lord Melibe / & the conseil of his freendes /
acorde wt hir wyl / and
hir entencioū ;
she was wonderly glad in herte
/ & seyde
Ther
is an old
prou
erbe quod she
/ seith
that the goodnesse
þt thow maist
do this day
/ do it
825
& abide nat ne delaye it nat til tomorwe /
And therfore I conseille / þt ye sende youre messages / swiche
as been discrete & wise
vn to youre Aduersaries / tellynge hē
on your bihalue /
þ if they wol trete of pees & of acord /
þ
they shape hem / wt outen delay or taryynge / to come vn to
vs /
830
which thyng parforned was in dede /
and whanne thise
trespassours & repentynge folk of hir folies / that is to seyn /
the Aduersaries of Melibe /
hadden herd / what thise messagers
seyden vn to hem ;
they weren right glad & ioyeful / & answere-
den ful mekely & benygnely /
yeldynge gaces & thankynges /
to hir lord Melibe & to al his compaignye /
835
& shopen hem wt
oute delay to go wt the messagers / & obeye to the comandement
of hir lord Melibe /
and right anon they tooken hir wey / to ~
the court of Melibe /
& tooke w
t hem s
ōme of hir trewe freen-
des
/ to make feith for hem
/ & for to been hir
borwes
And
whan they were come / to the persence of Melibe ; he seyde hem
thise wordes
¶ It standeth thus quod Melibe & sooth it is / þt
ye
840
causelees & wt outen skile & resoū /
han doon grete Iniuries
& wronges to me / & to my wyf Prudence / & to my doghter
also /
for ye han entred in to myn hous by violence /
& haue
doon swich out
age
/ þt alle men knowen wel
/ þt ye han deser-
ued the deeth
And therfore wol I knowe & wite of yow /
845
whei-
ther ye wol putte the punysshynge & chastisynge / & the venge-
ance of this outage / in the wil of me / & of my wyf or ye wol
nat
¶ Thanne the wiseste of hem thre
/ answerde for hem alle
/ & seyde
Sire quod he / we knowen wel / þt we been vnworthy
to comen vn to the court of so greet a lord & so worthy / as ye
been /
for we han so gretly mystaken vs / & han offendid & gilt
in swich a wise / ageyn youre hey lordshipe /
þ trewely / we han
deserued the deeth /
850
but yet for the grete goodnesse & debonairetee /
þt al the world / witnesseth of youre persone / ;
we submitten vs / to
the excellence & benygnytee of youre gacious lordshipe /
& ben
redy tobeye / to alle youre comandementz /
bisekynge yow / þt
of youre merciable pitee / ye wol considere oure grete repen-
tance & lowe submissioū /
& gaunten vs foryeuenesse / of ou-
re outageous trespas & offense /
855
for wel we knowen / þt your