Here begynneth a treatyse of the smyth whych that forged hym a new dame

¶ Here begynneth a treatyse of the smyth which that forged hym a new dame .

the smith and his assistant forging a new wife

GOd that dyed on a tree He glad them al with his gle That wyll herken vnto me And here what I wyll say And ye shall here a maruel Of a tale I shall you tell How in Egypt it befell And in that same countraye Some tyme ther dwelled a smyth that had bothe lande and lyth Many a plowman hym wyth By nyght and eke by day the smyth was a subtyll syer For well could he werke wyth the fyer what men of hym wolde desyer I tel you trouth by my fay He coude werke wyth a mall Many maner of metall Hym selfe mayster dyd he call wythouten any pere Moche boste gan he blowe And sayd he had no felowe that coud worke worth a strawe To hym ferre nor nere He called hym selfe the kynge wythout any leafynge Of all maner of cunnynge And of certes clere Tyll it befell vpon a day Our lorde came there away And thought the smyth to assay as ye shall after here For hys pompe and hys pryde That he blewe in eche syde Our lorde thought at that tyde His pryde should be layed As the smyth stode workynge To hym came our heauen kynge Now he that made all thynge Spede the he sayde He sayd I haue a thyng to make And thou wylt it vnder take And do for my sake Thou shalt be well payed the smyth sayd so mote I the tell on and let me se It shal be done full wyghtely wythin a lyttel brayed For I am mayster of all That smyteth wyth hamer or mall And so may thou me call I tell the for veray I sawe hym neuer wyth myne eye That could werke lyke I I tell the full truely By nyght ne by day Can thou make a yerde of stele To lede a blynde man wele Our lorde gan to say And make it so wyth thy mall That he shall neuer stomble ne ●all Than a mayster I wyll the call Syr by my fay The smyth than in a stody stode Sayde I trowe thou be wode Or els thou can but litle good To talke of suche a thynge And he be blynde he must nede Haue a felowe hym to lede That may se well in dede to kepe hym fro fallynge For and two blynd men together go Full oft they fall bothe two It must nedes be so they haue no manner of seynge Howe should a blynde dotarde walke wyth a blynd yarde If it be stele neuer so hard● It is but a very leasynge It were a lytell maystry To make a blynde man to se As suche a yerde truely wythouten any layne yes sayde our lorde that I can Make suche yerde certayne Or he that is an olde man to make hym yonge agayne The smyth sayd so mote I the I haue an olde quayne wyth me Myne olde beldame is she I tell the wythout any layne It is forty wynter and mo Syth on fote she dyd go And thou coud make her yonge so than wolde I be fayne Our lorde sayd where is she Anone let me her se And thou shalt se a maystre More than thou can the smyth sayd so mote I the I shall her fetche vnto the Anone than full wyghtely After her the smyth ranne And sayd dame slepest thou I am come for the thou mayest me trowe Thou shalt be made nowe Agayne a yonge woman He hent her vp than on hye Than set she forth a loude cry And sayd stronge thefe let me ly Thou art I trowe a madde man Lette me lye thou vnthryfty swayne She shall be made at a brayd Yonge now agayne the smyth blewe as god bed Tyll she was reed as a gled yet for all that dede Felt she no maner of payne The smith said now is she shent Bothe her eyen are out brent they wyl neuer be ment Our workes are all in vayne She hath had suche a hete She wyll neuer eat mete I haue blow on tyll I swete withouten any layne Our lorde sayd let me alone thou shalt se and that anone a full fayre woman Of thys olde wyght Our lord blessed her at a brayd and on the styth he her layd Take thy hamer he sayd Dame I shall the wake and make her now ryght wyth a hamer he her strake No bone of her he brake She was a byrd bryght Stand vp now lette me se Than at that worde rose she a fayre woman truely and semely vnto syght Our lord layd to the smyth She is sounde of lymme and lyth Nowe I haue made her on the styth wyth hamer and wyth mall Than was she loueseme of there Bright as blosome on brere None in Egypt her pere So fayre and so tall Her colour was clere She semed but thyrty yere She was whiter of lere Than bone is of whale than our lorde gan say Now is here a fayre may Smyth by night and by day thy mayster thou me call Now mayest thou se here in syght Hole and of lym lyght That was before an olde wyght Both croked fote and hande Gramercy syr sayd she For thou hast wrought on me It was a full great maystry As I vnderstande I was blynde nowe may I se Croked I was truely Now may I walke wyghtly My bales are vnbande Suche a smyth as thou art one I dare say here is none And a man shoulde gone Through out thys land For I dare say that thou can yf here wert a dead man Make hym on lyue anone with thy excelent maystry Than the smyth gan say Syr what shall I to the pay Or thou wende thy way thy craft to teche me Our lord sayd than to him againe that thou desyrest is all in vayne Thought thou woldest neuer so faine yet wyl it neuer be Thou shalt neuer yf thou wolde Make an yonge man of an olde Therfore be not to bolde Leest it do disceyue thee yet thou toldest me longe ere Thou were wysest man of leere that was knowen any where Other farre or els nere Farewell now and haue good day I must forthe wende on my iorney Into an other countrey Amonge many craftes there And leue thy bostes I rede the For I tell the now treuely Is none so wyse ne to sle But euer ye may som what lere

¶ The seconde fytte . NOw lysten syrs at a sent And ye wil nowe my tale tent How the smith his dame brent In the next fyt ye shall here whan our lorde was gone The smyth rathely and and anone Called on hys dame Ione And bad her com on fast A none she aunswered tho Thou wotest I may not go wherto cryest thou so Is thy wytte past I am croked and also lame And now to go it is no shame age doth me muche grame Me thynketh my bones brast Thou wotest well I may no se almost I am as blynde as a be And yf I bye me truely To fall I am agast The smyth hande on her layd Come forth dame he sayd thou shalt be made at a brayd younge and lusty agayne thy dame is yonge agayne I wys She is mended of her mysse Her rudde redder it is Than the rose is in rayne that is a lyequod she I fayth that wyl neuer be She is blynde of that one eye Her bones are vnbayne The smyth sayd lo she is here the swete dame that the bere She is louesome of there wythouten any layne Art thou my mother sayd she ye sayd she truely Than sayd she benedicite who hath made the thus anone to her gan she say I was made thus to daye wyth one that came by the waye Men call hys name Iesus Now truely than sayd she He hath amended well thy ble For yester day so mote I the thou were a foule sose Dame sayd the smyth tho I can make the yonde so Had I a fyre brennynge blo But now thou must helpe vs than the symth at a brayed A quarter of coles on he layed Let vs blowe nowe he sayed tyl all be on glede And thou shalt se dame in hy a crafte for the maystry Full fewe men can it but I I tel the trouthe in dede why what wylt thou do with me Dame brenne the sayd he Nay not so sayd she Chryst it for bede To brenne me were a shrewde game wottest not thou knaue whome I am Thefe I am thyne owne dame Euyll mote thou spede Traytour and thou brenne me Thou shalt be hanged on a tree My malyson I gyue thee woldest thou me slo God let thee neuer eate brede Woldest thou haue thy dam dede touche me not I thee rede For bothe thyne eyen two The fyrst tyme I thee see I wolde I had throtled thee Now thou woldest brenne me And werke me thys wo I tell thee by sweete saynt Iohn thou shalt haue my malyson But thy hamer anone thou cast thee fro Moche wo hast thou wrought I kept the when thou were nought Fostred and forth the brought Full oft dyd I make Dame sayd the smyth I trowe Olde shrewe it is for thy prowe that on thys wyse nowe yonge I shall thee make Anone se that thou shall Had I my hamer and mimall I wolde make the full tall And yonge I vndertake He layed hande on hit tho Than she spurnedat hym so that his shynnes bothe two In sonder she there brake Than the smyth began to stare And sayd daine god gyue the care what aylest thee thus to fare I trowe thou art wode yonge ful soone I can make thee And that anone thou shalt se I am waxen now full crafty I tell thee by the rode Thou spendest now and mai not pay Thou hast lyen full many a day By the wall for so the I thee say And can do no good Full fast the fyre gan he blow And sayd be thou neuer so throw I shal amende the sonne I trow Of bone and eke of bloud She sayde syr by saynt Ihone Of thy mendyng kepe Inone Therfore let me alone And touche me no more yes sayde he that I mote Come for the olde dote She catched hym by the throte That bloud out gan fate As he drew her nere She set her fote agaynst a spere And sayd thefe wylt thou me dere God gyue the care He cast her on the smythes stocke And than she hent hym by the locke And gaue hym many a great knocke She spared not the bare Euer she sporned wyth her fote In hande a hamer she gate And knocked hym aboue the pate the bloud gan out brast And she tapped at hym then Strong thefe she sayd I shal the ken thyne owne dame for to brenne She bette vpon him fast there she had welny Stryken out his one eye though the smyth bygge be Of her he was abasshed Stefly on her fete she stode and smote on him as she were wode the smyth ranne on reed blode All to rent and rasshed the smyth at a brayd wolde her in the fore haue layd Nay thefe tho she sayd Yet wyl I not come there Helpe some good man sayd she thys thefe wyl brenne me Anone than full myghtely She caught hym by the heer Of his lockes gan she pull Many great handfu●l Rent the skyn from the skull The pan gan appeare She sayd thefe lette me go wylt thou thy dame slo Loude out cryed she tho That many a man myght here the smyth than in hast water on the coles cast The fyre he blewe full fast and made it brenne full bryght The smyth angred wyth that Cast her in the fyre flat All way fast gan she scrat at hym wyth all her myght Into the fyre he her thrast and sayd I holde thy wytte past Olde shrowe at the l●st Thou shalt be newe dyght whan he had smored her in the smok Out of the fyre he her toke She had none eyen for to loke For lost was her syght He laide her on the stythe a longe and wyth an hamer he on throng that both her armes of spronge Than waxed he vnfayne and sayd so euer eate I meate thou shalt haue a better heate Mo coles gan he gete To blowe he was full fayne the fyre sparkeled and spronge He cast on water some tymes amonge and said yet I hope to make the yonge wythout any layne Than he heut her vp on hy And layed her on the stethy And hamered her strongely with strokes that were vngayne Fast on her he layed Waxe yong dame he sayd than bothe her legges at a brayd Fell sone her fro what euyll hayle sayd he wylt not thou yonge be Speke now let me se And say ones bo Than he toke her by the heed And sayd dame art thou deed Speke now in thys steed And say ye or els nay Though both thy legges be awai yet speke pardy thou may Say on dame I the pray Felest thou any wo Dame I haue lost on the Moche labour truely Now and thou deed be So fayre must me be fall Loud on her he can cry And sayde dame speke on hye Or by my trouth truely Brenne thee vp I shall what canst thou nothyng say I hold● thee deed by this day Her arm● anone he threw away Euen agaynst the wall And lyghtly his way he went than After Iesu fast he ran As he had ben a madde man And full fast kan hym call And sayd for saynt charyte Abyde nowe and speake wyth me But thou me helpe truely My cares are full colde My owne dame I haue slayne I wolde haue made her yonge agayne all my laboure was in vayne Her legges wolde not holde Our lorde sayd verament Hast thou thy dame brent He sayd lorde she is shent But yf thou helpe wolde Our lorde sayd go we full yare Yet I bad the longe care Of suche craft to beware And be not to bolde A good lorde sayd he I crye the hartely mercy I wolde haue wrought after the and learned of thy lore Sayd our lorde go thy way Now thou doest me pray I shall helpe that I maye Her for to restore A none as he her se He blessed her full fayrely And bad her stande vpon hy anone she rose vp there She semed younge and not olde Bryght as blossome her to beholde Fayrer by a thosand folde Than she was before She was whyte as a bone of whale Bryghter then be tall Than to the earth gan she fall And thanked god intere The smyth had good game And fetched forth hys beldame Than they all thre in same Kneled there in fere And helde vp theyr handes on hy And thanked god wyth all theyr myght That he had them so dyght And mended theyr chere Our lorde sayd to the smyth tho Loke thou brenne neuer mo For this craft I shal tel the Can thou neuer lere But here a poynt I gyue the The mayster shalt thou yet be Of all thy craft truely Wythout any delay What man of craft so euer be And he haue no helpe of the Thoughe he be neuer so sle warke not he may Than our lorde forth went And bad the smyth take good tent That he no me folke brent By nyght nor yet by day Our lorde thus forth gan go And left them togyther so and dyd many a meruayle mo In dyuers countreis He made many a croked ryght And gaue blynd men agayne theyr syght Dead men throughe hys myght He raysed full sone agayne Leprous made he clere Defe men for to here and other sycknesses in fere He heled them certayne all sycke men that to hym sought and to hym that were brought and loued lely in theyr thought And were losed of theyr paynt Pray we all to hym thys That suche a lordy is That he brynge vs to blys That neuer shall mys . Amen . ❀ Thus endeth the game How the smyth brent hys dame and after made agayne By our blessed lord