HOW GOOD WYMMEN OUGHT TO MAYNTENE THEMSELF CURTOYSLY.
AFTER this, my doughters, see ye wel to that ye be curtois and humble. For there is no gretter vertue for to cause yow to have the grace of god and the loue of alle peple than for to be humble and curtoyse. For curtosye ouercometh all them by thensample of the sperhauk. Take a sperhauke ramage, and calle hym curtoysly, and ye shal make hym come frely to yow; ye, fro the tree he shalle come vppon youre fyste. And yf ye be not curtoyse, but rude and cruel, he shal neuer come. Then, syth that curtosye vaynquysshyth a wylde byrde whiche hath in hym no reson, thenne ought she wel refrayne a man and woman moche more, that they be not ne haue the herte orguyllous and fyers. Curtosye is the fyrst waye and the entre of alle frendship and of alle worldly loue, and she that vaynquyssheth hye courages and that amolysshyth thyre and wrathe of euery creature. Therfore, thenne, hit is a fayre thyng to be curtoys. I know a lord in this Countrey, whiche hath goten and conquerd moo knyghtes, squyers, and other peple to serue hym and to doo his playsyrs by his grete curtosye in the tyme that he bare armes, than other dyd for money, eyther for other thynges. And this is my lord of Craon, whiche ought wel to be honoured and to be preysyd for his curtosye aboue all other knyghtes that I know; knowe that he hath goten by his curtosye moche loue and renomme of ryght grete ladyes and also of other, grete and smale. Therfor, my fayre doughters, shewe youre curtosye vnto the mene and smal peple, for to do them honoure, and to speke to them fayre and swetely, and for to answere them curtoysly: they shall bere and doo the gretter reverence, gretter preysyng and renommee than the grete. For thonour of the curtosye that is done and gyuen to the grete34
