Most noble prynce : With support of your grace,
Ther beon entred : in to youre royal place
And late coomen in to youre castell,
Youre poure lieges, wheche lyke no thing weel.
Nowe in the vigyle of this nuwe yeere
Certayne sweynes, ful [froward of ther chere],
Of entent comen, [fallen on ther kne],
For to compleyne vn to yuoure magestee
Vpon the mescheef of gret aduersytee,
Vpon the trouble and the cruweltee 10
Which that they haue endured in theyre lyves
By the felnesse of theyre fierce wyves,
Which is a tourment verray importable,
A bonde of sorowe, a knott vnremuwable.
For whoo is bounde or locked in maryage,
Yif he beo olde, he falleth in dotage,
And yong folkes, of theyre lymes sklendre,
Grene and lusty, and of brawne but tendre,
Phylosophres callen in suche aage
A Chylde to wyve, a woodnesse or a raage. 20

For they afferme ther is noon eorthly stryff
May beo compared to wedding of a wyff,
And who that euer stondethe in the cas
He with his Rebecke may sing ful oft ellas,
Lyke as theos hynes, here stonding oon by oon,
He may with hem vpon the daunce goon.
Leorne the traas, boothe at even and morowe
Of Karycantowe in tourment and in sorowe....
Weyle the while ellas that he was borne.
For Obbe, the Reeve, that goothe heere al to forne, 30
He pleynethe sore, his mariage is not meete,
For his wyff, Beautryce Bittersweete,
Cast vpon him an hougly cheer ful rowghe
Whane he komethe home, ful wery frome the ploughe,
With hungry stomake, deed and paale of cheere,
In hope to fynde redy his dynier.

Thanne sittethe Beautryce, bolling at the nale,
As she that gyvethe of him no maner tale.
For she alday with hir iowsy nolle,
Hathe for the collyk pouped in the bolle 40
And for heed aache : with pepir and gynger
Dronk dolled ale, to make hir throte cleer,
And komethe hir hoome, whane hit drawethe to eve.
And thanne Robyn, the cely poure Reeve,
Fynde noone amendes of harome ne damage
But leene growell, and soupethe cold potage,
And of his wyf hathe noone other cheer
But cokkrowortes vn to his souper.
This is his servyce sitting at the borde,
And cely Robyn, yif he speke a worde, 50
Beautryce of him doothe so lytel rekke
That with hir distaff she hittethe him in the nekke,
For a medecyne to chawf with his bloode.
With suche a metyerde she hathe shape him an hoode.

And Colyn Cobeller, folowing his felawe,
Hathe hade his part of the same lawe,
For by the fayth that the preost him gaf
His wyff hathe taught him to pleyne at the staff.
Hir quarter strooke were so large and rounde
That on his rigge the towche was alwey founde. 60

Cecely Sourechere, his owen precyous spouse,
Kowde him reheete whan he came to house.
Yif he ought spake whanne he felt peyne,
Ageyne oon worde alweys he hade tweyne.
Sheo qwytt him euer, ther was no thing to seeche,
Six for oon, of worde and strookes eeche.
Ther was no meen bytweene hem for to goone.
What euer he wan : clowting olde shoone
The wykday, pleynely this is no tale,
Sheo wolde on Sondayes drynk it at the nale. 70
His part was noon, he sayde not oonys nay.
Hit is no game, but an hernest play
For lack of wit a man his wyf to greeve.
Theos housbondemen : who so wolde hem leeve,
Koude yif they dourst telle : in Audyence,
What folowethe ther of wyves to doone offence.
Is noon so olde ne ryveld on hir face,
Wit tong or staff but that she dare manase.
Mabyle, God hir sauve and blesse,
Koude yif hir list bere here of witnesse, 80
Wordes, strookes vnhappe, and harde grace,
With sharp nayles kracching in the face.
I mene thus, whane the distaff is brooke
With theyre fistes wyves wol be wrooke.

Blessed thoo men that cane in suche offence
Meekly souffre, take al in pacyence
Tendure suche wyfly purgatorye.
Heven for theyre meede, to regne ther in glorye.
God graunt al housbandes that beon in this place
To wynne so heven for his hooly grace. 90

Nexst in ordre, this bochier stoute and bolde
That killed hathe bulles and boores olde,
This Berthilmew, for al his broode knyff,
Yit durst he neuer with his sturdy wyff
In no mater holde chaumpartye.
And if he did, sheo wolde anoon defye
His pompe, his pryde, with a sterne thought,
And sodeynly setten him at nought.
Thoughe his bely were rounded lyche an ooke
She wolde not fail to gyf the first strooke. 100
For proude Pernelle lyche a Chaumpyon
Wolde leve hir puddinges in a gret Cawdroun,
Suffre hem boylle and taake of hem noon heede,
But with hir skumour reeche him on the heued.
Shee wolde paye him and make no delaye,
Bid him goo pleye him a twenty deuel way.
She was no cowarde founde at suche a neode,
Hir fist ful offt made his cheekis bleed.
What querell euer that he agenst hir sette,
She cast hir not to dyen in his dette. 110
She made no taylle, but qwytt him by and by.
His quarter sowde, she payde him feythfully.
And his waages, wt al hir best entent,
She made ther of noon assignement.

Eeke Thome Tynker, with alle hees pannes olde
And alle the wyres of Banebury that he solde,
His styth, his hamour, his bagge portatyf,
Bare vp his arme whane he faught with his wyff:
He foonde for haste no better bokeller,
Vpon his cheeke the distaff came so neer. 120
Hir name was cleped Tybot Tapister.
To brawle and broyle she nad no maner fer,
To thakke his pilche stoundemel nowe and thanne
Thikker thane Thome koude clowten any panne.

Nexst Colle Tyler, ful hevy of his cheer,
Compleynethe on Phelyce his wyff the wafurer
Al his bred with sugre nys not baake,
Yit on his cheekis some tyme he hathe a caake
So hoot and nuwe, or he can taken heede,
That his heres glowe verray reede 130
For a medecyne whane the forst is colde,
Makyng his teethe to ratle that beon oolde.

This is the compleynt that theos dotardes oolde
Make on theyre wyves that beon so stoute and bolde,
Theos holy martirs preued ful pacyent,
Lowly beseching, in al hir best entent,
Vnto youre noble ryal magestee,
To graunte hem fraunchyse and also liberte
Sith they beothe fetird and bounden in maryage,
A saufconduct to sauf him frome damage. 140
Eeke vnder support of youre hyeghe renoun
Graunt hem also a proteccyoun.

Conquest of wyves is rone thoroughe this lande,
Cleyming of Right to haue the hyegher hande.
But if you list, of youre Regallye,
The olde testament for to modefye,
And that yee list asselen theyre request
That theos poure husbandes might lyf in rest,
And that theyre wyves in theyre felle might
Wol medle amonge mercy with theyre right. 150
For it came neuer of nature ne raysoun
A lyonesse toppresse the lyoun,
Ner a wolfesse for al hir thyraunye
Ouer the wolf to haven the maystrye.
Ther beon nowe wolfesses moo thane twoo or three
The bookys recorde, wheeche tht yonder bee.
Seothe to this mater of mercy and of grace,
And or thees dotardes parte out of this place,
Vpon theyre compleynt to shape remedye,
Or they beo likly to stande in iupardye. 160
It is no game with wyves for to pleye,
But for foolis, that gif no force to deye.

Takethe heed of thaunswer of the wyves.

Touching the substance of this hyeghe discorde,
We six wyves : beon ful of oon acorde,
Yif worde and chyding may vs not avaylle
We wol darrein it in chaumpcloos by bataylle,
Iupart oure right laate or ellys raathe.
And for oure partye, the worthy Wyff of Bathe
Cane shewe statutes moo than six of seven
Howe wyves make hir housbandes wynne heven, 170
Maugre the feonde and al his vyolence.
For theyre vertu of parfyte pacyence
Partenethe not to wyves nowe adayes,
Sauf on theyre housbandes for to make assayes.
Ther pacyence was buryed long agoo,
Gresyldes story recordethe pleinly soo.

It longethe to vs to clappen as a mylle,
No counseyle keepe, but the trouth oute telle.
We beo not borne by hevenly influence
Of oure nature to keepe vs in sylence. 180
For this is no doute, euery prudent wyff
Hathe redy aunswere in al suche maner stryff,
Thoughe theos dotardes, with theyre dokked berdes
Which strowtethe out as they were made of herdes,
Haue ageyn hus a gret quarell nowe sette.
I trowe the bakoun was neuer of hem fette
Awaye at Dounmowe in the Pryorye.
They weene of vs to haue ay the maystrye.
Ellas theos fooles let hem aunswere here to,
Whoo cane hem wasshe, who can hem wring alsoo, 190
Wryng hem, yee wryng, so als god vs speed,
Til that some tyme we make hir nases bleed,
And sowe hir cloothes whane they beothe to rent,
And clowte hir bakkes til some of vs beo shent.
Loo yit theos fooles, god gyf hem sory chaunce,
Wolde sette hir wyves vnder gouuernaunce,
Make vs to hem for to lowte lowe:
We knowe to weel the bent of Iackys bowe.
Al that we clayme, we clayme it but of right.
Yif they say nay let preve it out by ffight. 200
We wil vs grounde not vpon womanhede.
Fy on hem, cowardes. When hit komethe to nede,
We clayme maystrye by prescripcyoun,
Be long tytle of successyoun
Frome wyff to wyff, which we wol not leese.
Men may weel gruchche, but they shal not cheese.
Custume is vs for nature and vsaunce
To set oure housbandes lyf in gret noysaunce.
Humbelly byseching nowe at oon worde
Vn to oure liege, and moost souerein lord, 210
Vs to defende of his regallye,
And of his grace susteenen oure partye,
Requering the statuyt of olde antiquytee
That in youre tyme it may confermed bee.

This noble Prynce, moost royal of estate,
Having an eyeghe to this mortal debate,
First aduerting of ful hyeghe prudence,
Wil vnavysed gyve here no sentence
With oute counseylle of haste to procede
By sodeyne doome, for he takythe heede 220
To eyther partye as iuge indifferent,
Seing the paryll of hasty iugement.
Pourposithe him in this contynude stryffe
To gif no sentence ther of diffynytyff
Til ther beo made examynacyoun
Of other partye, and inquysicyoun.
He considerethe, and makethe Raysoun his guyde,
As egal iuge enclyning to noo syde.
Not with standing, he hathe compassyoun
Of the poure housbandes trybulacyoun, 230
So afft arrested with theyre wyves rokkes
Which of theyre distaves haue so many knokkes,
Peysing also in his regallye
The lawe tht wymmen allegge for theyre partye,
Custume, Nature and eeke prescripcyoun,
Statuyt vsed by confirmacyoun,
Processe and daate of tyme oute of mynde,
Recorde of Cronycles, witnesse of hir kuynde.
Wher fore the Kyng wol al this nexst yeere
That wyves fraunchyse : stonde hoole and entier, 240
And that no man withstonde it ne withdrawe,
Til man may fynde some pcesse oute by lawe
That they shoulde by nature in theyre lyves
Haue souerayntee on theyre prudent wyves,
A thing vnkouthe, which was neuer founde.
Let men be ware ther fore, or they beo bounde.
The bonde is hard, who soo that lookethe weel.
Some man were leuer fetterd beon in steel.
Raunsoun might help his peyne to aswaage,
But whoo is wedded lyuethe euer in suage. 250
And I knowe neuer, nowher fer ner neer,
Man that was gladde to bynde him prysonier,
Thoughe that his prysoun, his castell, or his holde
Wer depeynted with asure or with golde.

Explicit.