The Multitext Edition > Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales MS. Peniarth 392 D
The Tale of Melibeus
Folio 227r
17 of 38 folios
475
my childhode / & hath holpen me to passe many a strong paas ~
Now wol I assayen hir / trowynge wt goddes helpe / þt she
shal helpe me / my shame for to venge /
¶ Certes quod Pru-
dence / if ye wol werke by my conseil ; ye shul nat assayen
fortune / by no wey /
ne ye shul nat lene
/ or bowe vn to hire
/ after the word of Senek
for thynges þt been folily doon / &
þt been in hope of fortune ; shullen neuere / come to good ende /
480
And as the same Senek
seith
The moore cleer
/ & the moore
shynynge
þt fortune is
/ ; the moore brotil
& the sonner bro-
ke she is
/
trusteth nat in hir / for she nys nat stedefast ne
stable /
for whan thow trowest to be moost seur or syker
of hir helpe / she wol faile thee & deceyue thee
¶ And wher
as ye seyn / that fortune hath norisshed yow fro youre child-
hode ;
I seye
/ þt in so muchil
/ shul ye the lasse truste in hire
& \in/ hir wit
485
For Senek seith
what man
þt is norisshed by
fortune ; she maketh hym to greet a fool
¶ Now thanne /
syn ye desire / & axe vengeance / & the vengeance / þt is doon
after the lawe / & bifore the Iuge / ne liketh yow nat
& the
vengeance / þt is doon in hope of fortune / is perilous & vncer-
teyn ;
thanne haue ye noon oother remedie / but for to ha-
ue youre recours / vn to the souereyn Iuge / þt vengeth / alle
vileynyes & wronges /
and he shal venge yow
/ after that
hym self witnesseth
/ wher
as he seith
490
leueth the venge-
ance to me / and I shal do it
¶ Melibe answerde
If I ne
venge me nat
of the vileynye
/ þt men han doon to me ;
I.
somne / or warne hem / þt han doon to me that vileynye /
& alle othere / to do me another vileynye /
for it is writen
/ If thow take no vengeance of an old vileynye ; thow som
-nest thyne Adu
ersaries
/ to do thee a newe vileynye
And also /
for my suffrance / men wolden do me so muchil vileynye /
þt I myghte neither bere it ne sustene /
495
and so sholde I
been put
& holden ou
er lowe
For men seyn / I muchil suf-
frynge / shul manye thynges falle vn to thee / whiche yow
shalt nat mowe suffre
¶ Certes quod Prudence / I gaunte
yow / þt ouer muchil suffrance / is nat good /
but yet ne
folweth it nat ther of / þt euery persone / to whom men don
vileynye / take of it vengeance /
for that aperteneth & longeth
al oonly to the Iuges / for they shul venge the vileynyes
& iniuries /
500
and therfore / tho two auctoritees / þt ye han ~
seyd aboue / been oonly oonly / vnderstonden in the Iuges ~