if so be / þt þtu fynde / þt by errour / or by other cause / harm or dama-
ge / may bitide /
260
Also if thy coūseil be dishoneste / or elles cometħ
of dishoneste / cause / chaunge thy coūseil /
For the lawes seyn /
þt alle byhestes / þt ben dishoneste / ben of no value /
And eke if so
be / þt it be inpossible / or may nat goodly be parformed or kept /
And
take this for a general reule ¶ That euery coūseil / þt is affermed so
strongly / þt it may nat be chaunged / for no condicion þt may betide
I seye / þt thilke coūseil is wykked
¶ This Melibeus / whan he
had herd the doctine / of his wyf Dame Prudence / Answered ī
this wyse
265
¶ Dame qd he / as ȝet in to this tyme / ȝe han wel
& couenably taugħt me / as in general / how I shal gouerne me / in þe
chesyng / & in the witħholdyng of my coūseillors /
But now wolde
I fayn / þt ȝe wolde cōdescende in special /
& telle me how liketħ
ȝow / or what semetħ ȝow / by oure coūseillors / þt we han chosen in
oure persent nede
¶ My lord qd she / I biseke ȝow in alle hūblesse /
þt ȝe wol nat wilfully / replie ageyn my resons / ne distempre
ȝoure herte / thougħ I speke thyng / þat ȝow displese /
For god
wot / þt as in myn entente / I speke it for ȝoure beste / for ȝoure ho-
nour / & for ȝoure profyte eke /
270
And sotħly I hope / þt ȝoure benygnytee
wil taken it in pacience
¶ Trustetħ me wel qd she / þt ȝoure coūseil
as in this cas / ne shulde nat / as to speke proprely / be called a coū-
seillyng / but a mocion or a meeuyng of folie /
in whicħ coūseil / ȝe
han erred / in many a sondry wyse
¶ First & forward ȝe han erred
in the assemblyng / of ȝoure coūseillors /
for ȝe shulde first / han cle-
ped a fewe folk to ȝoure coūseil / & after ȝe mygħte han shewed
it / to mo folk / if it hadde be nede /
275
But certes ȝe han sodeynly cle-
ped to ȝoure coūseil a gret multitude of peeple ful chargeant / &
ful a noyous for to heere
¶ Also ȝe han erred / for þere as ȝe shulde
oonly han cleped to ȝoure coūseil / ȝoure trewe frendes / olde & wyse
ȝe han I cleped straunge folk / ȝonge folk / false flat ereres / & enemys
reconsiled / & folk þt doon ȝow reuerence / wt outen loue
¶ And eke al-
so ȝe han erred / for ȝe han brougħt wt ȝow to ȝoure coūseil / Ire /
Couertise / & hastifnesse /
the whicħ thre thynges ben contarious
to euery coūseil / honest & profitable /
280
the whicħ thre thynges / ȝe ne
han nat anientissed or destroyed hē / neither in ȝoure self / ne in
ȝoure coūseillors / as ȝow ougħte
¶ ȝe han erred also / for ȝe han
shewed to ȝoure coūseillors / ȝoure talent & ȝour affeccoū / to make
werre a noon / & for to do vengeaūce /
they han espied by ȝoure
wordes / to what thyng ȝe ben enclyned /
& þerfore han þei coūseilled
ȝow / rathere to ȝoure talent / than to ȝoure profit
¶ ȝe han erred also
for it semetħ þt ȝow suffisetħ / to han ben coūseiled by theise coun-
seillors oonly / & witħ litel a vys /
285
where as in so gret / & so heigħ
a nede / it hadde ben necessarie / mo coūseillors & more deliberacoū
to parforme ȝoure empise
¶ ȝe han erred also / for ȝe ne han nat ex-