| | enforce the not to speke / 82 I see wel said this wise man that | |
| | the comyn prouerbe is soth / That good counceyll wanteth | |
| | whan hit is most nede . | |
| 83 | Y | Et had this Mellebeus in his counceyll many folk | |
| | that priuely in his ere coūceilled hym certayn thinges | |
| | and counceilled hym contrary in general audience / 84 Whan | |
| | Mellebeus sawe that the grettest parte of his counceill were | |
| | accorded that he sholde make warre / anon he condescended | |
| | to their counceillyng and fully affermed their sentence . | |
| 86 | M | Y lorde saide Prudence I yow beseche as hertly as I | |
| | dar and can ne haste yow not to faste / And for all | |
| | guerdons as yeue me audience / 87 For piers alfons saith who | |
| | so doth to the other good or harme haste the not to acquyte | |
| | hit / For in this wise thy frende will abyde / And thyn ene | |
| | mye shal the lenger lyue in drede / 88 The prouerbe saith he has | |
| | teth wel that can abyde wisely / And in wikked haste is | |
| | no prouffyt . | |
| 89 | T | His Mellebeus answerd to his wyf prudence / I pur | |
| | pose not said he to werke be thy counceyll for many | |
| | causes and resons / For certes euery wight wold hold me | |
| | than a fool / 90 this is to saye / yf I for thy counceillyng wolde | |
| | change thinges that ben ordeyned & affermed by so many | |
| | wyse peple / 91 Secondly I saye that alle women ben wicked & | |
| | none good of hem alle / For of a thousand men saith | |
| | Salamon I fonde one good / But of alle women / certes | |
| | good woman fonde I neuer noon / 92 And also certes yf I go | |
| | uerne me be thy counceyll / hit shold seme that I had gyue | |
| | to the ouer me the maistrye / And god forbede that hit were | |
| | soo / 93 For Ihesus syrak saith that yf thy wyf haue the maistrie | |
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