dure, and their dedes [ben] rad and songe in many londes; that they han don, recoveren shal they never; but alway ben demed 80 lightly, in suche plyte a-yen shulde they falle. Of whiche slaunders and tenes ye false men and wicked ben the verey causes; on you by right ought these shames and these reproves al hoolly discende. Thus arn ye al nighe untrewe; for al your fayre speche, your herte is ful fickel. What cause han ye women to dispyse? Better 85 fruite than they ben, ne swetter spyces to your behove, mowe ye not fynde, as far as worldly bodyes strecchen. Loke to their forminge, at the making of their persones by god in joye of paradyce! For goodnesse, of mans propre body were they maked, after the sawes of the bible, rehersing goddes wordes in 90 this wyse: "It is good to mankynde that we make to him an helper." Lo! in paradyse, for your helpe, was this tree graffed, out of whiche al linage of man discendeth. If a man be noble frute, of noble frute it is sprongen; the blisse of paradyse, to mennes sory hertes, yet in this tree abydeth. O! noble helpes 95 ben these trees, and gentil jewel to ben worshipped of every good creature! He that hem anoyeth doth his owne shame; it is a comfortable perle ayenst al tenes. Every company is mirthed by their present being. Trewly, I wiste never vertue, but a woman were therof the rote. What is heven the worse though Sarazins 100 on it lyen? Is your fayth untrewe, though +renegates maken theron lesinges? If the fyr doth any wight brenne, blame his owne wit that put him-selfe so far in the hete. Is not fyr gentillest and most comfortable element amonges al other? Fyr is cheef werker in fortheringe sustenaunce to mankynde. Shal 105 fyr ben blamed for it brende a foole naturelly, by his own stulty witte in steringe? Ah! wicked folkes! For your propre malice and shreudnesse of your-selfe, ye blame and dispyse the precious[es]t thing of your kynde, and whiche thinges among other moste ye desyren! Trewly, Nero and his children ben shrewes, 110 that dispysen so their dames. The wickednesse and gyling of men, in disclaundring of thilke that most hath hem glad[d]ed and plesed, were impossible to wryte or to nempne. Never-the-later yet I say, he that knoweth a way may it lightly passe; eke an herbe proved may safely to smertande sores ben layd. So 115 I say, in him that is proved is nothing suche yvels to gesse. But these thinges have I rehersed, to warne you women al at ones, that to lightly, without good assaye, ye assenten not to mannes speche. The sonne in the day-light is to knowen from the moone that shyneth in the night. Now to thee thy-selfe 120 (quod she) as I have ofte sayd, I knowe wel thyne herte; thou art noon of al the tofore-nempned people. For I knowe wel the continuaunce of thy service, that never sithen I sette thee