chastisynge of the trespassours
465
¶ And ȝet seye I more / þt rigħt
as a singuler persone synnetħ / in takyng vengeaūce of anoþer
man /
rigħt so synnetħ the Iuge / If he do no vengeaūce of hē
þt it han disserued
¶ For Senek seitħ ; thus / þt maister he seitħ
is god / p p þt prouetħ shrewes
¶ And Cassidore seitħ / A man dre-
detħ to do outages / whan he woot & knowetħ / þt it displesetħ to
the Iuges & souereyns //
And another seitħ ; The Iuge þt dre-
detħ to do rigħt / maketħ men shrewes
470
¶ And Seynt Poule þe
Apostle seitħ in his epistle / whan he wrytetħ vn to Romayns ;
That the Iuges beren nat the spere wt outen cause /
but þei
beren it / to puysshepunysshepunysshe the shrewes & mysdoers / & for to defende
the goode men
¶ If ȝe wyln thāne take vengeance of ȝoure
enemys / ȝe shuln retourne or haue ȝoure recours / to þe Iuge
þt hatħ the Iurisdiccoū vp on hē /
and he shal punysshe hē / as
the lawe axetħ & requyretħ
¶ A quod Melibe ; This vengeaūce
liketħ me no thyng /
475
I bithenke me now & take hede / how for-
tune hatħ norisshed me fro my childhode / & hatħ holpen me
to passe many a strong paas
¶ Now wol I assayen hire trow-
ynge / wt goddes help / þt she shal helpe me / my shame for
to venge
¶ Certes qd Pudence / if ȝe wol werke by my coūseil
ȝe shuln nat assaie fortune by no wey /
ne ȝe ne shuln nat
lene or bowe vn to hire / after the word of Senek
¶ For thynges
þt ben folily doon / And tho þt ben doon in hope of fortune / sh-
uln neuere come to good ende
480
¶ And as the same Senek seitħ ;
The more cler / & the more shynynge þt fortune is / the more
brotel & the sonner broke she is /
trustetħ nat in hire / for she
nys nat stedefast ne stable /
for whan þu trowest to be moost
syker & seure of hire helpe / she wol faile & deceyue the
¶ And
where as ȝe seyn / þt fortune hatħ norisshed ȝow / fro ȝowre
childhod /
I seye / in so muchel / shuln ȝe the lasse / truste in hire
and in hire wyt
485
¶ For Senek seitħ ; what mā þt is norisshed
by fortune / she maketħ hī a greet fool
¶ Now thāne / syn
ȝe desire / & axe vengeaūce / & the vengeaūce þt is don / after
the lawe / & bifore the Iuge / liketħ ȝow nat /
And the ven-
geaūce þt is doon in hope of fortune / is perilous & vncerteyn /
thāne haue ȝe noon oþer remedie / but for to haue ȝoure recours
vn to the souereigne Iuge / þt vengetħ alle vyleynyes & wron-
ges /
& he shal venge ȝow / aft er þt hī self witnessetħ ¶ Where
as he seitħ /
490
leuetħ the vengeaūce to me / & I shal do it //
Me-
libeus answerde / If I ne venge me nat of the vyleynye / þt
men han don to me /
I sompne or warne hē / þt han doon to