herd þe answeres of þise men . sche bad hem go ayayn pry-
uely
800
and sche retourned to hir lord Melibe and tolde him
how sche fond his aduersaries ful repentant
knowlechinge
ful lowely here synnes and trespasses and how þay were re-
dy to suffre alle peyne
requiring and praying him of mercy
and pite
¶ þanne saide Melibeus . he is wel worþy to haue
pardoū and forȝeuenes of his synne þat excusith not his syn-
ne
but knowelecheþ and repentith him axinge indulgence .
For Senek saith . þere is þe remissioū and forȝeuenesse
805
wher
as þe confessioū is
¶ For confessioū is neighebor to Innocence
And he saith in anoþer place . he þat haþ schame of his synne
knowlechith it . and þerfore I assente and conferme me to haue
pees .
but it is good þat we doo it nouȝt wiþoute assent &/
þe wille of oure frendes
¶ Thanne was prudence right
glad &/ iolyf and sayde .
810
Certes sire quod sche ȝe ben wel &
goodly auysed
for right as by þe counsail and assent and
help of ȝoure frendes ȝe haue be stired to venge ȝow & ma-
ke werre ;
Rigħt so wiþoute here counseil schul ȝe nought
acorde ȝow ne haue pees wiþ ȝoure aduersaries .
For þe la-
we saith . Ther nys no þing so good by way of kinde as þīg
to be vnbounde by him þat it was bounde
And þanne da-
me prudence wiþoute delay or taryinge sente anoon messa-
geres for here kyn and for here olde frendes whiche þat
were trewe and wyse
815
and tolde hem by ordre in þe persence
of Melibe of þis matier as it is aboue expressed and decla-
red
and praide hem þat þay wolde ȝiue here avys and coū-
seil what best were to doon in þis matiere
¶ And whan
melibeus frendes hadde take here avys and deliberacioū
of þe forsayde matier
and hadden examyned it by greet
besynes and gret diligence
þey ȝafe him ful coūsail to ha-
ue pees and reste .
820
and þat Melibeus schulde wiþ good hert
resceyue his aduersaries to forȝiuenes and mercy
¶ And
whan dame prudence had herd thassent of hir lord Meli-
beus and counseil of his frendes
accorde wiþ hire wille &
hire entencioū ;
sche was wonderly glad in herte and sayde
¶ Ther is a noble prouerbe þat saith ¶ The goodnesse þat þu
maist do þis day ;
825
abyde not ne delaye it nouȝt / vnto to
morwe
and þerfore I counseile ȝow ȝe sende ȝoure messageres
whiche þat ben discrete and wise