verily that such defaults be not had ne found in the women born and dwelling in these parts ne regions of the world.  Socrates was a Greek, born in a far country from hence, which country is all of other conditions than this is, and men and women of other nature than they be here in this country.  For I wot well, of whatsoever condition women be in Greece, the women of this country be right good, wise, pleasant, humble, discreet, sober, chaste, obedient to their husbands, true, secret, steadfast, ever busy, and never idle, attemperate in speaking, and virtuous in all their works—­or at least should be so.  For which causes so evident my said Lord, as I suppose, thought it was not of necessity to set in his book the sayings of his author Socrates touching women.  But forasmuch as I had commandment of my said Lord to correct and amend where I should find fault, and other find I none save that he hath left out these dictes and sayings of the women of Greece, therefore in accomplishing his commandment—­forasmuch as I am not certain whether it was in my Lord’s copy or not, or else, peradventure, that the wind had blown over the leaf at the time of translation of his book—­I purpose to write those same sayings of that Greek Socrates, which wrote of the women of Greece and nothing of them of this royaume, whom, I suppose, he never knew; for if he had, I dare plainly say that he would have reserved them specially in his said dictes.  Always not presuming to put and set them in my said Lord’s book but in the end apart in the rehearsal of the works, humbly requiring all them that shall read this little rehearsal, that if they find any fault to arette it to Socrates, and not to me, which writeth as hereafter followeth.

Socrates said that women be the apparels to catch men, but they take none but them that will be poor or else them that know them not.  And he said that there is none so great empechement unto a man as ignorance and women.  And he saw a woman that bare fire, of whom he said that the hotter bore the colder.  And he saw a woman sick, of whom he said that the evil resteth and dwelleth with the evil.  And he saw a woman brought to the justice, and many other women followed her weeping, of whom he said the evil be sorry and angry because the evil shall perish.  And he saw a young maid that learned to write, of whom he said that men multiplied evil upon evil.  And he said that the ignorance of a man is known in three things, that is to wit, when he hath no thought to use reason; when he cannot refrain his covetise; and when he is governed by the counsel of women, in that he knoweth that they know not.  And he said unto his disciples:  “Will ye that I enseign and teach you how ye shall now escape from all evil?” And they answered, “Yea.”  And then he said to them, “For whatsoever thing that it be, keep you and be well ware that ye obey not women.”  Who answered to him again, “And what sayest thou by our good mothers, and of our sisters?” He said to them, “Suffice