5
wounded his dougħter / witħ fyue mortal woundes / in fyue
places sondry /
this is to seyn / in hire feet / in hire handes / in
hire Erys / in hire Nose / and in hire moutħ / and leften hire for
ded / and wenten a wey
¶ Whan Melibeus / retorned was in to
his hous / and sey al this meschief / he like a mad man / rendȳge
hise clothes / gan to wepe & crye
¶ Prudence his wyf / as ferfortħ
as she dorste / bisougħte hī / of his wepyng for to stynte /
but nat
for thy / he gan to crie and wepyn / euere lengere the more / /
10
This
noble wyf Prudence / remembred hire vp on the sentence of Ouy-
de in his book / that cleped is / the remedie of loue / where as he
seitħ /
he is a fool that destourbetħ the moder to wepe in the detħ
of hire child / til she haue wept hire fille / as for a certeyn ty-
me /
and thanne shal man don his diligence / wt amyable wordes
hire to reconforte / and preye hire / of hire wepyng for to stynte /
for whicħ resoū / this noble wyf Prudence / suffred hire hous-
bond for to wepe and crye / as for a certeyn space /
And whan
she say hire tyme / she seide to hī in this wyse / Allas my
lord quod she / why make ȝe ȝoure self / for to be like a fool /
15
for
Sothe / it appertenetħ nat to a wys man / to maken swicħ a sorwe /
ȝoure dougħter / wt the grace of god / shal warisshe and escape /
And al were it so / that she rigħt now were ded / ȝe ne ougħt
nat / as for hire detħ / ȝoure self to destroye /
Senec seitħ / the
wyse man shal nat take to gret discomfort / for the detħ of hise
children /
but certes he shulde suffren it in pacience / as wel /
as he abidetħ the detħ / of his owene propre persone
20
¶ This Meli-
beus answered a noon & seide / what man qd he shulde of his
wepyng stynte / that hatħ so gret a cause for to wepe
¶ Ihū
Crist oure lord / hī self wepte / for the detħ of lazarus his frend
Prudence answered / Certes wel I wot attempree wepyng is
no thyng defended to hī that sorweful is / amonges folk in
sorwe / but it is rathere gaunted hī to wepe
¶ The Apostle
Poule / vn to the Romayns wrytetħ / Man shal reioise / wt hē
that maken ioye / And wepen / witħ swicħ folk as wepyn /
But thougħ attempre wepyng / be I gaunted / outageous we-
pyng / certes is defended /
25
Mesure of wepyng / shulde be conside-
red / after the loore that techetħ vs Senek /
whan that thy frend
is ded quod he / lat nat thyne eyen to moiste ben of teeres / ne
to meche drye / al thougħ the teeris / come to thyne eyen / lat
hem nat falle ;
And whan thow hast for gon thy frend / do dili-
gence / to gete a geyn a nother frend / and this is more wys-
dom / than for to wepe / for thy frend / whicħ that þu hast lorñ /
for there Inne is no bote /
And þerfore if ȝe gouerne ȝow by sapi-