The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 10
HOW GOOD WYMMEN OUGHT TO MAYNTENE THEMSELF CURTOYSLY.
FTER 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 grete whiche is done vnto smal gentylmen and gentyl wymmen and to other of lasse degre, that honoure and curtosye comen of a fre and a curtoys hert. And the lytell or poure ma or woman to whome it is done thynketh that he is happy to receyue it and hath therin a grete playsyre, and gyueth ageyne grete honoure to hym or her that hath done to hym suche curtosye and honoure, And by this maner of the smal peple to whome is done suche curtosye or honoure cometh the grete loos and renomme whiche groweth fro day to day. It hapned that I was in a companye of knyghtes and ladyes, and a grete lady tooke of her hood and humbled her self curtoysly vnto a tayloure. And ther was a knyght that said to her, "Madame, why haue ye taken of youre hoode vnto a taylloure?" And she answerd that she had leuer to take it of to hym, than to haue lefte it vnto a gentyll man. And that was reputed for ryght wel done, and as for the best taujt of all the other.