[6-text p 639] damage of anothyr man. [610] A nothir lesyng for to saue his lyf or his catel . . . [no gap in MS.] comyth of delit for to lye / for swich delit they wele forge a long tale / & peynte it with alle circumstauncis / where al the ground of the tale is fals / [611] sum lesyng comyth for he wele sustene his word Sum lesynge comyth of recheles-nesse / with-outyn a-visement and sem|blable thyngis /
[612] Lete vs now touche the vice of flaterye / wiche ne comyth not gladly but for dreed or for coueytyse [613] ¶ fflaterye is generally wrongful preysynge. fflater|eris been the deuyllis Noricis / that norischyn his childeryn / with mylk of lesyngerye / [614] Forsothe Salamon soith that flaterye is wers than detraccioun / for sumtyme de|traccioun / makith an haunteyn man / been the moore humble / for he dredith detraccioun ¶ But certis flaterye that makyth a man / to enhauntyn his herte and his cuntenaunce / [615] Flatereris been the deuyllis enchantourys / for they make of a man to weene of hym self been lyk that he ne is nat lyk / [616] They been lik to Iudas that be-traysyn . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] a man to selle hym to his enemy / that is to the . . . [617] . . . [no gap in the MS.] deuyllis chapilleynys / that syngyn euere placebo / [618] I rekene flatrye in the spicis of yre / for ofte tyme ȝif on man be wroth with a nothyr thanne wele he flatere sum wight to susteyne hym in his querel /
[619] speke we now of swich cursynge as comyth of yrous herte ¶ Malisoun generally may be seyd euery manere pouwer of harm Swich cursynge bereuyth euery man from the regne of god / as seith seynt poule / [620] And ofte tyme swich cursynge wrongfully returnyth a-geyn to hym that curseth. as a brid that turnyth a-geyn to his owene nest / [621] And ouer alle thynge / men oughte eschewe to curse here childeryn and ȝeue to the deuyl here engenderure as fer forth as in hym is / certis it is greet peril & greet synne.
