¶ And when þat dame Prudence saugħ hire tyme sche
feyned and axede hire lord mellibe
what vengaūce he þouȝt to ta-
ke of his aduersaries
To which mellibe answerde and sayde ¶ Certez
quod he I þenke and prpose fully
865
to disherite hem of al þat þay han ¶ And
for to putten hem in exile for euere
¶ Certes quod Dame Prudence þis
were a cruel sentence and mochel aȝeins resoū
¶ For ȝe ben riche y-
nougħ and han no neede of oþer mennes good
and ȝe mighte light-
ly geten ȝou a coueytous name
which is a vicious þing and oughte
eschewed of euery man
870
¶ For after þe sawe of þe appostel Coueitise
is roote of aƚƚ harmes
¶ And þerfore it were bettre to lese so mochel good
of ȝoure owne þan for to take of here good in þis manere
¶ For better
it is to leese good wiþ worschipe þenne it is good to wynne worschipe
wiþ vilanye and schame
¶ And euery man ougħte to don his busynes-
se and to geten him a good name
¶ And ȝet schal he nouȝt only kepen
him in kepyng of his good name
875
¶ But he schal also enforcen him
alwey to don som þing by which he may renouelle his good name
¶ For it is write þat þe olde goode loos or good name of a man is
sone goon and passed when it is nouȝt newed and renouelled
¶ And as touchinge þat ȝe sayn þat ȝe woln exile ȝoure aduersaries
þat þenkeþ me mochil aȝeins resoū and out of mesure
¶ Considereþ þe
power þat ȝe han ȝouen ȝou vpon hemself
880
and it is writen . þat he
is worþy to lesen his priuilege þat misvseþ it ¶ The migħt and
þe power þat is ȝouen him .
And I sette caas þat ye migħt annoye
hem þat peyne by rigħt and by lawe
which I trowe ȝe may nouȝt
do
I say ne ne mighte nouȝt putte it to execucioū perauenture
and
þenne were it likly to retorne to þe werre as it was byforn
885
¶ And
þerfore if ȝe woln þat men do ȝou obeissaūce ; ȝe moste deme more
curteisly
þis is to sayn ȝe moste ȝiue more esy sentences and Iuge-
mentz
for it is writen þat he þat most courteisly comaundeth ;
to him men most obeyen
¶ And þerfore I pray ȝou þat in þis necessi-
te and in þis neede ; ȝe casten þerfore to ouercome ȝoure herte
For
Senek saiþ ¶ He þat oones ouercomeþ his herte ; ouercomeþ twyes
890
¶ And Tullius saiþ ¶ Ther is no þing so comendable in a gret lord
as whan he is debonaire and meeke and appeseþ him meekely
And I
pray ȝou þat ȝe woln forbere now to do vengaūce
in such a manere . þat
ȝoure goode name may be kepte and conserued
and þat man may haue
cause and matiere to preyse ȝou of pite and of mercy