Trust, perfit love, and entere charitee, Fervent wil, and entalented corage To thewes gode, as it sit wel to be, Han wommen ay, of custome and usage; 340 And wel they can a mannes ire aswage With softe wordes discreet and benigne; What they be inward, sheweth outward signe. Wommannes herte un-to no crueltee Enclyned is, but they ben charitable, 345 Pitous, devout, fulle of humilitee, Shamfaste, debonaire, and amiable, Dredful, and of hir wordes mesurable: What womman thise hath not, peraventure, Ne folweth nat the wey of her nature. 350 Men seyn: 'our firste moder, natheles, Made al man-kynde lese his libertee, And naked it of joye, douteles; For goddes hestes disobeyed she, Whan she presumed tasten of a tree, 355 Which god forbad that she nat ete of sholde; And, nad the devel been, namore she wolde.' Th' envýous swelling that the feend, our fo, Had unto man in herte, for his welthe, Sente a serpent, and made her for to go 360 To disceyve Eve; and thus was mannes helthe Beraft him by the fende, right in a stelthe, The womman noght knowing of the deceyt; God wot, ful fer was it from her conceyt. Wherfore I sey, this godë womman Eve 365 Our fader Adam ne deceyved noght. Ther may no man for a deceyt it preve Proprely, but-if that she, in her thoght, Had it compassed first, er it was wroght; And, for swich was nat her impressioun, 370 Men calle it may no déceyt, by resoun. No wight deceyveth but he it purpóse; The feend this déceyt caste, and nothing she. Than is it wrong to demen or suppose That she sholde of this harm the cause be. 375 Wyteth the feend, and his be the maugree; And for excused have her innocence, Sauf only that she brak obedience. And touching this, ful fewe men ther been, Unnethes any, dar I saufly seye-- 380 Fro day to day, as that men mow wel seen, But that the hest of god they disobeye. Have this in mynde, sires, I yow preye; If that ye be discreet and resonable, Ye wol her holde the more excusable. 385 And wher men seyn, 'in man is stedfastnesse, And woman is of her corage unstable,' Who may of Adam bere swich witnesse? Telleth me this:--was he nat chaungeable? They bothe weren in a caas semblable, 390 Sauf willingly the feend deceyved Eve, And so did she nat Adam, by your leve. Yet was this sinne happy to mankynde, The feend deceyved was, for al his sleight; For aught he coude him in his sleightes wynde, 395 God, to discharge mankynde of the weight Of his trespas, cam doun from hevenes height, And flesh and blood he took of a virgyne, And suffred deeth, him to deliver of pyne.