thingis fouerayn/ for the Iniurye that is don wyth
oute cause/ torneth to diffame hym that doth hit/
A Iogheler on a tyme beheld socrates and sayd to hym/
thou hast the eyen of corrumpour of children & art
as a traytre. And whan his disciples herde hym/
they wold auengid their maister/ But he repreuyd hem
by suche sentence saynge/ Suffre my felaws for I am
he and suche one as he saith/ by the sight of my visage/
But I refrayne and kepe me well from suche thynge/
This same socrates hymself was chidde and right fowll
spoken to of his wyf/ and she Imposid to hym many grete
Iniuries with out nombre/ and she was in a place a
boue ouer his heed And whan she had brawlid I nowh/
she made her watre and pourid hit on his heed And he
answerd to here no thynge agayn/ sauf whan he had dryed
and wypid his heed he said/ he knewe well that after
suche wynde and thonder sholde comen rayn and watre
And the philosophres blamed hym that he coude not
gouerne two women/ that was his wyf and his chambrere/
And shewde hym that one cokke gouerned well .xv. hennes
He answerd to them that he was so vsed and accustomed
wyth theyr chydynge that the chydynges of them ne
of estrangers dyde hym no greef ne harme/ gyue thou
place to hym that brawleth or chydeth/ and in suffrynge
hym thou shalt be his vaynquysshour/ And Cathon fayth
whan thou lyuyst ryghtfully recche the not of the
wordes of euyll peple/ And therfore it is sayd in a
comyn prouerbe/ he that well doth reccheth not who
seeth hit/ & hit is not in our power to lette men
to speke. And prosper sayth that to good men
lacketh no goodnes/ ner to euyll men tencions stryfs
and blames And pacience is a ryght noble vertu/ as
a noble versifier sayth That pacience is a ryght noble
maner to vaynquysshe. For he that suffreth ouercometh.
And yf thou wylt vaynquysshe and ouercome/ lerne to
suffre/ The peagers ner they that kepe passages ought
not to take other peage ne passage money but suche
as the prynce or the lawe haue establisshid/ so that
they be not more robbeurs of moneye than reseyuours
of peage and passage And hit apperteyneth to them
to goo out of the paryllo*9 weyes and doubteuous for
to kepe their office and they ought to Requyre theyr
passage of them that owe to paye hit wyth oute noynge
and contencion/ And they ought not to loue the comyn
prouffyt so moche/ That they falle in the hurtynge
of theyr conscience/ For that shold be a manere of
robberye And herof sayth ysaye Woo to the that robbest/
For thou thy self shalt be robbed/ The gardes or porters
of the gates of cytees and of the comyn good ought
to be good and honeste. And alle trouthe ought
to be in them and they ought not to take ne withdrawe
the goodes of the comyn that they haue in kepynge/
more than apperteyneth to them for theyr pension or
ffee/ So that they that ben made tresorers and kepars
ben not named theuys/ For who that taketh more than
his/ He shall neuer thryue wyth alle/ ner shall not
enioye hit longe/ For of euyll gooten good the thyrde
heyr shall neuer reioyce/ And this suffisith &c.