The Multitext Edition > Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales MS. Peniarth 392 D
The Tale of Melibeus
Folio 221v
28 of 38 folios
plesance
/ setteth a Net biforn his feet
to cacchen hym
And ther-
fore
/ seith Tullius
Enclyne
/ nat thyne erys to flatereres
/ ne
tak no conseil
/ of wordes of flaterye
¶ And Caton seith
Auyse
thee wel
/ & eschue wordes of swetnesse
& of plesance
¶ And
eek thow shalt eschue
/ the conseillyng of thynne olde enemys
þt ben reconsiled
215
The book seith
/ that no wight retourneth
~saufly in to the g
ace of his olde enemy
And Ysope seith
/ Ne
trust nat to hem
/ to whiche thow hast had som tyme werre
/ or
enemytee
/ ne telle hem nat thy conseil
And Seneca
/ telleth
the cause why
It may nat be seith he
/ that wher
as greet
fyr
/ hath longe tyme endured
/ þt ther ne dwelleth som va-
pour of warmnesse
And ther fore seith Salomon
In thyn
olde foo
/ trust neu
ere
/
for sikerly / thogh thyn enemy be reconsiled /
& maketh thee / cheere of humylitee / & louteth to thee wt his
heed / ne trust hym neuere /
220
for certes / he maketh thilke feyned
humylitee / moore for his profit than for any loue of thy perso-
ne / by cause þt he demeth / to haue victorie ouer thy persone / by
swich feyned continance / the which victorie / he myghte nat
haue / by strif or werre
¶ And Peter Alfonce seith
Make
no felaweshipe
/ w
t thyne olde enemys
/ for if thow do hem
bo
ūtee
/ they wol
peru
erten it in to wikkednesse
¶ And eek thou
most eschue / the conseillyng of hem þt ben thy seruantz /
& beren thee gret reuerence / for per auenture / they seyn it
moore / for drede than for loue /
& therfore
/ seith a Philo-
sophre
/ in this wise
Ther is no wight
parfitly trewe
/ to
hym
/ þt he to soore dredeth
And Tullius seith / Ther nys
no myght so gret of any Emperour þt longe may endure /
but if he haue moore loue of the peple than drede
225
¶ Thou
shalt also eschue the conseillyng
of folk
þt ben dronke
- lewe
for they ne kan no conseil hyde
For Salomon seith /
Ther is no piuetee / ther as regneth dronkenesse
¶ Ye shal
also han in suspect
the conseilyng of swich folk
as consei-
le yow a thyng p
iuely
/ & conseille yow
/ the cont
arie open-
ly
For Cassiodorie seith / That it is a maner sleighte to
hyndre / whan he sheweth to doon a thyng openly / and wer-
keth pryuely the contarie
¶ Thow shalt also haue in sus-
pect
the conseilyng
of wikked folk
For the book seith
/ The conseilyng of wikked folk
is alwey ful of fraude
230
And Dauid seith
Blisful is that man
/ þt hath nat fol-
wed the conseilyng of sherewes