Page:The booke of thenseygnementes and techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his doughters - 1902.pdf/54



FTER this, a woman in no maner wyse ought stryue ageynst her husbond, ne answere hym so that he take therby displaysyre, lyke as dyde the wyf of a burgeys, whiche answered to her husbond so noiously and shamefully to fore the peple that he bicam angry and felle to see hym self so rewlyd to fore the peple that he had therof shame. And he said to her and bad her ones or twyes that she shold be stylle and leue, but she wold not. & her husbond, whiche was wrothe, smote her with his fyste to the erthe, and smote her with his foote on the vysage so that he brake her nose, by whiche she was euer after al disfygured. And soo by her ryotte and ennoye she gate her a croked nose moche euyll. It had ben moche better for her that she had holden her stylle and hadde suffred. Yet it is reson and ryght that the husbonde haue the hyhe wordes, and it is but honoure to a good woman to suffer and holde her in pees, and leue the haultayn langage to her husbond and lord. And also it is in the contrarye to a woman grete shame and vylonye to stryue ageynst her husbond, be it wrong or right, and in especial to fore the peple. I say not but when she shall fynd hym alone and tyme but that she may wel reprehende hym and aduyse hym, in shewyng curtoysly that he had wrong and unright with hym, and yf he be a man resonable he shal conne her thanke. And yf he be other, yet hath not she done but her parte. For right so sholde a wyse womā do, by thensample of the wyse quene hester, wyf of the kyng Assuere, whiche was moche melancolyque and hasty. But the good lady answered not to his yre, but after when she sawe hym well attempryd place and tyme, thenne dyde she what she wold. And it was grete wysedom of a woman. And 46