that Ihū cryst of his mercy / wele han hym
in hise protexioū / & ben his souereyn helpynge at hise nee-
de /
for certys in this world / theere is no wyȝt that may
been conseylyd ne kept sufficyantly / wit\h/ outyn the kepīg
of oure lord Ihū Cryst
335
To this centence a cordyth þõ
prophete dauid / that seyth /
If god ne kepe the cete. In
ydyl / wake he that kepeth
¶ Now sere thāne / schul
ȝe cōmytte the kepynge of ȝoure persone to ȝore trewe
frendis that been aprouyd & I knowe /
& of hem schul
ȝe axen helpe ȝoure persone for to kepe ¶ For catoūn
seyth / ȝif thu hast nede of helpe ; axe it of thȳne fren-
dis /
For theere ne is noon so good a phisicien as thȳ
trewe frend /
340
And aftyr this thāne schul ȝe keepe ȝow
Frō alle straūge folk and frō lyeris / and haue alwey
in suspekt / hire cōpaynye /
For pers Alfonse seyth
Ne take no compaignye by the weye of a str\ā/ng mā
but ȝif it be so that thow haue knowȳ hȳ by a long
tyme beforn /
& ȝif so be that he falle / in to thyn cūpa-
nye perauenture with outyn thȳ assent /
enquire thā-
ne as subtyly as thu mayst / of his conuersacioū / & of
his lyf be fore / & feyne thyn weye / Sey that thow wel
go thedyr there that thow wilt not go /
an ȝif he
beryth a spere / hold the on the riyȝt syde // & ȝif he bere
a swerd / hold the on the left syde
345
¶ And aftyr this
thāne schal ȝe kepe ȝow wisely from alle sweche ma-
nere peple / as I haue seyd be fore And hē & here cō-
seyl eschewe //
And aftyr this thāne schal ȝe kepyn ȝow
in swich maner /
that for ony persūpcioū of ȝoure stren-
the / that ȝe ne dispise / ne attēpte not the myȝt of ȝoure
aduersarye / so lite that ȝe lete the kepynge of ȝoure
persone / for ȝoure persumpcioū /
for euery wise man dre-
dyth his enemy /
And Salomon seyth / weleful is he
that of alle thȳge hath dreede /
350
For certys he that þor
the hardynesse of his herte or thorw the hardynesse
of hym self / hath to greet persūpcioū / hȳ schal euele
betyde /
Thāne schal ȝe eueremoore coūtre wayte em-
busschementz / & espiaiƚƚ //
for Seneca seyth / that the wi-
se man that dredith harmys / eschewith harmys /
ne
he ne fallyth in to perilys / that perilis eschewyth /