The Multitext Edition > Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales MS. Peniarth 392 D
The Tale of Melibeus
Folio 216v
37 of 38 folios
And al were it so / þt she right now were deed ; ye ne oghte nat as
for hir deth / your self to destroye
¶ Senec seith / the wise man
shal nat take to greet disconfort for the deth of his children /
but
certes / he sholde suffren it in pacience / as wel / as he abideth the
deth / of his owene propre persone
20
¶ This Melibeus
/ answerde anon
& seyde
¶ What man quod he
/ sholde of his wepyng stynte
~ that hath so gret a cause for to wepe
Ihū cist oure lord hym
self / wepte / for the deth / of lazarus his freend
¶ Prudence
answerde ¶ Certes wel I woot attempree wepynge / is no thyng
defended / to hym þt sorweful is / amonges folk in sorwe / ; but
it is rather / graunted hym to wepe
¶ The Apostle Poul
/ vn to
the Romayns writeth
Man shal reioysse w
t hem
þt maken ioye
/and wepen
/ w
t swich folk as wepen
but thogh attempree we-
pyng be graunted
/ out
ageous wepyng
c
ertes is defended
25
Mesure
of wepyng sholde be considered / after the loore þt techeth vs ~
Senec
¶ Whan þt thy freend is deed quod he / lat nat thyne eyen /
to moyste ben of terys / ne to muche drye / al thogh the teerys
come to thyne eyen / lat hem nat falle /
And whan thou hast
forgoon thy freend / do diligence / to geten another freend / and
this is moore wysdom / than for to wepe for thy freend / which
þt thou hast lorn / for ther Inne / is no boote /
And therfore / if ye
gouerne yow by Sapience / put awey sorwe / out of youre herte /
¶ Remembre yow
/ þt Ih
c̃ Syrak
seith
A man
þt is ioyous and
glad in herte
/ . it hym conserueth florisshynge in his age
/ but
soothly
/ sorweful herte
/ maketh his bones drye
30
he seith eek
thus
/ .
þt sorwe in herte
/ sleeth ful many a man
Salomon
seith / that right as Moththes in the Shepes flees / anoyeþ
to the clothes / and the smale wormes to the tree / . right so anoy-
eth sorwe to the herte /
wher fore
/ vs oghte as wel in the deth
of oure children
/ as in the losse of oure goodes temporels
/ haue
pacience
Remembre yow
/ vp on the pacient Iob
/ whan he
hadde lost his children
/ and his temporel substance
/ and in his body
endured
& receyued ful many a greuous tribulacion ; yet seide
he thus
Oure lord / hath biraft it me / right so as oure lord ~
hath wold / right so it is doon / yblessed be / the name of oure .
lord
35
¶ To thise forseyde thynges
/ answerde Melibeus
/ vn to
his wif Prudence
Alle thy wordes quod he been sothe
/ & ther to
profitable
/ but trewely
/ myn herte is troubled w
t this
sorwe
/ so greuously
/ þt I noot what to doon
¶ lat calle quod
Prudence / thy trewe freendes alle / & thy lynage / whiche þt
ben wise