For þe lawe seyþe ; Ther is no þinge so good be waie of kinde
As þinge to bene vnbounden by him þat it was y boundende ;
And
þan dame prudence wiþe outen delaye or taryinge sent anone Mes-
sageres for her kinne & for hir olde frendes þat were trewe & wise
815
And tolde hem be order in þe persence of Mellebe al þe Matier as it
was abouen experssed & declared ;
And peryden hem þat þe wolde ȝeuen
hir a wise counseile what best were to done ī þis matiere ;
¶ And whan .
Millebes counsel hadd taken hire a vise & goode deliberacone of þe for
seide matier ;
And hadde examyned it be grete besines & grete diligen-
ce ;
þei ȝauen ful coūseile for to haue pees & rest .
820
And þat Mellibe schold
receyue it wt goode herte of his aduersaries to for ȝeuenesse & mercye ;
And
whan dame Prudence hadd herde þe assent of hir lorde Mellibe . And þe
counsel of her frendes
accorded wiþ her wil & entencion
sche was won-
derly glad in hert & seide
¶ There is an holde prouerbe qd sche seiþe ;
þat þe godnesse þat þou maist do þis daie do it
825
& abide it nouht ne
delaye it nouht til to morwe
¶ And þerfore .I. counsel þat ȝe send ȝoure
messagiers wiche þat ben discrete & wyse
vn to ȝoure aduersaries tel-
lynge hem on ȝoure be halue
if þei wil trete of pes & of accorde ;
þat
þei schapen hem wt outen de laie or tariinge to come to vs ;
830
whiche
þinge par formed was in dede
¶ And whan þes trespassours & repent-
inge folke of here folyes ; þat is to seie þe aduersaries of Mellibe
had
herde what þes messagiers seiden vn to hem
þe were ful gladde
& ioyful & anseward ful mekely & benī~gly ;
ȝeldeinge graces & þonkes
to her lord Mellibe . & to al his compaigne ;
835
And schopen wiþ outen
delay to go ne wiþ þe messagiers ; & obey to þe cōmandement of her
lord Mellibe
¶ And riht a none þe token her weie to Mellibe
& toke þe
some of here trewe wordes & frendes to maken feiþ for hem ; and for
to bien her borwes
¶ And whan þei camen to þe persence of Mellibe he
seide hem þes wordes ;
It standeþ þus qd Mellibe ; & soþe it is þt ȝe
840
causels and wiþ oute skil & resoū
haue done grete Iniuries & wronges
to me & to my wif Dame Prudence ; & to my douhter also
¶ For ȝe
haue entred in to myne howse be violence
& haue done suche outrage ;
þat aƚƚ men knowel wele þat ȝe haue deserued þe deþe
¶ And þere
fore wil .I. knowen & witen of ȝowe
845
weþer þat ȝe wil putte þe pu-
nysshement & þe chasteysinge & þe vengeance of þis outrage ī þe
wil of me & of my wif dame Prudence or ȝe wil nouht ;
Than þe
wysest of hem þre answarde for hem al & seide
Sir qd he we know-
en wele þat we bien vnworþi to cōme to ȝoure courte of so grete
a lorde & so worþe as ȝe bien ;
And for we haue so gretely mystaken
vs & haue offended & agilte in suche a wise aȝeines ȝoure hihe lord-
schippe
þat trewlye we haue deseruede þe deþ ;
850
Bot ȝit for þe grete
goodnesse & debonarte þat al þe werlde wittenesseþ of ȝoure persoū