¶ And þerfore yif þat þilke þing þat þou haddest for most p{ re}cious in alle þi rycchesse of fortune be kept to þe by þe grace of god vnwemmed { and} vndefouled. Mayst þou þa{ n} pleyne ry[gh]tfully vpon þe myschief of fortune. 1024 syn þou hast [gh]it þi best[e] þinges. ¶ Certys [gh]it lyueþ in goode poynt þilke p{ re}cious hono{ ur} of mankynde.
[Sidenote: Symmachus, dear to you as life, is safe and in health.]
¶ Symacus þi wyues fadir whiche þat is a man maked al of sapience { and} of vertue. þe whiche 1028 man þou woldest b[i]en redely wiþ þe pris of þin owen lijf. he byweyleþ þe wronges þat men don to þee. { and} not for hym self. for he liueþ in sykernesse of any sentence put a[gh]eins him.
[Sidenote: Your wife Rusticiana is also alive, and bewails her separation from you.]
¶ And [gh]it lyueþ þi wif þat 1032 is attempre of witte { and} passyng oþer women in clennes of chastitee. and for I wol closen shortly her bountes she is lyke to hir fadir. I telle þe welle þat she lyueþ looþ of hir life. { and} kepiþ to þee oonly hir goost. { and} 1036 is al maat { and} ouer-comen by wepyng { and} sorwe for desire of þe ¶ In þe whiche þing only I mot graunten þat þi welefulnesse is amenused.
[Sidenote: Why need I mention your two sons, in whom so much of the wit and spirit of their sire and grandsire doth shine?]
¶ What shal I seyn eke of þi two sones conseillours of whiche as of children 1040 of hir age þer shineþ *þe lyknesse of þe witte of hir fadir { and} of hir eldefadir.
[Sidenote: And since it is the chief care of man to preserve life; you are still most happy in the possession of blessings which all men value more than life.]
and siþen þe souereyn cure of alle mortel folke is to sauen hir owe{ n} lyues.
[Linenotes: 1008 _soþe_--soth _Ne I may_--Ne I ne may 1009 _seine_--seyn 1011 _a_--omitted _gretly_--gretely 1012 _aduersitees_--adu{ er}syte 1013 _most_--mooste 1014 _abaist_--abyest 1015 _tourment_--torment[gh] _fals[e]_--false 1016 _seiþ_--MS. seiþe, C. seyh 1017 _[gh]itte_--yit 1019 _leueful_--leefful 1020 _many[e] þinges_--manye grete thinges 1022 _alle_--al 1023 _þe by_--the yit by 1024 _myschief_--meschef 1025 _best[e]_--beste 1026 _lyueþ_--leueth _goode_--good 1027 _whiche_--which 1028 _al_--alle _of_ (2)--omitted 1029 _b[i]en_--byen _owen_--owne 1030 _byweyleþ_--bewayleth _don_--MS. done, C. don 1031 _liueþ_--leueth 1033 _witte_--wyt _women_--wymmen 1034 _shortly_--shortely 1035 _lyke_--lik _welle_--wel 1036 _hir life_--this lyf 1037 _maat_--maad 1038 _whiche_--weche 1039 _amenused_--amenyssed _seyn_--(MS. seyne) seyn 1041 _lyknesse_--lykenesse _witte_--wyt 1042 { and} (1)--or _eldefadir_--eldyr fadyr _siþen_--syn 1043 _folke_--folk]