[6-text p 234] thapostele seyth in his epistele [2700] ¶ The Ioye of God is perdurable that is to seyne euere lastynge / [2701] Also trowith & bileuyth stedefastly / that he nys not weel I-noryschid / ne weel I-tauȝt that can not haue pacience / or wele not receyue pacyence / [2702] For salomon seyth / that the doctryne & the wit of a man is knowyn by pacience / [2703] And in a-nothir place he seyth that he that is pacient gouernyth hym by greet prudence / [2704] And the same Salomon seyth / That the angry & the wratheful man; makyth noysis / & the pacient man attempereth hym & stillith / [2705] he seyth also it is moore worth to ben pacient; than for to ben ryȝt strong / [2706] And he that may haue the lordschepe of hese owene herte; he is moore to preyse / than he that by his force or strenthe; takyth greete ceteis [2707] And therefore seyth seynt Iame In his epistle / that Pacience is a greet vertu of perfeccioun. [2708]
CErtis quod Melibee I graunte ȝow dame Prudence / that Pacience is a greet vertu of perfeccioun [2709] But euery man may not han the perfeccioun that ȝe seekyn / [2710] ne I am not of the noumbre of ryȝt per|fite men / [2711] For myn herte may neuere been in pees / vnto the tyme it be ven [folio 342a] git / [2712] And al be it so / that it was greet peril to mynne enemyis to doon me a vilenye / in takynge vengeaunce vp-on me; [2713] ȝit take they noon heede at the peril /. but fulfilledyn here wekede wil / & here corage / [2714] & therfore me thynkyth men ouȝte nat repreue me thogh I putte me in a lityl peril / For to vengyn me / [2715] And thow I do a greet excesse / that is to seyne that I venge oon outrage / by a-nothir. [2716]
Aquod dame Prudence / ȝe seyn ȝoure wil & As ȝow likyth / [2717] but in noo cas of the world a man schulde nat doon outrage ne exces. ffor to vengyn hym / [2718] For Cassiodere seyth / that as euele doth he that vengith hym by outrage; as he that doth the
