seketh none hernes ne corners/ And trouthe is a vertu
by the whyche alle drede and fraude is put away/ Men
saye truly whan they saye that they knowe/ And they
that knowe not trouthe/ ought to knowe hit/ And alleway
vse trouthe/ For Saynt Austyn sayth that they that
wene to knowe trouthe/ And lyuyth euyll & viciously
It is folye yf he knoweth hit not/ And also he sayth
in an other place that it is better to suffre peyne
for trouthe. Than for to haue a benefete by falsenes
or by flaterye. And man that is callyd a beste
resonable and doth not his werkes after reson and
trouthe/ Is more bestyall than ony beste brute/ And
knowe y’e that for to come to the trouthe/ Hit
cometh of a raysonable forsight in his mynde/ And
lyenge cometh of an outrageous and contrarye thought
in his mynde/ For he that lyeth wetyngly/ Knoweth
well that hit is agaynst the trouthe that he thynketh/
And herof speketh Saynt Bernard and sayth/ That the
mouthe that lyeth destroyeth the sowle/ And yet sayth
Saynt Austyn in an other place For to saye ony thynge/
And to doo the contrarye. maketh doctryne suspecious/
And knowe y’e veryly that for to lye is a right
perillous thynge to body and sowle For the lye that
the auncyent enemye made Eue & adam to beleue hym/
made hem for to be dampned wyth alle theyr lignage
to the deth pardurable And made hem to be cast oute
of Paradyse terrestre/ For he made them to beleue that
god had not forboden them the fruyt. But only
be cause they shold not knowe that her maister knewe
But how well that the deuyll said thise wordes yet
had she double entente to hem bothe For they knewe
ann as they had tasted of the fruyt that they were
dampned to the deth pardurable/ And god knewe it well
to fore But they supposid well to haue knowen many
other thynges And to belyke vnto his knowleche and
science And therfor fayth saynt poule in a pistyll/
hit ne apperteyneth to saure or knowe more than behoueth
to saure or knowe/ but to fauoure or knowe by mesure
or fobrenes/ And valerian reherceth that ther was a
good woman of siracusane that wold not lye vnto the
kynge of ecylle whiche was named dyonyse And this
kynge was so full of tyrannye & so cruell that alle
the world defired his deth and cursid hym/ Saauf this
woman onely whiche was so olde that she had seen thre
or .iiii. kynges regnynge in the contre/ And euery
mornynge as sone as she was rysen she prayd to god
that he wold gyue vnto the tyrant good lyf and longe
And that she myght neuer see his deth/ And when the
kynge dyonise knewe this he sent for her And meruayllid
moche herof For he knewe well that he was fore behated/
And demaunded her/ what cause meuyd her to pray for
hym. And she answerd and said to hym Syre whan
I was a mayde we had a right euyll tyrant to our kynge
of whom we coueyted fore the deth And whan he was ded
ther cam after hym a worse/ of whom we coueyted also
the deth/ And whan we were deliueryd of hym/ thou
camst to be our lord whiche arte worste of alle other.
And now I doubte yf we haue one after the he shall
be worse than thou art/ And therfore I shall pray
for the And whan dionyse vnderstod that she was so
hardy in sayynge the truthe/ he durste not doo tormente
her for shame be cause she was so olde.