855
doon oure outageouse giltes & trespas in to wikkednesse /
al be
it þt cursedly & dampnablely / we han agilt ageyn youre hey
lordshipe
¶ Thanne Melibe / took hem vp fro the ground ful
benygnely /
& receyued hir obligacioūs & hir bondes by hir
othes / vp on hir plegges & borwes /
& assigned hem a certeyn
day / to retourne vn to his court
860
for to accepte
& receyue the
sentence
& Iugement
þt Melibe wolde comande
/ to be doon on
hem
/ by the causes aforeseyd
whiche thynges ordeyned ;
eu
ery man reto
rned to his hous
And whanne þt dame Pru-
dence saugh hir tyme / she feyned / & axed hir lord Melibe /
what vengeance he thoghte to taken of hise Aduersaries ~
¶ To which
/ Melibe answerde
& seyde
Certes quod he .I.
thynke
& purpose me fully
/
865
to disherite hem / of al þt euere
they han / and for to putte hem in exil / for euere
¶ Certes quod
Dame Prudence / this were a cruel sentence / & muchel ageyn
reson /
for ye been riche ynow & han no nede of oother men-
nes good /
& ye myghten lightly in this wise / geten yow a
coueitous name /
which is a vicious thyng & oghte been
eschewid of euery man /
870
for after the sawe of the word of
thapostle
Coueitise is roote of alle harmes /
And therfore /
it were bettre for yow / to lese so mychel good of youre owe-
ne / than for to take of hir good / in this manere /
for bettre it
is / to lese good wt worshipe / than it is / to wynne good wt
vileynye & shame /
And euery man / oghte do his diligence
& his bisynesse / to geten hym a good name /
and yet shal
he nat oonly bisien hym in kepynge his goode name ;
875
but
he shal also
/ enforcen hym alwey
/ to do som thyng
by
which he may renouelle his goode name
For it is writen
/ That the olde goode loos
/ or good name of a man
/ is soone
goon
& passed
/ whanne it is nat newed
/ ne renoueled
&
as touchynge þt ye seyn / ye wol exile youre Aduersaries ;
that thynketh me / muchel agayn resoū / & out of mesure /
considered the power
þt they han yeuen yow vp on hem
self
880
And it is writen / that he is worthy to lesen his piui-
lege / þt mysvseth / the mygh & the power þt is yeuen hī /
And I sette cas / ye myghte enioyne hem that peyne / by
right & by lawe /
which I trowe ye mowe nat do /
I seye
ye myghte nat putte it to execucioū per auenture /
& thanne
were it likly / to retorne to the werre / as it was biforn /
885
And ther fore / if ye wole / þt men do yow obeisance ; yow
moste deme moore curteisly /