saiþt þat if þin wijf haue maistrie ; sche is contrarious to hire house-
bonde
¶ And Salomon saiþ ¶ Neuer in þy lyf to þy wyf ne to þy childe
ne to þy freende ne ȝiue no power ouer þi self ¶ For bettre it were
þat þin children asken of þy persone þinges þat hem needeþ ¶ Þen þou be
þi self in þe handes of þin children
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¶ And also if I wole wirche by
þi counseylyng ; certes my counseiƚƚ moste som tyme be secree til
it were tyme þat it moste be knowe and þis ne may nougħt be
doo
¶ When dame Prudence ful debonerly and wiþ aƚƚ pacience
hadde herde aƚƚ þat hire housbonde liked for to say . Then asked sche
of him licence for to speke and sayde in þis wise
¶ My lord quod sche .
as to ȝoure ferste resoun it may lightly ben answerde ¶ For I say
þat it nys foly to chaunge counseiƚƚ when þe þing is chaunged
Oþer elles when þe þing semeþ oþer weyes þenne it semeþ aforn
¶ And more ouer I say þay þat ȝe haue sworn and behigħt to par-
fourme ȝoure emprise by iuste cause ; men schulde nouȝt seyn þer-
fore þat ȝe were a lyere ne forsworn
¶ For þe book seiþ þat þe wise
man makeþ no lesynge when he torneþ his corage / to þe bettre
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¶ And if it be so þat ȝoure emprise be establissht and ordeyned by
gret multitude of folk ¶ Ȝet þar þe nougħt acomplyse þilke ordy-
naunce but ȝou like
¶ For þe trouþe of þinges and for profite ben
raþer founde . in fewe folk þat ben wise and fuƚƚ of resoū þen
by gret multitude of folk þer euery man cryeþ and clatereþ when
him likeþ ¶ Soþly such multitude nys nougħt honeste
and as to þe
secounde resoū wher as ȝe sayn þat alle wōmen ben wikke ; Saue
ȝoure grce For certes ȝe despyseþ aƚƚ wōmen in þis wise . and he þat
alle despiseþ all dispyseþ as seiþ þe book
¶ And Senek seiþ þat who
so wole haue sapience . schal no man dispreyse ¶ But he schal gladly
teche þe science þat he can wiþouten persumpsioun or pryde
and
suche þinges þat he nougħt ne can he schal nouȝt be asshamed to
lere him and to enquere of lasse folk þan of himself
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¶ And sire þat
þer haþ ben ful many a good wōman may lightly be proued
¶ Cer-
tes sire oure lord ihū crist nolde neuer han descendet to be borne
of a wōman if alle wōmen hadde be wicke
¶ And after þat for þe
grete bounte þat is in wōmen oure lord Iħc when he was rysen
fro deþ to lyfe appered raþer to wōman þan to his apostels
¶ And
þougħ þat Salomon saiþ þat he ne fond neuer wōman good it
folweþ nougħt þerfore þat aƚƚ wōmen ben wikke