[6-text p 225] with greete costagis & with greete trauayle / And whan that they been accomplesed / ȝit be they not worth a stre but if they been defendit by trewe frendys that been olde & wyse // [2527] And vndyrstonde weel that the gretteste & the strengeste garnesoun that a ryche man may han / as weel to kepyn his persone [folio 337b] as hese goodis / is [2528] that he be belouyd with hise subiectis. And with hise neigheboris / [2529] ffor thus seyth thullyus that there is a manere garnesoun / that no man may venquische / Ne desconfite / & that is [2530] a lord to been belouyd / of hise citesynys & of his peple [2531]
NOw sere as to the thredde poynt wheer-as ȝoure olde & wise conseylouris / seydyn that ȝow ne ouȝtyn / not sodeynly ne not to hastifly procedyn in this neede / [2532] But that ȝow ouȝtyn purueyen / & appar|aylyn ȝow / in this cas / with greet diligence / & greet delyber|acioun / [2533] trewely I trowe that they seydyn / ryȝt wisely & ryȝt soth / [2534] for tullyus seyth in euery neede / er thow begynne it / apparayle the with gret diligence / [2535] Thanne seye I that in vengeaunce takynge in werre / in batayle / & in warnestoryinge / [2536] er thow begynne I reede / that thow apparayle the not therto & do it with greet dyligence & greet deliberacioun // [2537] ffor Thullyus seyth that longe apparaylynge / by-forn þe batayle / makyt schort victorye [2538] ¶ And Cassiodorus seyth The garnesoun is strongere whan it is longe tyme auysed
BUt now lat vs spekyn of the conseyl / that was acordit be ȝoure neigheboris / Sweche as doon ȝow reuerence with-outyn loue / [2540] ȝoure olde enenyis reconsyled / ȝoure flatereris [2541] that conseyledyn ȝow cer|teyn thyngis pryuyly / & opynly conseyledyn ȝow / the contrarye / [2542] The ȝonge folk also that conseylede ȝow / to venge ȝow & make werre a-noon [2543] And certis sere as I haue seyd be-forn; ȝe han greetly errid / to han clepid / swich manere folk to ȝoure conseil [2544] whiche conseylouris / been I-nowgh repreuyd / be the resonys a-fore-seyd / [2545] but natheles lat vs now dessende to
