that is to seyn .Ire. couetyse and hastynesse //
155
First
he that axeth counseil of himself ¶ certes he most be with outen
Ire for many causes
¶ The first is this ¶ he that hath grete Ire
and wrath in himself he weneth alway that he may do thing that
he may nat do
¶ And secoundly he that is irous amd wroth he may
nat wel deme
and he that may nat wel deme he may nat wel
counseil of him self
¶ The thrid is this that he that is irous
and wroth as seith Senek ¶ ne may nat speke but blameful
thinges
160
And with his vicious wordes he stireth other folk to angre
and to Ire
And ek syre ye most dryue couetyse out of your herte
For thapostel seith that couetise is roote of alle harmes
¶ and
trust wel that a couetyse man ne can nat deme ne thenke but
oonly to fulfille the ende of his couetyse
and certes that may neuer
be accompliced for euer the more habundaunce that he hath of
richesse the more he desireth
165
¶ And syr ye most also dryue out of
your herte hastifnesse for certes
ye may nat deme for the best
a sodeyn thought that falleth in your hert but ye most auyse yow
on it ful ofte
for as ye herd here biforn the comune prouerbe is this
that he that soone demeth soone repenteth
sire ye ne be nat alwey
in like disposicioun
for certes some thing that some tyme semeth to
yow that is good for to do ¶ A nother tyme it semeth to yow the
contrarye
170
whan ye han taken counseil in your self and han de-
med bi good deliberacioun swich thing as yow semeth best
Than
rede I yow that ye kepe it Secree
biwrye nat your counseil to
no persone but yif so be that ye wenen sikerly that thurgh youre
bewryinge your condicioun shal ben to yow more profitable
For
Iħus Sirak seyth Neither to thi foo ne to thi freend discouer not
thi secree ¶ ne thi folye
for thei wol yeue yow audience and
lokyng and supportacioun in thi persence and Scorne the in thin
absence
175
A nother clerk seith That scarsly shaltow fynde any
persone that may kepe counseil secrely /
the book seith whil that
thow kepest thi counseil in thin hert / thow kepest it in thi
pisoun
and whan thow biwriest thi conseil to eny wight he
holdeth the in his snare
and therfore yow is better to hide your
counseil in your herte than preyen him to whom ye haue bi-
wried your counseil / that ye wol kepen it cloos and stille
¶ For
Senek seith yif so be that thow ne maist thin owne counseil hide
how darstow preyen any othir wight thi counseil secrely to kepe