good and hir counseil good and profytable ;
oure lord god of heuen
wolde neither haue wrouȝt hem ne called hem help of man
but raþer
confusion to man ¶ And þer sayde oones a clerk in tuo versus ¶ what
is better þan gold . Iaspar . and what is better þan Iasper ; wisedom .
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and
what is better þan wisedom ; wōman . and what is better þan good
wōman ; No þing
¶ And sire by many oþer resoūs may ȝe se þt many
wōmen ben goode and profitable .
and þerfore if ȝe wil truste to my coū-
seil ; I schal restore ȝou ȝoure douȝter hool and sound
¶ And eek I wil
doon ȝou so moche þat ȝe schul haue honor in þis cause
¶ whan Me-
libe had herd þese wordes of his wif prudens ; he seide þus ¶ I se
wel
145
þat þe word of Salamō is soþ ¶ he seith þat þe wordes þat ben
spoken discretly by ordinaūce been hony combes . For þay ȝeuen swet-
nes to þe soule . and holines to þe body
¶ And wyf by cause of þy swe-
te wordes and eek for I haue assayed and proued þi grete sapiens &
þi grete trouþe ; I wil gouerne me by þy counseil in aƚƚ þinges
¶ Now
sire quod dame prudens and syn ȝe vouchen sauf to be gouerned
by my counseilyng ; I wil enforme ȝou how ȝe schul gouerne ȝoure
self in chesyng of ȝoure counseil
¶ ȝe schul first in aƚƚ ȝoure werkes
mekely biseche to þe hihe god þat he wol be ȝour counseilor
& schape
ȝou to þat entent þat he ȝiue ȝou counseil and confort as taughte
Toby his sone
150
¶ At alle tymes þou schalt blesse god and pay him
to dresse þy wayes . and loke þat aƚƚ þi counseiles be in hī for euer-
more
¶ Seint Iame eek saith ¶ If eny of ȝow haue neede of sapiens
axe it of god .
and aftirward þanne schul ȝe take coūseil in ȝoure
self . and examine wel ȝoure þouȝtes of suche þinges as ȝou þinkiþ
þat is best for ȝoure profyt
and þanne schul ȝe dryue fro ȝoure her-
tes þo þat ben contrarie to good counseil .
þat is to say . Ire . couey-
tise . and hastynes
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¶ First he þat axeþ counseil of himself . certes
he moste be wiþoute Ire . for many cause ¶ The first is þis ¶ he
þat haþ gret Ire and wraþþe
in himself . he weneth alwey he may
do þing þat he may not doo
¶ And secoundly he þat is Irous and
wroþ . he may not wel deme
¶ And he þat may not wel deme ;
may nought wel counseile
¶ The þridde is þis . þat he þat is
Irous and wroth as saiþ Senec may not speke but blameful þīges
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and with his vicious wordes he stireþ oþer folk to anger and to
Ire
¶ And eek sire ȝe moste dryue coueitise out of ȝoure herte /
¶ For þapostil saith þat coueytise is roote of aƚƚ harmes .
And
trusteth wel þat a coueitous man ne can not deme ne þinke
but oonly to fulfille þe ende of his coueitise