[6-text p 211] many a good womman may men telle [2293] ¶ And moore ouer / whan oure lord hadde creat Adam oure forme fader / he seyde in this wise / [2294] It is nat good / to been a man alloone / make we to hym an helpe semblable to hym self / [2295] ¶ Heere may ye se / that if that wommen were nat goode and hir conseils goode & profitable / [2296] oure lord god of heuene / wolde neuere han wroght hem / ne called hem / help of man but rather confusion of man [2297] ¶ And ther seyde oones a clerk in [folio 160b] two vers ‖ what is bettre / than gold? Iaspre ¶ What is bettre than Iaspre? wisedoom / [2298] ¶ And what is better than wisedoom? womman ‖. And what is bettre than a good womman? no thyng [2299] ¶ And sire by manye of othre resons / may ye seen that manye wommen been goode / and hir conseils goode and profitable ‖ [2300] And therfore sire / if ye wol triste to my conseil / I shal restoore yow / youre doghter / hool and sound / [2301] And eek/ .I. wol do to yow so muche / that ye shul haue honour in this cause /
[2302] Whan Melibee hadde herd the wordes of his [¶ Melibee] wyf Prudence / he seyde thus [2303] ¶ I se wel that the word of Salomon is sooth ‖. he seith that wordes þat [¶ Salomon] been spoken discreetly by ordinaunce / been honycombes / for they yeuen swetnesse to the soule / and hoolsomnesse to the body [2304] ¶ And wyf / by cause of thy sweete wordes / and eek for I haue assayed and preued thy grete sapience / and thy grete trouthe / I wol gouerne me by thy conseil / in alle thyng /
[2305] Now sire quod dame Prudence / and syn ye [¶ Prudence] vouche sauf / to been gouerned by my conseil / I wol enforme yow / how ye shul gouerne youre self/ in chesynge of youre conseillours [2306] ¶ Ye shul first/ in alle youre werkes / mekely / biseken to the heighe god / þat he wol be youre conseillour /. [2307] And shapeth yow / to swich entente / that he yeue yow conseil and confort as taughte Thobie his sone [2308] ¶ At alle tymes / thou shalt blesse [¶ Thobias]
