The Multitext Edition > Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales MS. Peniarth 392 D
The Tale of Melibeus
Folio 226v
18 of 38 folios
hast been punysshed in the manere þt thow hast ytrespased ~
¶ Thow hast doon synne agayn oure lord Crist
for certes / the
iijõ. enemys of mankynde / that is to seyn / the flessh / the ~
feend / and the world /
thow hast suffred hem entre in to thyn
herte / wilfully / by the wyndowes of thy body /
455
and hast nat
defendid thy self suffisantly agayns hir assautes
& hir
temptacions
/ so
þt they han woundid thy soule . in .v.
places
this is to seyn
/ the dedly synnes
/ þt been entred
in to thyn herte by thy .v. wittes
And in the same manere /
oure lord Crist hath wold & suffred þt thy .iijõ. enemys
been entred in to thyn hous by the wyndowes /
and han
ywoundid thy doghter in the forseyde manere
¶ Certes
quod Melibe / I se wel / þt ye enforce yow muchil by wor-
des / to ouercome me in swich a manere / þt I shal nat venge
me of myne enemys /
460
shewynge me the
perils
& the yueles
/ þt myghten falle of this vengeance
But who so wolde
considere in alle vengeances / the perils and yueles þt mygh-
ten sewe of vengeance takynge ;
a man wolde neuere ta-
ke vengeance / and that were harm /
for by the vengeance
takynge / been the wikked men disseuered / fro the goode men /
and they
þt han wil to do wikkednesse ; restreyne hir wik-
ked purpos
/ whan they seen the punysshynge
& chastisyn-
ge of trespassours
465
And yet seye I moore / that right as
a singuler persone / synneth / in takynge vengeance of a-
nother man ;
right so synneth the Iuge
/ if he do no ven
-geance of hem that it han disserued
For Senek seith thus
That maister he seith is good
/ þt preueth shrewes
And
as Cassidore seith
A man dredeth to do outrages
/ whan
he woot
& knoweth
/ þt it displeseth
/ to the Iuges and the
souereyns
And another seith
The Iuge
þt dredeth to do
right
maketh men shrewes
470
And Seint Poul thapostle
seith in his epistle whan he writeth vn to the Romayns /
That the Iuges / beren nat the spere / wt outen cause /
but they
beren it to punysshe the shrewes & mysdoers / & for to defen-
de the goode men
¶ If ye wol thanne take vengeance of
youre enemys ; ye shul retourne / or haue youre recours
to the Iuge / þt hath the Iurisdiccioū vp on hem /
& he shal
punysshe hem / as the lawe axeth & requereth
¶ A quod
Melibe / this vengeance liketh me no thyng
475
I bithenke
me now & take hede / how fortune hath norisshed me / fro