The Book of Maid Emlyn

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¶Here is the boke of mayd Emlyn that had .v. husbandes and all kockoldes she wold make theyr berdes whether they wold or no / and gyue them to were a praty hoode full of belles.

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WYll ye here of meruaylles

Drawne out of gospelles

Of mayde Emlynne

That had husbandes fyue

And all dyd neuer thryue

She coude so well spynne

Louynge to go gaye

And seldom for to praye

For she was borne in Lynne

Ofte wolde she seke

The tauernes in the weke

Tyll her wytte was thynne

Full swetely wolde she kys

With galauntes ywys

And say it was no synne

Thus collynge in armes

Some men caught harmes

Full lytell dyd they wynne

And if her husbande sayd ought

Loke what she sonest cought

At his heed she wolde it flynge

She wolde saye lorell thou

I wyll teche the I trowe

Of thy language to blynne

It is pyte that a knaue

A prety woman sholde haue

That knoweth not golde from tynne

I trowe thou Ialouse be

Bytwene my cosyn and me

That is called syr Sym

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Thoughe I go ofte thyder

We do nought togyder

But prycked balades synge

And I so cunnynge be

The more worshyp is to the

Gyuynge thanke to hym

For he me fyrste taught

So I my cunnynge caught

Whan I wente a_brosshynge

With suche wordes douse

This lytell prety mouse

The yonge lusty prymme

She coude byte and whyne

Whan she sawe her tyme

And with a prety gynne

Gyue her husbande an horne

To blowe with on the morne

Beshrowe her whyte skynne

And ofte wolde she sleke

To make smothe her cheke

With redde roses therin

Than wolde she mete

With her lemman swete

And cutte with hym

Talkynge for theyr pleasure

That cocke with the fether

Is gone an_huntynge

Hymselfe all alone

To the wode he is gone

To here the kockowe synge

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Thus with her playfere

Maketh she mery chere

The husbande knoweth nothynge

She gyueth money plente

Bycause newe loue is daynte

Unto her swetynge

And prayeth ofte to come

To playe there as shyneth no sonne

So at the nexte metynge

She gyueth her husbande a prycke

That made hym double-quycke

So good was the gretynge

Kocke called of the bone

That neuer was mayster at home

But as an vnderlynge

His wyfe made hym so wyse

That he wolde tourne a peny twyse

And than he called it a ferthynge

Nothynge byleued he

But that he dyd with his eyes se

full trewe was his meanynge

She cherysshed hym with brede and chese

That his lyfe he dyd lese

Than made she mournynge

And dranke deuoutly for his soule

The handbell ofte dyd she colle

Full great sorowe makynge

This sory wydowe

But a whyle I trowe

Mournynge dyd make

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Whan he was gone

A yonge lusty one

She dyd than take

Longe wolde she not tary

Lest she dyd myscary

But full ofte spake

To hast the weddynge

And all for beddynge

Some sporte to make

100

Her herte to ease

And the flesshe to please

Sorowes to aslake

In it out-Ioyenge See OED out-joy, a supposed vb. and n., due to erroneous analysis of the phr. full out joy to exult, exultation, in Wyclif: see also out- 15 b.

That wanton playenge

105

For the olde husbandes sake

Yet by your leue

A frere dyd she gyue

Of her loue a flake

And sayd in her ouen

110

At any maner of season

That he sholde bake

There is rome ynowe

For other and for you

And space to set a cake

115

¶The seconde husbande Nycoll

That pore sely soule

Myght not escape

A kockolde to dye

It was his destenye

120

As man vnfortunate

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His wyfe vndeuoute

Ofte wolde go aboute

And steppe ouer many a lake

Makynge bost in her mode

125

That her husbande can no more good

Than can an vntaught ape

Thus by her scole

Made hym a fole

And called hym dodypate

130

So from his thryfte

She dyd hym lyfte

And therof creste the date

She made hym sadde

And sayd he was badde

135

Croked-legged lyke a stake

She lyked not his face

And sayd he mouthed was

Moost lyke an hawke

This good-man ease

140

Was lothe to dysplease

But yet thought somwhat

Thynkynge in his mynde

That a man can fynde

A wyfe neuer to late

145

For of theyr properte

Shrewes all they be

And slyle can they prate

All women be suche

Thoughe the man bere the breche

150

They wyll be euer checkemate

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Faced lyke an aungell

Tonged lyke a deuyll of hell

Great causers of debate

They loke full smothe

155

And be false of loue

Uenymous as a snake

Desyrynge to be praysed

A_lofte to be raysed

As an hyghe estate

160

And these wanton dames

Ofte chaungeth theyr names

As An / Iane / Besse and Kate.

Thus thynketh he

In his mynde pryuely

165

And nought dare saye

For he that is maysterfast

Full ofte is agast

And dare not ronne and playe

If she be gladde

170

Than is he sadde

And fere of a sodayne fraye

For womans pryde

Is to laughe and chyde

Euery houre in a daye

175

Whan she dothe loure

And begynneth to snowre see MED snouren, '?to scowl'; cf. Skelton, 'Snurre'

Pyteously dothe he saye

What do ye lacke

Ony-thynge swete-herte

180

That I to you gyue maye

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She answered hym

With wordes grotchynge

Wysshynge her-selfe in claye

And sayth that she lackes

185

Many prety knackes

As bedes and gyrdels gaye

And the best sporte

That sholde me comforte

Whiche is a swete playe

190

I can it not haue

For so god me saue

Thy power is not to paye

There is nought

Nought may be cought

195

I can no more saye

Many men nowe here

Can not women chere

But maketh ofte delay

The wyfe dothe mone

200

It is not at home

And boroweth tyll a daye

What it is I trowe

Well ynoughe ye knowe

It is no nede to saye

205

Thus saye the wyues

If theyr husbandes thryues

That they the causers be

They gete two wayes

Bothe with worke and playes

210

By theyr huswyuery

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With theyr swete lyppes

And lusty hyppes

They worke so plesauntly

Some wyll fall anone

215

For they be not stronge

They be weyke in the kne

Be they pore or be they ryche

I beshrewe all suche

Amen nowe saye ye

220

They thynke it is as great almes

As to saye the seuen psalmes

And dothe it for charyte

To gete gownes and furs

These nyse beceturs See OED s.v. nicebecetur. [Origin obscure; perh. a fanciful formation from nice a. The earliest and latest quots. appear to show different stressings of the word.] A dainty, fine, or fashionable girl or woman.

225

Of men sheweth theyr pyte

Somtyme for theyr lust

Haue it they must

Or seke wyll they be

If it do stycke

230

And she fele it quycke

Full slyle dothe she

Begyn for to grone

And wyssheth she had lyne alone

What ayleth you than sayth he

235

She saythe syr I am with chylde

It is yours by Mary mylde

And so he weneth it be

Whan played is the playe

Iacke the husbande must paye

240

This dayly may ye se

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He was gladde ywys

Of that that is not his

And dothe it vp kepe

She that dothe mocke hym

245

A nother mannes concubyne

And his chylde eke

Lo thus dothe landes

Fall in wronge ayres handes

The causers may well wepe

250

And worse dothe happen truely

The broder the syster dothe mary

And in bedde togyther slepe

To synne lyghtely wyll the chylde drawe

That is be[g]oten without lawe begoten] bekoten 1525

255

Wedlocke is veray swete

But ones for all

The daye come shall

The crye shall be welawaye

Of all wedlocke-brekers

260

Thus saythe greate prechers

Theyr dettes shall they truely paye

All they that dothe offende

God graunte them to amende

And therfore lette vs praye.

265

¶But nowe of Emlyne to speke

And more of her to treate

Truely for to saye

Whan the seconde husbande was dede

The thyrde husbande dyde she wedde

270

In full goodly araye

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But as the deuyll wolde

Or the pyes were colde

Fell a sodayne fraye

Moyses had a newe brother

275

It wolde be none other

And all came thorughe playe

But mayde maydenhode myssynge

Knoweth what longeth to kyssynge

It is no nede to saye

280

She loued well I trowe

And gaue hym sorowe ynowe

But ones on the daye

With hym wolde she chyde

He durst not loke asyde

285

The bounde must euer obaye

This man was olde

And of compleccyon colde

Nothynge lusty to playe

She was full ranke

290

And of condycyons cranke

And redy was alwaye

In Uenus toyes

Was all her Ioyes

Seldome sayde she naye

295

At the laste she thought

That her husbande was nought

And purposed on a daye

To shorten his lyfe

And as a true wyfe

300

She wolde it not delaye

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To fulfyll her lust

In a well she hym thrust

Without any fraye

And made countenaunce sad

305

As thoughe she be sory had

Also in good faye

A reed onyon wolde she kepe

To make her eyes wepe

In her kerchers I saye

310

She was than stedfast and stronge

And kepte her a wydowe veraye longe

In faythe almoost two dayes

Bycause she made greate mone

She wolde not lye longe alone

315

For fere of sodayne frayes

Leste her housbande dede

Wolde come to her bedde

Thus in her mynde she sayes.

¶The fourthe housbande she cought

320

That was lyke her nexte nought

For he vsed his playes

With maydens wyues and nonnes

None amysse to hym commes

Lyke they be of layes

325

Hym she lyked yll

She prayed the fende hym kyll

Bycause he vsed her wayes

This mannes name was harry

He coude full clene cary

330

He loued prety gayes

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So it happened at the last

An halfepeny halter made hym fast

And therin he swayes

Than she toke greate thought

335

As a woman that careth nought

So for his soule she prayes

And bycause she was seke

She wedded the same weke

For very pure pyte and wo

340

Yet or she was wedded

Thryse had she bedded

And great hast made therto

The husbande had sone ynowe

But Emlyn bended her browe

345

And thought she had not so

But to ease her louer

She toke a nother

That lustely coude do

One that yonge was

350

That coude ofte her basse

Whiche she had fantesy to

He coude well awaye

With her lusty playe

And neuer wolde haue do

355

Bycause he coude clepe her

She called hym a whypper

And as they were togyder

They bothe swetely played

A sergeaunt them afrayed

360

And sayd they were full queuer queuer=quiver

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They were than full wo

The frere wolde ben a_go

He cursed that he came thyder

Whether they were leue or lothe

365

He set them in the stockes bothe

He wolde none dysceyuer

In myddes of the market

Full well was set

In full fayre wether

370

For it dyd hayle and thonder

On them many men dyd wonder

But Emlyne laughed euer

She thought it but a Iape

To se men at her gape

375

Therof she shamed neuer

And sayd for her sportynge

It is but for Iapynge

That we be brought hyder

It is nother treason nor felony

380

But a knacke of company

And dye had I leuer

Than it forsake

For I wyll mery make

Whyle youthe hathe fayre wether

385

Whan her husbande it knewe

Sore dyd he it rewe

And was so heuy and wo

He toke a surfet with a cup

That made hym tourne his heles vp

390

And than was he a_go

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And whan she was at large

Care she dyde dyscharge

And in her mynde thought tho

Nowe wyll I haue my luste

395

With all them that wyll Iuste

In spyte of them that saythe so

And bycause she loued rydynge

At the stewes was her abydynge

Without wordes mo

400

And all that wolde entre

She durst on them ventre

Ueray gentyll she was lo

And longe or she were dede

She wente to begge her brede

405

Suche fortune had she tho

God dyd bete her surely

With the rodde of pouerte

Or she dyde hens go

Than she dyed as ye shall

410

But what of her dyde befall

Naye there do I ho

But they that rede this erly or late

I praye Iesu theyr soules take

Amen saye ye also.

¶ Finis.

¶Imprynted at London without Newegate in saynt_Pulkers parysshe by me Iohnn_Skot / dwellynge in the olde_Bayly.

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