Page:The booke of thenseygnementes and techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his doughters - 1902.pdf/188

 me. In the thyrd is my plesaunce & my loue sette, therfore before ony other I wylle haue her." His parentes thenne ansuerd to hym that he shold doo after his playsyre. And thenne he made to demaunde and aske the third doughter for to be his wyf, and the fader dyd graunte her to hym, wherof many one were merueylled, and she specially whiche wend to be maryed was sore a basshed & sorowful. It befelle a lytell whyle after that this second douster, which had loste the knyght by cause of the grete cold, whiche caused her vysage to be of euylle colour, whanne she was wel clothed and that she had on her suche a gowne as she was wonte to couere hir as it was cold wether, her colour cam to her ageyn, & fressher by a grete dele than her suster dyd, whiche the knyghte had wedded, in soo moche that the knyght merueylled hym moche therof and sayd vnto her, "Fayre suster, whanne I cam for to see yow, and that I tookz your suster, ye were not soo fayre; by moche as ye now be. For ye be now of colour fresshe whyte and rede, and that tyme ye were black and pale, and your suster was fayrer, but nowe ye passe her of beaute, wherfore I haue grete merueylle." Thenne sayd his wyf, whiche was there present, "Syre, I shalle telle all the maner how hit was. My suster, that ye see here, thought and wende, and also dede we al, that ye shold come for to haue fyaunced her, wherfor she coynted and arayed her self in the most praty maner that she couthe, for to shewe her body praty and small and well shapen, but the cold was at that tyme grete, the whiche made her black & palysshed her colour; and I, whiche thought ne wend not to receyue soo grete worship as to be your wyf, coynted not my self, but I was wel clothed with furred gounes that kepte my body warme, wherfore I had better colour than she had, wherof j thanke god. For therfore I gate your loue, and blessyd be the houre that my suster clothed her self so lyght, for yf it had not be so, ye had not take me for to haue lefte her." Thus loste, as ye haue herd, theldest doughter