For she kyst neuer ony mannes mouth but her husbondes/
O moche was this woman to be preysed & haue a singuler
lawde wenynge that this defaulte had not ben only
in her husbonde/ wherfore she suffrid hit paciently
in suche wyse that her husbonde knewe his defaute sonner
by other than by her/ Also we rede that ther was a
wedowe named anna/ whiche had a frende that counceyllid
her to marye/ For she was yong fayr and riche/ to
whom she answerd that she wold not so doo in no wise
For yf I shold haue an husbond as I haue had and that
he were as good as he was/ I shold euer ben a ferd
to lose hym/ lyke as I lost that other/ And than shold
I lyue all wey in fere & drede/ whiche I wyll not And
yf hit happend me to haue awors/ what shold hyt prouffite
me to haue an euyll husbond after a good. And
so she concluded that she wold kepe her chastete.
Saynt Austyn reherceth in the book de Civitate dei
that in rome was a noble lady gentill of maners &
of hyghe kynrede named lucrecia/ And had an husbonde
named colatyne/ whiche desired on a tyme the Emours
sone named Torquyne thorguyllous or the proude and
he was callid sixte for to come dyne and sporte hym
in his castell or manoir And whan he was entrid amonge
many noble ladyes he sawe lucrecia/ And whan this
Emours sone had seen & aduertised her deportes. her
contenance. her manere. and her beaulte/ he was all
rauysshid and esprised wyth her loue forthwyth And
espyed a tyme whan her husbonde collatyn wente unto
the ooste of themour/ and camm to the place where
as lucresse was with her felawship/ whom she receyuyd
honorably/ and whan tyme came to goo to bedde and
slepe she made redy a bedde ryally for hym as hit
apperteyned to the emperours sone And this sixtus espyed
where lucresia laye. And whan he supposyd & knewe
that euery body was in his first sleep/ he cam to
the bedde of lucresse and that oon hand sette on her
breste and in that other hand a naked swerd/ and sayd
to her/ lucresse holde thy pees and crye not/ For
I am sixte tarquynus sone/ for yf y’u speke
ony worde thou shalt be dede/ And for fere she held
her pees/ Than he began to praye and promise many
thinges And after he menaced & thretenyd her that
she shold enclyne to hym to do his wyll/ And whan
he sawe he coude ner might haue his entent he sayd
to her yf thou do not my wyll/ I shall slee the and
o[=o]n of thy seruantes and shall leye hym all ded
by thy syde And than I shall saye that I haue slayn
yow for your rybawdrye/ And lucresse that than doubted
more the shame of the world than the deth consentid
to hym/ And anone after as the Emours sone was departid/
the ladye sente l*res to her husbond her fader her
brethern & to her frendes/ and to a man callid brute
conceyllour & neuewe to tarquyn/ And sayd to them/
that yesterday sixte the emp*ours sone cam in to myn
hous as an enemye in likenes of a frende/ & hath oppressid
me And knowe y’u colatyn that he hath dishonorid
thy bedde And how well y’t he hath fowled & dishonored
my body/ yet myn herte is not/ wherfore I beseche