The Cambridge ms. Dd. 4. 24. of Chaucer's Canterbury tales, completed by the Egerton ms. 2726 (the Haistwell ms) Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall ...

[6-text p 168]

¶ Here bigynneth the Shipmans tale / next folwyng the Pardoner [folio 150b]

AMarchaunt whilom dwelled / at seynt Denys Line 1191 That riche was / for which men helde him wys A wyf he hadde / of excellent beaute And compaignable / and reuelous was she Which is a thyng / that causeth more dispence Than worth is / al the chere and reuerence Line 1196 That men hem doon / at festes and at daunces Swich salutacions / and countenaunces Passen / as doth a shadewe / vp-on the wal But woo is him / that paien moot for al Line 1200 The sely housbond / algate he mot paie he moot vs clothe / and he moot vs arraie Al for his owene worshipe / richely In which array / we dauncen iolily Line 1204 And if that be nought may / perauenture Or elles lust nat / swich dispence endure But thynketh / it is wasted and I-lost Thanne moot another / paien for oure cost Line 1208 Or leue vs gold / and that is perilous This noble Marchaunt / held a worthy hous ffor which he hadde alday / so gret repair ffor his largesse / and for his wyf was fair Line 1212 That wonder is / but herkeneth to my tale Amonges alle theise gestes / grete and smale There was a Monk / a fair man and a bold I trowe a thretty wynter / he was old Line 1216 That euere in oon / was drawyng to that place This ȝonge Monk / that was so fair of face

[6-text p 169] Aqueynted was so / with the goode man Sithe that here first / knewelich / bygan Line 1220 That in his hous / as familier was he As it is possible / any frend to be And for as mechel / as this goode man And eke this Monk / of which that I bigan Line 1224 Were bothe two I-born / in oo village The Monk him cleymeth / as for cosynage And he ageyn / he seith nat oones nay But was as glad ther-of / as foule of day Line 1228 ffor to his herte / it was a gret plesaunce Thus ben they knyt / with eterne alliaunce And eche of hem / gan other for to assure Of bretherhede / while that here lif may dure Line 1232 ¶ ffree was daun Iohn / and namely of dispence As in that hous / and ful of diligence [folio 151a] To doon plesaunce / and also gret costage he nought for-gat / to ȝeue the leest page Line 1236 In al that hous / but after here degree he ȝaf the lord / and sithen al his meyne Whan that he coom / som manere honest thyng ffor which they were as glad / of his comyng Line 1240 As foule is fayn / whan that the sonne vp risith No more of this as now / for it suffisith ¶ But so byfel / this Marchaunt on a day Shope him / to make redy / his array Line 1244 Toward the Toun of Brugges / for to fare To byen there / a porcion of ware ffor which he hath / to Parys sent anon A messager / and preyed hath daun Iohn Line 1248 That he shulde come / to Seynt Denys and pleye With him and with his wyf / a day or tweye Er he to Brugges wente / in alle wyse ¶ This noble monk / of which I ȝow deuyse Line 1252 hath of his Abbot / as him list / licence By-cause he was a man / of heigh prudence

[6-text p 170] And eke an officere / out for to ride To sen here graunges / and here Bernes wyde Line 1256 And vn-to seynt Denys / he cometh a-non who was so welcome / as my lord Daun Iohn Oure dere Cosyn / ful of curtesie With him broughte he / a Iubbe of Maluesie Line 1260 And eke a-nother / ful of fyn vernage And volatil / as ay was his vsage And thus / I lete hem / ete and drynke / and pleye This Marchaunt and this Monk / a day or tweye Line 1264 ¶ The thridde day / this Marchaunt vp arisith And on hise nedes / sadly him auysith And vp in-to his Countour hous / goth he To rekene with him self / wel may be Line 1268 Of thilke ȝer / how that it with him stod And how that he / dispended had his good And if that he / encressed were or noon hise bookes / and hise bagges many oon Line 1272 he leith biforn him / on his countyngbord fful riche was his tresor / and his hord ffor which ful faste / his countour dore he shette And eke he nolde / that noman shulde him lette Line 1276 Of hise acountes / for the mene tyme And thus he sit / til it was passed prime [folio 151b] Daun Iohn was risen / in the morwe also And in the Gardyn / walketh to and froo Line 1280 And hath hise thynges seid / ful curteisly ¶ This goode wyf cam walkyng / preuyly In-to the Gardyn / there he walketh softe And him salueth / as she hath don ofte Line 1284 A maide child / cam in hire compaignye Which as hire liste / she may gouerne and gye ffor ȝet vnder the ȝerde / was the mayde O deere Cosyn myn / daun Iohn she seyde Line 1288 What eileth ȝow / so rathe for to rise ¶ Nece quod he / it oughte I-now suffise

[6-text p 171] ffyue houres for to slepe / vp-on a nyght But it were / for an old / appalled wyght Line 1292 As ben theise wedded men / that lye and dare As in a fourme / syt a wery hare wete al forstraught / with houndes grete and smale But deere nece / why be ȝe so pale Line 1296 I trowe certes / that oure goode man hath ȝow laboured / sith the nyght bigan That ȝow were nede / to resten hastily And with that word / he low ful merily Line 1300 And of his owne thought / he wex al reed ¶ This faire wyf / gan for to shake hire hed And seide thus / Ȝa god wot al quod she Nay Cosyn myn / it stant nat so with me Line 1304 ffor by that god / that ȝaf me soule and lyf In al the Reame of ffraunce / is there no wyf That lasse lust hath / to that sory pley ffor I may synge allas / and weylawey Line 1308 That I was born / but to no wyght quod she Dar I nat telle / how that it stant with me Wherfore I thynke / out of this lond to wende Or elles / of my self / to make an ende Line 1312 So ful am I of drede / and eke of care ¶ This monk bigan / vp-on this wyf to stare And seide allas my Nece / god forbede That ȝe for any sorwe / or any drede Line 1316 ffor-do ȝoure self / but telle me ȝoure grief Parauenture / I may in ȝoure myschief Counseile or helpe / and therfore telleth me Al ȝoure anoye / for it shal ben secree Line 1320 ffor on my Portos / I make an oth [folio 152a] That neuere in my lyf / for lief ne looth Ne shal I of no counseile / ȝow bewreye ¶ The same ageyn quod she / to ȝow I seye Line 1324 By god and by this Portos / I swere Though men me wolde / al in peces tere

[6-text p 172] Ne shal I neuere / for to gon to helle Bywreye a word / of thyng that ȝe me telle Line 1328 Nought for no Cosynage / ne alliaunce But verrayly for loue / and affiaunce ¶ Thus ben they sworn / and here-vp-on they kiste And eche of hem / told other what hem liste Line 1332 Cosyn quod she / if that I hadde a space As I haue noon / and / namely in this place Thanne wolde I telle / a legende of my lif What I haue suffred / sithe I was a wyf Line 1336 with myn housbonde / al be he ȝoure Cosyn ¶ Nay quod this Monk / by god and Seynt Martyn he is no more / Cosyn vn-to me Than is this lef / that hangeth on the tre Line 1340 I clepe him so / by Seynt Denys of ffraunce To han the more cause / of aqueyntaunce Of ȝow / which I haue loued specialy Abouen alle wommen / sikerly Line 1344 This swere I ȝow / on my professioun Telleth ȝoure grief / lest that he come a-doun And hasteth ȝow / and goth a-wey a-noon ¶ My dere loue quod she / o myn Daun Iohn Line 1348 fful lief were me / this counseil for to hide But out it mot / I may no lengere a-bide Myn husbonde is to me / the werst man That euere was / sithe that the world bygan Line 1352 But sithe I am a wif / it syt nat me To tellen no wyght / of oure pryuyte Neither a-bedde / ne in noon other place God shilde I shulde it telle / for his grace Line 1356 A wif ne shal nat seyn / of hire housbonde But al honour / as I can vnderstonde Saue vn-to ȝow / thus meche I tellen shal As helpe me god / he is nought worth at al Line 1360 In no degree / the value of a flye But ȝet me greueth moste / his nygardye

[6-text p 173] And wel ȝe wot / that wommen naturely Desiren thynges / sexe / as wel as I Line 1364 They wolden that here / housbondes / shulden be [folio 152b] hardy and wyse / and riche / and ther-to free And buxome vn-to his wyf / and fressh a-bedde But by that ilke lord / that for vs bledde Line 1368 ffor his honour / my self for to arraye A Sonday next / I mot nedes paye An hundred ffrankes / or elles am I lorn Ȝet were me leuere / that I were vnborn Line 1372 Than me were don a sclaundre / or vyleynye And if myn housbonde eke / myght it espie I nere but lost / and therfore I ȝow preye lene me this somme / or elles mot I deye Line 1376 Daun Iohn I seye / lene me this hondred frankes Parde / I wyl nought fayle ȝow / my thankes If that ȝow list / to don that I ȝow preye ffor at a certeyn day / I wol ȝow paye Line 1380 And do to ȝow / what plesaunce & seruyse That I may don / right as ȝow list deuyse And but I do / god take on me vengeaunce As foul as euere had / Geneloun of ffraunce Line 1384 ¶ This gentil Monk / answered in this manere Now trewely / myn owen lady deere I haue quod he on ȝow / so gret a routhe That I ȝow swere / & plight ȝow my trouthe Line 1388 That whan ȝoure housbonde / is to flaundreȝ fare I wol delyuere ȝow / out of this care ffor I wol brynge ȝow / an hondred ffrankes And with that word / he caught hire by the flankes Line 1392 And hire embraceth hard / and kist hire oft Goth now ȝoure wey quod he / al stille and soft And lat vs dyne / as sone as that ȝe may ffor by my Chilyndre / it is prime of day Line 1396 Goth now & beth as trewe / as I shal be ¶ Now elles god forbede / Sire quod she

[6-text p 174] And forth she goth / as Ioly as a Pie And bad the Cokes / that they shulde hem hye Line 1400 So that men myght dyne / and that a-noon vp to hire husbonde / is this wyf I-gon And knokkith at his Countour dore / boldly Who is there quod he / Petir it am I [¶ qy la] Line 1404 Quod she / what sire how longe wol ȝe faste how longe tyme / wil ȝe rekne and caste Ȝoure sommes / & ȝoure bokes / & ȝoure thynges The deuele haue part / on alle swich rekenynges Line 1408 Ȝe han I-now parde / of goddis sonde Come doun to-day / and late ȝoure bagges stonde [folio 153a] Ne be ȝe nat a-shamed / that Daun Iohn Shal fastynge al this day / elenge goon Line 1412 What late vs heere a masse / and go we dyne Wyf quod this man / litel canstow deuyne The curious besynesse / that we haue ffor of vs chapmen / also god me saue Line 1416 And by that lord / that cleped is Seynt Yue Scarsly a-monges twewe / ten shuln thryue Contynuely lastyng / vn-to oure age We moun wel make chiere / and good visage Line 1420 And dryue forth the world / as it may be And kepen oure estat / in pryuetee Til we be ded / or elles that we pleye A Pilgrimage / or gon out of the weye Line 1424 And therfore haue I / gret necessite vp-on this queynt world / to auyse me ffor euere mot we / stonde in drede Of hap and fortune / in oure chapmanhede Line 1428 To fflaundres wol I go / to morwe at day And come ageyn as sone / as euere I may ffor which my deere wyf / I the byseke As be to euery wyght / buxome & meke Line 1432 And for to kepe oure good / be curious And honestly gouerne wel / our hous

[6-text p 175] Thow hast I-now / in euery manere wyse That to a thrifty houshold / may suffise Line 1436 The lakketh noon array / ne no vitaille Of siluer in thy purs / shaltow not faille And with that word / his Countour dore he shette And doun he goth / no lengere wold he lette Line 1440 But hastily / a masse / was there seyde And spedily the tables / were I-leyde And to the dynere / faste they hem spedde And richely this monk / the Chapman fedde Line 1444 ¶ At after dyner / Daun Iohn sobrely This Chapman toke a-part / and preuyly he seid him thus / Cosyn it stondith so That wel I se / to Brugges wyl ȝe go Line 1448 God and seynt Austyn / spede ȝow and gyde I preye ȝow Cosyn / wysely that ȝe ride Gouerneth ȝow also / of ȝoure dyete Atemprely / and namely in this hete Line 1452 By-twixt vs two / nedeth no straunge fare [folio 153b] ffare wel Cosyn / god shilde ȝow from care And if that any thyng / by day or nyght If it be in my power / and my myght Line 1456 That ȝe me wol comaunde / in any wyse It shal be don / right as ȝe wol deuyse But oo thyng or that ȝe gon / if it may be I wolde preye ȝow / for to lene me Line 1460 An hondred ffrankes / for a weke or tweye ffor certeyne bestes / that I must beye To store with a place / that is oures God helpe me so / I wolde it were ȝoures Line 1464 I shal nat faile surely / of my day Nat for a thousand frankes / a myle way But lat this thyng be secree / I ȝow preye ffor ȝet to nyght / theise bestes mot I beye Line 1468 And fare now wel / myn owen Cosyn deere Graunt mercy of ȝoure cost / and of ȝoure chere

[6-text p 176] ¶ This noble Marchaunt / gentilly a-noon Answered and seide / o Cosyn myn / Daun Iohn Line 1472 Now sekirly / this is a smal request My gold is ȝoures / whan that it ȝow lest And nat oonly my gold / but my chaffare Take what ȝow lest / god shilde that ȝe spare Line 1476 But o thyng is this / ȝe knowen it wel I-now Of chapmen / that here moneye is here plow We moun creaunce / whil we han a name But goldlees for to ben / it is no game Line 1480 Paie it a-geyn / whan it lith in ȝoure ese After my myght / ful fayn wyl I ȝow plese Theise hondred frankes / he fette forth a-noon And priuely he toke hem / to Daun Iohn Line 1484 No wight in al this world / wist of this lone Sauyng this Marchaunt / and Daun Iohn allone They drynke and speke / & rome awhile and pleye Til that Daun Iohn / rideth to his Abbeye Line 1488 ¶ The morwe cam / and forth this Marchaunt rideth To fflaundres ward / his prentys wel him gydeth Til he come in-to Brugges / merily Now goth this Marchaunt / faste and bisily Line 1492 A-boute hise nedes / and byeth and creaunceth he neither pleyeth atte dees / ne daunceth But as a Marchaunt / shortly for to telle he ledeth his lyf / and there I lete him dwelle Line 1496 ¶ The Sonday next the Marchaunt was a-gon [folio 154a] To Seynt Denys / I-comen is Daun Iohn With crovne and berd al fressh / and newe I-shaue In al the hous / there nas so litel a knaue Line 1500 Ne no wight elles / that he nas ful fayne That my lord Daun Iohn / was come a-gayne And shortly to the poynt / right for to gon This faire wyf acorded / with Daun Iohn Line 1504 That for this hondred frankes he shulde al nyght haue hire in hise armes / bolt vp-right

[6-text p 177] And this a-cord / performed was in dede In myrthe al nyght / a besy lif they lede Line 1508 Til it was day / that Daun Iohn went his way And bad the meyne / fare wel haue good day ffor noon of hem / ne no wight in the toun hath of Daun Iohn / right no suspeccioun Line 1512 And forth he rideth home / to his Abbeye Or where him list / no more of him I seye ¶ This Marchaunt / whan that ended was the feire To Seynt Denys / he gan for to repeire Line 1516 And with his wyf / he maketh feste and chere And telleth hire / that chaffare is so dere That nedes must he make / a cheuysaunce ffor he was bounde / in a reconysaunce Line 1520 To paie twenty thousand sheldes / a-noon ffor which this Marchaunt / is to Parys gon To borwe of certeyne frendes / that he hadde A certeyne frankes / & some with him he ladde Line 1524 And whan that he was come / in-to the Toun ffor gret chierte / and gret affeccion Vn-to Daun Iohn / he first goth him to pleye Nat for to axe / or borwe of him moneye Line 1528 But for to wyte / and sen of his welfare And for to tellen him / of his chaffare As frendes doon / when they ben met I-fere Daun Iohn him maketh feest / and mery chiere Line 1532 And he him told ageyn / ful specialy how he had wel I-bought / and graciously Thanked by god / al hool his marchandise Saue that he must / in al manere of wyse Line 1536 Maken a cheuysaunce / as for his beste And thanne he shulde / ben in ioye & reste Daun Iohn answerde / certes I am fayn That ȝe in hele / ar comen hom a-geyn [folio 154b] Line 1540 And if that I were riche / as haue I blisse Of twenty thousand sheldes / shuld ȝe nat mysse

[6-text p 178] ffor ȝe so kyndely / this other day lent me gold / and as I can and may Line 1544 I thanke ȝow by god / and by Seynt Iame But nathelees / I toke vn-to our dame Ȝoure wyf at hom / the same gold a-geyn vp-on ȝoure benche / she wot it wel certeyn Line 1548 By certeyne tokenes / that I can ȝow telle Now by ȝoure leeue / I may no lengere dwelle Oure Abbot wyl out / of this toun a-noon And in his compaignye / mot I gon Line 1552 Grete wel oure dame / myn owne nece swete And fare wel dere Cosyn / til we mete This Marchaunt / which that was / ful war & wys Creaunced hath / and paied eke in Parys Line 1556 To certeyn lumbardes / redy in here hond The somme of gold / and gat of hem his bond [¶ id est obli|gacionem] And home he goth mirie / as a Popingay ffor wel he knew / he stod in swich array Line 1560 That nedes must he wynne / in that viage A thousand frankes / a-boue al his costage his wyf ful redy mette him / atte gate As she was wont / of olde vsage algate Line 1564 And al that nyght / in myrthe they ben sette ffor he was riche / and clerely out of dette ¶ Whan it was day / this Marchaunt gan embrace his wyf al newe / and kist hire on hire face Line 1568 And vp he goth / and maketh it ful tough Nomore quod she / by god ȝe han I-now And wantounly a-geyn / with him she pleide Till atte laste / this Marchaunt seide Line 1572 By god quod he / I am a litel wroth With ȝow my wyf / al-though it me be loth And wot ȝe why / by god as that I gesse That ȝe han made / a manere straungenesse Line 1576 Bitwixen me / and my Cosyn / Daun Iohn Ȝe shulde han warned me / or I had gon

[6-text p 179] That he ȝow hadde / an hondred frankes paid By redy tokene / and held him euele a-paid Line 1580 ffor that I to him spak / of cheuysaunce Me semed so / as by his countenaunce But nathelees / by god oure heuene kyng [leaf 155 gone] Line 1583 [I thought to aske of hym / no thing/ [Egerton, on leaf 176] I pray the wyf / ne do no more soo / Tell me all-wey / or that I from the go Yf ony dettour / hath in myn absence Y-paied the / lest thurgh thy necligence Line 1588 I myght hym axe / a thyng / that he hath payed. This wyf / was nat / afferd / ne affrayed. But boldely she seid / and that anon [Eg. 2726 folio 176b] Marie I defye the fals monk dan Iohn Line 1592 I kepe nat of his tokenes / neuere a dele He toke me certein gold / this wote I wele What euyll thedom / on his monkes snoute For god it wote / I wend withouten doute Line 1596 That he had yeve / it me / by cause of you / To don there-with myn honour / and my prow For Cosinage / and eke for bele chere That he hath hade / full of tymes here Line 1600 But setth I se / I stonde in this disioynt/ I woll you answere / shortly to þe poynt/ Ye han mo slakker dettours / þan am I For I woll paye you / wele and redily Line 1604 From daye to daye / and yf so be I faile I am your wyf / score it vp on my taill/ And I shall paye / as sone / as euere I may For by my trouth / I haue on myn array Line 1608 And nat on wast bestowed euery dele And for I haue bestowed it so wele For your honour / for goddes sake I sey As beth nat wroth / but let vs laugh and pley Line 1612 Ye shull my ioly body / han to wedd By god I woll nat paye you but a-bedde

[6-text p 180] Foryeve it me / myn owen spouse dere Turne hiderward / and maketh better chere Line 1616 This Merchaunt sawe / ther was no remedye And for to chide / it were but folye Seth that the thyng/ may nat amended be Now wyf he seid/ and I foryeve it the Line 1620 But by thy lyf/ ne be no more so large Kepe bet thy gode / this yeve I the in charge Thus endeth my tale / and god vs send. Taillyng ynough / vn-to our lyves end. Line 1624

Here endeth the Shipmannes tale

[6-text p 181]

and the Hoost begynneth to speke

Wele seid by Corpus Dominus / koth our Hoost/. [Eg. 2726 folio 177a] Now long mot þou saill/ by the coost/ Sire gentill Maister / gentill Marynere God yeve the Monk / a thousand last quadyere Line 1628 A ha felawes / beth ware / of soch a iape The monk put / in the mannes hode an ape And in his wyfes eke / by seint Austyn Draweth monkes no more vn-to your in Line 1632 But now passe ouere / and let vs seke about/ Who shall now tell first/ of all this rout/ Another tale / and with that worde he seid. As curteisly / as it hade ben a meid. Line 1636 My lady Prioresse / by your leue So that I wist/ I shold you nat agreve I wold deme / that ye tellen shold A tale next/ yf so were that ye wold Line 1640 Now woll ye vouche it saaf/ my lady dere Gladly koth she / and seid as ye shull here

[6-text p 182]

Here begynneth þe Prioresse prolog of Dominus dominus noster [[No gaps in the MS. between the stanzas.]]

¶ O Lord our lord / thy name / How merveilous Is in this large world ysprad koth she For nat onely thy laude / precious Perfourmed is / by men of dignitee Line 1646 But by the mouth of children thy bountee Perfourmed is / for on the brest soukyng Som tyme / shewen they / thyn herying Line 1649

¶ Wherfore in laud / as I best can or may Of the / and of the white lilly flour Which that the bare / and is a maide all-way To tell a storie I woll do my labour Line 1653 Nought that I may encrece hir honour For she hir-self/ is honour and þe rote Of bounte next hir son / and soules bote Line 1656

¶ O moder maide / o maide moder free O bussh vnbrent/ brennyng in Moises sight/. That ravysshedest doun / from the deitee [Eg. 2726 folio 177b] Thurgh thyn humblesse / the gost þat in the light/ Line 1660 Of whos vertue / whan he thy goost light/ Conceyued was / the faders sapience Helpe me to tell it/ in thy reuerence] [[Eg. 2726 ends]]

Lady thyn bountee / thyn magnificence [folio 156a] Thy vertu / and thyn gret humylitee There may no tonge expresse / in no science ffor som tyme lady / or men preyen to the Line 1667 Thow gost biforn / of thyn benygnytee And getest vs the light / of thyn preyere To gyden vs / vn-to thy sone so deere Line 1670

[6-text p 183] Line 1670

¶ My konnyng is so weyke / o blisful Quene ffor to declare / thyn gret worthynesse That I ne may / the weight nat sustene But as a child / of twelmoneth old or lasse Line 1674 That can vnethe / any word expresse Right so fare I / & therfore I ȝow preye Gydeth my song / that I shal of ȝow seye Line 1677

¶ Here bigynneth the Prioresse hire Tale

There was in Assye / in a gret Citee A-monges cristene folk / a Iewerie Sustened by a lord / of that contree Line 1680 ffor foul vsure / and lucre of vilenye [turpe lucrum] Hateful to crist / and to his compaignye And thurgh this strete / men myght ride or wende ffor it was free / and open at either ende Line 1684

¶ A litel scole / of cristene folk there stode Doun atte ferthere ende / in which there were Children an hep / I-comen of cristene blode That lerned in that scole / ȝer by ȝere Line 1688 Swich manere doctrine / as men vsed there This is to seyn / to syngen and to rede As smale children doon / in here childhede Line 1691

¶ A-monges theise children / was a wydewes sone A litel clergeoun / seuene ȝer of age That day by day / to scole was his wone And eke also / where as he sey the ywage Line 1695 Of cristes moder / had he in vsage As him was taught / to knele adoun and seye his Aue marie / as he goth by the weye Line 1698

[6-text p 184] Line 1698

¶ Thus hath this wydewe / hire litel sone I-taught Oure blisseful lady / cristes moder deere To worshipe ay / and forgat it nought ffor sely child / wil alwey sone lere Line 1702 But ay whan I remembre / on this matere Seynt Nicholas stant euere / in my presence ffor he so ȝong / to criste dide reuerence [folio 156b]

¶ This litel child / his litel bok lernynge As he sat in the scole / at his prymer he Alma redemptoris / herde synge As children lerned / here Antiphoner Line 1709 And as he durste / he drow him ner & ner And herkened ay the wordes / & the note Til he the first vers coude / al by rote Line 1712

¶ Nat wist he / what this latyn was to seye ffor he so ȝong / and tendre was of age But on a day / his felawe gan he preye To expounden him this song / in his langage Line 1716 Or telle him why this song / was in vsage This preyed he him / to construen and declare fful ofte tyme / vp-oon his knees bare Line 1719

¶ His felawe / which / that eldere was than he Answered him thus / this song I haue herd seye Was maked / of oure blisseful lady free Hire to salue / and eke hire for to preye Line 1723 To ben oure help / and socour whan we deye I can no more expounde / in this matere I lerne song / I can but smal gramere Line 1726

¶ And is this song / maked in reuerence Of cristes moder / seide this Innocent Now certes / I wol do my diligence To conne it al / or cristemasse be went Line 1730

[6-text p 185] Line 1730 Though that I / for my primer / shal be shent And shal be betyn / thries in an houre I wol it conne / oure lady for to honoure Line 1733

¶ his felawe taught him homward / pryuely ffro day to day / til he coude it by rote And thanne / he song it wel and boldly ffor word to word / a-cordyng with the note Line 1737 Twyes a day / it passed thurgh his throte To scoleward & homward / whan he wente On Cristes moder / set was his entente Line 1740

¶ As I haue seid / thurgh-out the Iuerye This litel child / as he come to and froo fful myrily wold he synge / and crie O Alma redemptoris / euere moo Line 1744 The swetnesse his herte / perced so Of cristes moder / that to hire to preye he can nat stynt / of syngynge by the weye Line 1747

¶ Oure first foo / the serpent Sathanas That hath in Iewes herte / his waspes nest Vp swal and seide / o Hebrayk peeple allas [folio 157a] Is this to ȝow a thyng / that is honest Line 1751 That swich a boy / shal walken as him lest In ȝoure despit / and synge of swich sentence Which is a-geyns / oure lawes reuerence Line 1754

¶ ffro thens-forth / the Iewes han conspired This Innocent / out of this world to chace An homycyde / ther-to han they hyred That in an aleye / had a pryue place Line 1758 And as the child / gan forby for to pace This cursed Iew / him hente / and helde him fast And kyt his throte / and in a pyt him cast Line 1761

[6-text p 186] Line 1761

¶ I seye that in a wardrope / they him threwe Where as theise Iewes / purgen here entraille O cursed folk / of herodes al newe Line 1764 what may ȝoure euele entent / ȝow a-vaille [¶ legamus apocalipsim Iohannis & ibi reperi|mus agnum super montem syon & cum illo cxliiij^or milia signatorum &c. qui cantant canticum nouum &c. Isti sunt qui cum mulieri|bus se non coinquinauerunt virgines autem permanserunt / hii sunt qui secuntur agnum quocunque vadit &c.] Mordre wol out / certeyn it wol nat faille And namely there / as the honour / of god / shal sprede The blod out crieth / on ȝoure cursed dede Line 1768

¶ O martir souded / to virginite Now maistow syngen / & folwen euere in oon The white lamb / celestial quod she Of which the gret Ewangelist seynt Iohn Line 1772 In pathmos wrot / which seith / that they that gon Biforn this lamb / & synge a song al newe That neuere flesshly wommen they ne knewe [i. e. carnaliter]

¶ This pouere wydewe / a-waiteth al that nyght After hire litel child / but he cam nought ffor which as sone / as it was dayes light With face pale of drede / and bisy thought Line 1779 She hath atte scole / and elles where him sought Til finaly / she gan so fer a-spie That he last seyn was / in the Iuerie Line 1782

¶ With modres pitee / in hire brest enclosed She gooth as she were half / out of hire mynde To euery place / where she hath supposed By lyklied / hire litel child to fynde Line 1786 And euere on cristes moder / meke and kynde She criede and at the laste thus she wroughte Amonges the cursed Iewes / she him soughte Line 1789

¶ She freyneth and she preyeth / pitously To euery Iew / that dwelled in thilke place To telle hire if hire child / went ought for-by They seiden nay / but ihesu of his grace Line 1793

[6-text p 187] Line 1793 Ȝaf in hire thought / with-Inne a litel space [folio 157b] That in that place / after hire sone she criede Where as he was casten / in a pyt byside Line 1796

¶ O grete god / that performest thy laude By mouth of Innocentes / lo here thy myght This gemme of chastite / this Emeraude And eke of Martirdom / the rubie bryght Line 1800 There he with throte / I-koruen / lay vpright he Alma redemptoris / gan to synge So loude / that al the place / gan to rynge Line 1803

¶ The cristene folk / that thurgh the strete wente In comen / for to wondre vp-oon this thyng And hastifly / they for the Prouost sente he com a-noon / with-outen tariyng Line 1807 And herieth crist / that is of heuene kyng And eke his moder / honour of mankynde And after that / the Iewes let be bynde Line 1810

¶ This child with pitous lamentacion vp taken was / syngyng his song alwey [¶ De puero qui cantauit de gloriosa virgine.] And with the honour / of gret procession They carien him / vn-to the next abbey Line 1814 his moder swoughnyng / by his bere lay vn-ethe myght the peeple / that was there This newe Rachel / bryngen froo his bere [¶ Rachel plorans filios suos & noluit conso|lari &c.]

¶ With turment / and with shameful deth echon This Prouest / doth the Iewes for to sterue [¶ De maria quicquit puer sciuit / cantum enu|triuit / maternam inopiam hunc Iudeus nequam strauit domo sua quem humauit diram per inuidiam Mater querens / hunc vocauit / hic in terra recantauit / solita preconia // Puer liber mox exiuit mortis reos lex puniuit / Iudeos & cetera.] That of this morder wist / & that a-noon he nolde no swich cursednesse / obserue Line 1821 Iuel shal haue / that euel wol deserue Therfore with wilde hors / he dede hem drawe And after that / he heng hem by the lawe Line 1824

[6-text p 188] Line 1824

¶ Vp-on this bere / ay lith this Innocent Biforn the chef auter / while the masse laste And after that / the Abbot with his couent han sped hem / to burien him ful faste Line 1828 And whan they haly water / on him kaste Ȝet spak this child / whan spreynt was the hali water And sang / O Alma redemptoris mater Line 1831

¶ This Abbot / which that was / an holy man As monkes ben / or elles oughten be This ȝonge child / to coniure he bigan And seide / o dere child / I halse the Line 1835 In vertu / of the holy Trynyte [leaf 158gone] [Tell me what is thy cause for to syng [Egerton 2726, on leaf179, back] Seth þat thy throte is kut / to my semyng Line 1838

¶ My throte is kut / vn-to my nek bone Seid this child and as by weye of kynd. I shold haue died / ye long tyme agone But Ihesu Crist / as ye in bokes fynd. Line 1842 woll that his glorie last / and be in mynd. And for the worshipe of his moder dere Yitte may I syng / o Alma loude and clere Line 1845

¶ This well of mercy / cristes moder swete I loued all wey / as after my kunnyng And whan that I / my lyf shold forlete To me she cam / and bad me for to syng/ Line 1849 This antym verrely in my dying/. As ye han herd / and whan þat I hade song Me thought she leid a greyn / vp on my tong /. Line 1852

¶ Wherfore I syng/ and syng I mot certeyn [Eg. 2726 folio 180a] In honour / of that blisfull maiden free Till from my tung / of taken is þe corn And after that / this seid she to me Line 1856

[6-text p 189] Line 1856 My litle child/ now woll I fecche the Whan that the greyn / is from thy tung ytake Be nat agast/ I woll the nat forsake Line 1859

¶ This holy monk/ this Abbot / hym mene I. His tung out caught/ and toke awey þe greyn And he yave vp the gost / full softely And whan this Abbot / hade this wonder seyn Line 1863 His salt teres/ trykled doun as reyn And gruff he fell all plat / vp-on þe ground And still he lay / as he hade leyn ybound. Line 1866

¶ The Couent eke / lay vp-on tha pament/ wepyng/ and herien cristes moder dere And after that/ they rise / and forth ben went/ And toke awey / this martir / from his bere Line 1870 And in a toumbe / of marbell stones clere Enclosen they / this litle body swete There he is now / god lene vs for to mete Line 1873

¶ O yong Hugh of Lyncoln slayn also with cursed Iewes / as it is notable ffor it is but a litle while agoo Pray eke for vs / we synfull folk vnstable Line 1877 That of his mercy / god so merciable On vs his grete mercy / multiplie ffor the reuerence / of his moder marie / Amen / Line 1880

Hic desinit fabula Priorisse /

[6-text p 190]

& incipit/ prologus de Sir Thopas per Chaucer narratus

WHan seid was this myracle / euery man As sobre was / that wonder was to se Till that our hoost / Iape to began And than at erst/ he loked vp-on me / Line 1884 And seid thus / what man art þou koth he Thow lokest / as þou woldest fynd an hare ffor ever vp-on the ground I se the stare [Eg. 2726 folio 180b] Line 1887

¶ Approche nere / and loke vp merely Now ware þou sirs / and let þis man haue place He in the waste / was shape as wele as I. This were a popet/ in an arme to enbrace Line 1891 ffor ony womman small / and feire of face Hym semeth elvissh / by his countenaunce ffor vn-to no wight / doth he daliaunce Line 1894

¶ Sey þou now somwhat/ sen other folk han seid. Tell vs a tale of merth / and þat anon Hoste koth he / ne beth nat/ euyll appayed. ffor other tale certes / kan I none Line 1898 But of a Ryme / I lerned long agone Ye / that is gode koth he / now shull we here Som deyntous thyng/ me thynketh/ by his chere Line 1901

Hic desinit prologus de Chaucers

[6-text p 191]

et incipit fabula sua de Sir Thopas

[Fit I.] [[Each third line is on the right of its couple, in the MS.]]

Listeneth lordynges / in gode intent/ And I woll tell verament Of merth and of solace Line 1903 All of a kyng was / faire and gent/ In bataill and in turnement His name was Sir Thopace Line 1907

Yborn he was / in fer cuntre In flaundres all by-yond þe se At Poperyng in the place Line 1910 His fader was a man full fre And lord he was / of þat cuntre As it was goddes grace Line 1913

Sir Thopas wax / a doughti swayn white was his face / as payndemayn His lippes rede as nose Line 1916 His rode is like / Scarlet in greyn And I you tell / in gode serteyn He hade a semely nose Line 1919

His here his berd was like saffron That to his girdle raught adoun His shone of Cordwane Line 1922 Of brugges were his hosen broun His robe was of Syklatoun That cost many a Iane Line 1925

[6-text p 192] Line 1925

He coude hunt at wild dere And ride an haukyng by Ryvere with grey goshauke / on honde Line 1928 There-to he was / a grete Archere Of wrastlyng / was þer noon his pere There ony Ram shold stonde Line 1931

ffull many a maide bright in bour [Eg. 2726 folio 181a] They mourne / for his paramour whan hem were bet/ to slepe] [[Eg. 2726 ends]] Line 1934 But he was chast and no lechour [folio 159a] And swete as is the brambel flour That bereth the red hepe Line 1937

And so it fel vp-on a day ffor sothe as I ȝow telle may Sire Thopas wold out ride Line 1940 he worth vp-on his steede gray And in his hond a launce gay A long swerd by his side Line 1943

he pryketh thurgh a fair forest Ther-Inne is many a wylde best Ȝa bothe Buk and hare Line 1946 And as he priketh North and Est I telle it ȝow him had almest bitidde a sory kare Line 1949

There springen erbes grete & smale The lycoris and the cetewale And many a clowe gylophre Line 1952 And Notemuge to putte in ale Wheither it be moyst or stale Or for to leyn in coffre Line 1955

[6-text p 193] Line 1955

The briddes songen it is no nay The Sparhauk and the Popyngay That ioye it was to heere Line 1958 The thrustelcok mad eke hire lay The wode-dowe vp-on a spray she sang ful loude & clere Line 1961

Sire Thopas fel in loue longyng Al whan he herd / the thrustel syng & pryked as he were wood Line 1964 his fair steede in his prekyng So swatte / þat men myght him wryng his sides were al blod Line 1967

Sire Thopas eke so wery was ffor prikyng on the softe gras So fiers was his corage Line 1970 That doun he leid him in that place To make his steede som solace and ȝaf him good forage Line 1973

O Seynte Mary benedicite What eyleth this loue at me To bynde me so sore Line 1976 Me dremed al this nyght parde An Elf Quene shal my lemman be And slepe vnder my gore Line 1979

An Elf Quene wil I loue I-wys ffor in this world no womman is worthy to be my make // Line 1982 In towne Alle othere wommen I forsake And to an Elf Quene I me take by dale and eke by downe Line 1986

[6-text p 194] Line 1986

In-to his sadel he clom a-noon And priketh ouer stile and ston An Elf Quene for to espie Line 1989 Til he so longe hath ryde & gon That he fond in a pryue won The contreye of fairie Line 1992 So wylde ffor in that contrey was þere noon That to him durst ride or gon Neither wyf ne childe Line 1996

Til that þere com a gret geaunt his name was sire Olifaunt a parilous man of dede Line 1999 he seide child by Termagaunt But if thow prike out of myn haunt [folio 159b] Anoon I slee thyn steede // Line 2002 With Mace heere is the Quene of fairye With harpe & pipe & symphonye Dwellyng in this place Line 2006

The child seide also mot I the To-morwe wol I mete the Whan I haue myn Armoure Line 2009 And ȝet I hope par ma fay That þou shalt with this launce gay abyen it ful soure Line 2012 Thy mawe I shal perce if I may Or it be fully prime of day ffor heere thow shalt be slawe Line 2016

[6-text p 195] Line 2016

Sire Thopas drow a-bak ful faste This Geaunt at him stones caste Out of a fel staf slynge Line 2019 But faire a-skapith child Thopas And al it was thurgh goddes gras And thurgh his fair berynge Line 2022

Ȝet listeneth lordes to my tale Meriere than the Nyghtyngale I wol ȝow rowne Line 2025 how sire Thopas with sydes smale Prykyng ouer hil and dale Is come a-geyn to towne Line 2028

his merie men comaunded he To make him bothe game & gle ffor nedes must he fighte Line 2031 With a Geaunt with hedes thre ffor paramour and Iolite Of on that shon ful brighte Line 2034

Do come he seide my Mynestrales And gestoures for to telle tales A-non in myn armyng Line 2037 Of romaunces that ben reals Of Popes and of Cardynales And eke of loue longyng Line 2040

They fette him first swete wyn And Mede eke in a Maselyn And real spicerie Line 2043 Of gyngerbred that was ful fyn And lycoris and eke Comyn with sugre þat is trie Line 2046

[6-text p 196] Line 2046

he dede next his white ler Of cloth of lake fyn & cler A breche & eke a sherte Line 2049 And next his shert an Aketon And ouer that an haberion ffor percyng of his herte Line 2052

And ouer that a fyn hauberk Was al I-wrought of Iewes werk fful strong it was of plate Line 2055 And ouer that his cote armour As white as is a lilie flour In which he wol debate Line 2058

his sheld was al of gold so red And þere Inne was a Bores hed A charbocle be his syde Line 2061 And þere he swor on ale & bred how that the Geaunt shal be ded bityde what bytyde Line 2064

hise Iambeus were of quyrbuly his swerd shede of yuory helme of laton bright Line 2067 His sadel was of rewel bon [folio 160a] his brydel as the sonne shon Or as the Mone light Line 2070

his spere was of fyn Cypres That bodeth werre & no thyng pes the hed ful sharp I-grounde Line 2073 his steede was al appel gray It goth an aumble in the wey fful softly & rounde Line 2076

[6-text p 197] Line 2076 In londe loo lordes myn heere is a fyt If ȝe wyln any more of it To telle it I wol fonde Line 2080

[The Second Fit.]

¶ Now holde ȝoure mouth par charite Bothe knyght and lady free and herkeneth to my spelle Line 2083 Of bataille and of cheualry And of ladies loue drury A-noon I wol ȝow telle Line 2086

Men speken of romaunces of pris Of horn Child and of ypotis Of Beus and Sire Guy Line 2089 Of sire libeus and pleyndamour But sire Thopas he bereth the flour Of real Chyualrie Line 2092

his good steede al he bystrod And forth vp-on his weye he wold [rod] As sparcle out of the brond Line 2095 Vp-on his creste he bar a Tour And þere-Inne stiked a lilye flour god shilde his cors fro shonde Line 2098

And forth he was knyght Auntrous he nolde slepen in noon hous But lyggen in his hode Line 2101 his bright helm was his wonger And by him baiteth his destrer Of Erbes fyve & goode Line 2104

[6-text p 198] Line 2104

him self drank water of the welle As dede the knyght sire Parcyuelle so worthy vnder wede; Til on a day Line 2108

[6-text p 199] Line 2108

¶ No more of this / for goddes dignytee Quod oure hoost / for thow makest me So wery / of thyn verray lewednesse That also wysly / god my soule blisse Line 2112 Myne Eres aken / of thy drasty speche Now swich a ryme / the deuele I be-teche This may wel be ryme dogerell / quod he ¶ Why so quod I / why woltow lette me Line 2116 More of my tale / than another man Syn that it is / the best ryme I can ¶ By god quod he / for pleynly at a word Thy drasty rymyng / is nat worth a tord Line 2120 Thow doost nat elles / but despendest tyme Sire at o word / thow shalt no lengere ryme lat se / wher thow kanst tellen ought in geste Or tellen in prose / somwhat atte leste Line 2124 In which there be som myrthe / or som doctrine ¶ Gladly quod I / by goddes swete pyne [folio 160b] I wol ȝow telle / a litil thyng in prose That oughte like ȝow / as I suppose Line 2128 Or elles certes / ȝe be to daungerous It is a moral tale / vertuous Al be it told / somtyme / in sondry wyse Of sondry folk / as I shal ȝow deuyse Line 2132 As thus / ȝe wot that euery Euaungelist That telleth vs / the peyne of Ihesu crist Ne seith nat alle thyng / as his felawe doth But nathelees / his sentence is al soth Line 2136 And alle accorden / as in here sentence Al be there / in here tellyng difference

[6-text p 200] ffor somme of hem seyn more / & some sey lasse Whan they / his pitous passion expresse Line 2140 I mene of Mark / Mathew / luke and Iohn But doutelees / here sentence is al oon Therfore lordyngges alle / I ȝow byseche If ȝow thynke I varie / as in my speche Line 2144 As thus / though that I telle / somwhat more Of prouerbes / than ȝe han herd bifore Comprehended / in this litel tretys heere To enforce with / the effect of my matere Line 2148 And though I nat / the same wordes seye As ȝe han herd / ȝet to ȝow alle I preye Blameth me nought / for as in my sentence Shuln ȝe no wher / fynden / difference Line 2152 ffro the sentence / of this tretys lite After the which / this mery tale I wryte And þerfore herkeneth / what that I shal seye And lat me tellen al my tale / I preye Line 2156

¶ Here endeth Chaucers tale of Thopas / & the Prologe of Melibeus

[6-text p 201]

And heere bigynneth the Tale of Melibeus:

[2157]

Aȝong man called Melibeus myghty and riche / bygat vp-on his wyf / that called was Prudence / a doughter / which that called was Sophie / [2158] Vp-on a day bifel / that he for his disport / is went in-to þe feldes / him to pleye / [2159] his wyf & eke his doughter hath he laft, with-Inne his hous / of which the dores / weren fast I-shette / [2160] three of his olde foos / han it espied / and setten laddres / to the walles of his hous / and by wyndowes ben entred / [2161] & beten his wyf / and [folio 161a] wounded his doughter / with fyue mortal woundes / in fyue places sondry / [2162] this is to seyn / in hire feet / in hire handes / in hire Erys / in hire Nose / and in hire mouth / and leften hire for ded / and wenten a-wey.

[2163] ¶ Whan Melibeus / retorned was in-to his hous / and sey al this mischief / he like a mad man / rendynge hise clothes / gan to wepe & crye

[2164] ¶ Prudence his wyf / as ferforth as she dorste / bisoughte him / of his wepyng for to stynte / [2165] but nat for-thy / he gan to crie and wepyn / euere lengere the more //

[2166] This noble wyfe Prudence / remembred hire vp-on the sentence of Ouyde in his book / that cleped is / the [¶ Ouidius de re|medio amoris] remedie of loue / where as he seith / [2167] he is a fool that destourbeth the moder to wepe in the deth of hire child / til she haue wept hire fille / as for a certeyn tyme / [2168] and thanne shal man don his diligence / with amyable wordes hire to reconforte / and preye hire / of

[6-text p 202] hire wepyng for to stynte / [2169] for which reson / this noble wyf Prudence / suffred hire housbond for to wepe and crye / as for a certeyn space / [2170] And whan she say hire tyme / she seide to him in this wyse / Allas my lorde quod she / why make ȝe ȝoure self / for to be like a fool / [2171] for sothe / it apparteneth nat to a wys man / to maken swich a sorwe / [2172] ȝoure doughter / with the grace of god / shal warisshe and escape / [2173] and al were it so / that she right now were ded / ȝe ne ought nat / as for hire deth / ȝoure self to destroye / [2174] Senec [¶ Seneca] seith / the wyse man shal nat take to gret discomfort / for the deth of hise children / [2175] but certes he shulde suffren it in pacience / as wel / as he abideth the deth / of his owene propre persone

[2176] ¶ This Melibeus answered a-noon & seide / what man quod he shulde of his wepyng stynte / that hath so gret a cause for to wepe [2177] ¶ Ihesu Crist [¶ Qualiter ihesus christus fleuit propter mortem laȝari] oure lord / him self wepte / for the deth of laȝarus his frend. [2178] Prudence answered / Certes wel I wot attempree wepyng is no thyng defended to him that sorweful is / amonges folk in sorwe / but it is rathere graunted him to wepe [2179] ¶ The Apostle Poule / vn-to the [¶ Apostolus ad romanos] Romayns wryteth / Man shal reioise / with hem that maken ioye / And wepen with swich folk as wepyn / [2180] But though attempre wepyng / be I-graunted / outrageous wepyng / certes is defended / [2181] Mesure of wepyng / shulde be considered / after the loore that techeth vs Senek / [2182] whan that thy frend is ded quod he / lat nat thyne eyen to moiste ben of teeres / ne to meche drye / al-though the teeris / come to thyne eyen / lat hem nat falle; [2183] And whan thow hast for-gon thy frend / do dili|gence / to gete a-geyn a-nother frend / and this is more wysdom / than for to wepe / for thy frend / which that þou hast lorn / for there-Inne is no bote / [2184] And þerfore if ȝe gouerne ȝow by sapi [folio 161b] ence / put a-wey sorwe out of ȝoure herte. [2185] ¶ Remembre ȝow that Ihesus Syrak seith /

[6-text p 203] a man that is ioyous in herte and glad / it him con|seruyth florisshyng in his age / but soothly . . [2186] [no gap in Dd., or the 4 Hodson MSS., or in Eg. 2726, lf. 183 at foot] sorwe in herte sleeth ful many a man [2187] ¶ Sa|lamon seith / that right as moththes in the shepes flees / a-noyen to the clothes / and the smale wormes to the tree; right so anoyeth sorwe to the herte [2188] ¶ Wherfore vs oughte as wel in the deth of oure children / as in the losse of oure goodes temporeles / haue pacience.

[2189] ¶ Remembre ȝow vp-on the pacient Iob / whan he hadde lost his children / and his temporel sub|staunce / and in his body endured and receyued ful many a greuous tribulacion / ȝet seide he thus / [2190] Oure lord hath ȝeue it me / Oure lord hath biraft it me / right as oure lord hath wold / right so is it don / I-blissed be the name of oure lord [2191] ¶ To theise forseide thyngis answered Melibeus vn-to his wyf ¶ Prudence / Alle thyne wordes quod he ben sothe and þer-to pro|fitable / but trewely myn herte is troubled / with this sorwe so greuously / that I not what to done [2192] ¶ lat calle quod Prudence thyne trewe frendes alle / and thy lynage / which that ben wyse / telleth ȝoure caas / and herkeneth what they seye in counseillynge / and ȝow gouerne after here sentence [2193] ¶ Salamon seith: werke all thynges by counseille / and þou shalt neuere repente

[2194] ¶ Thanne by the counseil of his wyf Prudence; this Melibeus / let callen a gret congregacion of folk / [2195] as surgiens / Phisiciens / olde folk and ȝonge / and some of hise old enemyes reconsiled / as bi here semblaunt / to his loue / and in-to his grace / [2196] and ther-with-al / ther comen somme of his neyghbores / that diden him reuerence / more for drede than for loue / as it happeth ofte [2197] ¶ Ther comen also ful many subtile flaterers and wyse aduocatȝ lerned in the lawe /

[2198] And whan this folk togydre assembled weren / This Melibeus in sorweful wyse / shewed hem his cas /

[6-text p 204] [2199] And by the manere of his speche / it semed that in herte he bar a crewel Ire / redy to don venge|aunce vp-oon his foos / & sodeynly desired / that the werre shulde bigynne / [2200] but nathelees / ȝet axid he his counseil vp-oon this matere / [2201] A surgien by licence and assent of swich as weren wyse / vp roos / and vn-to Melibeus / seide / as ȝe moun heere /

[2202] Sire quod he / as to vs Surgiens apparteneth / that we do to euery wyght the beste that we kan / where as we ben with-holde / and to our pacientȝ / that we do no damage / [2203] wherfore it happeth many tyme and ofte / that whan twey men han euerych wounded other / O same surgien heleth hem bothe / [2204] wherfore vn-to oure art / it is nat pertinent to norice werre / ne parties to supporte / [2205] but certes as to the warisshynge of ȝoure doughter / al be it so / that she parllously be [folio 162a] wounded / we shuln do so ententyf besinesse / fro day to nyght / that with the grace of god / she shal be hool & sound / as sone as is possible [2206] ¶ Almost right in the same wyse the Phisiciens answerden / saue that they seiden a fewe wordes more / [2207] that right as maladies ben cured / by here contraries / right so shal man warisshe werre / by vengeaunce [2208] ¶ hise Neygh|bores ful of Envie / hise feyned frendes / that semed reconsiled / hise flatereres [2209] maden sembant of wepyng and empeired and aggregged mechel of this matere / in preisyng gretly Melibee / of myght / of power of richesse and of frendes / despisyng the power of hise aduersaries [2210] and seiden outrely / that he a-noon / shulde wreke him on his foos / and bigynne werre

[2211] ¶ vp ros thanne / an aduocat that was wys by leue and by counseil / of othere that were wyse / And seide / [2212] lordynges the nede / for the which we ben assembled in this place / is ful heuy thyng / & an heigh matere [2213] by cause of the wrong and of the wykkednesse that hath be doon / and eke by reson of the grete damages / that

[6-text p 205] in tyme comynge ben possible to fallen / for the same cause / [2214] and eke bi reson of the gret richesse and power of the parties bothe / [2215] for the which resons / it were a ful gret perile to erren in this matere / [2216] wherfore Melibeus / þis is oure sentence / we counseille ȝow a-bouen alle thyng / that riȝt a-noon þou do thy diligence in kepyng of thy propre persone / in swich a wyse / that þou ne wante noon espie ne wacche / thy body for to saue [2217] ¶ And after that we counseille / that in thyn hous thow sette suffisaunt garnyson / so that they moun / as wel thy body as thyn hous defende [2218] ¶ But certes for to meeue werre / ne sodeynly for to doon vengeaunce / we moun nat deme in so litel tyme / that it were profit|able / [2219] wherfore we axen leiser and espace to haue deliberacion / in this cas to deme / [2220] for the comune prouerbe seith this / he that sone demeth; soone shal repente / [2221] And eke men seyn / that thilke Iuge is wys / that sone vnderstondeth a matere / and Iuggeth by leyser / [2222] for al be it so / that al tariyng be a-noyful / algates it is nat to repreeue in ȝeuyng of Iugement ne in vengeaunce takyng / whan it is suffisaunt and resonable / [2223] And that shewed oure lord Ihesu crist by en|sample / for whan that the womman that was taken in aduoutrie / was brought in his presence to knowen what shulde be don with hire persone / al be it / that he wist wel him self / what that he wolde answere / ȝet ne wolde he nat answere sodeynly / but he wolde haue deliberacion / And in the ground he wroot twies / [2224] and by theise causes we axen deliberacion / and we shuln thanne by the grace of god / counseille the thyng / that shal be profitable

[2225] ¶ vp stirte thanne / the ȝonge folk atones / and the most partie of that compaignye / han skorned þeise [folio 162b] olde wyse men / and bygonnen to make noyse / and seiden / that [2226] right so / as whil that Iren is hoot / men shulde myte / right so men shuln do wreken here wronges / whils

[6-text p 206] that they ben fresshe & newe / And with loude vois / they cryden / werre / werre /

[2227] vp roos tho / oon of theise olde wyse / & with his hond mad countenaunce / þat men shulde holde hem stille / & ȝeue him audience [2228] ¶ lordynges quod he / there is ful many a man that crieth werre / werre / þat wot ful litel what werre amounteth / [2229] werre at his bigynnyng hath so gret an entryng / & so large / þat euery wight may entre whan him liketh & lightly fynde werre / [2230] But certes to what ende / that shal þerof bifalle / it is nat light to knowe / [2231] for sothly / whan þat werre / is ones bygonne / there is ful many a child vn-born of his moder that shul sterue ȝong / by cause of thilke werre / or elles lyue in sorwe / & dye in wrecchednesse / [2232] And therfore / er that any werre be bigonne / men must haue gret counseil / & gret deliberacion / [2233] & whanne this olde man wende to enforce his tale by resouns / wel ny alle attones bigonne they to ryse / for to breken his tale / & beden him ful ofte / hise wordes for to a-bregge / [2234] for sothly he that precheth to hem / that listen nat heren his wordes / his sarmoun hem anoyeth [2235] ¶ ffor Ihesus Syrak seith / That Musyk in wepyng / is a noyous thyng / This is to seyn / as muche auailleth to speken biforn folk / to which his speche a-noyeth / as it is to synge biforn him þat wepeth [2236] ¶ And whan this wys man sey / þat him wanted audience / Al shamefast / he sette him doun a-geyn / [2237] for Salamon seith / þere as thow ne maist haue noon audience / enforce the nat to speke / [2238] I se wel quod this wyse man / þat the comune prouerbe is soth / þat good counseil wanteth / whan it is most nede.

[2239] ¶ Ȝet had this Melibeus in his counseil / many folk / that priuely in his Ere / counseilled him certeyn thyng / and counseilled him the contrarie in general audience.

[2240] ¶ whan Melibeus had herd / that the grettest /

[6-text p 207] partie of his counseil / were acorded / that he shulde make werre / a-noon he consented to here counseillynge / & fully affermed here sentence [2241] ¶ Thanne Dame Prudence / whan that she sey / how þat hire housbonde shop him / for to wreke him oon his foos / and to bigynne werre / she in ful humble wyse / whan she sey hire tyme / seide him theise wordes [2242] ¶ My lord quod she / I ȝow byseche / as hertily as I dar & kan / ne haste ȝow nat to faste / and for alle gerdouns / as ȝif me audience / [2243] ¶ ffor Piers Alfonse seith / who-so that doth to the outher good or harm / haste the nat to quyte it / for in this wyse / thy frend wol a-bide / & thyn enemy / shal the lengere lyue in drede [2244] ¶ The prouerbe seith he hasteth wel / that wysly kan a-byde / And in wykked hast / is no profyt /

[2245] This Melibe answered vn-to his wyf / Prudence / I purpose nat quod he / to werkyn by thy counseil / for many causes & resons / ffor certes euery wight / wold holde me thanne a fool / [2246] this is to seyn; If I for thy counseillyng / wolde chaunge thynges / that [[Dd. 4. 24, leaf 163gone. Egerton 2726, on leaf184, back.]] [ben ordeined and affermed by so many wise / [2247] Sec|undly I seye / that all wommen ben wykke / and none gode of hem all / for of a thousand men seith Salamon I fonde o gode man but certes of all wommen / gode womman fond I neuer / [2248] And also certes yf I gouerned me by thy counseill / it shold seme / that I hade yeve to the ouer me the maistrie / And goddes forbode þat it so were / [2249] ffor Ihesus Syrac seith / Yf the wyf haue maistrie she is contrarious to the housbond [2250] And Salamon seith / neuere in thy lyve / to thy wyf ne to thy child / ne to thy frende / ne yeve no power ouer thy self for better it were / that thy children / axen of thy persone thynges that hem nedeth þan þou see thy self in the hondes of thy children / [2251] And also if I wold werk by thy counseill certes my counceill / most som tyme be secree / till it were tyme / þat it most be

[6-text p 208] knowe / and this may nat be / . . . . . [no gap in this MS. or in any of the four Hodson MSS.]

[2254] Whan Dame Prudence full debonairly and with grete pacience / hade herd / all that hir housbond liked for to sey þan axed she of hym licence / for to speke / and seid in this wise / [2255] My lord koth she as to your first reson / it may lightly be answerd / for I seye / that it [Eg. 2726 folio 185a] Is no folye to chaunge counseill whan the thyng / is chaunged / or elles whan þe þyng semeth other wise / than it was byforn [2256] And more ouere I seye / that though ye han [sworn [[Hod. 39.]] ] and behight to perfourme your emprise / and natheles ye wene to fulfyll and perfourme thilk same emprise / by Iust cause men shold nat seye therfore / þat ye were a lyer ne forsworn / [2257] for the boke seith the wise man maketh no lesyng / whan He turneth his corage / in-to the better / [2258] And all be it so / that your emprise / be establysshed and ordeyned / by grete multitude of folk / yitte dare you nat / accomplice / thilk ordenaunce but you like / [2259] for the trouth of thynges / and þe perfite ben rather founde in fewe folk / that ben wise / and full of reson / than by grete multitude of folk / there euery man crieth and clatereth what that him lyketh / Sothly soch multitude is nat honestee / [2260] And to the secunde reson / where as ye seyn / that all wommen ben wyk / Saue your grace / certes ye despise all wommen in this wise / and he that all despiseth / all displeseth as seith the boke / [2261] And Senec seith who so woll haue sapi|ence / shall no man dispreise / but he shall gladly teche the science þat he can without presumpcon of pride / [2262] And soch thynges as he nat can / he shall nat be ashamed to lerne hem and enquere of lesse

[6-text p 209] folk than hym self / [2263] And sire that there hath be many a gode womman / may lightly be preved [2264] ffor certes sire / our lord Ihesu Crist wold neuere haue discended / to be born of a womman / yf all wommen hade ben wykke / [2265] And after that / for the grete bountee / þat is in womman / our lord Ihesu Crist / whan he was risen from deth to lyf / appered rather to a womman than to his Apostles / [2266] And though that Salamon sey / that he ne fonde [neuer woman good / it folowith not þerfor þat all women be wik [2267] ffor þough þat he fond / neuer [[Hodson 39, leaf 130; not in the other 3 Hodson MSS.]] ] no gode womman / certes many another man hath founde / many a womman full gode and true / [2268] Or elles perauenture / the entente of Salamon was this / þat as in souerayn bountee he fonde no womman / [2269] this is to seyn / that there is no wight þat hath souerayn bountee / save god allone / as he hym self recordeth / in His Euaun|gelie / [2270] for there nys no creature so gode / that hym ne wanteth som what of the perfeccion of god / þat is his maker / [2271] Your thirde reson is this / ye seyn þat yf ye gouerne you / by my counseill / it shold seme / that ye hade yeve me / the maistrie and the lordshipe ouer your persone / [2272] Sire save your grace / it is nat so / for yf so were / that no man shold be counseilled but onely of hem / that hade lordshipe and maistrie of his persone / men wold nat be counceilled so oft / [2273] for sothely þat man that axeth counseill of a purpose / yitte hath he free choise / whether he woll werk by that counseill / or noo / [2274] And as to you / serche reson / there ye seyn that the Iangelrie of wommen / kan hide thynges þat þey wote nought / as who seith / that a womman kan nat hide / that she wote / [2275] Sire þise wordes ben vnder|stonde / of wommen þat ben Iangelers and wykked [2276] Of which Wommen men seyn / that .iij. thynges dryven a man out of his hous / þat is to sey Smoke / Droppyng of Reyn / and Wykked wyfes [2277] and

[6-text p 210] of soch wommen seith Salamon / that it were better dwelle in desert / þan with a womman that / [Eg. 2726 folio 185b] Is riotous [2278] And sire by your leve / that am nat I / [2279] for ye han full oft / assaied my grete scilence / and my grete pacience / and eke how wele / that I can hide and hele thynges that mendoon / and right secrely to hide / [2280] And sothly as to your fyfte reson / where as ye seyn / that in wykked coun|seill wommen venquessh men // God wote þat reson / stant here in no stede / [2281] ffor vnderstonde now / Ye axen counseill to do wykkednesse / [2282] and yf ye woll werke wykkednes and your wyf rstreyneth you þat wykked purpoos / and ouercommeth you by reson and by gode counseill / [2283] Certes your Wyf ought rather to be praised þan yblamed [2284] Thus shold ye vnder|stonde the Philiȝophre þat seith / In wykked counceill wommen venquesshen her housbondes [2285] And there as ye blame all wommen and her resons I shall shewe by many ensaumples / that many a womman hath ben full gode / and yitte ben / and her counseils holsom and profitable / [2286] Eke som men han seid. þat the counseillyng of wommen is outher to dere / or els to litell of price / [2287] but all be it so / that full many a womman / is badde / and hir counseill vyle and nought worth / yitte han men founde full many a gode womman and full discrete / and full wise / in counseillyng [2288] Loo Iacob by gode counceill of his moder Rebecca / wan the beneson of Isaak his fader / and þe lordshipe ouer all his brethern / [2289] Iudyth by hir gode counseill deliuered / þe Cites of Bethulee in which she dwelled out of the hondes of Olofernus] [[Eg. 2726 ends. Dd. 4. 24, leaf 164.]] that had it biseged / and wolde it al destroye [2290] ¶ Abigail delyuerede Nabal hire housbonde fro Dauyd the kyng / that wolde han slayn him / & apaised the Ire of the kyng / by hire wyt / and by hire good coun|seillyng [2291] ¶ Hester by hire counseil / enhaunced gretly the peeple of god / in the regne / of Assureus the kyng / [2292] And þe same bountee in good counseillyng / of

[6-text p 211] many a good womman / moun men telle [2293] ¶ And more|ouer / whan that oure lord / had creat Adam oure forme fader / he seide in this wyse / [2294] It is nat good / to be a man allone / make we to him an helpe / semblable to him self / [2295] heere moun ȝe se / that if that wommen weren nat goode / & here counseil good & profitable / [2296] oure lord god of heuene / wolde neither han wrought hem / ne called hem helpe of man / but rathere confusion of man / [2297] & there seide oones a Clerk in two vers what is bettre than gold; Iaspre / what is bettre than Iaspre; wysdom / [2298] & what is bettre than wysdom; womman / and what is bettre than good womman; no þing / [2299] And sire / by manye of othere resons / moun ȝe sen / þat many wommen ben goode / & here counseil good & profitable [2300] ¶ And þerfore sire If ȝe wole troste to my counseil / I shal restore ȝow ȝoure doughter hool & sound / [2301] & I wol don to ȝow so muche / that ȝe shuln haue honoure in this cause.

[2302] ¶ Whan Melibe had herd the wordes of his wyf Prudence / he seide thus / [2303] I se wel / that the word of Salamon is soth / he seith þat wordes þat ben spoken discretly by ordynaunce / ben honycombes / for they ȝeuen swetnesse to the soule / & holsumnesse to the body / [2304] And wyf / by cause of thyne swete wordes / & eke for I haue assaied / & preeued thy grete sapience / & thy gret trouthe / I wol gouerne me by thy counseil / in alle thyng

[2305] ¶ Now sire quod Dame Prudence / & syn ȝe vouchesaf / to be gouerned by my counseil / I wol enforme ȝow / how ȝe shuln gouerne ȝoure self / in chesyng of ȝoure counseillours / [2306] ȝe shuln first in alle ȝoure werkes / mekely byseken / to the heigh god / that he wol be ȝoure counseillour / [2307] And shapeth ȝow to swich entente that he ȝeue ȝow counseil & comfort / as taughte Tobye his sone [2308] At alle tymes / þou shalt blisse

[6-text p 212] god / & preye him to dresse thyne weyes / & loke þat alle thyne counseils / ben in him for euere-moore // [2309] ¶ Seynt Iame eke seith / If any of ȝow haue nede of sapience axe it of god / [2310] and afterward / thanne shuln ȝe take counseil / in ȝoure self/ and examyne wel ȝoure thoughtes / of swich thynges / as ȝow thynketh / that is best for ȝoure profyt / [2311] And thanne shuln ȝe dryue fro ȝoure herte / thre thynges / þat ben contrarious to good counseil / [2312] that is to seyn; Ire / Coueitise / & hastynesse

[2313] ¶ ffirst he that axeth counseil of him self / certes he muste ben withouten Ire / for manye causes / [2314] the firste is this / he þat hath gret Ire and wrathe in him self / he weneth alwey / þat he may do thyng / þat he [folio 164b] may nat do / [2315] And secoundly / he that is Irous & wroth / he ne may nat wel deme / [2316] And he that may nat wel deme / may nat wel counseille / [2317] The thridde is this / that he þat is Irous & wroth / as seith Senek / ne may nat speke / but blameful thynges / [2318] and with hise vicious wordes / he stereth oþere folk / to angre & to Ire [2319] ¶ And eke sire / ȝe muste dryue coueitise out of ȝoure herte / [2320] for the Apostle seith / þat coueitise is the rote of alle harmes / [2321] And trosteth wel / þat a coueitous man / ne kan nat deme / ne thenke / but oonly to fulfille the ende of his coueitise / [2322] & certes þat ne may neuere ben acomplised / ffor euere the more habundaunce þat he hath of richesse / the more he desireth [2323] ¶ And sire ȝe muste also dryue out of ȝoure herte / hastifnesse / for certes [2324] ȝe ne moun nat deme for the beste / a sodeyn thouȝt / þat falleth in ȝoure herte / But ȝe muste avyse ȝow on it ful ofte / [2325] for as ȝe herde here biforn / the comune prouerbe is this / that he þat sone demeth / sone repenteth /

[2326] Sire / ȝe ne be nat alwey / in like disposicion / [2327] for certes som thyng / þat somtyme semeth to ȝow / þat it is good for to doo / A-nother tyme / it semeth to ȝow the contrarie /

[6-text p 213]

[2328] whan ȝe han taken counseil vn-to ȝoure self / And han demed by good deliberacion / swich thyng as ȝow semeth best [2329] ¶ Thanne rede I ȝow / þat ȝe kepe it secree / [2330] by-wreye nat ȝoure counseil to no persone / but if so be / þat ȝe wenen sikerly / þat thurgh ȝoure bywreiynge / ȝoure condicion shal ben to ȝow more profitable / [2331] ffor Ihesus Syrak seith / Neyther to thy foo / ne to thy frend / diskeure nat thi secree / ne þi folie / [2332] for they woln ȝeue ȝow audience & lokyng & supportacion in thy presence / & skorne the in thyn absence [2333] ¶ A-nother clerk seith / þat skarsly shalt þou fynden any persone / þat may kepe thy counseil secrely [2334] ¶ The book seith / whil þat þou kepest thy counseil in thyn herte / þou kepest it in thy prison / [2335] And whan þou bewreyest thy counseil / to any wight / he holdeth the in his snare / [2336] & þerfore ȝow is bettre / to hide ȝoure counseil in ȝoure herte / than preye him to whom ȝe han by-wreyed ȝoure counseil / þat be wol kepe it clos & stille [2337] ¶ ffor Seneca seith / If so be / [¶ Nota] þat þou ne maist nat / thyn owen counseil hide / how darstow preyen / any oþer wight / thyn counseil secrely to kepe [2338] ¶ But nathelees / if þou wene sikerly / þat thy biwreiyng of þi counseil to a persone / wol make thy condicion / to stonden in the bettre pliȝt / thanne shalt þou telle him thy counseile in this wyse [2339] ¶ ffirst þou shalt make no semblaunt / wheiþer the were leuere pees or werre / or this / or that / ne shewe him nat thy wil / and thyn entente / [2340] for troste wel / þat comunely theise counseillours ben flatereres / [2341] namely the counseillours of grete lordes / [2342] ffor they enforcen hem alwey / rather to speken plesaunte wordes / enclynyng to the lordes lust / than wordes / that ben trewe or profitable / [2343] & þerfore men seyn / þat þe riche man hath selde good coun|seil / but if he [folio 165a] haue it of him self / [2344] And after þat / þou shalt considre þine frendes / & thyne enemys / [2345] And as touchyng thy frendes / þou shalt con|sidre

[6-text p 214] which of hem ben most feithful / & most wyse / & eldest & most appreued in counseillyng / [2346] And of hem shalt þou axe thy counseil / as the cas requireth.

[2347] ¶ I seye / þat first ȝe shuln clepe to ȝoure coun|seil / ȝoure frendes that ben trewe / [2348] ffor Salamon seith / þat for right as the herte of a man / deliteth in sauour [¶ Nota] þat is swote / right so the counseil of trewe frendes / ȝeueth swetnesse to the soule // [2349] he seith also / there may no thyng / be likned to þe trewe frend / [2350] for certes / gold ne siluer ben nat so meche worth as the good wil / of a trewe frend // [2351] And eke he seith / that a trewe frend / is a strong defence / who-so þat it fyndeth / certes he fyndeth a gret tresor [2352] ¶ Thanne shuln ȝe eke considre / if þat ȝoure trewe frendes / ben discrete & wyse / for the book seith / Axe alwey thy counseil of hem / þat ben wyse / [2353] & by this same reson / shuln ȝe clepen to ȝoure counseil of ȝoure frendes þat ben of age / swich as han seyn / & ben expert in manye thynges / & ben appreued in counseillynges [2354] ¶ ffor the book seith / in olde men is al the sapience / & in longe tyme the prudence [2355] ¶ And Tullyus seith / þat grete þinges ne ben ay acomplissed by strengthe / ne be delyuernesse of body / but by good counseil / by auctorite of persones & by science // The which thre thynges / ne ben nat fieble by age / but certes þei enforcen / & en|cresen day by day / [2356] & thanne shuln ȝe kepe this / for a general reule // ffirst ȝe shuln clepe to ȝoure counseil a fewe of ȝoure frendes þat ben especiale [2357] ¶ ffor Salamon seith / many frendes haue þou / but a-mong a thousand / chese the oon / to be thy counseil|lour / [2358] for al it so be / þat þou first ne telle thy counseil / but to a fewe / þou maist afterward / telle it to moo folk / if it be nede / [2359] but loke alwey / þat þine counseillours haue thilke thre condicions / þat I haue seid

[6-text p 215] bifore / þat is to seye; þat they be trewe / wyse / & olde experience / [2360] and werk nat alwey in euery nede / by oo counseillour allone / for somtyme bihoueth it to be counseiled by manye /// [2361] ffor Salamon seith / Saluacion of thynges / is where as þere ben many counseillours.

[2362] ¶ Now sithe þat I haue told ȝow / of which folk / ȝe shulde be counseilled / now wol I teche ȝow / which counseil ȝe oughte eschue [2363] ¶ ffirst ȝe shuln eschue / þe counseil of fooles ¶ ffor Salamon seith / take no coun|seil of a fool / for he ne can nat counseille / but after his owen lust / & his affeccion / [2364] the book seith / the proprete of a fool / is this; he troweth lightly harm / of euery wight & lightly troweth al bounte / in him self [2365] ¶ Thow shalt eke eschue the counseillyng of alle flatereres / swich as enforcen hem / rathere to preysen ȝoure persone / by flaterye / than for to telle ȝow / the soth|fastnesse of thynges /.

[2366] ¶ wherfore Tullyus seith / A-mong alle þe [folio 165b] pestilences þat ben in frendshipe / the grettest is flaterie / And þerfore it is more nede / þat þou eschue & drede flatereres / than any other peeple // [2367] The book seith / þou shalt rathere / drede & flee / fro the swete wordes of flateryng preysers / than fro the egre wordes of thy frend / þat seith the thyne sothes [2368] ¶ Salamon seith / þat þe wordes of a flaterere / is a snare / to cacchen Innocenteȝ / [2369] he seith also / þat he þat speketh to his frend / wordes of swetnesse / & of plesaunce / setteth a nette biforn his feet to cacchen him [2370] ¶ And þerfore seith Tullyus // Enclyne nat thyne Eres to flatereres / ne take no counseil / of wordes of flaterye [2371] ¶ and Caton seith ¶ Auyse the wel / þou shalt eschue / wordes of swetnesse & of plesance / [2372] And eke þou shalt eschue the counseillyng of thyne olde enemys / that ben reconsiled [2373] ¶ The book seith / þat no wight retourneth safely / in-to the

[6-text p 216] grace / of his old enemy [2374] ¶ And ysope seith / Ne [¶ Nota] trust nat to hem / to which þou hast had somtyme werre / or enemytee / ne telle hem nat thy counseil / [2375] And Seneca telleth the cause why / It may nat be / seith he / þat where as gret fyr / hath longe tyme endured / þat þere ne dwelleth som vapour / of warmnesse // [2376] And þerfore seith Salamon ¶ In þin olde ffoo / trost neuere / [2377] for sikerly / though þin enemy be reconsiled / & makeþ þe chere of humilitee / & louteth to the with his hed / ne trost him neuere / [2378] ffor certes / he maketh thilke feyned humilitee / more for his profyt / than for any loue of thy persone / by cause þat he dem|eth to haue victorie ouer þi persone / by swich feyned countenance / þe which victorie / he myght nat haue by strif of werre [2379] ¶ And Peter Alfonce seith / Make no felaweshipe with thyne olde enemys / for if þou do hem bounte / they wol peruerten it / in-to wykkednesse / [2380] And eke þou must eschue / the counseillyng of hem / þat ben þine seruantȝ / & beren the gret reuerence / for parauenture they seyn it more for drede / þan for loue / [2381] And þerfore seith a Philosophre in this wyse / There is no wyght parfytly trewe / to him / þat he sore dredeth [2382] ¶ and Tullius seith / þere nys no [¶ Nota] myght so gret of any Emperour / þat longe may endure / but if he haue more loue of the peeple / than drede [2383] ¶ þou shalt also eschue / þe counseillyng of folk þat ben dronkelewe / for they ne can / no counseil hide [2384] ¶ ffor Salamon seith / þere is no priuetee / ther as regneth dronkenesse [2385] ¶ ȝe shuln also han in suspect / þe counseillyng of swich folk / as counseille ȝow a thyng priuely / & counseille ȝow the contrarie openly [2386] ¶ ffor Cassidorie seith / þat it is a manere sleighte / to hyndree / whan he sheweth to don a thyng openly / & werk priuely the contrarie [2387] ¶ Thow shalt also haue in suspect / þe counseillyng of wykked folk / [no gap in Dd., the 4 Hodson MSS., or Eg.] for here counseil is alwey / ful

[6-text p 217] of fraude [2388] ¶ And Dauid seith / Blisful is þat man / þat hath nat folwed / the counseillyng of shrewes [2389] ¶ Thow shalt also eschue / the counseillyng of ȝonge folk / for here counseil is nat ripe.

[2390] ¶ Now sire / sithe I haue shewed ȝow / of which folk / ȝe shullen [no gap in Dd., the 4 Hodson MSS., or Eg.] folwe þe counseil [2391] ¶ Now wol I teche ȝow / how ȝe shuln examynen ȝoure counseil / after the doctrine of Tullius [2392] ¶ In the [folio 166a] examynynge thanne of ȝoure counseillour / ȝe shuln considre manye thynges [2393] ¶ Alderferst þou shalt considre / þat in thilke þing / þat þou purposest / & vp-oon what thyng / þou wolt haue counseil / þat verray trouthe be seid & conserued / this is to seyn; telle trewely thy tale / [2394] ffor he þat seith fals / may nat wel be counseilled in þat cas / of which he lyeth [2395] ¶ And after this / þou shalt considre þe thynges / þat acorden to that þou purposest for to do / be thyne counseil|lours / if resoun acorde þer-to / [2396] and eke if thy myght / may attenye þer-to / And if the more part / & the bettre part of þine counseillours / acorde þer-to or no // [2397] Thanne shalt þou considre / what thyng shal folwe of þat counseillyng / as hate / pees / werre / grace / profyt / or damage / & manye oþere þinges [2398] And in alle theise thynges / þou shalt chese the beste / And weyue alle othere thynges [2399] ¶ Thanne shaltow considere / of what roote is engendred / þe matere of thy counseil / & what fruyt it may conceyue & engendre [2400] ¶ Thow shalt eke considre / alle theise causes / from whennes they ben sprongen / [2401] And whan ȝe haue examyned ȝoure counseil / as I haue seid / & which partie is the bettre / & more profitable And han appreued it / by manye wyse folk & olde / [2402] than shaltow considere / if þou maist performe it / & maken of it a good ende / [2403] ffor certes / resoun wol nat / þat any man shulde bygynne a thyng / but if he myghte performe it / as him oughte / [2404] Ne no wight shulde

[6-text p 218] take vp-oon him so heuy charge / þat he myght nat beren it [2405] ¶ ffor þe prouerbe seith; he þat to muche embraceth / distreyneth litel [2406] ¶ and Caton seith; Assay to do swich thyng / as þou hast power to don / lest þat the charge / oppresse the so sore / þat the byhoueth to weyue thyng / þat þou hast bygonne / [2407] And if so be / þat þou be in doute / wheither þou maist performe a thyng or noo / ches rather to suffre / þan bigynne [2408] ¶ And Peter Alfonse seith; If þou hast myght to doon a thyng / of which þou must repente / it is bettre / nay / than ȝa / [2409] this is to seyn; þat the is bettre to holde thy tonge stille / than for to speke [2410] ¶ Thanne moun ȝe vnderstonde / by strengere resons / þat if thow hast power to performe a werk / of which þou shalt repente / thanne is the bettre / þat þou suffre / þan bigynne / [2411] wel seyn they / þat defenden euery wight / to assaye a thyng / of which he is in doute / wheiþer he may performe it / or no [2412] ¶ And after / whan ȝe han examyned ȝoure counseil / as I haue seid biforn / & knowen wel / þat ȝe moun per|forme ȝoure emprise / conferme it thanne sadly / til it be at an ende.

[2413] ¶ Now is it reson & tyme / þat I shewe ȝow / whanne & wherfore / þat ȝe moun chaunge ȝoure counseil|lours / with-oute ȝoure repreue [2414] ¶ Sothly a man may chaunge his purpos / & his counseil if the cause ceseth / or whan a newe cas bitydeth / [2415] for the lawe seith / vp-on thynges þat newely bityden / bihoueth newe counseil; [2416] And Seneca seith; If thy counseil is comen / to the Eris of þin enemy / chaunge thy counseil [2417] ¶ Thow maist also chaunge thy counseil [folio 166b] if so be / þat þou fynde / þat by errour / or by other cause / harm or damage / may bitide / [2418] Also if thy counseil be dishoneste / or elles cometh of dishoneste / cause / chaunge thy counseil / [2419] ffor the lawes seyn / þat alle byhestes / þat ben dishoneste / ben of no value /

[6-text p 219] [2420] And eke if so be / þat it be inpossible / or may nat goodly be performed or kept /

[2421] And take this for a general reule ¶ That euery counseil / þat is affermed so strongly / þat it may nat be chaunged / for no condicion þat may betide I seye / þat thilke counseil is wykked.

[2422] ¶ This Melibeus / whan he had herd the doctrine / of his wyf Dame Prudence / Answered in this wyse [2423] ¶ Dame quod he / as ȝet in-to this tyme / ȝe han wel & couenably taught me / as in general / how I shal gouerne me / in þe chesyng / & in the withholdyng of my counseillours / [2424] But now wolde I fayn / þat ȝe wolde condescende in special / [2425] & telle me how liketh ȝow / or what semeth ȝow / by oure counseillours / þat we han chosen in our present nede.

[2426] ¶ My lord quod she / I biseke ȝow in alle hum|blesse / þat ȝe wol nat wilfully / replie a-geyn my resons / ne distempre ȝoure herte / though I speke thyng / þat ȝow displese / [2427] ffor god wot / þat as in myn entente / I speke it for ȝoure beste / for ȝoure honour / & for ȝoure profyte eke / [2428] And sothly I hope / þat ȝoure be|nygnytee wil taken it in pacience [2429] ¶ Trusteth me wel quod she / þat ȝoure counseil as in this cas / ne shulde nat / as to speke proprely / be called a counseillyng / but a mocion or a meeuyng of folie / [2430] in which counseil / ȝe han erred / in many a sondry wyse.

[2431] ¶ ffirst & forward ȝe han erred in the assem|blyng / of ȝoure counseillours / [2432] for ȝe shulde first / han cleped a fewe folk to ȝoure counseil / & after ȝe myghte han shewed it / to mo folk / if it hadde be nede / [2433] But certes ȝe han sodeynly cleped to ȝoure coun|seil a gret multitude of peeple ful chargeant / & ful a-noyous for to heere [2434] ¶ Also ȝe han erred / for þere as ȝe shulde oonly han cleped to ȝoure counseil / ȝoure trewe frendes / olde & wyse [2435] ȝe han I-cleped straunge folk / ȝonge folk / false flatereres / & enemys

[6-text p 220] reconsiled / & folk þat doon ȝow reuerence / with-outen loue [2436] ¶ And eke also ȝe han erred / for ȝe han brought with ȝow to ȝoure counseil / Ire / Coueitise / and hastifnesse / [2437] the which thre thynges ben con|trarious to euery counseil / honest & profitable / [2438] the which thre thynges / ȝe ne han natanientissed or destroyed hem / neither in ȝoure self / ne in ȝoure counseillours / as ȝow oughte [2439] ¶ Ȝe han erred also / for ȝe han shewed to ȝoure counseillours / ȝoure talent & ȝoure affeccion / to make werre a-noon / & for to do vengeaunce / [2440] they han espied by ȝoure wordes / to what thyng ȝe han enclyned / [2441] & þerfore han þei counseilled ȝow / rather to ȝoure talent / than to ȝoure profit [2442] ¶ ȝe han erred also for it semeth þat ȝow suffiseth / to han ben coun|seiled by theise counseillours oonly / & with litel a-vys / [2443] where-as in so gret / & so heigh a nede / it hadde ben necessarie / mo counseillours & more deliberacion to performe ȝoure emprise [2444] ¶ Ȝe han erred also / for ȝe han nat ex [folio 167a] amyned ȝoure counseil / in the forseide manere / ne in due manere as the cas requyreth [2445] ¶ ȝe han erred also / for ȝe han maked / no diuision / bitwixe ȝoure counseillours / this is to seyn; bitwixe ȝoure trewe frendes / & ȝoure feyned counseillours / [2446] ne ȝe han nat knowe / þe wil of ȝoure trewe frendes / olde & wyse / [2447] but ȝe han cast alle here wordes in an hochepot / And enclyned ȝoure herte / to the more part / & to the grettere noumbre / & there be ȝe condescended / [2448] And sithe ȝe wot wel / þat men shuln alwey fynde / a grettere nombre of fooles / than of wyse men / [2449] And þerfore þe counseilles þat ben at congregacions & mul|titudes of folk / there as men take more reward to the noumbre / than to the sapience of persones / [2450] ȝe se wel þat in swich counseillynges / fooles han the maistrie [2451] ¶ Melibeus answerde a-geyn / & seide / I graunte wel þat I haue erred / [2452] but there as þou hast told me heere biforn / þat he nys nat to blame / þat chaungeth his coun|seillours

[6-text p 221] in certeyn cas / & for certeyn iuste causes [2453] ¶ I am al redy to chaunge my counseillours / right as þou wolt deuyse [2454] ¶ The prouerbe seith / ffor to do synne is mannyssh [.i. humanum] / but certes for to perseuere longe in synne / is werke of the deuele.

[2455] ¶ To this sentence / answered a-noon Dame Pru|dence / and seide / [2456] Examyneth quod she / ȝoure coun|seil / and lat vs se / the which of hem / han spoken most resonably / and taught ȝow best counseil / [2457] And for as muche / as that þe examinacion is necessarie / lat vs bigynne / at the Surgiens & at the phisiciens / þat first speken in this matere / [2458] I seye / þat Surgiens and phisiciens / han seid ȝow in ȝoure counseil / discretly / as hem oughte [2459] And in here speche / seiden ful wysly / that to the office of hem apperteneth / to don to euery wight / honour & profyt / & no wyght for to anoye / [2460] And after here craft / to don gret diligence / vn-to þe cure of hem / which þat þei han in here gouern|aunce / [2461] And sire right as þei han answered wysly & discretly / [2462] right so rede I þat þei be heighly & souereynly gerdoned / for here noble speche / [2463] And eke for þei shullen do / the more ententif bisinesse / in the curacion of þi doughter deere [2464] ¶ ffor al be it so / þat þei ben ȝoure frendes / þerfore shuln ȝe nat suffren / þat þei serue ȝow for nought / [2465] but ȝe oughte rathere gerdone hem / & shewe hem ȝoure largesse [2466] ¶ And as touchyng the preposicion / which þat the Phisiciens / encresceden in this cas this is to seyn; [2467] þat in maladies / that a contrarie is warisshed / by another contrarie / [2468] I wolde fayn knowe / how ȝe vnderstonde þilke text / & what is ȝoure sentence [2469] ¶ Certes quod Melibeus / I vnderstonde it / in this wyse / [2470] þat right as þei han don me a contrarie / riȝt so shulde I don hem a-nother / [2471] ffor right as they / han venged hem oon me / & don me wrong / right so shal I venge me vp-oon hem

[6-text p 222] & don hem wrong / [2472] And thanne haue I cured a contrarie / by a-nother //

[2473] lo [folio 167b] Lo quod Dame Prudence / how lightly is euery man enclyned / to his owene desire / and to his owene plesance [2474] ¶ Certes quod she / þe wordes of the phisiciens / ne shulden nat han ben vnderstonden in that wise [2475] ¶ ffor certes wykkednesse is not contrarie to wykkednesse / ne vengeance to vengeance / ne wrong to wrong / but þei ben semblable [2476] ¶ And þer|fore a vengeance is nat warisshed / by a-noþer venge|ance / ne a wrong by a-nother wrong / [2477] but euerych of hem / encresceth & aggreggeth other. [2478] ¶ But certes the wordes of the phisiciens / shulden ben vnderstonde in this wyse / [2479] ffor good & wykked|nesse / ben two contraries / And pees & werre / venge|ance & suffraunce / discord & acord / & manye othere thynges [2480] ¶ But certes wykkednesse / shal be warisshed / by goodnesse / discord by a-cord / werre by pees / & so forth of othere thynges [2481] ¶ And here-to acordeth seynt Poule the Apostle in many places / [2482] he seith / ne ȝeldeth nat harm for harm / ne wykked speche for wykked speche / [2483] but do wel to him / þat doth to the harm / & blisse him þat seith to the harm [2484] ¶ And in manye othere places / he amonesteth pees & acord [2485] ¶ But now wil I speke to ȝow / of þe coun|seil / which þat was ȝeuen to ȝow / by the men of lawe / & the wise folk / [2486] þat seiden alle by oon acord as ȝe han herd bifore [2487] ¶ That ouer alle thynges / ȝe shuln do ȝoure diligence / to kepe ȝoure persone / & to warnestore ȝoure hous / [2488] And seiden also / þat in this cas / ȝow oughte for to werke ful auysely / & with gret deliberacion [2489] ¶ And sire as to the first poynt / þat toucheth to the kepyng / of ȝoure persone / [2490] ȝe shuln vnderstonde / þat he þat hath werre / shal euere more deuoutly & mekely preyen biforn alle thynges / [2491] þat Ihesus crist of his mercy / wil

[6-text p 223] han him / in his proteccion / & ben his souereyn helpyng at his nede / [2492] for certes in this world / þere is no wight / þat may be counseilled ne kept sufficeantly / with|oute the kepyng of oure lord ihesu crist [2493] ¶ To this sentence / acordeth / the prophete Dauid / þat seith / [2494] If god ne kepe þe Citee / in Idel waketh he / þat kepeth it [2495] ¶ Now sire / than shuln ȝe committe the kepyng of ȝoure persone / to ȝoure trewe frendes / þat ben appreued and I-knowe / [2496] & of hem shuln ȝe axen helpe / ȝoure persone for to kepe / ffor Caton seith / if þou hast nede of helpe / axe it of thyne frendes / [2497] ffor þere nys noon so good a phisicien / as thy trewe frend [2498] ¶ And after this / thanne shuln ȝe kepe ȝow / fro alle straunge folk / & fro lyeres / & haue alwey in suspect here compaignye / [2499] ffor Piers Alfonce seith / Ne take no compaignye by the weye of a straunge man / but if so be / þat þou haue knowe him of a lengere tyme [2500] / And if so be / þat he falle in-to thy compaignye / par|auenture / withouten thyn assent / [2501] enquere thanne as subtilly as þou maist / of his conuersacion / & of his lyf byfore ¶ And feyne thy wey sey þat þou wolt go thider / as þou wolt nat go / [2502] and if he bereth [folio 168a] a spere / hold the oon the right syde / & if he bere a swerd / holde the oon his lift syde / [2503] And after this / than shuln ȝe kepe ȝow wysely / from alle swich manere peeple / as I haue seid bifore And hem & here counseile eschue [2504] ¶ and after þis / þanne shuln ȝe kepe ȝow in swich manere / [2505] þat for any presumpcion of ȝoure strengthe / þat ȝe ne dispise nat / ne attempte nat the myght of ȝoure aduersarie / so lite / þat ȝe lete the kepyng of ȝoure persone / for ȝoure presumpcion / [2506] for euery wys man / dredeth his enemy / [2507] And Salamon seith; welful is he / that of alle hath drede / [2508] ffor certes / he that thurgh the hardynesse of his herte / & thurgh the hardynesse of him-self / hath to gret presumpcion / him shal yuel bitide // [2509] Thanne

[6-text p 224] shuln ȝe euere mo / countrewayte emboyssementȝ / & alle espialle / [2510] ffor Senek seith / þat the wyse man / þat dredeth harmes / escheweth harmes / [2511] ne he ne falleth in-to perils / þat perils eschueth [2512] ¶ And al be it so / þat it seme / þat þou art in syker place / ȝet shaltow alwey / do þi diligence / in kepyng of thy persone / [2513] this is to seyn; ne be nat necligent to kepe thy persone / nat oonly fro thyne grettest enemys / but fro thy leste enemy [2514] ¶ Senek seith / a man þat is wel a-vised / he dredeth his leste enemy [2515] ¶ Ouyde seith / þat the litel wesele / wol slee the gret bole / & þe wylde hert [2516] ¶ And þe book seith / A litel thorn / may prikke a kyng ful sore / & an hound / wil holde the wilde Boor // [2517] But nathelees / I seye nat / þou shalt be so coward / þat þou doute there / where as is no drede [2518] ¶ The book seith / þat somme folk han gret lust to deceyue / but ȝet they dreden hem / to be de|ceyued / [2519] ¶ ȝet shaltow drede to be empoysened / & kepe the fro the compaignye of skorneres [2520] / ffor the book seith / with scorners make no compaignye / but flee here wordes / as venym

[2521] ¶ Now as to the secund poynt / where as ȝoure wyse counseillours/counseilled ȝow/to warnestore ȝoure hous/ with gret diligence / [2522] I wolde fayn knowe / how þat ȝe vnderstode thilke wordes / & what is ȝoure sentence

[2523] ¶ Melibeus answerde & seide / Certes I vnder|stonde it / in þis wyse / þat I shal warnestore myn hous / with toures / swich as han Castelles / & othere manere edifices / & armure / & artelries / [2524] by which thynges / I may my persone & myn hous / so kepen & defenden / þat myne enemys / shuln ben in drede / myn hous for to approche.

[2525] ¶ To this sentence / answerde a-noon Prudence; warnestoryng quod she / of heighe Toures / & of grete edifices / . . . . .[2526] [no gap in Dd. or Eg., or in any of the four Hodson MSS.] with grete

[6-text p 225] costages / & with gret trauaille / And whan þat they ben acompliced / ȝet be they nat worth a stree / but if þei ben defended / by trewe frendes / þat ben bolde & wyse / [2527] And vnderstonde wel / þat the grettest & strongeste garneson / þat a riche man may haue / as wel to kepen his persone / as hise goodes / is / [2528] þat he be biloued with his subgetȝ / & with his neyghebores [2529] ¶ ffor thus seith Tullius; That þere is a manere garneson / þat no man may venquisse ne discomfite / & that is [2530] a lord / to be biloued of hise Citeȝeins / & of [folio 168b] his peeple

[2531] ¶ Now sire as to the thridde poynt / where as ȝoure olde & wyse counseillours seiden / þat ȝow ne oughte nought sodeinly ne hastily proceden in this nede / [2532] but þat ȝow oughte purueyen & appareilen ȝow in this cas / with gret diligence / & gret deliberacion / [2533] trewely I trowe / þat they seiden right wysely / & right soth [2534] ¶ ffor Tullius seith / In euery nede / er þou bigynne it / apparaile the wiþ gret diligence [2535] ¶ Thanne seye I / þat in vengeance takyng / in werre in bataille / and in warnestoryng / [2536] er þou bigynne / I rede þat þou apparaile the þer-to / and do it / with gret deliberacion [2537] ¶ ffor Tullius seith; þat longe apparailyng biforn the bataille / maketh short victorie [2538] / And Cassidorus seith; the garneson is strengere / whan it is longe tyme a-vysed

[2539] ¶ But now lat vs speken / of þe counseil þat was acorded by ȝoure neyghebores / swich as don ȝow reuerence / withouten loue / [2540] ȝoure olde enemys recon|siled / ȝoure flatereres / [2541] þat counseileden ȝow cer|teyne thynges priuely / & openly counseiled ȝow the contrarie; [2542] The ȝonge folk also / þat counseileden ȝow / to venge ȝow & make werre a-noon / [2543] And certes sire as I haue seid biforn / ȝe han gretly erred / to han cleped swich manere folk / to ȝoure counseil / [2544] which counseillours / ben y-now reproued by the resons aforseid [2545] ¶ But natheles / lat vs now descende to

[6-text p 226] the special ¶ ȝe shuln first proceden after the doctrine of Tullius; [2546] Certes the trouthe of this matere or of this counseil / nedeth nat diligently enquere / [2547] for it is wel wist / which they ben / þat han don to ȝow this trespas & vyleynye / [2548] & how manye trespassours / & in what manere they han don to ȝow / al this wrong / & al this vileynye / [2549] And after this / thanne shuln ȝe examyne / the secund condicion / which þat the same Tullius addeth in this matere / [2550] ffor Tullius put a thyng/which þat he clepeth/consentynge / This is to seyn; [2551] who ben they & which ben they / & how manye/þat consentyn to thy counseil in thy wilfulnesse/ to do hastif vengeaunce / [2552] And lat vs considre also / who ben they / & how manye ben they / & which ben they þat consenteden to ȝoure aduersaries [2553] ¶ And certes as to the firste poynt it is wel knowen / which folk ben they / þat consenteden to ȝour wilful|nesse / [2554] ffor trewely alle tho / þat counseileden ȝow / to maken sodeyn werre / ne ben nat ȝoure frendes [2555] ¶ lat us now considre which ben they / þat ȝe holde so gretly ȝoure frendes / as to ȝoure persone / [2556] for al be it so / þat ȝe be myghty and riche / certes ȝe ne ben but allone // [2557] ffor certes ȝe ne han no child / but a doughter / [2558] ne ȝe ne han bretheryn / ne Cosyns germayns / ne noon other ny kynrede / [2559] wherfore þat ȝoure enemys / for drede / shulde stynte to plede with ȝow / or destroye ȝoure persone [2560] ¶ ȝe knowen also / þat ȝoure richesses moten ben dispended in diuerse parties / [2561] & whan þat euery wight / hath his part / they ne wolden taken / but litel reward to venge thy deth [2562] ¶ But thyne enemys ben iij^e / & they han [folio 169a] manye children / bretheryn / Cosyns / & othere ny kynrede / [2563] & though so were / þou haddest slayn of hem/two or thre / ȝet dwellen þere I-nowe / to wreken here deth / & to slee thy persone [2564] ¶ And though so be / þat ȝoure kynrede be more & stedefast than

[6-text p 227] the kyn of ȝoure aduersarie / [2565] ȝet natheles / ȝoure kynrede / nys but a fer kynrede / they ben but litel sibbe to ȝow [2566] ¶ And the kyn of ȝoure enmys ben ny sibbe to hem / And certes as in þat / here condicion is bet þanne ȝoures [2567] ¶ Thanne lat vs considre also / if þe counseillyng of hem / þat counseileden ȝow / to taken sodeyn vengeaunce / wheither it acorde to reson / [2568] And certes ȝe knowe wel nay / [2569] ffor as by right & reson þere may no man taken vengeance on no wight / but the Iuge þat hath the Iurisdiccion of it / [2570] whan is it I-graunted him / to take thilke vengeance / hastily or at|temprely / as the lawe requyreth / [2571] And ȝet more ouer / of thilke word / that Tullius clepeth consentynge / [2572] þou shalt considre / if thy myght & thy powere may consente and suffise to thy wylfulnesse / & to thy counseillours / [2573] And certes þou maist wel seyn / þat nay / [2574] for sikerly / as for to speke proprely / we moun do no thyng / but oonly swich thyng / as we moun don rightfully / [2575] And certes / rightfully / ne mowe ȝe take no vengeance / as of ȝoure propre auctorite [2576] ¶ Thanne mowe ȝe sen / þat ȝoure power ne consenteth nat / ne acordeth nat to ȝoure wilfulnesse [2577] Lat vs now examyne / the thridde poynt / þat Tullius clepeth Consequent [2578] ¶ Thow shalt vnderstande / þat the vengeance þat þou purposest for to take / is the conse|quent / [2579] & ther-of folweth a-nother vengeance / perile & werre / & oþere damages / withoute noumbre / of which we ben nat war / as at this tyme [2580] ¶ And as touchyng the ferthe poynt / þat Tullius clepeth engendrynge [2581] þou shalt considre / þat this wrong / which þat is doon to the / is engendred / of the hate of thyne enemys / [2582] & of the vengeance takyng / vp-on þat / wolde engendre a-nother vengeance & muchel sorwe / & wastynge of richesses / as I seide

[2583] ¶ Now sire / as to þe poynt / þat Tullius clepeth causes / which þat is the laste poynt / [2584] þou

[6-text p 228] shalt vnderstonde / [no gap in Dd. or Eg., or Hodson MSS.] it hath certeyne causes / [2585] which þat men [clerkes] clepen Oriens / and Efficiens / & causa longinqua / & causa propinqua / this is to seyn; the fer cause & the ny cause / [2586] the fer cause / is / almyghty god / þat is cause of alle thynges / [2587] the ner cause / is thyne thre enemys / [2588] the cause accidental / was hate / [2589] the cause material / ben the ffyue woundes of thy doughter / [2590] the cause formal / is the manere of hire werkynge þat brouȝten laddres / & clomben In at thy wyndowes / [2591] the cause fynal / was / for to slee thy doughter / it letted nat in as muche / as in hem was / [2592] But for to speke of the fer cause / as to what ende [folio 169b] they shuln come or what shal finaly bitide of hem in this cas ne can I nat deme / but by coniectynge & by supposynge / [2593] ffor we shuln suppose / þat þei shuln come to a wykked ende / [2594] by-cause þat þe book of Decrees seith¶Selden or with gret peyne/ben causes I-brought to good ende / whan þei ben badly bigonne

[2595] ¶ Now sire if men wolde axen me / why þat god suffred men / to do ȝow þis vilenye; Certes I can nat wel answere / as for no sothfastnesse / [2596] for the Apostle seith; þat þe sciences & the Iugementȝ of oure lord god almyghty ben ful depe / [2597] þere may no man comprehende ne serchen hem suffisauntly [2598] ¶ Nathelees by certeyne presumpcions & coniectynges I holde & bileue / [2599] þat god which þat is ful of Iustice / & of rightwysnesse hath suffred þis bitide / by Iuste cause resonable //

[2600] Thy name is Melibe / this is to seyn / a man þat drynketh hony / [2601] þou hast dronke so muche hony of swete temporel richesses / & delices & honoures of this world / [2602] þat þou art dronken / & hast forgeten Ihesu crist þi creature / [2603] þou ne hast nat don to him swich honour & reuerence / as the oughte / [2604] ne þou ne hast wel I-taken kepe / to

[6-text p 229] the wordes of Ouyde / þat seith [2605] vnder the hony [¶ Nota & caue] of the goodes of the body / is hid the venym þat sleeth the soule // [2606] And Salamon seith; If þou hast founden hony ete of it / þat suffiseth; [2607] for if þou ete of it / out of mesure / þou shalt spewe & be nedy & poure / [2608] & parauenture Crist hath the in despit / & hath turned a-wey fro the his face & hise Eres of misericorde / [2609] and also he hath suffred / þat þou hast ben punysshed / in the manere þat þou hast I-trespasced [2610] ¶ Thow hast don synne / ageyn oure lord Crist / [2611] ffor certes / the thre enemys of mankynde / þat is to seyn; þe flessh / the fend / & the world / [2612] þou hast suffred hem / entre / in-to thyn herte / wilfully / by the wyndowes of thy body / [2613] & hast nat defended þi self / suffisauntly ageyns here assautes / & here temptacions / so þat they han wounded thy soule / in fyue places / [2614] this is to seyn; the dedly synnes / þat ben entred in-to thyn herte / by thyne ffyue wyttes / [2615] And in þe same manere / oure lord crist hath wold & suffred / þat thyne thre enemys / ben entred in-to thyn hous / by the wyndowes / [2616] & han I-wounded thy doughtere in the forseid manere

[2617] ¶ Certes quod Melibe / I se wel þat ȝe en|force ȝow muchel / by wordes to ouercomen me in swich a manere / þat I shal nat venge me of myne enemys / [2618] shewynge me the perils & the yueles þat myghten falle of þis vengeaunce // [2619] But who so wolde considere / in alle vengeaunces / the periles & yueles / þat myghten sewe of vengeaunce takynge / [2620] a man wold neuere take vengeaunce / & þat were harm / [2621] for by the venge|aunce takynge / ben the wykked men disseuered fro the goode men / [2622] And they þat han wil / to do wykked|nesse / restreynen here wikked purpos / whan they sen the punysshynge and the [folio 170a] chastisynge of the trespassours

[2623] . . . . .

[6-text p 230] . . . . . [no gap in Dd. or Eg., or in any of the four Hodson MSS.] [2625] ¶ And ȝet seye I more / þat right as a singuler persone synneth / in takyng vengeaunce of anoþer man / [2626] right so synneth the Iuge / If he do no vengeaunce of hem þat it han disserued [2627] ¶ ffor Senek seith; thus / þat maister he seith is god / þat proueth shrewes [2628] ¶ and Cassidore seith A man dredeth to do outrages / whan he woot & knoweth / þat it displeseth to the Iuges & soueryns / [2629] And another seith; The [¶ Nota] Iuge þat dredeth to do right / maketh men shrewes [2630] ¶ and Seynt Poule þe Apostle seith in his epistle / whan he wryteth vn-to Romayns; That the Iuges beren nat the spere withouten cause / [2631] but þei beren it / to punysshe the shrewes & mysdoers / & for to de|fende the goode men [2632] ¶ If ȝe wyln thanne take venge|aunce of ȝoure enemys/ȝe shuln retourne or haue ȝoure recours/ to the Iuge þat hath the Iurisdiccion vp-on hem / [2633] and he shal punysshe hem / as the lawe axeth & requyreth

[2634] ¶ A quod Melibe; This vengeaunce liketh me no thyng / [2635] I bithenke me now & take hede / how fortune hath norisshed me fro my childhode / & hath holpen me to passe many a strong paas [2636] ¶ Now wol I assayen hire trowynge / with goddes help / þat she shal helpe me / my shame for to venge

[2637] ¶ Certes quod Prudence / if ȝe wol werke by my counseil ȝe shuln nat assaie fortune by no wey / [2638] ne ȝe ne shuln nat lene or bowe vn-to hire / after the word of Senek [2639] ¶ ffor thynges þat ben folily doon / and tho þat ben doon in hope of fortune/shuln neuere come to good ende [2640] ¶ And as the same Senek seith; The more cler / & the more shynynge þat fortune is / the more brotel & the sonner broke she is / [2641] trusteth nat in hire / for she nys nat stedefast ne stable / [2642] for whan þou trowest to be moost syker & seure of hire

[6-text p 231] helpe / she wol faile & deceyue the [2643] ¶ And where as ȝe seyn / þat fortune hath norisshed ȝow / fro ȝowre childhod / [2644] I seye / in so muchel / shuln ȝe the lasse / truste in hire and in hire wyt [2645] ¶ For Senek seith; what man þat is norisshed by fortune / she maketh [¶ Nota] him a greet fool [2646] ¶ Now thanne / syn ȝe desire / & axe vengeaunce / & the vengeaunce þat is don / after the lawe / & bifore the Iuge / liketh ȝow nat / [2647] And the vengeaunce þat is doon in hope of fortune / is peril|ous & vncerteyn / [2648] thanne haue ȝe noon oþer remedie / but for to haue ȝoure recours vn-to the souereigne Iuge / þat vengeth alle vyleynyes & wronges / [2649] & he shal venge ȝow / after þat him self witnesseth ¶ where as he seith / [2650] leueth the vengeaunce to me / & I shal do it /

[2651] Melibeus answerde / If I ne venge me nat of the vyleynye þat men han don to me / [2652] I sompne or warne hem / þat han doon to [folio 170b] me vyleynye / and alle othere / to do me a-nother vyleynye [2653] for it is wryten / If þou take no vengeaunce / of an olde vileynye / þou somp|nest þine aduersaries / to do the a new vileynye / [2654] And also for my suffraunce / men wolden do me / so muche vileynye þat I myght neither bere it / ne sus|tene / [2655] And so shulde I ben put & holden ouer lowe [2656] ¶ffor somme men seyn/In muchel suffrynge shuln manye thynges falle vn-to the / which þou shalt nat mowe suffre

[2657] ¶ Certes quod Prudence / I graunte ȝow wel / þat ouer muchel suffraunce / is nat good / [2658] but ȝet ne folweth it nat þerof / þat euery persone / to whom men don vileynye / take of it vengeaunce / [2659] for þat aper|teneth & longeth al oonly to the Iuges / ffor þei shuln venge the vileynyes & iniuries / [2660] and þerfore þo two auctoritees / þat ȝe han seid a-boue / ben oonly vnderstonden in the Iuges [2661] ¶ ffor whan they suffren / ouer muchel the wronges and vileynyes to be doon /

[6-text p 232] withouten punysshynge / [2662] they sompne nat a man al oonly / for to do newe wronges / but þei comaunden it [2663] ¶ Also as a wys man seith / þat the Iuge / þat cor|recteth nat the synnere / comaundeth & biddeth him / do synne [2664] ¶ And þe Iuges & souereynes myghten in here hand / so muche suffre of the shrewes & mysdoeris / [2665] þat they shulden by swich suffraunce by proces of tyme / wexen of swich power & myght / þat they shulde putte out the Iuges & the souereyns / from here places / [2666] & atte laste / maken hem lese here lordshippes

[2667] ¶ But now / lat vs now putte / þat ȝe haue leue to venge ȝow / [2668] I seye / ȝe be nat of myght & power / as now / to venge ȝow / [2669] ffor if ȝe wol maken comparison / vn-to the myght of ȝoure aduersaries ȝe shuln fynde in many thynges / þat I haue shewed ȝow er this / þat here condicion / is bettre then ȝoures / [2670] And þerfore seye I / þat it is good as now / þat ȝe suffre / & be pacient

[2671] ¶ fforthermore ȝe knowen wel / þat after the comune sawe / it is a woodnesse / a man to stryue with a strengere / or a more myghty man than he is him self / [2672] And for to stryue with a man / of euene strengthe / þat is to seyn; with as stronge a man as he is / it is peril / [2673] & for to stryue with a weykere man / it is folye / [2674] And þerfore shulde a man / fle stryuynge / as muchel as he myghte [2675] ¶ ffor Salamon seith; It is a gret worship to a man / to kepe him from noyse & stryf [2676] ¶ And if it so happe / þat a man of grettere myght & strengthe / than þou art / do the greuaunce / [2677] studie and bisie the rather to stille the same greuaunce / than for to venge the [2678] ¶ ffor Senek seith; þat he putteth him in a gret peril / þat stryueth with a grettere man / þan he is him self [2679] ¶ And Caton seith; If a man of heigher estat or degree / or more myȝty [folio 171a] than þou / do the anoye or greuaunce; suffre him / [2680] for he þat oones hath greued the /

[6-text p 233] may another tyme releue the & helpe / [2681] ȝet sette I kas / ȝe haue bothe myght & licence / for to venge ȝow / [2682] I seye / þat þere be ful manye thynges / þat shuln restreyne ȝow of vengeaunce takynge / [2683] & make ȝow for to enclyne to suffre / & for to han pacience / in þe wronges / þat han ben doon to ȝow [2684] ¶ ffirst and forward / if ȝe wol considre þe defautes / þat ben in ȝoure owene persone / [2685] for which defautes / god hath suffred ȝow haue þis tribulacion / as I haue seid ȝow heere biforn [2686] ¶ ffor the Poete seith / þat we oughten paciently / taken the tribu|lacions / þat comen to vs / whan þat we consideren / & thynken þat we han desserued to haue hem [2687] ¶ And Seynt Gregorie seith; þat whan a man considereth wel the noumbre / of hise defautes / & of his synnes / [2688] þe peynes & the tribulacions þat he suffreth / semen the lesse vn-to him / [2689] And in as muche as him thynk|eth hise synnes mor heuy & greuous / [2690] in so muche / semeth his peyne / the lightere & the esiere vn-to him [2691] ¶ Also ȝe owen to enclyne / & bowe ȝoure herte / to take the pacience of oure lord ihesu crist / as seith seynt Peter in hise epistles [2692] ¶ Ihesu crist he seith hath suffred for vs / & ȝeuene ensaumple to euery man / to folwe & sewe him [2693] for he dide neuere synne / ne neuere cam there / a vileyns word / out of his mouth / [2694] whan men cursed him / he cursed hem nought / And whan men betyn him / he manaced hem nought [2695] ¶ Also gret pacience / which / seyntes þat ben in Paradys / han had in tribulacions / þat þei han suffred / with-outen here desert or gilt / [2696] oughte muchel stire ȝow to pacience [2697] ¶ fforþer|more ȝe shulde enforce ȝow / to haue pacience / [2698] considerynge þat the tribulacions of this world / but litel while endure / & soone passed ben / & gon / [2699] & the ioye / þat a man seketh to haue / by pacience in tribulacions / is perdurable / after þat

[6-text p 234] Thapostle seith in his Epistle / [2700] The ioye of god he seith / is perdurable / þat is to seyn; euere lastynge [2701] ¶ Also troweth & bileueth stedfastly / þat he nys nat wel I-norisshed / ne wel I-taught/þat kan nat haue pacience / or wol nat receyue pacience [2702] ¶ ffor Salamon seith; the doctrine & wyt of a man / is knowen by [¶ Nota] pacience [2703] ¶ And in a-nother place he seith / þat he þat is pacient / gouerneth him bi gret prudence [2704] ¶ And the same Salamon seith; the angry man & wrathful / maketh noyses / And the pacient man / attempreth him & stilleth; [2705] he seith also; It is more worth to be pacient / than for to be right strong [2706] ¶ And he þat may haue the lordshipe / of his owne herte; [¶ Nota] is more to preise / than he þat by his force or strengthe / taketh grete Citees [2707] ¶ And þerfore seith seynt Iame in his Epistle / that pacience / is a great vertu of perfeccion. [2708]

¶ Certes quod Melibe / I graunte ȝow Dame Prudence / þat pacience is [folio 171b] a gret vertu of perfeccion / [2709] but euery man may nat haue / the perfeccion þat ȝe seken / [2710] ne I am nat of the noumbre / of the right per|fit men / [2711] for myn herte may neuere be in pees / vn-to the tyme / it be venged / [2712] And al be it so / þat it was gret perile to myne enemys / to do me a vileynye / in takynge vengeaunce vp-oon me / [2713] ȝet token þei noon hede of the perile / but fulfilleden here wykked wyl & here corage [2714] ¶ And þerfore me thynketh / men oughten nat repreue me / though I putte me / in a litel perile / for to venge me / [2715] And though I do a gret excesse / þat is to seyn; þat I venge oon outrage by another.

[2716] ¶ A quod Dame prudence / ȝe seyn ȝoure wil / and as ȝow liketh / [2717] But in no cas of the world / a man shulde nat don outrage ne excesse / for to vengen him [2718] ¶ ffor Cassidore seith; As yuele doth he / þat vengeth him by outrage / as he þat doth þe

[6-text p 235] outrage / [2719] And þerfore ȝe shuln venge ȝow / after the ordre of right / þat is to seyn; by the lawe / & nat bi excesse ne by outrage [2720] ¶ And also if ȝe wol venge ȝow of the outrage of ȝoure aduersaries / in other manere than right comaundeth / ȝe synnen [2721] ¶ And þerfore seith Senek; þat a man shal neuere venge shrewednesse by shrewednesse / [2722] And if ȝe seye / þat right axeth / a man to defende violence / by violence / & fightyng by fightyng [2723] ¶ Certes ȝe seye soth / whan the defence is doon a-noon / with-outen interualle / or with-outen tariynge / or delay [2724] for to defende him / and nat for to venge / [2725] And it bihoueth / þat a man putte swich attemperaunce in his defence / [2726] þat men haue no cause ne matere / to repreue him þat defendeth him of excesse & outrage / for elles were it a-geyn reson [2727] ¶ Parde ȝe knowen wel / þat ȝe maken no deffence as now / for to deffende ȝow / But for to venge ȝow / [2728] And so sewith it / þat ȝe han no wyl to do ȝoure dede attemprely / [2729] And þerfore me thynketh / þat pacience is good ¶ ffor Salamon seith; þat he that is nat pacient shal haue gret harm. [2730]

¶ Certes quod Melibe / I graunte ȝow / þat whan a man is inpacient & wrooth / of þat that toucheth him nat / & that aperteneth nat vn-to him / though it harme him / it is no wonder; [2731] ffor the lawe seith; þat he is coupable / þat entremeteth or medleth with swich thyng / as aparteneth nat vn-to him [2732] ¶ And Salamon seith; þat he that entremeteth of noise / or strif / of a-nother man / is like to him / þat taketh an hound by the erys / [2733] ffor right as he þat taketh a straunge hound by the erys / is other while biten / with the hound / [2734] right in the same wyse is it resoun / þat he haue harm / þat by his impacience / medleth him of the noise of a-nother man / where as it aparteneth nat vn-to him / [2735] But ȝe knowe wel þat this dede / þat

[6-text p 236] is to seyn; my grief & my dissese toucheth me right ny [2736] ¶ And þerfore þough I be wroth and in|pacient / it is no merueille / [2737] & sauynge ȝoure grace / I kan nat se þat it myght gretly harm me / though I took vengeaunce // [2738] ffor [folio 172a] I am richere & more myghty / than myne enemys ben / [2739] And wel knowen ȝe / þat by moneye / and by hauynge grete posses|siouns ben alle the thynges / of this world / gouerned [2740] ¶ And Salamon seith; þat alle thynges obeyen to moneye.

[2741] ¶ whan Prudence had herd hire housbonde auaunte him of his richesse & of his moneye / despreys|yng the power of hise aduersaries / Spak & seide in this wyse / [2742] Certes deere sire I graunte ȝow / þat ȝe ben riche & myghty / [2743] and þat the richesses ben good to hem / that han wel I-geten hem / & þat wel konne vsen hem [2744] ¶ ffor right as the body of a man / may nat lyue with-outen soule / no moore may it lyue / withouten temporel goodes / [2745] & by rich|esses may a man gete him grete frendes // [2746] and þerfore seith Pamphilles; I a natherdes doughter he seith be riche / she may chese of a thousand men / which she wol take to hire housbonde / [2747] for of a thousand men / oon wol nat forsaken hire ne refusen hire [2748] ¶ And this Pamphilles seith also / If þou be right happy / þat is to seyn; if þou be right riche / þou shalt fynden a gret noumbre of felawes & frendes [2749] ¶ And if thy fortune chaunge þat þou wexe poore / fare [¶ Nota] wel frendshipe & felaweshipe // [2750] ffor þou shalt be al allone / withouten any compaignye / but if it be the compaignye of poore folk [2751] ¶ And ȝet seith this Pamphilles more-ouer; That they þat ben thralle & bonde of lynage / shuln be mad worthy & noble / by the richesses / [2752] & right so as by richesses / þere comen manye goodes / right so by pouerte / come there manye harmes & yueles / [2753] for gret pouertee con|streyneth

[6-text p 237] a man to do many yueles [2754] ¶ And þer|fore clepeth] Cassidore / pouertee / the moder of ruyne / [2755] þat is to seyn; the moder of ouerthrowyng or fallyng doun [2756] ¶ And þerfore seith Piers Alfonce; Oon of the gretteste aduersitees of this world / [2757] is / whan a freeman by kynde or of birthe / is constreyned by pouertee / to eten the almesse of hise enemy [2758] ¶ And þe same seith Innocent / in oon of hise bookes he seith þat sorweful & myshappy is the condicion of a poore beggere / [2759] for if he axe nat his mete / he dyeth for hungere / [2760] And if he axe / he dyeth for shame / & algates necessite constreyneth him to aske [2761] ¶ And þerfore seith Salamon; þat bettre it is to dye than for to haue swich pouerte / [2762] And as the same Sala|mon seith; Bettre it is to dye of bitter deth / than for to lyuen in swich wyse / [2763] by theise resons þat I haue seid vn-to ȝow / & by manye othere resons þat I koude seye [2764] I graunte ȝow / þat richesses ben goode to hem / þat geten hem wel / and to hem þat wel vsen tho richesses [2765] ¶ And þerfore wol I shewe ȝow / how ȝe shuln haue ȝow / & how ȝe shuln bere ȝow / in gaderyng of ȝoure rychesses / & in what manere ȝe shuln vsen hem.

[2766] ¶ ffirst ȝe shuln geten hem / withouten gret desir / by good leyser / sekyngly and [folio 172b] nat ouer hastifly / [2767] for a man þat is to desiryng to gete richesses aboundeneth him first to thefte / & to alle othere yueles [2768] ¶ And þerfore seith Salamon; he þat hasteth him to bisily to wexe riche / shal be noon Innocent [2769] ¶ he seith also; þat the richesse þat hastily comeþ to [¶ Nota] a man / sone & lightly passeth & gooth from a man / [2770] But þat richesse þat cometh litel & litel / wexeth alwey & multiplieth // [2771] And sire ȝe shullen gete richesses by ȝoure wyt & by ȝoure trauaille vn-to ȝoure profit / [2772] & that withouten wronge / or harm doynge to any other persone / [2773] for the lawe

[6-text p 238] seith / there maketh no man him self riche / if he do harm to a-nother wight / [2774] this is to seyn; that nature defendeth & forbedeth by right / þat no man make him self riche / vn-to the harm of another persone / [2775] And Tullius seith; þat no sorwe / ne no drede of deth / ne no thyng þat may falle vn-to a man / [2776] is so muchel a-geyns nature as a man to encreese his owne profit / to harm of another man [2777] And though the grete men & the myghty men geten richesses moore lightly / than þou / [2778] ȝet shalt þou nat be Idel ne slow / to do þi profit / for þou shalt in alle wyse / flee ydelnesse [2779] ¶ ffor Salamonseith; þat ydelnesse techeth a man / to do manye yueles [2780] ¶ And the same Salamon seith; þat he that trauailleth & bisieth him to tilien his land / shal ete breed / [2781] But he þat is ydel / & casteth him to no bysinesse ne occupacion / shal falle in-to pouertee and dye for hunger / [2782] and he þat is ydel and slow / kan neuere fynde couenable tyme for to do his profit [2783] ¶ ffor þere is a versifiour seith; þat the ydel man excuseth him in wynter / by-cause of the grete cold / and in somer / by encheson of the hete [2784] ¶ ffor þeise causes seith Caton; waketh & enclyneth ȝow nat / ouer muchel to slepe / for ouer muchel reste / norissheth & causeth many vices [2785] ¶ And þerfore seith seynt Ierome; Dooth somme goode dedes þatthe deuele which is ȝoure enemy / ne fynde ȝow nat / vn-ocupied / [2786] for the deuele ne taketh nat lightly vn-to his werk|ynge / swich as he fynt ocupied in goode werkes

[2787] ¶ Thanne thus / In getyng richesses / ȝe musten flee ydelnesse / [2788] And afterward / ȝe shuln vsen the richesses / which ȝe han geten / by ȝoure wit / & by ȝoure trauaille [2789] in swich a manere / þat men holde ȝow nat to skars / ne to sparynge / ne ful large / þat is to seyn; ouer large a spendere / [2790] ffor right as men blamen / an auaricious man by-cause of his scarsitee & chyncherie / [2791] in the same wyse is he to blame

[6-text p 239] þat spendeth ouer largely [2792] ¶ And þerfore seith Caton; vse he seith thy richesse / þat þou hast I-geten [2793] in swich a manere / þat men haue no matere ne cause to calle the / neiþer wrecche ne chynche / [2794] for it is a gret shame to a man / to haue a poore herte & a riche purs [2795] he seith also / þe goodes þat þou hast I-geten / vse hem by mesure / that is to seyn; spende mesurably [2796] [folio 173a] for they that folily wasten / & despenden the goodes þat þei han [2797] whan they han no more propre of here owne / they shapen hem to take the goodes of another man / [2798] I seye thanne / that ȝe shuln flee auarice / [2799] vsynge ȝoure richesses in swich manere / þat men seyn nat / þat ȝoure richesses ben I-buried / [2800] but þat ȝe haue hem in ȝoure myght / and in ȝoure weldynge / [2801] ffor a wys man repreueth the auaricious man / & seith thus in two vers [2802] ¶ where-to & why burieth a man hise goodes by his gret auarice / & knoweth wel / þat nedes must he dye / [2803] ffor deth is the ende of euery man / as in this present lyf / [2804] And for what cause or encheson ioyneth he him / or knytteth he him so faste / vn-to hise goodes / [2805] that alle hise wyttes moun nat disseueren him / or departen him from hise goodes / [2806] And he knoweth wel / or oughte knowe / þat whan he is ded / he shal no thyng bere with him / out of þis world [2807] ¶ And þerfore seith Seynt Austyn; þat the Auaricious man is likned vn-to helle / [2808] þat þe moore it swolweth / the moore desir it hath to swolwe & deuoure / [2809] And as wel as ȝe wolde eschue to be called an auaricious man or chynche / [2810] as wel shulde ȝe kepe ȝow / and gouerne ȝow in swich a wyse / þat men calle ȝow ffoollarge [2811] ¶ Therfore seith Tullius / the goodes of thyn hous / ne shulde nat ben hid ne kept so cloos / but that they myghte ben opened by pitee and debonairetee / [2812] þat is to seyn; to ȝeue hem part þat han gret nede / [2813]

[6-text p 240] ne thyne goodes shulden nat ben so open to be euery mannes goodes [2814] ¶ Afterward in getyng of ȝoure richesses / and in vsynge of hem / ȝe shuln alwey haue thre thynges in ȝoure herte / [2815] þat is to seyn; oure lord god / Conscience / & good name [2816] ¶ ffirst ȝe shuln haue god in ȝoure herte / [2817] & for no richesse ȝe shuln do no-thyng / which may in any manere displese god / þat is ȝoure creature & makere [2818] ¶ ffor after the word of Salamon; It is bettre to haue a litel good / with loue of god / [2819] than to haue muchel good / & lese the loue of his lord god [2820] ¶ And the prophete seith; þat bettre it is / to ben a good man / & haue litel good & tresor / [2821] than to be holden a shrewe / & haue gret richesses [2822] ¶ And ȝet I seye forþermore / þat ȝe shulden alwey do ȝoure bysynesse / to gete ȝow richesses / [2823] so þat ȝe gete hem with good conscience // [2824] And the Apostle seith; þat there nys thyng in this world of which we shulden haue so gret ioye / as whan oure conscience bereth vs good witnesse [2825] ¶ And the wyse man seith; the substaunce of a man is ful good / whan synne is nat / in mannes conscience [2826] ¶ Afterward in getynge of ȝoure richesses / and in vsynge of hem / [2827] ȝow muste haue gret bisynesse / & gret diligence / þat ȝoure good name / be alwey kept & conserued // [2828] ¶ ffor Sala|mon seith; þat bettre it is / & more it auaileth a [folio 173b] man to haue a good name / than for to haue grete richesses [2829] ¶ And þerfore he seith in another place; Do gret [¶ Nota] diligence seith Salamon in kepyng of thy frend / & of thy good name [2830] for it shal lengere abide with the / than any tresor / be it neuere so precious / [2831] And certes he shulde nat be called a gentil man þat after god & good conscience alle thynges left / ne dooth his diligence & bisynesse to kepen his good name [2832] ¶ And Cassidore seith; þat is a signe of a gentil herte / whan a man loueth & desireth / to haue a good name

[6-text p 241] [2833] ¶ And þerfore seith Seint Austyn / that þere ben two thynges / þat arn necessarie & nedefulle [2834] & þat is good conscience / & good loos / [2835] þat is to seyn; good conscience to thyn owne persone inward / And good loos / for thy neighbore outward / [2836] And he þat him so muchel in his good conscience [2837] trosteth þat he displeseth & setteth at nought his good name / or loos / & rekketh nat / though he kepe nat his good name / nys but a cruel cherl

[2838] ¶ Sire now haue I shewed ȝow / how ȝe shulden do in getyng richesses / & how ȝe shuln vsen hem / [2839] And I se wel þat for the trust / þat ȝe han in ȝoure richesses / ȝe wyln meeue werre & bataille / [2840] I coun|seille ȝow / þat ȝe bigynne no bataille ne werre / in trust of ȝoure richesses / for they ne suffisen nought werres to mayn|tene [2841] ¶ And þerfore seith a Philosophre; þat man þat desireth & wol algates han werre / shal neuere haue suffisaunce / [2842] for the richere þat he is / þe grettere despences must he make / if he wol haue wor|ship & victorie [2843] ¶ And Salamon seith; þat the grettere richesses þat a man hath / the moo despendours he hath [2844] ¶ And deere sire / al be it so / þat for ȝoure richesses / ȝe moun haue muchel folk / [2845] ȝet bihoueth it nat / ne it is nat good to bigynne werre / where as ȝe moun in othere manere / haue pees vn-to ȝoure profit / [2846] for the victorie of batailles / þat ben in þis world / lith nat in gret noumbre / or multitude of peeple / ne in the vertu of man / [2847] but in lith in the wil & in the hand of oure lord god almyghty [2848] ¶ And þerfore Iudas Machabeus / which was goddes knyght / [2849] whan he shulde fighte a-geyn his aduersarie þat hadde a gettere noumbre / & a grettere mul|titude of folk & strengere / than was the peeple of this Macha|bee / [2850] ȝet he reconforted his litel compaignye / & seide right in this wyse [2851] ¶ As lightly may oure lord god almyghty / Ȝeue victorie to fewe folk /

[6-text p 242] as to manye folk / [2852] for the victorie of a bataille / cometh nat by þe gret noumbre of peeple / [2853] but it cometh from oure lord god of heuene [2854] ¶ And deere sire / for as muchel / as þer is no man certeyn / if it be worthy / þat god ȝeue him victorie . . . . . [no gap in Dd. or in any of the 4 Hodson MSS.] or nought // After þat Salamon seith; [2855] þerfore euery man shulde / gretly drede werres to bigynne / [2856] and by-cause þat in batailles fallen manye [folio 174a] perils / [2857] and it happeth outher|while / þat as sone is the grete man slayn / as the litel man [2858] ¶ And as it is I-wryten / in the secund book of kynges; the dedes of batailles ben auenturouse / and no thynge certeyne [2859] ¶ for as lightly is oon hurt with a spere / as a-noþer [2860] And for þere is gret peril in werre / þerfore shulde a man flee / and eschue werre / in as muchel / as a man may / goodly [2861] ¶ ffor Salamon seith; he þat loueth peril / shal falle in perile /

[2862] ¶ After þat Dame Prudence had spoken in this manere // Melibe answered and seide [2863] ¶ I se wel Dame Prudence / that be ȝoure faire wordes / & by ȝoure resons þat ȝe han shewed me / þat the werre liketh ȝow no thyng [2864] / but I haue nat ȝet herd ȝour coun|seil / how I shal do in this nede

[2865] ¶ Certes quod she / I counseile ȝow / þat ȝe acorde with ȝoure aduersaries / & þat ȝe haue pees with hem // [2866] ffor seint Iame seith in hise Epistles; þat by concord and pees / þe smale richesses wexen grete / [2867] & by discord and debate / the grete richesses fallen doun [2868] ¶ And ȝe knowen wel / þat oon of the gretteste and moost souereyn thynges / þat is in this world / is vnyte and pees [2869] ¶ And þerefore seide oure lord Ihesu Crist to hise Apostlees / in this wyse / [2870] wel happy & blissed be they / þat louen & purchasen pees / for they ben called / children of god [2871] ¶ A quod Melibee / now se I wel / þat ȝe louen nat myn honour / ne my worshipe [2872] Ȝe knowen wel / þat myne

[6-text p 243] aduersaries / han bigonne this debat & bryge / by here outrage [2873] & ȝe se wel / þat þei ne requeren / ne preye me nat of pees / ne they asken nat to be reconsiled / [2874] wol ȝe thanne þat I go & meke me & obeye me to hem / & crie hem mercy; [2875] ffor sothe þat were nat my worshipe / [2876] ffor right as men seyn / þat ouer greet homlynesse / engendreth dispreisynge / so fareth it / by to greet humylitee / or mekenesse

[2877] ¶ Thanne bygan Dame Prudence / to maken sem|blant of wratthe / & seide / [2878] Certes sire / sauf ȝoure grace / I loue ȝoure honour / and ȝoure profit / as I do myn owene / & euere haue doon / [2879] ne ȝe / ne noon other / seyn neuere the contrarie / [2880] And if I had seid / þat ȝe shulde han purchased the pees / & the reconsiliacion / I ne hadde nat muchel mystake me / ne seid amys [2881] ¶ ffor the wyse man seith; The dis|sencion bigynneth by another man / and the reconsilynge bigynneth by thy self [2882] ¶ And the prophete seith; fflee shrewednesse / & do goodnesse / [2883] seke pees & folwe it / as muchel as in the is [2884] ¶ Ȝet seie I nat / þat ȝe shuln rathere pursue to ȝoure aduersaries for pees / than they shuln to ȝow / [2885] ffor I knowe wel / that ȝe ben so hard herted / þat ȝe wol do noo thyng for me [2886] ¶ And Salamon seith; þat he þat hath ouer hard an herte / atte laste / he shal myshappe & mystide //

[2887] whan Melibee had herd Dame Prudence / make semblaunt [folio 174b] of wrathe / he seide in thys wyse [2888] ¶ Dame I preye ȝow / þat ȝe be nat displesed / of thynges þat I seye / [2889] for I knowe wel / þat I am angry & wrooth / & þat is no wonder / [2890] & they þat ben wrothe / witen nat wel / what they doon / ne what they seyn [2891] ¶ Therfore the prophete seith; troubled eyen / han noo cleer sighte; [2892] But seith & counseileth me as ȝow liketh / for I am redy to doo / right as ȝe wol desire / [2893] And if ȝe repreeue me of my folie / I am the more holden / to loue ȝow & to preise

[6-text p 244] ȝow [2894] ¶ ffor Salamon seith; þat he that repreueth him / þat doth folie / [2895] he shal fynde grettere grace / than he / þat deceyueth him by swete wordes

[2896] ¶ Thanne seide Dame Prudence / I make no semblaunt of wrathe ne of angir / but for ȝoure grete profit [2897] ¶ ffor Salamon seith; he is more worth / þat re|preueth or chideth a fool for his folie / shewynge him semblaunt of wrathe / [2898] than he þat supporteth him & preiseth him / in his mysdoynge & laugheth at his folie [2899] ¶ And this same Salamon seith; afterward; þat by the sorweful visage of a man / þat is to seyn; by the sory & heuy countenaunce of a man / [2900] the fool correcteth & amendeth him self

[2901] ¶ Thanne seide Melibee / I shal nat konne an|swere ȝow / vn-to so manye faire resons / as ȝe putten to me & shewen / [2902] Seith shortly ȝoure wil and ȝoure coun|seil / and I am al redy / to fulfille & performe it /

[2903] Thanne Dame Prudence / discouered al hire wil to him / & seide / [2904] I counseille ȝow quod she a-bouen alle thynges / þat ȝe make pees bitwene god & ȝow / [2905] & beth reconsiled vn-to him / & to his grace / [2906] ffor as I haue seid ȝow heere biforñ / god hath suffred ȝow / to haue this tribulacion & dissese for ȝoure synnes / [2907] And if ȝe do as I seye ȝow / god wol sende ȝoure aduersaries vn-to ȝow / [2908] & make hem falle at ȝoure feet / redy to do ȝoure wyl & ȝoure com|aundementȝ [2909] ¶ ffor Salamon seith; whan the con|dicion of man / is plesaunt & likyng to god / [2910] he chaungeth the hertes of the mannes aduersaries / & con|streyneth hem / to biseken him of pees & of grace / [2911] I preye ȝow late me speke with ȝoure aduersaries in pryue place / [2912] ffor they shuln nat knowe / þat it be of ȝoure wil / or ȝour assent / [2913] And thanne / whan I knowe here wil & here entent / I may counseille ȝow / the moore seurly.

[2914] ¶ Dame quod Melibe / doth ȝoure wil &

[6-text p 245] ȝoure likynge / [2915] for I putte me holly / in ȝoure disposicion and ordinaunce

[2916] ¶ Thanne Dame Prudence / whan she sey / the good wil of hire housbonde / deliuered vn-to hire / & tok auysin hire self / [2917] thynkynge how she myghte brynge this nede / vn-to good ende / [so also in Eg. 2726, lf. 195] [2918] And whan she sey hire tyme / she sente for þeise aduersaries / to come vn-to hire in-to a pryue place / [2919] & shewed wysely vn-to hem the grete goodes þat comen of pees / [2920] & the gret harmes and [folio 175a] perils / þat ben in werre / [2921] and seide to hem in goodly manere / how þat hem oughten haue gret re|pentaunce / [2922] of the iniuries and wronges þat they hadden doon to Melibe hire lord / & vn-to hire & to hire doughter

[2923] ¶ And whan they herden / the goodly wordes of Dame Prudence / [2924] they weren so supprised and rauysshed & hadden so gret ioye of hire / þat wonder was to telle [2925] ¶ A lady quod they / ȝe han shewed vn-to vs / the blissynge of swetnesse / after the lawe of Dauid the prophete / [2926] for the reconsilynge which we be nat worthy to haue / in no manere / [2927] but we oughten requeren it / with gret contrition & humilitee / [2928] ȝe of ȝoure grete goodnesse / haue presented vn|to vs [2929] ¶ Now se we wel / þat the science & the kon|nynge of Salamon is ful trewe / [2930] ffor he seith / þat swete wordes multiplien & encressen frendes / and maken shrewes to be debonaire & meke

[2931] ¶ Certes quod þei / we putten oure dede / and al oure matere & cause / al holly in ȝoure good wyl / [2932] and ben redy to obeye / vn-to the speche / and comaunde|ment / of my lord Melibe / [2933] And þerfore / deere & benygne lady / we preye ȝow & biseke ȝow / as mekely as we konne & moun / [2934] that it like vn-to ȝoure gret goodnesse / to fulfille in dede ȝoure good|ly wordes / [2935] ffor we consideren & knowelichen /

[6-text p 246] þat we han offended / & greuyd my lord Melibe / out of mesure / [2936] so ferforth / þat we ben nat of power / to maken his amendes / [2937] And þerfore we oblige vs / & bynde vs & our frendes / for to do all his wil & hise comaundementȝ / [2938] but perauenture / he hath swich heuynesse / & swich wrathe to vs-ward / by-cause of oure offence [2939] þat he wol enioyne vs swich a peyne / as we moun nat bere / ne sustene / [2940] And þerfore noble lady / we biseke / to ȝoure wommanly pitee / [2941] to taken swich a-vysement in this nede / þat we ne oure frendes / ben nat desherited & destroyed thurgh oure folie

[2942] ¶ Certes quod Prudence / it is an hard thyng and right perilous / [2943] þat a man putte him al outrely in the arbitracion & Iuggement / & in the myght & powere of hise enemys // [2944] ffor Salamon seith; leeueth me / & ȝeueth credence / to þat that I shal seyn / I seye quod he / ȝe peeple folk / & gouernours of holy chirche / [2945] to thy sone / to thy wyf / to thy frend / ne to thy brother / [2946] ne ȝeue þou neuere myght ne maistrie of þi body / whil þou lyuest [2947] ¶ Now sithen he defendeth / þat man shulde nat ȝeue / to his brother / ne to his frend / the myght of his body; [2948] by a strengere reson / he deffendeth and forbedeth a man / to ȝeue him self to his enemy / [2949] And nathe|lees I counseille ȝow / þat ȝe mystruste nat my lord / [2950] ffor I woot wel & knowe verraily / þat he is debonaire & meke / large / Curteys / [2951] & no thyng desirous ne coueitous of good ne richesse / [2952] [folio 175b] ffor there nys no thyng in this world þat he desireth / saue oonly worshipe & honour [2953] ¶ fforþermore I knowe wel / & am right sure / þat he shal no thyng do in this nede / withouten my counseil / [2954] and I shal so werken in this cause / þat by þe grace of oure lord god / ȝe shuln be reconsiled vn-to vs /

[2955] ¶ Thanne seiden they with o vois; worshipful

[6-text p 247] lady / we putten vs / and oure goodes / al fully in ȝoure wyl / & disposicion / [2956] & ben redy to come what day þat it lyke / vn-to ȝoure noblesse / to lymyte vs / or assigne vs [2957] for to make oure obligacions and bond as strong as it liketh vn-to ȝoure goodnesse / [2958] þat we moun fulfille the wyl of ȝow / & of my lord Melibe

[2959] ¶ Whan Dame Prudence had herd the an|sweres of theise men she bad hem go a-geyn priuely / [2960] and she retourned to hire lord Melibe / & told him how she fond hise aduersaries ful of repentaunt / [2961] knowlechynge ful lowely here synnes & trespas / and how they weren redy to suffren al peyne / [2962] requerynge & preiynge him / of mercy & pitee

[2963] ¶ Thanne seide Melibe / he is wel worthy to haue pardoun & forȝefnesse of his synne / that excuseth nat his synne / [2964] but knowlecheth & repenteth him / axynge indulgence // [2965] ¶ ffor Senek seith; there is the remission & forȝefnesse / where as the confession is / [2966] ffor Confession is neyghbore to Innocence / [2967] . . . . . [no gap in this MS. or in any of the 4 Hodson MSS.] And þerfore I assente / and conferme me to haue pees / [2968] but it is good / þat we do it nat with-outen thassent & wil / of oure frendes

¶ [2969] Thanne was Prudence right glad & ioyeful / & seide / [2970] Certes sire quod she / ȝe han wel & goodly answered; [2971] ffor riȝt as by the counseil / assent & helpe of ȝoure frendes / ȝe han be stired to venge ȝow / and make werre / [2972] Right so with|outen here counseil / shul ȝe nat a-corde ȝow / ne haue pees with ȝoure aduersaries / [2973] ffor the lawe seith; þere nys no thyng so good / by weye of kynde / as a thyng to ben vnbounde / by him þat it was I-bounde

[2974] ¶ And þanne Dame Prudence with-outen delay or tariynge / sent a-noon hire messageres for hire kyn and for hire olde frendes / which þat were trewe and wyse [2975]

[6-text p 248] & told hem by ordre in the presence of Melibe / al this matere as it is a-boue expressed & declared / [2976] & preyed hem / þat they wolde ȝeue here auys & coun|seil / what were best to do in this nede [2977] ¶ And whan Melibeus frendes / hadden taken here auys & deliber|acion of the forseid matere / [2978] & hadden examyned it / by gret bysynesse & gret diligence; [2979] they ȝouen ful counseil for to haue pees & reste [2980] & that Melibe shulde resseyue with good herte hise aduersaries / to forȝifnesse & mercy

[2981] ¶ And whan Dame Prudence had herd the assent of hire lord Melibe & the counseil of hise frendes [2982] acord / with hire wyl & hire entencion / [2983] she was wonderly glad in hire herte / and seide / [2984] [folio 176a] There is an olde prouerbe quod she / seith; þat the goodnesse þat þou maist do this day / do it [2985] and a-bide nat / ne delay it nat til to-morwe / [2986] And þerfore I counseille / þat ȝe sende ȝoure messageres / swich as ben discrete & wyse / [2987] vn-to ȝoure aduersaries / tellynge hem on ȝoure bihalue / [2988] þat if they woln trete of pees & of a-cord / [2989] þat they shape hem withouten delay or tariynge / to come vn-to vs / [2990] which thyng perfourmed was in dede // [2991] And whan theise trespassours & repentynge folk of here folies / þat is to seyn; the aduersaries of Melibe / [2992] hadden herd what theise Messageres seiden vn-to hem / [2993] they weren right glad & ioyeful / and answerden ful mekely & benygnely / [2994] ȝeldynge graces and thankynges to here lord Melibe / & to al his compaignye [2995] & shopen hem withouten delay / to go with the Messagers & obeye / to the comaundement of here lord Melibe /

[2996] And right a-noon þei token here weye to the court of Melibe / [2997] & token with hem somme of here trewe frendes / to make feith for hem / and for to ben here borwes [2998] ¶ And whan they were come to

[6-text p 249] the presence of Melibe / he seide hem theise wordes [2999] ¶ It stant thus quod Melibe / & sooth it is / that ȝe [3000] causeles & withouten skyle & resoun / [3001] han doon grete Iniuries & wronges to me and to my wyf Prudence / and to my doughter also / [3002] for ȝe han entred in-to myn hous by violence / [3003] and haue don swich outrage þat alle men knowen wel / that ȝe han deserued the deth / [3004] & þerfore wol I knowe & wite of ȝow / [3005] wheither ȝe wol putte þe punysshynge & chastisynge / & the vengeaunce of this outrage in the wil of me & of my wyf / or ȝe wol nat.

[3006] ¶ Thanne the wysest of hem thre / answered for hem alle / and seide / // [3007] ¶ Sire quod he / we knowen wel / þat we ben vnworthy / to come to the court of so gret a lord / & so worthy as ȝe ben / [3008] ffor we han so gretly mystaken vs / & han offendid & a-gilt in swich a wyse ageyn ȝoure heye lordship / [3009] þat trewely we han deserued the deeth / [3010] But ȝet for the grete goodnesse & debonairetee / þat al the world wytnesseth of ȝoure persone / [3011] we submitten vs to the excellence & benygnytee of ȝoure gracious lordshipe / [3012] & ben redy to obeye /to alle ȝoure comaundementes / [3013] bysekynge ȝow / þat of ȝoure merciable pitee / ȝe wol considere oure grete repentaunce & lowe submission / [3014] & graunte vs forȝeuenesse of oure outrageous trespas & offence / [3015] ffor wel we knowen / þat ȝoure liberal grace & mercy / strecchen hem for-þere in-to good|nesse / than doon oure outrageous giltes & trespas in-to wykkednesse / [3016] al be it that cursedly & damp|nablely / we han a-gilt a-geyn ȝoure heye lordshipe

[3017] ¶ Thanne Melibe tok hem vp fro the ground ful benygnely [3018] & receyued [folio 176b] here obligacions and here bondes / by here oothes vp-on here plegges & borwes / [3019] and assigned hem a certeyn day / to retourne vn-to his court / [3020] for to accept & receyue the sentence &

[6-text p 250] Iugement / þat Melibe wolde comaunde to be doon on hem / by þe causes a-fore-seid / [3021] which thynges or|deyned / euery man retourned to his hous.

[3022] ¶ And whan þat dame Prudence saw hire tyme / she freyned & axed hire lord Melibe / [3023] what vengeaunce he thoughte to taken of hise aduersaries

[3024] ¶ To which / Melibe answered and seide ¶ Certes quod he / I thynke & purpose me fully / [3025] to dis|herite hem / of al þat euere they han / & for to putte hem in exile for euere

[3026] ¶ Certes quod Dame Prudence / this were a cruel sentence / and muchel a-geyn reson / [3027] for ȝe ben riche I-now / and han no nede / of othere mennes good / [3028] & ȝe myght lightly in this wyse / gete ȝow a coueytous name / [3029] which is a vicious þing & oughte ben eschewed of euery good man / [3030] for after the sawe of the word of thapostle ¶ Coueytise is rote of alle harmes [3031] and þerfore it were bettere for ȝow / to lese muchel good of ȝoure owene / than for to take of here good in this manere / [3032] for bettere it is / to lese good with wor|ship / thanne it is / to wynne good with vyleynye & shame / [3033] And euery man oughte to do his diligence & his bysy|nesse to gete him a good name / [3034] & ȝet shal he nat oonly / bisye him / in kepynge his good name / [3035] but he shal also enforcen him alwey to do som thyng / by which he may renouelle his good name / [3036] ffor it is wryten; þat þe olde good loos / or good name of a man / is sone goon & passed / whan it is nat newed / ne re|nouelled [3037] ¶ And as touchynge þat ȝe seyn / ȝe wol exile ȝoure aduersaries / [3038] þat thynketh me muchel a-geyn reson / & out of mesure / [3039] con|sidered the power þat they han ȝeuen ȝow / vp-oon hem self [3040] ¶ And it is wryten / þat he is worthy to leese his priuylege / þat mys-vseth the myght & the power / þat is ȝeue him [3041] ¶ And I sette cas / ȝe myghte enioyne hem þat peyne / by right & by lawe / [3042] which I

[6-text p 251] trowe ȝe mowe nat do / [3043] I seye ȝe myghte nat putte it to execucion perauenture / [3044] and thanne were it likly to retourne to the werre / as it was biforn / [3045] and þerfore / if ȝe wole þat men do ȝow obeis|aunce / ȝe muste deme more curteisly / [3046] this is to seyn; ȝe muste ȝeue more esy sentences & Iuggementȝ [3047] ¶ ffor it is wryten / þat he that most curteisly comaundeth / to him men muste obeyen [3048] ¶ And þer|fore I preye ȝow / þat in this necessitee & in this nede / ȝe caste ȝow to ouercome ȝoure herte [3049] ¶ ffor Senek seith; that he þat ouercometh his herte / ouercometh twyes / [3050] And Tullius seith; þere is no thyng so comendable in a gret lord / [3051] as whan he is debon|aire & meke / and appeiseth him [folio 177a] lightly / [3052] And I preye ȝow / þat ȝe wol for-bere now / to do vengeaunce [3053] in swich manere / þat ȝoure good name / may be kept and concerued / [3054] And þat men moun haue cause & matere / to preise ȝow of pitee & of mercy [3055] / and that ȝe haue no cause / to repente ȝow of thyng þat ȝe doon [3056] ¶ ffor Senek seith; he ouercometh in al yuel manere/þat repenteth him nought of his victorie/[3057] wher|fore [¶ Nota] I preye ȝow / lat mercy be in ȝoure herte / [3058] to the effect & entente / that god al-myghty haue mercy on ȝow / in his laste Iuggement / [3059] . . . . . [no gap in Dd. or the Hodson MSS.] with|oute mercy shal be do to him / þat hath no mercy of a-nother wyght

[3060] ¶ whan Melibe had herd / the grete skyles & resons of Dame Prudence / & hire wyse informacions and techynges / [3061] his herte gan enclyne to the wyl of his wyf / considerynge hire trewe entente / [3062] en|forced him a-noon & assented fully to werken after hire counseil / [3063] & thanked god / of whom procedeth al vertu / & al goodnesse / þat him sente a wyf / of so gret discrecion [3064] ¶ And whan the day cam / þat hise aduer|saries shulde appere in his presence / [3065] he spak vn|to

[6-text p 252] hem ful goodly / and seide in this wyse [3066] ¶ Al be it so / þat of ȝoure pride and hey presumpcion and folye / & of ȝoure neclygence / & vnkunnynge [3067] ȝe haue mys-born ȝow / & trespaced vn-to me / [3068] ȝet for as muchel / as I se & byholde ȝoure grete humylitee / [3069] & that ȝe ben sory & repentaunt of ȝoure giltes / [3070] it constreyneth me / to do ȝow grace & mercy / [3071] wherfore I receyue ȝow in-to my grace / [3072] & forȝeue ȝow outrely / alle the offences Iniuries and wronges þat ȝe haue doon a-geyn me & myne / [3073] to this effect & to this ende / þat god of hise endeles mercy / [3074] wole at the time of oure deyynge / for-ȝeue vs oure giltes / þat we han trespaced to him in this wrecched world / [3075] for doutelees / if we be sory and repentaunt of the synnes & giltes which we han trespasced inne / in the sighte of oure lord god / [3076] he is so free & so mercy|able / [3077] þat he wole for-ȝeuen vs oure giltes / [3078] and bryngen vs to the blisse / that neuere hath ende; Amen;

Here is ended Chaucers tale of Melibe;

[6-text p 253]

& bygynneth the Prologe of the Monkes tale;

WHan ended was my tale / of Melibe And of Prudence / & hire benygnetee Line 3080 Oure Host seide / as I am a feithful man And by þat precious corpus / Madrian I had leuere / than a barel ale That goodleef my wyf / had herd this tale Line 3084 She nys no-thyng / of swich pacience [folio 177b] As was this Melibeus wyf / Prudence By goddes bones / whan I bete myne knaues She bryngeth me / the grete clobbed staues Line 3088 And cryeth / slee the dogges euerychon And breke hem bothe bak / & euery bon And if þat any neyghebore of myne Wol nat in chirche / to my wyf enclyne Line 3092 Or be so hardy / to hire to trespace whan she cometh hom / she raumpeth in my face And crieth fals coward / wreke thy wyf By corpus bones / I wyl haue thy knyf Line 3096 And þou shalt haue my distaf / & go spynne ffro day to nyght / right thus she wol bigynne Allas she seith / þat euere that I was shape To wedde a mylk-soppe / or a coward ape Line 3100 That wol ben ouer-ladde / with euery wyght Thow darst nat stonde / by thy wyues right This is my lif / but if that I wol fight And out atte dore a-noon / I mot me dight Line 3104 Or elles I am but lost / but if that I Be like a wylde lyon / fool hardy I wot wel / she wol do me slee / some day Some neighebore / and thanne go my way Line 3108 ffor I am perilous / with knyf in honde Al be it / that I dar nat / hire withstonde

[6-text p 254] ffor she is bygge in armes / be my feith That shal he fynde / þat hire mysdooth or seith Line 3112 But late vs passe a-wey / fro this matere My lord the Monk / quod he / be mery of chere ffor ȝe shuln telle a tale / trewely loo Rouchestre stant heere / fast by Line 3116 Ride forth myn owne lord / breke nat our game But by my trouthe / I knowe nat ȝoure name wheiþer shal I calle ȝow / my lord Daun Iohn Or Daun Thomas / or elles daun Albon Line 3120 Of what hous be ȝe / by ȝoure fader kyn I vow to god / þou hast a ful fair skyn It is a gentil pasture / there þou goost Thow art nat like a penaunt / or a goost Line 3124 Vp-on my feith / þou art som officer Som worthy Sexteyn / or som Celerer ffor by my fadres soule / as to my dome þou art a maister / whan þou art at home Line 3128 No poore Cloistrer / ne no nowys [folio 178a] But a gouernour / wyly and wys And there with al / of braunes & of bones A wel faryng persone / for the nones Line 3132 I preye to god / ȝeue him confusion That first the brought / vn-to Religion Thow woldest han ben / a tredfoul a-right hadestow as gret a leue / as þou hast myght Line 3136 To perfourme thy lust / in engendrure Thow haddest bygeten / ful many a creature Allas / why werest þou / so wyde a cope God ȝeue me sorwe / but and I were Pope Line 3140 Nat oonly þou / but euery myghty man Though he were shore ful heye / vp-oon his pan Shulde haue a wyf / for al the world is lorn Religion hath take vp / al the corn Line 3144 Of tredynge / & we borel men ben shrympes Of feble trees / there come wrecched ympes

[6-text p 255] This maketh þat oure Eyres / ben so sklendre And fieble / þat they moun nat wel engendre Line 3148 This maketh þat oure wyues / woln assaie Religious folk / for they moun bettre paie Of Venus paiementȝ / than moun we God wot / no lusshburgh / payen ȝe Line 3152 But be nat wroth my lord / though þat I pleye fful ofte in game / a sooth I haue herd seye ¶ This worthy Monke / toke al in pacience And seide / I wol doon al my diligence Line 3156 As fer as sovneth / in-to honestee To telle ȝow a tale / or two or three And if ȝow list / to herken hiderward I wyl ȝow seyn / the lif of Seynt Edward Line 3160 Or elles first / tragedies wel I telle Of which I haue an .C. in my celle Tragedy is to seyn / a certeyn storie As olde bookes maken / memorie Line 3164 Of him þat stood / in gret prosperitee And is I-fallen / out of heigh degree In-to Miserie / and endeth wrecchedly And they ben versified / comunly Line 3168 Of sexe feet / which men clepen exametron In prose eke / ben endited many oon And eke in metre / in many a sondry wyse loo this declaryng / ought I-now suffise Line 3172 Now herkeneth / if ȝow liketh for to heere [folio 178b] But first I ȝow byseke / in this matere Though I be ordre / telle nat theise thynges Be it of Popes, Emperours or kynges Line 3176 After here ages / as men writen fynde But telle hem some bifore / & some bihynde As it now cometh / vn-to my remembraunce haue me excused / of myn ignoraunce Line 3180

Heere endeth þe prologe

[6-text p 256]

& bigynneth þe Monkes tale / þat is titled de casibus virorum Illustrium; Chaucer.

Iwol be-wayle / in manere of tragedie The harm of hem / þat stoden in hey degree And fellen so / þat þere was no remedie To brynge hem out / of here aduersitee Line 3184 ffor certeyn / whan þat fortune list to flee There may no man / the cours of hire with-holde lat no man truste / on blynd prosperitee Be war / by theise ensamples / trewe & olde Line 3188

[Lucifer.]

¶ At lucifer / though he an Aungel were [¶ Lucifer] And nat a man / at him I wol bygynne ffor though fortune may / non Aungel dere ffrom heigh degree / ȝet fel he for his synne Line 3192 Doun in-to helle / where as he ȝet is Inne O lucifer brightest / of Aungelis alle Now artow Sathanas / þat maist nat twynne Out of miserie / in which þat þou art falle Line 3196

[Adam.]

¶ Loo Adam / in the feld of Damyssene [¶ Adam] with goddes owne fynger / wrought was he And nat bigeten / of mannes sperme vnclene And welte al Paradys / sauynge o tree Line 3200 hadde neuere worldly man / so heigh degree As Adam / til he for mysgouernaunce was dryuen out / of his heye prosperitee To laboure & to helle / and to meschaunce Line 3204

[6-text p 257]

[Sampson.]

¶ Loo Sampson / which þat was / Anunciat [¶ Sampson] By the Aungel / longe / or his natyuyte And was to god almyghty / consecrat And stod in noblesse / whil he myght se Line 3208 was neuere such a-nother / as was he To speke of strengthe / & ther-with hardynesse But to hise wyues / told he his secree Thurgh which he slow himself / for wrecchednesse [folio 179a]

¶ Sampson / this noble / almyghty champion with-outen wepene / saue hise handes tweye he slow / and al to-rent the leon Toward his weddyng / walkyng by the weye Line 3216 his fals wyf / coude him so plese and preye Til she his counseille knew / and she vntrewe vn-to hise foos / his counseille gan bywreye And him forsoke / and toke a-nother newe Line 3220

¶ Thre hondred foxes / toke Sampson for Ire And alle here tayles / he to-gidre bond And sette the foxes tailles / alle on fire ffor he on euery taille / had knyt a brond Line 3224 And they brente alle the cornes / in þat lond And alle here Olyuerys / & vynes eke A thousand men / he slow eke with his hond And had no wepene / but an asses cheke Line 3228

¶ Whan they were slayn / so thursted him / þat he was wel ney lorn / for which he gan to preye That god wolde on his peyne / han som pitee And sende him drynk / or elles most he deye Line 3232 And of this Asses cheke / that was dreye Out of a wang toth / sprang a-noon a welle Of which he drank I-now / shortly to seye Thus halp him god / as Iudicum can telle Line 3236

[6-text p 258] Line 3236

¶ By verrey force / at Gaȝan on a nyght Maugree the Philistiens / of that Citee The gates of the Toun / he hath vp plight And oon his back / I-caried hem hath he Line 3240 heigh on an hil / where as men myght hem se O noble almyghty / Sampson lief and dere had þou nat tolde / to wommen thy secree In al this world / ne hadde ben thy pere Line 3244

¶ This Sampson / neuere / sither drank ne wyn Ne on his hed cam rasour noon / ne shere By precept / of the Messager / dyuyn ffor alle hise strengthes / in hise heres were Line 3248 And fully twenty wynter / ȝere by ȝere he hadde of Israel / the gouernaunce But sone shal he wepe / many a tere ffor wommen shuln him brynge / to myschaunce Line 3252

¶ vn-to his lemman Dalida / he tolde That in hise heeris / al his strengthe lay And falsly vn-to his foomen / she him solde [folio 179b] And slepynge in hire barm / vp-oon a day Line 3256 She made to clippe or shere / his heere a-way And made hise foomen / al this craft espien And whan þat they him fond / in this array They bounde him fast / & putten out hise eyen Line 3260

¶ But or his her was clipped / or I-shaue There was no bond / with which men myght him bynde But now is he in prison / in a caue Where as they made him / atte querne grynde Line 3264 O noble Sampson / strengest of mankynde O whilom Iuge in glorie / and in richesse Now maistow wepen / with thyne eyen blynde Sithe þou fro wele / art falle in wrecchednesse Line 3268

[6-text p 259] Line 3268

¶ The ende of this caityf / was as I shal seye his foomen maden a feste / vp-on a day And maden him as here fool / bifore hem pleye And this was in a temple / of gret array Line 3272 But atte laste / he mad a foul affray ffor he two pilers shoke / & made hem falle And doun fel temple & al / and there it lay And slow himself / & eke his foomen alle Line 3276

¶ This is to seyn / the Princes euerychon And eke thre thousand bodies / were there slayn with fallyng of the gret temple / of ston Of Sampson / now wol I no more sayn Line 3280 Beth war by this ensample / old and playn That no men telle here counseil / to here wyues Of swich thyng / as they wolde han secree fayn If þat it touche / here lymes / or here lyues Line 3284

[Hercules.]

¶ Of hercules / the Souereigne conquerour [¶ Hercules] Syngyn hise werkes laude / & heigh renoun ffor in his tyme / of strengthe he was the flour he slow & raft the skyn / fro the leoun Line 3288 he of Centaures / leide the boost a-doun he Arpies slow / the cruel briddes felle he goldene Apples reft / of the dragoun he drow out Cerberus the hound / of helle Line 3292

¶ he slow the cruel tyraunt / Busirus And mad his hors / to frete him flessh & bon he slow the firy serpent / venimus Of Achilois hornes two / he brak oon Line 3296 And he slow Cakus / in a kaue of ston he slow the Geaunt / Anthous the stronge he slow the grisly Boor / and that a-noon And bar the heuene / on his nekke long [folio 180a] [¶ id est diu]

[6-text p 260]

¶ was neuere wight / sithe þat the world bigan That slow so manye monstres / as dide he Thurgh-out this wyde world / his name ran what for his strengthe / & for his heigh bounte Line 3304 And euery rewme / went he for to se he was so stronge / þat no man myght him lette At bothe the worldles endes / seith Trophee [¶ Ille vates chalde|orum tropheus.] In stide of boundes / he a piler sette

¶ A lemman hadde / this noble champion That hight Dyanira / as fressh as May And as theise Clerkes / maken mencion She hath him sent a shert / fressh and gay Line 3312 Allas this sherte / allas & weyleway Envenymed was / so sotilly with-alle That or þat he had wered it / half a day It made his flessh / al from his bones falle Line 3316

¶ But nathelees / some clerkes hire excusen By oon þat hight nessus / that it maked Be as be may / I wol hire nought accusen But oon his bak / the shert he wered al naked Line 3320 Til þat his flessh / was for the venym blaked And whan he sey / noon other remedye In hote coles / he hath him seluen raked ffor with no venym / deigned him to dye Line 3324

¶ Thus starf / this worthy myghty Hercules loo / who may troste / on fortune any throwe ffor him þat folweth / al this world of prees Or he be war / is oft I-leid ful lowe Line 3328 fful wys is he / that can him seluen knowe Beth war / for whan þat fortune list to glose Thanne wayteth she / hire man to ouerthrowe By suche a wey / as he wolde leest suppose Line 3332

[6-text p 261]

[Nebuchadnezzar.]

¶ The myghty trone / the precious tresor [¶ Nabugodonosor] The gloriouse ceptre / and real maiestee That hadde the kyng / Nabugodonosor with tonge vnethe / may descryued be Line 3336 he twies wan Ierusalem / the Citee The vesselles of the temple / he with him ladde At Babiloyne / was his souereyne see In which his glorie / and his delit he hadde Line 3340

¶ The fairest children / of the blood real Of Israel / he let do gelde a-noon And maked eche of hem / to ben his thral [folio 180b] A-monges othere / Danyel was oon Line 3344 That was the wysest child / of euerychon ffor he the dremes / of the kyng expouned where as in Chadeie / clerk ne was þere noon That wist to what fyn / hise dremes souned Line 3348

¶ This proude kyng / let make a statue of gold Sexti cubites long / & seuene in brede To which ymage / he bothe ȝong and old Comaunded to loute / and haue in drede Line 3352 Or in a furneys / ful of flaumbes rede he shal be brent / þat wolde nought obeye But neuere wolde assent / to that dede Danyel / ne his ȝonge felawes tweye Line 3356

¶ This kyng of kynges / proud was & elat he wende that god / þat sit in mageste Ne myght him nat byreue / of his estat But sodeynly / he loost his dignetee Line 3360 And like a beest / him semed for to be And ete hey as an oxe / & lay there oute In reyn with wylde beestes / walked he Til certeyne tyme / was I-come a-boute Line 3364

[6-text p 262] Line 3364

¶ And like an Egles fetheres / wex his heres His nayles lyke / a briddes clawes were Til god relesed him / a certeyne ȝeres And ȝaf him wyt / & thanne with many a tere Line 3368 he thanked god / & euere his lyf in fere was he / to don amys / or more trespace And til þat tyme / he leyd was oon his bere he knew þat god / was ful of myght & grace Line 3372

[Belshazzar.]

¶ his sone / which þat hight / Balthasar [¶ Balthasar] That helde the regne / after his fadres day he by his fader / coude nought by war ffor proud he was of herte / & of array Line 3376 And eke an ydolastre / was he ay his heigh estat / assured him in pride But fortune kest him doun / & þere he lay And sodeynly his regne / gan dyuyde Line 3380

¶ A feste he made / vn-to his lordes alle vppon a tyme / & made hem blithe be And thanne his officers / gan he calle Goth bryngeth forth / the vesseles quod he Line 3384 which þat my fader / in his prosperitee Out of the temple of Ierusalem / biraft And to oure heighe goddes / thanke we [folio 181a] Of honour þat oure eldres / with vs laft Line 3388

¶ His wyf / his lordes / & hise concubynes Ay dronken / while here appetites laste Out of þeise noble vesseles / sondry wynes And oon a wal / this kyng his eyen caste Line 3392 And sey an hand / armlees / þat wroot ful faste ffor fere of which / he quoke & siked sore This hand þat Balthasar / so sore a-gaste wroot / mane techel phares / & no more Line 3396

[6-text p 263] Line 3396

¶ In al þat lond / Magicien was noon That coude expoune / what þis lettre mente But Danyel / expouned it a-noon And seide kyng / god to thy fader sente Line 3400 Glorie & honour / regne / tresor / Rente And he was proud / & nothyng god ne dradde And þerfore / god / gret wreche vp-oon him sente And him bireft / the regne that he hadde Line 3404

¶ He was out cast / of mannes compaignye with Asses / was his habitacion And ete hey as a beest / in wete & drye Til þat he knew by grace / & by reson Line 3408 That god of heuene / hath domynacion Ouer euery regne / and euery creature And þanne had god / of him compassion And him restored his regne / & his figure Line 3412

¶ Eke þou þat art his sone / art proud also And knowest alle þeise thynges / verrely And art rebel to god / and art his foo Thow drank eke of hise vessels / boldely Line 3416 Thy wyfe eke / and þine wenches synfully Dronke of the same vesselles / sondry wynes And heriest false goddes / cursedly Therfore to the / I-shapen / ful gret peyne is Line 3420

¶ This hand was sent fro god / þat oon the wal wroot / Mane thechel phares / truste me Thy regne is don / þou weyest nought at al Dyuyded is thy regne / and it shal be Line 3424 To Medes and Perses / I-ȝeuen quod he And thilke same nyght / this kyng was slawe And Darius occupieth his degree Though he þer-to had / neiþer right ne lawe Line 3428

[6-text p 264] Line 3428

¶ Lordynges ensample / her-by moun ȝe take how þat in lordship / is no sykernesse ffor whan fortune / wil a man forsake [folio 181b] She bereth a-wey his regne / & his richesse Line 3432 And eke hise frendes / bothe more & lesse ffor what man þat hath frendes / thurgh fortune Mishap / wyl mak hem enemys / I gesse This prouerbe is ful soth / & ful comune Line 3436

[Zenobia.]

¶ Cenobia / of Palymerie Quene [¶ Cenobia] As wryten Persiens / in here noblesse So worthy was in armes / & so kene That no wight passed hire / in hardynesse Line 3440 Ne in lynage / ne in other gentillesse Of kynges blod of Perce / is she descended I sey nat / þat she had / moost fairestnesse But of hire shap / she myght nat ben amended Line 3444

¶ ffrom hire childhode / I fynde þat she fledde Office of wommen / and to wode she went And many a wylde hertes blood / she shedde With arwes brode / þat she to hem sente Line 3448 She was so swift / þat she a-noon hem hente And whan þat she was eldre / she wolde kille Leones / lepardes / and Beres al-to-rente And in hire armes / welde hem at hire wille Line 3452

¶ She durste / wilde Bestes dennes / seke And rennen in the Mountaignes / al the nyght And slepe vnder the Bussh / & she coude eke wrastlen by verrey force / and verry myght Line 3456 with any ȝonge man / were he neuere so wyght There myght no thyng / in hire armes stonde She kept hire maydenhode / from euery wight To no man deigned hire / for to be bonde Line 3460

[6-text p 265] Line 3460

¶ But atte laste / hire frendes han hire maried To Onedake / a Prince of that contree Al were it so / þat she hem longe taried And ȝe shuln vnderstonde / how that he Line 3464 hadde suche fantasies / as hadde she But nathelees / whan they were knytte in fere [¶ id est simul] They lyued in ioye / and in felicitee ffor ech of hem had other / lief & dere Line 3468

¶ Saue oo thyng / þat she wolde neuere assent By no wey / þat he shulde by hire lye But oones / for it was hire pleyn entent To haue a child / the world to multiplie Line 3472 And also sone / as þat she myght espie That she was nat with childe / with þat dede Thanne wold she suffre him / done his fantasie [folio 182a] Eft sone / and nat but ones / out of drede Line 3476

¶ And if she were with childe / at thilke kast No more shulde he pleyen / thilke game Til fully fourty dayes / weren past Thanne wolde she ones suffre him / do the same Line 3480 Al were this Onedake / wylde or tame he gat no more of hire / for thus she seide It was to wyues / leccherie and shame In other cas / if that men with hem pleide Line 3484

¶ Two sons / by this Onedak / had she The which she kept in vertu / and lettrure But now / vn-to oure tale / turne we I sey / so worshipful a creature Line 3488 And wys ther-with / & large with mesure So penyble in the werre / & curteis eke Ne more labour myght / in werre endure Was none / though al this world men shulde seke Line 3492

[6-text p 266] Line 3492

¶ hire riche aray / ne myght nat be tolde As wel in vessel / as in hire clothynge She was al clad / in perry / and in golde And eke she left nought / for non huntynge Line 3496 To haue of sondry tonges / ful knowynge whan þat she leiser hadde / & for to entende To lerne bookes / was al hire likynge how she in vertu / myght hire lyf despende Line 3500

¶ And shortly / of this storie / for to trete So doughty was hire housbond / & eke she That they conquered / many regnes grete In the orient / with many a fair Citee Line 3504 Appertenaunt / vn-to the Magestee Of Rome / & with strong hond / held hem ful faste Ne neuere myght here foomen / don hem flee Ay / whil that Onedakes dayes / laste Line 3508

¶ Here batailles / who so list hem for to rede Ageyn Sapor the kyng / & othere moo And how þat al this processe / fel in dede why she conquered / & what title þer-to Line 3512 And after of hire myschef / & hire woo How þat she was byseged / and I-take lat him / vn-to my Maister / Petrak go That wryt I-now / of this / I vndertake Line 3516

¶ Whan Onedake was ded / she myghtily [folio 182b] The Regnes helde / & with hire propre honde Ageyns hire foos / she faught so cruelly That there nas kyng / ne Prince / in al þat lond Line 3520 That he nas glad / if he þat grace fond That she ne wolde / vp-on his land verreye with hire they made / alliaunce / by bonde To ben in pees / and lete hire ride & pleye Line 3524

[6-text p 267] Line 3524

¶ The Emperour of Rome / Claudyus Ne him biforn / the Romayn Galien Ne dursten neuere / ben so corageous Ne noon Ermyn / ne noon Egipcien Line 3528 Ne Surrien / ne non Arrabien with-Inne the feldes / that durst with hire fight leest þat she wolde hem / with hire handes slen Or with hire meyne / putten hem to flight Line 3532

¶ In kynges habite / wente hire sones two As Eyres / of here fadres Regnes alle And Heremanno and Thymalao here names were / as Persiens hem calle Line 3536 But ay fortune hath / in hire hony / galle This myghty Quene / may no while endure ffortune / out of hire regne / mad hire falle To wrecchednesse / and to mysauenture Line 3540

¶ Aurelian / whan that the gouernance Of Rome / come in-to handes tweye he shope vp-on this Quene / to do vengeaunce And with hise legions / he toke his weye Line 3544 Toward Cenobie / & shortly for to seye he mad hire flee / and atte laste hire hente And fettred hire / and eke hire children tweye And wan the lond / & home to Rome he wente Line 3548

¶ Amonges othere thynges / þat he wan hire Char / that was / with gold wrought / & perre This gret Romayn / this Aurelian hath with him ladde / for þat men shulde it se Line 3552 Biforn his Triumphe / walketh she with gilt cheynes / on hire nekke hangynge Corovned was she / as after hire degree And ful of Perre / charged hire clothynge Line 3556

[6-text p 268] Line 3556

¶ Allas fortune / she that whilom was Dredful to kynges / and to Emperoures Now gaureth al the peeple / on hire / allas And she þat helmed was / in stark stoures Line 3560 And by force / wan Tovnes stronge / and Toures [folio 183a] Shal on hire hed now / were a vitrymyte And she þat bar the Ceptre / ful of floures Shal bere a distaf / hire cost for to quyte [[In the MS. lines 3653-3956 come here.]] Line 3564

[Peter the Cruel, of Spain.] [[In the MS. lines 3565 to 3652 come after line 3956.]] [on leaf 186, back]

¶ O noble / o worthy Petre / glorie of spayne [¶ Petro] whom fortune helde / so heigh in mageste wel oughten men / thy pytous deth compleyne Out of thy lond / thy brother mad the flee Line 3568 And after at a Sege / by sotiltee . . . . . [a line blank in the MS.] where as he / with his owen hand slow the Succedyng in thy regne / & in thy rente Line 3572

¶ The felde of snow / with the Egle of blak þere-Inne kaught with the lyme rod / coloured as the glede he breweth this cursednesse / & al this synne The wykked nest / was wirker of this nede Line 3576 Nought Charles / Olyuer / þat toke ay hede Of trouthe & honour / but of Armorike Genylon / Olyuer / corrupt for mede Brought this worthy knyght / in swich a brike Line 3580

[Peter of Cyprus.]

¶ O worthy Petro / kyng of Cipre also [¶ Petro] That Alisaundre wan / by heigh maistrie fful many an hethen / wroughtestow ful woo Of which thyne owne lieges / hadden envye Line 3584 And for no thyng / but for thy Chyualrie They in thy bed / han slayn the by the morwe Thus kan fortune / hire whel gouerne & gye And out of ioye / brynge men to sorwe Line 3588

[6-text p 269]

[Bernabo Visconti, of Milan.]

¶ Of Melan / gret Barnabo / viscounte [¶ Barnabo] God of delit / and skourge of lumbardie Why shulde I nought / thyn Infortune Acompte Sithe in estat / þou clombe were so heighe Line 3592 Thy brothers sone / þat was thy double allye ffor he thy nevew was / & sone in lawe with-Inne his prison / made the to dye But why / ne how not I / þat þou were slawe Line 3596

[Ugolino, Count of Pisa.]

¶ Of the Erl Hugelyn / of Piȝe the langour [¶ Hugelyn] There may no tonge tellen / for pitee But litel out of Piȝe / stant a Tour In which Tour / in prison put was he Line 3600 And with him ben / hise litel children three The eldest skarsely / fyue ȝer was of age Allas fortune / it was gret crueltee swich Briddes / for to putte / in swich a cage Line 3604

¶ Dampned was he / to dye in þat prison ffor Roger / which þat Busshop was / of Piȝe had on him mad / a fals suggestion Thurgh which the peeple / gan vp-oon him rise Line 3608 And putten him to prison / in swich wyse [folio 187a] As ȝe han herd / & mete & drynk he hadde So smal / that wel vnethe / it may suffise And ther-with-al / it was ful poore & badde Line 3612

¶ And oon a day bifel / that in that houre whan þat his mete / wont was to be brought The Gayler shette the dores / of the Tour he herd it wel / but he spak right nought Line 3616 And in his herte / a-noon þere fel a thought That they for honger / wolde don him dyen Allas quod he / allas þat I was wrought There-with the teres / fellen from hise eyen Line 3620

[6-text p 270] Line 3620

¶ his ȝonge sone / þat thre ȝer was of age vn-to him seide / fader / fader / why do ȝe wepe whan wyl the gailler / bryngen oure potage Is þere no mussel bred / that ȝe do kepe Line 3624 I am so hungry / that I may nat slepe Now wolde god / þat I myght slepen euere Thanne shulde nought hunger / in my wombe crepe There is no thyng but bred / þat me were leuere Line 3628

¶ Thus day by day / this child bygan to crie Til in his his fadres barm / a-doun it lay And seide / fare wel fader / I mot dye And kist his fader / & dyed the same day Line 3632 And whan the wooful fader / ded it say ffor woo / hise armes two / he gan to byte And seide allas fortune / and weylaway Thy false whel / my woo al may I wyte Line 3636

¶ Hise children wend / þat it for hunger was That he hise armes gnow / & nat for woo And seiden fader / do nat so allas But rathere ete the flessh / vp-oon vs two Line 3640 Oure flessh þou ȝaf vs / take oure flessh vs froo And ete I-now / right thus / þei to him seide And after þat / with-Inne a day or two The leide hem in his lappe a-doun / & deide Line 3644

¶ him-self dispeired eke / for hunger starf Thus ended is / this myghty Erl of Pise ffrom heigh estat / fortune a-way him karf Of this tragedye / it ought I-now suffise Line 3648 who so wol heere it / in a lengere wyse Redeth the grete Poete / of ytaille That hight Daunt / for he can it al deuyse ffro poynt to poynt / nat oo word wil he faille [[In the MS. lines 3957, etc., follow here.]] Line 3652

[6-text p 271]

[Nero.] [[In the MS. lines 3653 to 3956 follow after line 3564.]] [folio 183a]

¶ Al-though tha[t] Nero / were vicious [¶ De Nerone] As any fend / þat lith ful lowe a-doun Ȝet he / as telleth vs / Swetoneus This wilde world / had in subieccion Line 3656 Both Est and West / North & semptrion Of Rubies saphires / & of Perles white were alle hise clothes breided / vp & doun ffor he in gemmes / gretly gan delite Line 3660

¶ More delicat / more pompous of array More proud / was neuere Emperour / than he That ilke cloth / þat he had wered oo day After þat tyme / he nolde it neuere see Line 3664 Nettes of gold thred / had he gret plentee To fisshe in Tybre / whan him liste pleye hise lustes were as lawe / in his degree ffor fortune as his frend / him wolde obeye Line 3668

¶ he Rome Brende / for his delicasie The senatours he slew / vp-on a day To here how þat men / wolde wepe & crye And slow his brother / & by his suster lay Line 3672 his Moder mad he / in pitous array ffor he hire wombe slitte / to be-holde where he conceyued was / so weylaway That he so litel / of his moder tolde Line 3676

¶ No tere / ouȝt of his eyen / for þat sighte Ne com / but seide / a fair womman was she Gret wonder is / how þat he coude or myghte Be domesman / of hire dede beaute Line 3680 The wyn to bryngen him / comaunded he And drank a-noon / non oþer woo he made whan myght is ioyned / vn-to crueltee [¶ Nota] Allas to depe / wol the venym wade Line 3684

[6-text p 272] Line 3684

¶ In ȝouthe / a maister / had this Emperour To teche him lettrure / and curteisie ffor of moralitee / he was the flour As in his tyme / but if bookes lye Line 3688 And whil this maister / had of him maistrie he maked him so konnynge / & so souple That longe tyme it was / þat or tyrannye Or any vice durste / in him vncouple Line 3692

¶ This Seneka / of which that I deuyse [folio 183b] By-cause Nero hadde of him / swich drede ffor he fro vices / wolde him ay chastise Discretly as by word / and nat be dede Line 3696 Sire wolde he seyn / an Emperour mot nede Be vertuous / and hate tirannye ffor which / he in a bath / made him to blede On bothe hise armes / til he muste dye Line 3700

¶ This Nero had eke / of a Custemaūnce In ȝouthe / a-geyns his maister / for to ryse which afterward / him þoughte a gret greuaunce Therfore he made him dyen / in this wyse Line 3704 But nathelees / this Seneka / this wyse Ches in a bathe / to dye in this manere Rathere than han / a-nother turmentrie And thus hath Nero / slayn / his maister dere Line 3708

¶ Now fel it so / that fortune list no lengere The heye pride / of Nero to cherice ffor though þat he was strong / ȝet was she strengere She thoughte thus / by god I am to nyce Line 3712 To sette a man / that is fulfilled of vice In hey degree / and Emperour him calle By god / out of his Sete / I wol him trice whan he leest weneth / sonest shal he falle Line 3716

[6-text p 273] Line 3716

¶ The peeple roos vp-on him / on a nyght ffor his defaute / and whan he it espied Out at his doores / a-noon he hath him dight Allone / and there he wende / han ben allied Line 3720 he knokked faste / and ay the more he cried The fastere shette they / here doores alle Tho wiste he wel / he hadde him self mys-gyed And went his wey / no lengere durst he calle Line 3724

¶ The peeple criede / and rombled vp & doun That with hise Eres / herd he how they seide Where is this fals tyraunt / this Neron ffor fere almost / out of his wyt he breide Line 3728 And to hise goddes / pitously he preyde ffor socour / but it myght nought betide ffor drede of this / him þought þat he deyde And ran in-to a Gardyne / him to hide Line 3732

¶ And in this Gardyne / fond he cherles tweye That setyn by a fir / gret and red And to theise cherles / he gan to preye To slen him / & to girden of his hed Line 3736 That to his body / whan þat he were ded were no despite I-don / for his deffame [folio 184a] him self he slow / he coude no bettre red Of which / fortune lough / & hadde a game Line 3740

[Holofernes.]

¶ was neuere capitaigne / vnder a kyng [¶ De Oliferno] That Regnes moo / putte in subieccioun Ne strengere was in feld / of alle thyng As in his tyme / ne gretter of renoun Line 3744 Ne more pompous / in heigh presumpcion Than Olyferne / which fortune ay kiste So lykerously / & ladde him vp & doun Til that his hed was of / or that he wiste Line 3748

[6-text p 274] Line 3748

¶ Nat oonly þat this world / had him in awe ffor lesynge of richesse / or libertee But made euery man / reneye his lawe Nabugodonosor / was god / seide he Line 3752 Noon other god / shulde adhoured be Ageyns this hest / no wyght dar trespace Saue in Bethulya / a strong Citee [¶ Et fecerunt filii Israell secundum quod constituerat eis sacerdos domi|ni Eliachim;] where Eliachym / a Preest was / of þat place

¶ But take kepe of the deth / of Oliferne A-mydde his oost / he dronke lay a nyght with-Inne his tent / large as is a berne And ȝet for al his pompe / & al his myght Line 3760 Iudith a womman / as he lay vp-right Slepynge / his hed of smote / & from his tente fful pryuyly she stal / from euery wyght And with his hed / vn-to hire toun she wente Line 3764

[Antiochus.]

¶ what nedeth it / of king Anthiocus [¶ De Anthioco illustri] To telle / his heygh / real mageste his heigh pride / his werkes venimus ffor swich a-nother was þere noon / as he Line 3768 Rede which that he was / in Machabe And rede the proude / that he seide And why he fel / fro heigh prosperite And in an hil / how wrecchedly he deyde Line 3772

¶ ffortune him hadde / enhaunced so in pride That verreyly / he wende he myghte atteyne Vn-to the sterres / vp-on euery syde And in balaunce weyghen / ech mounteigne Line 3776 And alle the floodes / of the see / restreyne And goddes peeple / had he moost in hate Hem wolde he sleen / in turment and in peyne wenyng þat god ne myghte / his pride abate Line 3780

[6-text p 275] Line 3780

¶ And for þat Nichanor / and Thimothe with Iewes were / venquysshed myghtily [folio 184b] Vn-to the Iewes / swich an hate had he That he bad / Greithe his Char / ful hastily Line 3784 And swor and seide / ful dispitously Vn-to Ierusalem / he wolde eft sone To wreke his Ire on hit / ful crewelly But of his purpos / he was lette ful sone Line 3788

¶ God for his manace / him so sore smote With invisible wounde / ay incurable That in hise guttes / karf it so & bote That hise peynes / weren inportable Line 3792 And certeynly the wrecche / was vnresonnable ffor many a mannes guttes / did he peyne But from his purpos cursed / and dampnable ffor al his smert / he wolde him nat restreyne Line 3796

¶ But bad a-noon / apparailen his oost And sodeynly / or he was of it war God daunted al his pride / and al his boost ffor he sore fil / out of his Char Line 3800 That it hise lymes / & his skin to-tar [.id est lacerauit.] So þat he neither / myght go ne ryde But in a Char / men a-boute him bar Al forbrused / bothe bak and syde Line 3804

¶ The wreche of god / him smote so cruelly That thurgh his body / wykked wormes crepte And ther with al / he stank so horribly That noone of alle his meyne / þat him kepte Line 3808 Wheither so he woke / or elles slepte Ne myght nought the stynk / of him / endure In this myschief / he wayled and eke wepte And knew god / lord / of euery creature Line 3812

[6-text p 276] Line 3812

¶ To al his oost / & to him self also fful wlatsom was the stynk / of his careyne No man ne myght him bere / to ne froo And in this stynk / & this orrible peyne Line 3816 he starf ful wrecchedly / in a Mounteigne Thus hath this robbour / & this homycide That many a man / made / to wepe & pleyne Swich gerdoun / as bilongeth vn-to pride Line 3820

[Alexander the Great.]

¶ The storie of Alexandre / is so comune [¶ De Alex|andro.] That euery wyght / þat hath discrecion hath herd somwhat / or al / of his fortune This wyde world / as in conclusion Line 3824 he wan by strengthe / or for his heigh renoun They were glad / for pees / vn-to him sende The pride of man and beest / he leide a-doun [folio 185a] where so he come / vn-to the worldles ende Line 3828

¶ Comparison / myght neuere ȝet be maked Bitwix him / and another Conquerour ffor al this world / for drede of him hath quaked he of knyghthode / and of fredome flour Line 3832 ffortune him maked / the Eyr of hire honour Saue wyn & wommen / no thyng myght a-swage his heigh entent / in armes and labour So was he ful / of leonyn corage Line 3836

¶ what prys were it to him / though I ȝow tolde Of Darius / and an hundred thousand moo Of kynges / Princes / Dukes / Erles bolde which he conquered / & brought hem in-to woo Line 3840 I seye / as fer / as man may ride or go The world was his / what shulde I more deuyse ffor though I wryte / or told ȝow euere moo Of his knyghthode / it might nat suffise Line 3844

[6-text p 277] Line 3844

¶ xij ȝer he regned / as seith Machabe Philippus sone / of Macedoyne he was That first was kyng / in Grece / the Contre O worthy gentil Alisandre / allas Line 3848 That euere shulde fallen / swich a kas Empoysenned / of thyne owen folk / þou were thy Sys fortune / hath turned in-to as And for the / ne wep she neuere / a teere Line 3852

¶ who shal me ȝeue teres / to compleyne The deth of gentillesse / & of fraunchise That al this world welded / in his demeyne And ȝet him thoughte / it myghte nat suffise Line 3856 So ful was his corage / of hey emprise Allas who shal me helpe / to endyte ffalse fortune / & poyson to despise The which two / of al this woo / I wyte Line 3860

[Julius Cæsar.]

¶ By wysdom / manhed / and by gret labour [¶ De Iulio Cesare] ffram humble bedde / to real magestee vp ros he / Iulius / the Conquerour That wan al thoccident / by lond and see Line 3864 By strengthe of hond / or elles by tretee And vn-to Rome / made hem tributarie And sithe of Rome / the Emperour was he Til þat fortune / wex his aduersarie Line 3868

¶ O myghty Cesar / that in Thessalie Ageyns Pompeus / fader thyn in lawe [folio 185b] That of the Orient / had al the Chyualrie As fer as þat the day / bigynneth dawe Line 3872 Thow thurgh thy knyghthode / hast hem take & slawe Saue fewe folk / that with Pompeus fledde Thurgh which þou puttest / al thorient in awe Thanke fortune / that so wel the spedde Line 3876

[6-text p 278] Line 3876

¶ But now a litel while / I wyl bywayle This Pompeus / this noble gouernour Of Rome / which þat fley at this bataille I seye / oon of his men / a fals traitour Line 3880 his hed of smot / to wynnen him fauour Of Iulius / and him the hed he brought Allas Pompeie / of thorient Conquerour That fortune / vn-to swich a fyn / the brought Line 3884

¶ To Rome a-geyn / repaireth Iulius with his triumphe / lauriat ful heye But on a tyme / Brutus Cassius That euere hadde / of his hey estat / envye Line 3888 fful priuyly / hath made / Conspiracie Ageyns this Iulius / in sotile wyse And cast the place / in which he shulde deye with boydekyns / as I shal ȝow deuyse Line 3892

¶ This Iulius / to the capitolie wente vp-on a day / as he was wont to gon And in the Capitolie / a-noon him hente This false Brutus / & hise othere foon Line 3896 And stryked him / with Boydekyns / a-noon with many a wounde / & thus they lete him lye But neuere grunt he / at no stroke / but oon Or elles at two / but if his storie lye Line 3900

¶ So manly was this Iulius / of herte And so wel loued / estatly honeste That though hise dedly woundes / so sore smerte his mantel ouer hise hipes / caste he Line 3904 ffor no man shulde sen / his pryuete And as he lay of deyinge / in a traunce And wist verreily / that ded was he Of honeste / ȝat had he / remembraunce Line 3908

[6-text p 279] Line 3908

¶ Lucan to the / this storie I recomende And to Sweton / and to valerius also That of the storie / wryten word and ende how þat theise grete / Conquerours two Line 3912 ffortune was first frend / and sithe a foo [folio 186a] No man ne truste / vp-oon hire fauour longe But haue hire in a-wayte / for euer mo wytnesse on alle / theise Conquerours stronge Line 3916

[Cresus.]

¶ This riche Cresus / whilom kyng of lyde [¶ Cresus] Of whiche / Cresus Cirus / sore him drawe Ȝet was he kaught / a-myddes al his pride And to be brent / men to the fyr him ladde Line 3920 But such a reyn / down fro the walken shadde That it slow the fyr / & made to him escape But to be war / no grace ȝet he hadde Til fortune / on the galwes / made him gape Line 3924

¶ Whan he eskaped was / he gan nat stynte ffor to begynne / a newe werre a-geyn he wende wel / for þat fortune him sente Swich hap / þat he eskaped thurgh the reyn Line 3928 That of his foos / he myghte nat be slayn And eke a sweuene / vp-oon a nyght he mette Of which he was so proud / & eke so fayn That in vengeaunce / he al his herte sette Line 3932

¶ Vp-oon a tree he was / as þat him thoughte where Iupiter him wessh / bothe bak & syde And Phebus eke / a fair towayl him broughte To drye him with / & her-for wex his pride Line 3936 And to his doughter / þat stod him beside which þat he knew / in hey science habounde he bad hire telle him / what it signyfiede And she his drem / bygan right thus expounde Line 3940

[6-text p 280] Line 3940

¶ The tree quod she / the galwes is to mene And Iuppiter bitokeneth / Snow & reyn And Phebus / with his towayle so clene Tho ben the Sonnes stremes / for to seyne Line 3944 Thow shalt an-hanged be / fader certeyne Reyn shal the wasshe / & sonne shal the drye Thus warned him ful plat / & ful pleyne his doughter / which þat called was / Phanye Line 3948

¶ An-hanged was Cresus / the proude kyng His real trone / myght him nought a-vaille Tragedi es / noon other maner thyng Ne can in syngynge / crie ne bywaille Line 3952 But for þat fortune / alday wol assaille with vnwar strok / the Regnes þat ben proude ffor whan men trosten hire / than wyl she faille Line 3955 And keuere hire bright face / with a cloude [folio 186b] [[In the MS. lines 3565 to 3652 follow here.]]

¶ Here endeth the Monkes Tale / de casibus virorum Illustrium [[This colophon and lines 3957, etc., come after line 3652 in the MS. at the foot of page 1 of leaf 187.]]

[6-text p 281]

Here bigynneth the Prologe of the Nonnes Prest / [folio 187b]

HOo quod the knyght / good sire no more of this That ȝe han seid / is right I-now I-wys And mochel more / for litel heuynesse Is right I-now / for mechil folk I gesse Line 3960 I seye for me / it is a gret dissese where as men han ben / in gret welthe & ese To heren of here sodeyn fal / allas And the contrarie is ioye / & gret solas Line 3964 As whan a man hath ben / in poure estat And clymbeth vp / and wexeth fortunat And there abydeth / in prosperitee Swich thyng is gladsom / as it thynketh me Line 3968 And of swich thyng / were goodly for to telle ȝa quod oure hoost / by seynt Poules belle ȝe seye right soth / this Monke he clappeth loude he spak how fortune / couered was with a cloude Line 3972 I not neuere what / and als of a tragedie Right now ȝe herde / and parde no remedie Is it / for to be-wayllen / ne compleyne That [id quod] þat is don / and als it is a peyne Line 3976 As ȝe han seide / to heere of heuynesse Sire Monke no more of this / so god ȝow blisse Ȝoure tale a-noyeth / al this compaignye Swich thyng is nat worth / a boterflye Line 3980 ffor þere-Inne is ther [[? MS. cher]] / no disporte ne game wherfore sire Monke / o daun Piers by thy name I preye ȝow hertily / telle vs som-what elles ffor sikerly / nere clynkyng of ȝoure belles Line 3984

[6-text p 282] Line 3984 That oon ȝoure bridel hange / oon euery syde By heuene kyng / þat for vs alle dyde I shulde er this / haue fallen doun for slepe Al-though the slough / had neuere ben so depe Line 3988 Thanne had ȝoure tale / al ben tolde in veyn ffor certeynly / as þat theise Clerkes seyn where as a man / may haue noon audience Nat helpeth it / to tellen his sentence Line 3992 And wel I woot / the substaunce is in me If any thyng / shal wel reported be Sire seye somwhat / of huntyng I ȝow preye ¶ Nay quod this Monke / I haue no lust to pleye Line 3996 Now lat a-nother telle / as I haue tolde Thanne spak oure hoost / with rude speche & bolde And seide vn-to the Nonnes preest / a-noon [[Dd. 4. 24 leaf 188 gone.]] [Com nere þou preest/ com hider þou sir Iohn [Egerton 2726, on leaf 209] Tell vs soch thyng/ as may our hertes glade Line 4001 Be blythe / þough þou ride / vp-on a Iade / What þough thyn hors / be both foule and lene Yf he woll serue the rek nat a bene/. Line 4004 loke that thyn hert be mery euermoo/ Yis sir koth he / yis hoost so mot I goo/ But I be mery / I-wis I woll be blamed And right anoon his tale he hath attamed Line 4008 And þus he seid / vn-to vs euerychone This swete preest/ this godely man sir Iohn

Here endeth the prologe of þe Nonnes preest/

[6-text p 283]

and begynneth his tale of þe Cok and þe Hen [Eg. 2726, on leaf 209]

Apoure widowe / somdele stope in age / was whilom dwellyng in a narow cotage Line 4012 Beside a grove stondyng/ in a dale This widow / of which I tell you my tale Sen thilk day þat she was laft a wyf In pacience ledde a symple lyf Line 4016 ffor litle was hir catell and hir rent By housbondry / of which as god hir sent She fonde hir self and eke doughtren two iij large sowes hade she / and no mo / Line 4020 Thre keen / and eke a Shepe that hight Mall [Eg. 2726 folio 209b] ffull soty was hir boure / and eke hir hall In which she ete / full many a sklendre mele Of poynaunt sauce / knewe she neuer a dele/ Line 4024 No deyntee mossell / passed þurgh hir throte Hir diette was accordyng / to hir cote Replexion ne made hir neuer sike Attempre diet / was all hir phisike/ Line 4028 And exersice / and hertly suffisaunce/ The goute letted hir nought for to daunce No wyn drank she / neither white ne rede/ Ne apoplexie shent nat hir hede/ Line 4032 hir borde was serued most / with white and blak Mylk / and broun brede / in which she fonde no lak Seynd Bacon and som tyme an eye or tweye ffor she was / as it were / a maner deye Line 4036 A yerd she hade / enclosed all about with stykkes / and a drie diche without In which she hade a Cok hight Chauntcleer In all þat lond/ of crowyng/ nas his peer Line 4040

[6-text p 284] Line 4040 His vois was merier / þan þe mery orgon On masdaies / þat in chirche goon wele sikerer was his crowyng in his logge Than is a clok/ or ony Abbeyes orlogge Line 4044 By nature he knewe ecch assencion Of the equynoxiall / in þat toun ffor whan degrees .xv. were assended. Than crue he / þat it myght nat be amended Line 4048 His combe / was redder / þan þe fyn corall And bateld / as it were a Castell wall His bill was blak / and as þe geet it shone like asure were his legges / and his tone Line 4052 His nailes whitter þan þe lilly flour And like the burned gold was his colour This gentill Cok / hade in his gouernaunce .vij. hennes for to do all his plesaunce Line 4056 which weren his susters / and his paramours And wonder like to him / as of colours Of which / þe fairest hewed on hir throte Was cleped faire damysell Partelote / Line 4060 He fethered hir / an hundred tyme a day [Eg. 2726 folio 210a] And she hym pleseth / all þat euer she may Curteys she was / discrete and debonair [[? spurious]] And compynable / and bare hir self so fair [[? spurious]] Sen thilk day / þat she was .vij. nyght old That truely she hath / þe hert/ in hoold Line 4064 Of Chauntecleer / loken in euery lyth He loued hir so / þat wele was hym þere-with/ Bot soch a Ioye was it / to here hem syng whan þat þe bright son / gan to spryng Line 4068 In swete accorde / my lief is fair in lond ffor thilk tyme / as I have vnderstond Bestes and birdes / kouden speke and syng And so byfell / that in a dawenyng Line 4072 As Chauntcleer / amonges his wyfes all Sat on his perche / þat was in þe hall And next hym sate / þis feir partelote This Chauntcleer gan grone in his throte / Line 4076

[6-text p 285] Line 4076 As man þat is in dreme / drecched sore Line 4077 And whan þat Partelote / þus herd hym rore / She was a-gaast and seid hert dere] [[Egerton 2726 ends]] what eyleth ȝow to grone / in this manere [folio 189a] ȝe ben a verrey slepere / fy for shame And he answerde / and seide thus / Madame I preye ȝow / that ȝe take it nat a grief By god me mette / I was in swich meschief Line 4084 Right now / þat ȝet myn herte / is sore a-fright Now god quod he / my sweuene recche a-right And kepe my body / out of foule prisoun ¶ Me mette how that I romed / vp and doun [¶ Dreem] with-Inne oure ȝerd / where as I saugh a beest was lyke an Hound / & wolde han mad a-reest vp-on my body / and an had me deed his colour was bitwexe / ȝelew and reed Line 4092 And tipped was his tail / & bothe hise Erys with blak / vnlike the remenaunt of hise heris his snoute was smal / with glowyng eyen tweye Ȝet for his look / for fere al-moost I deye Line 4096 This caused me / my gronyng doutelees ¶ A voy quod she / fy oon ȝow hertelees Allas quod she / for by þat god a-boue Now han ȝe loost myn herte / & al my loue Line 4100 I can nought loue a Coward / by my feith ffor certes / what so any womman seith we alle desyren / if it myght be To han an housbonde / hardy wys & free Line 4104 And secree / & no nygard / ne no fool Ne him þat is a-gast / of euery tool Ne noon auentour / by þat god a-boue how dursten ȝe for shame / seye to ȝoure loue Line 4108 That any thyng / myght make ȝow a-ferd han ȝe no mannes herte / and han a berd Allas / and konne ȝe ben a-gast of sweuenys No thyng god wot / but vanytee in sweuene is Line 4112

[6-text p 286] Line 4112 Sweuenes ben engendred / of replexiouns And ofte of fume / and of complexiouns Whan humours ben to habundaunt / in a wyght Certes this drem / which ȝe han met to-nyght Line 4116 Cometh of the gret / superfluytee Of ȝoure rede Colera / parde which causeth folk / to dredyn in here dreemes Of arwes and of fyr / with rede lemes Line 4120 Of rede beestes / that they wol hem byte Of contekes and of waspes / grete and lyte [folio 189b] Right as the humour / of malencolie Causeth many a man / in sleep to crie Line 4124 ffor fere of Blake Beres / or Booles blake Or elles blake deueles / þat wole hem take Of othere humours / coude I telle also That werken many a man / is sleep ful woo Line 4128 But I wol passe / as lightly as I can lo Caton which / þat was so wys a man Seide ne nat thus / ne do no fors of dremes Now sire quod she / whan we flee fro theise bemes Line 4132 ffor goddes loue / as take som laxatyf vp peril of my soule / and of my lyf I counseil ȝow the beste / I wol nat lye That bothe of colour / and of malencolie Line 4136 ȝe purge ȝow / and for ȝe shuln nat tarie Though in this toun / is noon Appotocarie I shal my self / to herbes techen ȝow That shal be for ȝoure ese / & for ȝoure prow Line 4140 And in oure ȝerd / the Erbes shal I fynde The which han / of here proprete / by kynde To purgen ȝow bynethe / and eke a-boue Sire forȝete nat this / for goddes loue Line 4144 ȝe ben ful colerik / of complexioun war that the sonne / in his assencioun Ne fynde ȝow nat / replet / of humours hote And if it do / I dar wel leye a grote Line 4148

[6-text p 287] Line 4148 That ȝe shuln han / a feuere terciane Or an agu / which þat may be ȝoure bane A day or two / ȝe shuln han degestyues Of wormes / or ȝe take ȝoure laxatyues Line 4152 Of lauriol / centaure / and fumetere Or elles of ellebor / that groweth there Of Catapuce / or of gait-Rys beries Of herbe yue / growyng in oure ȝerd / þere merie is Line 4156 Pikke hem right as they growe / and ete hem In Beth merie housbonde / for ȝoure fader kyn Dredeth no dreem / I can sey ȝow no more ¶ Madame quod he / graund mercy of ȝoure lore Line 4160 But nathelees / as touchyng daun Catoun That hath of wysdom / swich a gret renoun Though þat he bad / no dremes for to drede By god men moun / in olde bookes rede Line 4164 Of many a man / more of auctoritee Than euere Catoun / was / so moot I the [folio 190a] That al the reuers seyn / of his sentence And han wel founden / by experience Line 4168 That dremes ben / significaciouns As wel of ioye / as tribulaciouns That folk enduren / in this lyf present There nedeth make of this / noon argument Line 4172 The verray preeue / sheweth it in dede Oon of the grettest auctour / that men rede [¶ Tullius] Seith thus / þat whilom tweye felawes wente On pilgrimage / in a ful good entente Line 4176 And happed so / þat they cam in a toun where there was swich / a congregacioun Of peeple / and eke so streyt / of herbergage That they ne founde / as moche as a cotage Line 4180 In which they myght / I-logged be wherfore they musten / of necessite As for þat nyght / departen compaignye And ech of hem gooth / to his hostelrie Line 4184

[6-text p 288] Line 4184 And took his loggynge / as it wolde falle That oon of hem was logged / in a stalle ffer in a ȝerd / with Oxen of the plow That oþer man was logged / wel y-now Line 4188 As was his auenture / or his fortune That vs gouerneth / as in comune ¶ And so bifel / þat longe or it was day This man mette in his bed / þere as he lay Line 4192 how þat his felawe / gan vp-oon him calle And seide allas / for in an Oxes stalle This nyght I shal be mordred / þere I lye Nowe helpe me dere brother / or I dye Line 4196 In alle haste / come to me he seyde This man out of his sleep / for fere abreyde But whan þat he was wakned / of his sleep he turned him / & took of this no keep Line 4200 him thought his dreem / nas but a vanytee Thus twyes in his sleep / dremed he And at the thridde tyme / ȝet his felawe Cam as him þought / & seide / I am now slawe Line 4204 Byholde my bloody woundes / depe & wyde Arys vp erly / in the morwe tyde And at the west gate / of the Toun quod he A carte ful of donge / þere shalt þou se Line 4208 In which my body is hid / ful preuyly Do thilke carte aresten / boldly [folio 190b] My gold caused my mordre / soth to seyn And told him euery poynt / how he was slayn Line 4212 with a ful pytous face / pale of hewe And trosteth wel / this dreem he fond ful trewe ffor oon the morwe / as sone as it was day To his felawes In / he took his way Line 4216 And whan þat he cam / to this Oxes stalle After his felawe / he bygan to calle The hostiler answered him / a-noon And seide sire / ȝoure felawe is a-gon Line 4220

[6-text p 289] Line 4220 As sone as day / he went out of the Toun This man gan fallen / in suspeccioun Remembryng on hise dreemes / þat he mette And forth he gooth / no lengere wold he lette Line 4224 vn-to the west gate of the toun / and fond A dong cart / went for to donge lond That was arrayed / in the same wyse As ȝe han herd / the dede man deuyse Line 4228 And with an hardy herte / he gan to crie vengiaunce and iustice / of this felonye My felawe murdred is / this same nyght And in this Carte he lith / gapyng vp-right Line 4232 I crie out on the Ministres / quod he That shulden kepe & reule / this Citee Harrow allas / heere lith my felawe slayn what shulde I more / vn-to this tale seyn Line 4236 The peeple out stirte / & cast the cart to grounde And in the myddel of the donge / they founde The dede man / þat murdrid was al newe ¶ O blisful god / þat art so iust and trewe Line 4240 loo how þat þou bywreyest / murdre alway Murdre wol out / that se we day by day Murdre is so wlatsom / & abhomynable To god / that it so iust and resonable Line 4244 That he ne wol nat suffre it / heled be Though it abyde / a ȝer or two or three Murdre wol out / this is my conclusioun And right a-noon / Mynistres of the toun Line 4248 hant hent the Carter / and so sore him pyned And eke the Hosteler / so sore engyned That þei be-knew / here wykkednesse a-noon And were an-hangid / by the nekke boon Line 4252 Heere moun men se / that dreemes be to drede [folio 191a] And certes in the same book / I rede Right in the next chapitre / after this I gabbe nat / so haue I ioye or blys Line 4256

[6-text p 290] Line 4256 ¶ Two men / þat wolde han passed ouer the see ffor certeyn cause / in-to fer contree If þat the wynd / ne had be contrarie That made hem in a Citee / for to tarie Line 4260 That stood ful merye / vp-oon an hauene syde But on a day / a-geyn the Eue tyde The wynd gan chaunge / & blew right as hem leste Iolyf and glad / they went vn-to here reste Line 4264 And casten hem ful erly / for to seyle But to that oo man / fel in gret merveille ¶ That oon of hem / in slepynge as he lay him mette a wonder dreem / a-geyn the day Line 4268 him þought a man stood / by his beddes syde And him comaunded / that he shulde a-byde And seide him thus / if þou to-morwe wende Thow shalt be dreynt / my tale is at an ende Line 4272 he wook & told his felawe / what he mette And preyed him / his viage to lette As for that day / he preyed him to abyde his felawe that lay / by his beddes syde Line 4276 Gan for to laughe / & skorned him ful faste No dreem quod he / may so myn herte agaste That I wol lette / for to do myne thynges I sette nat a strawe / by my dremynges Line 4280 ffor sweuenes ben but vanitees / & iapes Men dreme alday / of Oules & of Apes And eke of many a mase / ther-with-al Men dreme of thyng / þat neuere was ne shal Line 4284 But sithe I se / þat þou wolt heere abide And thus forsleuthen / wilfully thy tyde God woot it reweth me / and haue good day And thus he took his leue / & went his way Line 4288 But or that he / had half his cours I-seyled Noot I nat why / ne what meschaunce it eyled But casuely / the shippes bottum rente And ship & man / vnder the water wente Line 4292

[6-text p 291] Line 4292 In sight of othere shippes / it by-syde That with hem seyled / at the same tyde And þerfor / faire Partelote so deere Line 4295 By swiche ensamples olde / maist þou leere [folio 191b] That noman shulde be / to rechelees Of dreemes / for I sey the doutelees That many a dreeme / ful sore is for to drede ¶ loo in the lyf of seynt Kenhelm / I rede [¶ De Rege Kenulpho] That was kenulphus sone / the noble kyng Of Mertenrike / how kenelm mette a thyng A lite or he was mordred / on the day his mordre / in his auysion he say Line 4304 his Norice / him expouned euerydel his sweuene / & bad him for to kepe him wel ffro tresoun / but he nas but seuene ȝer old And þerfore / litel tale hath he told Line 4308 Of any dreem / so holy was his herte By god I hadde leuere / than my sherte That ȝe had red his legende / as haue I Dame Partelote / I seye ȝow trewely Line 4312 Macrobeus / that wryt the auysioun In Affrike / of the worthy Cipioun Affermeth dreemes / & seith þat they ben Warnynge of thynges / that men after sen Line 4316 ¶ And forþermore / I preye ȝow loketh wel In the olde testament / of Danyel If he helde dreemes / any vanytee ¶ Rede eke of Ioseph / & þere shuln ȝe see Line 4320 where dreemes ben somtyme / I seye nat alle warnyng of thynges / þat shuln after falle loke of Egipte / the kyng Daun pharaoo his Bakere / and his Boteler also Line 4324 wher they ne felt / noon effecte in Dreemes who so wol seke actes / of sondry Remes May rede of Dreemes / many a wondir thyng lo Cresus / which þat was / of lyde kyng Line 4328

[6-text p 292] Line 4328 Mette he nat / that he sat vp-oon a tree which signyfied / he shulde an-hanged be ¶ lo heere Andremacha / Ectoris wyf That day þat Ector / shulde lese his lif Line 4332 She dreemed / on the same nyght byforn how þat the lyf of Ector / shulde be lorn If thilke day he went / in-to bataille She warned him / but it myght nat a-vaille Line 4336 he went for to fight / nathelees But he was slayn a-noon of Achilles But thilke tale / is al to long to telle Line 4339 And eke it is ny day / I may nat dwelle [folio 192a] Shortly I seye / as for conclusion That I shal han / of this auisioun Aduersitee / and I seye forthermoore That I ne telle / of laxatyues no store Line 4344 ffor they ben venemous / I woot it wel I hem deffye / I loue hem neuere a del ¶ Now late vs speke of myrthe / & sthynte al this Madame Partelote / so haue I blis Line 4348 Of oo thyng / god hath sent me / large grace ffor whan I se the beaute / of ȝoure face Ȝe ben so scarlet reed / a-boute ȝoure eyen It maketh al my drede / for to dyen Line 4352 [For as siker / as In principio [[Egerton 2726, on leaf 213, bk. Not in Dd. 4. 24.]] Mulier est Hominis confusio Madame þe sentence of þis latyn is womman is all my Ioye / and blis] Line 4356 And whan I fele a-nyght / ȝoure softe syde Al be it / that I may nat / on ȝow ryde ffor þat oure perche / is maad so narwe allas I am so ful of ioye / and of solas Line 4360 That I deffye / bothe sweuene and dreem And with that word / he fley doun fro the beem ffor it was day / and eke his hennes alle And with a chukke / he gan hem for to calle Line 4364

[6-text p 293] Line 4364 ffor he had founde a corn / lay in the ȝerd Real he was / he was no more a-ferd he fethered Pertelote / twenty tyme And tradde hire eke / as oft / er it was prime Line 4368 he loketh as it were / a grym leoun And on his toos / he rometh vp & doun him deyned nat to sette / his foot to grounde And chukketh / whan he hath / a corn I-founde Line 4372 And to him rennen thanne / his wyues alle Thus real / as a prince is / in his halle leue I this Chaunteclere / in his pasture And after wol I telle / his auenture Line 4376 ¶ Whan þat the monthe / in which the world bygan [¶ Nota] That highte Marche / whan god first maked man was complet / and I-passed were also Line 4379 Syn March bygan / thretty dayes & two [id est secundo die] [¶ Maii] Bifel that Chauntecler / in al his pride his wyues seuene / walking him beside Caste vp his eyen / to the bright Sonne That in the signe of Taurus / hadde ronne Line 4384 Twenty degrees and oon / and somwhat more he knew by kynde / and by noon oþer loore That it was prime / and krew with blisful steuene [folio 192b] The sonne he seide / is clomben vp on heuene Line 4388 ffourty [id est .xl] degrees and oon / and more I-wys Madame Pertelote / my worldlis blys herkeneth theise blisful bryddes / how they synge And se the fresshe floures / how they sprynge Line 4392 fful is myn herte / of reuel and solas But sodeynly him fel / a sorweful caas ffor euere the lattere ende / of ioye / is woo [¶ Nota Salamon] God woot þat worldly ioye / is sone a-go Line 4396 And if a Rethor / coude faire endite he in a cronycle saufly / myght it wryte As for a souereyn / notabilitee Now euery wys man / lat him herkne me Line 4400

[6-text p 294] Line 4400 This storie is also trewe / I vndertake As is the book / of launcelot de lake That wommen holde / in ful gret reuerence Now wol I turne ageyn / to my sentence Line 4404 ¶ A Colfox ful of sly iniquytee That in the groue had woned / ȝeres three By hey ymaginacion / fore-cast The same nyght / thurgh-out the hegges brast Line 4408 In-to the ȝerd / there Chaunteclere the faire was wont / and eke his wyues to repaire And in a bed of wortes / stille he lay Til it was passed / vnderne of the day Line 4412 waytyng his tyme / on Chauntecleer to falle As gladly doon / theise homycides alle That in a-wayt liggen / to murdre men O false mordrour / liggyng in thy den Line 4416 O new scaryot / newe Gaenyloir ffals dissimilour / o greek Synoir That broughtest Troye / al vttirly to sorwe O Chaunteclere / accursed be the morwe Line 4420 That þou in-to þat ȝerd / flaugh / fro the beemes Thow were ful wel I-warned / by thy dreemes That thilke day / was perilous to thee But what þat god for-woot / mot nedes bee Line 4424 After the opynyoun / of certeyn clerkes wytnesse oon him / þat any parfyt Clerk is That in Scole / is gret altricacioun In this matere / and gret disputisioun Line 4428 And hath ben / of an hundred thousand men But I ne kan nat / bulte it to the bren [folio 193a] As can the holy Doctour / Augustyn Or Boyce / or the Bysshop Bradwardyn Line 4432 wheither þat goddis worthy / fore-wetyng Streyneth me needly / for to doon a thyng Needly / clepe I / symple necessitee Or ellis if free chois / be grauntid me Line 4436

[6-text p 295] Line 4436 To doo þat same thyng / or do it nought Though god forn-woot it / or þat it was wrought Or if his wityng / streyneth neuere a del But by necessite / condicionel Line 4440 I wole nat han to done / of swich matere My tale is of the Cok / as ȝe may heere That took his counseil / of his wyf / with sorwe To walken in the ȝerd / vp-oon þat morwe Line 4444 That he had mette þat dreem / þat I ȝow tolde Wommens counseils / ben ful often colde Wommannes counseil / brought vs first to woo And made Adam / fro Paradys to goo Line 4448 There as he was ful merie / & wel at ese But for I not to whom / it myght displese If I counseil of wommen / wolde blame Passe ouer / for I seide it in my game Line 4452 Rede auctoures / ther they trete of swich matere And what they seyn of wommen / ȝe moun heere Theise ben the Cokkes wordes / & nat myne I kan noon harm / on no womman deuyne Line 4456 ¶ ffaire in the sond / to bathe myrily lith Pertelote / and hire sustres by Ageyne the sonne / and Chauntecler so free Sang meriere / than the Mermayde in the see Line 4460 ffor Phisiologus / seith sikirly how þat they syngen wel / and merily ¶ And so bifel / as þat he cast his eye A-mong the wortes / on a boterflye Line 4464 he was war of this fox / þat lay ful lowe No thyng / ne liste him thanne / for to crowe But cried a-noon / Kok / Cok / & vp he stirte As man þat was affraied / in his herte Line 4468 ffor naturely / a beest desireth flee ffrom his contrarie / if þat he may it se Though he neuere erst / had seen it / with his eye This Chauntecleer / whan he gan him espye Line 4472

[6-text p 296] Line 4472 He wolde han fled / but that the fox a-noon [folio 193b] Seide / gentil sire allas / whider wol ȝe goon Be ȝe affrayed of me / that am ȝoure freend Now certes / I were worse than a feend Line 4476 If I to ȝow wolde harm / or vylanye I nam nat come / ȝoure counseil for to espie But trewely the cause / of my comyng was oonly for to herken / how þat ȝe syng Line 4480 ffor trewely ȝe han / as merie a steuene As any Aungel hath / þat is in heuene Ther-with ȝe han in Musyke / more felynge Than had Boice / or any þat can synge Line 4484 My lord ȝoure fader / god his soule blisse And eke ȝoure moder / of hire gentillesse han in myn hous I-ben / to my gret ese And certes sire / ful fayn wolde I ȝow plese Line 4488 But for men speke of syngynge / I wol seye So mote I brouke wel / myne eyen tweye Saue ȝe / I ne herd neuere / man so synge As dede ȝoure fader / in the morwenynge Line 4492 Certes it was of herte / al that he song And for to make his voys / the more strong he wolde so peyne him / þat with bothe hise eyen he muste wynke / so loude he wolde cryen Line 4496 And stonden on his tippton / ther-with-al And strecche forth his nekke / long & smal And eke he was / of swich discrecioun That þere nas noman / in no regioun Line 4500 That him in song or wysdam / myghte passe I haue wel red / in Daun Burnel the Asse Among his vers / how þat þere was a Cok That for a Preestes sone / ȝaf him a knok Line 4504 Vp-on his leg / whil he was ȝong & nyce He made him for to lese / his benefice But certyn þere is / no comparisoun Betwix the wysdom / & discrecioun Line 4508

[6-text p 297] Line 4508 Of ȝoure fader / and of his subtilitee Now syngeth sire / for seynt Charitee ¶ lat se / kan ȝe ȝoure fader countrefete This Chauntecler / his wenges gan to bete Line 4512 As man þat coude / his treson nat espie So was he rauysshed / with his flaterie Allas ȝe lordes / many a fals flaterour Is in ȝour court / and many a losengeour [folio 194a] Line 4516 That plesen ȝow wel more / be my feith Than he that soothfastnesse / vn-to ȝow seith Redeth Ecclesiast / of flaterie Beth war ȝe lordes / of here trecherie Line 4520 ¶ This Chauntecler stod hye / vp-oon his toos Strecchynge his nekke / & held hise eyen cloos And gan to crowe loude / for the nones And daun Russel the fox / stirt vp at ones Line 4524 And by the gargat / hente Chauntecler And on his bak / vn-to the wode him beer ffor ȝet ne was þere no man / þat him sewid O destynee / þat may nat ben eschewed Line 4528 Allas that Chauntecler / fley fro the beemes Allas his wyf / ne roughte nat / of dreemes And on a friday / fel al this meschaunce ¶ O venus / þat art goddesse of plesaunce Line 4532 Syn þat thyn seruaunt / was this Chauntecleer And in thy seruyce / dyd al his power More for delyt / than world to multiplie Why woltow suffre him / on thy day to dye Line 4536 ¶ O Gaufreed / deere Maister souereyn That whan thy worthy kyng / Richard was slayn with shot compleynedest / his deeth so sore why ne had I now / thy science & thy lore Line 4540 The friday for to chide / as deden ȝe ffor on a friday soothly / slayn was he Than wolde I shewe how / þat I coude pleyne ffor Chauntecleres drede / & for his peyne Line 4544

[6-text p 298] Line 4544 Certes swich cry / ne lamentacion was neuere of ladies mad / whan ylion was wonne / & Pirrus with his streite swerd whan he had hente / kyng Priamus by the berd Line 4548 And slayn him / as seith vs Eneydes As maden alle the hennes / in the cloos whan they had seyn / of Chauntecleer the sighte But souereynly / Dame Pertelote shrighte Line 4552 fful loudere / than dede / hasdrubales wyf whan þat hire housbonde / hadde I-lost his lyf And þat the Romaynes / hadden brent Cartage She was so ful of turment / and of rage Line 4556 That wilfully / in-to the fyr she stirte And brent hire seluen / with a stedfast herte ¶ O wooful hennes / right so cryden ȝe [folio 194b] As whan þat Nero / brente the Citee Line 4560 Of Rome / criden Senatoures wyues ffor þat here housbondes / losten alle here lyues with-outen gilt / this Nero hath hem slayn ¶ Now wol I turne / vn-to my tale a-geyn Line 4564 The sely wydewe / and eke hire doughtren two herden theise hennes crie / and maken woo And out at the dores / stirten they a-noon And seye the fox / to-ward the groue goon Line 4568 And bar vp-on his bak / the Cok a-way And criden out harrowe / & weylaway ha ha the fox / and after him they ran And eke with staues / many a-nother man Line 4572 Ran Colle oure dogge / and Talbot & gerland And Malkyn with a distaf / in hire hand Ran kow and kalf / and eke the verray hogges So feered for the berkyng / of the dogges Line 4576 And showtyng of the men / and wommen eke They ronne so / hem thought here hertes breke They ȝelleden as fendes / don in helle The Dokes criden / as men wolde hem quelle Line 4580

[6-text p 299] Line 4580 The Gees for fere / flowen ouer the trees Out of the hyue / kom the swarme of bees So hidous was the noise / A benedicitee Certes he Iakke straw / & his meyne Line 4584 Ne maden neuere shoutes / half so shille whan þat they wolden / any flemmyng kylle As thilke day was maad / vp-on the fox Of Bras they broughten beemes / & of Box Line 4588 Of horn / of Boon / in which they blew & pouped And þere-with-al / they shrykeden & they houped It semed / as that heuene shulde falle Now goode men I prey ȝow / herkeneth alle Line 4592 lo how fortune / turneth sodeynly The hope & pride eke / of hire enemy This Cok þat lay / vp-oon the foxes bak In al his drede / vn-to the fox he spak Line 4596 And seide sire / if I were as ȝe Ȝet wolde I seyn / as wys god helpe me Turneth a-geyn / ȝe proude Cherles alle A verrey pestilence / vp-oon ȝow falle Line 4600 Now I am comen vn-to the wodes syde Maugree ȝoure hed / the Cook shal heere abide I wol him ete in feith / and that a-noon The fox answered / in feith it shal be doon [folio 195a] Line 4604 And as he spak þat word / al sodeynly The Cok brak from his mouth / delyuerly And hye vp-on a tree / he flaw a-noon And whan the fox saw / þat the Cok was gon Line 4608 Allas quod he / o chaunteclere allas I haue to ȝow quod he / I-don trespas In as meche / as I maked ȝow afferd whan I ȝow hente / & brought in-to this ȝerd Line 4612 But sithe I dede it / in no wykke entente Come doun / & I shal telle ȝow what I mente I shal sey soth to ȝow / god helpe me so Nay / thanne quod he / I shrewe vs bothe two Line 4616

[6-text p 300] Line 4616 And first I shrewe my self / bothe blode & bones If þou begile me / oftere than ones Thow shalt no more / thurgh thy flaterie Do me to synge / & wynke with myn eye Line 4620 ffor he þat wynketh / whan he shulde see Al wilfully / god lat him neuere thee Nay quod the fox / but god ȝeue him meschaunce That is so vndiscret / of gouernaunce Line 4624 That iangleth / whan he shulde holde his pees lo which it is / for to be rechelees And necligent / and troste on flaterie But ȝe þat holden this tale / of folie Line 4628 As of a fox / or of a Cok / or hen Taketh the moralitee / goode men ffor seynt Poule seith / þat al þat wryten is To oure doctrine / it is I-wryte I-wys Line 4632 Taketh the fruyt / & lat the chaf be stille Now goode god / if þat it be thy wylle As seith my lord / so make vs alle goode men [¶ Kantuar'] An brynge vs to his blisse / Amen Line 4636

[6-text p 301]

Sire Nonnes Preest / oure hoost seide a-noon I-blissed be thy breche / & euery ston This was a murie tale / of Chauntecleer But by my trouthe / if þou were seculer Line 4640 Thow woldest ben a tredfoul / a-right ffor if þou haue corage / as þou hast myght The were nede of hennes / as I wene ȝa / moo than seuen tymes / seuentene Line 4644 Se which braunes / hath this gentil Preest [folio 195b] So gret a nekke / & swich a large breest he loketh as a Sperhauke / with hise eyen him nedeth nat / his colour for to dyghen Line 4648 with brasile / ne with greyn of Portyngale Now sire / faire falle ȝow / for ȝoure tale And after that / he with ful merie chere Seide vn-to a nother / as ȝe shuln heere Line 4652

Heere endeth the Tale of the Nonnes Preest /