whiche þat ben discrete and wise
vnto ȝoure aduersaries
tellynge hem on ȝoure bihalue
þat if þay wol trete of pees
and of accord
þat þay schape hem wiþoute dilay or taryinge
to come vnto vs .
830
which þing was parformed in dede
and whā
þese trespasours and repentynge folk of here folies þat is to
sayn þe aduersaries of Melibe
hadden herd what þe messangeres
sayden vnto hem ;
þay were right glad and iolif and answer-
den ful mekely and benignely
ȝeldynge gaces & þankinges to
here lord Melibe and to al his compaignye
835
and schope hem
wiþoute delay to go with þe messangeres and obeye hē to þe
comaūdement of here lord Melibe
¶ And right anoon þay to-
ken here way to þe court of Melibe /
and token wiþ hem some of
here trewe frendes to make faith for hem and for to ben here
borwes
¶ And whan þay were comen to þe persence of Melibeus
he seyde hem þise wordes
¶ It stondith þus quod Melibeus and
soþ it is þat ȝe
840
causeles and wiþouten skile and resoū
haue
doon gret iniuries and wronges to me and to my wyf pru-
dence and to my douȝt er also .
For ȝe haue entred in to myn
hous by violence
and haue doon such outrage þat aƚƚ men
knowe wel þat ȝe haue deserued þe deth .
And þerfore wil I
knowe and wite of ȝow
845
wheþer ȝe wol putte þe punyschmēt
and þe chastisement and þe vengeaunce of þis outrage in
þe wille of me and of my wif dame prudence or ȝe wil not
¶ þanne þe wisest of hem þre answerde for hem alle & sayde
Sire quod he we knowe wel þat we be vnworþy to come to
þe court of so gret a lord and so worþy as ȝe be
For we
han so gretly mystake vs and haue offendid and giltid ī such
a wise ageins ȝoure heighe lordschipe
þat trewely we haue
deserued þe deþ
850
¶ But ȝit for þe greete goodnes and debo-
nairete þat al þe world witnesseþ of ȝoure persone ;
we sub-
mitten vs to þin excellence and benignite of ȝoure gracioĆ«
lordschipe
and ben redy to obeye to alle ȝoure comaūdemētz
bisekynge ȝow þat of ȝoure merciable pite ȝe wol considre
oure grete repentaunce and lowe submissioū
and graunte
vs forȝiuenes of oure outrage trespas and offence .
855
For
wel ȝe knowen þat ȝoure liberal grace and mercy strechen
forþere in to goodnesse þan doþ oure outrage gilt and tres-
pas in to wikkednes
al be it þat cursedly & dāpnably we
haue a gilt aȝeinst ȝoure highe lordschipe