



Produced by David Starner, Louise Hope and the PG Online Distributed
Proofreading Team.









[Transcriber's Note: With the exception of hyphenation at the end of
lines, the text version preserves the line breaks of the original;
the html version has been treated similar to drama and starts a new
paragraph for each change of speaker. An illustration of the title
page is included to give an impression of the original.]




                         A mery Dia-
               logue, declaringe the propertyes
                  of shrowde shrewes, and ho-
                 nest wyues, not onelie verie
                  pleasaunte, but also not a
                    lytle profitable: made
                     by ye famous clerke
                         D. Erasmus.
                          Roteroda-
                             mus.

                       Translated into
                          Englyshe.

                        Anno. M.CCCCC.
                            LVII.




  Eulalia. God spede, & a thousand mine old
  acqueintance. xantippa. xan. As many agayn, my dere
  hert. Eulalia. me semets ye ar waren much faire now
  of late. Eula. Saye you so? gyue you me a mocke at the
  first dash. xan. Nay veryly but I take you so. Eula.
  Happely mi new gown maketh me to loke fayrer then I
  sholde doe. xan. Sothe you saye, I haue not sene a
  mynioner this many dayes, I reken it Englishe cloth.
  Eu. It is english stuff and dyed in Venis. xan. It is
  softer then sylke what an oriente purpel colore here is
  who gaue you so rich a gift. Eu. How shoulde honeste
  women come by their gere? but by their husbandes.
  xan. Happy arte thou that hathe suche an husband, but
  I wolde to god for his passyon, that I had maryed an
  husband of clowts, when I had maried col my good man.
  Eula. Why say ye so. I pray you, are you at oddes now.
  xan. I shal neuer be at one with him ye se how
  beggerly I go. I haue not an hole smock to put on my
  backe, and he is wel contente with all: I praye god I
  neuer come in heuen & I be not ashamed oftimes to shewe
  my head, when I se other wiues how net and trim they go
  that ar matched with farre porer men then he is.
  Eula. The apparell of honest wiues is not in the aray
  of the body, nor in the tirements of their head as
  saynte Peter the apostle teacheth vs (and that I
  learned a late at a sermon) but in good lyuynge and
  honest conuersacion and in the ornamentes of the soule,
  the common buenes ar painted up, to please manye
  mennes eies we ar trime ynough yf we please our
  husbands only. xan. But yet my good man so euyll
  wylling to bestow ought vpon his wyfe, maketh good
  chere, and lassheth out the dowrye that hee hadde with
  mee no small pot of wine. Eulaly, where vpon? xantipha,
  wheron hym lykethe beste, at the tauerne, at the stewes
  and at the dyce. Eulalia Peace saye not so. xan. wel
  yet thus it is, then when he commeth home to me at
  midnight, longe watched for, he lyeth rowtyng lyke a
  sloyne all the leue longe nyght, yea and now and then
  he all bespeweth his bed, and worse then I will say at
  this tyme. Eulali. Peace thou dyshonesteth thy self,
  when thou doest dishonesteth thy husband. xantip. The
  deuyl take me bodye and bones but I had leuer lye by a
  sow with pigges, then with suche a bedfelowe. Eulali.
  Doest thou not then take him vp, wel favoredly for
  stumbling. Xantip. As he deserueth I spare no tonge.
  Eulalia. what doth he then. xantip. At the first
  breake he toke me vp vengeably, trusting that he
  shoulde haue shaken me of and put me to scilence with
  his crabid wordes. Eula Came neuer your hote wordes
  vnto handstrokes. xantip. On a