First there shall stand an image in Poet-wise, saying these verses:— O Prudent folkés, taketh heed, And remembreth in your lives How this story doth proceed Of the husbands and their wives, Of their áccord and their strives, With life or death which to darrain [85a] Is granted to these beastés twain. Prudent Then shall be pourtrayed two beasts, one fat; another lean. For this Bicorn of his natúre Will none other manner food, But patient husbands his pastúre, And Chichevache eat’th the women good; And both these beastés, by the Rood, Be fat or lean, it may not fail, Like lack or plenty of their vitail. Of Chichevache [85b] and of Bicorn, Treateth wholly this matere, Whose story hath taught us beforn How these beastés both infere [85c] Have their pastúre, as you shall hear, Of men and women in senténce Through suffrance or through impatiénce. Then shall be pourtrayed a fat beast called Bicorn, of the country of Bicornis, and say these three verses following:— “Of Bicornis I am Bicorn, Full fat and round here as I stand, And in marriage bound and sworn To Chichevache as her husbánd, Which will not eat on sea nor land But patient wivés debonair, Which to their husbands be n’t contraire “Full scarce, God wot, is her vitail, Humble wives she finds so few, For always at the contre tail Their tongúe clappeth and doth hew. Such meeké wivés I beshrew, That neither can at bed ne board Their husbands not forbear one word. “But my food and my cherishing, To tell plainly and not to vary, Is of such folks which, their living, Dare to their wives be not contrary, Ne from their lustés dare not vary, Nor with them hold no champarty, [86a] All such my stomach will defy.” [86b] Then shall be pourtrayed a company of men coming towards this beast Bicornis, and say these four ballads:— “Fellows, take heed and ye may see How Bicorn casteth him to devour All humble men, both you and me, There is no gain may us succóur; Wo be therefore in hall and bower To all those husbands which, their lives, Make mistrésses of their wives. “Who that so doth, this is the law, That this Bicorn will him oppress And devouren in his maw That of his wife makes his mistréss; This will us
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