylly made and wele,
He owte framyd yt sone;
The chambyr he lett make fast,
Wyth plaster of parys þat wytt last,
Such ous know I neuer none;
Ther ys [ne] kyng ne emperoure,
And he were lockyn in þat towre,

That cowde gete owte of bat wonne.
Nowe hath he done as he bought,
And in the myddes of the flore wrought
A wondyr strange gyle,

A trapdoure rounde abowte

That no man myght come yn nor owte;
It was made wyth a wyle,

but change when she is faithless.

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The wright is delighted with his garland and wife,

marries her and takes her home;

and then begins to think that when he is out at work

men will try to corrupt his wife.

So he plans a crafty room and tower,

and builds it soon with plaster of Paris,

which no one

could ever get out of if he once got into it,

for there was a trapdoor in the middle,

[leaf 179, back]

4 THE WRIGHT GOES TO WORK, AND LEAVES HIS WIFE AT HOME.

After the wryght the lord lett sende,
For bat he schuld wyth hym lende

Monythys two or thre.

The lord seyd, "woult pou haue bi wyfe?
I wytt send after her blyve

That sche may com to the."

The wryght hys garlond hadde take wyth hyn,
That was bryght and no þing dymme,

Yt wes feyre on to see.

The lord axyd hym as he satt,

"Felowe, where hadyst pou pis hatte

That ys so feyre and newe?"

The wryght answerd att so blyue,

And seyd, "syr, I hadde yt wyth my wyfe,

And bat dare me neuer rewe;

Syr, by my garlond I may see
Fekytt or fals yf þat sche be,

Or1 yf þat sche be trewe;
And yf my wyfe loue a paramoure,
Than wytt my garlond vade coloure,
And change wytt yt the hewe."
The lord bought "by godys myght,
That wytt I wete thys same nyght
Whether thys tale be trewe."
To the wryghtys howse anon he went,
He fonde the wyfe ther-in presente

THE LORD BRIBES THE WRIGHT'S WIFE TO LIE WITH HIM.

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That was so bryght and schene;
Sone he hayled her trewly,
And so dyd sche the lord curtesly :

[leaf 180]

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Sche seyd, "welcome ye be;"
Thus seyd the wyfe of the hows,
"Syr, howe faryth my swete spouse
That hewyth vppon your tre?"
"Sertes, dame," he seyd, "wele,
And I am come, so haue I hele,
To wete the wylle of the;
My loue ys so vppon the cast
That me thynketh my hert wolle brest,

It wolle none otherwyse be;

Good dame, graunt me thy grace
To pley with the in some preuy place
For gold and eke for fee."
"Good syr, lett be youre fare,
And of such wordes speke no mare
For hys loue pat dyed on tre;
Hadde we onys begonne bat gle,
My husbond by his garlond myght see;
For sorowe he would wexe woode."

"Certes, dame," he seyd, "naye;
Loue me, I pray you, in bat ye maye:
For godys loue change thy mode,
Forty marke schatt be youre mede
Of syluer and of gold[e] rede,

And that schalt do the good."
"Syr, that deede schaft be done ;
Take me that mony here anone."
"I swere by the holy rode
I thought when I cam hydder
For to bryng1 yt alt to-gydder,

She asks after her husband,

but the Lord

declares his own love for her,

and prays her to grant him his will.

She entreats him to let that be,

but he presses her,

and offers her 40 marks.

On this she consents if he'll put down the money.

[1 or hyng.? MS.]

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As I mott broke my heele."
Ther sche toke xl marke

The 40 marks she takes,

Of syluer and gold styff and sterke :