| | She is contraryous to her husbonde 94 And salamon saith to | |
| | thy wif ne to thy chylde ne to thy frende neuyr in thy lyf ne | |
| | yeue power ouer thy self For better it were that thy chyldren | |
| | axe of the thinges that hem nedeth / than thou se thy self in þe | |
| | hondes of thy children / 95 and certes yf I shold werke by coun | |
| | ceillyng my counceill muste be somtyme secrete tyl hit were | |
| | tyme that hit muste be knowe / And this may not be yf I | |
| | shold be counceilled by the For women can kepe no counceill | |
| 96 | W | Han dame Prudence ful debonairly & with grete paci | |
| | ence had herd alle that her husbond liked for to saye | |
| | than axed she of hym licence for to speke & said in this wise | |
| | 97 My lord said she as to your first reson hit may lightly be | |
| | answerd For I saye that hit is no folye to chaūge counceill | |
| | whan the thing is chaunged or ellis whan the thing semeth | |
| | other wise than hit was beforn / 98 and more ouer I saye though | |
| | that ye haue sworn & behight to performe your emprise and be | |
| | Iust cause ye do it not / men shold not saye therfore that ye | |
| | were a lyer ne forsworn 99 For the book saith / that the wise mā | |
| | maketh no lesynge whan he torneth his corage to the better | |
| | 100 And al be it so that your emprise be establisshid & ordeyned | |
| | be grete multitude of peple / yet dar ye not accomplyssh that | |
| | same ordenaunce but you like / 101 For þe trouthe of thinges & the | |
| | prouffit be rather founde & fewe folk that been wise & ful of re | |
| | son than be grete multitude of peple where euery mā clatereth | |
| | what þt hym liste / sothli suche multitude of peple is not honest | |
| | 102 And to þe seconde reson where as ye sayn that all women ben | |
| | wicked / saue your grace / Certes ye despise all women in this | |
| | wise / & he that alle despiseth / alle displeseth as saith þe book . | |
| | 103 & Seneke saith who so wole haue sapience shal nomā dispreise | |
| | | |
