t their pleasir/ how ete they the peple/ how enpouere they the
comynte/ I suppose that in alle Cristendom ar not so many pletars
attorneys and men of the lawe as ben in englond onely/ for yf they were
nombrid all that lange to the courtes of the channcery kinges benche.
comyn place. cheker. ressayt and helle And the bagge berars of the same/
hit shold amounte to a grete multitude And how alle thyse lyue & of
whome. yf hit shold be vttrid & told/ hit shold not be beleuyd. For they
entende to theyr synguler wele and prouffyt and not to the comyn/ how
well they ought to be of good wyll to gyder/ and admoneste and warne the
cytes eche in his right in suche wise that they myght haue pees and loue
one with an other And tullius saith that frendshippe and good wyll that
one ought to haue ayenst an other for the wele of hym that he loueth/
wyth the semblable wylle of hym/ ought to be put forth to fore alle
other thynges/ And ther is no thynge so resemblynge and lyke to the bees
that maken honye ne so couenable in prosperite and in aduersite as is
loue/ For by loue gladly the bees holden them to gyder/ And yf ony
trespace to that other anone they renne vpon the malefactour for to
punysshe hym/ And verray trewe loue faylleth neuer for wele ne for
euyll/ and the most swete and the most confortynge thynge is for to haue
a frende to whom a man may saye his secrete/ as well as to hym self/ But
verayly amytye and frendship is somtyme founded vpon som thinge
delectable And this amytye cometh of yongthe/ in the whiche dwelleth a
disordinate heete.

And otherwhile amytie is founded vpon honeste/ And this amytie is
vertuouse/ Of the whiche tullius faith y't ther is an amytie vertuous by
the whiche a man ought to do to his frende alle that he requyreth by
rayson For for to do to hym a thynge dishonneste it is ayenst the nature
of verray frendshipe & amytie/ And thus for frendshipe ne for fauour a
man ought not to doo ony thinge vnresonable ayenst the comyn prouffit
ner agaynst his fayth ne ayenst his oth/ for yf alle tho thynges that
the frendes desire and requyre were accomplisshid & doon/ hit shold seme
that they shold be dishoneste coniuracions/ And they myght otherwhile
more greue & hurte than prouffit and ayde/ And herof sayth seneque that
amytie is of suche wylle as the frende wylle/ And to reffuse that ought
to be reffusid by rayson/ And yet he sayth more, that a man ought to
alowe and preyse his frende to fore the peple/ and to corre