The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 38
OF THE GOOD KNYGHT THAT HAD THRE WYUES, AND OF THEIR LYUES.
AYRE doughters, I wold ye couthe and wel withheld the example of a knyght that had thre wyues. A knyght was somtyme, a right good man and of good and honest lyuynge, whiche had an Heremyte to his vncle, a good and hooly man, and of relygyous lyf. This knyght and his first wyf, whiche he moche loued, were but a lytel space of tyme to geder. For the deth that all consumeth and destroyeth tooke her, wherof the knyght was so ful of sorowe that nyghe he deyde therof. He ne wyste where to seke ony comforte, sauf only to the Heremyte his vncle, that he knew for a holy man. He cam to hym mournyng and wepynge, waylynge and regretyng his wyf. The hooly man comforted hym in the best maner and wyse that he couthe, and at the last the knight preid hym that he wolde pray god for hym, that he myght knowe whether she was dampned or saued. The hooly man hadde pyte of his neuewe, and went to his Chappel, and there he made his prayer to god and requyred that it myst please hym to shewe where she was. And after he had be long tyme in oryson, he fylle a slepe, and scone after hym thought he sawe the poure sowle before seynt Mychael tharchaungel, and the fende at the other syde, and was in a balaunce, and her good dedes with her. And at the other side was the deuyll with all hyr euyll dedes, whiche greued & troubled her sore. It were her gounes that were of moche fyn cloth, & furred of calabre, letuce, & ermyn. And the enuy or deuylle cryed with a hyghe voys & said, "Sire, this woman had ten paire of gownes long and short, and ye know wel she had with half of them ynough, that is, a long gowne, two kyrtells, & two cottes hardyes or two short gownes, & therwith she myght haue be pleasid and suffised, as a good & symple lady, and after god & right she hath had of them to moche, by the half; & of the valewe of one of her gownes, .l. poure peple had had .l. ellys of burell or fryse, whiche haue suffred suche cold & such mesease about hem, and yet she neuer took pyte on them." Thenne took the deuyl her gownes, rynges, & jewelles y she had had of the men by loue, also alle the vayne and euylle wordes that she hadde sayd of other by enuye and taken awey their good renommee, for ouermoche she was enuyous and of euyll talkyng, and no synne that she had done he lefte behynde, but al this togeder he dyde put in the balaunce. And weyed they were to her good dedes, but moche more they weyed than dyde all the good that she euer hadde done. And thus took her the deuylle, whiche dyde her to endowe her gownes that were thenne brennyng as fire and had her within in to helle. And the power sowle cryed & sorowed pyteously. Thenne awaked the hooly heremyte, and tolde part of this aduysion to the knyght his neuewe, and comaunded hym and charged that all her gownes shold be gyuen for goddes sake to poure folke.
OF THE GOOD KNYGHT THAT HAD THRE WYUES, & OF THEIR LYUES