The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 67
OF THEM WHICHE OUGHT TO COME TOWARD THEYRE CARNALL FRENDES, IN WHAT SOMEUER ESTATE THEY BE.
F them that ought to come in thestate wherin they be as theyre carnal Frendes come to see them, wherof I shalle telle yow an Ensample. There was somtyme a knyght, a good and trewe man, the whiche wente in vyage beyond the see. He had two nyeces, the whiche he had nourysshed and broughte vp of theyr yongthe, and had maryed them, and ouermoche he loued them. In tournynge home ageyne fro his vyage, he bought for eche of them a good gowne, wel fourred, to be coynted and arayed therwith. He came and arryued late at the night in to the hows of one of them. He called and demaunded after his nyece and made her to wete how he was come thyther for to see her. She that herd of his comynge wente anone in to her chambre, and did shette her self within for to brusshe and make clene her gowne to make her gay and fresshe, and sente worde vnto her vncle that soone she shold come to hym. The knyght abode there stylle a grete whyle, and sayd, "My nyece shalle not come." And her seruauntes ansuerd to hym that she shold soone come. The knyght had desdayne and was angry of her long taryenge, seyng that long before she had not sene hym, wherfor he lepe vpon his hors and tooke his way toward the hows of his other nyece, where he entred in, but as soone as he dyd calle, she that anone knewe that it was her vncle which long tyme had be oute of the land, lefte forthwith the tournyng & makynge of her breed, and with her handes yet full of paste came and embraced hym and sayd, "My dere lord and vncle, in suche poynt and estate as I was whanne I herd yow, I am come to see yow, therfore please it yow to pardonne me, for the grete Loye whiche I haue of youre comynge maade me to do hit." The knyght thene beheld and sawe the manere of his nyece, wherof he was full glad, and loued and preysed her moche more than his other nyece. He gaf her the two gownes whiche he had bought for her and for her suster, and thus she that; cam gladly in thestate wherynne she was to welcome her vncle, she wanne both gownes, and she whiche taryed for to make her ioly and gay, lost her parte of them. She thenne that forthwith came to welcome her vncle, as she had brought hym in her chambre she wente and propyrly arayed her self, and thenne sayd to hym, " My lord and myn uncle, I haue arayed and coynted me for to serue yow more honestly/* And thus she gate the loue of her vncle, and the other lost it. Here is good ensample how men ought to come ioyously in thestate where one is in, to welcome his frendes whiche be come to see hym. And yf ye wyst thexample of a baronnesse, or wyf of a baron, whiche was a good lady, and whiche wold in no manere were ne doo on euery day hir best gownes, wherfore her seruauntes sayd to her, " Madame, why go ye not better arayed and more coynted than ye doo? ** And she answerd to them, " Yf euery day I went in my best rayments and helde me coynte and Ioly, how shold I doo on the hyghe feestes and holydayes, and also as the lordes my parentes shalle come to see me? For thenne as I shold araye me the best wyse I couthe, yet men shold saye that al the day byfore I was fayrer and better besene, wherof no thanke I shold haue of them whiche were come to see me." And therfor I preyse her nothyng that can not amende her self in tyme and place as nede is, for a thynge whiche is comyn and dayly sene is nothynge preysed ne sette by.