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coūseil of a purpos . ȝet haþt he fre chois wheþer he wil werke by
þat prpos or noon
¶ And so to ȝoure ferþe resoū þer ȝe sayn þat the
ianglerie of wōmen can hyde þinges þat þay wot not of as who saith
þat a wōman can nougħt hyde þat at sche woot ;
Sire þese wordes ben
vnderstonde of wōmen þat ben iangelers and wikke .
of whiche wom-
men mē sayn þat þre þinges dryuen a mā out of his oughne hous
þt is to say . smoke . droppyng of reyn and wikked wyfes .
of suche
wōmen saiþ Salōn þat it were better to a man to dwelle ī desert
þan with a wōman þat is riotous
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and sire by ȝoure leue þat am not
I .
¶ For ȝe han ful ofte assayed my grete scilence and my grete pa-
cience and eek how wel þat I can hyde and hele þinges þat ben se-
crely to hyde
¶ And soþly as to ȝoure fyfte resoū wher as ȝe sayn
þat in wikkede counseil wōmen venquisscheth mē . god wot þilke re-
soun stont here in no stede /
For vnderstondith now ȝe aȝein coūseil
to do wickidnes
and if ȝe wil wirke wickidnes and ȝoure wyf re-
streyne þilke wicked prpos and ouercome ȝou by resoun and by good
counseil ;
125
Certes ȝoure wyf oweth raþer be preised þan y blamed /
¶ Thus schulde ȝe vnderstonde þe philosopher þat seiþ in wicked coū-
seil wōmen venquyschen her housbondes
¶ And þer as ȝe blame al-
le wymmē and here resoūs ; I schal schewe by many resoūs and en-
samples þat many a wōman hath ben ful good and ȝit been and
here coūseiles ful holsome and profitable
¶ Eke some mē han sayd
þat þe coūseilyng of wōmen is ouþer to dere or to litel of pis .
But
al be it so þat ful many a wōman is badde and hir counseil vile
and not worþ ; ȝet han men founde many a ful good wōmā and
ful discret and wys in counseilyng
130
¶ lo Iacob by coūseil of his mo-
der Rebecca wan þe blessyng of his fader ysaak and þe lordschipe of
alle his breþeren
¶ Iudith by hire goode counseil delyuered þe Citee of
Bethulie in which sche dwellid out of þe hous of Olophernë þat had
it byseged and wolde it al destroye
¶ Abigayl deliuered Nabal hir
housbond fro Dauid þe king þat wolde haue I slayn him and appesed
þe Ire of þe kyng by hir witte and by hir good coūseilynge
¶ hester
by good coūseil enhaunsed gretly þe poeple of god In þe regne of
assuerë þe kyng
and þe same bounte in good counseilyng of many
a good wōman may men rede and telle
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¶ And more ouer whan
oure lord had creat adam oure forme fader ; he sayde in þis wise
¶ hit is not good to be aman aloone . make we to him an help sem-
blable to him self
¶ here may ȝe se þat if þat a wōman were not
good and hir counseil good and profytable ;