| 1 | A | Yong man that called was Mellebeus the whiche | |
| | was mighty and riche / begat a doughter vpon his | |
| | wyf that Callyd was Prudence whiche dough- | |
| | ter Callyd was sophie / 2 Vpon a day befyll that he for his | |
| | disporte wente hym in to the feldes for to pleye / 3 His wyf & | |
| | his doughter hath he lefte wyth in his hows of whiche the | |
| | doores were fast shytte / 4 Thre of his olde Foes haue hit as | |
| | pied and setten ladders vnto the walles of his hows and | |
| | by the wyndowes ben entryd in / 5 and bete his wyf / & woun | |
| | ded his doughter wyth fyue mortel woundes in fyue sondry | |
| | places / 6 that is to saye in her feet . in her hondes . in her eeris . | |
| | in her nose . and in her mouth / And leften her for ded and | |
| | wenten her waye / 7 Whan Mellebeus retorned was in to his | |
| | hous and sawe alle this myschief / he like a mad man ren | |
| | tyng his clothes began to wepe and to crye . | |
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| 8 | P | Rudence his wif as ferforth as she durst besoughte | |
| | hym of his weping to stynte / 9 but not forthy he be | |
| | gan to wepe and crye euer lenger the more / 10 This | |
| | noble wyf prudence Remembrid her vpon the sentence of | |
| | Ouyde in his book that cleped is the Remedye of loue / where | |
| | as he saith / 11 He is a fool that distrobleth the moder to wepe | |
| | in the deth of her child / til she hath wepte her fille as for a | |
| | certayn terme / 12 And than shal a man do his diligence with | |
| | amyable wordes her to comforte / And praye her of her we- | |
| | pyng to cese / 13 For whiche reason this noble wyf prudence | |
| | suffrid her husbond to wepe & crye as for a certayn space | |
| | 14 And whan she sawe her tyme / she said to hym in this wise | |
| | Allas my lord sayd she why make ye your self for to be | |
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