and herkne what þay say in counseillynge and ȝou gouerneth þteraft er
her sentence
Salōn saiþ werk aƚƚ þing by counseil and þou schalt ne-
uer repente þe
¶ Thenne by þe counseil of his wyf dame Prudence ;
MelibeĆ« let callen a gret congregacioū of folk
olde and ȝonge and so-
me of his olde enemys reconsiled as by here semblaūt in to his loue
and in to his gace
40
¶ And þer wiþ al þer come sōme of his olde neyghebors
and þat deden him reuerence more for drede þan for loue as it
happeþ ofte
¶ Ther comeþ also ful many subtile flaterers and wyse
aduocatis lerned in þe lawe
And whan þis folk togidre assembled
were ; This MelibeĆ« in sorwful wise schewed hem þis caas
¶ And by
þe manere of þis speche he bar in his herte a cruel yre redy to don
vengeaunce vpon his foos And sodeynly desired þat þe werre schulde
begynne
¶ But naþeles ȝit asked he here counseil vpon þis mater
45
A
Surgien by licence and assent of suche as were wyse vp ros vnto Me-
libeus and sayde as ȝe may heere
Sire quod he as to vs surgiens aper-
teyneþ to euery wigħt þe beste þat we can were as we ben wiþholde
¶ And to oure paciences þat we do no damages
þerfore it happeþ many
tymes and ofte þat when tuo men haue euerich wounded oþer O same
Surgien heleþ hem boþe
¶ Wherfore vnto oure art it nys nouȝt partynent
to norische werre ne parties to supporte
¶ But certes as to þe warissh-
yng of ȝour dought er be it so þat sche is perilously wounded ; we schul-
de do so ententyfly busynes fro day to night þat wiþ þe grace of god
sche schal be sound and hool as sone as it is possible
50
¶ Aƚƚ men in þis
same wyse answerden and þe Phisiciens . saue þat þay sayden a fe-
we wordes more
þat rigħt as maladies ben heled by þe contraries
Rigħt so schal men warissche werre by vengaunce
his neygheburs fuƚƚ
of enuye his feynede freendes þat semed reconsiled his flaterers
maden
semblaūt of wepyng enpeyred and engregged meche of his matiere in
preysynge gretly Melibeus of might of power of riches and of frendes
despysynge þe power of his aduersaries
and sayden outrely þat he anon
schulde awreken him on his enemys and begynne werre
55
¶ Vp ros þanne
an aduoket þat was wys and sayde by leue and by counseil of oþer
þat were wyse ¶ And sayde
lordynges the neede for þe which we ben
assembled in þis place is a ful heuy þing and an heigħ matiere
by
cause of þe wrong and of þe wikkednesse þat haþ ben don and
eeke by resoun of þe grete damage / in tyme comynge ben possible to
falle for þis same cause