[6-text p 640]
[622] ¶ Lete vs thanne speke of chydyng & reproche / whiche been ful greete woundis in manys herte / for they onsewe the semys of frenschepe / in mannys herte [623] ffor certis vnnethe may a man pleynly been accordit [folio 422b] with hym that hym opynly hath reuylid / & repreuyd and disclaundered / ¶ This a ful gresely syne as crist seyth in the gospel / [624] & take kepe now that he that repreuyth his neighebore ¶ or he repreuyth hym by sum harm of peyne that he hath vp-on his body / as mesel crokid harlot or by sum synne that he hath doon. [625] Now ȝif he repreue hym by harm of peyne; thanne turnyth the repref to Ihesu crist / for peyne is seyt by the ryȝtwise sonde of god & by his sufferaunce / be it meselerie or maym or maladye / [626] & ȝif he repreue hym on-charitably of synne / as thow holour thow dronkelewe harlot / & so forth / thanne parteynyth that to the reioysynge of the dewil / that euere hath Ioye that men doon synne / [627] And certis chidynge may not come but of a vilens herte / for aftyr the haboundauns of the herte spekyth the mouth ful ofte / [628] And ȝe schul vndirstonde / that loke by onyweye / [Ex abundancia cordis os loquitur] whan ony man schal chastise a nothir that he be war of chydyng or repreuyng / For trewely but he be war he may ful lyghtely quekyn the fer of angir / & of wrathe whiche schulde quenche / & parauenture sleth hym that he mygh[t]e chastise with benyng|nete / [629] ffor as seith Salomon / The amyable tunge is the tre of lyf / that is to seyne the lyf spirituel / And certis a dislaue tunge sleth the spyritis of hym that repreuyth. And ek of hym that is repreuyd / [630] lo what seyth seynt augustyn / There is no thyng so lyk the deuyllis child / as he that ofte chidith . . [no gap in MS.] ¶ I seruaunt of god behoue not to chide / [631] And how that chydynd / by a vilens thyng / by-twixe alle manere folk that is it certis most on-conable bi-twixe a man & his wif for there is neuere reste
