And wijsli gouerne pou pin hous and pi1 meyne: To bittir ne to bonour with hem pat pou ne2 be, 104 But 2 loke weel 3 what is moost neede to doone,

108

And sette pi meyne perto bope ratheli & soone,

For redi is at nede

A forn doon dede,

Mi leue child.

With your house.

hold, don't be too

sharp or too easy;

set 'em at work at

what most needs

doing.

And if þin husbonde be from3 hoome, lete not If your husband's

þi meyne goon ydil,

But loke weel who doop myche' eiper litil,

away, make your people work, and treat them ac

cording to what

And he þat weel doop, pou qwite him weel his they do.
whyle,8

112 And he pat doop oper, serue him as þe vile

A forn doon dede

Wole anoper spede,

Mi leue child.

116 And if þi nede be greet & pi tyme streite,

120

124

When need is,

set to work your

ban go pi silf perto & worche *an houswijfes9 self,

brayde,

[* Page 108.]

10 panne wille pei alle do pe bettir þat aboute pee all will do better

stande[s].10

he work is pe sonner do pat hap many handis,11

12 For manye handis & wight

Make an heuy worke light;
Aftir þi good seruise

þi name schal arise, 12

Mi leue childe.

'Gouerne welle also thyne howse & wysely thy

2-2 Omitted.

3 welle abowte 4 and þat lyghtly 5 yef þy mastyr be fro

7 mykylle

Trin. Coll. MS. whyle. (The Lambeth MS. has mede.)

• and make a wyues breyde

10-10 Alle bey doon the bettyr þat about þee stondyn

for it.

11 hondyn

12-12 Many hondys & smert makyn lyght werke

Look after your

household when

at work,

and have faults

put to rights at once.

See everything straight when they leave work; keep your keys yourself,

and beware whom you trust.

And what so2 pi meyne do, aboute3 hem pou

wende,

And as myche as pou maist, be at pat 5 oon eende,

And if pou fynde ony defaute, do it soone7 ameende

128 So bei haue tyme2 and2 space & may hem defende.

10 To compelle a dede to be doon & pere be

132 11And loke pat alle pingis be weel whanne þei her

werkis lete,

And take pe keies in-to pi warde, loke þei ben

not forgete;

And be waar to whom pou trustis, and spare for

10-10 Meche besynesse behoueth hem þat shall howse holden

11 The next two stanzas of the Lambeth MS. are transposed (in an altered form) to another part of the Trinity MS. as shown in the second and first stanzas in the notes on p. 45 and p. 46. The Trin. MS. has here, for ll. 132-45, the following:

In other mennys housys make pou no maystry;

Blame pou nat wrongfully þat þou seest with thyne ey.
Dowgtyr, I pray thee, bere the so welle

That alle men mow sey þou art as trew as steele :

A good name many folde ys more worthe then golde,

Be thow no chyder, ne of wordys boold

My leue
Chylde.

To myssay by neyghbors nouther yong ne oolde;
Be pou nat to mody ne to enuyous

My leef

For nought þat may betyde in oper mennys hous:
An enuyous hert oft doth smert,

Chylde.

136

For myche harme hap falle to them pat ben not
wise;

But, douztir, loke pat pou be wise, & do

as y bee teche,

noon bettir þan þi silf, for no

And trust *
fair speche,

Mi leue childe.

[* Page 109.]

And zeue þi meyne ther hire At þer terme day Pay your people

on wages-day,

140 Wheper pat pei dwelle stille or þei wende awey, Doo weel bi hem of pi good pat pou hast in and be generous welde,

144

And pan schal pei seie weel of pee, bope pe yonge

and oolde;

þi good name is to pi freendis

greet ioie & gladnes,

Mi leue childe.

And if þi neigboris wijf hap1 on riche a-tire,
perfore mocke pou ne scorne, brenne not as fier,

148 But panke god of heuen for pat he hath pe 3euene,
And so pou schalt, my dou3tir, a good lijf
lyuande.3

to them.

Don't be jealous of your neigh

bour's fine dress. Thank God for

what you have.

Houswijfli pou schalt goon on pe worke day Work diligently

[iwis,]6

Pride, reste, & ydilnes, makip on-priftines ;7

on work days,

And whanne pe holi day is come, weel schalt and worship God pou be

156 pe holi day in worschipe, & god wole loue pee;

on Holydays.

[Page 110.]

Love your neighbours,

and do as you'd

be done by.

If you are rich, be hospitable

and help the poor in their need.

1 Haue in mynde to god is worschip [ay], For myche pride comep of pe yuel day,1 Mi leue child.

1602 Whanne pou art a wijf, a neizbore for to be, Loue pan weel pi neizboris, as god hap comaundide pee;

164

It bihouep þee so for to do,

And to do to pem as pou woldist be doon to.
If ony discorde happen nyght or daye,
Make it no worse, meende it if pou
may,

Mi leue child.

And if pou schalt be a riche wijfe, Be pan not

to hard,

168 But weelcome faire pi neiboris pat comen to pee warde

With mete, drinke, & honest chere, Such as pou

maist to hem bede,

To ech man after his degre, & help þe poore at neede;

and also for Hap þat may bitide,

1-1 More for goddes frenshyp than the worldes worshyp

2 Instead of lines 160-187, the Trin. Coll. MS. has the following:

Moche shame be they worthy, & sorow wolle hem betyde
That maketh hyr housbondes poore porow her moche

pryde.

Be fulle wyse, doughtyr, & An howsewyfe good;
Aftyr the wrenne hath veynes let pou hyr blood.
Hys thryft wexeth thynne þat spendeth or he wynne,

My leef chylde.

Syt nat vp long At euyn As A gase with the cuppe

To sey wessayle, & drynke heylle, Our syrys thryft ys

vppe,

My leef

But go to bedde betyme, & A morow ryse blyue,
And so pou shalt, my leve chylde, bothe wynne & thryue,
Alle ease may nat falle to hym þat thryue shalle,

chylde.

172

Please weel þi neizboris pat dwelle pee
biside,

Mi leue child.

Doughtir, loke pat pou be waare, what-sum- Don't ruin your

euere pee bitide,

husband with

Make not pin husbonde poore with spendinge your extrava

ne with pride.

gance,

176 A man must spende as he may pat hap but if he's poorly off.

180

easy good,

For aftir þe wrenne hap veynes, Men must lete Bleed a wren

according to its veins.

[* Page 111.]

Borowe not to besely, nor take not pin hire Don't borrow, or

first

But if þe more nede it make, & grettir distresse;

take your own dues first,

Ne make pee not to seme riche With oper or show off with

mennis þing,

With ryche Roobys and garlondes, & with ryche thyng,
Counterfete no lady as thy hosbond were a kyng.
With suche as he may the ayde, apayde shalt bow be,
That no countenaunce be lost for cause of thee:
Ouyrdone pryde maketh nakyd syde, .

My leef
chylde.

others' goods.

Loke welle abowte; for no þyng þat þow lete;

Take the keyes in to by warde, be they nat foryete;
Bethynke the welle in pought; let for no queyntyse;
And but yef þow do so, bou dost nat as the wyse.
For who pat louep hym sylf best, Most may lyue in rest,

My leef

chylde.

Sorow nat to blythely, ne take nat þy hyre furst,

But the more nede hyt make or the grettyr byrst.

Make the nat ryche with other mennys thyng,
Ne neuyr the boldyr to spende a farthyng;
For what soeuer pou haue to done,

Borowyd thyng wylle home

1 A mistake for 'Borow.'

My leef

chylde.