THE DUTY OF ADVOCATES.
for þat þei sholden seken out þe maladies of synne by
tourmentȝ. I would not have the guilty defrauded by their advocates. Their duty is to accuse, and not to excuse offenders. and by þis couenaunt eyþer þe entent of þe
defendours or aduocatȝ sholde fayle and cesen in al. or [3716]
ellys yif þe office of aduocatȝ wolde bettre profiten to
men. it sholde be tourned in to þe habit of accusacioun.
þat is [to] s[e]yn þei sholden accuse shrewes. and nat
excuse hem. Were it permitted the wicked to get a slight view of virtue’s beauty, which they have forsaken, and could they be persuaded of the purifying effects of lawful chastisement, they surely would not consider punishment as an evil, but would willingly give themselves up to justice and refuse the defence of their advocates. and eke þe shrewes hem self. ȝit it were [3720]
leueful to hem to seen at any clifte þe vertue þat þei
han forleten. and sawen þat þei sholde putten adoun
þe filþes of hire vices by [the] tourmentȝ of peynes. þei
ne auȝten nat ryȝt for þe recompensacioun forto geten [3724]
hem bounte and prowesse whiche þat þei han lost demen
ne holden þat þilke peynes weren tourmentes to hem.
and eke þei wolden refuse þe attendaunce of hir aduocatȝ
and taken hem self to hire iuges and to hir accusours. [3728]
The wise hate nobody, only a fool hates good men; and it is as irrational to hate the wicked. for whiche it bytideþ [þat] as to þe wise folk
þer nis no place ylete to hate. þat is to seyn. þat hate
ne haþ no place amonges wise men. ¶ For no wyȝt
wolde haten gode men. but yif he were ouer moche a [3732]
fole. ¶ and forto haten shrewes it nis no resoun.
Vice is a sickness of the soul, and needs our compassion, and not our hate, for the distempers of the soul are more deplorable than those of the body, and have more claims upon our compassion. ¶ For ryȝt so as languissing is maladie of body. ryȝt
so ben vices and synne maladies of corage. ¶ and so as
we ne deme nat þat þei þat ben seek of hire body ben [3736]
worþi to ben hated. but raþer worþi of pite. wel more
worþi nat to ben hated. but forto ben had in pite ben
þei of whiche þe þouȝtes ben constreined by felonous
wickednesse. þat is more cruel þan any languissinge of [3740]
body.
3517 aknowe—aknowe it
3518 seyn—sayn
3523 good[e]—goode
3524 done—don
3526 ben—be
3527 for—to
3528 myȝten—myhte
don—MS. done, C. doon
harme—harm
3529 gret—MS. grete, C. gret