The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 51
HOW A WOMAN OUGHT IN NO WYSE DISCOUERE NE TELLE THE SECRETE OF HER HUSBOND, FOR OUER MANY EUYLS COME THEROF.
WYLL that ye here and vnderstande thexample of Sāpson, the whiche had made couenaunt with certayne folke of thyrtty payre of gownes of sylk, sayeng that they myst not arede a certayne deuynal. It befell that his wyf cessed not to be spekynge of it, tyll that she knewe what hit was, & that he had discovered to her al the fayt of the deuynayl. & when she knewe it, she dyd discouere the secrete of her lord & made her lord to lese the wager or couenaunt of xxx gownes. And whan her husbond wyst that she had discouered hym, he hated her moche, and put her fro hym, & went to the parentes of them that had wonne the couenaunt, & toke xxx of them, of whome he toke theyr gownes in despyte of his wyf. And so ye haue here a good ensample how that no wyf oust not to discouere the counceyll of her husbond, to thende she fall not in to the yre and wrathe of hym, as dyd the wyf of Sãpson, whiche therfore lost the loue of her lord. For grete treson it is whan a man trusteth his wyf & telleth to her his pryue counceyll, & [she] discouereth it to other folk. I wold also ye knew the tale of the Squyer, whiche essayed his wyf, whiche he sawe yonge. He wente and told her, "My frend and loue, I shalle telle yow a grete counceylle, yf ye wyl kepe it secrete. Trouthe it is that I haue leyd two egges, but for goddes loue discouere me not." And she answerd that by her feythe nomore shold she doo, but in trouthe the nyght thought her long that she myght aryse for to goo to her godsep to telle to her of it. And the morowe whanne she fonde her godsep she sayd to her, "Ha, my swete frende and godsep, I shold telle yow a grete merueylle, yf ye wold telle it to no body." And she promysed her that nomore shold she doo. "Soo god help me, my swete frende, a grete meruaylle is befallen to my lord my husbond, for in certayne he hath leyd thre egges." "Swete Mary!" sayd her godsep, "how may this be? It is a grete meruaylle." Her godsep kepte not longe this thynge secrete, but also went to one, her godsep, and told her how suche a squyer hadde leyd four egges. Sone after this other godsep wente to another, her godsep, and sayd he had leyd fyue egges. And at the last this thynge was so ferre knowen that men spak of nothynge but of the squyer that had leyd fyue egges. The Squyer thenne called to hym his wyf, and many of her parentes, and sayd thus to her: "Lady, ye haue wel encreaced that thynge whiche I told yow in counceylle, that is to wete, how i had leyd two egges, but now, blessyd be god, the nombre is well growen, for men sayen thurgh the toune that I haue leyd V egges. Thenne she was ashamed, and helde her self for a foole, and wyst not what she shold answere. And therfor by thys ensample al good wymmen ought to kepe secrete the secrete & counceylle of theyr lord, and not discouere it for nothyng to ony body.