 |
| no semblance whether they were leuer pees of werre . or this | |||
| or that . ne shewe hym not thy wyll ne thyn entente / 182 For | |||
| truste well that comunly these counceyllours ben flaterers | |||
| 183 namely the counceyllours of grete lordes / 184 For they enforce | |||
| them alway rather to speke plaisant wordes enclynyng to | |||
| the lordes luste / than wordes that ben trewe and prouffitable | |||
| 185 And therfore men sayn that the riche man hath selde whan | |||
| good counceyll but yf he haue hit of hym self 186 And after | |||
| that thou shalt considere thy frendes and thyn enmyes / 187 and | |||
| as touching thy frendes thou shalt considere whiche of hem | |||
| ben most trewe wisest . most feythfull . oldest and most ap | |||
| proued in counceyllyng 188 And of hem shalt thou axe thy | |||
| counceyll as the caas requyreth / 189 I saye first that ye shal | |||
| clepe to your counceyll your frendes that ben trewe 190 for Sala | |||
| mon saith Right as the herte of a man delyteth in sauour | |||
| that is swete Right so the counceyll of trewe frendes yeuth | |||
| swetnesse to the soule / 191 he saith also ther may no thing be lik | |||
| nyd to a trewe frende .192 For certes gold ne siluer be not so | |||
| moche worth as the good will of a trewe frend 193 And eke he | |||
| saith that a trewe frende is a grete defence / who that it findeth | |||
| certes he fyndeth a grete tresour / 194 Than shal ye eke vnder- | |||
| stonde yf that your trewe frendes ben discrete & wyse / for the | |||
| book saith / Axe alway thy counceyll of hem that ben wyse . | |||
| 195 And by this same reson shal ye clepe to your counceyll of | |||
| your frendes / that ben of age whiche that haue seyn many | |||
| thinges and ben experte in diuerse thinges and ben appro | |||
| uid in counceylling / 196 For the book saith in old men is the | |||
| sapience and in longe tyme the prudence . 197 And Tullius | |||
| Sayth / That grete thynges ben not ay accomplysshyd | |||