reson stondeþt here in no stede
¶ For vnder stondeþ nowe ȝe ax conseil
for to do wikkednesse .
And if ȝe wil wil wirke wikkenesse ; & ȝoure wife
restreyneþ þilke wikked prpos . And ouere cōme ȝowe be resoū & be goode coūsel .
125
Certes ȝowe wif ouht raþer to be preised þan to be blamed .
This schold
ȝe vnderstande þe Philosofre þat saiþe . In wikked conseile wēmen ven-
quisched her husbondes .
And þere as ȝe blame al wēmen &here resons .I.
schal schew ȝoue be monye ensamples þat mony wēmen han bien ful go-
ode & ȝut buen ¶ An her consel holsome & profitable
eke ; Sōmen haue
seid þat coūselinge of wēmen es eiþer to dere or elles to lite of pise
¶ Bot
al be it so þat ful mony a wōman is badde . & hir consel vile & not worþe .
ȝit haþe men founden mony a goode wōman . & ful discrete & wise in coū-
selinge
130
¶ Lo Iacob þoruhe þe good counsel of his moder Rebec . whan he hadde
¶ Iudiþe þoruhe
hir goode counsel deliuerd þe Cite of Buphilie in whiche sche duellte
oute of þe hande of Olifernce þat hit beseged ; & wolde haue al destruy-
ed it
¶ Abegayle deliuer Nabal hir husbonde fro dauid þe kinge þat
wold haue sleyne him & apesed þe ire of þe kinge be hir witte & be hir
good counseilinge .
Ester be hire counseile enchauncede gretlye þe þe
peple of god in þe reigne of Assur
¶ And þe same bounte in goode con-
selinge of mony wēmen mai men teƚƚ
135
¶ And forþere more whan þat
owre lorde hadde created Adam oure forme fadere . he seide in þis wise
it is
nouht good to bue a man alone maake we an helpere semblable to h\i/mself ;
Here maie ȝe see þat if þat wēmen were nouht goode & here counseile
goode & profitable ;
oure lorde god of heuen ne wold neyþer haue wrouht
hem ne ca\l/led hem þe helper of man
¶ And þere seide ones a clerk in tuo
vers . what is better þan golde . Iasper ;
140
what is bett er þan Iaspar . wisdome
And what is better þan wisdome wōman . And whatt is bester þan
a wōman . þat is a good wōman . no þinge
¶ And sire be monye of oþere
resons may ȝe seen þat mony wōmen ben goode . & eke here conseile
goode & profitable also
¶ And þerfor sir if ȝe wil trust vnto mi coū-
sel .I. schal restore ȝoure douhter hole & sounde .
and eke þat .I. wil done
to ȝowe so muche þat ȝe schal haue honoure in þis caas
¶ Whan Me-
libe hadde herde þe wordes of his wif Prudence . he seide þus ;
145
That
þe wordes of salomon is soþe ; for he seiþe þat \þe/ wordes þat buen spoken
discretelye be ordinance bien honye combes ; For þei ȝeue swetnesse
to þe soule & holesomenesse to þe bodye ;
¶ ȝe schol first forme al ȝoure
werkes mekely . besecheinge to þe hihe gode þt a he wolde be ȝoure .
consellor .