The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 14
OF THEM THAT BEN CHYDARS OR SCOLDES.
AYRE doughters, see that ye begynne no strif to no foole, ne to them that ben hasty and hoote, for it is grete perill, whereof I shal shewe to you an Ensample, whiche I sawe happen in a Castel wherin many ladyes & damoysels duelleden. And ther was a damoysell, douster of a right gentyl knyst, and she waxe angry in playeng atte tables with a gentylman whiche was hoote and hasty and moost Ryotous, and was not right wyse. And the debate was of a dyes, whiche she saide was not truly made. And soo moche it encreaced that wordes were enbaunced, and that she saide he was a coward and a foole. And so they lefte theyr playe by chydynge and strif. Thenne said i to the damoyselle, "My fayre Cosyn, Angre you with no thyng that he saith, for ye knowe wel he is of hautayn wordes and of folissh answers, wherfor I praye yow for your honour that ye take no debate ageynst hym," & i told her & couceiled feithfully, as j wold have said to my suster. But she wold not bileue me, but yet did chide more after this than to fore. And she sayd to hym that he was nought worth, and many other wordes. And he answerd to her, that he was better for a man than she was for a woman, & she said that he said not trouth; and soo the wordes aroos, that he said yf she had ben wyse and good, she shold not come by nyght in to the mennes chambres and kysse them and embrace them without Candell. And she supposed well to haue auenged her, and sayd to hym that he lyed. And he said he dyde not, and that suche one & suche one had sene it. And there was moche peple that herd hit, whiche knewe no thyng therof to fore, and many of them sayd that a good stylle, and not so to have chyden, had ben better for her, & that she was beten with her owne staf, that is to saye, by her tonge and by hir hasty spekyng. And after these wordes she wepte, and said that he had diffamed her, and that it shold not be left so. And she reassayled hym to fore them alle, in suche wyse that he said yet more fowle and shameful wordes to the dishonoure of hyr that she shall neuer recouer for socoure that she can make. And thus was she shamed by the haultesse of her herte. And ther fore this a good ensample, how no woman ought to chyde ne stryue ageynst a foole, ne with peple that haue haultayn courage, but they ought teschewe them, for whan they see that they wil speke grossely and hyghe, they sholde lete them alone, and holde them al styll, and saye to them, "Fayr frende, I see wel that ye speke hyhe and wylle ryotte. Now wylle I leue yow," and so departe and goo fro hym, lyke as a knyght dyd to a lady that i knowe, whiche had an euylle heede and saide many oultrages to the knyght to fore all the peple. To whome the knyght said, "Madame, yf it plesyth yow, saye ye as many merueyles as ye wylle, and yf I here yow, I doo yow no wrong. I see well ye be maryed, whereof I am sory." But now for al that she wolde not be stylle, but chode more than to fore. And when the knyght sawe that she wolde not leue ne be stylle for no thyng, he took a lytell wyspe of strawe that he fond, and set it to fore her, and saide to her, "Madame, yf ye chyde more, so chyde to this wyspe of strawe, for I leue it here for me," and wente his way, and lefte hyr there, and it was reputed for wel done of the knyght that soo lefte her. And she was holden for more foole than to fore, for when she fonde not to whome she myght chyde, she restreyned her yf she wolde. And thus ought hit to be done, for hit is not honest ne good folke to stryue with fooles, ne to chydars, ne to suche as haue euylle heedes and ben hasty and hoote, but teschewe them lyke as the knyght dyd this lady, of whome ye haue herd.