Off god and kynde procedith al bewte;
crafft may ſhewe a foreyn apparence,
But nature ay muſt haue the ſouerente.
Thyng contrefeet hath noon exiſtence;
tween gold and goſſomer° is greet difference;
trewe metall requeryth noon allay;
vn to purpos by cleer experience,
Bewte wol ſhewe, thogh hornys wer away.

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Ryche attyres of golde and perre°,
charboncyles°, rubyes of mooſt excellence
ſhewe in dirkneſſe, lyght where ſo they be
by ther natural heuenly Influence.
Doublettys° of glas yeve a gret obydence;
thyng conterfeet wol faylen at aſſay°.
On this mater concludyng in ſentence,
beute wol ſhewe, thogh hornes were away.

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Aleyn° remembreth, his compleynt who lyſt ſee
In his book of ffamous eloquence,
clad all in floures and bloſmes of a tre
he ſauh nature in hir mooſt excellence.
Vp on hir hed a kerche° of valence°,
noon other richeſſe of counterfet array;
T’exemplyfie by kyndely providence,
beute wol ſhewe, though hornes wer away.

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ffamous poetis of antyquyte,
In grece and troye renomed of prudence,
wrot of queen heleyne and penolope,
of pollycene, with hir chaſt innocence;
for wyves trewe calle lucrece to preſence;
that they wer faire ther can no man ſey nay;
Kynde wrouht hem with ſo gret dyllygence,
ther beute kouth, hornys wer caſt away.

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Clerkys recorde by gret auctoryte,
hornes were yeve to beſtys ffor dyffence,
a thyng contrarie to ffemynyte,
To be maad ſturdy of Reſyſtence.
But arche wives, egre in ther violence,
ffers as tygre ffor to make affray,
the haue deſpit and ageyn concyence,
lyſt nat of pryde, ther hornes caſt away.

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L'enuoye

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Noble prynceſſis, this litel ſchort dyte—
Rudely compiled—lat it be noon Offence
To your womanly mercyfull pyte.
Though it be rad in your audeyence,
peyſed euery thyng in your Iust aduertence;
ſo it be noon dyſpleſaunce to your pay,
vnder ſupport of your pacyence,
yeveth example, hornes to caſt away.

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Gretteſt of vertues ys humylyte,
as ſalamon ſeith ſonne of ſapyence°,
moſt was accepted on to the Deyte.
Taketh heed herof yeveth to his woordis credence,
how maria, which hadde a premynence
above alle women, in bedlem° whan ſhe lay,
at cryſtys birthe no cloth of gret diſpence,
ſhe wered a kouercheef; hornes wer caſt away.

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Off birthe ſhe was hiheſt of degree,
To whom alle angellis dyd obedience;
of davidis lyne wich ſprang out of Ieſſe,
in whom alle vertues by Iust convenyence.
maad ſtable in god by gooſtly confydence,
this rose of Iericho, ther greuh no ſuych in may.
pore in ſpirit, parfit in pacyence,
in whom all hornes of pride were put away.

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Modyr of Ihu, myrour of chaſtyte,
in woord nor thouht that neuere dyd offence,
Trewe examplire of virgynyte,
hed ſpryng and welle of parfit continence,
was neuer clerk by Rethoryk nor ſcyence
koude all hir vertues reherſe on to this day;
noble prynceſſis of meek benyvolence,
be example of hir, your hornes caſt away.

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Expliat