The Multitext Edition > Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales MS. Peniarth 392 D
The Tale of Melibeus
Folio 217v
35 of 38 folios
by cause of the wrong & of the wikkednesse / that
hath be doon / and eek by reson of the grete damages / þt in tyme
comynge been possible to fallen / for the same cause /
And ek
by reson / of the grete richesse & power of the parties bothe /
for
the whiche resons / it were a ful greet peril to erren in this ma-
tere
60
¶ Wherfore Melibeus
/ this is oure sentence
we conseile
yow abouen alle thyng
.
þt right anon thow do diligence
/ in
kepynge of thy
propre
persone
/ in swich a wise
/ þt thow ne wan
-te noon espye
/ ne wacche
/ thy body for to saue
And after þt
we conseille / þt in thyn hous / thow sette suffisant garny-
son / so þt they may as wel / thy body / as thyn hous defen-
de
¶ But certes / for to moeue werre / ne sodeynly for to doon
vengeance / we may nat deme in so litel tyme / þt it were
profitable /
wher fore / we axen leyser & espace / to haue deli-
beracioū in this cas to deme /
for the cōmune prouerbe seyth .
this / he þt soone demeth / soone shal repente
65
¶ And eek men
seyn / þt thilke Iuge is wys / þt soone vnderstondeth a ma-
tere / & Iuggeth by leyser /
for al be it so þt al taryyng be
anoyful / algates it is nat to repreue / in yeuyng of Iugge-
ment / ne in vengeance takyng . whan it is suffisant and
resonable /
and that shewed oure lord Ihū crist by ensam-
ple / for whan þt the womman þt was taken in auoutrye /
was broght in his persence / to knowen / what sholde be doon
with hir persone / al be it þt he wiste wel hym self / what
þt he wolde answere / yet ne wolde he / nat answere sodeyn-
ly / but he wolde haue deliberacioū~ / and in the ground / he
wroot twies /
and by. thise causes / we axen deliberacion /
and we shul thanne / by the gace of god conseille thee / thyng
that shal be profitable
¶ Vp stirten thanne / the yonge folk
atones / and the mooste partie of that compaignye / han scor-
ned / this olde wise man / and bigonnen to make noyse / &
seyden / that
70
right so
/ as whil
þt Iren is hoot
men shol-
de smyte ; right so sholde men
/ wreken hir wronges
/whil
þt they been
/ fresshe
& newe
/ and w
t loud voys
/they criden . werre . werre
vp roos tho . oon of thise olde
wise / & wt his hand made contenance / þt men sholde
holden hem stille / and yeuen hym audience
¶ Lordyn-
ges quod he
/ ther is ful many a man .
þt crieth werre
~ werre ;
þt woot ful litel
/ what werre amounteth
Wer-
re at his bigynnyng hath so greet an entree & so large