of god schal be warisshed and askaþe
¶ And aƚƚ were it so þat sche
rigħt now were deed ; ȝe oughte nouȝt as for hire deþ ȝoure self to
destruye
¶ Senek saiþ þe wisemā schal nouȝt take to gret discomfort
for þe deþ of his children
but certes he schulde suffre it in pacience as
wel as he abydeþ þe deþ of his owen propre persone
20
¶ This Melibeus
answerde anon and sayde ¶ What man quod he schulde of his wepyng
stynte þat haþ so gret a cause for to weepe
Iħc cist oure lord himself
wepte for þe deþ of lazarus his freend
¶ Prudens answerde ¶ Certes wel
I woot a tempre weepyng is nouȝt defendid vnto him þat sorwful is
among folk in sorwe ¶ But it is raþer y gaunted him to wepe
¶ The
apostel Poule . vnto þe Romayns writeþ . Man schal reioyse wiþ hem
þat maken ioye ¶ And weepen wiþ suche folk as wepen
¶ But þougħ
a tempre wepynge be y gaunted Outragous weepyng certes is defended
25
¶ Mesurable wepyng schulde be considered after þe lore þat techeþ vs
Senek
¶ Whan þat þi freend is deed let nougħt þin yen to moyste ben
of teeres ne to druye ¶ Al þougħ þe teeres comen of þin eyen let hem
nouȝt fallen
¶ And whan þou hast forgon þi frende I rede þou do þy di-
ligence to gete þe anoþer . and þis is more wiser þan for to wepe for
þyn freend þe which þat þou hast lore ¶ For þer in is no boote
¶ And
þerfore if þou lust gouerne þe by Sapience ; putte awey sorwe of
ȝoure herte
¶ Remembreþ ȝou þat Iħc Cyrak seiþ a man þat is Ioyous
and glad in herte hit him conserueþ florisching in his age ¶ But soþly
sorwful herte makeþ his bones druye
30
¶ He saiþ eek þus ¶ Þat sorwe in her-
te sleþ ful many a man
Salamō seiþ þat rigħt as moughtes in þe sche-
pes flees annoyeþ to þe cloþes and þe smale wormes of þe trees ¶ Right
so anoyeþ sorwe to þe herte
¶ Wherfore we ouȝt as wel in þe deþ of our
children as in þe losse of oure good haue pacience
¶ Remembreþ ȝow
vpon þe pacient Iob . whan he hadde lost his children and his temperel
substaūce / In his body endured and suffred many a greuous temptacoū
¶ Ȝet sayde he þus ¶ Oure lord quod he haþ ȝoue it me
¶ Oure lord haþ by-
reft it me Right so as oure lord haþ wolde right so be it don . y blessed
be þe name of oure lord
35
¶ To þese afore þinges Melibeus answerde
to his wyf dame Prudence / Alle þine wordes quod he ben soþe and
þerto proffitable ¶ But trewly myn herte is troubled wiþ þis sorwe so
greuously þat I not what to done
¶ Let calle quod Prudence þin trewe
frendes aƚƚ and þin lynage whiche þat ben wise Telle hem þyn
and herkne what þay say in counseillynge and ȝou gouerneth þeraft er
her sentence