L’en deit, ki puet, le mal changer,

Pur milz aveir le pis laissier,

Faire saveir, gurpir folie,

Car co n’est pas novelerie,

Ki change pur sei amender

U pur sei de mal us oster;

Mais maint en sun cuer sovent change

Et quide troveir en l’estrange

Ce qu’il ne puet en sun prive:

Ce lui diverse sun pense;

Co qu’il n’ont volent assaier

Et en apres lor apaier.

E les dames faire le solent:

Laissent co qu’unt pur co que volent;

Asaient cum poent venir

A lor voleir, a lor desir.

Ne sai certes que jo en die,

Mais trop aiment novelerie

Homes et femmes ensement,

Car trop par changent lor talent

E lor desir e lor voleir

Cuntre raisun, cuntre poeir. (Tristran, lines 328–49)

[If possible, a man ought to exchange the bad,

forsake what is worse for what is better,

act wisely and abandon foolish ways,

for there is no fckleness involved

in changing so as to better oneself

or in order to escape from wicked ways.

Yet many have a change of heart,

who think to fnd in others

what they cannot fnd in themselves;

this sets their minds on diferent paths.

Tey want to try out what they have not

and seek to add it to what they have.

And this is what ladies commonly do,

they leave what they have for what they fancy,

seeking to fnd a way

to attain their wish and their desire.

In truth, what can I say,

except that men and women equally

are too attracted by novelty,

for they are too inclined to change their minds,

their desires and their wishes,

impossibly, and against all reason.]