The Multitext Edition > Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales MS. Peniarth 392 D
The Tale of Melibeus
Folio 219v
32 of 38 folios
wikked prpos / & ouercometh yow by reson & by good conseil /
125
c
ertes youre
wyf oghte rather be preysed
/ than yblamed
Thus sholde ye vn-
derstonde the Philosophre / þt seith / In wikked conseil / wōmen ven-
quyssen hir housbondes
¶ And ther as ye blamen alle wōmen /
& hir resons / I shal shewe by manye ensamples / þt many a
womman hath be ful good / and yet ben / & hir conseils holsom
& profitable
¶ Eke som men han seyd
/ þt the conseilyng of w
ō-
men
/ is outher to deere
/ or ellis to litel of prys
but al be it
so / þt ful many a wōman is badde / & hir conseil vile & noght
worth ; yet han men founde / ful many a good wōman & ful
discrete & wys in conseilynge
130
¶ Lo Iacob / by conseil of his ~
moder Rebekka / wan the beneyson of Ysaak his fader / and
the lordshipe ouer alle his bretheren
¶ Iudith by \hir/ good conseil ~
deliuered the Citee of Bethulye in which she dwelled / out of þe
handes of Olofernus þt hadde it biseged / & wolde it al destroye
¶ Abigail / deliuered Nabal hir housbonde / fro Dauid the kyng þt
wolde han slayn hym / & apaised the Ire of the kyng by hir
wit & by hir good conseilyng
¶ Hester by hir good conseil / en-
haunced gretly the peple of god in the regne of Assuerus the ~
kyng.
and the same boūtee in good conseilyng of many a good
wōman / may men telle
135
¶ And moore ouer whan þt oure lord /
hadde creat Adam oure forme fader / he seyde in this wise /
It is nat good to be / a man allone / make we to hym an help /
semblable to hym self /
oure lord god
of heuene
/ wolde neither han wroght hem
/ ne called hem
~help of man
/ but rather
/ confusion of man
And ther sey
-de ones a clerk
in two vers
¶ What is bettre than gold
/ Iaspre
/ ¶ What is bettre than Iaspre
/ wisdom
140
And what is bettre than
wisdom
/ w
ōman
and what is bettre than good womman
/ no thyng
¶ And sire / by manye of othere resons may ye seen /
þt manye wōmen ben goode / & hir conseil good & profitable ~
And ther fore sire / if ye wol truste to my conseil / I shal resto-
re yow youre doghter / hool & sound /
and eek
I wol doon
to yow so muche
/ þt ye shul haue honour in this cause
~
¶ Whan Melibe hadde herd the wordes / of his wyf Pruden-
ce / he seyde thus
145
¶ I se wel
/ þt the word of Salomon
/ is
sooth
. he seith
/ þt wordes
þt ben spoken discretly by ordi-
nance
/ beth honycombes
/ for they yeue swetnesse to the soule
/ & holsomnesse to the body
And wyf / by cause of the swete