[6-text p 234] Apostle seith in his epistle [2700] ¶ The ioye of god / he [¶ Apostolus in epistola] seith is perdurable / that is to seyn euerelastynge [2701] ¶ Also troweþ and bileueth stedefastly / that he nys nat wel ynorissed ne wel ytaught that kan nat haue pacience / or wol nat receyue pacience; [2702] ffor Salomon seith [¶ Salomon] ¶ That the doctrine and the wit of a man / is knowen by pacience [2703] ¶ And in another place he seith ¶ that he that is pacient. gouerneth hym by greet prudence [2704] ¶ And the same Salomon seith The angry and wrathful man / maketh noyses / And the pacient man atempreth hem and stilleth [2705] ¶ He seith also / It is moore worth to be pacient than for to be right strong. [2706] And he that may haue the lordshipe of his owene herte / is moore to preyse / than he that by his force or strengthe taketh grete Citees [2707] ¶ And therfore / seith Seint Iame in his Epistle ¶ That pacience / is a greet vertu of [¶ Iacobus in epis|tola] perfeccion
[2708] ¶ Certes quod Melibee /. I graunte yow Dame [¶ Melibee] Prudence / that pacience / is a greet vertu of perfeccion / [2709] but euery man may nat haue the perfeccion þat ye seken / [2710] ne I nam nat of the nombre / of right par|fite men / [2711] for myn [folio 167a] herte / may neuere been in pees / vn-to the tyme it be venged / [2712] And al be it so that it was greet peril to myne enemys / to do me a vileynye / in takynge vengeance vp-on me /. [2713] yet tooken they noon heede of the peril / but fulfilleden / hir wikked wyl and hir corage [2714] ¶ And therfore / me thynketh men oghten nat repreue me / though I putte me in a litel peril for to venge me / [2715] And though .I. do a greet excesse / that is to seyn / that I venge oon outrage by another
[2716] A quod dame Prudence / ye seyn youre wyl / [¶ Prudence] and as yow liketh / [2717] but in no caas of the world / a man sholde nat doon outrage ne excesse / for to vengen hym [2718] ¶ ffor Cassidore seith ‖ That as yuele dooth [¶ Cassidorus] he that vengeth hym by outrage / as he that dooth the
