pestilences þt ben in frendshipe / the grettest is flaterie / And þterfore it is
more nede / þt þtu eschue & drede flat ereres / than any other peeple //
The
book seitħ / þu shalt rathere / drede & flee / fro the swete wordes of
flateryng preysers / than fro the egre wordes of thy frend / þt seitħ
the thyne sothes
210
¶ Salomoū seitħ / þt þe wordes of a flaterere /
is a snare / to cacchen Innocentez /
he seitħ also / þt he þt speketħ
to his frend / wordes of swetnesse / & of plesaunce / settetħ a nette
biforñ his feet to cacchen hī
¶ And þerfore seitħ Tullyus // Encly-
ne nat thyne Eres to flatereres / ne take no coūseil / of wordes of
flaterye
¶ And Catoū seitħ ¶ Auyse the wel / þu shalt eschue / wordes
of swetnesse & of plesance /
And eke þu shalt eschue the coūseillȳg
of thyne olde enemys / that ben reconsiled
215
¶ The book seitħ / þat no
wigħt retournetħ safly / in to the gace / of his old enemy
¶ And
Ysope seitħ / Ne trust nat to hem / to whicħ þu hast had somtyme
werre / or enemytee / ne telle hem nat thy coūseil /
And Seneca tel-
letħ the cause why / It may nat be / seitħ he / þt where as gret
fyr / hatħ longe tyme endured / þt þere ne dwelletħ som vapour /
of warmnesse //
And þerfore seitħ Salamon ¶ In þin olde Foo / trost ne-
uere /
for sikerly / thougħ þin enemy be reconsiled / & makeþ þe chere
of humilitee / & loutetħ to the / wt his hed / ne trost hī neuere /
220
For certes /
he maketħ thilke feyned humilitee / more for his profyt / than for
any loue of thy persone / by cause þt he demetħ to haue victorie ouer þi
persone / by swicħ feyned coūtenance / þe whicħ victorie / he mygħt
nat haue by strif of werre
¶ And Peter Alfonce seitħ / Make no
felaweshipe wt thyne olde enemys / for if þu do hē bounte / they wol
peruerten it / in to wykkednesse /
And eke þu must eschue / the coūseillȳg
of hē / þt ben þine seruantz / & beren the gret reuerence / for perauenture
they seyn it more for drede / þan for loue /
And þerfore seitħ a Phi-
losophre in this wyse / There is no wygħt parfytly trewe / to hī / þt
he to sore dredetħ
¶ And Tullius seitħ / þere nys no mygħt so
gret of any Emperour / þt longe may endure / but if he haue more
loue of the peeple / than drede
225
¶ þu shalt also eschue / þe coūseillȳg
of folk þt ben dronkelewe / for they ne can / no coūseil hide
¶ For
Salamon seitħ / þere is no piuetee / ther as regnetħ dronkenesse
¶ ȝe
shuln also han in suspect / þe coūseillyng of swicħ folk / as coūseille
ȝow a thyng piuely / & coūseille ȝow the contarie openly
¶ For Cassi-
dorie seitħ / þt it is a manere sleigħte / to hyndree / whan he shew-
etħ to don a thyng openly / & werk piuely the contarie
¶ Thow
shalt also haue in suspect / þe coūseillyng of wykked folk / for here
coūseil is alwey / ful of fraude
230
¶ And Dauid seitħ / Blisful is þt
man / þt hatħ nat folwed / the coūseillyng of shrewes
¶ Thow shalt
also eschue / þe coūseillyng of ȝonge folk / for here coūseil is nat
ripe
¶ Now sire / sithe I haue shewed ȝow / of whicħ folk / ȝe
shullen folwe þe coūseil
¶ Now wol I teche ȝow / how ȝe shuln
examynen ȝoure coūseil / after the doctine of Tullius