and eek by resoun Of þe grete richesse and
power of þe parties boþe
¶ For þe whiche resouns it were a gret perile
for to erren in þis matier //
60
wherfore melibeus þis is oure sentence we
counseile ȝou abouen aƚƚ þinges þat rigħt anon þou do þi diligence in
kepyng of þi propre persone in suche a wyse þat þou ne wante none aspye
ne wacche þi body for to saue
¶ And after þat we counseile þat þou sette
in þin hous suffisaunt garnysoun ¶ So þat þey may as wel þy body and
þin hous defende
¶ But certes for to meerue werre ne sodeinly for to do
wherfore we asken leysir and space to haue deliberacioū in þis cas to
deme
for þe cōmune prouerbe saiþ þus he þat sone demeþ sone schal repen-
te
65
¶ And eek men say þus þat þilke Iuge is wys þat sone vnderstandeþ
a matiere and Iugeþ by leysyr
¶ For al be it so þat aƚƚ taryynge be anoy-
ful ; algates it nys nouȝt to reproue in ȝeuyng of Iuggementz ne in ven-
gaunce takynge whanne it is suffisaunt and resonable .
and þat schewed
oure lord iħc crist by ensample ¶ For when þat þe wōman was taken in
aduoutrye was brougħt in his presens to knowe what schal ben don
with hire persone ¶ Al be it so þat he wiste wel himself what þat he wol-
de answere ; ȝit ne wolde he nouȝt answere sodeinly but he wolde haue
deliberacioū~ and in þe grounde he wrot twyes
¶ And by þis cause we axen
deliberacioū And we schullen þanne by þe gace of god counseile þe þingis
þat schal be profitable
¶ Vp sterte þenne þe ȝonge folk atones ; and þe
moste partye of þat company haue scorned þis olde wise mā and by-
gonne to make noyse and sayden
70
right so ¶ As whiles þat yren is hoot
men schulden smyte ¶ Rigħt so men schulden wreken here wronges whiles
þay ben freissche and newe ¶ And with lowde voys þey cryden werre
werre
vp ros þe on of þe olde wise and with his hande he made a con-
tynaunce þat þey schulde halden hem stille and ȝiuen hem audience
¶ Lordynges quod he þer is ful many a man þat crieþ werre werre þat
wot ful litel what þat werre amounteþ
¶ Werre at his bygynnyng
haþ so gret an enteryng . and so large ¶ That euery wigħt may entre when
him likeþ . and lightly fynde werre
¶ But certes to what ende þat schal
þer of bifalle it nys nouȝt lightly to knowe
75
¶ Whan þat werre is ones
bygonne þer is ful many a childe vnborne of his moder þat schal ster-
ue ȝong by cause of þilke werre Oþer elles lyue in sorwe and deye in
wrecchednesse
¶ And þerfore er þat eny werre be bygonne men mosten
han gret counseil and good deliberacioū