80
¶ And whan þis wise man saugħ him wanted audience ; al scha-
mefast he sette him doun agayn
¶ For Salamō saith . ther as þou
may haue noon audience ; enforce þe not to speke
¶ I se wel qd
þis wise mā þat þe comune prouerbe is soþ ¶ That good counseil
wantith whan it is most neede
¶ ȝit hadde þis melibeus in his
coūseil many folk þat priuely in his eere han coūseled hī certein
þinges and coūseled him þe contrarie in general audience
¶ whan
melibeus hadde herd ȝet þe grettest party of his coūseil were ac-
corded þat he schulde make werre . Anoon he consented to here
coūseilyng and fully affermed here sentence
85
¶ Thāne dame
Prudence whan þat sche saugħ þat hir housbonde schop him
to wreke him of his enemyes and to gynne werre ; / Sche in
ful humble wise whan sche saugħ hire tyme sayde him þese wor-
des
¶ My lord quod sche I ȝow biseche as hertily as I dar and kan
ne haste ȝow nought to faste and for aƚƚ guerdoūs as ȝeue me
audience
For Peres Alfons saith ¶ who þat doþ to þe ouþer
good or harm ; haste þe nought to quyten him . For in þis wise
þy freend wil abyde ; and þin enemy schal þe lenger lyue in drede
¶ The prouerbe saiþ ¶ he hastith wel þat wisly can abyde and in
wikked haste is no profyt
¶ This melibeus answerde vn to his
wyf prudens ¶ I purpose not quod he to werke by þy coūseil
for many causes and resoūs ¶ For certes euery wight wolde holde
me þanne a fool
90
¶ þis is to sayn ¶ If I for þy counseil wolde chaū-
ge þinges þat affermed ben by so many wise ;
I say þat aƚƚ wom-
men be wikked and noon good of hem alle ¶ For of a þousand
men saiþ Salomō I fond oon good man ; But certes of alle wom-
men good wōman fond I neuer noon
¶ And also certes if I gouer-
nede me by þy counseil it schulde seme that I hadde ȝiuen to þe ouer
me þe maistry and god forbeede er it so were
¶ For Iħc Syrac saiþ
þat if a wif haue maistry sche is contrarious to hir housbond
¶ and
Salomon saith ¶ Neuer in þy lif to þy wyf ne to þy child ne to þy
freend ne ȝeue no power ouer þiself ¶ For better it were þat þy
children axen of þy persone þinges þat been needful to hem þan þou
se þiself in þe hondes of þy children
95
¶ And also if I wolde werke
by þy counselynge certes it most som tyme be secre til it were ty-
me þat it moste be knowe And þis ne may not be
¶ whā dame
Prudence ful debonerly and with gret pacience hadde herd al þat
hir housbonde liked for to seye ¶ Thanne axed sche of hī licence
for to speke and sayde in þis wise