Page:Disciplina Clericalis (English translation) from the fifteenth century Worcester Cathedral Manuscript F. 172.djvu/40

  a tyme was that she trowed hir husband drunke; of whiche the womman [ignorant] aros out of hir bedde in the nyght and went to the doore of the house and opened and went hir out to hir love. Hir husbond in the scilence and stilnes of the nyght softly arisyng cam to the doore and founde it open and shit it and made it fast and went vp to the wyndowe and stoode ther in his shirte til that he sawe his wif torne ageyn willyng to entre and founde the doore shit. Wherof hir soule sorowed and so [she] knokked at the doore. The husbond heryng his wif and seeyng and as he knewe nat asked what she was; and she askyng foryevenes promyttyng never to do more so. In this it profited hir nat, but the husbond in his wrath saide that she shuld nat be suffred ther to entre, but to his friendes and hirs it shuld be shewed. But she the more and more cryeng saide that but if he opened the doore she wold skippe in to the pitte the whiche that was next the house and so end hir lif; and so of hir deth he shuld yield reason to hir friendis and neighburghs. He dispisyng his wifes threatis and manacis wold nat suffre hir to entre. The womman ful of art and guyle toke vp a grete ston and cast in the diche, to this entent that hir husbond herying the sowne of the stoon fallyng in to the diche shuld trowe that she were falle into the diche; and this don she hid hir secretely bihynde the diche. The simple man and vnwise herying a maner sowne of fallyng in to the diche without and tarieng went out of his hous in a grete haasty cours wenyng and trowyng that his wif had lept in to the diche. But the womman seyng the dore open, nat foryeteful of hir craft entred the house and shit the (f. 125b) dore fast and went vp to the wyndow. He seeyng hymsilf so disceived saide: 'O thow false guyleful and ful of the devils craft, suffre me to entre and whatsumever thow hast don to me, wihoutfurth bileeve thow for a soth that I foryeve it.' To whom with grete blamyng and vttirly with othis sweryng [she] saide he shuld no entre have ther. And moreover saide: 'O thow traitor, of thi cursid deedis I shall shewe vnto [thy parents] forwhi every nyght thow art wont thiefly to go from me and go to thi strumpettis.' And so she dide. The friendis forsoth heryng this estemed and trowed it for a sooth and blamed the man. And so was the womman delyvered with hir fals craft, and al the wite and