in whiche thinge if any of these lacke, the ooth is
y-tourned in-to the name of perjury. Than to make a trewe
serment, most nedes these thinges folowe. For ofte tymes, a man
to saye sothe, but jugement and justice folowe, he is forsworn;
ensample of Herodes, for holdinge of his serment was [he]
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dampned.
Also, to saye tr[o]uthe rightfulliche (but in jugement) otherwhile
is forboden, by that al sothes be nat to sayne. Therfore in
jugement, in tr[o]uthe, and rightwisenesse, is every creature
bounden, up payne of perjury, ful knowing to make, tho[ugh] it
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were of his owne persone, for drede of sinne; after that worde,
"better is it to dey than live false." And, al wolde perverted people
fals report make in unkyndnesse, in that entent thy [en]fame to
reyse, whan light of tr[o]uthe in these maters is forth sprongen
and openly publisshed among commens, than shal nat suche
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derke enfame dare appere, for pure shame of his falsnesse. As some
men ther ben that their owne enfame can none otherwyse voide
or els excuse, but †by hindringe of other mennes fame; which
that by non other cause clepen other men false, but for [that]
with their owne falsnesse mowen they nat ben avaunsed; or els
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by false sklaund[r]inge wordes other men shenden, their owne
trewe sklaunder to make seme the lasse. For if such men wolden
their eyen of their conscience revolven, [they] shulden seen the
same sentence they legen on other springe out of their sydes, with
so many braunches, it were impossible to nombre. To whiche
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therefore may it be sayd in that thinge, "this man thou demest,
therein thy-selfe thou condempnest."
But (quod she) understand nat by these wordes, that thou
wene me saye thee to be worthy sclaunder, for any mater tofore
written; truely I wolde witnesse the contrary; but I saye that
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the bemes of sclaundring wordes may not be don awaye til the
daye of dome. For how shulde it nat yet, amonges so greet
plentee of people, ben many shrewes, sithen whan no mo but
eight persons in Noes shippe were closed, yet oon was a shrewe
and skorned his father? These thinges (quod she) I trowe, shewen
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that fals fame is nat to drede, ne of wyse persons to accepte, and
namely nat of thy Margarite, whose wysdom here-after I thinke to
declare; wherfore I wot wel suche thing shal nat her asterte;
than of unkyndnesse thyn ooth hath thee excused at the fulle.
But now, if thou woldest nat greve, me list a fewe thinges to
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shewe.'
'Say on,' quod I, 'what ye wol; I trowe ye mene but trouthe
and my profit in tyme cominge.'
'Trewly,' quod she, 'that is sothe, so thou con wel kepe these
wordes, and in the in[ne]rest secrè chambre of thyne herte so
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faste hem close that they never flitte; than shalt thou fynde hem
avayling. Loke now what people hast thou served; whiche of
hem al in tyme of thyne exile ever thee refresshed, by the valewe
of the leste coyned plate that walketh in money? Who was sory,
or made any rewth for thy disese? If they hadden getten their
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purpose, of thy misaventure sette they nat an hawe. Lo, whan
thou were emprisonned, how faste they hyed in helpe of thy
deliveraunce! I wene of thy dethe they yeve but lyte. They
loked after no-thing but after their owne lustes. And if thou liste
say the sothe, al that meyny that in this †brige thee broughten,
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lokeden rather after thyne helpes than thee to have releved.
Owen nat yet some of hem money for his commens? Paydest
nat thou for some of her dispences, til they were tourned out of
Selande? Who yave thee ever ought for any rydinge thou madest?
Yet, pardè, some of hem token money for thy chambre, and
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putte tho pens in his purse, unwetinge of the renter.
Lo for which a company thou medlest, that neither thee ne
them-selfe mighten helpe of unkyndnesse; now they bere the
name that thou supposest of hem for to have. What might thou
more have don than thou diddest, but-if thou woldest in a fals
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quarel have been a stinkinge martyr? I wene thou fleddest, as
longe as thou might, their privitè to counsayle; which thing thou
hele[de]st
