¶ Prudence his wif as ferforþt as sche dorst . besouht him of his wepe-
inge for to stinte
¶ Bot not for þi he gan to wepe & crie . euer þe lengerer þõ
more . -
10
þis noble wif prudence remembreþ her on þe sentence of Ouide
In his boke þat cleped is þe remedie of loue . where he seiþe .
He is a
foole þat distorbleþ þe modere for to wepe ī þe deþe of hir childe . til
sche haue wepped hirefil as for certeine time .
Than schal a man done
his diligence wiþ amyable wordes hir to recomford . & to preier her
of here wepeinge for to stinte
¶ For whiche resone þis noble pru-
dence suffurd hir husbond for to wepe & crie for a certeine space .
¶ And whan sche sauhe hir time sche seide him in þis wyse . Alas my .
lorde qd sche . whie maake ȝoure self for to be like a fole .
15
¶ For sothe
it aperteigneþ not to a wiseman . To maak suche a sorwe
¶ ȝoure
douhter wiþ þe grace of god schal be warissched & ascape /
And al wer
it so riht nowe sche were dede . ȝe ouht not as for hir deþe ȝoure self
to destruye
¶ Senec . seiþe . þe wiseman schal nouht tak to grete
discomford for þe deþe of his childer .
bot certe he scholde suffer it
in pacience . As wele as he abideþ þõ deþ of his owen propre person .
20
¶ Þis
Millibeus ansewarde a none & seide ¶ What man qd he scholde of his
wepeinge stinte þat haþe so grete a cause for to wepe .
Ihū criste owre
lorde him self wepped for þõ deþ of Lazarus his frende
¶ Prudence anse-
ward ; certez wele .I. wote a tempre wepeinge is nouht defended vn-
to him þat sorwful is amonge folk of sorwe . Bot it is raþer gaun-
ted him to wepe
¶ Þe Apostle paule vnto þe Romaynes writeþ . / Man
schal reioyse wiþ hem þat hem þat maken ioye ; & wepe wiþ suche
folke as wepen
¶ Bot þouhe a tempre wepeinge be gaunted ; Outra-
geous wepeinge certes is defended
25
¶ Mesurable wepeinge schold be
considered after þe lore þat techeþ vs Senec
¶ Whan þat þi frende
is ded lat nouht þine yen to moiste bien of teres ; ne to muche drye
¶ Al þouhe þe teres cōmen of þine yen . lat hem nouht fallen
¶ And whan
þou hast for gone þi frende .I. rede þou do þi diligence to gette þe a no-
ther . And þis is more wysere þan to wepe for þi frende þe whiche
þat þu hast lorne ; For þer inne is no boote
¶ And þerfore if þe lust
to gouerne þe be Sapience Putte a waie sorwe fro ȝoure hert .
Re-
membreþ ȝowe þat . Iħu Sirak . saiþe ; Aman þat is ioyus & gladde
in hert ; it him conserueþ florischeinge in his Age . Bot soþely Sorwe
ful hert makeþ his bones drye
30
¶ He seiþe eke þus . þat sorwe in hert
sleeþe mony aman .
Salamon seiþe þat riht as mouhtes in þe sche-
pes fles anoyeþ to þe cloþes . An þe smale wermes on þe tres vn-
to þe fruyte ; Riht so anoy þe sorwe vnto þe hert .
wherfore we ouht
as wele in þe deþe of oure childerne ; as in þe losse of oure godes tem-
perel ;
¶ Haue pacience . Remembre ȝowe vpōn þe pacient ¶ Iob
whan he hadde lost his children & his temperel substance . And in his
bodi endured & suffred mony agreuous temptacionz . ȝit seid he þus .