The Multitext Edition > Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales MS. Peniarth 392 D
The Tale of Melibeus
Folio 227v
16 of 38 folios
for whan they suffren ouer muchil / the wronges & vileynyes to be doon
w outen punysshynge ;
they somne nat a man al oonly / for to
do newe wronges / but they comanden it
¶ Also
/ a wys man seith
/ That the Iuge
/ þt correcteth nat the synnere ; comandeth
& biddeth
hym do synne
And the Iuges & souereyns / myghten in hir land
so muchil suffre of the shrewes & mysdoerys /
505
þ they sholden
by swich suffrance by proces of tyme / wexen of swich power
& myght þt they sholden putte out the Iuges & the souereyns / from
hir places /
& at the laste / maken hem lese hir lordshipes
¶ But
lat vs now putte / þt ye haue leue to venge yow /
I seye / ye be
nat of myght & power / as now to venge yow /
for if ye wol
maken comparison / vn to the myght of youre Aduersaries ; ye
shul fynde in manye thynges þt I haue shewid yow er this ~
þt hir condicioū / is bettre than youres /
510
and therfore seye I /
þt it is good as now / þt ye suffre & be pacient
¶ Forther
moore / ye knowen wel / that after the cōe sawe ; it is a wood-
nesse / a man to stryue wt a strenger / or a moore myghty man /
than he is hym self /
& for to stryue / wt a man / of euene streng-
the / that is to seyn / with as strong a man as he is ; it is peril /
and for to stryue w
t a wayker man
/ it is folye
and therfore
/ sholde a man fle stryuynge
/ as muchil as he myghte
515
For Salo
-mon seith
It is a greet worshi
pe to a man
/ to kepen hym fro
noyse
& stryf
And if it so bifalle / or happe / þt a man of gretter
myght & strengthe / than thow art do thee greuance ;
Studie
& bisie thee rather
/ to stille the same greuance
/ than for to ven-
ge thee
For Senek seith
/ That he putteth hym in greet
peril
/ þt stryueth w
t a gretter man
/ than he is hym self
And Cato
ū seith
If a man
/ of hyer estaat
or degree
/ or moore myghty
than thow
/ do thee anoy
/ or greuance ; suffre hym
/
520
for he þt ones
hath greued thee / may another tyme / releue thee & helpe ~
¶ Yet sette I cas / ye haue bothe myght & licence for to venge yow ;
I seye / þt ther be ful manye thynges / þt shul restreyne yow /
of vengeance takynge /
& make yow / for to enclyne to suffre
& for to han pacience / in the wronges / þt han been doon to
yow
¶ First & foreward / If ye wol considere the defautes / þt
been in youre owene persone ;
525
for whiche defautes
/ god hath
suffred yow haue this tribulacio
ū / as I haue seyd yow
/ her biforn
For the Poete seith
/ That we oghten paciently
taken
/ the tribulacions
þt comen to vs
/ whan
þt we thyn-
ken
& consideren
/ þt we han disserued to haue hem