| | yow to haue be counceylled be these counceyllours only and | |
| | with lytill a vise / 285 where as in so grete nede and so hye / hit | |
| | had be necessarye mo counceyllours / And more deliberacōn | |
| | to performe your empryse / 286 ye haue errid also for ye haue not | |
| | examyned your counceyll in the forsaid mater ne in dewe | |
| | manere as the caas requireth / 287 ye haue errid for ye haue made | |
| | no deuisyon betwixe your counceyllours . This is to saye | |
| | Betwene your frendes and your feyned counceyllours / 288 ne | |
| | ye haue not knowe the will of your frendes olde and wyse | |
| | 289 But ye haue caste alle her wordes in an hucchepot / and en- | |
| | clined your herte to the more part and to the gretter nom | |
| | ber and be yow condescended / 290 And also ye wote well that | |
| | men shull alway fynde a gretter parte of nombre of fooles | |
| | than of wise men . 291 And therfore the counceyls that been at | |
| | congregations and multitude of folke there as men taken | |
| | more reward to the nombre than to the sapience of persones | |
| | 292 Ye see wel that in sucche counceyllynges foles haue the | |
| | maistrye . | |
| 293 | M | Ellebeus answerd agayn I graunte well I haue er | |
| | rid / 294 but there as thou hast tolde me here beforn that | |
| | he is not to blame that changeth his counceyll in certeyn | |
| | caas and for certeyn Iust causes / 295 I am al redy to change | |
| | my counceyllours right as thou liste and as thou wilt de | |
| | uyse / 296 The prouerbe saith that for to doo synne is mannysshe | |
| | But certes for to perseuere longe in synne it is a werk | |
| | of the deuyll . | |
| 297 | T | O this sentence answerd dame prudence and sayde | |
| | 298 Examyne your counceyll and lete vs see whiche of | |
| | hem haue spoken most resonable & taught yow best counceill | |
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