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plese god / And preye hyō to dresse thyōne weyis / and loke
þt alle thyōne conseylis / been in hym for euere moore /
seȳt
Iame / ek seyth / If onye of ȝow haue nede of sapience / axe
it of god /
And aftyrward thāne schal ȝe take conseyl in
ȝoure self / & examyne wel ȝoure thouȝtis / of sweche
thyngis / as ȝow thȳkyth that been best for ȝoure profyt
and thāne schul ȝe dryue forth / frō ȝoure herte the
thȳgis that been contrarious to good conseyl /
that
is to seyne / yre coueytyse / & hastyfnesse /
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Fyrst he that
axsith conseyl of hȳself / certis he muste ben with ou-
tyn Ire / for manye causes //
The ferste is this / he that
hat gret wrathe & yre in hȳ self he wenyth alwey that
he may don thyng ; that he may not doon /
And secunde-
ly he that is yrous / & wratheful / he ne may not wel
deme /
And he that may not wel deme / may not weel
conseyle
¶ A nothir is this / that he that is yrous &
wratheful as seyth Senek / ne may not spekyn but
blameful x thyngis /
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and with hise vicyous wordis
he steryth othere folk to angir / & to yre
¶ And ek se-
re ȝe muste dryue coueytyse out of ȝoure herte
For thapostele seyth / that coueytyse / is rote of al-
le harmys /
& truste weel / that a coueytous man-
ne can not deeme ne thȳke ; but only to fulfylle
the ende of his coueytyse /
and sertis that ne may
neuere / been aconplichit / For euere the moore ha-
bundaūce that he hath of rychesse the more he de-
syryth
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¶ And the moste also dryuyth out of ȝoure
herte / hastyfnesse / for certys
ȝe may not demyn for
the beste of a sodeyn thouȝt that fallyth in ȝoure
herte but ȝe muste avyse ȝow on it ful ofte /
for
as ȝe herde heere be forn / the comune prouerbe is
this / that he that sone demyth soone repentyth
// Sire ȝe been not alwey I lyk \ ī/ disposicioū /
for cer-
tys sū thyng / that sūtyme semyth to ȝow that
it is good for to do ; a nothir tyme it semyth to
170
¶ whā ȝe hā takyn conseyl
in ȝoure self / & han demyd by good deliberacioū /
swych thyng as ȝow somyth best /
thāne rede I ȝow
that ȝe kepe it secree /