[Sidenote: [The fyfthe p{ro}se.]]
++Whan I hadde wiþ a continuel sorwe sobbed or broken out þise þinges
sche wiþ hir chere peisible {and} no þi{n}g amoeued. wiþ my compleyntes
seide þ{us}. whan I say þe q{uod} sche sorweful {and} wepyng I wist[e]
on-one þat þou were a wrecche {and} exiled. but I wist[e] neuer how fer
þine exile was: ȝif þi tale ne hadde schewed it to me. but certys al be
þou fer fro þi contre. þou nart nat put out of it. but þou hast fayled
of þi weye {and} gon amys. ¶ and yif þou hast leuer forto wene þan þou
be put out of þi contre. þan hast þou put oute þi self raþer þen ony
oþer wyȝt haþ. ¶ For no wyȝt but þi self ne myȝt[e] neuer haue don þat
to þe. ¶ For ȝif þou remembre of what contre þou art born. it nis not
gou{er}ned by emp{er}oures. ne by gouernement of multitude. as weren þe
contres of hem of athenes. ¶ But o lorde {and} o kyng {and} þat is god
þat is lorde of þi contree. whiche þat reioiseþ hym of þe dwellyng of
hys Citeȝenis. {and} not forto putte hem in exile. Of þe whiche lorde it
is a souerayne fredom to be gouerned by þe bridel of hym and obeie to
his iustice. ¶ Hast þou forȝeten þilke ryȝt olde lawe of þi Citee. in þe
whiche Citee it is ordeyned {and} establissed þat what wyȝt þat haþ
leuer founden þer i{n}ne hys sete or hys house. þen ellys where: he may
not be exiled by no ryȝt fro þat place. ¶ For who so þat is co{n}tened
in-wiþ þe paleis [{and} the clos] of þilke Citee. þer nis no drede þat
he may deserue to ben exiled. ¶ But who þat letteþ þe wille forto
enhabit[e] þere. he forleteþ also to deserue to ben Citeȝein of þilke
Citee. ¶ So þat I seye þat þe face of þis place ne amoeueþ me nat so
myche as þine owen face. Ne .I. ne axe not raþer þe walles of þi
librarie apparailled {and} wrouȝt wiþ yvory {and} wiþ glas þan after þe
sete of þi þouȝt. In whiche I putte nat somtyme bookes. but .I. putte
þat þat makeþ bookes worþi of p{ri}s or p{re}cious þat is to sein þe
sentence of my books. ¶ {And} certeinly of þi dec{er}tes by-stowed in
co{m}mune good. þou hast seid soþe but after þe multitude of þi goode
dedys. þou hast seid fewe. {and} of þe vnhonestee or falsnesse of þinges
þat ben opposed aȝeins þe. þou hast remembred þinges þat be{n} knowe to
alle folk. and of þe felonies {and} fraudes of þine accuso{ur}s. it
semeþ þe haue I-touched it forsoþe ryȝtfully {and} schortly. ¶ Al myȝten
þo same þinges bettere {and} more plentiuousely be couth in þe mouþe of
þe poeple þ{a}t knoweþ al þis. ¶ Þou hast eke blamed gretly {and}
compleyned of þe wrongful dede of þe senat. ¶ And þou hast sorwed for my
blame. {and} þou hast wepen for þe damage of þi renoune þat is appaired.
{and} þi laste sorwe eschaufed aȝeins fortune {and} co{m}pleinest þat
gerdou{n}s ne ben not euenliche ȝolde to þe desertes of folk. {and} in
þe l{att}re ende of þi woode muse þou p{r}iedest þ{a}t þilke pees þat
gouerneþ þe heuene scholde gou{er}ne þe erþe ¶ But for þat many
tribulac{i}ou{n}s of affecc{i}ou{n}s han assailed þe. {and} sorwe {and}
Ire {and} wepyng todrawen þee dyuersely ¶ As þou art now feble of þouȝt.
myȝtyer remedies ne schullen not ȝit touchen þe for whiche we wil[e]
vsen somedel lyȝter medicines. So þat þilk[e] passiou{n}s þat ben woxen
harde in swellyng by p{er}turbac{i}ou{n} folowyng in to þi þouȝt mowen
woxe esy {and} softe to receyue{n} þe strenkeþ of a more myȝty {and}
more egre medicine by an esier touchyng.