Chapter XVIII: Book IV: Prose I (2)

But the causes y-hid, _that is to seyn, in hevene_, troublen the
brestes of men; the moevable poeple is astoned of alle thinges
that comen selde and sodeinly in our age. But yif the troubly
errour of our ignoraunce departede fro us, _so that we wisten the 25
causes why that swiche thinges bi-tyden_, certes, they sholden cese
to seme wondres.'

ME. V. 1. Ed. Arcture; C. Arctour; A. aritour. 4. Ed. Bootes; C. A. boetes (_twice_). 9. A. Ed. by the; C. by. 11. A. Ed. had; C. hadde. 12. C. basynnes (1_st time_); basyns (2_nd_). 14. Ed. Coribantes; C. A. coribandes. 17. A. Ed. blastes; C. blases. 18. A. Ed. man ne; C. manne. 19. A. Ed. the snowe; C. sonwh (_sic_; _om._ the).

PROSE VI.

_Ita est, inquam._

'Thus is it,' quod I. 'But so as thou hast yeven or bi-hight
me to unwrappen the hid causes of thinges, and to discovere me
the resouns covered with derknesses, I prey thee that thou devyse
and iuge me of this matere, and that thou do me to understonden
it; for this miracle or this wonder troubleth me right gretly.' 5

And thanne she, a litel what smylinge, seyde: 'thou clepest
me,' quod she, 'to telle thing that is grettest of alle thinges that
mowen ben axed, and to the whiche questioun unnethes is ther
aught y-nough to laven it; _as who seyth, unnethes is ther suffisauntly
anything to answere parfitly to thy questioun_. For the 10
matere of it is swich, that whan o doute is determined and cut
awey, ther wexen other doutes with-oute number; right as the
hevedes wexen of Ydre, _the serpent that Ercules slowh_. Ne ther
ne were no manere ne non ende, but-yif that a wight constreinede
tho doutes by a right lyfly and quik fyr of thought; _that is to_ 15
_seyn, by vigour and strengthe of wit_. For in this manere men
weren wont to maken questions of the simplicitee of the purviaunce
of god, and of the order of destinee, and of sodein
happe, and of the knowinge and predestinacioun divyne, and of
the libertee of free wille; the whiche thinges thou thy-self 20
aperceyvest wel, of what weight they ben. But for as mochel
as the knowinge of thise thinges is a maner porcioun of the
medicine of thee, al-be-it so that I have litel tyme to don it,
yit natheles I wol enforcen me to shewe somwhat of it. But
al-thogh the norisshinges of ditee of musike delyteth thee, thou 25
most suffren and forberen a litel of thilke delyte, whyle that
I weve to thee resouns y-knit by ordre.'

'As it lyketh to thee,' quod I, 'so do.' Tho spak she right as
by another biginninge, and seyde thus. 'The engendringe of
alle thinges,' quod she, 'and alle the progressiouns of muable 30
nature, and al that moeveth in any manere, taketh his causes, his
ordre, and his formes, of the stablenesse of the divyne thoght;
and thilke divyne thought, that is y-set and put in the tour, _that
is to seyn, in the heighte_, of the simplicitee of god, stablissheth
many maner gyses to thinges that ben to done; the whiche 35
maner, whan that men loken it in thilke pure clennesse of the
divyne intelligence, it is y-cleped purviaunce; but whan thilke
maner is referred by men to thinges that it moveth and disponeth,
thanne of olde men it was cleped destinee. The whiche thinges,
yif that any wight loketh wel in his thought the strengthe of that 40
oon and of that other, he shal lightly mowen seen, that thise two
thinges ben dyverse. For purviaunce is thilke divyne reson that
is establisshed in the soverein prince of thinges; the whiche purviaunce
disponeth alle thinges. But destinee is the disposicioun
and ordinaunce clyvinge to moevable thinges, by the whiche 45
disposicioun the purviaunce knitteth alle thinges in hir ordres;
for purviaunce embraceth alle thinges to-hepe, al-thogh that they
ben dyverse, and al-thogh they ben infinite; but destinee departeth
and ordeineth alle thinges singulerly, and divyded in
moevinges, in places, in formes, in tymes, as thus: lat the 50
unfoldinge of temporel ordinaunce, assembled and ooned in the
lokinge of the divyne thought, be cleped purviaunce; and thilke
same assemblinge and ooninge, divyded and unfolden by tymes,
lat that ben called destinee. And al-be-it so that thise thinges
ben dyverse, yit natheles hangeth that oon on that other; for-why 55
the order destinal procedeth of the simplicitee of purviaunce.
For right as a werkman, that aperceyveth in his thoght the forme
of the thing that he wol make, and moeveth the effect of the
werk, and ledeth that he hadde loked biforn in his thoght simply
and presently, by temporel ordinaunce: certes, right so god 60
disponeth in his purviaunce, singulerly and stably, the thinges
that ben to done, but he aministreth in many maneres and in
dyverse tymes, by destinee, thilke same thinges that he hath
disponed.

Thanne, whether that destinee be exercysed outher by some 65
divyne spirits, servaunts to the divyne purviaunce, or elles by
som sowle, or elles by alle nature servinge to god, or elles by the
celestial moevinges of sterres, or elles by the vertu of angeles, or
elles by the dyverse subtilitee of develes, or elles by any of hem,
or elles by hem alle, the destinal ordinaunce is y-woven and 70
acomplisshed. Certes, it is open thing, that the purviaunce is
an unmoevable and simple forme of thinges to done; and the
moveable bond and the temporel ordinaunce of thinges, whiche
that the divyne simplicitee of purviaunce hath ordeyned to done,
that is destinee. For which it is, that alle thinges that ben put 75
under destinee ben, certes, subgits to purviaunce, to whiche purviaunce
destinee itself is subgit and under. But some thinges
ben put under purviaunce, that surmounten the ordinaunce of
destinee; and tho ben thilke that stably ben y-ficched negh to the
firste godhed: they surmounten the ordre of destinal moevabletee. 80
For right as of cercles that tornen a-boute a same centre or a-boute
a poynt, thilke cercle that is innerest or most with-inne ioyneth to
the simplesse of the middel, and is, as it were, a centre or a poynt
to that other cercles that tornen a-bouten him; and thilke that is
outterest, compassed by larger envyronninge, is unfolden by 85
larger spaces, in so moche as it is forthest fro the middel simplicitee
of the poynt; and yif ther be any-thing that knitteth and
felawshippeth him-self to thilke middel poynt, it is constreined
in-to simplicitee, _that is to seyn, in-to unmoevabletee_, and it ceseth
to be shad and to fleten dyversely: right so, by semblable resoun, 90
thilke thing that departeth forthest fro the first thoght of god, it is
unfolden and summitted to gretter bondes of destinee: and in so
moche is the thing more free and laus fro destinee, as it axeth and
holdeth him ner to thilke centre of thinges, _that is to seyn, god_.
And yif the thing clyveth to the stedefastnesse of the thoght of god, 95
and be with-oute moevinge, certes, it sormounteth the necessitee of
destinee. Thanne right swich comparisoun as it is of skilinge to
understondinge, and of thing that is engendred to thing that is, and
of tyme to eternitee, and of the cercle to the centre, right so is the
ordre of moevable destinee to the stable simplicitee of purviaunce. 100

Thilke ordinaunce moeveth the hevene and the sterres, and
atempreth the elements to-gider amonges hem-self, and transformeth
hem by entrechaungeable mutacioun; and thilke same
ordre neweth ayein alle thinges growinge and fallinge a-doun, by
semblable progressiouns of sedes and of sexes, _that is to seyn, 105
male and femele_. And this ilke ordre constreineth the fortunes and
the dedes of men by a bond of causes, nat able to ben unbounde;
the whiche destinal causes, whan they passen out fro the biginninges
of the unmoevable purviaunce, it mot nedes be that they
ne be nat mutable. And thus ben the thinges ful wel y-governed, 110
yif that the simplicitee dwellinge in the divyne thoght sheweth
forth the ordre of causes, unable to ben y-bowed; and this ordre
constreineth by his propre stabletee the moevable thinges, or elles
they sholden fleten folily. For which it is, that alle thinges semen
to ben confus and trouble to us men, for we ne mowen nat considere 115
thilke ordinaunce; natheles, the propre maner of every
thinge, dressinge hem to goode, disponeth hem alle.

For ther nis no-thing don for cause of yvel; ne thilke thing
that is don by wikkede folk _nis nat don for yvel_. The whiche
shrewes, as I have shewed ful plentivously, seken good, but 120
wikked errour mistorneth hem, ne the ordre cominge fro the
poynt of soverein good ne declyneth nat fro his biginninge. But
thou mayst seyn, what unreste may ben a worse confusioun than
that gode men han somtyme adversitee and somtyme prosperitee,
and shrewes also now han thinges that they desiren, and now 125
thinges that they haten? Whether men liven now in swich
hoolnesse of thoght, (_as who seyth, ben men now so wyse_), that
swiche folk as they demen to ben gode folk or shrewes, that
it moste nedes ben that folk ben swiche as they wenen? But in
this manere the domes of men discorden, that thilke men that 130
some folk demen worthy of mede, other folk demen hem worthy of
torment. But lat us graunte, I pose that som man may wel demen
or knowen the gode folk and the badde; may he thanne knowen
and seen thilke innereste atempraunce of corages, as it hath ben
wont to be seyd of bodies; _as who seyth, may a man speken and 135
determinen of atempraunces in corages, as men were wont to demen or
speken of complexiouns and atempraunces of bodies?_ Ne it ne is nat
an unlyk miracle, to hem that ne knowen it nat, (_as who seith, but it
is lyke a merveil or a miracle to hem that ne knowen it nat_), why that
swete thinges ben covenable to some bodies that ben hole, and to 140
some bodies bittere thinges ben covenable; and also, why that
some syke folk ben holpen with lighte medicynes, and some folk
ben holpen with sharpe medicynes. But natheles, the leche that
knoweth the manere and the atempraunce of hele and of maladye,
ne merveileth of it no-thing. But what other thing semeth hele 145
of corages but bountee and prowesse? And what other thing
semeth maladye _of corages_ but vyces? Who is elles kepere of
good or dryver awey of yvel, but god, governour and lecher of
thoughtes? The whiche god, whan he hath biholden from the
heye tour of his purveaunce, he knoweth what is covenable to 150
every wight, and leneth hem that he wot that is covenable to hem.
Lo, her-of comth and her-of is don this noble miracle of the ordre
destinal, whan god, that al knoweth, doth swiche thing, of which
thing that unknowinge folk ben astoned. But for to constreine,
_as who seyth, but for to comprehende and telle_ a fewe thinges of
the 155
divyne deepnesse, the whiche that mannes resoun may understonde,
thilke man that thou wenest to ben right Iuste and right
kepinge of equitee, the contrarie of that semeth to the divyne
purveaunce, that al wot. And Lucan, my familer, telleth that
"the victorious cause lykede to the goddes, and the cause over-comen 160
lykede to Catoun." Thanne, what-so-ever thou mayst seen
that is don in this werld unhoped or unwened, certes, it is the
right ordre of thinges; but, as to thy wikkede opinioun, it is a
confusioun. But I suppose that som man be so wel y-thewed,
that the divyne Iugement and the Iugement of mankinde acorden 165
hem to-gider of him; but he is so unstedefast of corage, that, yif
any adversitee come to him, he wol forleten, par-aventure, to
continue innocence, by the whiche he ne may nat with-holden
fortune. Thanne the wyse dispensacioun of god spareth him, the
whiche man adversitee mighte enpeyren; for that god wol nat 170
suffren him to travaile, to whom that travaile nis nat covenable.
Another man is parfit in alle vertues, and is an holy man, and
negh to god, so that the purviaunce of god wolde demen, that
it were a felonye that he were touched with any adversitees; so
that he wol nat suffre that swich a man be moeved with any 175
bodily maladye. But so as seyde a philosophre, the more excellent
by me: _he seyde in Grek_, that "vertues han edified the body
of the holy man." And ofte tyme it bitydeth, that the somme of
thinges that ben to done is taken to governe to gode folk, for that
the malice haboundaunt of shrewes sholde ben abated. And god 180
yeveth and departeth to othre folk prosperitees and adversitees
y-medled to-hepe, after the qualitee of hir corages, and remordeth
som folk _by adversitee_, for they ne sholde nat wexen proude by
longe welefulnesse. And other folk he suffreth to ben travailed
with harde thinges, for that they sholden confermen the vertues 185
of corage by the usage and exercitacioun of pacience. And
other folk dreden more than they oughten [that] whiche they
mighten wel beren; and somme dispyse that they mowe nat
beren; and thilke folk god ledeth in-to experience of himself by
aspre and sorwful thinges. And many othre folk han bought 190
honourable renoun of this world by the prys of glorious deeth.
And som men, that ne mowen nat ben overcomen by torments,
have yeven ensaumple to othre folk, that vertu may nat ben overcomen
by adversitees; and of alle thinges ther nis no doute, that
they ne ben don rightfully and ordenely, to the profit of hem to 195
whom we seen thise thinges bityde. For certes, that adversitee
comth somtyme to shrewes, and somtyme that that they desiren,
it comth of thise forseide causes. And of sorwful thinges _that
bityden to shrewes_, certes, no man ne wondreth; for alle men
wenen that they han wel deserved it, and that they ben of 200
wikkede merite; of whiche shrewes the torment somtyme agasteth
othre to don felonyes, and somtyme it amendeth hem that suffren
the torments. And the prosperitee _that is yeven to shrewes_
sheweth a greet argument to gode folk, what thing they sholde
demen of thilke welefulnesse, the whiche prosperitee men seen 205
ofte serven to shrewes. In the which thing I trowe that god
dispenseth; for, per-aventure, the nature of som man is so overthrowinge
_to yvel_, and so uncovenable, that the nedy povertee of
his houshold mighte rather egren him to don felonyes. And to
the maladye of him god putteth remedie, to yeven him richesses. 210
And som other man biholdeth his conscience defouled with sinnes,
and maketh comparisoun of his fortune and of him-self; and
dredeth, per-aventure, that his blisfulnesse, of which the usage is
Ioyeful to him, that the lesinge of thilke blisfulnesse ne be nat
sorwful to him; and therfor he wol chaunge his maneres, and, for 215
he dredeth to lese his fortune, he forleteth his wikkednesse. To
othre folk is welefulnesse y-yeven unworthily, the whiche overthroweth
hem in-to distruccioun that they han deserved. And to
som othre folk is yeven power to punisshen, for that it shal be
cause of _continuacioun and_ exercysinge to gode folk and cause of 220
torment to shrewes. For so as ther nis non alyaunce by-twixe
gode folk and shrewes, ne shrewes ne mowen nat acorden amonges
hem-self. And why nat? For shrewes discorden of hem-self by
hir vyces, the whiche vyces al to-renden hir consciences; and don
ofte tyme thinges, the whiche thinges, whan they han don hem, 225
they demen that tho thinges ne sholden nat han ben don. For
which thing thilke soverein purveaunce hath maked ofte tyme fair
miracle; so that shrewes han maked shrewes to ben gode men.
For whan that som shrewes seen that they suffren wrongfully
felonyes of othre shrewes, they wexen eschaufed in-to hate of hem 230
that anoyeden hem, and retornen to the frut of vertu, whan they
studien to ben unlyk to hem that they han hated. Certes, only
this is the divyne might, to the whiche might yveles ben thanne
gode, whan it useth tho yveles covenably, and draweth out the
effect of any gode; _as who seyth, that yvel is good only to the
might 235
of god, for the might of god ordeyneth thilke yvel to good_.

For oon ordre embraseth alle thinges, so that what wight that
departeth fro the resoun of thilke ordre which that is assigned to
him, algates yit he slydeth in-to another ordre, so that no-thing
nis leveful to folye in the reame of the divyne purviaunce; _as who 240
seyth, nothing nis with-outen ordinaunce in the reame of the divyne
purviaunce_; sin that the right stronge god governeth alle thinges
in this world. For it nis nat leveful to man to comprehenden by
wit, ne unfolden by word, alle the subtil ordinaunces and disposiciouns
of the divyne entente. For only it oughte suffise to 245
han loked, that god him-self, maker of alle natures, ordeineth and
dresseth alle thinges to gode; whyl that he hasteth to with-holden
the thinges that he hath maked in-to his semblaunce, _that is to
seyn, for to with-holden thinges in-to good, for he him-self is good_,
he chaseth out al yvel fro the boundes of his comunalitee by the 250
ordre of necessitee destinable. For which it folweth, that yif thou
loke the purviaunce ordeininge the thinges that men wenen ben
outrageous or haboundant in erthes, thou ne shalt nat seen in no
place no-thing of yvel. But I see now that thou art charged with
the weighte of the questioun, and wery with the lengthe of my 255
resoun; and that thou abydest som sweetnesse of songe. Tak
thanne this draught; and whan thou art wel refresshed and refect,
thou shal be more stedefast to stye in-to heyere questiouns.

PR. VI. 4. A. Ed. do; C. don. 5. C. meracle. 6. A. _om._ what. 13. A. Ed. Hercules. C. slowh; A. Ed. slough. 21. C. wyht. 22, 3. A. to the medicine to the. 25. C. norysynges. 27. C. A. weue; _glossed_ contexo. 28. A. Tho; C. So. 30. A. progressiouns; C. progressioun; _progressus_. 48. C. Ed. infynyte; A. with-outen fyn. 49. C. dyuydyd; A. Ed. diuideth; _distributa_. 50. _After_ tymes A. _ins._ departith (_om._ as). // C. lat; Ed. Let; A. so that. 52. Ed. be cleaped; C. A. is (_see_ 54). 55. A. Ed. on; C. of. 57. C. _om._ a. 59. C. symplely. 60. C. Ed. ordinaunce; A. thou[gh]t. 61. C. stablely. 64. C. desponed. 65. C. weyther. C. destyn (_miswritten_). 67. C. A. sowle; _glossed_ anima mundi. 68. C. _om._ the _bef._ vertu. 71. C. acomplyssed; A. accomplissed. 79. C. stablely. A. yficched; C. y-fechched; Ed. fyxed. 80. Ed. mouablyte; A. moeuablite. 81. A. Ed. _om._ of. 85. A. Ed. larger; C. a large. 86. C. Ed. fertherest; A. forthest. 91. C. A. fyrthest (_see_ 86). 93. A. lovs; Ed. loce. 96. C. necissite. 103. C. mutasioun. 105. A. Ed. progressiouns; C. progressioun; Lat. _progressus_. 106. A. female. 107. A. unbounden; _glossed_ indissolubili. 137. _After_ bodies, A. _has_ '_quasi non_.' 139. C. _om. 2nd_ a. 142, 3. A. _om._ and some ... medicynes. 148. A. leecher. 159. A. familier. 160. Ed. victoriouse; C. A. victories; _uictricem_. 164. C. sopose. 166. C. _om._ so. 176. bodily] A. manere. // A. _om._ the more ... by me; _me quoque excellentior_. A. _has_: the aduersites comen nat, he seide in grec, there that vertues. 186. C. corages (_animi_). // C. excercitacion. 187. _All_ the (_for_ that.) 188, 9. Ed. and some ... not beare; C. A. _om._ 191. C. of the; A. Ed. of. 195. A. ordeinly. 202. C. Ed. felonies; A. folies. 210. A. puttith; C. pittyth. // A. rychesse. 213. A. his; C. is. 219. C. A. punyssen; Ed. punysshen. 220. C. excercisynge. 222. A. Ed. accorden; C. acordy. 228. _After_ maked A. _ins._ oftyme (_not in_ Lat.). 232. C. _om._ studien. 235. A. by (_for_ to). 238. C. assyngned. 240. A. realme (_twice_). 243. A. to no man. 247. C. wyl; A. while. 253. Ed. outragyous; C. outraious; A. _om._ 255. C. the lengthe; A. Ed. _om._ the. 257. A. refet. 258. C. stydefast.

METRE VI.

_Si uis celsi iura tonantis._

If thou, wys, wilt demen in thy pure thought the rightes or the
lawes of the heye thonderer, _that is to seyn, of god_, loke thou and
bihold the heightes of the soverein hevene. There kepen the
sterres, by rightful alliaunce of thinges, hir olde pees. The sonne,
y-moeved by his rody fyr, ne distorbeth nat the colde cercle of 5
the mone. Ne the sterre y-cleped "the Bere," that enclyneth his
ravisshinge courses abouten the soverein heighte of the worlde, ne
the same sterre Ursa nis never-mo wasshen in the depe westrene
see, ne coveiteth nat to deyen his flaumbes in the see of the occian,
al-thogh he see othre sterres y-plounged in the see. And Hesperus 10
_the sterre_ bodeth and telleth alwey the late nightes; and Lucifer
_the sterre_ bringeth ayein the clere day.

And thus maketh Love entrechaungeable the perdurable courses;
and thus is discordable bataile y-put out of the contree of the
sterres. This acordaunce atempreth by evenelyk maneres the 15
elements, that the moiste thinges, stryvinge with the drye thinges,
yeven place by stoundes; and the colde thinges ioynen hem by
feyth to the hote thinges; and that the lighte fyr aryseth in-to
heighte; and the hevy erthes avalen by hir weightes. By thise
same causes the floury yeer yildeth swote smelles in the firste 20
somer-sesoun warminge; and the hote somer dryeth the cornes;
and autumpne comth ayein, hevy of apples; and the fletinge reyn
bideweth the winter. This atempraunce norissheth and bringeth
forth al thing that [bretheth] lyf in this world; and thilke same
atempraunce, ravisshinge, hydeth and binimeth, and drencheth 25
under the laste deeth, alle thinges y-born.

Amonges thise thinges sitteth the heye maker, king and lord,
welle and biginninge, lawe and wys Iuge, to don equitee; and
governeth and enclyneth the brydles of thinges. And tho thinges
that he stereth to gon by moevinge, he withdraweth and aresteth; 30
and affermeth the moevable or wandringe thinges. For yif that
he ne clepede ayein the right goinge of thinges, and yif that he ne
constreinede hem nat eft-sones in-to roundnesses enclynede, the
thinges that ben now continued by stable ordinaunce, they sholden
departen from hir welle, _that is to seyn, from hir biginninge_, and 35
faylen, _that is to seyn, torne in-to nought_.

This is the comune Love to alle thinges; and alle thinges axen
to ben holden by the fyn of good. For elles ne mighten they nat
lasten, yif they ne come nat eft-sones ayein, by Love retorned, to
the cause that hath yeven hem beinge, _that is to seyn, to god_. 40

ME. VI. 1. A. _om._ wys; Lat. _sollers_. 3. C. the souereyn; A. _om._ the. 5. C. clerke (!); _for_ cercle. 7. C. cours (_meatus_); _see_ 13. 9. A. dy[gh]en; C. deeyn, _glossed_ tingere; Ed. deyen. 10. A. in-to (_for_ in). 16. A. striuen nat with the drye thinges, but yiuen. 24. A. al; C. alle. // A. bredith; C. Ed. bereth; _read_ bretheth (_spirat_). 31. C. _om._ the. 35. A. bygynnynge; C. bygynge.

PROSE VII.

_Iamne igitur uides._

Seestow nat thanne what thing folweth alle the thinges that I
have seyd?' _Boece._ 'What thing?' quod I.

'Certes,' quod she, 'al-outrely, that alle fortune is good.'

'And how may that be?' quod I.

'Now understand,' quod she, 'so as alle fortune, whether so it 5
be Ioyeful fortune or aspre fortune, is yeven either by cause of
guerdoning or elles of exercysinge of good folk, or elles by cause
to punisshen or elles chastysen shrewes; thanne is alle fortune
good, the whiche fortune is certein that it be either rightful or
elles profitable.' 10

'Forsothe, this is a ful verray resoun,' quod I; 'and yif I consider
the purviaunce and the destinee that thou taughtest me a
litel her-biforn, this sentence is sustened by stedefast resouns.
But yif it lyke unto thee, lat us noumbren hem amonges thilke
thinges, of whiche thou seydest a litel her-biforn, that they ne were 15
nat able to ben wened to the poeple.' 'Why so?' quod she.

'For that the comune word of men,' quod I, 'misuseth this
_maner speche of fortune_, and seyn ofte tymes that the fortune of
som wight is wikkede.'

'Wiltow thanne,' quod she, 'that I aproche a litel to the wordes 20
of the poeple, so that it seme nat to hem that I be overmoche departed
as fro the usage of mankinde?'

'As thou wolt,' quod I.

'Demestow nat,' quod she, 'that al thing that profiteth is good?'

'Yis,' quod I. 25

'And certes, thilke thing that exercyseth or corigeth, profiteth?'

'I confesse it wel,' quod I.

'Thanne is it good?' quod she.

'Why nat?' quod I.

'But this is the fortune,' quod she, 'of hem that either ben put 30
in vertu and batailen ayeins aspre thinges, or elles of hem that
eschuen and declynen fro vyces and taken the wey of vertu.'

'This ne may I nat denye,' quod I.

'But what seystow of the mery fortune that is yeven to good
folk in guerdoun? Demeth aught the poeple that it is wikked?' 35

'Nay, forsothe,' quod I; 'but they demen, as it sooth is, that it
is right good.'

'And what seystow of that other fortune,' quod she, 'that,
al-thogh that it be aspre, and restreineth the shrewes by rightful
torment, weneth aught the poeple that it be good?' 40

'Nay,' quod I, 'but the poeple demeth that it is most wrecched
of alle thinges that may ben thought.'

'War now, and loke wel,' quod she, 'lest that we, in folwinge
the opinioun of the poeple, have confessed and concluded thing
that is unable to be wened _to the poeple_. 45

'What is that?' quod I.

'Certes,' quod she, 'it folweth or comth of thinges that ben
graunted, that alle fortune, what-so-ever it be, of hem that ben
either in possessioun of vertu, or in the encres of vertu, or elles in
the purchasinge of vertu, that thilke fortune is good; and that alle 50
fortune is right wikkede to hem that dwellen in shrewednesse;' _as
who seyth, and thus weneth nat the poeple_.

'That is sooth,' quod I, 'al-be-it so that no man dar confesse it
ne biknowen it.'

'Why so?' quod she; 'for right as the stronge man ne semeth 55
nat to abaissen or disdaignen as ofte tyme as he hereth the noise
of the bataile, ne also it ne semeth nat, to the wyse man, to beren
it grevously, as ofte as he is lad in-to the stryf of fortune. For
bothe to that oon man and eek to that other thilke difficultee is
the matere; to that oon man, of encres of his glorious renoun, 60
and to that other man, to confirme his sapience, _that is to seyn, to
the asprenesse of his estat_. For therfore is it called "vertu," for
that it susteneth and enforseth, by hise strengthes, that it nis nat
overcomen by adversitees. Ne certes, thou that art put in the
encres or in the heighte of vertu, ne hast nat comen to fleten with 65
delices, and for to welken in bodily luste; thou sowest or plauntest
a ful egre bataile _in thy corage_ ayeins every fortune: for that the
sorwful fortune ne confounde thee nat, ne that the merye fortune
ne corumpe thee nat, occupye the mene by stedefast strengthes.
For al that ever is under the mene, or elles al that overpasseth the 70
mene, despyseth welefulnesse (_as who seyth, it is vicious_), and ne
hath no mede of his travaile. For it is set in your hand (_as who
seyth, it lyth in your power_) what fortune yow is levest, _that is to
seyn, good or yvel_. For alle fortune that semeth sharp or aspre,
yif it ne exercyse nat _the gode folk_ ne chastyseth _the wikked
folk_, it 75
punissheth.

PR. VII. 1. A. Sest thou; C. Sestow. 5, 6. A. _om._ alle ... aspre. 7. Ed. guerdonyng; C. A. gerdonynge. // C. excersisinge. 16. A. ywened. 20. A. proche. 24. A. Demest thou; Ed. Wenest thou. A. al; C. alle. 26. C. excersiseth. C. corigit; A. corigith; Ed. corrygeth. 34. A. seist thou. 35. Ed. guerdon; C. A. gerdoun. C. Ed. demeth; A. deuinith; _decernit_. A. poeples; _uulgus_. 38. A. seist thou. 41. C. Ed. is; A. be. 49. A. _om._ or in ... vertu. 55. C. the stronge; A. no strong. 56. Ed. abasshen; A. abassen. 66. A. welken; Ed. walken; C. wellen; _emarcescere_. 69. A. Ed. corrumpe. C. Ocupye; A. Occupy. C. stydefast. 75. C. excersyse. 76. C. punysseth; A. punisseth.

METRE VII.

_Bella bis quinis operatus annis._

The wreker Attrides, _that is to seyn, Agamenon_, that wroughte
and continuede the batailes by ten yeer, recovered and purgede
_in wrekinge_, by the destruccioun of Troye, the loste chaumbres of
mariage of his brother; _this is to seyn, that he, Agamenon, wan
ayein Eleyne, that was Menelaus wyf his brother_. In the mene 5
whyle that thilke _Agamenon_ desirede to yeven sayles to the
Grekissh navye, and boughte ayein the windes by blood, he unclothede
him of pitee of fader; and the sory preest yiveth in
sacrifyinge the wrecched cuttinge of throte of the doughter; _that
is to seyn, that Agamenon let cutten the throte of his doughter by
the_ 10
_preest, to maken allyaunce with his goddes, and for to han winde
with whiche he mighte wenden to Troye_.

Itacus, _that is to seyn, Ulixes_, biwepte his felawes y-lorn, the
whiche felawes the ferse Poliphemus, ligginge in his grete cave,
hadde freten and dreynt in his empty wombe. But natheles 15
Poliphemus, wood for his blinde visage, yald to Ulixes Ioye by
his sorwful teres; _this is to seyn, that Ulixes smoot out the eye of
Poliphemus that stood in his forehed, for which Ulixes hadde Ioye,
whan he say Poliphemus wepinge and blinde_.

Hercules is celebrable for his harde travailes; he dauntede the 20
proude Centaures, _half hors, half man_; and he birafte the dispoylinge
fro the cruel lyoun, _that is to seyn, he slowh the lyoun and
rafte him his skin_. He smoot the briddes _that highten Arpyes_
with certein arwes. He ravisshede apples fro the wakinge dragoun,
and his hand was the more hevy for the goldene metal. 25
He drow Cerberus, _the hound of helle_, by his treble cheyne. He,
overcomer, as it is seyd, hath put an unmeke lord foddre to his
cruel hors; _this is to seyn, that Hercules slowh Diomedes, and made
his hors to freten him_. And he, Hercules, slowh Ydra _the serpent_,
and brende the venim. And Achelous the flood, defouled in his 30
forhed, dreynte his shamefast visage in his strondes; _this is to
seyn, that Achelous coude transfigure him-self in-to dyverse lyknesses;
and, as he faught with Hercules, at the laste he tornede him in-to a
bole; and Hercules brak of oon of his hornes, and he, for shame,
hidde him in his river_. And he, Hercules, caste adoun Antheus 35
the gyaunt in the strondes of Libie; and Cacus apaysede the
wratthes of Evander; _this is to seyn, that Hercules slowh the
monstre Cacus, and apaysede with that deeth the wratthe of
Evander_. And the bristlede boor markede with scomes the
shuldres of Hercules, the whiche shuldres the heye cercle of 40
hevene sholde thriste. And the laste of his labours was, that he
sustened the hevene up-on his nekke unbowed; and he deservede
eft-sones the hevene, to ben the prys of his laste travaile.

Goth now thanne, ye stronge men, ther-as the heye wey of the
grete ensaumple ledeth yow. O nyce men, why nake ye youre 45
bakkes? _As who seyth: O ye slowe and delicat men, why flee ye
adversitees, and ne fighten nat ayeins hem by vertu, to winnen the
mede of the hevene?_ For the erthe, overcomen, yeveth the sterres';
_this is to seyn, that, whan that erthely lust is overcomen, a man is
maked worthy to the hevene_. 50

ME. VII. 4. A. Ed. _om._ he. 8. A. pite as fader. 16. A. yeld. 22. A. slou[gh]. 23. Ed. Arpyes; C. A. arpiis; _glossed_--in the palude of lyrne. 26. C. drowh; A. drou[gh]. 28. C. slowgh; A. slou[gh] (_thrice_). 28, 31, 37, 49. C. this (_for_ this is). 29. A. etyn (_for_ freten). 30. C. achelows (_1st time_); achelous (_2nd_); A. achelaus (_twice_). 34. C. he, _glossed_ achelous; A. achelaus (_om._ he). 39. Ed. vomes (_for_ scomes). 40. A. Ed. cercle; C. clerke (!). 48. A. mede of the. // A. Ed. the sterres; C. _om._ the.