290
alwey fynde a grettere noūbre of folys than of wise
men
& therfore in the conseylis that been at cōgre
gacioūnys & multitudis of folk there as men take mo-
re reward to the nombre thā to the sapience of perso-
nis /
ȝe seen weel that in sweche conseylyngis foolis
han the maistrie .
MElibeus answerede agen & seyde I graūte wel
that I haue erryd /
but theere as thow hast
told me heere be forn . that he nys xx to -
blame that chaūgith his conseyl in certeyn cas / &
for certeyn Iuste causis
295
I am al redy to schaūge mȳ
conseylouris / riȝt as thow wolt deuyse /
the prouerbe
seyth that for to do synne / is mannyssch / But certes
to perseuere longe therinne ; is werk of the deuyl ~
TO this this centence answerede a non Da-
me prudence / & seyde //
Examynyth quod
sche ȝoure conseyl / & lat vs se the whiche of
hem han spokyn moost resonablely & taught ȝow best
conseyl //
And for as meche as the examynacioū is ne-
cessarie / lat vs begȳne at the Surgens / & at the phi-
siciens / that fyrst spekyn in this matyere /
300
I seye ȝow
that the surgeens & phisiciens han seyd ȝow in ȝore
conseyl descretly as hē ouȝte /
& in here space seydyn
ful wysely / that to the offyse of hē aperteynyth to
doon to euery wyȝt honour & profyt / & no wyȝt
to anoyen
& aftyr here craft to don greet diligēce
vnto the cure of hem whiche that they han in he-
re gouernaūce /
And sire ryȝt as they han answerid
wisely & discretly /
ryȝt so rede I that they been heyly
& souereynly gwerdoūnyd for here noble speche /
305
And ek for they schuldyn don the moore ententif
besynesse in the curacioū of thȳ doughtyr deere
for
al be it so / that they been ȝoure frendis / therfore
schal ȝe nat sufferyn ; that they serve ȝow for naught
but ȝe oughtȳ rathere gwerdoūnyn hem & schewȳ
hem ȝoure largesse /
And as touchȳge the perpocicioū
whiche the phisicioūnys encresedyn in this cas / this
is to seyne /
that in maladyis / that on cōtrarye is war-
chid by a nothir contrarye /