The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 42
OF APOMENA QUENE OF SURYE.
OW shalle I telle yow of somme wymmen, the whiche ben ouermoche proude of theyr grete worship and goodes whiche god hath gyuen them, as reherced is in the byble. Ther was a woman whiche was named Apomena, doughter of a symple knyght named Bernard. This Apomena was fayre and yonge, in so moche that the kynge of Surye, whiche was a myghty kynge, was enamoured of her, and so moche that he loued her that by his grete folye he toke her in maryage and made her quene. And whanne she sawe her self soo hyghe and so myghty, and in so grete honour and worship brought, she sette nought syn of her frendes and parentes, and had shame and desdayne to see or mete with hem, and became ouer proude and so moche grete of courage that also to the kynge her lord she bare not so grete reuerence as she ought to haue doo, by cause she sawe hym symple and debonayr. And also she by her grete pryde dayned not bere reverence ne worship to none of the kynges parents. And soo moche she dyd that of euery one she was hated, and that the kynge was wrothe with her and chaced and sente her in exyle. And so by grete pryde she lost the grete honour and worship where in of lowe degree she had fortunatly be broust, for many wymmen be y may not suffre ease & worship to gyder, & can not reste tyl by their pryde & enuy they falle in grete pouerte & fro hyhe to lowe, as dyd the folysshe quene whiche was come fro lowe degree vnto so hyghe and myghty estate and myght not suffre it. And every woman whan she seeth and knoweth her ford symple and debonayr to her, she ought the more to bere hym honoure and worship, for soo doynge she worshippeth and bereth honour to her self, and hath the loue of them that seeth her soo doo. And also therfore she ought to hold her the more cloos and symply, and to force her self to kepe his loue and his pees, for al hertes be not euer in one estate. A stone flyteth, and a hors falleth; men wene somtyme that suche one be symple whiche hath a malycious herte. And therfor a woman may not bere to moche worship and honour to her lord, ne to moche be obeyssaunt to hym, of what someuer condicion he be, wherof I wylle telle yow an ensample of the wyf of the grete Herodes. He hadde a wyf whiche he ouermoche loued. He wente to Rome, and in the mene whyle hit befelle that his men that were with hym, the whiche in no wyse loued theyr lady his wyf, by cause she was toward them to proude & felon, told hym how she had a prynce to her loue, wherof Herodes was wrothe, and at his retourne fro Rome he reprouued her of this grete faulte and vylonye whiche she had done to hym. She answerd thenne to proudely and to lyghtely, and had not her lord in honour by fayre wordes ne by curtosye, neyther humbly she spake to hym, as she oughte to haue do. And therfor her lord, that was felon and despytous, and wrothe of her proud and hyghe spekynge, toke a knyf and slewe her, wherof he was after sory, for he fonde not that tale whiche his men had told hym of her trewe. And so her pryde and ouermoche langage was cause of her dethe. And therfor this ensample is very good to euery woman to see, how she ought to be meke and humble and curtois in gyuying ony answere ageynst the yre and wrathe of her lord. For the wyse Salamon sayth that by curtosye and by swete langage ought the good wymmen to refreyne the yre & wrathe of their lord. For the lord of right ought to haue aboue his wyf the hyghe talkyng, be it ryxt or wrong, & specially in his yre & wrath, & bifore ony folk; but as his wrath is gone she may wel shewe to hym y he had no cause so to doo, & so she shal euer hold the loue and pees of her lord and of all her hows, neyther she shalle not make her self to be blamed, ne to be bete ne slayne by her lord, as dyd the wyf of kynge Herodes.