The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 37
YET OF THE SAME.
he holdeth her self the best welcome that firste bryngeth vpon her ony noueltees. But as the good and hooly man saith, they that firste take suche newe raymentis be lyke to the yong ladyes that fylle in the myere, wherof they were mocked by the wyse ladyes that took the best and ryght wey, for men may not mocke them that kepe suche wey, and that vse their lyf after reason and not after theyr owne wylle. I say not but that whan that manere of newe raymentis is taken & comynly wered of euery one, & in euery towne, it may be thenne worne & taken, but yet the wyse woman shal leue and forbere it yf she can. And suche wymmen shalle not be lyke ne compared to them that fylle in the myere by cause they wold be first in the place, & they were the last. Therfore, my faire doughters, hit is good that none hast her not, but good is to holde the myddel estate. The lesse is the moost certayne and seurest, but as now is a cursed and shrewed world, for yf somme folysshe woman full of her wylle taketh & bryngeth vpon her ony noueltee & newe estate, euery other one shalle soone saye to her lorde, "Syre, it is told to me that suche one hath suche a thynge that ouer faire is, and that so wel becometh her. I pray yow, good syre, that I may haue suche one, for i am as good and as gentyll of blood, and ye as Gentyl a man, as she and her lord ben, & haue as wel for to paye as she hath." And thus she shalle fynde soo many reasons that she shalle haue her wylle, or els ryote and noyse shalle all day be at home, and neuer shalle be ther pees tylle she haue her parte, be it right or wronge. She shalle not loke yf ony of hir neyghbours haue that thynge that she wylle haue, also she shalle not abyde till euery one haue it, but the hastlyest that she may she shalle doo shape & make it, and forthwith shalle were it. It is meruevle of such coyntyse and noueltees, wherof the grete clerkes say, that seynge the men and wymmen so desguysed and takyng euery day newe raiments, they doute that the world shalle perysshe, as it dyd in tyme of Noe, that the wymmen desguysed them and also the men, whiche displesid god. And herupon I shalle reherce yow merueil whiche a good lady dyde recounte to me in this same yere. She tolde and saide to me that she with many other ladyes were come to a feeste of seynt Margrete, where as euery yere was grete assemble made. There cam a lady moche coynt and Joly, and dyuersly disguysed and arraid more than ony other there. And by cause of her straūge and newe array euerychone of them cam to beholde and loke on her, as it had be a wylde beest. For her clothyng and araye was different and no thyng lyke to theyr, and therfore she had wel her part beholdyng & lokyng. Thenne said the good ladyes to her, "My frende, telle ye vs, yf it please yow, how ye name that aray that ye haue on youre heed." She answerde and saide, "The galhows aray." "God blesse vs!" said the good lady, "the name of hit is not faire, and I ne wote how suche aray may plese yow." The tydyng of this aray and of his name were borne al aboute, hyghe and lowe, wherof euery one scorned and mocked her, and as mockyng and scornynge cam there she was to beholde and loke vpon her. I dyde aske of the good lady the manere of it, but euylle I witheld it. But as ferre as I me remembre of it, Hit was hyghe culewed, with longe pynnes of syluer vppon her hede after the makynge and maner of a gybet or galhows, right straunge and merueylous to se. And in good feyth, after that tyme, the yonge and folysshe lady that had that araye on her heede was euer mocked & scorned & nought set by. Here shal i leue to speke of the newe and desguysed raymentis, and of the good bisshop that so repreued them that hadde and wered suche araye, and that dede shewe to them by Ensamples and hooly scripture how that suche noueltees, that specially wymmen took on them, was token and signe of somme grete meschyef to come, as it werre, famyne, and pestylence.