than thou shuldest. And thilke that ought thee
money no penny wolde paye; they wende thy returne hadde ben
an impossible. How might thou better have hem proved, but thus
120
in thy nedy diseses? Now hast thou ensaumple for whom thou
shalt meddle; trewly, this lore is worth many goodes.'
Ch. VII. 2. Fayne. 3. haste. 4. -thynge. 7. Yea. Howe. 9. wyste. amongest. greatest. 14. Nowe. 15. moste pleasen. 17. borne. 19. reason. the. 22. leaued. 23. Supply it in. 24. the. enemye (sic). sayne. 25. arne. 30. partie. 33. maye.
34. folke. false. 36. the. 44. Nowe. shalte. 45. answerde. nowe. 46. swearyng. 47. one. the. 48. othe. copulation. 50. othe. 53. forsworne. 54. Supply he. 61. false. 62. reporte. 63. forthe. 67. be; for by. 68. cleapen. Supply that. 70. sklaundynge. shendyn.
72. I supply they. sene. 73. legen [for aleggen]. 75. maye. 77. vnderstande. 78. the. 80. beames. done. 81. howe. great. 82. plentie. 83. one. 85. false. 86. wysedom. 87. wotte. thynge. 88. thyne othe. the. 89. nowe. 91. meane. 92. profyte. 94. inrest. 95. shalte. 96. nowe. haste. 97. the. 98. sorye. 99. disease. 101. howe. 103. -thynge. 104. brigge; read brige. 104, 105. the.
108. the. 109. pardye. 111. the. 112. now. beare. 114. done. false. 117. helest; read heledest. the. 119. Howe. 120. diseases. Nowe haste. 121. shalte. worthe.
CHAPTER VIII.
†Eft gan Love to †steren me [with] these wordes: 'thinke
on my speche; for trewly here-after it wol do thee lykinge;
and how-so-ever thou see Fortune shape her wheele to tourne,
this meditacion [shal] by no waye revolve. For certes, Fortune
5
sheweth her fayrest, whan she thinketh to begyle. And as me
thought, here-toforn thou saydest, thy loos in love, for thy
rightwysenesse ought to be raysed, shulde be a-lowed in tyme cominge.
Thou might in love so thee have, that loos and fame shul so ben
raysed, that to thy frendes comfort, and sorowe to thyne enemys,
10
endlesse shul endure.
But if thou were the oon sheep, amonges the hundred, were lost
in deserte and out of the way hadde erred, and now to the flocke
art restoored, the shepherd hath in thee no joye and thou ayen
to the forrest tourne. But that right as the sorowe and anguisshe
15
was greet in tyme of thyne out-waye goinge, right so
joye and gladnesse shal be doubled to sene thee converted; and
nat as Lothes wyf ayen-lokinge, but [in] hool counsayle with the
shepe folowinge, and with them grasse and herbes gadre. Never-the-later
(quod she) I saye nat these thinges for no wantrust that
20
I have in supposinge of thee otherwyse than I shulde. For
trewly, I wot wel that now thou art set in suche a purpose, out of
whiche thee liste nat to parte. But I saye it for many men there
been, that to knowinge of other mennes doinges setten al their
cure, and lightly desyren the badde to clatter rather than the
25
good, and have no wil their owne maner to amende. They also
hate of olde rancours lightly haven; and there that suche thing
abydeth, sodaynly in their mouthes procedeth the habundaunce
of the herte, and wordes as stones out-throwe. Wherfore my
counsayl is ever-more openly and apertly, in what place thou sitte,
30
counterplete th'errours and meninges in as fer as thou hem
wistest false, and leve for no wight to make hem be knowe in
every bodyes ere; and be alway pacient and use Jacobes wordes,
what-so-ever men of thee clappen: "I shal sustayne my ladyes
wrathe which I have deserved, so longe as my Margarite hath
35
rightwysed my cause." And certes (quod she) I witnesse my-selfe,
if thou, thus converted, sorowest in good meninge in thyne herte,
[and] wolt from al vanitè parfitly departe, in consolacioun of al
good plesaunce of that Margaryte, whiche that thou desyrest after
wil of thyn herte, in a maner of a †moders pitè, [she] shul fully
40
accepte thee in-to grace. For right as thou rentest clothes in
open sighte, so openly to sowe hem at his worshippe withouten
reprofe [is] commended. Also, right as thou were ensample of
moche-folde errour, right so thou must be ensample of manyfolde
correccioun; so good savour to forgoing †of errour causeth diligent
45
love, with many playted praisinges to folowe; and than shal al
the firste errours make the folowinge worshippes to seme hugely
encresed. Blacke and white, set togider, every for other more
semeth; and so doth every thinges contrary in kynde. But
infame, that goth alwaye tofore, and praysinge worship by any
50
cause folowinge after, maketh to ryse the ilke honour in double
of welth; and that quencheth the spotte of the first enfame. Why
wenest, I saye, these thinges in hindringe of thy name? Nay,
nay, god wot, but for pure encresing worship, thy rightwysenesse to
commende,
