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¶Here foloweth a lytell treatyse of the Beaute of women newly translated out of Frenshe in-to Englyshe. |
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| THe sonne of the mayde whome neuer none resembled | |
| In beaulte nor bounte syth the worlde began | |
| For both in hyr were perfaytely assembled | |
| Named is she Marye doughter to saynt Anne | |
| 5 | Guyde myne hande so that the gentylman |
| That me desyred to reduce thys boke | |
| From frenshe to englyshe / be content / and than | |
| I take lytell cure what other there-on loke. | |
| ¶In frenshe (la beaute de femmes) is yt named | |
| 10 | The beaulte of women / in our Englyshe languag[e]letter broken |
| Wherof to treate / I ought well to be blamed | |
| Consydered that I had neuer the vsage | |
| Womens beaulte in body nor vysage | |
| For to regarde / and there vpon good reason | |
| 15 | Syth I am made (as an vnpleasant page) |
| A cast-a_way from presence at eche season | |
| ¶But what therof shall I leue of to wryte | |
| Syth no man hauyng more practyse then I | |
| Wyll take the payne to set blacke on the whyte | |
| 20 | And yt a thynge so dygne of memory |
| Nay trust me playne I shall my-selffe applye | |
| Of the frenshe boke to folow the sentence | |
| Beaulte (as ryght requireth) to gloryfye | |
| what-euer foloweth of the consequence | |
| 25 | ¶what caused the wourthy Troylus of Troye |
| To cast hys loue on Cresyde the shene | |
| Why set Parys on fayre Helayne hys ioye | |
| What caused Achylles to loue Polexene | |
| Why loued Trystram la belle Isoude the quene | |
| 30 | Or Arthur of bretayne the fayre Florence |
| All cam of theyr beaulte and theyr plesant eyen | |
| What haue I to do as of the consequence. | |
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| ¶Beaulte as for the fyrste require wolde | |
| That the woma[n] (how-euer stande the case) woman] womam 1525 | |
| 35 | Symple manyer and countenaunce sholde holde |
| For otherwyse she wyll avoyde the place | |
| ¶Womans beaulte eche person reproueth | |
| Yf so be that she bayre the countenaunce | |
| More eleuate or hygh than yt behoueth | |
| 40 | Hyr beaulte tourneth but all to dysplesance |
| ¶Beaulte requireth as for the seconde parte | |
| That woman bayre euer naturally | |
| Symple rega[r]de and not ouerthwarte regarde] regade 1525 | |
| Wyth playsante and symple castyng of the eye | |
| 45 | ¶Beaulte is lost in woman oultrely |
| Yf she haue thys of very condycyon | |
| As to regarde or loke dyspyteously | |
| For that is the manner of the lyon | |
| ¶Womans beaulte requireth thyrdely | |
| 50 | That stedfastly with-out oultrage |
| She kepe as dyscrete contynually | |
| Symple answer euer in her language | |
| ¶Womans beaulte that sholde be magnyfyed | |
| Lyetly compassed in these thre poyntes onely | |
| 55 | What beaulte so-euer is to her applyed |
| The woman ought to lede hyr lyffe symply | |
| ¶Beaulte of suerty doeth that woman folowe | |
| That hath the browes and raynes of the backeraynes: see OED s.v. reins n.pl. | |
| And there-withall the fete lyght and holowe | |
| 60 | Yf these thre be holowe there is no lacke. |
| ¶Beaulte in woman is nothyng pleasant | |
| That glometh with her eyen with frowarde chere | |
| And is of hyr raynes so heuy and pesant | |
| And of hyr fete as yf a beest yt were | |
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| 65 | ¶Womans beaulte shall ye fynde doubtlesse |
| In thre hygh poyntes that on hyr body gent | |
| Ought for to be / and them I shall expresse | |
| Here-after / yf my remembraunce assent | |
| ¶Beaulte sayeth / the fyrst poynt to knowe | |
| 70 | The woman sholde haue the forhed hygh and fayre |
| For whan she hath the forhed ouer-lowe | |
| Euyll hyr besemeth a frontelet to bayre | |
| ¶Womans beaulte requyreth secondly | |
| Of beaulte a ryght who that enquire wolde | |
| 75 | That woman ought to haue the hed hygh |
| The better therwyth hyr hat she doeth vpholde | |
| ¶Beaulte in woman playnly doeth habounde | |
| Yf she ne fayle as for the thyrde parte | |
| To haue the brestes hygh fayre and rounde | |
| 80 | Wyth fyne gorgias well and fayre couert |
| ¶Womans beaulte as in preemynence | |
| Requireth these thre poyntes pryncypall | |
| For to be founde vpon hyr corpulence | |
| And well on hyght they ought for to be all | |
| 85 | ¶Womans beaulte expresly for to showe |
| As to the regarde of hyr countenaunce | |
| Requireth ouer thys to haue thre poyntes lowe | |
| Whych all women ought to haue in remembraunce | |
| ¶Womans beaulte that pourchase wyll praysyng | |
| 90 | Woll that the woman set her besy cure |
| To maynteyne in hyr-selfe a low laughyng | |
| To laugh ouer-hygh besemeth no creature | |
| ¶Beaulte yet commaundeth afterwarde | |
| Unto all women thys poynt secondely | |
| 95 | To haue alwayes a lowely regarde |
| Not ouer-moche but moderately | |
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| ¶That woman hath the bent of beaultyes bowe | |
| That can regarde in helth and in dysease | |
| Whan she shall neese to make the sounde but lowe | |
| 100 | To do otherwyse yt may no person please |
| ¶Womans beaulte wyll in conclusyon | |
| Of these lowe poyntes without desloyaulte | |
| That women bere euer a lowly condycyon | |
| For otherwyse she leseth her beautie. | |
| 105 | ¶Beaulte demaundeth these poyntes to haue sene |
| In women that be fayre and fayte at all | |
| To haue trayteys the browes / and traytys eyen | |
| And lytell the handes / traytys slendre and small | |
| ¶Beaulte hath she that hath the chyn dympled | |
| 110 | The ioyntes of the handes sholde be in lyke manere |
| The chekes also be they bare or wympled | |
| Especyally whan she smyleth with hyr chere. | |
| ¶Beaulte requireth large to haue these thre | |
| The fyrste is the space goyng from eye to eye | |
| 115 | Betwyxt the sholdres sholde the seconde be |
| The thyrde betwyxt the raynes ye shall espye. | |
| ¶Perfayt beaulte ye may well determyne | |
| In woman / so that these thre in hyr repayre | |
| The nayles and the lyppes complexyon sanguyne | |
| 120 | And ruddy the chekes well vermayled and fayre |
| ¶Womans beaulte thou doest well expose | |
| Or mayst expose wythout taryeng | |
| Yf thou retayne in thy mynde close | |
| All that is set before in this wrytyng. | |
| 125 | ¶Of beaulte yf there be any woman |
| More purely sped than is comprysed in this | |
| Was neuer woman syth the worlde began | |
| So perfaytly sped of beaulte as she is | |
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| ¶I haue expressed theyr preemynence | |
| 130 | As well of theyr bodyes as of theyr mayntyen |
| But speke what ye wyll apert or in scylence | |
| Beaulte sans bonte ne vault rien. | |
| ¶Beaultyes there be in women infynyte | |
| But of bontyes there is but lytell speche | |
| 135 | Beaulte is them geuen as thyng requisyte |
| Who wyll haue bonte let hym go seche | |
| Thys not-wythstandyng I coulde a man teche | |
| To fynde ryght good of the gendre feminyn | |
| And fayre also / but what-euer we preche | |
| 140 | Beaulte sans bonte ne vault rien. |
| ¶Beaulte ennobleth the person doubtlesse | |
| And playnly she is of the more valeure | |
| But wyth beaulte is requisyte goodnesse | |
| To speke a_ryght who so wyll sett hys cure | |
| 145 | Bonte wyll not be vnder couerture |
| Where-euer she be / hyr purete is so fyne | |
| Wherfore I set agayne in thys scrypture | |
| Beaulte sans bonte ne vaulte rien. | |
| ¶Mayde / wyfe / or wydowe / dame / or damoysell | |
| 150 | That haue the raye of beaulte comprysed in your face |
| Adiouste therto bonte / than shall ye do ryght well | |
| For beaulte with bonte assembled in a place | |
| Gyue demonstrance of an especyall grace | |
| Geuen to the person / and as I take the cause | |
| 155 | At syse smyleth bonte / where beaulte laugheth at ace |
| As dayly yt is sene / and there a fynall clause. | |
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FINIS |
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| ¶Thus endeth the Beaulte of women neuly Imprynted By Richarde_Fawkes dwellyng in duram_rent |