comynge maade me
to do hit." The knyght thene beheld and sawe the manere of his nyece, wherof he was full glad, and loued and preysed her moche more than his other nyece. He gaf her the two gownes whiche he had bought for her and for her suster, and thus she that; cam gladly in thestate wherynne she was to welcome her vncle, she wanne both gownes, and she whiche taryed for to make her ioly and gay, lost her parte of them. She thenne that forthwith came to welcome her vncle, as she had brought hym in her chambre she wente and propyrly arayed her self, and thenne sayd to hym, " My lord and myn uncle, I haue arayed and coynted me for to serue yow more honestly/* And thus she gate the loue of her vncle, and the other lost it. Here is good ensample how men ought to come ioyously in thestate where one is in, to welcome his frendes whiche be come to see hym. And yf ye wyst thexample of a baronnesse, or wyf of a baron, whiche was a good lady, and whiche wold in no manere were ne doo on euery day hir best gownes, wherfore her seruauntes sayd to her, " Madame, why go ye not better arayed and more coynted than ye doo ? ** And she answerd to them, " Yf euery day I went in my best rayments and helde me coynte and Ioly, how shold I doo on the hyghe feestes and holydayes, and also as the lordes my parentes shalle come to see me ? For thenne as I shold araye me the best wyse I couthe, yet men shold saye that al the day byfore I was fayrer and better besene, wherof no thanke I shold haue of them whiche were come to see me." And therfor I preyse her nothyng that can not amende her self in tyme and place as nede is, for a thynge whiche is comyn and dayly sene is nothynge preysed ne sette by.
151
