And that book scolers lerne in hir childhede, For they of wommen be war sholde in age, And for to love hem ever been in drede, Sin to deceyve is set al hir corage. They seyn, peril to caste is avantage, 215 And namely, suche as men han in be wrapped; For many a man by woman hath mishapped. No charge is, what-so that thise clerkes seyn; Of al hir wrong wryting I do no cure; Al hir travayle and labour is in veyn. 220 For, betwex me and my lady Nature, Shal nat be suffred, whyl the world may dure, Thise clerkes, by hir cruel tyrannye, Thus upon wommen kythen hir maistrye. Whylom ful many of hem were in my cheyne 225 Y-tyed, and now, what for unweldy age And for unlust, may not to love atteyne, And seyn, that love is but verray dotage. Thus, for that they hem-self lakken corage, They folk excyten, by hir wikked sawes, 230 For to rebelle agayn me and my lawes. But, maugre hem that blamen wommen most, Suche is the force of myn impressioun, That sodeinly I felle can hir bost And al hir wrong imaginacioun. 235 It shal not been in hir eleccioun The foulest slutte of al a toun refuse, If that me list, for al that they can muse; But her in herte as brenningly desyre As thogh she were a duchesse or a quene; 240 So can I folkes hertes sette on fyre, And (as me list) hem sende joye or tene. They that to wommen been y-whet so kene My sharpe persing strokes, how they smyte, Shul fele and knowe; and how they kerve and byte. 245 Perdee, this grete clerk, this sotil Ovyde And many another han deceyved be Of wommen, as it knowen is ful wyde; Wot no man more; and that is greet deyntee, So excellent a clerk as that was he, 250 And other mo that coude so wel preche Betrapped were, for aught they coude teche. And trusteth wel, that it is no mervayle; For wommen knewen pleynly hir entente. They wiste how sotilly they coude assayle 255 Hem, and what falshood they in herte mente; And thise clerkes they in hir daunger hente. With oo venym another was distroyed; And thus thise clerkes often were anoyed. Thise ladies ne thise gentils, nevertheles, 260 Were noon of tho that wroughten in this wyse; But swiche filthes as were vertules They quitten thus thise olde clerkes wyse. To clerkes forthy lesse may suffyse Than to deprave wommen generally; 265 For worship shul they gete noon therby. If that thise men, that lovers hem pretende, To wommen weren feythful, gode, and trewe, And dredde hem to deceyven or offende, Wommen to love hem wolde nat eschewe. 270 But every day hath man an herte newe; It upon oon abyde can no whyle. What fors is it, swich a wight to begyle?