800
retourned aȝein to hire lord Mellybe and tolde him how sche fond his
aduersaries ful repentaunt
and knowlechinge ful reuerently and lowely
here synnes and here trespaces and how þey weren redy to suffre aƚƚ pey-
ne .
requyrynge and peryng him of mercy and pite
¶ Thenne sayde Mel-
libe ; he is wel worþy to haue pardoū and forȝeuenesse
¶ For confessioū is neighebor to Innocence
¶ And he saith in anoþer
place ¶ He þat haþ schame for his synne and knowlecheþ it ¶ And þer
fore I assente and conferme to haue pees
¶ But it is good þat we do
it nouȝt wiþouten þe assente and wille of oure freendes
¶ Then was
Prudence rigħt glad and Ioyeful and sayde
810
¶ Certes sire quod sche ¶ Ȝe
han goodly and wel answered
¶ For right as by counseil assent and
helpynge of ȝoure frendes ȝe han ben styred to vengen ȝou and ma-
ke werre ;
Rigħt so wiþoutē here counseil schulle ȝe nougħt acorde
þougħ ȝe ne haue pees wiþ ȝoure aduersaries
¶ For þe lawe saith ¶ Þer
is no þing so good by way of kynde as þing to ben vnbounden by hȳ
þat it was y bounde
¶ And þenne dame Prudence wiþouten delay
or taryinge sent anon messages for hire kyn and for hire olde fren-
des whiche þat were trewe and wyse
815
¶ And tolde hem by ordre in
þe presence of Mellybe al þe matiere as it is abouen experssed and
declared
¶ and peryden hem þat þey wolden yeuen hire a wyse coun-
seiƚƚ ¶ What best were to doon in þis matiere
¶ And whan mellibeus
counseil hadde taken here avys and good deliberacoū of þe forsayde
matiere
and hadden examyned it by gret busynesse and gret diligence
þey ȝeuen ful counseil for to haue pees and reste
820
And þat Mellibe schul-
de receyue hit with good herte of his aduersaries to forȝuienes and
mercy
¶ And whan dame Prudence hadde herde þe assent of hire lord
Mellibe and þe counseil of hire frendes
acorded wiþ hire wille and
entencioū
sche was wonderly glad in herte and sayde
¶ Ther is an
olde prouerbe quod sche saiþ þat þe goodnesse þat þu mayst do þis day
do it
825
and abyd it / nougħt ne delay it nougħt til to morwe
¶ And þerfore
I counseile þat ȝe sende ȝoure messagers whiche þat ben discrete and
wise
vnto ȝoure aduersaries tellynge hem in ȝoure bihalue
if þey wo-
len trete of pees and acorde
þat þey schapen hem wiþouten delay
or taryynge comynge to vs
830
¶ Which þing parformed was in dede
and
whan þese trespasoures and repentynge folk of here folyes þat is to
say þe aduersaries of Mellibe
hadden herde what þese messangeres
sayden vnto hem ;