haue a gilt aȝeinst ȝoure highe lordschipe
¶ Thanne Melibe
took hem vp fro þe ground ful benignely
and receyued here
obligacioūs and here londes by here oþes vpon here plegges &
borwes
and assigned hem a certeyn day to retourne vnto his
court
860
for to accepte and receyue þe sentence and iuggement þt
Melibe wolde comaunde to be doon on hem by þese causes a-
forn sayde .
which þing ordeyned ; euery man retourned home
to his hous
¶ And whan þat Dame prudence saugħ hire tyme ;
Sche feyned and axed hire lord Melibe
what vengeance he
þoughte to take vpon his aduersaries
to which Melibeus answerd
and saide . Certes quod he I þenke and prpose me fully
865
to deshe-
rite hem of al þat euer þay haue and for to putte hem in exil
for euermore
¶ Certes quod dame prudence þis were a cruel
sentence and mochil aȝeinst resoun
For ȝe ben riche ynough &
haue noon neede of oþer mennes good
and ȝe mighte lightly
gete ȝow a coueitous name
which is vicious þing and oughte
to ben eschewed of euery man
870
for after þe sawe of þe word
of þapostil ; Couetise is roote of alle harmes .
And þerfore it
were bettre for ȝow to lese so moche good of ȝoure oughne
þan for to take of here good in þis manere .
For bettir it is
to lese good wiþ worschipe þan it is to wynne good with
vilonye and schame .
and euer a man oughte to do his dili-
gence and his busynesse to gete him a good name
875
but he
schulde enforce him alway to do som þing by which he may
renouele his good name .
for it is writen þat þe olde goode
loos of a man is soone doon or goon and passed whan it is
not newed ne renoueled .
And as touchinge þat ȝe sayn þat
ȝe wol exile ȝoure aduersaries ;
þat þinketh me mochil aȝeinst
resoū and out of mesure
consideriþ þe power þat þay han ȝy-
ue to ȝow vpon here body and on hemself
880
¶ And it is writen
þat he is worþy to lese his piuelege þat mys vseþ þe migħt
and þe power þat is ȝeue to him
¶ And ȝit I sette þe caas
ȝe migħte enioyne hem þat peyne by right and lawe
which
I trowe ȝe mow nouȝt do
I say ȝe mighte nouȝt putte it to
execucioun perauentur
and þanne were it likly to torne to
þe werre as it was biforn
885
And þerfore if ȝe wol þat men do
ȝow obeissaunce ; ȝe moste deme more curteisly
þis is to
sayn . ȝe moste ȝiue more esyere sentence & iuggemēt
¶ For
it is writen . he þat most curteysly comaundeth to him men
most obeyen .