The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 50
HOW MEN OUGHT TO KEPE HEM SELF FRO FLATERERS.
ERE shall I telle yow an ensãple of a grete lady named Susanna, that had a sone, a grete lord, whiche was gone in to a feld or bataylle where he was slayne. The moder was in grete thought and sorowe, what tydynges she shold here of hym. In her companye she had a woman, a flateresse & a grete lyer, whiche ofte sayd to her, "Madame, be not in no wyse desmayed ne sorowful, for my lord your sone hath victory vpon his enemyes, therfor he must tary & abyde there a whyle for to ordeyne of his affaryres," and so this fals flateresse appeased her lady of fayre wordes nought. For she ne sayd neuer to her lady ony word that myght displease her, as done many flaterers and many flateresses, whiche shal neuer saye thynge that may displease theyr ladyes or lordes, and shalle hyde the trouthe and theyr wele and make them to haue foye of nought, as dyd this fals woman to that good lady, whiche made her to vnderstonde that her sone had obteyned vyctory and brought with hym his prysoners. And wel hit was the contrary, for he deyde there, wherfor it. befell that whan the lady his moder knewe it she deyde nyghe for sorowe. Therfor is an euylle thyng to a man to haue aboute hym ony flaterers, for they dare not gyue trewe counceylle, but ofte they make theyr lordes to do grete folye. They be lyke to the louglours, whiche wylle make of a cole seme and shewe a fayr thynge. For they preyse a thyng before the folk, and behynde them they blame hit, wherfor one ought not to byleue that what they sayen, for they retche not what they say, but that they may please yow & to haue youre loue. And yf ye be wyse ye ought to knowe them better than they shalle you, & put them fro yow & take suche one that shall telle yow the trouthe & your wele. Suche flaterers deceyue the ryche men, as dyd a flaterer to a woman that sold cheses, whiche was fowle of vysage, & he made her to vnderstonde that she was fayr & praty. And the woman was so folyssh that she wende he had sayd trouthe. Somtyme she gaf hym a chese, and as he hadde it and was behynd her bak he mocked her of it. I wold ye wyst thexample whichej sawe in the toun of Angolosme, as the duk of normady cam before Aguyllon. Ther were knyztes which for to take their disporte shotte at a marke. And whanne the duke cam in to the parke where as they were for to playe and disporte hym, he demaunded of one of the knyghtes a bowe & an arowe for to shete. And soone after he had drawen his arowe there were there by hym two or thre that sayd, "Certaynly my lord shoteth wel." "Holy Mary!" sayd another, "how he draweth ryght of mesure!" "Ha a!" sayd the other, "I wold not be armed and that he had hit me." And thus they began to preyse hym, but for to se ye trouthe, it was nothynge els but flateryng, for he shotte the worst of al other. And therfor grete merueylle is how euery flaterer is agreable and so moche pleaseth the lordes and the ladyes now in these dayes, and how they make them to byleue that they be stronger and more wyse than they be and by theyre flateryng make them to falle in grete surquedrye of them self.