| | Whilis that they slepte & thus they haue hem slain | |
| 745 | Some haue yeue hem poyson in her drynke | |
| | He spak more harm than herte may thynke | |
| | And therwith al he coude mo prouerbis | |
| | Than in this worlde growe gras or herbis | |
| | Bettir is quod he thyn habitacion | |
| 750 | Be with a lioun or with a dragon | |
| | Than with a woman vsynge forto chyde | |
| | Bettir is quod he high in his Roof abyde | |
| | Than with an angry wyf duellinge in his hous | |
| | They be so wickid and so contrarious | |
| 755 | They haten that her husbondis loue ay | |
| | He sayde a woman cast her shame away | |
| | Whan she cast of her smok and ferther mo | |
| | A fair woman but she be chast also | |
| | Is lik a goldryng on a sowys nose | |
| 760 | Who wolde leue or who wolde suppose | |
| | The wo that in myn herte was and pyne | |
| | And whan I saw that he wolde neuer fyne | |
| | To redyn on his cursid book alnyght | |
| | Al sodenly thre leuys haue I plight | |
| 765 | Out of his book right as he redde and eek | |
| | I with my fist so took hym on the cheek | |
| | That in our fyre he fyl bacward a doun | |
| | And he vp stert as doth a wood lioun | |
| | And with his fist he smot me on the hed | |
| 770 | That in the flore I lay as I hadde be ded | |
| | And whan he saw how stylle that I lay | |
| | He was agast and wolde haue fled away | |
