Page:The booke of thenseygnementes and techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his doughters - 1902.pdf/20

 whom I hadde grete desyre that they shold torne to honour aboue alle other thyng, for they ben yong and litil, and dysgar^ nysshed of al wytte and reson, wherfor they ought at begynnyng to be taught and chastysed curtoisly by good ensamples and doctrynes, as dide a quene—I suppose she was quene of hongry—whiche fayre and swetely chastysed her daughters and them endoctryned as is conteyned in her book. And therfor, when I saw them come toward me, I remembryd me of the tyme when was yog and roode, with my felauship and companyes in poytou, and in other places. And I remembre me moche wel of the fayttes and fayenges that they told of suche thynges as they fond with the ladyes and damoyselles that they requyred and prayd of loue. And yf one wold not entende to theyr prayer, yet another wold requyre withoute abydyng. And though so were that they had good or euyll answers, of al that they rought not, for they had neyther drede ne shame, so moche were they endurate and acus' tomed, and were moche wel bespoken and had fayre langage. For many tymes they wold haue oueral deduyte, and thus they doo no thyng but deceyue good ladyes and damoysellys, and bere ouerall the tydynges, some trewe and somme lesynges, wherof there happed many tymes iniuryes and many vylaynous diffames withoute cause and withoute reason* And in alle the worlde is no gretter treson than for to deceyue gentyll wymmen, ne to encrece ony vylaynous blame, for many ben deceyued by the grete othes that they vse, wherof I debate me oftyme with them, and saye "Ye ouer false men, how may the goddes suffer yow to to them, lyue that soo oftymes ye periure and forswere youre self! For ye hold no feythe." But none putt hit in araye, by cause they be so moche and so f ul of disaraye. And by cause I sawe that tyme soo ledde and disposed, yet I doute me that somme ben suche in this tyme present. Therefore I concluded that wold doo make a lytel booke wherin I wold doo be wreton the good maners and good dedes of good ladyes and wymmen, and of theyr lyues, soo that for