795
voys
worshipful lady
/ we putten vs and oure goodes al fully in youre wil
and disposicio
ū /
and been redy / to comen / what day þt it like vn to your no-
blesse to lymyte vs or assigne vs
for to maken oure obligacioū and boond as
strong as it liketh vn to your goodnesse /
that we mowe fulfille the wille of
yow / and of my lord Melibee
Whan Dame Prudence / hadde herd the an-
sweres of thise men / she bad hem / goon agayn piuely /
800
and she retourned to hir
lord Melibee / and tolde hym / how she foond hise Aduersaries ful repentant
knowelechynge ful lowely hir synnes and trespas / and how they were re-
dy to suffren aƚƚ peyne /
requirynge & preiynge hym of mercy and pitee ;
Thanne seyde Melibee ¶ he is wel worthy to haue pardoū and foryifnesse
of his synne / þt excuseth nat his synne
but knowelecheth it & repenteth ~
hym / axinge Indulgence
805
¶ For Senec
seith
. ther is the remissio
ū and for-
yifnesse
/ where as confessio
ū is
¶ For Confessioū is neighebore to Innocēce
And therfore / I assente and corforme me to haue pees /
but it is good þt
we do it nat wt outen the assent & wyl of oure freendes
Thanne
was Prudence rigħt glad and ioyeful / and seyde
810
¶ Certes sir quod she
ye han wel & goodly answered /
xxxxxxFor rigħt as by the conseil / assent
and helpe of your freendes / ye xxxxxxhan been stired / to venge yow &
maken werre ;
rigħt so / with outen hir conseil / shul ye nat accorden
yow / ne haue pees with your aduersaries
¶ For the lawe seith
ther
~ nys no thyng
so good by wey of kynde
/ as a thyng
to been vnbounde
by hym
þt it was ybounde
¶ And thanne Dame Prudence with-
outen delay or tariynge / sente anon hir messages for hir kyn & for
hir olde freendes / whiche þt were trewe and wyse /
815
and tolde hem by
ordre / in the persence of Melibee al this mateer / as it is abouen expers-
sed & declared /
and preyden þt they wolde yeuen hir auys & conseil ~
what best were to doon in this nede
¶ And whan Melibees freendes
hadde taken hir auys & deliberacioū of the forseide mateere /
& hadden
examyned it by greet bisynesse & greet diligence /
they yaue ful conseil
for to haue pees and reste /
820
and þt Melibee / sholde receyue wt good herte /
hise Aduersaries / to foryifnesse and mercy
And whan Dame Prudence
hadde herd the assent of hir lord Melibee / and the conseil of hise freen-
des
accorde wt hir wille and hir entencioū
she was wonderly glad
in hir herte / and seyde
¶ Ther is an old
prou
erbe quod she seith
. That
the goodnesse
þt thou mayst
do this day
/ do it
825
and abide nat ne delaye
it nat til to morwe
¶ And therfore / I conseille þt ye sende your messa-
ges swiche as been discrete and wise /
vn to youre Aduersaries / tellynge
hem on your bihalue /
þ if they wole trete of pees & of accord /
that
they shape hem / with outen delay or tariyng to comen vn to vs /
830
which
thyng parforned was in dede
¶ And whanne thise trespassours and
repentynge folk of hir folies / that is to seyn / the Aduersaries of Meli-
bee /
hadden herd / what thise Messagers seyden vn to hem /
they weren
rigħt glad & ioyeful / and answereden ful mekely & benignely
yeldynge
graces & thankynges to hir lord Melibee & to al his compaignye /
835
& sho-
pen hem wt outen delay to go wt the Messagers & obeye to the comande-
ment of hir lord Melibee
¶ And rigħt anon / they tooken hir wey to the ~
Court of Melibee /
and tooken wt hem / sōme of hir trewe freendes / to ~
maken feith for hem & for to been hir borwes /