[6-text p 211] manye a good woman may men telle / [2293] & moore ouyr / whan that oure lord hadde creat Adam / oure forme fadyr / he seyde in this wyse / [2294] It is not good to be a man a-loone / make we to hym an helpe / semblable to hym self // [2295] Heere may ȝe se / that if that wemen weere not goode / ne here conseyl good & profytable; [2296] oure lord god of heuene wolde neythir han wrouȝt hem / ne callede hem helpe of man / but rathere confusyoun of man / [2297] And there seyde onys a clerk in two wers / What is betere than gold. Iaspre. What is betere than Iaspre / Wysdom / [2298] What is betere than wysdom / woman / & What is betere than good woman / no thyng. [2299] And sire by manye oþere resonys may ȝe se þat manye weemen been goode / & here conseyl good & profitable / [2300] and therfore ȝif ȝe wele troste to myn conseyl; I schal restore ȝow ȝoure douȝtyr hol & sound / [2301] and ek I wele do ȝow so mechil that ȝe schul haue honour in this cause [2302]
WHan Melibee / hadde herd the wordys / of his wyf Prudence / he seyde thus [2303] ¶ I se wel that the word of Salomon is soth // he seyth that wordis / that been spokyn discreetly by ordenaunce; been hony|combis / for they ȝeue swetenesse / to the soule / & holsom|nesse to the body [2304] ¶ And wif by cause / offe thynne swete wordys / and ek for I haue asayed & preuyd thyn greete sapience / & thyn greete trouthe / I wele gouerne me by thyn conseyl in alle thynge /. [2305]
NOw seere quod dame prudence / an syn ȝe wouche saf to been gouernyd by myn conseyl / I wele enforme ȝow / how ȝe schul gouerne ȝow / self in chesynge of ȝoure conseyl [2306] ¶ ȝe schal fyrst in alle ȝoure werkys / meekely besekyn to the hye god that he wele been ȝoure conseylour / [2307] and schapith ȝow to swych entente that he ȝeue ȝow conseyl & confort as tauȝte Thobie his sone // [2308] At alle tymys thow schat [folio 331b] plese
