The Conditions of a Good Wife

Beauties of English Index


Some Pieces of Wonderful Prose : The Conditions of a Good Wife

In a good spouse and wife behoveth these conditions, that she be busy and devout in God's service, meek and serviceable to her husband and fair speaking and goodly to her meinie, merciful and good to wretches that be needy, easy and peaceable to her neighbours, ready, wary and wise in things that should be avoided, mightiful and patient in suffering, busy and diligent in her doing, mannerly in clothing, sober in moving, wary in speaking, chaste in looking, honest in bearing, sad in going, shamefast among the people, merry and glad with her husband and chaste in privity. Such a wife is worthy to be praised, that endendeth more to please her husband with such womanly dues, than with her braided hairs and desireth more to please him with virtues than with fair and gay clothes and useth the goodness of matrimony more because of children than of fleshly liking and hath more liking to have children of grace than of kind.


The Old Book : A Medieval Anthology