The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 82
THEXAMPLE OF A GOOD WYDOWE.
NOTHER Ensample I wylle telle yow, contrary to this. It is of a good lady, whiche longe tyme was in wydowhere. She was of a holy lyf, and oche humble & honourable, as she whiche euery yere kepte and held a Feste vpon Crystemasse day of her neyghbours bothe ferre and nere, tyll her halle was ful of them. She serued and honoured eche one after his degree, and specially she bare grete reuerence to the good and trewe wymmen, and to them whiche had deseruyd to be worshipped. Also she was of suche customme, that yf she knewe ony poure gentyll woman that shold be wedded, she arayed her with her Iewels. Also she wente to the obsequye of the poure gentyll wymmen, and gaf there torches and all suche other lumynary as it neded therto. Her dayly ordenaunce was that she rose erly ynough, and had euer Freres and two or thre chappellaynes whiche sayd matyns before her within her oratorye. And after she herd a hyhe masse and two lowe, and sayd her seruyse full deuoutely. And after this she wente and arayed her self and walked in her gardyn or els aboute her place, sayenge her other deuocions & prayers. And as tyme was she wente to dyner, and after dyner, yf she wyste and knewe ony seke folke, or wymmen in theyr childbedde, she wente to see and vysyted them, and made to be brought to them of her best mete. And there as she myght not go her self, she had a seruaunt propyce therfore, whiche rode vpon a lytell hors, and bare with hym grete plente of good mete and drynke for to gyue to the poure and seke folke there as they were. And after she had herd euensonge, she wente to her souper, yf she fasted not, and tymely she wente to bedde, and made her styward to come to her to wete what mete sholde be had the next daye, and lyued by good ordenaunce, and wold be purueyed byfore of alle suche thynge that was nede full for her houshold. She made grete abstynence, and wered the hayre ypon the wednesdayand vpon the fryday. And hou I knowe this I shalle telle it to yow. This good lady dyed in a Manoyr whiche she held in dowaye, the whiche was apperteynynge to my lord my fader, and I and my susters, whiche were but yonge of age, cam to duelle there. And the bedde wheron this good lady deyd was broken in pyeces, & vnder the strawe was founde a hayr, whiche a damoysell toke, and sayd to vs that it was the hayr of her lady, and that she wered it two or thre dayes in the weke, and also told and reherced to vs her good condycions and her good lyf, and how she Rose euery nyght thre tymes, and kneled doune to the ground by her bedde, and rendryd thankynges to god, and prayd for al Crysten sowles, and how she dyd grete almes to the poures. This good lady, that wel is worthy to be named and preysed, had to name, My lady Cecyle of balleuylle. And yet I haue herd save that her broder myghte spende yerely xviii m pound, but notwithstondynge that, she was the most humble and the most good and curtoys lady that euer I knewe or wyste in ony countrey, and that lasse was enuyous, and neuer she wold here say ony euyll of no body, but excused them & prayd to god that they myght amende them, and that none was that knewe what to hym shold happe. And thus she blamed them that spake euylle of other folk, and maade them abasshed of that she repreued them so as she dyd. And thus oughte to doo euery good woman and euery good man at thexample of this good lady. And knowe ye that hit is a noble vertu not to be enuyous, and not to be Ioyeful of the dommage or scathe of other. And for certayn this good lady sayd, that they whiche auaunced them of the euylle and dommage of other, and that mocked theyr neyghbours and other, and that god shold punysshe them or some of theyr nyghe frendes and parentes, wherof came to them grete shame. And that haue I sene ofte befalle, as the good lady sayd, for none oughte not to Iuge ne reproche the dammage or euylle of other. Many suche fayre and prouffytable talkyng of this good lady in my memorye, notwithstondyng the yong age whiche I was of whanne she deyde, for I was not aboue ten yere old. She had a ryghte noble ende, and as I wene, ryghte agreable to god. And as men say communely, of honest and good lyf cometh euer a good ende.