[6-text p 242] as to many folk. [2852] for the victorie of a bataile comth nat by the grete nombre of peple / [2853] but it come / from oure lord god of heuene [2854] ¶ And deere sire / for as muchel / as ther is no man certein / if he be worthy / that god yeue hym victorie [ne plus que il est certain se il est digne de l'amour de Dieu (Le Ménagier, i. 226)] or naught /. After that Salomon seith / [2855] therfore / euery man sholde greetly [¶ Salomon] drede werres to bigynne / [2856] ¶ And by cause / that in batailles / fallen manye perils / [2857] and happeth outher while / that as soone is the grete man slayn as the litel man /. [2858] And as it is writen / in the seconde book of [¶ In .ij.do libro Regum] kynges The dedes of batailles been auenturouse / and no thyng certeyne / [2859] for as lightly is oon hurt with a spere as another ‖. [2860] And for ther is gret peril in werre / therfore / sholde a man flee and eschue werre / in as muchel as a man may goodly ‖. [2861] ffor Salomon [¶ Salomon] seith /. He that loueth peril shal falle in peril
[2862] After that Dame Prudence / hadde spoken in [¶ Melibee] this manere / Melibee answerde and seyde [2863] ¶ I see wel dame Prudence that by youre faire wordes / and by youre resons that ye han shewed me / that the werre liketh yow no thyng. [2864] but I haue nat yet herd youre con|seil / how I shal do in this nede
[2865] Certes quod she I conseille yow / that ye [¶ Prudence] accorde with youre aduersaries / and that ye haue pees with hem [2866] ¶ ffor Seint Iame seith / in hise epistles [¶ Sanctus Iacobus in epistolis] ¶ That by concord and pees / the smale richesses wexen grete / [2867] and by debaat and discord / the grete richesses fallen doun [2868] ¶ And ye knowen wel that oon of the gretteste and moost souereyn thyng. that is in this world / is vnytee and pees [2869] ¶ And therfore / seyde oure lord [¶ Dominus Apos|tolis suis] Ihesu crist to hise Apostles in this wise [.2870] ¶ wel happy and blessed been they / that louen and purchacen pees / for they been called children of god [2871] A quod Melibee /. now se I wel / that ye louen nat myn honour / [¶ Melibee] ne my worshipe [2872] ¶ Ye knowen wel that myne
