[6-text p 211] many a good womman / may men telle [2293] ¶ And moore ouer / whan þat oure lord / hadde creat Adam oure forme fader / he seyde in this wise / [2294] It is nat goode to be / a man allone / make we to hym an help / semblable to hym self / [2295] ¶ Heere may ye se / þat if þat wommen were nat goode / & hir conseil / good & profitable / [2296] oure lord god of heuene / wolde neither han wroght hem / ne called hem help of man / but rather / confusion of man ‖ [2297] And ther seyde ones a clerk in two vers [[Note at bottom of leaf 219:— Auro quid melius./ iaspis; quid iaspis. sensus. Sensu quid./ Mulier; quid Muliere./ nichil;] ¶ What is bettre than gold / Iaspre / What is bettre than Iaspre / wisdom ‖ [2298] And what is bettre than wisdom / Womman / and what is bettre than good Womman / no thyng [2299] ¶ And sire / by manye of othere resons may ye seen / þat manye wommen ben goode / & hir conseil good & profitable; [2300] And ther fore sire / if ye wol truste to my conseil / I shal restore yow youre doghter / hool & sound / [2301] and eek / I wol doon to yow so muche / þat ye shul haue honour in this cause;
[2302] ¶ Whan Melibe hadde herd the wordes / of his wyf Prudence / he seyde thus [2303] ¶ I se wel / þat the word of Salomon / is sooth ‖. he seith / þat wordes þat ben spoken discretly by ordinance / beth honycombes / for they yeue swetnesse to the soule / & holsomnesse to the body ‖ [2304] And wyf / by cause of the swete [folio 220a] wordes / and eek for I haue assayed & preued / thy grete sapience & thy grete trouthe / I wol gouerne me by thy conseil / in alle thyng
[2305] ¶ Now sire / quod dame Prudence / and syn ye vouche sauf/ to been gouerned by my conseil / I wol enforme yow / how ye shal gouerne yow self/ in chesynge of youre conseilours [2306] ¶ Ye shal first in alle youre werkes / mekely biseken to the heighe god / þat he wol be youre conseillour / [2307] & shapeth yow to swich entente / þat he yeue yow conseil / & confort as taughte Thobie his sone ‖ [2308] At alle tymes / thow shalt blesse
