*How stedfast widwes during al hir lyves, *Telleth Jerome; and that nat of a fewe, *But, I dar seyn, an hundred on a rewe; 285 *That hit is pitee for to rede, and routhe, *The wo that they enduren for hir trouthe. For to hir love were they so trewe, (B. 334) *That, rather than they wolde take a newe, *They chosen to be dede in sundry wyse, 290 *And deyden, as the story wol devyse; *And some were brend, and some were cut the hals, *And some dreynt, for they wolden nat be fals. *For alle keped they hir maydenhed, *Or elles wedlok, or hir widwehed. 295 *And this thing was nat kept for holinesse, *But al for verray vertu and clennesse, *And for men shulde sette on hem no lak; *And yit they weren hethen, al the pak, *That were so sore adrad of alle shame. 300 *These olde wemen kepte so hir name, *That in this world I trow men shal nat finde *A man that coude be so trewe and kinde, *As was the leste woman in that tyde. *What seith also the epistels of Ovyde 305 *Of trewe wyves, and of hir labour? *What Vincent, in his Storial Mirour? *Eek al the world of autours maystow here, *Cristen and hethen, trete of swich matere; *It nedeth nat alday thus for tendyte. 310 *But yit I sey, what eyleth thee to wryte *The draf of stories, and forgo the corn? By seint Venus, of whom that I was born, (B. 338) Although [that] thou reneyed hast my lay, (B. 336) As othere olde foles many a day, (B. 337) 315 Thou shalt repente hit, that hit shal be sene!' Than spak Alceste, the worthieste quene, +And seyde, 'god, right of your curtesye, +Ye moten herknen if he can replye Ageyns these points that ye han to him meved; 320 +A god ne sholde nat be thus agreved, +But of his deitee he shal be stable, And therto rightful and eek merciable. *He shal nat rightfully his yre wreke *Or he have herd the tother party speke. 325 *Al ne is nat gospel that is to yow pleyned; *The god of love herth many a tale y-feyned. _From_ A. 338, 339. This man to yow may wrongly been accused, +Ther as by right him oghte been excused;