which a womman may in no lasse synne assemble with hir gossib, than with hire oune fleishly fader or brother. The fifte species is thilke abhominable synne, of which that no man scarce oughte to speke ne write, natheles it is openly rehersed in holy wryt. But though that holy writ speke of horrible synne, certes holy writ may not be defouled, no more than the sonne that shyneth on a dongehul. Another synne appertieneth to lecchery, that cometh in sleping, and this synne cometh ofte to them that ben maydenes, and eek to them that ben corrupte; and this synne men clepen pollucioun, that cometh in foure maners; som tyme it cometh of languisschynge of the body, for the humours ben too rank and too abundaunt in the body of man; som tyme of infirmité, for the feblenesse of the vertu retentyf, as phisik maketh mencioun; and some tyme for surfete of mete and drynke; som tyme of vileins thoughtes that ben enclosed in mannes mynde whan he goth to slepe, whiche may not ben withoute synne; fro whiche a man moste kepe him wisely, or elles may men synne grevously.

Remedium Contra Luxuriam

Now cometh the remedye against lecchery, and that is generally chastité and continence that restreyneth alle the disordeigne movynges that comen of fleishly talentes; and ever the gretter meryt shal he have that most restreyneth fires of ordure of this synne; and this is in tuo maneres; that is to sayn, chastité of mariage, and chastite of widewhede. Now shalt thou understonde, that matrimoigne is leful assemblynge of man and womman, that receyven by virtu of this sacrement the bond thurgh which thay maye not be departid in al there lif, that is to saye, while thay lyven bothe. This, as saith the boke, is a ful gret sacrement: God makid it (as I have said) in Paradis, and wolde himself be born in mariage; and for to hallow mariage he was at the weddyng wher as he turnede watir into wyn, which was the firste miracle that he wrought in erth biforn his disciples. The trewe effect of mariage clensith fornicacioun, and replenishith holy chirche of good lynage, for that is the ende of mariage, and it chaungith dedly synne into venyal synne bituixe them that be weddid, and maketh the hertes al one, as wel as the bodyes. This is verray mariage that was first blessed by God, ere that the synne bigan, whan naturel lawe was in his righte poynt in Paradis: and it was ordeyned, that oon man shulde have but oon womman, and oon womman but oon man, as saith seint Augustyn, by many resouns. First, for mariage is figured bitwixe Crist and holy chirche; another is, for a man is heed of a womman (algate by ordinaunce it shulde be so); for if a womman hadde mo men than oon, than shulde she have mo hedes than oon, and that were an horrible thing biforn God; and eek a womman myghte nought please many folk al at oones; and also ther shulde never be pees and rest among them, for everich wolde aske his oune thing. And fortherover, no man shulde knowe his oune engendrure, nor who shulde have his heritage, and the womman sholde be the lasse loved fro the tyme that she were joyned to many men.

Now cometh how that a man shuldebere him with his wif, and namely in tuo thinges, that is to sayn, in sufferaunce and in reverence, and that shewede Crist when he made first womman. For he made hire not of the heed of Adam, for she shulde not to gret lordschipe have; for ther as the womman hath the maistry, she makith too moche disaray; ther needith noon ensample of this, the experience that we have day by day oughte to suffice. Also certes, God made nought womman of the foot of Adam, for she ne sholde nought be holden too lowe, for she can not paciently suffre. But God made womman of the ribbe of Adam, for womman shulde be felawe unto man. Man shulde bere him to his wif in faith, in trouthe, and in love; as saith seint Poule, that a man shulde love his wif, as Crist loved holy chirche, that loved it so wele that he deyede for it; so shulde a man for his wyf, if it were neede.

Now how that a womman shulde be subject to hir housbonde, that tellith seint Peter; first in obedience. And eek, as saith the decré, a womman that is a wif, as longe as she is a wif, she hath noon auctorité to swere nor to bere witnesse, withoute leve of hir housbonde, that is hir lord; algate he shulde be so by resoun. She shulde eek serve him in al honesté, and be temperate of hir array. I wot wel that thay shulde sette there entent to please their housbondes, but nought by there quaintness of array. Seint Jerom saith, that wyves that ben arrayed in silk and in purpre, can nought clothe them in Jhesu Crist. Loke what saith saint Johan eek in the same matier. Seint Gregori saith eek, that no wight sekith precious clothing nor array, but oonly for veynglorie to be honoured the more biforn the poeple. It is a gret folly, a womman to have fair array outward, and hirsilf to be foul in-ward. A wyf shulde eek be mesurable in