Page:The booke of thenseygnementes and techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his doughters - 1902.pdf/128



WYLL that ye here and vnderstande thexample of Sāpson, the whiche had made couenaunt with certayne folke of thyrtty payre of gownes of sylk, sayeng that they myst not arede a certayne deuynal. It befell that his wyf cessed not to be spekynge of it, tyll that she knewe what hit was, & that he had discovered to her al the fayt of the deuynayl. & when she knewe it, she dyd discouere the secrete of her lord & made her lord to lese the wager or couenaunt of xxx gownes. And whan her husbond wyst that she had discouered hym, he hated her moche, and put her fro hym, & went to the parentes of them that had wonne the couenaunt, & toke xxx of them, of whome he toke theyr gownes in despyte of his wyf. And so ye haue here a good ensample how that no wyf oust not to discouere the counceyll of her husbond, to thende she fall not in to the yre and wrathe of hym, as dyd the wyf of Sãpson, whiche therfore lost the loue of her lord. For grete treson it is whan a man trusteth his wyf & telleth to her his pryue counceyll, & [she] discouereth it to other folk. I wold also ye knew the tale of the Squyer, whiche essayed his wyf, whiche he sawe yonge. He wente and told her, "My frend and loue, I shalle telle yow a grete counceylle, yf ye wyl kepe it secrete. Trouthe it is that I haue leyd two egges, but for goddes loue discouere me not." And she answerd that by her feythe nomore shold she doo, but in trouthe the nyght thought her long that she myght aryse for to goo to her godsep to telle to her of it. And the morowe whanne she fonde her godsep she sayd to her, "Ha, my swete frende and godsep, I shold telle yow a grete merueylle, yf ye wold telle it to no body." And