her brethern/ she kept her virginite/ But
assone as she wente for to see the strange Regyons. Anone she was
corrupt and defowled of the sone of sichem/ Seneca sayth that the women
that haue euyll visages ben gladly not chaste/ but theyr corage desireth
gladly the companye of men/ And Solynus saith that no bestes femellys
desyre to be towched of theyr males whan they haue conceyuyd/ Exept
woman whyche ought to be a best Raysonable/ And in thys caas she lefeth
her rayson/ And Sidrac wythnesseth the same And therfore in the olde
lawe/ the faders hadd dyuerce wyues and Ancellys to thende whan one was
wyth childe/ they myght take another/ They ought to haue the visage
enclyned for teschewe the fight of the men/ that by the fight they be
not meuyd with Incontynence and diffame of other/ And Ouyde sayth that
ther ben some That how well that they eschewe the dede/ yet haue they
grete Joye whan they ben prayed/ And therfore ought the good women flee
the curyositees and places wher they myght falle in blame and noyse
of the peple.

[Illustration]

_The fourth chapitre of the fourth book Is of the yssuynge of the
Alphyn._

The manere and nature of the draught of the Alphyn is suche/ that he
that is black in his propre fiege is sette on the right side of the
kynge/ And he that is whyt is sette on the lifte side/ And ben callyd
and named black and white/ But for no cause that they be so in subftance
of her propre colour/ But for the colour of the places in whiche they
ben sette/ And alleway be they black or white/ whan they ben sette in
theyr places/ the alphyn on the ryght syde/ goynge oute of his place to
the ryght sydeward comyth to fore the labourer/ And hit is reson that
the Iuge ought to deffende and kepe the labourers and possessions whiche
ben in his Iurisdiction by alle right and lawe/ And also he may goo on
the lyste syde to the wyde place to fore the phisicien/ For lyke as the
phisiciens haue the charge to hele the Infirmites of a man/ In lyke wyse
haue the Iuges charge to appese alle stryues and contencions and reduce
vnto vnyte/ And to punyfshe and correcte causes crymynels/ The lyste
alphyn hath also two wayes fro his owen place oon toward y'e right syde
vnto the black space voyde to fore the marchant/ For the marchants nede
ofte tymes counceylle and ben in debate of questions whiche muste be
determyned by the Iuges/ And that other yssue is vnto the place to fore
the rybauldis/ And that ys be caufe that ofte