The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 39
OF THE SECOND WYF.
FTER this the said knyght maryed hym ageyne to another woman. They were fyue yere to geder, and thenne she passed oute of this worlde. And yf the knyght hadde be sore meuyd and sorowful of the deth of his first wyf, yet more he was of his second wyf, and wepynge came to theremyte his vncle, demenynge grete sorowe, and praide hym for this as he had done for the other, that he myght knowe where she was. And for the grete pyte that he took of hym, seynge hym in suche sorowe, wente allone in his Chappel, and there made to god his prayer & oryson. There it was shewed & reueled to hym that she shold be saued, but yͭ she shold be .c. yere within the fire of purgatory, for certayne fawtes whiche she had done, she beynge in her maryage, that was, that a squyer had leyn with her, and other grete synnes. Neuertheles she had therof many tyme be confessid, for yf she had not so doo she withoute doute hadde be dampned.
Thenne cam theremyte to the knyght, and told hym how hys wyf was saued, wherof he was ioyeful and glad. Here may ye see how that for one dedely synne she was so longe in the fyre of purgatorye, but it may well be, as the hooly man sayth, that they had done the dede ten or twelve tymes, for a certeyne and very trouthe is, for euery dedely synne confessid shalle the sowle be punysshed in purgatory the tyme and space of seuen yere. Faire doughters, take ye here good ensample how this fowll and fals delyte is dere bought, and how therof men must gyue acompte: and also of them that haue so many gownes and that so moche waste their good to be jolyf and repayre their carayn, in so moche they may haue the loke and beholdynge of the world and the plaisaunce of the folke. Now see how it happed to the knyghtis first wyf, that for her pryde and for the grete quantite of gownes and Jewelles that she hadde was loste and dampned for euer. And yet many one is in this world that wel haue the courage soo prowde that wel they dare bye gownes of thre or foure score Crownes, & yet thynkyng hit of lytel prys, that yf so were they must gyue to poure folke two or thre shyllynges they shold holde that ouermoche, and as halfe loste. Loke and behold ye thenne, how they that haue soo many gownes wherof they coyntyse and araye their bodyes, how ones they shalle straitly answer of them. And therfore euery good woman, after she is of estate and degree, she ought to hold and behaue her symply and honestly in her clothyng and in the quantite of hit, and gyue a parte to god, to thende she may in the other world be clothed of all ioye and glorye, as dyde the hooly ladyes and hooly vyrgyns as in their legende is rehercyd, as of seynt Elyzabeth, of saynt Katheryn, and of seynt Agathe and other mo, that gaue their gownes to the poure folke for the loue of god. And soo ought to doo cuery good woman. Now I haue tolde & recounted to yow of the two first wyues of the knyght, and herafter ye shalle here of the thyrd.