Middle English Literature

Yet of the same.
She holdeth her self the best welcome that firste bryngeth upon her ony
noveltees, but as the good and hooly man saith, “They that firste take suche
newe raymentis be lyke to the yong ladyes that fylle in the myere wherof
they were mocked by the wyse ladyes that tooke the best and ryght wey, for
men may not mocke them that kepe suche wey and that use their lyf after
reason and not after theyr owne wylle. I say not but that whan that manere
of newe raymentis is taken and comynly wered of every one and in every
towne, it may be thenne worne and taken, but yet the wyse woman shal leve
and forbere it yf she can. And suche wymmen shalle not be lyke ne compared
to them that fylle in the myere by cause they wold be first in the place, and
they were the last.” Ther-fore, my faire doughters, hit is good that none
hast her not, but good is to holde the myddel estate. The lesse is the moost
certayne and seurest, but as now is a cursed and shrewed world for, yf
somme folysshe woman full of her wylle taketh and bryngeth upon her ony
noveltee and newe estate, every other one shalle soone saye to her lorde,
“Syre it is told to me that suche one hath suche a thynge that over faire is,
and that so wel becometh her, I pray yow good syre that I may have suche
one, for I am as good and as gentyll of blood. And, ye, as gentyl a man as
Sumptuary
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222
Style and Spectacle
she and her lord ben and have as wel for to paye as she hath.” And thus she
shalle fynde soo many reasons that she shalle have her wylle or els ryote and
noyse shalle all day be at home and never shalle be ther pees tylle she have
her parte, be it right or wronge. She shalle not loke yf ony of hir neyghbours
have that thynge that she wylle have. Also, she shalle not abyde till every
one have it, but the hastlyest that she may, she shalle doo shape and make
it, and forth-with shalle were it. It is merveyle of suche coyntyse and noveltees
wherof the grete clerkes say that, seynge the men and wymmen so desguysed
and takyng every day newe raiments, they doute that the world shalle
perysshe as it dyd in tyme of Noe that the wymmen desguysed them and
also the men, whiche displeysed God. And herupon I shalle reherce yow [a]
merveil whiche a good lady dyde recounte to me in this same yere. She
tolde and saide to me that she, with many other ladyes, were come to a
feeste of Seynt Margrete, where as every yere was grete assemble made.
There cam a lady moche coynt
13
and joly, and dyversly disguysed and arraid
more than ony other there. And by cause of her straunge and newe array,
everychone of them cam to beholde and loke on her, as it had be a wylde
beest, for her clothyng and araye was different and no thyng lyke to theyr,
and therfore she had wel her part beholdyng and lokyng. Thenne said the
good ladyes to her, “My frende, telle ye us yf it please yow how ye name
that aray that he have on youre heed?” She answerde and saide, “The
galhows aray.” “God bless us said the good lady, the name of hit is not
faire, and I ne wote how suche aray may plese yow.” The tydyng of this aray
and of his name were borne al aboute hyghe and lowe, wherof every one
s[c]orned and mocked her. And as mockyng and scornynge cam there she
was to beholde and loke upon her, I dyde aske of the good lady the manere
and facion of the same araye, and she tolde me the manere of it, but evylle
I witheld it. But as ferre as I me remembre of it, hit was hyghe enlewed
14
with longe pynnes of sylver uppon her hede after the makynge and maner of
a gybet or galhows, right straunge and merveylous to se. And in good feyth
after that tyme, the yonge and folysshe lady that had that araye on her
heede was ever mocked and scorned and nought set by. Here shal I leve to
speke of the newe and desguysed ray-mentis and of the good bisshop that
so repreved them that hadde and wered suche araye. And that dede shewe
to them by ensamples and hooly scripture how that suche noveltees that
specially wymmen took on them was token and signe of somme gret mes-
chyef to come as is were, famyne, and pestylence.
13
well-dressed.
14
inlaid.

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Glasgow University Library MS Hunterian 270, fols. 173r–173v. In P. H. Barnum (ed.)
(1976, 1980) Dives and Pauper, 2 parts. EETS, o.s. 275, 280. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, II: 90–2.
Language: English (Southwestern)
Manuscript date: ca. 1450
DIVES: Womanys aray steryt
15
mychil folc to lecherye. PAUPER: And
though in cas the aray and the tyr
16
is nout to blamyn no mor than is hyr
bewte to blamyn. Be comon cours of kende, bothin man and woman sekyn
to ben onestlyche adyth aftir her stat and aftir the maner of the contre that
thei dwellyn in, nout to temptyn folc to lecherye, ne for pride, ne for non
other synne, but for honeste of mankende and to the worchepe of God, to
wose lyknesse man and woman is mad, and he is our brothir. In dyvers
contres ben divers maners of aray, but if thei don it for pryde, or to temptyn
folc to lecherye, or for ony other synne, or that thei take on hem atyre
that is not acardyng to hem – yf it be to costful, or to straunge in schap,
or to wyde, or to syde,
17
not reulyd be reson – be it man be it woman,
he synnyth wol grevouslyche in the syght of God, and namely tho men
that clothin hem so schorte that man and woman may sen the forme and
the schap of her pryve menbrys, whyche it is a schame to schewyn, and
the syghte is gret cause of temptacioun and of wyckyd thoughtis. Sent
Powil byddith that women schuldyn adyghtyn hem in honest aray with
schamfastnesse and sobyrnesse, nout in broydyng of her heyre, nout in gold
and in sylver, ne in perre,
18
ne in ovyrdon precious cloth, 1 Timothy 2.
19
And that same seith Sent Petyr in hys fyrste pystyl 3,
20
wher he byddith that
men schul-dyn han her wyfys in worchepe and kepyn hem honestlyche.
DIVES: Women these dayys arayyn hem wol mychil agenys the techyng of
Petyr and Powyl, and therfor Y drede me that they synnyn wol grevously.
PAUPER: Petir and Powyl defendedyn nout uttyrlyche swyche aray, but
thei defendedyn women swyche aray to usyn in pryde or to provokyn folc
to lecherye and to usyn swyche aray pasyng her astat, for we fyndyn that
Sent Cecilie and many othir holy women wentyn adyth in clothis of gold
and in ryche perre and weredyn the heyre undir that solempne atyr. Also,
Petir and Powil seydyn tho wordis pryncipaly for tyme of preyere, as for
15
stirs.
16
attire.
17
long.
18
jewels.
19
1 Timothy 2.9–10.
20
1 Peter 3.3–5.
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Style and Spectacle
Lentyn, embyrdayys,
21
gangdayys,
22
Frydayys, vygilyys and in tyme of general
processioun mad for nede. In swyche tyme man and woman schuldyn levyn
al pompe and pryde in aray, for, as the glose seyth there, proud clothinge
getyth no good of God and makyth folc to demyn omys, namely if it pase
mesure and good manere. The principal intencion of Sent Powil ther he
seith tho wordis is to enformyn men and women in preyere, for whom thei
schul preyyn, why and how and wher thei schul preyyn, as seith the glose,
and he enformyth hem to preyyn in lownesse withoutyn pompe of clothinge
and of gret aray, for I am sekyr that the foule stynkyng pompe and pride
of aray that is now usyd in this lond in al the thre partyes of the chyrche,
that is to sey, in the defendourys and in the clergy and in the commonerys,
wyl not bene unvengyd but it be sone amendyd be very repentaunce and
forsakyng of this synne, for fro the heyest unto the loweste in every state
and in every degre and neyhand in every persone is now aray passyng to
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mannys body and wommans agens al reson and the lawe of God.