|b{BOETHIUS_DE_CONSOLATIONE_PHILOSOPHIE.}
|b{The_Complete_Works_of_Geoffrey_Chaucer}
|b{ed._Walter_W._Skeat,_2nd_ed.,_vol._2}
|b{Oxford:_Clarendon_Press,_1900,}
|b{pp._1-151.}
|b{Note:_The_numbers_of_lines_are_not_bybed,_because_they}
|b{are_not_page-specific_and_cause_errors_of}
|b{sequentiality_in_Word_Cruncher.}



|p1


BOETHIUS DE CONSOLATIONE PHILOSOPHIE.


BOOK I.
METRE I.

      Carmina qui quondam studio florente peregi.

         ALLAS! I, weping, am constreined to biginnen vers of sorowful
      matere, that whylom in florisching studie made delitable ditees.
      For lo! rendinge Muses of poetes endyten to me thinges to be
      writen, and drery vers of wrecchednesse weten my face with
   5  verray teres. At the leeste, no drede ne mighte overcomen tho
      Muses, that they ne weren felawes, and folweden my wey, that is
      to seyn, whan I was exyled; they that weren glorie of my youthe,
      whylom weleful and grene, comforten now the sorowful werdes of
      me, olde man. For elde is comen unwarly upon me, hasted by
  10  the harmes that I have, and sorow hath comaunded his age to be
      in me. Heres hore ben shad overtymeliche upon myn heved,
      and the slake skin trembleth upon myn empted body. Thilke
      deeth of men is weleful that ne cometh not in yeres that ben
      swete, but cometh to wrecches, often y-cleped.
  15     Allas! allas! with how deef an ere deeth, cruel, torneth awey
      fro wvrecches, and naiteth to closen wepinge eyen! Whyl Fortune,
      unfeithful, favorede me with lighte goodes, the sorowful houre,
      that is to seyn, the deeth, hadde almost dreynt myn heved. But



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      now, for Fortune cloudy hath chaunged hir deceyvable chere to
  20  me-ward, myn unpitous lyf draweth a-long unagreable dwellinges
      in me. O ye, my frendes, what or wherto avauntede ye me to
      ben weleful? for he that hath fallen stood nat in stedefast
      degree.

      PROSE I.

        Hec dum mecum tacitus ipse reputarem.

        Whyle that I stille recordede thise thinges with my-self, and
      markede my weeply compleynte with office of pointel, I saw,
      stondinge aboven the heighte of myn heved, a woman of ful greet
      reverence by semblaunt, hir eyen brenninge and cleer-seinge over
   5  the comune might of men; with a lyfly colour, and with swich
      vigour and strengthe that it ne mighte nat ben empted, al were it
      so that she was ful of so greet age, that men ne wolde nat trowen,
      in no manere, that she were of oure elde. The stature of hir was
      of a doutous Iugement, for som-tyme she constreinede and shronk
  10  hir-selven lyk to the comune mesure of men, and sum-tyme it
      semede that she touchede the hevene with the heighte of hir
      heved, and whan she heef hir heved hyer, she percede the
      selve hevene, so that the sighte of men looking was in ydel. Hir
      clothes weren maked of right delye thredes and subtil crafte, of
  15  perdurable matere, the whiche clothes she hadde woven with hir
      owene hondes, as I knew wel after by hir self, declaringe and
      shewinge to me the beautee, the whiche clothes a derknesse of a
      forleten and dispysed elde hadde dusked and derked, as it is wont
      to derken bi-smokede images.
  20     In the nethereste hem or bordure of thise clothes men redden,
      y-woven in, a Grekissh P, that signifyeth the lyf Actif; and aboven



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      that lettre, in the heyeste bordure, a Grekissh T, that signifyeth
      the lyf Contemplatif. And bi-twixen these two lettres ther weren
      seyn degrees, nobly y-wroght in manere of laddres, by whiche 
  25  degrees men mighten climben fro the nethereste lettre to the
      uppereste. Natheles, handes of some men hadde corven that cloth
      by violence and by strengthe; and everiche man of hem hadde
      born awey swiche peces as he mighte geten. And forsothe, this
      forseide woman bar smale bokes in hir right hand, and in hir left
  30  hand she bar a ceptre.
         And whan she say thise poetical Muses aprochen aboute my
      bed, and endytinge wordes to my wepinges, she was a litel
      amoved, and glowede with cruel eyen. `Who,' qud she, `hath
      suffred aprochen to this syke man thise comune strompetes of
  35  swich a place that men clepen the theatre? The whiche nat
      only ne asswagen nat hise sorwes with none remedies, but they
      wolden feden and norisshen hem with swete venim. Forsothe
      thise ben tho that with thornes and prikkinges of talents or
      affecciouns, whiche that ne ben no-thing fructefyinge nor
  40  profitable, destroyen the corn plentevous of fruites of resoun;
      for they holden the hertes of men in usage, but they ne delivere
      nat folk fro maladye. But if ye Muses hadden withdrawen fro
      me, with your flateryes, any uncunninge and unprofitable man, as
      men ben wont to finde comunly amonges the poeple, I wolde
  45  wene suffre the lasse grevously, for-why, in swiche an unprofitable
      man, myn ententes ne weren no-thing endamaged. But ye with_drawen
      me this man, that hath be norisshed in the studies or
      scoles of Eleaticis and of Achademicis in Grece. But goth now
      rather awey, ye mermaidenes, whiche that ben swete til it be at
  50  the laste, and suffreth this man to be cured and heled by myne
      Muses,' that is to seyn, by noteful sciences.
         And thus this companye of Muses y-blamed casten wrothly the



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      chere dounward to the erthe; and, shewinge by reednesse hir
      shame, they passeden sorowfully the threshfold.
  55     And I, of whom the sighte, plounged in teres, was derked so
      that I ne mighte not knowen what that womman was, of so
      imperial auctoritee, I wex al abaisshed and astoned, and caste my
      sighte doun to the erthe, and bigan stille for to abyde what she
      wolde don afterward. Tho com she ner, and sette hir doun up-on
  60  the uttereste corner of my bed, and she, biholdinge my chere,
      that was cast to the erthe, hevy and grevous of wepinge, com_pleinede,
      with thise wordes that I shal seyen, the perturbacioun
      of my thought.

      METRE II.

      Heu quam precipiti mersa profundo.

         `Allas! how the thought of man, dreint in over-throwinge
      deepnesse, dulleth, and forleteth his propre cleernesse, mintinge
      to goon in-to foreine derknesses, as ofte as his anoyous bisinesse
      wexeth with-oute mesure, that is driven to and fro with worldly
   5  windes! This man, that whylom was free, to whom the hevene
      was open and knowen, and was wont to goon in heveneliche
      pathes, and saugh the lightnesse of the rede sonne, and saugh the
      sterres of the colde mone, and whiche sterre in hevene useth
      wandering recourses, y-flit by dyverse speres-this man, over_comer,
  10  hadde comprehended al this by noumbre of acountinge in
      astronomye. And over this, he was wont to seken the causes
      whennes the souning windes moeven and bisien the smothe water
      of the see; and what spirit torneth the stable hevene; and why
      the sterre aryseth out of the rede eest, to fallen in the westrene
  15  wawes; and what atempreth the lusty houres of the firste somer
      sesoun, that highteth and apparaileth the erthe with rosene flowres;
      and who maketh that plentevouse autompne, in fulle yeres, fleteth
      with hevy grapes. And eek this man was wont to telle the



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      dyverse causes of nature that weren y-hidde. Allas! now lyeth
      he empted of light of his thought, and his nekke is pressed with 20
      hevy cheynes; and bereth his chere enclyned adoun for the grete
      weighte, and is constreined to looken on the fool erthe!

      PROSE II.

      Set medicine, inquit, tempus est.

         But tyme is now,' quod she, `of medicine more than of
      compleinte.' Forsothe than she, entendinge to me-ward with alle
      the lookinge of hir eyen, seide.-`Art nat thou he,' quod she'
      `that whylom y-norisshed with my milk, and fostered with myne
   5  metes, were escaped and comen to corage of a parfit man?
      Certes, I yaf thee swiche armures that, yif thou thy-self ne
      haddest first cast hem a-wey, they shulden han defended thee
      in sikernesse that may nat ben over-comen. Knowest thou me
      nat? Why art thou stille? Is it for shame or for astoninge?
  10  It were me lever that it were for shame, but it semeth me that
      astoninge hath oppressed thee.' And whan she say me nat only
      stille, but with-outen office of tunge and al doumb, she leide hir
      hand softely upon my brest, and seide: `Here nis no peril,' quod
      she; `he is fallen into a litargie, whiche that is a comune sykenes
  15  to hertes that ben deceived. He hath a litel foryeten him-self,
      but certes he shal lightly remembren him-self, yif so be that he
      hath knowen me or now; and that he may so don, I wil wypen a
      litel his eyen, that ben derked by the cloude of mortal thinges.'
      Thise wordes seide she, and with the lappe of hir garment, y-plyted
  20  in a frounce, she dryede myn eyen, that weren fulle of the wawes
      of my wepinges.

      METRE III.

      Tunc me discussa liquerunt nocte tenebre.

         Thus,whan that night was discussed and chased a-wey
      derknesses forleften me, and to myn eyen repeirede ayein hir



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      firste strengthe. And, right by ensaumple as the sonne is hid
      whan the sterres ben clustred (that is to seyn, whan sterres ben
   5  covered with cloudes) by a swifte winde that highte Chorus, and
      that the firmament stant derked by wete ploungy cIoudes, and
      that the sterres nat apperen up-on hevene, so that the night
      semeth sprad up-on erthe: yif thanne the wind that highte Borias
      y-sent out of the caves of the contree of Trace, beteth this night
  10  (that is to seyn, chaseth it a-wey), and descovereth the closed day:
      than shyneth Phebus y-shaken with sodein light, and smyteth
      with his bemes in mervelinge eyen.

      PR0SE III.

      Haud aliter tristicie nebulis dissolutis.

         Right so, and non other wyse, the cloudes of sorwe dissolved
      and don a-wey, I took hevene, and receivede minde to knowen the
      face of my fysicien; so that I sette myn eyen on hir, and fastnede
      my lookinge. I beholde my norice Philosophie, in whos houses
   5  I hadde conversed and haunted fro my youthe; and I seide thus.
      `O thou maistresse of alle vertues, descended from the soverein
      sete, why artow comen in-to this solitarie place of myn exil?
      Artow comen for thou art maked coupable with me of false
      blames?'
  10     `O,' quod she, `my norry, sholde I forsaken thee now, and
      sholde I nat parten with thee, by comune travaile, the charge
      that thou hast suffred for envie of my name? Certes, it nere
      not leveful ne sittinge thing to Philosophie, to leten with-outen
      companye the wey of him that is innocent. Sholde I thanne
  15  redoute my blame, and agrysen as though ther were bifallen a
      newe thing? quasi diceret, non. For trowestow that Philosophie
      be now alderfirst assailed in perils by folk of wikkede maneres?
      Have I nat striven with ful greet stryf, in olde tyme, bifore the
      age of my Plato, ayeines the foolhardinesse of folye? And eek
  20  the same Plato livinge, his maister Socrates deservede victorie of



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      unrightful deeth in my presence. The heritage of which Socrates
      -- the heritage is to seyn the doctrine of the whiche Socrates in his
      opinioun of Felicitee, that I clepe welefulnesse-whan that the
      poeple of Epicuriens and Stoiciens and many othre enforceden
  25  hem to go ravisshe everich man for his part-that is to seyn,
      that everich of hem wolde drawen to the defence of his opinioun the
      wordes of Socrates-they, as in partie of hir preye, to-drowen me
      cryinge and debatinge ther-ayeins, and corven and to-renten my
      clothes that I hadde woven with myn handes; and with tho
  30  cloutes that they hadden araced out of my clothes they wenten
      awey, weninge that I hadde gon with hem everydel.
         In whiche Epicuriens and Stoiciens, for as moche as ther semede
      some traces or steppes of myn habite, the folye of men, weninge
      tho Epicuriens and Stoiciens my famuleres, perverted (sc. perse_quendo
  35  ) some through the errour of the wikkede or uncunninge
      multitude of hem. This is to seyn that, for they semede philosophres,
      they weren pursued to the deeth and slayn. So yif thou hast nat
      knowen the exilinge of Anaxogore, ne the enpoysoninge of
      Socrates, ne the tourments of Zeno, for they weren straungeres:
  40  yit mightestow han knowen the Senecciens and the Canios and
      the Sorans, of whiche folk the renoun is neither over-olde ne
      unsolempne. The whiche men, no-thing elles ne broughte hem to
      the deeth but only for they weren enfourmed of myne maneres
      and semeden most unlyke to the studies of wikkede folk. And
  45  forthy thou oughtest nat to wondren though that I, in the bittre
      see of this lyf; be fordriven with tempestes blowinge aboute, in
      the whiche tempestes this is my most purpos, that is to seyn, to
      displesen to wikkede men. Of whiche shrewes, al be the ost
      never so greet, it is to dispyse, for it nis governed. with no leder
  50  of resoun, but it is ravisshed only by fletinge errour folyly and
      lightly. And if they som-tyme, makinge an ost ayeins us, assaile
      us as strenger, our leder draweth to-gidere hise richesses in-to his
      tour, and they ben ententif aboute sarpulers or sachels unprofitable



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      for to taken. But we that ben heye aboven, siker fro alle
  55  tumulte and wode noise, warnestored and enclosed in swich a
      palis, whider as that chateringe or anoyinge folye ne may nat
      atayne, we scorne swiche ravineres and henteres of fouleste
      thinges.

      METRE IV.

      Quisquis composito serenus euo.

         Who-so it be that is cleer of vertu, sad, and wel ordinat of
      livinge, that hath put under foot the proude werdes and looketh
      upright up-on either fortune, he may holde his chere undiscom_fited.
      The rage ne the manaces of the see, commoevinge or
   5  chasinge upward hete fro the botme, ne shal not moeve that
      man; he the unstable mountaigne that highte Vesevus, that
      wrytheth out through his brokene chiminees smokinge fyres. Ne
      the wey of thonder-light, that is wont to smyten heye toures, ne
      shal nat moeve that man. Wher-to thanne, o wrecches, drede ye
  10  tirauntes that ben wode and felonous with-oute any strengthe?
      Hope after no-thing, ne drede nat; and so shaltow desarmen
      the ire of thilke unmighty tiraunt. But who-so that, quakinge
      dredeth or desireth thing that nis nat stable of his right, that
      man that so doth hath cast awey his sheld and is remoeved fro
  15  his place, and enlaceth him in the cheyne with the which he may
      ben drawen.

      PROSE IV.

      Sentisne, inquit, hec.

         `Felestow,' quod she, `thise thinges, and entren they aught in
      thy corage? Artow lyke an asse to the harpe? Why wepestow;



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      why spillestow teres? Yif thou abydest after help of thy leche
      thee bihoveth discovere thy wounde.'
   5     Tho I, that hadde gadered strengthe in my corage, answerede
      and seide: `And nedeth it yit,' quod I, `of rehersinge or of
      amonicioun, and sheweth it nat y-nough by him-self the sharp_nesse 
      of Fortune, that wexeth wood ayeins me? Ne moeveth it
      nat thee to seen the face or the manere of this place (i. prisoun)?
  10  Is this the librarie whiche that thou haddest chosen for a right
      certein sete to thee in myn hous, ther-as thou desputedest ofte
      with me of the sciences of thinges touchinge divinitee and touch_inge 
      mankinde? Was thanne myn habite swich as it is now?
      Was than my face or my chere swiche as now (quasi diceret, non),
  15  whan I soughte with thee secrets of nature, whan thou enformedest
      my maneres and the resoun of alle my lyf to the ensaumple of
      the ordre of hevene? Is nat this the guerdoun that I referre to
      thee, to whom I have be obeisaunt? Certes, thou confermedest,
      by the mouth of Plato, this sentence, that is to seyn, that comune
  20  thinges or comunalitees weren blisful, yif they that hadden studied
      al fully to wisdom governeden thilke thinges,or elIes yif it so
      bifille that the governoures of comunalitees studieden to geten
      wisdom.
         Thou seidest eek, by the mouth of the same Plato, that it was
  25  a necessarie cause, wyse men to taken and desire the governaunce
      of comune thinges, for that the governements of citees, y-left
      in the handes of felonous tormentours citizenes, ne sholde nat
      bringe in pestilence and destruccioun to gode folk. And therfor
      I, folwinge thilke auctoritee (sc. Platonis), desired to putten forth
  30  in execucioun and in acte of comune administracioun thilke
      thinges that I hadde lerned of thee among my secree resting_whyles.
      Thou, and god that putte thee in the thoughtes of wyse
      folk, ben knowinge with me, that no-thing he broughte me to



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      maistrie or dignitee, but the comune studie of alle goodnesse.
  35  And ther-of comth it that bi-twixen wikked folk and me han ben
      grevous discordes, that ne mighten ben relesed by preyeres; for
      this libertee hath the freedom of conscience, that the wratthe of
      more mighty folk hath alwey ben despysed of me for savacioun of
      right.
  40     How ofte have I resisted and withstonde thilke man that highte
      Conigaste, that made alwey assautes ayeins the prospre fortunes of
      pore feble folk? How ofte eek have I put of or cast out him,
      Trigwille, provost of the kinges hous, bothe of the wronges that he
      hadde bigunne to don, and eek fully performed? How ofte have
  45  I covered and defended by the auctoritee of me, put ayeins perils
      -- that is to seyn, put myn auctoritee in peril for-the wrecched
      pore folk, that the covetyse of straungeres unpunished tourmenteden
      alwey with miseyses and grevaunces out of noumbre? Never man
      ne drow me yit fro right to wronge. Whan I say the fortunes and
  50  the richesses of the poeple of the provinces ben harmed or
      amenused, outher by privee ravynes or by comune tributes or
      cariages, as sory was I as they that suffreden the harm.
         Glossa. Whan that Theodoric, the king of Gothes, in a dere
      yere, hadde hise gerneres ful of corn, and comaundede that no man
  55  ne sholde byen no corn til his corn were sold, and that at a grevous
      dere prys, Boece withstood that ordinaunce, and over-com it, know_inge 
      al this the king him-self.
         Textus. Whan it was in the soure hungry tyme, ther was
      establisshed or cryed grevous and inplitable coempcioun, that men
  60  sayen wel it sholde greetly turmenten and endamagen al the
      province of Campaigne, I took stryf ayeins the provost of the pre_torie 
      for comune profit. And, the king knowinge of it, I overcom
      it, so that the coempcioun ne was not axed ne took effect.



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         [Glossa.] Coempcioun, that is to seyn, comune achat or bying
  65  to-gidere, that were establisshed up-on the people by swiche a manere
      imposicioun, as who-so boughte a busshel corn, he moste yeve the king
      the fifte part.
         [Textus.] Paulin, a counseiller of Rome, the richesses of the
      whiche Paulin the houndes of the palays, that is to seyn, the officeres,
  70  wolden han devoured by hope and covetise, yit drow I him out of
      the Iowes (sc. faucibus) of hem that gapeden. And for as moche
      as the peyne of the accusacioun aiuged biforn ne sholde nat
      sodeinly henten ne punisshen wrongfully Albin, a counseiller of
      Rome, I putte me ayeins the hates and indignaciouns of the
  75  accusor Ciprian. Is it nat thanne y-nough y-seyn, that I have
      purchased grete discordes ayeins my-self? But I oughte be the
      more assured ayeins alle othre folk (s. Romayns), that for the love
      of rightwisnesse I ne reserved never no-thing to my-self to hem_ward 
      of the kinges halle, sc. officers, by the whiche I were the more
  80  siker. But thorugh tho same accusors accusinge, I am con_dempned.
      Of the noumbir of the whiche accusors oon Basilius,
      that whylom was chased out of the kinges service, is now com_pelled 
      in accusinge of my name, for nede of foreine moneye.
      Also Opilion and Gaudencius han accused me, al be it so that the
  85  Iustice regal hadde whylom demed hem bothe to go in-to exil for
      hir trecheryes and fraudes withoute noumbir. To whiche Iuge_ment 
      they nolden nat obeye, but defendeden hem by the siker_nesse 
      of holy houses, that is to seyn, fledden into seintuaries; and
      whan this was aperceived to the king, he comaundede, that but
  90  they voidede the citee of Ravenne by certein day assigned, that
      men sholde merken hem on the forheved with an hoot yren and
      chasen hem out of the toune. Now what thing, semeth thee,
      mighte ben lykned to thrs crueltee? For certes, thilke same day



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      was received the accusinge of my name by thilke same accusors.
  95  What may ben seid her-to? (quasi diceret, nichil) Hath my
      studie and my cunninge deserved thus; or elles the forseide damp_nacioun 
      of me, made that hem rightful accusors or no? (quasi
      diceret, non). Was not Fortune ashamed of this? Certes, al
      hadde nat Fortune ben ashamed that innocence was accused, yit
  100 oughte she han had shame of the filthe of myne accusours.
         But, axestow in somme, of what gilt I am accused, men seyn
      that I wolde save the companye of the senatours. And desirest
      thou to heren in what manere? I am accused that I sholde han
      destourbed the accusor to beren lettres, by whiche he sholde han
  105 maked the senatoures gilty ayeins the kinges real maiestee. O
      maistresse, what demestow of this? Shal I forsake this blame,
      that I ne be no shame to thee? (quasi diceret, non). Certes, I have
      wold it, that is to seyn, the savacioun of the senat, ne I shal never
      leten to wilne it, and that I confesse and am aknowe; but the
  110 entente of the accusor to be destourbed shal cese. For shal I
      clepe it thanne a felonie or a sinne that I have desired the
      savacioun of the ordre of the senat? (quasi diceret, dubito quid).
      And certes yit hadde thilke same senat don by me, thorugh hir
      decrets and hir Iugements, as though it were a sinne or a felonie;
  115 that is to seyn, to wilne the savacioun of hem (sc. senatus). But
      folye, that lyeth alwey to him-self, may not chaunge the merite
      of thinges. Ne I trowe nat, by the Iugement of Socrates, that
      it were leveful to me to hyde the sothe, ne assente to lesinges.
      But certes, how so ever it be of this, I putte it to gessen or
      prei_sen 
  120 to the Iugement of thee and of wyse folk. Of whiche
      thing al the ordinaunce and the sothe, for as moche as folk that
      ben to comen after our dayes shullen knowen it, I have put it
      in scripture and in remembraunce. For touching the lettres falsly
      maked, by whiche lettres I am accused to han hoped the fredom
  125 of Rome, what aperteneth me to speke ther-of? Of whiche
      lettres the fraude hadde ben shewed apertly, yif I hadde had
      libertee for to han used and ben at the confessioun of myne



|p13


      accusours, the whiche thing in alle nedes hath greet strengthe.
      For what other fredom may men hopen? Certes, I wolde that
  130 som other fredom mighte ben hoped. I wolde thanne han
      answered by the wordes of a man that highte Canius; for whan
      he was accused by Gaius Cesar, Germeynes sone, that he
      (Canius) was knowinge and consentinge of a coniuracioun
      y-maked ayeins him (SC: Gaius), this Canius answerede thus:
  135 "Yif I hadde wist it, thou haddest nat wist it." In which thing
      sorwe hath nat so dulled my wit, that I pleyne only that shrewede
      folk aparailen felonies ayeins vertu; but I wondre greetly how
      that they may performe thinges that they hadde hoped for to
      don. For-why, to wilne shrewednesse, that comth peraventure
  140 of oure defaute, but it is lyk a monstre and a mervaille, how
      that, in the present sighte of god, may ben acheved and performed
      swiche thinges as every felonous man hath conceived in his
      thought ayeins innocents. For which thing oon of thy famileres
      nat unskilfully axed thus. "Yif god is, whennes comen wikkede
  145 thinges? And yif god ne is, whennes comen gode thinges?" 
      But al hadde it ben leveful that felonous folk, that now desiren
      the blood and tHe deeth of alle gode men and eek of alle the
      senat, han wilned to gon destroyen me, whom they han seyen
      alwey batailen and defenden gode men and eek al the senat,
  150 yit had I nat desserved of the faderes, that is to seyn, of the
      senatoures, that they sholden wilne my destruccioun.
         Thou remembrest wel, as I gesse, that whan I wolde doon or
      seyen any thing, thou thyself, alwey present, rewledest me. At
      the city of Verone, whan that the king, gredy of comune slaughter,
  155 caste him to transporten up al the ordre of the senat the gilt of
      his real maiestee, of the whiche gilt that Albin was accused, with
      how gret sikernesse of peril to me defendede I al the senat!
      Thou wost wel that I seye sooth, ne I ne avauntede me never
      in preysinge of my-self. For alwey, whan any wight receiveth
  160 precious renoun in avauntinge him-self of his werkes, he amenuseth
      the secree of his conscience. But now thou mayst wel seen to



|p14


      what ende I am comen for myne innocence; I receive peyne
      of fals felonye for guerdon of verray vertu. And what open
      confessioun of felonye hadde ever Iuges so acordaunt in crueltee,
  165  that is to seyn, as myn accusinge hath, that either errour of mannes
      wit or elles condicioun of Fortune, that is uncertein to alle mortal
      folk, ne submittede some of hem, that is to seyn, that it ne enclynede
      som Iuge to han pitee or compassioun? For al-thogh I hadde ben
      accused that I wolde brenne holy houses, and strangle preestes
  170 with wikkede swerde, or that I hadde greythed deeth to al gode
      men, algates the sentence sholde han punisshed me, present,
      confessed, or convict. But now I am remewed fro the citee of
      Rome almost fyve hundred thousand pas, I am with-oute defence
      dampned to proscripcioun and to the deeth, for the studie and
  175 bountees that I have doon to the senat. But O, wel ben they
      worthy of merite (as who seith, nay), ther mighte never yit non
      of hem be convict of swiche a blame as myne is! Of whiche
      trespas, myne accusours sayen ful wel the dignitee; the whiche
      dignitee, for they wolden derken it with medeling of som felonye,
  180 they baren me on hand, and lyeden, that I hadde polut and
      defouled my conscience with sacrilege, for coveitise of dignitee.
      And certes, thou thy-self, that are plaunted in me, chacedest
      out of the sege of my corage al coveitise of mortal thinges; ne
      sacrilege hadde no leve to han a place in me biforn thyne eyen.
  185 For thou droppedest every day in myne eres and in my thought.
      thilke comaundement of Pictagoras, that is to seyn, men shal
      serve to godde, and not to goddes. Ne it was nat convenient,
      ne no nede, to taken help of the foulest spirites; I, that thou
      hast ordeined and set in swiche excellence that thou makedest
  190 me lyk to god. And over this, the right clene secree chaumbre
      of myne hous, that is to seyn, my wyf; and the companye of
      myn honest freendes, and my wyves fader, as wel holy as worthy



|p15


      to ben reverenced thorugh his owne dedes, defenden me from


      alle suspecioun of swich blame. But O malice! For they that
  195 accusen me taken of thee, Philosophie, feith of so gret blame! 
      For they trowen that I have had affinitee to malefice or enchaunte_ment,
      by-cause that I am replenisshed and fulfilled with thy
      techinges, and enformed of thy maneres. And thus it suffiseth
      not only, that thy reverence he availe me not, but-yif that thou
  200 of thy free wille, rather be blemished with myn offencioun. But
      certes, to the harmes that I have, ther bitydeth yit this
      encrees of harm, that the gessinge and the Iugement of moche
      folk ne looken no-thing to the desertes of thinges, but only
      to the aventure of fortune; and iugen that only swiche thinges
  205 ben purveyed of god, whiche that temporel welefulnesse com_mendeth. 

         Glose. As thus: that, yif a wight have prosperitee, he is a
      good man and worthy to han that prosperitee; and who-so hath
      adversitee, he is a wikked man, and god hath forsake him, and
      he is worthy to han that adversitee. This is the opinioun of some 210
      folk.
         And ther-of comth that good gessinge, first of alle thing, for_saketh 
      wrecches: certes, it greveth me to thinke right now the
      dyverse sentences that the poeple seith of me. And thus moche
  210 I seye, that the laste charge of contrarious fortune is this: that,
      whan that any blame is leyd upon a caitif, men wenen that he
      hath deserved that he suffreth. And I, that am put awey fro
      gode men, and despoiled of dignitees, and defouled of my name
      by gessinge, have suffred torment for my gode dedes. Certes,
  220 me semeth that I see the felonous covines of wikked men
      habounden in Ioye and in gladnesse. And I see that every
      lorel shapeth him to finde out newe fraudes for to accuse gode
      folk. And I see that gode men beth overthrowen for drede
      of my peril; and every luxurious tourmentour dar doon alle
  225 felonye unpunisshed and ben excited therto by yiftes, and
      innocents ne ben not only despoiled of sikernesse but of defence;
      and therfore me list to cryen to god in this wyse:



|p16

      METRE V.

      O stelliferi conditor orbis.

         O thou maker of the whele that bereth the sterres, which that
      art y-fastned to thy perdurable chayer, and tornest the hevene
      with a ravisshing sweigh, and constreinest the sterres to suffren
      thy lawe; so that the mone som-tyme shyning with hir ful hornes,
   5  meting with alle the bemes of the sonne hir brother, hydeth the
      sterres that ben lesse; and somtyme, whan the mone, pale with
      hir derke hornes, approcheth the sonne, leseth hir lightes, and
      that the eve-sterre Hesperus, whiche that in the firste tyme of
      the night bringeth forth hir colde arysinges, cometh eft ayein
  10  hir used cours, and is pale by the morwe at the rysing of the
      sonne, and is thanne cleped Lucifer. Thou restreinest the day
      by shorter dwelling, in the tyme of colde winter that maketh
      the leves to falle. Thou dividest the swifte tydes of the night
      whan the hote somer is comen. Thy might atempreth the
  15  variaunts sesons of the yere; so that Zephirus the deboneir
      wind bringeth ayein, in the first somer sesoun, the leves that
      the wind that highte Boreas hath reft awey in autumpne, that
      is to seyn, in the laste ende of somer; and the sedes that the
      sterre that highte Arcturus saw, ben waxen heye cornes whan the
  20  sterre Sirius eschaufeth hem. Ther nis no-thing unbounde from
      his olde lawe, ne forleteth the werke of his propre estat.
          O thou governour, governinge alle thinges by certain ende, why
      refusestow only to governe the werkes of men by dewe manere?
      Why suffrest thou that slydinge fortune torneth so grete entre_chaunginges 
  25  of thinges, so that anoyous peyne, that sholde dewely
      punisshe felouns, punissheth innocents? And folk of wikkede
      maneres sitten in heye chayres, and anoyinge folk treden, and



|p17


      that unrightfully, on the nekkes of holy men? And vertu cler_shyninge 
      naturelly is hid in derke derkenesses, and the rightful
  30  man bereth the blame and the peyne of the feloun. Ne for_sweringe 
      ne the fraude, covered and kembd with a fals colour,
      ne anoyeth nat to shrewes; the whiche shrewes, whan hem list
      to usen hir strengthe, they reioysen hem to putten under hem
      the sovereyne kinges, whiche that poeple with-outen noumbre
  35  dreden.
         O thou, what so ever thou be that knittest alle bondes of
      thinges, loke on thise wrecchede erthes; we men that ben nat
      a foule party, but a fayr party of so grete a werk, we ben
      tormented in this see of fortune. Thou governour, withdraw
  40  and restreyne the ravisshinge flodes, and fastne and ferme thise
      erthes stable with thilke bonde, with whiche thou governest the
      hevene that is so large.'

      PROSE V.

         Hic ubi continuato dolore delatraui.

         Whan I hadde, with a continuel sorwe, sobbed or borken out
      thise thinges, she with hir chere pesible, and no-thing amoeved
      with my compleintes, seide thus: `Whan I say thee,' quod she,
      `sorweful and wepinge, I wiste anon that thou were a wrecche
   5  and exiled, but I wiste never how fer thyne exile was, yif thy
      tale ne hadde shewed it to me. But certes, al be thou fer fro thy
      contree, thou nart nat put out of it; but thou hast failed of thy
      weye and gon amis. And yif thou hast lever for to wene that
      thou be put out of thy contree, than hast thou put out thy-self
  10  rather than any other wight hath. For no wight but thy-self ne
      mighte never han don that to thee. For yif thou remembre of
      what contree thou art born, it nis nat governed by emperours, ne



|p18


      by governement of multitude, as weren the contrees of hem of
      Athenes; but oo lord and oo king, and that is god, that is lord of
  15  thy contree, whiche that reioyseth him of the dwelling of hise
      citezenes, and nat for to putte hem in exil; of the whiche lorde
      it is a soverayne fredom to be governed by the brydel of him and
      obeye to his Iustice. Hastow foryeten thilke right olde lawe of thy
      citee, in the whiche citee it is ordeined and establisshed, that for
  20  what right that hath lever founden ther-in his sete or his hous than
      elles-wher, he may nat be exiled by no right from that place? For
      who-so that is contened in-with the palis and the clos of thilke citee,
      ther nis no drede that he may deserve to ben exiled. But who-so
      that leteth the wil for to enhabite there, he forleteth also to deserve
  25  to ben citezein of thilke citee. So that I sey, that the face of this.
      place ne moveth me nat so mochel as thyne owne face. Ne I
      axe nat rather the walles of thy librarie, aparayled and wrought
      with yvory and with glas, than after the sete of thy thought. In
      whiche I putte nat whylom bokes, but I putte that that maketh
  30  bokes worthy of prys or precious, that is to seyn, the sentence of
      my bokes. And certeinly of thy desertes, bistowed in comune
      good, thou hast seid sooth, but after the multitude of thy gode
      dedes, thou hast seid fewe; and of the honestee or of the falsnesse
      of thinges that ben aposed ayeins thee, thou hast remembred
  35  thinges that ben knowen to alle folk. And of the felonyes and
      fraudes of thyne accusours, it semeth thee have y-touched it for_sothe 
      rightfully and shortly, al mighten tho same thinges betere
      and more plentivousely ben couth in the mouthe of the poeple
      that knoweth al this.
  40     Thou hast eek blamed gretly and compleined of the wrongful
      dede of the senat. And thou hast sorwed for my blame, and thou
      hast wopen for the damage of thy renoun that is apayred; and thy



|p19


      laste sorwe eschaufede ayeins fortune, and compleinest that guer_douns 
      ne ben nat evenliche yolden to the desertes of folk. And
  45  in the latere ende of thy wode Muse, thou preyedest that thilke
      pees that governeth the hevene sholde governe the erthe. But
      for that manye tribulaciouns of affecciouns han assailed thee, and
      sorwe and ire and wepinge to-drawen thee dyversely; as thou art
      now feble of thought, mightier remedies ne shullen nat yit touchen
  50  thee, for whiche we wol usen somdel lighter medicines: so that
      thilke passiouns that ben woxen harde in swellinge, by pertur_baciouns 
      flowing in-to thy thought, mowen wexen esy and softe,
      to receiven the strengthe of a more mighty and more egre
      medicine, by an esier touchinge.

      METRE VI.

         Cum Phebi radiis graue
         Cancri sidus inestuat.

         Whan that the hevy sterre of the Cancre eschaufeth by the
      bemes of Phebus, that is to seyn, whan that Phebus the sonne is
      in the signe of the Cancre, who-so yeveth thanne largely hise sedes
      to the feldes that refusen to receiven hem, lat him gon, bigyled of
   5  trust that he hadde to his corn, to acorns of okes. Yif thou wolt
      gadre violettes, ne go thou not to the purpur wode whan the feld,
      chirkinge, agryseth of colde by the felnesse of the winde that highte
      Aquilon. Yif thou desirest or wolt usen grapes, ne seke thou nat,
      with a glotonous hond, to streyne and presse the stalkes of the
  10  vine in the ferst somer sesoun; for Bachus, the god of wyne, hath
      rather yeven hise yiftes to autumpne, the later ende of somer.
         God tokneth and assigneth the tymes, ablinge hem to hir
      propres offices; ne he ne suffreth nat the stoundes whiche that
      him-self hath devyded and constreyned to ben y-medled to-gidere.
  15  And forthy he that forleteth certein ordinaunce of doinge by over_throwinge 
      wey, he ne hath no glade issue or ende of his werkes.



|p20


      PROSE VI.

         Primum igitur paterisne me pauculis rogacionibus.

         First woltow suffre me to touche and assaye the estat of thy
      thought by a fewe demaundes, so that I may understonde what
      be the manere of thy curacioun?'
         `Axe me,' quod I, `at thy wille, what thou wolt, and I shal
   5  answere.'
         Tho seide she thus:' Whether wenestow,' quod she, `that
      this world be governed by foolish happes and fortunous, or
      elles that ther be in it any governement of resoun?'
         `Certes,' quod I, `I ne trowe nat in no manere, that so
  10  certein thinges sholde be moeved by fortunous fortune; but I
      wot wel that god, maker and mayster, is governour of his werk.
      Ne never nas yit day that mighte putte me out of the sothnesse
      of that sentence.'
         `So is it,' quod she; `for the same thing songe thou a litel
  15  her-biforn, and biweyledest and biweptest, that only men weren
      put out of the cure of god. For of alle other thinges thou
      ne doutedest nat that they nere governed by resoun. But owh!
      (i. pape!) I wondre gretly, certes, why that thou art syk, sin
      that thou art put in so holsom a sentence. But lat us seken
  20  depper; I coniecte that ther lakketh I not nere what. But
      sey me this: sin that thou ne doutest nat that this world be
      governed by god, with whiche governailes takestow hede that
      it is governed?'
         `Unnethe,' quod I, `knowe I the sentence of thy questioun;
  25  so that I ne may nat yit answeren to thy demaundes.'
         `I nas nat deceived,' quod she, `that ther ne faileth som_what,
      by whiche the maladye of thy perturbacioun is crept in_to 
      thy thought, so as the strengthe of the palis chyning is open.



|p21


      But sey me this: remembrest thou what is the ende of thinges
  30  and whider that the entencioun of alle kinde tendeth?'
         `I have herd it told som-tyme,' quod I; `but drerinesse hath
      dulled my memorie.'
         `Certes,' quod she, `thou wost wel whennes that alle thinges
      ben comen and procedeth?'
  35     `I wot wel,' quod I, and answerede, that `god is beginning
      of al.'
         `And how may this be,' quod she, `that, sin thou knowest
      the beginning of thinges, that thou ne knowest nat what is the
      ende of thinges? But swiche ben the customes of pertur_baciouns,
  40  and this power they han, that they may moeve a
      man out of his place, that is to seyn, fro the stablenes and per_feccioun 
      of his knowinge; but, certes, they may nat al arace
      him, ne aliene him in al. But I wolde that thou woldest
      answere to this: remembrestow that thou art a man?'
  45     `Why sholde I nat remembre that?' quod I.
         `Maystow nat telle me thanne,' quod she, `what thing is a man?'
         `Axestow me nat,' quod I, `whether that I be a resonable
      mortal beest? I woot wel, and I confesse wel that I am it.'
         `Wistestow never yit that thou were any other thing?' quod
  50  she.
         `No,' quod I.
         `Now woot I,' quod she, `other cause of thy maladye, and
      that right grete. Thou hast left for to knowen thy-seIf, what
      thou art; thorugh whiche I have pleynly founden the cause of
  55  thy maladye, or elles the entree of recoveringe of thyn hele.
      For-why, for thou art coinfounded with foryeting of thy-self, for_thy 
      sorwestow that thou art exiled of thy propre goodes. And
      for thou ne wost what is the ende of thinges, for-thy demestow
      that felonous and wikked men ben mighty and weleful. And



|p22


  60  for thou hast foryeten by whiche governements the world is
      governed, for-thy wenestow that thise mutaciouns of fortune
      fleten with-oute governour. Thise ben grete causes not only
      to maladye, but, certes, grete causes to deeth. But I thanke
      the auctor and the maker of hele, that nature hath not al
  65  forleten thee. I have grete norisshinges of thyn hele, and that
      is, the sothe sentence of governaunce of the worlde; that thou
      bilevest that the governinge of it nis nat subiect ne underput
      to the folie of thise happes aventurous, but to the resoun of
      god. And ther-for doute thee no-thing, for of this litel spark
  70  thyn hete of lyf shal shyne.
         But for as moche as it is nat tyme yit of faster remedies, and
      the nature of thoughtes deceived is this, that as ofte as they
      casten awey sothe opiniouns, they clothen hem in false opiniouns,
      of which false opiniouns the derkenesse of perturbacioun wexeth
  75  up, that confoundeth the verray insighte: and that derkenesse
      shal I assaye som-what to maken thinne and wayk by lighte
      and meneliche remedies; so that, after that the derkenesse of
      deceivinge desiringes is don awey, thou mowe knowe the shyn_inge 
      of verray light.

      METRE VII.

         Nubibus atris.

         The sterres, covered with blake cloudes, ne mowen yeten
      a-doun no light. Yif the trouble wind that hight Auster, turn_ing 
      and walwinge the see, medleth the hete, that is to seyn,
      the boyling up from the botme; the wawes, that whylom weren
   5  clere as glas and lyke to the faire clere dayes, withstande anon
      the sightes of men by the filthe and ordure that is resolved.
      And the fletinge streem, that royleth doun dyversly fro heye



|p23


      mountaignes, is arested and resisted ofte tyme by the encoun_tringe 
      of a stoon that is departed and fallen from som roche.
  10     And for-thy, yif thou wolt loken and demen sooth with cleer
      light; and holden the wey with a right path, weyve thou Ioye
      dryf fro thee drede, fleme thou hope, ne lat no sorwe aproche;
      that is to seyn, lat non of thise four passiouns over-comen thee
      or blende thee. For cloudy and derke is thilke thought, and
  15  bounde with brydles, where-as thise thinges regnen.'

         Explicit Liber Primus.

      BOOK II.

      PROSE I.

      Postea paulisper conticuit.

         After this she stinte a litel; and, after that she hadde gadered
      by atempre stillenesse myn attencioun, she seide thus. (As who
      mighte seyn thus: After thise thinges she stinte a litel; and whan
      she aperceived by atempre stillenesse that I was ententif to herkene
   5  hir, she bigan to speke in this wyse): `Yif I,' quod she, `have
      understonden and knowen outrely the causes and the habit of
      thy maladye, thou languissest and art defeted for desyr and
      talent of thy rather fortune. She, that ilke Fortune only, that
      is chaunged, as thou feynest, to thee-ward, hath perverted the
  10  cleernesse and the estat of thy corage. I understonde the
      fele-folde colours and deceites of thilke merveilous monstre
      Fortune, and how she useth ful flateringe familaritee with hem
      that she enforceth to bigyle; so longe, til that.she confounde
      with unsufferable sorwe hem that she hath left in despeyr un_purveyed.
  15  And yif thou remembrest wel the kinde, the maneres,



|p24


      and the desert of thilke Fortune, thou shalt wel knowe that,
      as in hir, thou never ne haddest ne hast y-lost any fair thing.
      But, as I trowe, I shal nat gretly travailen to do thee remembren
      on thise thinges. For thou were wont to hurtelen and despysen
  20  hir, with manly wordes, whan she was blaundissinge and present,
      and pursewedest hir with sentences that were drawen out of myn
      entree, that is to seyn, out of myn informacioun. But no sodein
      mutacioun ne bitydeth nat with-oute a manere chaunginge of
      corages; and so is it befallen that thou art a litel departed
  25  fro the pees of thy thought.
         But, now is tyme that thou drinke and ataste some softe and
      delitable thinges, so that, whan they ben entred with-in thee,
      it mowe maken wey to strengere drinkes of medicynes. Com
      now forth therfore the suasioun of swetenesse rethorien, whiche
  30 that goth only the right wey, whyl she forsaketh nat myne estatuts.
      And with Rhetorice com forth Musice, a damisel of our hous,
      that singeth now lighter moedes or prolaciouns, now hevyer.
      What eyleth thee, man? What is it that hath cast thee in-to
      morninge and in-to wepinge? I trowe that thou hast seyn
  35  som newe thing and uncouth. Thou wenest that Fortune be
      chaunged ayein thee; but thou wenest wrong, yif thou that
      wene. Alwey tho ben hir maneres; she hath rather kept, as
      to thee-ward, hir propre stablenesse in the chaunginge of hir_self.
      Right swich was she whan she flatered thee, and de_eived 
  40  cthee with unleveful lykinges of fals welefulnesse. Thou
      hast now knowen and ataynt the doutous or double visage of
      thilke blinde goddesse Fortune. She, that yit covereth hir and
      wimpleth hir to other folk, hath shewed hir every-del to thee.
      Yif thou aprovest hir. and thenkest that she is good, use hir
  45  maneres and pleyne thee nat. And yif thou agrysest hir false
      trecherye, despyse and cast awey hir that pleyeth so harmfully;



|p25


      for she, that is now cause of so muche sorwe to thee, sbolde
      ben cause to thee of pees and of Ioye. She hath forsaken
      thee, forsothe,the whiche that never man may ben siker that
  50  she ne shal forsake him.
         Glose. But natheles, some bokes han the text thus: For sothe,
      she hath forsaken thee, ne ther nis no man siker that she ne
      hath nat forsaken.
         Holdestow than thilke welefulnesse precious to thee that shal
  55  passen? And is present Fortune dereworthe to thee, which that
      nis nat feithful for to dwelle; and, whan she goth awey, that
      she bringeth a wight in sorwe? For sin she may nat ben with_holden 
      at a mannes wille, she maketh him a wrecche whan she
      departeth fro him. What other thing is flittinge Fortune but a
  60  maner shewinge of wrecchednesse that is to comen? Ne it ne
      suffyseth nat only to loken on thinge that is present biforn the
      eyen of a man. But wisdom loketh and amesureth the ende
      of thinges; and the same chaunginge from oon in-to an-other,
      that is to seyn, from adversitee in-to prosperitee, maketh that the
  65  manaces of Fortune ne ben nat for to dreden, ne the flateringes
      of hir to ben desired. Thus, at the laste, it bihoveth thee to
      suffren with evene wille in pacience al that is don in-with the
      floor of Fortune, that is to seyn, in this world, sin thou hast
      ones put thy nekke under the yok of hir. For yif thou wolt
  70  wryten a lawe of wendinge and of dwellinge to Fortune, whiche
      that thou hast chosen frely to ben thy lady, artow nat wrongful
      in that, and makest Fortune wroth and aspere by thyn inpatience,
      and yit thou mayst nat chaunge hir?
         Yif thou committest and bitakest thy sailes to the winde, thou
  75  shalt be shoven, not thider that thou woldest, but whider that the
      wind shoveth thee. Yif thou castest thy sedes in to the feldes,
      thou sholdest han in minde that the yeres ben, amonges, other_whyle 
      plentevous and other-whyle bareyne. Thou hast bitaken
      thy-self to the governaunce of Fortune, and for thy it bihoveth



|p26


  80  thee to ben obeisaunt to the maneres of thy lady. Enforcest
      thou thee to aresten or withholden the swiftnesse and the sweigh
      of hir turninge whele? O thou fool of alle mortal fooles, if
      Fortune bigan to dwelle stable, she cesede thanne to ben
      Fortune!

      METRE I:

      Hec cum superba uerterit uices dextra.

         Whan Fortune with a proud right hand hath torned hir
      chaunginge stoundes, she fareth lyk the maneres of the boilinge
      Eurype. Glosa. Eurype is an arm of the see that ebbeth and
      floweth; and som-tyme the streem is on o syde, and som-tyme on
   5  the other. Text. She, cruel Fortune, casteth adoun kinges
      that whylom weren y-drad; and she, deceivable, enhaunseth up
      the humble chere of him that is discomfited. Ne she neither
      hereth ne rekketh of wrecchede wepinges; and she is so hard
      that she laugheth and scorneth the wepinges of hem, the whiche
  10  she hath maked wepe with hir free wille. Thus she pleyeth,
      and thus she proeueth hir strengthes; and sheweth a greet wonder
      to alle hir servauntes, yif that a wight is seyn weleful, and over_throwe 
      in an houre.

      PROSE II.

      Vellem autem pauca tecum.

         Certes, I wolde pleten with thee a fewe thinges, usinge the
      wordes of Fortune; tak hede now thy-self, yif that she axeth
      right. "O thou man, wher-fore makest thou me gilty by thyne
      every-dayes pleyninges? What wrong have I don thee? What
   5  goodes have I bireft thee that weren thyne? Stryf or plete
      with me, bifore what Iuge that thou wolt, of the possessioun
      of richesses or of dignitees. And yif thou mayst shewen me



|p27


      that ever any mortal man hath received any of tho thinges to
      ben hise in propre, than wol I graunte frely that alle thilke
  10  thinges weren thyne whiche that thou axest. Whan that nature
      broughte thee forth out of thy moder wombe, I receyved thee
      naked and nedy of alle thinges, and I norisshede thee with my
      richesses, and was redy and ententif through my favour to
      susteyne thee; and that maketh thee now inpacient ayeins me;
  15  and I envirounde thee with alle the aboundance and shyninge
      of alle goodes that ben in my right. Now it lyketh me to
      with-drawen my hand, thou hast had grace as he that hath
      used of foreine goodes: thou hast no right to pleyne tbee, as
      though thou haddest outrely for-lorn alie thy thinges. Why
  20  pleynest thou thanne? I have done thee no wrong. Richesses,
      honours, and swiche other thinges ben of my right. My servauntes
      knowen me for hir lady; they comen with me, and departen
      whan I wende. I dar wel affermen hardily, that yif tho thinges,
      of which thou pleynest that thou hast forlorn, hadde ben thyne,
  25  thou ne haddest not lorn heni. Shal I thanne only hen defended
      to usen my right?
         Certes, it is leveful to the hevene to make clere dayes, and,
      after that, to coveren tho same dayes with derke nightes. The
      yeer hath eek leve to apparailen the visage of the erthe, now
  30  with floures and now with fruit, and to confounden hem som_tynie 
      with reynes and with coldes. The see hath eek his right
      to ben som-tyme calme and blaundishing with smothe water,
      and som-tyme to ben horrible with wawes and with tempestes.
      But the covetise of men, that may nat ben stanched, shal it
  35  binde me to ben stedefast, sin that stedefastnesse is uncouth
      to my maneres? Swich is my strengthe, and this pley I pleye
      continuely. I torne the whirlinge wheel with the torning cercle;
      I am glad to chaungen the lowest to the heyest, and the heyest
      to the lowest. Worth up, if thou woIt, so it be by this lawe,



|p28


  40  that thou ne holde nat that I do thee wronge thogh thou
      descende adoun, whan the resoun of my pley axeth it.
         Wistest thou nat how Cresus, the king of Lydiens, of whiche
      king Cyrus was ful sore agast a litel biforn, that this rewliche
      Cresus was caught of Cyrus and lad to the fyr to ben brent,
  45  but that a rayn descendede doun fro hevene that rescowede
      him? And is it out of thy minde how that Paulus, consul of
      Rome, whan he hadde taken the king of Perciens, weep pitously
      for the captivitee of the self kinge? What other thing biwailen
      the cryinges of tragedies but only the dedes of Fortune, that
  50  with an unwar stroke overtorneth realmes of grete nobley?
      Glose. Tragedie is to seyn, a ditee of prosperitee for a tyme,
      that endeth in wrecchednesse.
         Lernedest nat thou in Greek, whan thou were yonge, that
      in the entree, or in the celere, of Iupiter, ther ben couched two
  55  tonnes; that on is ful of good, that other is ful of harm? What
      right hast thou to pleyne, yif thou hast taken more plentevously
      of the goode syde, that is to seyn, of my richesses and prosperites;
      and what eek if I ne be nat al departed fro thee? What eek
      yif my mutabilitee yiveth thee rightful cause of hope to han yit
  60  beter thinges? Natheles dismaye thee nat in thy thought; and
      thou that art put in the comune realme of alle, ne desyre nat to
      liven by thyn only propre right.

      METRE II.

      Si quantas rapidis flatibus incitus.

         Though Plentee, that is goddesse of richesses, hielde adoun
      with ful horn, and withdraweth nat hir hand, as many richesses
      as the see torneth upward sandes whan it is moeved with
      ravisshinge blastes, or elles as many richesses as ther shyrien
   5  brighte sterres on hevene on the sterry nightes; yit, for al



|p29


      that, mankinde nolde not cese to wepe wrecchede pleyntes.
      And al be it so that god receyveth gladly hir preyers, and
      yiveth them (as fool-large) moche gold, and aparaileth coveitous
      men with noble or clere honours: yit semeth hem haven y-geten
  10  no-thing, but alwey hir cruel ravyne, devouringe al that they
      han geten, sheweth other gapinges; that is to seyn, gapen and
      desyren yit after mo richesses. What brydles mighten withholden,
      to any certein ende, the desordenee covetise of men, whan,
      ever the rather that it fleteth in large yiftes, the more ay brenneth
  15  in hem the thurst of havinge? Certes he that, quakinge and
      dredful, weneth him-selven nedy, he ne liveth never-more riche."

      PROSE III.

      Hiis igitur si pro se tecum Fortuna loqueretur.

         Therfor, yif that Fortune spake with thee for hir-self in this
      manere, for-sothe thou ne haddest nat what thou mightest answere.
      And, if thou hast any-thing wherwith, thou mayest rightfully de_fenden 
      thy compleint, it behoveth thee to shewen it, and I wol
   5  yeven thee space to tellen it.'
         `Certeynly,' quod I thanne, `thise beth faire thinges, and
      enointed with hony swetenesse of rethorike and musike, and
      only whyl they ben herd they ben delicious. But to wrecches is
      a depper felinge of harm; this is to seyn, that wrecches felen the
  10  harmes that they suffren more grevously than the remedies or the
      delites of thise wordes mowen gladen or comforten hem; so that,
      whan thise thinges stinten for to soune in eres, the sorwe that is
      inset greveth the thought.'
         `Right so is it,' quod she. `For thise ne ben yit none remedies
  15  of thy maladye; but they ben a maner norisshinges of thy sorwe,
      yit rebel ayein thy curacioun. For whan that tyme is, I shal
      moeve swiche thinges that percen hem-self depe. But natheles,
      that thou shalt not wilne to leten thy-self a wrecche, hast thou



|p30


      foryeten the noumber and the manere of thy welefulnesse? I
  20  holde me stille, how that the soverayne men of the citee token
      thee in cure and kepinge, whan thou were orphelin of fader and
      moder, and were chosen in affinitee of princes of the citee; and
      thou bigunne rather to be leef and dere than forto ben a neigh_bour;
      the whiche thing is the most precious kinde of any propin_quitee 
  25  or alyaunce that may ben. Who is it that ne seide tho
      that thou were right weleful, with so grete a nobleye of thy fadres_in
      -lawe, and with the chastitee of thy wyf, and with the oportunitee
      and noblesse of thy masculin children, that is to seyn, thy sones?
      And over al this---me list to passen the comune thinges---how
  30  thou haddest in thy youthe dignitees that weren werned to olde
      men. But it delyteth me to comen now to the singuler uphepinge
      of thy welefulnesse. Yif any fruit of mortal thinges may han any
      weighte or prys of welefulnesse, mightest thou ever foryeten, for
      any charge of harm that mighte bifalle, the remembraunce of
  35  thilke day that thou saye thy two sones maked conseileres, and
      y-lad to-gedere fro thyn house under so greet assemblee of
      senatoures and under the blythenesse of poeple; and whan thou
      saye hem set in the court in here chayeres of dignitees? Thou,
      rethorien or pronouncere of kinges preysinges, deservedest glorie
  40  of wit and of eloquence, whan thou, sittinge bitwene thy two sones,
      conseileres, in the place that highte Circo, fulfuldest the abydinge
      of the multitude of poeple that was sprad abouten thee, with so large
      preysinge and laude, as men singen in victories. Tho yave thou
      wordes to Fortune, as I trowe, that is to seyn, tho feffedest thou
  45  Fortune with glosinge wordes and deceivedest hir, whan she acoyede
      thee and norisshede thee as hir owne delyces. Thou bere away of
      Fortune a yifte, that is to seyn, swiche guerdoun, that she never yaf
      to privee man. Wilt thou therfor leye a rekeninge with Fortune?



|p31


      She hath now twinkled first upon thee with a wikkede eye. Yif
  50  thou considere the noumbre and the manere of thy blisses and
      of thy sorwes, thou mayst nat forsaken that thou art yit blisful.
      For if thou therfor wenest thy-self nat weleful, for thinges that
      tho semeden ioyful ben passed, ther nis nat why thou sholdest wene
      thy-self a wrecche; for thinges that sernen now sorye passen also.
  55     Art thou now comen first, a sodein gest, in-to the shadwe or
      tabernacle of this lyf; or trowest thou that any stedefastnesse be
      in mannes thinges, whan ofte a swift houre dissolveth the same
      man; that is to seyn, whan the soule departeth fro the body? For,
      al-though that selde is ther any feith that fortunous thinges wolen
  60  dwellen, yit natheles the laste day of a mannes lyf is a manere
      deeth to Fortune, and also to thilke that hath dwelt. And therfor,
      what, wenestow, thar [thee] recche, yif thou forlete hir in deyinge,
      or elles that she, Fortune, forlete thee in fleeinge awey?

      METRE III.

      Cum polo Phebus roseis quadrigis.

         Whan Phebus, the sonne, biginneth to spreden his cleernesse
      with rosene chariettes, thanne the sterre, y-dimmed, paleth hir
      whyte cheres, by the flambes of the sonne that overcometh the
      steree-light. This is to seyn, whan the sonne is risen, the dey-sterre
   5  wexeth pale, and leseth hir light for the grete brieghtnesse of the
      sonne.
         Whan the wode wexeth rody of rosene floures, in the first somer
      sesoun; thorugh the brethe of the winde Zephirus that wexeth
      warm, yif the cloudy wind Auster blowe felliche, than goth awey
  10  the fairenesse of thornes.
          Ofte the see is cleer and calm withoute moevinge flodes; and
      ofte the homble wind Aquilon moeveth boilinge tempestes and
      over whelveth the see.



|p32


          Yif the forme of this worlde is so selde stable, and yif it turneth
  15  by so many entrechaunginges, wolt thou thanne trusten in the
      tonmblinge fortunes of men? Wolt thou trowen on flittinge goodes?
      It is certein and establisshed by lawe perdurable, that no-thing that
      is engendred nis stedefast ne stable.'

      PROSE IV.

      Tunc ego, uera, inquam, commemoras.

         Thanne seide I thus. `O norice of alle vertues, thou seist ful
      sooth; ne I ne may nat forsake the right swifte cours of my
      prosperitee; that is to seyn, that prosperitee ne be comen to me
      wonder swiftly and sone. But this is a thing that greetly smerteth
   5  me whan it remembreth me. For in alle adversitee of fortune,
      the most unsely kinde of contrarious fortune is to han ben
      weleful.'
         `But that thou,' quod she, ` byest thus the torment of thy
      faIse opinioun, that mayst thou nat rightfully blamen ne aretten
  10  to thinges: as who seith, for thou hast yit many habundaunces of
      thinges.
          Text. For al be it so that the ydel name of aventurous
      welefulnesse moeveth thee now, it is leveful that thou rekne with
      me of how manye grete thinges thou hast yit plentee. And
  15  therfor, yif that thilke thing that thou haddest for most precious
      in al thy richesse of fortune be kept to thee yit, by the grace of
      god, unwemmed and undefouled, mayst thou thanne pleyne
      rightfully upon the meschef of Fortune, sin thou hast yit thy
      beste thinges? Certes, yit liveth in good point thilke precious
  20  honour of mankinde, Symacus, thy wyves fader, which that is
      a man maked alle of sapience and of vertu; the whiche man
      thou woldest byen redely with the prys of thyn owne lyf. He
      biwayleth the wronges that men don to thee, and nat for him-self;



|p33


      for he liveth in sikernesse of any sentences put ayeins him. And
  25  yit liveth thy wyf, that is atempre of wit, and passinge other
      wimmen in clennesse of chastetee, and for I wol closen shortely
      hir bountees, she is lyk to hir fader. I telle thee wel, that she
      liveth looth of this lyf, and kepeth to thee only hir goost; and is
      al maat and overcomen by wepinge and sorwe for desyr of thee,
  30  in the whiche thing only I moot graunten that thy welefulnesse is
      amenused. What shal I seyn eek of thy two sones, conseilours,
      of whiche, as of children of hir age, ther shyneth the lyknesse of
      the wit of hir fader or of hir elder fader? And sin the sovereyn
      cure of alle mortel folk is to saven hir owen lyves, O how wele_ful 
  35  art thou, yif thou knowe thy goodes! For yit ben ther
      thinges dwelled to thee-ward, that no man douteth that they ne
      ben more dereworthe to thee than thyn owen lyf. And for-thy
      drye thy teres, for yit nis nat everich fortune al hateful to thee_ward,
      ne over greet tempest hath nat yit faIlen upon thee, whan
  40  that thyn ancres cleven faste, that neither wolen suffren the
      counfort of this tyme present ne the hope of tyme cominge to
      passen ne to faylen.'
         `And I preye,' quod I, `that faste moten they halden; for
      whyles that they halden, how-so-ever that thinges ben, I shal wel
  45  fleten forth and escapen; but thou mayst wel seen how grete
      aparayles and aray that me lakketh, that ben passed away fro
      me.'
         `I have som-what avaunsed and forthered thee,' quod she, `yif
      that thou anoye nat or forthinke nat of al thy fortune: as who
  50  seith, I have som_what comforted thee, so that thou tempest thee nat
      thus with al thy fortune, sin thou hast yit thy beste thinges. But
      I may nat suffren thy delices, that pleynest so wepinge and
      anguissous, for that ther lakketh som-what to thy welefulnesse.
      For what man is so sad or of so parfit welefulnesse, that he ne
  55  stryveth and pleyneth on som halve ayen the qualitee of his
      estat? For-why ful anguissous thing is the condicioun of mannes
      goodes, for either it cometh nat al-togider to a wight, or elles it



|p34


      last nat perpetuel. For sum man hath grete richesses, but he is
      ashamed of his ungentel linage; and som is renowned of noblesse
  60  of kinrede, but he is enclosed in so grete anguisshe of nede
      of thinges, that him were lever that he were unknowe. And
      som man haboundeth both in richesse and noblesse, but yit he
      bewaileth his chaste lyf, for he ne hath no wyf. And som man is
      wel and selily y-maried, but he hath no children, and norissheth
  65  his richesses to the eyres of strange folkes. And som man is
      gladed with clildren, but he wepeth ful sory for the trespas of
      his sone or of his doughter. And for this ther ne acordeth no
      wight lightly to the condicioun of his fortune; for alwey to every
      man ther is in som-what that, unassayed, he ne wot nat; or elles
  70  he dredeth that he hath assayed. And adde this also, that every
      weleful man hath a ful delicat felinge; so that, but-yif alle thinges
      bifalle at his owne wil, for he is impacient, or is nat used to han
      non adversitee, anon he is throwen adoun for every litel thing.
      And ful litel thinges ben tho that withdrawen the somme or the
  75  perfeccioun of blisfulnesse fro hem that ben most fortunat. How
      many men, trowest thou, wolden demen hem-self to ben almost in
      hevene, yif they mighten atayne to the leest party of the rem_naunt 
      of thy fortune? This same place that thou clepest exil, is
      contree to hem that enhabiten heer, and forthy nothing [is]
  80  wrecched but whan thou wenest it: as who seith, thou thy-self, ne
      no wight elles, nis a wrecche, but whan he weneth him-self a wrecche
      by reputacioun of his corage. And ayeinward, alle fortune is blis_ful 
      to a man by the agreabletee or by the egalitee of him that
      suffreth it.
  85     What man is that, that is so weleful, that nolde changen his
      estat whan he hath lost pacience? The swetnesse of mannes
      welefulnesse is sprayned with many biternesses; the whiche wele_fulnesse,
      al-though it seme swete and ioyful to hem that useth it,
      yit may it nat ben with-holden that it ne goth away whan it wole.



|p35


  90  Thanne is it wel sene, how wrecched is the blisfulnesse of mortal
      thingges, that neither it dureth perpetuel with hem - that every
      fortune receiven agreablely or egaly, ne it delyteth nat in al to
      hem that ben anguissous. O ye mortal folk, what seke ye thanne
      blisfulnesse out of your-self, whiche that is put in your-self?
  95  Errour and folye confoundeth yow.
         I shal shewe thee shortely the poynt of sovereyne blisfulnesse.
      Is ther any-thing more precious to thee than thy-self? Thou
      wolt answere, "nay." Thanne, yif it so be that thou art mighty
      over thy-self, that is to seyn, by tranquillitee of thy sowle, than hast
  100 thou thing in thy power that thou noldest never lesen, ne Fortune
      ne nay nat beneme it thee. And that thou mayst knowe that
      blisfulnesse ne may nat standen in thinges that ben fortunous
      and temporel, now understonde and gader it to-gidere thus:
      Yif blisfulnesse be the sovereyn good of nature that liveth by
  105 resoun, ne thilke thing nis nat sovereyn good that may be taken
      awey in any wyse, (for more worthy thing and more digne is
      thilke thing that may nat ben taken awey); than sheweth it wel,
      that the unstablenesse of fortune may nat atayne to receiven
      verray blisfulnesse. And yit more-over: what man that this
  110 toumbling welefulnesse ledeth, either he woot that it is chaunge_able,
      or elles he woot it nat. And yif he woot it nat, what blisful
      fortune may ther be in the blindnesse of ignorance? And yif he
      woot that it is chaungeable, he moot alwey ben adrad that he ne
      lese that thing that he ne doubteth nat but that he may lesm it;
  115 as who seith, he mot ben alwey agast, lest he lese that he wot wel he
      may lese it. For which, the continuel dreed that he hath ne
      suffreth him nat to ben weleful. Or yif he lese it, he weneth to
      be dispysed and forleten. Certes eek, that is a ful litel good that
      is born with evene herte whan it is lost; that is to seyn, that men
  120 do no more fors of the lost than of the havinge. And for as moche
      as thou thy-self art he, to whom it hath ben shewed and proved
      by ful manye demonstraciouns, as I wot wel, that the sowles of
      men ne mowe nat deyen in no wyse; and eek sin it is cleer and
      certein, that fortunous welefulnesse endeth by the deeth of the



|p36


  125 body; it may nat ben douted that, yif that deeth may take awey
      blisfulnesse, that alle the kinde of mortal thinges ne descendeth
      in-to wrecchednesse by the ende of the deeth. And sin we kuowen
      wel, that many a man hath sought the fruit of blisfulnesse nat
      only with suffringe of deeth, but eek with suffringe of peynes and
  130 tormentes; how mighte than this present lyf maken men blisful,
      sin that, whan thilke selve lyf is ended, it ne maketh folk no
      wrecches?

      METRE IV.

      Quisquis uolet perennem Cautus ponere sedem.

          What maner man, stable and war, that wole founden him
      a perdurable sete, and ne wole nat ben cast down with the loude
      blastes of the wind Eurus; and wole despyse the see, manasinge
      with flodes; lat him eschewen to bilde on the cop of the moun_taigne 
   5  or in the moiste sandes. For the felle wind Auster
      tormenteth the cop of the mountaigne with all his strengthes;
      and the lause sandes refusen to beren the hevy wighte.
          And forthy, if thou wolt fleen the perilous aventure, that is to
      seyn, of the worlde; have minde certeinly to ficchen thyn hous of
  10  a merye site in a lowe stoon. For al-though the wind, troubling
      the see, thondre with over-throwinges, thou that art put in quiete,
      and weleful by strengthe of thy palis, shalt leden a cleer age,
      scorninge the woodnesses and the ires of the eyr.

      PROSE V.

      Set cum rationum iam in te.

         But for as moche as the norisshinges of my resouns descenden
      now in-to thee, I trowe it were tyme to usen a litel strenger
      medicynes. Now understond heer, al were it so that the yiftes of
      Fortune ne were nat brutel ne transitorie, what is ther in hem



|p37


      that may be thyn in any tyme, or elles that it nis foul, yif that it
      be considered and loked perfitly? Richesses, ben they precious
      by the nature of hem-self, or elles by the nature of thee? What is
      most worth of richesses? Is it nat gold or might of moneye
   5   assembled? Certes, thilke gold and thilke moneye shyneth and
      yeveth betere renoun to hem that despenden it thanne to thilke
      foIk that mokeren it; for avarice maketh alwey mokereres to ben
      hated, and largesse maketh folk cleer of renoun. For sin that
      swich thing as is transferred fram o man to another ne may nat
  10   dwellen with no man; certes, thanne is thilke moneye precious
      whan it is translated into other folk and stenteth to ben had, by
      usage of large yevinge of him that hath yeven it. And also: yif
      that al the moneye that is over-al in the worlde were gadered
      toward o man, it sholde maken alle other men to ben nedy as of that.
  15   And certes a voys al hool, that is to seyn, with-oute amenusinge,
      fulfilleth to-gidere the hering of moche folk; but certes, youre
      richesses ne mowen nat passen in-to moche folke with-oute
      amenusinge. And whan they ben apassed, nedes they maken
      hem pore that for-gon the richesses.
  20      O! streite and nedy clepe I this richesse, sin that many folk
      ne may nat han it al, ne al may it nat comen to o man with-outen
      povertee of alle other folk! And the shyninge of gemmes, that
      I clepe precious stones, draweth it nat the eyen of folk to hem_ ward,
      that is to seyn, for the beautee? But certes, yif ther were
  25   beautee or bountee in the shyninge of stones, thilke cleernesse is
      of the stones hem-self, and nat of men; for whiche I wondre
      gretly that men mervailen on swiche thinges. For-why, what
      thing is it, that yif it wanteth moeving and Ioynture of sowle and
      body, that by right mighte semen a fair creature to him that hath
  30   a sowle of resoun? For al be it so that gemmes drawen to hem_ self 
      a litel of the laste beautee of the world, through the entente of
      hir creatour and through the distinccioun of hem-self; yit, for as
      mochel as they ben put under youre excelIence, they ne han nat



|p38


      deserved by no wey that ye sholden mervailen on hem. And
      the beautee of feldes, delyteth it nat mochel un-to yow?'
  40      Boece. `Why sholde it nat delyten us, sin that it is a right fair
      porcioun of the right faire werke, that is to seyn, of this world?
      And right so ben we gladed som-tyme of the face of the see
      whan it is cleer; and also mervailen we on the hevene and on the
      sterres, and on the sonne and on the mone.'
  45      Philosophye. `Aperteneth,' quod she, `any of thilke thinges to
      thee? Why darst thou glorifyen thee in the shyninge of any
      swiche thinges? Art thou distingwed and embelised by the
      springinge floures of the first somer sesoun, or swelleth thy
      plentee in the fruites of somer? Why art thou ravisshed with
  50   ydel Ioyes? Why embracest thou straunge goodes as they weren
      thyne? Fortune ne shal never maken that swiche thinges ben
      thyne, that nature of thinges hath maked foreine fro thee. Sooth
      is that, with-outen doute, the frutes of the erthe owen to ben to
      the norissinge of bestes. And yif thou wolt fulfille thy nede after
  55   that it suffyseth to nature, than is it no nede that thou seke after
      the superfluitee of fortune. For with ful fewe things and with ful
      liteI thinges nature halt hir apayed; and yif thou wolt achoken
      the fulfillinge of nature with superfluitees, certes, thilke thinges
      that thou wolt thresten or pouren in-to nature shullen ben unioy_ ful 
  60   to thee, or elles anoyous. Wenest thou eek that it be a fair
      thing to shyne with dyverse clothinge? Of whiche clothinge yif
      the beautee be agreeable to loken up-on, I wol mervailen on the
      nature of the matere of thilke clothes, or elles on the werkman
      that wroughte hem. But also a long route of meynee, maketh
  65   that a blisful man? The whiche servants, yif they ben vicious of
      condiciouns, it is a great charge and a distruccioun to the hous,
      and a greet enemy to the lord him-self. And yif they ben goode
      men, how shal straunge or foreine goodnesse ben put in the
      noumbre of thy richesse? So that, by all these forseide thinges,
  70   it is clearly y-shewed, that never oon of thilke thinges that thou
      acountedest for thyne goodes nas nat thy good. In the whiche



|p39


      thinges, yif ther be no beautee to ben desyred, why sholdest thou
      ben sory yif thou lese hem, or why sholdest thou reioysen thee
      to holden hem? For yif they ben faire of hir owne kinde, what
  75   aperteneth that to thee? For al so wel sholden they han ben
      faire by hem-selve, though they weren departed fram alle thyne
      richesses. Forwhy faire ne precious ne weren they nat, for that
      they comen among thy richesses; but, for they semeden faire and
      precious, ther-for thou haddest lever rekne hem amonges thy
  80   richesses.
         But what desirest thou of Fortune with so grete a noise, and
      with so grete a fare? I trowe thou seke to dryve awey nede with
      habundaunce of thinges; but certes, it torneth to you al in the
      contrarie. Forwhy certes, it nedeth of ful manye helpinges to
  85   kepen the diversitee of precious ostelments. And sooth it is,
      that of manye thinges han they nede that manye thinges han; and
      ayeinward, of litel nedeth hem that mesuren hir fille after the nede
      of kinde, and nat after the outrage of coveityse. Is it thanne so,
      that ye men ne han no proper good y-set in you, for which
  90   ye moten seken outward youre goodes in foreine and subgit
      thinges? So is thanne the condicioun of thinges torned up-so_ down,
      that a man, that is a devyne beest by merite of his resoun,
      thinketh that him-self nis neither faire ne noble, but-yif it be
      thorugh possessioun of ostelments that ne han no sowles. And
  95   certes, al other thinges ben apayed of hir owne beautee; but ye
      men, that ben semblable to god by your resonable thought,
      desiren to aparailen your excellent kinde of the lowest thinges;
      ne ye understonden nat how greet a wrong ye don to your
      creatour. For he wolde that mankinde were most worthy and
  100  noble of any othre erthely thinges; and ye threste adoun your
      dignitees benethe the lowest thinges. For yif that al the good of
      every thinge be more precious than is thilke thing whos that
      the good is: sin ye demen that the fouleste thinges ben youre
      goodes, thanne submitten ye and putten your-selven under tho
  105  fouleste thinges by your estiniacioun; and certes, this tydeth nat
      with-oute youre desertes. For certes, swiche is the condicioun of
      alle mankinde, that only whan it hath knowinge of it-selve, than



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      passeth it in noblesse alle other thinges; and whan it forleteth the
      knowinge of it-self, than is it brought binethen alle beestes. For_why 
  110 al other livinge beestes han of kinde to knowe nat hem-self;
      but whan that men leten the knowinge of hemself, it cometh hem
      of vice. But how brode sheweth the errour and the folye of yow
      men, that wenen that any thing may ben aparailed with straunge
      aparailements! But for sothe that may nat ben doon. For yif
  115 a wight shyneth with thinges that ben put to him, as thus, if
      thilke thinges shynen with which a man is aparailed, certes, thilke
      thinges ben comended and preysed with which he is aparailed;
      but natheles, the thing that is covered and wrapped under that
      dwelleth in his filthe.
  120    And I denye that thilke thing be good that anoyeth him that
      hath it. Gabbe I of this? Thou wolt seye "nay." Certes,
      richesses han anoyed ful ofte hem that han tho richesses; sin that
      every wikked shrewe, (and for his wikkednesse the more gredy
      after other folkes richesses, wher-so ever it be in any place, be it
  125 gold or precious stones), weneth him only most worthy that hath
      hem. Thou thanne, that so bisy dredest now the swerd and now
      the spere, yif thou haddest entred in the path of this lyf a voide
      wayferinge man, than woldest thou singe beforn the theef; as
      who seith, a pore man, that berth no richesse on him by the weye,
  130 may boldely singe biforn theves, for he hath nat wherof to ben
      robbed. O precious and right cleer is the blisfulnesse of mortal
      richesses, that, whan thou hast geten it, than hast thou lorn thy
      sikernesse!

         METRE V.

         Felix nimium prior etas.

         Blisful was the first age of men! They helden hem apayed
      with the metes that the trewe feldes broughten forth. They
      ne distroyede nor deceivede nat hem-self with outrage. They



|p41


      weren wont lightly to slaken hir hunger at even with acornes
   5  of okes. They ne coude nat medly the yifte of Bachus to the
      cleer hony; that is to seyn, they coude make no piment nor clarree;
      ne they coude nat medle the brighte fleeses of the contree of
      Seriens with the venim of Tyrie; this is to seyn, they coude nat
      deyen whyte fleeses of Serien contree with the blode of a maner
  10  shelfisshe that men finden in Tyrie, with whiche blood men deyen
      purpur. They slepen hoolsom slepes up-on the gras, and
      dronken of the renninge wateres; and layen under the shadwes
      of the heye pyn-trees. Ne no gest ne straungere ne carf yit
      the heye see with ores or with shippes; ne they ne hadde seyn
  15  yit none newe strondes, to leden marchaundyse in-to dyverse
      contrees. Tho weren the cruel clariouns ful hust and ful stille,
      ne blood y-shad by egre hate ne hadde nat deyed yit armures.
      For wher-to or which woodnesse of enemys wolde first moeven
      armes, whan they seyen cruel woundes, ne none medes be of
  20  blood y-shad?
         I wolde that oure tymes sholde torne ayein to the olde
      maneres! But the anguissous love of havinge brenneth in folk
      more cruely than the fyr of the mountaigne Ethna, that ay brenneth.
      Allas! what was he that first dalf up the gobetes or the weightes
  25  of gold covered under erthe, and the precious stones that wolden
      han ben hid? He dalf up precious perils. That is to seyn, that
      he that hem first up dalf, he dalf up a precious peril; for-why for
      the preciousnesse of swiche thinge, hath many man ben in peril.

          PROSE VI.

          Quid autem de dignitatibus.

         But what shal I seye of dignitees and of powers, the whiche
      ye men, that neither knowen verray dignitee ne verray power,
      areysen hem as heye as the hevene? The whiche dignitees and



|p42


      powers yif they comen to any wikked man, they don as grete
   5  damages and destrucciouns as doth the flaumbe of the mountaigne
      Ethna, whan the flaumbe walweth up; ne no deluge ne doth so
      cruel harmes. Certes, thee remembreth wel, as I trowe, that
      thilke dignitee that men clepen the imperie of consulers, the
      whiche that whylom was biginninge of fredom, youre eldres
  10  coveiteden to han don away that dignitee, for the pryde of the
      consulers. And right for the same pryde your eldres, biforn that
      tyme, hadden don awey, out of the citee of Rome, the kinges
      name; that is to seyn, they nolde han no lenger no king. But
      now, yif so be that dignitees and powers be yeven to goode men,
  15  the whiche thing is ful selde, what agreable thing is ther in tho
      dignitees or powers but only the goodnesse of folkes that usen
      hem? And therfor it is thus, that honour ne comth nat to vertu
      for cause of dignitee, but ayeinward honour comth to dignitee for
      cause of vertu. But whiche is thilke youre dereworthe power,
  20  that is so cleer and so requerable? O ye ertheliche bestes,
      considere ye nat over which thinge that it semeth that ye han
      power? Now yif thou saye a mous amonges other mys, that
      chalaunged to him-self ward right and power over alle other mys,
      how greet scorn woldest thou han of it! Glosa. So fareth it by
  25  men; the body hath power over the body. For yif thou loke wel
      up-on the body of a wight, what thing shalt thou finde more
      freele than is mankinde; the whiche men wel ofte ben slayn with
      bytinge of smale flyes, or elles with the entringe of crepinge
      wormes in-to the privetees of manmes body? But wher shal man
  30  finden any man that may exercen or haunten any right up-on
      another man, but only up-on his body, or elles up-on thinges
      that ben lowere than the body, the whiche I clepe fortunous
      possessiouns? Mayst thou ever have any comaundement over
      a free corage? Mayst thou remuen fro the estat of his propre
  35  reste a thought that is clyvinge to-gidere in him-self by stedefast



|p43


      resoun? As whylom a tyraunt wende to confounde a free man
      of corage, and wende to constreyne him by torment, to maken
      him discoveren and acusen folk that wisten of a coniuracioun,
      which I clepe a confederacie, that was cast ayeins this tyraunt,
  40  but this free man boot of his owne tonge and caste it in the
      visage of thilke wode tyraunt, so that the torments that this
      tyraunt wende to han maked matere of crueltee, this wyse man
      maked it matere of vertu.
         But what thing is it that a man may don to another man, that
  45  he ne may receyven the same thing of othre folk in him-seIf:
      or thus, what may a man don to folk, that folk may don him the
      same? I have herd told of Busirides, that was wont to sleen his
      gestes that herberweden in his hous; and he was sleyn him-self
      of Ercules that was his gest. Regulus hadde taken in bataile
  50  many men of Affrike and cast hem in-to feteres; but sone after
      he moste yeve his handes to ben bounde with the cheynes of
      hem that he hadde whylom overcomen. Wenest thou thanne
      that he be mighty, that hath no power to don a thing, that othre
      ne may don in him that he doth in othre? And yit more-over,
  55  yif it so were that thise dignitees or poweres hadden any propre
      or natural goodnesse in hem-self, never nolden they comen to
      shrewes. For contrarious thinges ne ben nat wont to ben
      y-felawshiped to-gidere. Nature refuseth that contrarious thinges
      ben y-ioigned. And so, as I am in certein that right wikked folk
  60  han dignitees ofte tyme, than sheweth it wel that dignitees and
      powers ne ben nat goode of hir owne kinde; sin that they suffren
      hem-self to cleven or ioinen hem to shrewes. And certes, the
      same thing may I most digneliche iugen and seyn of alle the
      yiftes of fortune that most plentevously comen to shrewes; of
  65  the whiche yiftes, I trowe that it oughte ben considered, that no
      man douteth that he nis strong in whom he seeth strengthe; and
      in whom that swiftnesse is, sooth it is that he is swift. Also
      musike maketh musiciens, and phisike maketh phisiciens, and
      rethorike rethoriens. For-why the nature of every thing maketh
  70  his propretee, ne it is nat entremedled with the effects of the



|p44


      contrarious thinges; and, as of wil, it chaseth out thinges that
      ben to it contrarie. But certes, richesse may not restreyne
      avarice unstaunched; ne power ne maketh nat a man mighty
      over him-self, whiche that vicious lustes holden destreyned with
  75  cheynes that ne mowen nat be unbounden. And dignitees that
      ben yeven to shrewede folk nat only ne maketh hem nat digne,
      but it sheweth rather al openly that they ben unworthy and
      undigne. And why is it thus? Certes, for ye han Ioye to clepen
      thinges with false names that beren hem alle in the contrarie,
  80  the whiche names ben ful ofte reproeved by the effecte of the
      same thinges; so that thise ilke richesses ne oughten nat by
      right to ben cleped richesses; ne swich power ne oughte nat
      ben cleped power; ne swich dignitee ne oughte nat ben cleped
      dignitee.
  85     And at the laste, I may conclude the same thing of alle the
      yiftes of Fortune, in which ther nis nothing to ben desired, ne
      that hath in him-self naturel bountee, as it is ful wel y-sene. For
      neither they ne ioignen hem nat alwey to goode men, ne maken
      hem alwey goode to whom that they ben y-ioigned.

       METRE VI.

       Nouimus quantas dederit ruinas.

         We han wel knowen how many grete harmes and destrucciouns
      weren don by the emperor Nero. He leet brenne the citee of
      Rome, and made sleen the senatoures. And he, cruel, whylom
      slew his brother; and he was maked moist with the blood of
   5  his moder; that is to seyn, he leet sleen and slitten the body of
      his moder, to sleen wher he was conceived; and he loked on every
      halve up-on her colde dede body, ne no tere ne wette his face, but
      he was so hard-herted that he mighte ben domes-man or Iuge of
      hir dede beautee. And natheles, yit governede this Nero by
  10  ceptre alle the poeples that Phebus the sonne may seen, cominge



|p45


      from his outereste arysinge til he hyde his bemes under the
      wawes; that is to seyn, he governed alle the peoples by ceptre im_perial 
      that the sonne goth aboute, from est to west. And eek this
      Nero governed by ceptre alle the poeples that ben under the
  15  colde sterres that highten "septem triones"; this is to seyn, he
      governede alle the peoples that ben under the party of the north.
      And eek Nero governed alle the poeples that the violent wind
      Nothus scorkleth, and baketh the brenning sandes by his drye
      hete; that is to seyn, alle the peoples in the south. But yit ne
  20  mighte nat al his hye power torne the woodnesse of this wikked
      Nero. Allas! it is a grevous fortune, as ofte as wikked swerd
      is ioigned to cruel venim; that is to seyn, venimous crueltee to
      lordshippe.'

       PROSE VII.

       Tum ego, scis, inquam.

          Thanne seyde I thus: `Thou wost wel thy-self that the covei_tise 
      of mortal thinges ne hadde never lordshipe of me; but
      I have wel desired matere of thinges to done, as who seith, I
      desire to han matere of governaunce over comunalitees, for vertu,
   5  stille, ne sholde nat elden;' that is to seyn, that [him] leste that,
      or he wex olde, his vertu, that lay now ful stille, ne should nat
      perisshe unexercised in governaunce of comune; for which men
      mighten speken or wryten of his goode governement.
         Philosophye. `For sothe, quod she, `and that is a thing that
  10  may drawen to governaunce swiche hertes as ben worthy, and
      noble of hir nature; but natheles, it may nat drawen or tollen
      swiche hertes as ben y-brought to the fulle perfeccioun of vertu,
      that is to seyn, coveitise of glorie and renoun to han wel adminis_tred 
      the comune thinges or don gode desertes to profit of the
  15  comune. For see now and considere, how litel and how voide of
      alle prys is thilke glorie. Certein thing is, as thou hast lerned by



|p46


      the demonstracioun of astronomye, that al the environinge of the
      erthe aboute ne halt nat but the resoun of a prikke at regard of the
      greetnesse of hevene; that is to seyn, that yif ther were maked
  20  comparisoun of the erthe to the greetnesse of hevene, men wolden
      iugen in al, that the erthe ne helde no space. Of the whiche litel
      regioun of this worlde, the ferthe partye is enhabited with livinge
      bestes that we knowen, as thou thyself hast y-lerned by Tholomee
      that proveth it. And yif thou haddest with-drawen and abated in
  25  thy thought fro thilke ferthe partye as moche space as the see and
      the mareys contenen and over-goon, and as moche space as the
      regioun of droughte over-streccheth, that is to seyn, sandes and
      desertes, wel unnethe sholde ther dwellen a right streit place to
      the habitacioun of men. And ye thanne, that ben environed and
  30  closed with-in the leste prikke of thilke prikke, thinken ye to
      manifesten your renoun and don youre name to ben born forth?
      But your glorie, that is so narwe and so streite y-throngen in-to so
      litel boundes, how mochel coveiteth it in largesse and in greet
      doinge? And also sette this there-to: that many a nacioun,
  35  dyverse of tonge and of maneres and eek of resoun of hir livinge,
      ben enhabited in the clos of thilke litel habitacle; to the whiche
      naciouns, what for difficultee of weyes and what for dyversitee of
      langages, and what for defaute of unusage and entrecomuninge of
      marchaundise, nat only the names of singuler men ne may nat strecchen, but eek
  40  the fame of citees ne may nat strecchen. At
      the laste, certes, in the tyme of Marcus Tullius, as him-self writ in
      his book, that the renoun of the comune of Rome ne hadde nat
      yit passed ne cloumben over the mountaigne that highte Caucasus;
      and yit was, thilke tyme, Rome wel waxen and greetly redouted of
  45  the Parthes and eek of other folk enhabitinge aboute. Seestow
      nat thanne how streit and how compressed is thilke glorie that ye
      travailen aboute to shewe and to multiplye? May thanne the
      glorie of a singuler Romaine strecchen thider as the fame of the



|p47


      name of Rome may nat climben ne passen? And eek, seestow nat
  50  that the maneres of dyverse folk and eek hir lawes ben dis_cordaunt 
      among hem-self; so that thilke thing that som men
      iugen worthy of preysinge, other folk iugen that it is worthy of
      torment? And ther-of comth it that, though a man delyte him in
      preysinge of his renoun, he may nat in no wyse bringen forth ne
  55  spreden his name to many maner poeples. There-for every man
      oughte to ben apayed of his glorie that is publisshed among his
      owne neighbours; and thilke noble renoun shal ben restreyned
      within the boundes of o manere folke. But how many a man,
      that was ful noble in his tyme, hath the wrecched and nedy
  60  foryetinge of wryteres put out of minde and don awey! Al be
      it so that, certes, thilke wrytinges profiten litel; the whiche
      wrytinges long and derk elde doth awey, bothe hem and eek hir
      autours. But ye men semen to geten yow a perdurabletee, whan
      ye thenken that, in tyme to-cominge, your fame shal lasten. But
  65  natheles, yif thou wolt maken comparisoun to the endeles spaces
      of eternitee, what thing hast thou by whiche thou mayst reioysen
      thee of long lastinge of thy name? For yif ther were maked com_parisoun 
      of the abydinge of a moment to ten thousand winter,
      for as mochel as bothe the spaces ben ended, yit hath the
  70  moment som porcioun of it, al-though it litel be. But nathe_les,
      thilke selve noumbre of yeres, and eek as many yeres as
      ther-to may be multiplyed, ne may nat, certes, ben comparisoned
      to the perdurabletee that is endeles; for of thinges that han ende
      may be maked comparisoun, but of thinges that ben with-outen
  75  ende, to thinges that han ende, may be maked no comparisoun.
      And forthy is it that, al-though renoun, of as long tyme as ever
      thee list to thinken, were thought to the regard of eternitee, that
      is unstaunchable and infinit, it ne sholde nat only semen litel, but
      pleynliche right naught. But ye men, certes, ne conne don
  80  nothing a-right, but-yif it be for the audience of poeple and for
      ydel rumours; and ye forsaken the grete worthinesse of conscience



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      and of vertu, and ye seken your guerdouns of the smale wordes of
      straunge folk.
         Have now heer and understonde, in the lightnesse of swich
  85  pryde and veine glorie, how a man scornede festivaly and merily
      swich vanitee. Whylom ther was a man thas hadde assayed
      with stryvinge wordes another man, the whiche, nat for usage of
      verray vertu but for proud veine glorie, had taken up-on him
      falsly the name of a philosophre. This rather man that I spak
  90  of thoughte he wolde assaye, wher he, thilke, were a philosophre
      or no; that is to seyn, yif that he wolde han suffred lightly in
      pacience the wronges that weren don un-to him. This feynede
      philosophre took pacience a litel whyle, and, whan he hadde
      received wordes of outrage, he, as in stryvinge ayein and reioys_inge,
  95  of him-self, seyde at the laste right thus: "understondest
      thou nat that I am a philosophre?" That other man answerde
      ayein ful bytingly, and seyde: "I hadde wel understonden it, yif
      thou haddest holden thy tonge stille." But what is it to thise
      noble worthy men (for, certes, of swiche folke speke I) that seken
  100  glorie with vertu? What is it?' quod she; `what atteyneth fame
      to swiche folk, whan the body is resolved by the deeth at the
      laste? For yif it so be that men dyen in al, that is to seyn, body
      and sowle, the whiche thing our resoun defendeth us to bileven,
      thanne is ther no glorie in no wyse. For what sholde thilke glorie
  105 ben, whan he, of whom thilke glorie is seyd to be, nis right naught
      in no wyse? And yif the sowle, whiche that hath in it-self science
      of goode werkes, unbounden fro the prison of the erthe, wendeth
      frely to the hevene, despyseth it nat thanne alle erthely occu_pacioun;
      and, being in hevene, reioyseth that it is exempt fro alle
  110 erthely thinges? As who seith, thanne rekketh the sowle of no
      glorie of renoun of this world.

       METRE VII.

      Quicunque solam mente praecipiti petit.

         Who-so that, with overthrowinge thought, only seketh glorie of
      fame, and weneth that it be sovereyn good: lat him loken up-on



|p49


      the brode shewinge contrees of hevene, and up-on the streite site
      of this erthe; and he shal ben ashamed of the encrees of his
   5  name, that may nat fulfille the litel compas of the erthe. O!
      what coveiten proude folk to liften up hir nekkes in ydel in the
      dedly yok of this worlde? For al-though that renoun y-sprad,
      passinge to ferne poeples, goth by dyverse tonges; and al-though
      that grete houses, or kinredes shynen with clere titles of honours;
  10  yit, natheles, deeth despyseth alle heye glorie of fame: and deeth
      wrappeth to-gidere the heye hevedes and the lowe, and maketh
      egal and evene the heyeste to the loweste. Wher wonen now the
      bones of trewe Fabricius? What is now Brutus, or stierne
      Catoun? The thinne fame, yit lastinge, of hir ydel names, is
  15  marked with a fewe lettres; but al-though that we han knowen
      the faire wordes of the fames of hem, it is nat yeven to knowe
      hem that ben dede and consumpte. Liggeth thanne stille, al
      outrely unknowable; ne fame ne maketh yow nat knowe. And
      yif ye wene to liven the longer for winde of your mortal name,
  20  whan o cruel day shal ravisshe yow, thanne is the seconde deeth
      dwellinge un-to yow.' Glose. The first deeth he clepeth heer the
      departinge of the body and the sowle; and the seconde deeth he
      clepeth, as heer, the stintinge of the renoun of fame.

       PROSE VIII.

       Set ne me inexorabile contra fortunam.

         `But for as mochel as thou shalt nat wenen', quod she, `that I
      bere untretable bataile ayeins fortune, yit som-tyme it bifalleth that
      she, deceyvable, deserveth to han right good thank of men; and
      that is, whan she hir-self opneth, and whan she descovereth hir
   5  frount, and sheweth hir maneres. Peraventure yit understondest
      thou nat that I shal seye. It is a wonder that I desire to telle,
      and forthy unnethe may I unpleyten my sentence with wordes; for
      I deme that contrarious Fortune profiteth more to men than



|p50


      Fortune debonaire. For alwey, whan Fortune semeth debonaire,
  10  than she lyeth falsly in bihetinge the hope of welefulnesse; but
      forsothe contrarious Fortune is alwey soothfast, whan she sheweth
      hir-self unstable thorugh hir chaunginge. The amiable Fortune
      deceyveth folk; the contrarie Fortune techeth. The amiable
      Fortune bindeth with the beautee of false goodes the hertes of
  15  folk that usen hem; the contrarie Fortune unbindeth hem by the
      knowinge of freele welefulnesse. The amiable Fortune mayst
      thou seen alwey windinge and flowinge, and ever misknowinge of
      hir-self; the contrarie Fortune is atempre and restreyned, and wys
      thorugh exercise of hir adversitee. At the laste, amiable Fortune
  20  with hir flateringes draweth miswandringe men fro the sovereyne
      good; the contrarious Fortune ledeth ofte folk ayein to soothfast
      goodes, and haleth hem ayein as with an hooke. Wenest thou
      thanne that thou oughtest to leten this a litel thing, that this aspre
      and horrible Fortune hath discovered to thee the thoughtes of thy
  25  trewe freendes? For-why this ilke Fortune hath departed and un_covered 
      to thee bothe the certein visages and eek the doutous
      visages of thy felawes. Whan she departed awey fro thee, she
      took awey hir freendes, and lafte thee thyne freendes. Now whan
      thou were riche and weleful, as thee semede, with how mochel
  30  woldest thou han bought the fulle knowinge of this, this is to seyn,
      the knowinge of thy verray freendes? Now pleyne thee nat thanne
      of richesse y-lorn, sin thou hast founden the moste precious kinde
      of richesses, that is to seyn, thy verray freendes.

       METRE VIII.

       Quod mundus stabili fide.

         That the world with stable feith varieth acordable chaunginges;
      that the contrarious qualitee of elements holden among hem-self
      aliaunce perdurable; that Phebus the sonne with his goldene
      chariet bringeth forth the rosene day; that the mone hath com{_}maundement
      over the nightes, which nightes Hesperus the eve_sterre 
   5  hath brought; that the see, greedy to flowen, constreyneth
      with a certein ende hise flodes, so that it is nat leveful to strecche
      hise brode termes or boundes up-on the erthes, that is to seyn, to



|p51


      covere al the erthe:-al this acordaunce of thinges is bounden with
  10  Love, that governeth erthe and see, and hath also commaunde_ments 
      to the hevenes. And yif this Love slakede the brydeles,
      alle thinges that now loven hem to-gederes wolden maken a bataile
      continuely, and stryven to fordoon the fasoun of this worlde, the
      whiche they now leden in acordable feith by faire moevinges.
  15  This Love halt to-gideres poeples ioigned with an holy bond, and
      knitteth sacrement of mariages of chaste loves, and Love endyteth
      lawes to trewe felawes. O! weleful were mankinde, yif thilke
      Love that governeth hevene governed youre corages!'

       Explicit Liber secundus.



       BOOK III.

       PROSE I.

       Iam cantum illa finierat.

         By this she hadde ended hir song, whan the sweetnesse of hir
      ditee hadde thorugh-perced me that was desirous of herkninge,
      and I astoned hadde yit streighte myn eres, that is to seyn, to
      herkne the bet what she wolde seye; so that a litel here-after I
   5  seyde thus: `O thou that art sovereyn comfort of anguissous
      corages, so thou hast remounted and norisshed me with the
      weighte of thy sentences and with delyt of thy singinge; so that
      I trowe nat now that I be unparigal to the strokes of Fortune:
      as who seyth, I dar wel now suffren al the assautes of Fortune, and
  10  wel defende me fro hir. And tho remedies whiche that thou
      seydest her-biforn weren right sharpe, nat only that I am nat
      a-grisen of hem now, but I, desirous of heringe, axe gretely to
      heren the remedies.'
         Than seyde she thus: `That felede I ful wel,' quod she, `whan
  15  that thou, ententif and stille, ravisshedest my wordes; and I
      abood til that thou haddest swich habite of thy thought as thou



|p52


      hast now; or elles til that I my-self hadde maked to thee the
      same habit, which that is a more verray thing. And certes, the
      remenaunt of thinges that ben yit to seye ben swiche, that first
  20  whan men tasten hem they ben bytinge, but whan they ben
      receyved withinne a wight, than ben they swete. But for thou
      seyst that thou art so desirous to herkne hem, with how gret
      brenninge woldest thou glowen, yif thou wistest whider I wol
      leden thee!'
  25     `Whider is that?' quod I.
         `To thilke verray welefulnesse,' quod she, `of whiche thyn herte
      dremeth; but for as moche as thy sighte is ocupied and distorbed
      by imaginacioun of erthely thinges, thou mayst nat yit seen thilke
      selve welefulnesse.'
  30     `Do,' quod I, `and shewe me what is thilke verray welefulnesse,
      I preye thee, with-oute taryinge.'
         `That wole I gladly don,' quod she, `for the cause of thee;
      but I wol first marken thee by wordes and I wol enforcen me to
      enformen thee thilke false cause of blisfulnesse that thou more
  35  knowest; so that, whan thou hast fully bi-holden thilke false
      goodes, and torned thyn eyen to that other syde, thou mowe knowe
      the cleernesse of verray blisfulnesse.

       METRE I.

       Qui serere ingenuum uolet agrum.

         Who-so wole sowe a feeld plentivous, lat him first delivere it fro
      thornes, and kerve asunder with his hook the busshes and the
      fern, so that the corn may comen hevy of eres and of greynes.
      Hony is the more swete, yif mouthes han first tasted savoures that
   5  ben wikkid. The sterres shynen more agreably whan the wind
      Nothus leteth his ploungy blastes; and after that Lucifer the
      day-sterre hath chased awey the derke night, the day the fairere
      ledeth the rosene hors of the sonne. And right so thou, bi_



|p53


      holdinge first the false goodes, bigin to with-drawen thy nekke
      fro the yok of erthely affecciouns; and after-ward the verray goodes
      shollen entren in-to thy corage.'

       PROSE II.

       Tunc defixo paullulum uisu.

         Tho fastnede she a litel the sighte of hir eyen, and with-drow
      hir right as it were in-to the streite sete of hir thought; and bigan
      to speke right thus: `Alle the cures,' quod she, `of mortal folk,
      whiche that travaylen hem in many maner studies, goon certes by
   5  diverse weyes, but natheles they enforcen hem alle to comen only
      to oon ende of blisfulnesse. And blisfulnesse is swiche a good,
      that who-so that hath geten it, he ne may, over that, no-thing
      more desyre. And this thing is forsothe the sovereyn good that
      conteyneth in him-self alle maner goodes; to the whiche good yif
  10  ther failede any thing, it mighte nat ben cleped sovereyn good:
      for thanne were ther som good, out of this ilke sovereyn good, that
      mighte ben desired. Now is it cleer and certein thanne, that
      blisfulnesse is a parfit estat by the congregacioun of alle goodes;
      the whiche blisfulnesse, as I have seyd, alle mortal folk enforcen
  15  hem to geten by diverse weyes. For-why the coveitise of verray
      good is naturelly y-plaunted in the hertes of men; but the mis_wandringe 
      errour mis-ledeth hem in-to false goodes. Of the
      whiche men, som of hem wenen that sovereyn good be to liven
      with-oute nede of any thing, and travaylen hem to be haboundaunt
  20  of richesses. And som other men demen that sovereyn good be,
      for to ben right digne of reverence; and enforcen hem to ben
      reverenced among hir neighbours by the honours that they han
      y-geten. And some folk ther ben that holden, that right heigh
      power be sovereyn good, and enforcen hem for to regnen, or elles
  25  to ioignen hem to hem that regnen. And it semeth to some other
      folk, that noblesse of renoun be the sovereyn good; and hasten



|p54


      hem to geten glorious name by the arts of werre and of pees.
      And many folk mesuren and gessen that sovereyn good be Ioye
  30  and gladnesse, and wenen that it be right blisful thing to ploungen
      hem in voluptuous delyt. And ther ben folk that entrechaungen
      the causes and the endes of thise forseyde goodes, as they that
      desiren richesses to han power and delytes; or elles they desiren
      power for to han moneye, or for cause of renoun. In thise thinges,
  35  and in swiche othre thinges, is torned alle the entencioun of
      desiringes and of werkes of men; as thus: noblesse and favour
      of people, whiche that yeveth to men, as it semeth hem, a maner
      cleernesse of renoun; and wyf and children, that men desiren for
      cause of delyt and of merinesse. But forsothe, frendes ne sholden
  40  nat be rekned a-mong the godes of fortune, but of vertu; for it is
      a ful holy maner thing. Alle thise othre thinges, forsothe, ben
      taken for cause of power or elles for cause of delyt.
         Certes, now am I redy to referren the goodes of the body to
      thise forseide thinges aboven; for it semeth that strengthe and
  45  gretnesse of body yeven power and worthinesse, and that beautee
      and swiftnesse yeven noblesses and glorie of renoun; and hele of
      body semeth yeven delyt. In alIe thise thinges it semeth only
      that blisfulnesse is desired. For-why thilke thing that every man
      desireth most over alle thinges, he demeth that it be the sovereyn
  50  good; but I have defyned that blisfulnesse is the sovereyn good;
      for which every wight demeth, that thilke estat that he desireth
      over alle thinges, that it be blisfulnesse.
         Now hast thou thanne biforn thyn eyen almest al the purposed
      forme of the welefulnesse of man-kinde, that is to seyn, richesses,
  55  honours, power, and glorie, and delyts. The whiche delyt only
      considerede Epicurus, and iuged and establisshed that delyt is
      the sovereyn good; for as moche as alle othre thinges, as him
      thoughte, bi-refte awey Ioye and mirthe fram the herte. But I
      retorne ayein to the studies of men, of whiche men the corage
  60  alwey reherseth and seketh the sovereyn good, al be it so that
      it be with a derked memorie; but he not by whiche path, right



|p55


      as a dronken man not nat by whiche path he may retorne him to
      his hous. Semeth it thanne that folk folyen and erren that
      enforcen hem to have nede of nothing? Certes, ther nis non other
      thing that may so wel performe blisfulnesse, as an estat plentivous
  65  of alle goodes, that ne hath nede of non other thing, but that is
      suffisaunt of himself unto him-self. And folyen swiche folk thanne,
      that wenen that thilke thing that is right good, that it be eek right
      worthy of honour and of reverence? Certes, nay. For that thing
      nis neither foul ne worthy to ben despised, that wel neigh al the
  70  entencioun of mortal folk travaylen for to geten it. And power,
      oughte nat that eek to ben rekened amonges goodes? What
      elles? For it is nat to wene that thilke thing, that is most worthy
      of alle thinges, be feble and with-oute strengthe. And cleernesse
      of renoun, oughte that to ben despised? Certes, ther may no
  75  man forsake, that al thing that is right excellent and noble, that it ne
      semeth to ben right cleer and renomed. For certes, it nedeth nat
      to seye, that blisfulnesse be [nat] anguissous ne drery, ne subgit to
      grevaunces ne to sorwes, sin that in right litel thinges folk seken
      to have and to usen that may delyten hem. Certes, thise ben
  80  the thinges that men wolen and desiren to geten. And for this
      cause desiren they richesses, dignitees, regnes, glorie, and delices.
      For therby wenen they to han suffisaunce, honour, power, renoun,
      and gladnesse. Than is it good, that men seken thus by so many
      diverse studies. In whiche desyr it may lightly ben shewed how
  85  gret is the strengthe of nature; for how so that men han diverse
      sentences and discordinge, algates men acorden alle in lovinge the
      ende of good.

       METRE II.

       Quantas rerum flectat habenas.

         It lyketh me to shewe, by subtil song, with slakke and delitable
      soun of strenges, how that Nature, mighty, enclineth and flitteth
      the governements of thinges, and by whiche lawes she, purveyable,
      kepeth the grete world; and how she, bindinge, restreyneth alle
   5  thinges by a bonde that rriay nat ben unbounde. Al be it so that



|p56


      the lyouns of the contre of Pene beren the faire chaynes, and
      taken metes of the handes of folk that yeven it hem, and dreden
      hir sturdy maystres of whiche they ben wont to suffren betinges:
      yif that hir horrible mouthes ben be-bled, that is to seyn, of bestes
  10  devoured, hir corage of time passed, that hath ben ydel and rested,
      repeyreth ayein; and they roren grevously and remembren on hir
      nature, and slaken hir nekkes fram hir chaynes unbounde; and
      hir mayster, first to-torn with blody tooth, assayeth the wode
      wrathes of hem; that is to seyn, they freten hir mayster. And the
  15  iangelinge brid that singeth on the heye braunches, that is to seyn,
      in the wode, and after is enclosed in a streyt cage: al-though that
      the pleyinge bisinesse of men yeveth hem honiede drinkes and
      large metes with swete studie, yit natheles, yif thilke brid, skip_pinge 
      out of hir streyte cage, seeth the agreables shadewes of the
  20  wodes, she defouleth with hir feet hir metes y-shad, and seketh
      mourninge only the wode; and twitereth, desiringe the wode, with
      hir swete vois. The yerde of a tree, that is haled a-doun by
      mighty strengthe, boweth redily the crop a-doun: but yif that the
      hand of him that it bente lat it gon ayein, anon the crop loketh
  25  up-right to hevene. The sonne Phebus, that falleth, at even in
      the westrene wawes, retorneth ayein eftsones his carte, by privee
      path, ther-as it is wont aryse. Alle thinges seken ayein to hir
      propre cours, and alle thinges reioysen hem of hir retorninge ayein
      to hir nature. Ne non ordinaunce nis bitaken to thinges, but that
  30  that hath ioyned the endinge to the beginninge, and hath maked
      the cours of it-self stable, that it chaungeth nat from his propre
      kinde

       PROSE III.

       Vos quoque, o terrena animalia.

         Certes also ye men, that ben ertheliche beestes, dremen alwey
      youre beginninge, al-though it be with a thinne imaginacioun;
      and by a maner thoughte, al be it nat cleerly ne parfitly, ye loken
      fram a-fer to thilke verray fyn of blisfulnesse; and ther-fore naturel



|p57


   5  entencioun ledeth you to thilke verray good, but many maner
      errours mis-torneth you ther-fro. Consider now yif that by thilke
      thinges, by whiche a man weneth to geten him blisfulnesse, yif
      that he may comen to thilke ende that he weneth to come by
      nature. For yif that moneye or honours, or thise other forseyde
  10  thinges bringen to men swich a thing that no good ne fayle hem
      ne semeth fayle, certes than wole I graunte that they ben maked
      blisful by thilke thinges that they han geten. But yif so be that
      thilke thinges ne mowen nat performen that they bi-heten, and
      that ther be defaute of manye goodes, sheweth it nat thanne
  15  cleerly that fals beautee of blisfulnesse is knowen and ateint in
      thilke thinges? First and forward thou thy-self, that haddest
      habundaunces of richesses nat long agon, I axe yif that, in the
      habundaunce of alle thilke richesses, thou were never anguissous
      or sory in thy corage of any wrong or grevaunce that bi-tidde thee
  20  on any syde?'
         `Certes,' quod I, `it ne remembreth me nat that evere I was
      so free of my thought that I ne was alwey in anguissh of som_what
      .'
         `And was nat that,' quo she, `for that thee lakked som-what
  25  that thou noldest nat han lakked, or elles thou haddest that thou
      noldest nat han had?'
         `Right so is it,' quod I.
         `Thanne desiredest thou the presence of that oon and the
      absence of that other?'
  30  `I graunte wel,' quod I.
         `Forsothe,' quod she, `than nedeth ther som-what that every
      man desireth?'
         `Ye, ther nedeth,' quod I.
         `Certes,' quod she, `and he that hath lakke or nede of aught
  35  nis nat in every wey suffisaunt to himself?'
         `No,' quod I.
         `And thou,' quod she, `in al the plentee of thy richesses haddest
      thilke lakke of suffisaunse?'
         `What elles?' quod I.
  40  `Thanne may nat richesses maken that a man nis nedy, ne that
      he be suffisaunt to him-self; and that was it that they bi-highten,



|p58


      as it semeth. And eek certes I trowe, that this be gretly to
      considere, that moneye ne hath nat in his owne kinde that it
      ne may ben bi-nomen of hem that han it, maugre hem?'
  45     `I bi-knowe it wel,' quod I.
          `Why sholdest thou nat bi-knowen it,' quod she, `whan every
      day the strenger folk bi-nemen it fro the febler, maugre hem?
      For whennes comen elles alle thise foreyne compleyntes or
      quereles of pletinges, but for that men axen ayein here moneye
  50  that hath ben bi-nomen hem by force or by gyle, and alwey
      maugre hem?'
         `Right so is it,' quod I.
         `Than,' quod she, `hath a man nede to seken him foreyne
      helpe by whiche he may defende his moneye?'
  55     `Who may sey nay?' quod I.
         `Certes,' quod she; `and him nedede non help, yif he ne hadde
      no moneye that he mighte lese?'
         `That is douteles,' quod I.
         `Than is this thinge torned in-to the contrarye,' quod she.
  60  `For richesses, that men wenen sholde niake suffisaunce, they
      maken a man rather han nede of foreyne help! Which is
      the nnanere or the gyse,' quod she, `that richesse may dryve awey
      nede? Riche folk, may they neither han hunger ne thurst?
      Thise riche men, may they fele no cold on hir limes on winter?
  65  But thou wolt answeren, that riche men han y-now wher-with they
      may staunchen hir hunger, slaken hir thurst, and don a-wey cold.
      In this wyse may nede be counforted by richesses; but certes,
      nede ne may nat all outrely ben don a-wey. For though this nede,
      that is alwey gapinge and gredy, be fulfild with richesses, and axe
  70  any thing, yit dwelleth thanne a nede that mighte be fulfild. I
      holde me stille, and telle nat how that litel thing suffiseth to
      nature; but certes to avarice y-nough ne suffiseth no-thing. For
      sin that richesses ne may nat al don awey nede, but richesses
      maken nede, what may it thanne be, that ye wenen that richesses
  75  mowen yeven you suffisaunce?



|p59


       METRE III.

       Quamvis fluente diues auri gurgite.

         Al were it so that a riche coveytous man hadde a river fletinge
      al of gold, yit sholde it never staunchen his coveitise; and though
      he hadde his nekke y-charged with precious stones of the rede
      see, and though he do ere his feldes plentivous with an hundred
   5  oxen, never ne shal his bytinge bisinesse for-leten him whyl he
      liveth, ne the lighte richesses ne sholle nat beren him companye
      whan he is ded.

       PROSE IV.

       Set dignitates.

         But dignitees, to whom they ben comen, maken they him
      honorable and reverent? Han they nat so gret strengthe, that
      they may putte vertues in the hertes of folk that usen the lordshipes
      of hem? Or elles may they don a-wey the vyces? Certes, they
   5  ne be nat wont to don awey wikkednesse, but they ben wont
      rather to shewen wikkednesse. And ther-of comth it that I have
      right grete desdeyn, that dignitees ben yeven ofte to wikked
      men; for which thing Catullus cleped a consul of Rome, that
      highte Nonius, "postum" or "boch"; as who seyth, he clepeth him
  10  a congregacioun of vyces in his brest, as a postum is ful of corupcioun,
      al were this Nonius set in a chayre of dignitee. Seest thou nat
      thanne how gret vilenye dignitees don to wikked men? Certes,
      unworthinesse of wikked men sholde be the lasse y-sene, yif they
      nere renomed of none honours. Certes, thou thyself ne mightest
  15  nat ben brought with as manye perils as thou mightest suffren
      that thou woldest beren the magistrat with Decorat; that is to
      seyn, that for no peril that mighte befallen thee by offence of the king



|p60


      Theodorike, thou noldest nat be felawe in governaunce with Decorat;
      whan thou saye that he hadde wikked corage of a likerous shrewe
  20  and of an accusor. Ne I ne may nat, for swiche honours, iugen
      hem worthy of reverence, that I deme and holde unworthy to han
      thilke same honours. Now yif thou saye a man that were fulfild
      of wisdom, certes, thou ne mightest nat deme that he were un_worthy 
      to the honour, or elles to the wisdom of which he is
  25  fulfild?' - `No,' quod I.-`Certes, dignitees,' quod she, `aper_tienen 
      proprely to vertu; and vertu transporteth dignitee anon to
      thilke man to which she hir-self is conioigned. And for as moche
      as honours of poeple ne may nat maken folk digne of honour, it
      is wel seyn cleerly that they ne han no propre beautee of dignitee.
  30  And yit men oughten taken more heed in this. For yif it so be
      that a wikked wight be so mochel the foulere and the more out_cast,
      that he is despysed of most folk, so as dignitee ne may nat
      maken shrewes digne of reverence, the which shrewes dignitee
      sheweth to moche folk, thanne maketh dignitee shrewes rather so
  35  moche more despysed than preysed; and forsothe nat unpunis_shed
      : that is for to seyn, that shrewes revengen hem ayeinward
      up-on dignitees; for they yilden ayein to dignitees as gret guer_doun,
      whan they bi-spotten and defoulen dignitees with hir
      vilenye. And for as mochel as thou mowe knowe that thilke
  40  verray reverence ne may nat comen by thise shadewy transitorie
      dignitees, undirstond now thus: yif that a man hadde used and
      had many maner dignitees of consules, and were comen per_aventure 
      amonge straunge naciouns, sholde thilke honour maken
      him worshipful and redouted of straunge folk? Certes, yif that
  45  honour of poeple were a naturel yift to dignitees, it ne mighte
      never cesen nowher amonges no maner folk to don his office,



|p61


      right as fyr in every contree ne stinteth nat to eschaufen and to
      ben hoot. But for as moche as for to ben holden honourable or
  50  reverent ne cometh nat to folk of hir propre strengthe of nature,
      but only of the false opinioun of folk, that is to seyn, that wenen
      that dignitees maken folk digne of honour; anon therfore whan
      that they comen ther-as folk ne knowen nat thilke dignitees, hir
      honours vanisshen awey, and that anon. But that is amonges
  55  straunge folk, mayst thou seyn; but amonges hem ther they
      weren born, ne duren nat thilke dignitees alwey?
      Certes, the
      dignitee of the provostrie of Rome was whylom a gret power;
      now is it nothing but an ydel name, and the rente of the senatorie
  60  a gret charge. And yif a wight whylom hadde the office to taken
      hede to the vitailes of the poeple, as of corn and other thinges, he
      was holden amonges grete; but what thing is now more out-cast
      thanne thilke provostrie? And, as I have seyd a litel her-biforn,
      that thilke thing that hath no propre beautee of him-self receiveth
  65  som-tyme prys and shyninge, and som-tyme leseth it by the
      opinioun of usaunces. Now yif that dignitees thanne ne mowen
      nat maken folk digne of reverence, and yif that dignitees wexen
      foule of hir wille by the filthe of shrewes, and yif that dignitees
      lesen hir shyninge by chaunginge of tymes, and yif they wexen
  70  foule by estimacioun of poeple: what is it that they han in hem_self 
      of beautee that oughte ben desired? as who seyth, non;
      thanne ne mowen they yeven no beautee of dignitee to non other.

      METRE IV.

      Quamvis se, tyrio superbus ostro.

        Al be it so that the proude Nero, with alle his wode luxurie,
      kembde him and aparailede him with faire purpres of Tirie,
      and with whyte perles, algates yit throf he hateful to alIe folk:
      this is to seyn, that al was he behated of alle folk. Yit this
   5  wikked Nero hadde gret lordship, and yaf whylom to the



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      reverents senatours the unworshipful setes of dignitees. Unwor_shipful 
      setes he clepeth here, for that Nero, that was so wikked, yaf
      tho dignitees. Who-so wolde thanne resonably wenen, that blisful_nesse 
      were in swiche honours as ben yeven by vicious shrewes?

      PROSE V.

      An vero regna regumque familiaritas.

        But regnes and familiaritees of kinges, may they maken a
      man to ben mighty? How elles, whan hir blisfulnesse dureth
      perpetuely? But certes, the olde age of tyme passed, and eek
      of present tyme now, is ful of ensaumples how that kinges ben
   5  chaunged in-to wrecchednesse out of hir welefulnesse. O! a
      noble thing and a cleer thing is,power, that is nat founden
      mighty to kepen it-self! And yif that power of reaumes be
      auctour and maker of blisfulnesse, yif thilke power lakketh on
      any syde, amenuseth it nat thilke blisfulnesse and bringeth in
  10  wrecchednesse? But yit, al be it so that the reaumes of man_kinde 
      strecchen brode, yit mot ther nede ben moche folk, over
      whiche that every king ne hath no lordshipe ne comaundement.
      And certes, up-on thilke syde that power faileth, which that
      maketh folk blisful, right on that same syde noun-power entreth
  15  under-nethe, that maketh hem wrecches, in this manere thanne
      moten kinges han more porcioun of wrecchednesse than of
      welefulnesse. A tyraunt, that was king of Sisile, that hadde
      assayed the peril of his estat, shewede by similitude the dredes
      of reaumes by gastnesse of a swerd that heng over the heved
  20  of his familier. What thing is thanne this power, that may nat
      don awey the bytinges of bisinesse, ne eschewe the prikkes of
      drede? And certes, yit wolden they liven in sikernesse, but
      they may nat; and yit they glorifye hem in hir power. Holdest
      thou thanne that thilke man be mighty, that thou seest that
  25  he wolde don that he may nat don? And holdest thou thanne
      him a mighty man, that hath envirownede his sydes with men



|p63


      of armes or seriaunts, and dredeth more hem that he maketh
      agast than they dreden him, and that is put in the handes of
      his servaunts for he sholde seme mighty? But of familieres
  30  or servaunts of kinges what sholde I telle thee anything, sin
      that I myself have shewed thee that reaumes hem-self ben
      ful of gret feblesse? The whiche familieres, certes, the ryal
      power of kinges, in hool estat and in estat abated, ful ofte
      throweth adown. Nero constreynede Senek, his familier and
  35  his mayster, to chesen on what deeth he wolde deyen. Antonius
      comaundede that knightes slowen with hir swerdes Papinian
      his familier, which Papinian hadde ben longe tyme ful mighty
      amonges hem of the court. And yit, certes, they wolden bothe
      han renounced hir power; of whiche two Senek enforcede him
  40  to yeven to Nero his richesses, and also to han gon in-to
      solitarie exil. But whan the grete weighte, that is to seyn, of
      lordes power or of fortune, draweth hem that shullen falle,
      neither of hem ne mighte do that he wolde. What thing is
      thanne thilke power, that though men han it, yit they ben agast,
  45  and whanne thou woldest han it, thou nart nat siker; and
      yif thou woldest forleten it, thou mayst nat eschuen it? But
      whether swiche men ben frendes at nede, as ben conseyled by
      fortune and nat by vertu? Certes, swiche folk as weleful
  50  fortune maketh freendes, contrarious fortune maketh hem
      enemys. And what pestilence is more mighty for to anoye a
      wight than a famiIier enemy?

      METRE V.

      Qui se uolet esse potentem.

        Who-so wol be mighty, he mot daunten his cruel corage,
      ne putte nat his nekke, overcomen, under the foule reynes of
      lecherye. For al-be-it so that thy lordshipe strecche so fer,
   5  that the contree of Inde quaketh at thy comaundements or at
      thy lawes, and that the last ile in the see, that hight Tyle,



|p64


      be thral to thee, yit, yif thou mayst nat putten awey thy foule
      derke desyrs, and dryven out fro thee wrecched complaintes,
   8 certes, it nis no power that thou hast.

      PROSE VI.

      Gloria uero quam fallax saepe.

        But glorie, how deceivable and how foul is it ofte! For
      which thing nat unskilfully a tragedien, that is to seyn, a maker
      of ditees that highten tragedies, cryde and seide: "O glorie,
      glorie," quod he, "thou art nothing elles to thousandes of folkes
   5  but a greet sweller of eres!" For manye han had ful greet
      renoun by the false opinioun of the poeple, and what thing
      may ben thought fouler than swiche preysinge? For thilke folk
      that ben preysed falsly, they moten nedes han shame of hir
      preysinges. And yif that folk han geten hem thonk or prey_singe 
  10  by hir desertes, what thing hath thilke prys eched or
      encresed to the conscience of wyse folk, that mesuren hir good,
      nat by the rumour of the poeple, but by the soothfastnesse of
      conscience? And yif it seme a fair thing, a man to han
      encresed and spred his name, than folweth it that it is demed
  15  to ben a foul thing, yif it ne be y-sprad and encresed. But,
      as I seyde a litel her-biforn that, sin ther mot nedes ben many
      folk, to whiche folk the renoun of a man ne may nat comen,
      it befalleth that he, that thou wenest be glorious and renomed,
      semeth in the nexte partie of the erthes to ben with-oute glorie
  20  and with-oute renoun.
        And certes, amonges thise thinges I ne trowe nat that the
      prys and grace of the poeple nis neither worthy to ben
      remembred, ne cometh of wyse Iugement, ne is ferme per_durably.
      But now, of this name of gentilesse, what man is it
  25   that ne may wel seen how veyn and how flittinge a thing it
      is? For yif the name of gentilesse be referred to renoun and
      cleernesse of linage, thanne is gentil name but a foreine thing,
      that is to seyn, to hem that glorifyen hem of hir linage. For it
      semeth that gentilesse be a maner preysinge that comth of the



|p65


  30  deserte of ancestres. And yif preysinge maketh gentilesse,
      thanne moten they nedes be gentil that ben preysed. For
      which thing it folweth, that yif thou ne have no gentilesse of
      thy-self, that is to seyn, preyse that comth of thy deserte, foreine
      gentilesse ne maketh thee nat gentil. But certes, yif ther be
  35  any good in gentilesse, I trowe it be al-only this, that it semeth
      as that a maner necessitee be imposed to gentil men, for that
      they ne sholden nat outrayen or forliven fro the virtues of hir
      noble kinrede.

      METRE VI.

      Omne hominum genus in terris.

        Al the linage of men that ben in erthe ben of semblable
      birthe. On allone is fader of thinges. On allone ministreth
      alle thinges. He yaf to the sonne hise bemes, he yaf to the
      mone hir hornes. He yaf the men to the erthe, he yaf the
   5  sterres to the hevene. He encloseth with membres the soules
      that comen fro his hye sete. Thanne comen alle mortal folk
      of noble sede; why noisen ye or bosten of youre eldres? For
      yif thou loke your biginninge, and god your auctor and your
      maker, thanne nis ther no forlived wight, but-yif he norisshe
  10  his corage un-to vyces, and forlete his propre burthe.

      PROSE VII.

      Quid autem de corporis uoluptatibus.

        But what shal I seye of delices of body, of whiche delices the
      desiringes ben ful of anguissh, and the fufillinges of hem ben ful
      of penaunce? How greet syknesse and how grete sorwes unsufer_able,
      right as a maner fruit of wikkednesse, ben thilke delices
   5  wont to bringen to the bodies of folk that usen hem! Of whiche
      delices I not what Ioye may ben had of hir moevinge. But this
      wot I wel, that who-so-ever wole remembren him of hise luxures,
      he shal wel understonde that the issues of delices ben sorwful



|p66


      and sorye. And yif thilke delices mowen maken folk blisful,
  10  than by the same cause moten thise bestes ben cleped blisful;
      of whiche bestes al the entencioun hasteth to fulfille hir bodily
      Iolitee. And the gladnesse of wyf and children were an honest
      thing, but it hath ben seyd that it is over muchel ayeins kinde,
      that children han ben founden tormentours to hir fadres, I not
  15  how manye: of whiche children how bytinge is every condicioun,
      it nedeth nat to tellen it thee, that hast or this tyme assayed
      it, and art yit now anguissous. In this approve I the sentence
      of my disciple Euripidis, that seyde, that "he that hath no
      children is weleful by infortune."

      METRRE VII.

      Habet omnis hoc uoluptas.

        Every delyt hath this, that it anguissheth hem with prikkes
      that usen it. It resembleth to thise flyinge flyes that we clepen
      been, that, after that he hath shad hise agreable honies, he fleeth
      awey, and stingeth the hertes, of hem that ben y-smite, with
   5  bytinge overlonge holdinge.

      PROSE VIII.

      Nihil igitur dubium est.

        Now is it no doute thanne that thise weyes ne ben a maner
      misledinges to blisfulnesse, ne that they ne mowe nat leden
      folk thider as they biheten to leden hem. But with how grete
      harmes thise forseyde weyes ben enlaced, I shal shewe thee
   5  shortly. For-why yif thou enforcest thee to asemble moneye,
      thou most bireven him his moneye that hath it. And yif
      thou wolt shynen with dignitees, thou most bisechen and
      supplien hem that yeven tho dignitees. And yif thou coveitest
      by honour to gon biforn other folk, thou shalt defoule thy-self
  10  thorugh humblesse of axinge. Yif thou desirest power, thou
      shalt by awaytes of thy subgits anoyously ben cast under manye



|p67


      periles. Axest thou glorie? Thou shalt ben so destrat by aspre
      thinges that thou shalt forgoon sikernesse. And yif thou wolt
      leden thy lyf in delices, every wight shal despisen thee and
  15  forleten thee, as thou that art thral to thing that is right foul
      and brotel; that is to seyn, servaunt to thy body. Now is it
      thanne wel seen, how litel and how brotel possessioun they
      coveiten, that putten the goodes of the body aboven hir owne
      resoun. For mayst thou sormounten thise olifaunts in gretnesse
  20  or weight of body? Or mayst thou ben stronger than the bole?
      Mayst thou ben swifter than the tygre? Bihold the spaces and
      the stablenesse and the swifte cours of the hevene, and stint
      som-tyme to wondren on foule thinges, the which hevene, certes,
      nis nat rather for thise thinges to ben wondred up-on, than for
  25  the resoun by which it is governed. But the shyning of thy
      forme, that is to seyn, the beautee of thy body, how swiftly passinge
      is it, and how transitorie; certes, it is more flittinge than the
      mutabilitee of flowers of the somer-sesoun. For so Aristotle
      telleth, that yif that men hadden eyen of a beest that highte
  30  lynx, so that the lokinge of folk mighte percen thorugh the
      thinges that with-stonden it, who-so loked thanne in the entrailes
      of the body of Alcibiades, that was ful fayr in the superfice
      with-oute, it shold seme right foul. And forthy, yif thou semest
      fayr, thy nature maketh nat that, but the desceivaunce of the
  35  feblesse of the eyen that loken. But preyse the goodes of the
      body as mochel as ever thee list; so that thou knowe algates
      that, what-so it be, that is to seyn, of the goodes of thy body,
      which that thou wondrest up-on, may ben destroyed or dissolved
      by the hete of a fevere of three dayes. Of alle whiche forseyde
  40  thinges I may reducen this shortly in a somme, that thise worldly
      goodes, whiche that ne mowen nat yeven that they biheten, ne
      ben nat parfit by the congregacioun of alle goodes; that they
      ne ben nat weyes ne pathes that bringen men to blisfulnesse,
      ne maken men to ben blisful.



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      METRE VIII.

      Eheu! quae miseros tramite deuios.

        Allas! which folye and which ignoraunce misledeth wandringe
      wrecches fro the path of verray goode!
        Certes, ye ne seken no gold in grene trees, ne ye ne gaderen
      nat precious stones in the vynes, ne ye ne hyden nat your
   5  ginnes in the hye mountaignes, to cacchen fish of whiche ye
      may maken riche festes. And yif yow lyketh to hunte to roes,
      ye ne gon nat to the fordes of the water that highte Tyrene.
      And over this, men knowen wel the crykes and the cavernes
      of the see y-hid in the flodes, and knowen eek which water
  10  is most plentivous of whyte perles, and knowen which water
      haboundeth most of rede purpre, that is to seyn, of a maner
      shelle-fish with which men dyen purpre; and knowen which
      strondes habounden most with tendre fisshes, or of sharpe fisshes
      that highten echines. But folk suffren hem-self to ben so blinde,
  15  that hem ne reccheth nat to knowe where thilke goodes ben
      y-hid whiche that they coveiten, but ploungen hem in erthe
      and seken there thilke good that sormiounteth the hevene that
      bereth the sterres. What preyere may I maken that be digne
      to the nyce thoughtes of men? But I preye that they coveiten
  20  richesse and honours, so that, whan they han geten tho false
      goodes with greet travaile, that ther-by they mowe knowen the
      verray goodes.

      PROSE IX.

      Hactenus mendacis formam.

       It suffyseth that I have shewed hider-to the forme of false
      welefulnesse, so that, yif thou loke now cleerly, the order of
      myn entencioun requireth from hennes-forth to shewen thee the
      verray welefulnesse.'



|p69


   5     `For sothe,' quod I, `I see wel now that suffisaunce may nat
      comen by richesses, ne power by reames, ne reverence by
      dignitees, ne gentilesse by glorie, ne Ioye by delices.'
        `And hast thou wel knowen the causes,' quod she, `why it is?'
        `Certes, me semeth,' quod I, `that I see hem right as though
  10  it were torugh a litel clifte; but me were levere knowen hem
      more openly of thee.'
        `Certes,' quod she, `the resoun is al redy. For thilke thing
      that simply is o thing, with-outen any devisioun, the errour
      and folye of mankinde departeth and devydeth it, and misledeth
  15  it and transporteth from verray and parfit good to goodes that
      ben false and unparfit. But sey me this. Wenest thou that
      he, that hath nede of power, that him ne lakketh no-thing?'
        `Nay,' quod I.
        `Certes,' quod she, `thou seyst a-right. For yif so be that
  20  ther is a thing, that in any partye be febler of power, certes,
      as in that, it mot nedes ben nedy of foreine help.'
        `Right so is it,' quod I.
        `Suffisaunce and power ben thanne of o kinde?'
        `So semeth it,' quod I.
  25     `And demest thou,' quod she, `that a thing that is of this
      manere, that is to seyn, suffisaunt and mighty, oughte ben
      despysed, or elles that it be right digne of reverence aboven
      alle thinges?'
        `Certes,' quod I, `it nis no doute, that it is right worthy to
  30  ben reverenced.'
        `Lat us,' quod she, `adden thanne reverence to suffisaunce
      and to power, so that we demen that thise three thinges ben
      al o thing.'
        `Certes,' quod I, `lat us adden it, yif we wolen graunten the
  35  sothe.'
        `What demest thou thanne?' quod she; `is that a derk thing
      and nat noble, that is suffisaunt, reverent, and mighty, or elles that
      it is right noble and right cleer by celebritee of renoun? Consider
      thanne,' quod she, `as we han graunted her-biforn, that he that



|p70


  40  ne hath nede of no-thing, and is most mighty and most digne
      of honour yif him nedeth any cleernesse of renoun, which
      cleernesse he mighte nat graunten of him-self, so that, for lakke
      of thilke cleernesse, he mighte seme the febeler on any syde
      or the more out-cast?' Glose. This is to seyn, nay; for who-so
  45  that is suffisaunt, mighty, and reverent, cleernesse of renoun folweth
      of the forseyde thinges; he hath it al redy of his suffisaunde.
        Boece. `I may nat,' quod I, `denye it; but I mot graunte
      as it is, that this thing be right celebrable by cleernesse of renoun
  50  and noblesse.'
        `Thanne folweth it,' quod she, `that we adden cleernesse of
      renoun to the three forseyde thinges, so that ther ne be amonges
      hem no difference?'
        `This is a consequence,' quod I.
  55     `This thing thanne,' quod she, `that ne hath nede of no
      foreine thing, and that may don alle thinges by hise strengthes,
      and that is noble and honourable, nis nat that a mery thing
      and a Ioyful?'
        `But whennes,' quod I, `that any sorwe mighte comen to this
  60  thing that is swiche, certes, I may nat thinke.'
        `Thanne moten we graunte,' quod she, `that this thing be
      ful of gladnesse, yif the forseyde thinges ben sothe, and certes,
      also mote we graunten that suffisaunce, power, noblesse, reverence,
      and gladnesse ben only dyverse by riarnes, but hir substaunce
  65  hath no diversitee.'
        `It mot needly been so,' quod I.
        `Thilke thing thanne, quod she, that is oon and simple
      in his nature, the wikkednesse of men departeth it and devydeth
      it; and whan they enforcen hem to geten partye of a thing
  70  that ne hath no part, they ne geten hem neither thilke partye that
      nis non, ne the thing al hool that they ne desire nat.'
        `In which manere?, quod I.
        `Thilke man,' quod she, `that secheth richesses to fleen
      povertee, he ne travaileth him nat for to gete power; for he
  75  hath levere ben derk and vyl; and eek withdraweth from
      him-self many naturel delyts, for he nolde lese the moneye that



|p71


      he hath assembled. But certes, in this manere he ne geteth
      him nat suffisaunce that power forleteth, and that molestie
      prikketh, and that filthe maketh out-cast, and that derkenesse
  80  hydeth. And certes, he that desireth only power, he wasteth
      and scatereth richesse, and despyseth delyts, and eek honour
      that is with-oute power, ne he ne preyseth glorie no-thing.
      Certes, thus seest thou wel, that manye, thinges faylen to him;
      for he hath som-tyme defaute of many necessitees, and many
  85  anguisshes byten him; and whan he ne may nat don tho defautes
      a-wey, he forleteth to ben mighty, and that is the thing that
      he most desireth. And right thus may I maken semblable
      resouns of honours, and of glorie, and of delyts. For so as
      every of thise forseyde thinges is the same that thise other
  90  thinges ben, Ithat is to seyn, al oon thing, who-so that ever
      seketh to geten that oon of thise, and nat that other, he ne
      geteth nat that he desireth.'
        Boece. `What seyst thou thanne, yif that a man coveiteth
      to geten alle thise thinges to-gider?'
  95     Philosophie. `Certes,' quod she, `I wolde seye, that he wolde
      geten him sovereyn blisfulnesse; but that shal he nat finde in
      tho thinges that I have shewed, that ne mowen nat yeven that
      they beheten.'
        `Certes, no,' quod I.
  100    `Thanne,' quod she, `ne sholden men nat by no wey seken
      blisfuInesse in swiche thinges as men wene that they ne mowen
      yeven but o thing senglely of alle that men seken.'
        `I graunte wel,' quod I; `ne no sother thing ne may ben
      sayd.'
  105    `Now hast thou thanne,' quod she, `the forme and the causes
      of false welefulnesse. Now torne and flitte the eyen of thy
      thought; for ther shaIt thou sen anon thilke verray blisfulnesse
      that I have bihight thee.'
      `Certes,' quod I, `it is cleer and open, thogh it were to
  110 a blinde man; and that shewedest thou nie ful wel a litel her_biforn,
      whan thou enforcedest thee to shewe me the causes



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      of the false blisfulnesse. For but-yif I be bigyled, thanne
      is thilke the verray blisfulnesse parfit, that parfitly maketh a
      man suffisaunt, mighty, honourable, noble, and ful of gladnesse.
      And, for thou shalt wel knowe that I have wel understonden
  115 thise thinges with-in my herte, I knowe wel that thilke blisful_nesse,
      that may verrayly yeven oon of the forseyde thinges, sin
      they ben al oon, I knowe, douteles, that thilke thing is the
      fulle blisfulnesse.'
        Philosophie. `O my norie,' quod she, `by this opinioun I
  120 seye that thou art blisful, yif thou putte this ther-to that I
      shal seyn.'
        `What is that?' quod I.
        `Trowest thou that ther be any thing in thise erthely mortal
      toumbling thinges that may bringen this estat?'
  125    `Certes,' quod I, `I trowe it naught; and thou hast shewed
      me wel that over thilke good ther nis no-thing more to ben
      desired.'
        `Thise thinges thanne,' quod she, `that is to sey, erthely
      suffisaunceand power and swiche thinges, either they semen
  130 lykenesses of verray good, or elles it semeth that, they yeve to
      mortal folk a maner of goodes that ne ben nat parfit; but thilke
      good that is verray and parfit, that may they nat yeven.'
        `I acorde me wel,' quod I.
        `Thanne,' quod she, `for as mochel as thou hast knowen
  135 which is thilke verray blisfulnesse, and eek whiche thilke thinges
      ben that lyen falsly blisfulnesse, that is to seyn, that by deceite
      semen verray goodes, now behoveth thee to knowe whennes and
      where thou mowe seke thilke verray blisfulnesse.'
        `Certes,' quod I, `that desire I greetly, and have abiden longe
  140 tyme to herknen it.'
        `But for as moche,' quod she, `as it lyketh to my disciple
      Plato, in his book of "in Timeo," that in right litel thinges men
      sholden bisechen the help of god, what iugest thou that be now
      to done, so that we may deserve to finde the sete of thilke
  145 verray good?'
        `Certes,' quod I, `I deme that we shollen clepen the fader



|p73


      of alle goodes; for with-outen him nis ther no-thing founden
      a-right.'
        `Thou seyst a-right,' quod she; and bigan anon to singen
  150 right thus:_
  
    METRE IX.

      O qui perpetua mundum ratione gubernas.

        `O thou fader, creator of hevene and of erthes, that governest
      this world by perdurable resoun, that comaundest the tymes to
      gon from sin that age hadde beginninge; thou that dwellest
      thy-self ay stedefast and stable, and yevest alle othre thinges
   5  to ben moeved; ne foreine causes necesseden thee never to
      compoune werk of floteringe matere, but only the forme of
      soverein good y-set wrth-in thee with-oute envye, that moevede
      thee freely. Thou that art alder-fayrest, beringe the faire world
      in thy thought, formedest this world to the lyknesse semblable
  10  of that faire world in thy thought. Thou drawest al thing of
      thy soverein ensaumpler, and comaundest that this world,
      parfitliche y-maked, have freely and absolut his parfit parties.
      Thou bindest the elements by noumbres proporcionables, that
      the colde thinges mowen acorden with the hote thinges, and
  15  the drye thinges with the moiste thinges; that the fyr, that
      is purest, ne flee nat over hye, ne that the hevinesse ne drawe
      nat adoun over-lowe the erthes that ben plounged in the wateres.
      Thou knittest to-gider the mene sowle of treble kinde, moevinge
      alle thinges, and devydest it by membres acordinge; and whan
  20  it is thus devyded, it hath asembled a moevinge in-to two
      roundes; it goth to torne ayein to him-self, and envirouneth a
      ful deep thought, and torneth the hevene by semblable image.
      Thou by evene-lyke causes enhansest the sowles and the lasse
      lyves, and, ablinge hem heye by lighte cartes, thou sowest hem
  25  in-to hevene and in-to erthe; and whan they ben converted to



|p74


      thee by thy benigne lawe, thou makest hem retorne ayein to
      thee by ayein-ledinge fyr.
        O fader, yive thou to the thought to styen up in-to thy streite
      sete, and graunte him to enviroune the welle of good; and, the
  30  lighte y-founde, graunte him to fichen the clere sightes of his
      corage in thee. And scater thou and to-breke thou the weightes
      and the cloudes of erthely hevinesse, and shyne thou by thy
      brightnesse. For thou art cleernesse, thou art peysible reste
      to debonaire folk; thou thy-self art biginninge, berer, leder, path,
  35  and terme; to loke on thee, that is our ende.

      PROSE X.

      Quoniam igitur quae sit imperfecti.

        For as moche thanne as thou hast seyn, which is the forme
      of good that nis nat parfit, and which is the forme of good that
      is parfit, now trowe I that it were good to shewe in what this
      perfeccioun of blisfulnesse is set. And in this thing, I trowe
   5  that we sholden first enquere for to witen, yif that any swiche
      maner good as thilke good that thou has diffinisshed a litel
      heer-biforn, that is to seyn, soverein good, may ben founde in the
      nature of thinges; for that veyn imaginacioun of thought ne
      deceyve us nat, and putte us out of the sothfastnesse of thilke
  10  thing that is summitted unto us. But it may nat ben deneyed
      that thilke good ne is, and that it nis right as welle of alle
      goodes. For al thing that is cleped inparfit is proeved inparfit
      by the amenusinge of perfeccioun or of thing that is parfit.
      And ther-of comth it, that in every thing general, yif that men
  15  sen any-thing that is inparfit, certes, in thilke general ther mot
      ben som-thing that is parfit; for yif so be that perfeccioun is
      don awey, men may nat thinke ne seye fro whennes thilke
      thing is that is cleped inparfit. For the nature of thinges ne
      took nat hir beginninge of thinges amenused and inparfit, but



|p75


  20  it procedeth of thinges that ben al hoole and absolut, and
      descendeth so doun in-to outterest thinges, and in-to thinges
      empty and with-outen frut. But, as I have y-shewed a litel
      her-biforn, that yif ther be a blisfulnesse that be freele and
      veyn and inparfit, ther may no man doute that ther nis som
  25  blisfulnesse that is sad, stedefast, and parfit.
        Boece. `This is concluded,' quod I, `fermely and sothfastly.'
        Philosophie. `But considere also,' quod she, `in wham this
      blisfulnesse enhabiteth. The comune acordaunce and conceite
      of the corages of men proeveth and graunteth, that god, prince
  30  of alle thinges, is good. For, so as nothing ne may ben thought
      bettre than god, it may nat ben douted thanne that he, that
      nothing nis bettre, that he nis good. Certes, resoun sheweth
      that god is so good, that it proveth by verray force that parfit
      good is in him. For yif god ne is swich, he ne may nat ben
  35  prince of alle thinges; for certes som-thing possessing in it-self
      parfit good, sholde ben more worthy than god, and it sholde
      semen that thilke thing were first, and elder than god. For
      we han shewed apertly that alle thinges that ben parfit ben
      first or thinges that ben unparfit; and for-thy, for as moche as
  40  that my resoun or my proces ne go nat a-wey with-oute an
      ende, we owen to graunten that the soverein god is right ful
      of soverein parfit good. And we han establisshed that the
      soverein good is verray blisfulnesse: thanne mot it nedes be,
      that verray blisfulnesse is set in soverein god.'
  45     `This take I wel,' quod I, `ne this ne may nat ben withseid
      in no manere.'
        `But I preye,' quod she, `see now how thou mayst proeven,
      holily and with-oute corupcioun, this that I have seyd, that the
  50  soverein god is right ful of soverein good.'
        `In which manere? ' quod I.
        `Wenest thou aught,' quod she, `that this prince of alle
      thinges have y-take thilke soverein good any-wher out of him_self,
      of which soverein good men proveth that he is ful, right
      as thou mightest thinken that god, that hath blisfulnesse in



|p76


  55  him-self, and thilke blisfulnesse that is in him, weren dyvers in
      substaunce? For yif thou wene that god have received thilke
      good out of him-self, thou mayst wene that he that yaf thilke
      good to god be more worthy than is god. But I am bi-knowen
      and confesse, and that right dignely, that god is right worthy
  60  aboven alle thinges; and, yif so be that this good be in him
      by nature, but that it is dyvers fro him by weninge resoun,
      sin we speke of god prince of alle thinges: feigne who-so
      feigne may, who was he that hath conioigned thise dyverse
      thinges to-gider? And eek, at the laste, see wel that a thing
  65  that is dyvers from any thing, that thilke thing nis nat that
      same thing fro which it is understonden to ben dyvers. Thanne
      folweth it, that thilke thing that by his nature is dyvers fro
      soverein good, that that thing nis nat soverein good; but certes,
      that were a felonous corsednesse to thinken that of him that
  70  nothing nis more worth. For alwey, of alle thinges, the nature
      of hem ne may nat ben bettre than his biginning; for which
      I may concluden, by right verray resoun, that thilke that is
      biginning of alle thinges, thilke same thing is soverein good
      in his substaunce.'
  75     Boece. `Thou hast seyd rightfully,' quod I.
        Philosophie. `But we han graunted,' quod she, `that the
      soverein good is blisfulnesse.'
        `And that is sooth,' quod I.
  80  `Thanne,' quod she, `moten we nedes graunten and confessen
      that thilke same soverein good be god.'
        `Certes,' quod I, `I ne may nat denye ne withstonde the
      resouns purposed; and I see wel that it folweth by strengthe
      of the premisses.'
  85     `Loke now,' quod she, `yif this be proved yit more fermely
      thus: that ther ne mowen nat ben two soverein goodes that
      ben dyverse amonge hem-self. For certes, the goodes that
      ben dyverse amonges hem-self, that oon nis nat that that other
      is; thanne ne [may] neither of hem ben parfit, so as either of
      hem lakketh to other. But that that nis nat parfit, men may



|p77


  90  seen apertly that it nis nat soverein. The thinges, thanne, that
      ben sovereinly goode, ne mowen by no wey ben dyverse. But
      I have wel concluded that blisfulnesse and god ben the soverein
      good; for whiche it mot nedes ben, that soverein blisfulnesse
      is soverein divinitee.'
  95     `Nothing,' quod I, `nis more soothfast than this, ne more
      ferme by resoun; ne a more worthy thing than god may nat
      ben concluded.'
        `Up-on thise thinges thanne,' quod she, `right as thise geo_metriens,
      whan they han shewed hir proposiciouns, ben wont
  100 to bringen in thinges that they clepen porismes, or declaraciouns
      of forseide thinges, right so wole I yeve thee heer as a corollarie,
      or a mede of coroune. For-why, for as moche as by the getinge
      of blisfulnesse men ben maked blisful, and blisfulnesse is
      divinitee: thanne is it manifest and open, that by the getinge
  105 of divinitee men ben maked blisful. Right as by the getinge
      of Iustice [they ben maked iust], and by the getinge of sapience
      they ben maked wyse: right so, nedes, by the semblable resoun,
      whan they han geten divinitee, they ben maked goddes. Thanne
      is every blisful man god; but certes, by nature, ther nis but
  110 o god; but, by the participacioun of divinitee, ther ne let ne
      desturbeth nothing that ther ne ben manye goddes.'
        `This is,' quod I, `a fair thing and a precious, clepe it as
      thou wolt; be it porisme or corollarie,' or mede of coroune or
      declaringes.
  115    `Certes,' quod she, `nothing nis fayrer than is the thing that
      by resoun sholde ben added to thise forseide thinges.'
        `What thing? ' quod I.
        `So,' quod she, `as it semeth that blisfulnesse conteneth many
      thinges, it were for to witen whether that alle thise thinges maken
  120 or conioignen as a maner body of blisfulnesse, by dyversitee of
      parties or of membres; or elles, yif that any of alle thilke thinges
      be swich that it acomplisshe by him-self the substaunce of
      blisfulnesse, so that alle thise othre thinges ben referred and
      brought to blisfulnesse,' that is to seyn, as to the cheef of hem.
  125    `I wolde,'. quod I, `that thou makedest me cleerly to under_



|p78


      stonde what thou seyst, and that thou recordedest me the forseyde
      thinges.'
        `Have I nat iuged,' quod she, `that blisfulnesse is good?'
        `Yis, forsothe,' quod I; `and that soverein good.'
  130    `Adde thanne,' quod she, `thilke good, that is maked blisful_nesse,
      to alle the forseide thinges; for thilke same blisfulnesse
      that is demed to ben soverein suffisaunce, thilke selve is soverein
      power, soverein reverence, soverein cleernesse or noblesse, and
      soverein delyt. Conclusio. What seyst thou thanne of alle thise
  135 thinges, that is to seyn, suffisaunce, power, and this othre thinges;
      ben they thanne as membres of blisfulnesse, or ben they referred
      and brought to soverein good, right as alle thinges that ben brought
      to the chief of hem?'
        `I understonde wel; ' quod I, `what thou purposest to seke;
  140 but I desire for to herkne that thou shewe it me.'
        `Tak now thus the discrecioun of this questioun,' quod she.
        `Yif alle thise thinges,' quod she, `weren membres to felicitee,
      than weren they dyverse that oon from that other; and swich is
      the nature of parties or of membres, that dyverse membres com_pounen 
  145 a body.'
        `Certes,' quod I, `it hath wel ben shewed heer-biforn, that alle
      thise thrnges ben alle o thing.'
         `Thanne ben they none membres,' quod she; `for elles it
      sholde seme that blisfulnesse were conioigned al of on membre
  150 allone; but that is a thing that may nat be don.'
        `This thing,' quod I, `nis nat doutous; but I abyde to herknen
      the remnaunt of thy questioun.'
        `This is open and cleer,' quod she, `that alle othre thinges ben
      referred and brought to good. For therefore is suffisaunce re_quered,
  155 for it is demed to ben good, and forthy is power requered,
      for men trowen also that it be good; and this same thing mowen
      we thinken and coniecten of reverence, and of noblesse, and of
      delyt. Thanne is soverein good the somme and the cause of al
      that aughte ben desired; for-why thilke thing that with-holdeth
  160 no good in it-self, ne semblaunce of good, it ne may nat wel in
      no manere be desired ne requered. And the contrarie: for
      thogh that thinges by hir nature ne ben nat goode, algates, yif



|p79


      men wene that ben goode, yit ben they desired as though that
      they weren verrayliche goode. And therfor is it that men oughten
  165 to wene by right, that bountee be the soverein fyn, and the cause
      of alle the thinges that ben to requeren. But certes, thilke that
      is cause for which men requeren any thing, it semeth that thilke
      same thing be most desired. As thus: yif that a wight wolde
      ryden for cause of hele, he ne desireth nat so mochel the moev_inge 
  170 to ryden, as the effect of his hele. Now thanne, sin that
      alle thinges ben requered for the grace of good, they ne ben nat
      desired of alle folk more thanne the same good. But we han
      graunted that blisfulnesse is that thing, for whiche that alle thise
      othre thinges ben desired; thanne is it thus: that, certes, only
  175 blisfulnesse is requered and desired. By whiche thing it sheweth
      cleerly, that of good and of blisfulnesse is al oon and the same
      substaunce.'
        `I see nat,' quod I, `wherfore that men mighten discorden in
      this.'
  180    `And we han shewed that god and verray blisfulnesse is al oo
      thing.'
        `That is sooth,' quod I.
        `Thanne mowen we conclude sikerly, that the substaunce of
  184 god is set in thilke same good, and in non other place.

      METRE X.

      Huc omnes pariter uenite capti.

        O cometh alle to-gider now, ye that ben y-caught and y bounde
    with wikkede cheynes, by the deceivable delyt of erthely thinges
    enhabitinge in your thought! Heer shal ben the reste of your
    labours, heer is the havene stable in peysible quiete; this allone
   5 is the open refut to wrecches. Glosa. This is to seyn, that ye
    that ben combred and deceived with worldely affecciouns, cometh now
    to this soverein good, that is god, that is refut to hem that wolen
    comen to him. Textus. Alle the thinges that the river Tagus
    yeveth yow with his goldene gravailes, or elles alle the thinges
  10 that the river Hermus yeveth with his rede brinke, or that Indus
    yeveth, that is next the hote party of the world, that medleth the



|p80


    grene stones with the whyte, ne sholde nat cleeren the lookinge
    of your thought, but hyden rather your blinde corages with-in hir
    derknesse. Al that lyketh yow heer, and excyteth and moeveth
  15 your thoughtes, the erthe hath norisshed it in hise lowe caves.
    But the shyninge, by whiche the hevene is governed and whennes
    he hath his strengthe, that eschueth the derke overthrowinge of
    the sowle; and who-so may knowen thilke light of blisfulnesse,
    he shal wel seyn, that the whyte bemes of the sonne ne ben nat
  20 cleer.'

      PROSE XI.

      Assentior, inquam.

        Boece. `I assente me,' quod I; `for alle thise thinges ben
      strongly bounden with right ferme resouns.'
        Philosophie. `How mochel wilt thou preysen it,' quod she,
      `yif that thou knowe what thilke good is?'
   5     `I wol preyse it,' quod I, `by prys with-outen ende, yif it shal
      bityde me to knowe also to-gider god that is good.'
        `Certes,' quod she, `that shal I do thee by verray resoun, yif
      that tho thinges that I have concluded a litel her-biforn dwellen
      only in hir first graunting.'
  10     `They dwellen graunted to thee,' quod I; this is to seyn, as
      who seith: I graunte thy forseide conclusiouns.
        `Have I nat shewed thee,' quod she, `that the thinges that ben
      requered of many folkes ne ben nat verray goodes ne parfite, for
      they ben dyverse that oon fro that othre; and so as ech of hem
  15  is lakkinge to other, they ne han no power to bringe a good that
      is ful and absolut? But thanne at erst ben they verray good,
      whanne they ben gadered to gider alle in-to o forme and in-to oon
      wirkinge, so that thilke thing that is suffisaunce, thilke same be
      power, and reverence, and noblesse, and mirthe; and forsothe,
  20  but-yif alle thise thinges ben alle oon same thing, they ne han nat
      wherby that they mowen ben put in the noumber of thinges that
      oughten ben requered or desired.'



|p81


        `It is shewed,' quod I; `ne her-of may ther no man douten.'
        `The thinges thanne,' quod she, `that ne ben no goodes
  25  whanne they ben dyverse, and whan they beginnen to ben alle,
      oon thing thanne ben they goodes, ne comth it hem nat thanne
      by the getinge of unitee, that they ben maked goodes?'
        `So it semeth,' quod I.
        `But al thing that is good,' quod she, `grauntest thou that it be
  30  good by the participacioun of good, or no?'
        `I graunte it,' quod I.
        `Thanne most thou graunten,' quod she, `by semblable resoun,
      that oon and good be oo same thing. For of thinges, of whiche
      that the effect nis nat naturelly diverse, nedes the substance mot
  35  be oo same thing.'
        `I ne may nat denye that,' quod I.
        `Hast thou nat knowen wel,' quod she, `that al thing that is
      hath so longe his dwellinge and his substaunce as longe as it is
      oon, but whan it forleteth to ben oon, it mot nedes dyen and
  40  corumpe to-gider?'
        `In which manere?' quod I.
        `Right as in bestes,' quod she, `whan the sowle and the body
      ben conioigned in oon and dwellen to-gider, it is cleped a beest.
      And whan hir unitee is destroyed by the disseveraunce of that oon
  45  from that other, than sheweth it wel that it is a ded thing, and
      that it nis no lenger no beest. And the body of a wight, whyl
      it dwelleth in oo forme by coniuncccioun of membres, it is
      wel seyn that it is a figure of man-kinde. And yif the parties
      of the body ben so devyded and dissevered, that oon fro that
  50  other, that they destroyen unitee, the body forleteth to hen that
      it was biforn. And, who-so wolde renne in the same manere by
      alle thinges, he sholde seen that, with-oute doute, every thing is
      in his substaunce as longe as it is oon; and whan it forleteth to
      ben oon, it dyeth and perissheth.'
  55    `Whan I considere,' quod I, `manye thinges, I see non other.'
        `Is ther any-thing thanne,' quod she, `that, in as moche as it



|p82


      liveth naturelly, that forleteth the talent or appetyt of his beinge,
      and desireth to come to deeth and to corupcioun?'
        `Yif I considere,' quod I, `the beestes that han any maner
  60  nature of wilninge and of nillinge, I ne finde no beest, but_yif 
      it be constreined fro with-oute forth, that forleteth or
      despyseth the entencioun to liven and to duren, or that wole,
      his thankes, hasten him to dyen. For every beest travaileth him
      to deffende and kepe the savacioun of his lyf, and eschueth deeth
  65  and destruccioun.
        But certes, I doute me of herbes and of trees, that is to
      seyn, that I am in a doute of swiche thinges as herbes or trees, that
      ne han no felinge sowles, ne no naturel wirkinges servinge to
      appetytes as bestes han, whether they han appetyt to swellen
  70  and to duren.'
        `Certes,' quod she, `ne ther-of thar thee nat doute. Now
      loke up-on thise herbes and thise trees; they wexen first in
      swiche places as ben covenable to hem, in whiche places they
      ne mowen nat sone dyen ne dryen, as longe as hir nature may
  75  deffenden hem. For som of hem waxen in feeldes, and som
      in mountaignes, and othre waxen in mareys, and othre cleven
      on roches, and somme waxen plentivous in sondes; and yif
      that any wight enforce him to beren hem in-to othre places,
      they wexen drye. For nature yeveth to every thing that that
  80  is convenient to him, and travaileth that they ne dye nat, as
      longe as they han power to dwellen and to liven. What woltow
      seyn of this, that they drawen alle hir norisshinges by hir rotes,
      right as they hadden hir mouthes y-plounged with-in the erthes,
      and sheden by hir maryes hir wode and hir bark? And what
  85  woltow seyn of this, that thilke thing that is right softe, as the
      marye is, that is alwey hid in the sete, al with-inne, and that
      is defended fro with-oute by the stedefastnesse of wode; and
      that the uttereste bark is put ayeins the destemperaunce of
      the hevene, as a defendour mighty to suffren harm? And thus,



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  90  certes, maystow wel seen how greet is the diligence of nature,
      for alle thinges renovelen and puplisshen hem with seed y_multiplyed;
      ne ther nis no man that ne wot wel that they ne
      ben right as a foundement and edifice, for to duren nat only
      for a tyme, but right as for to duren perdurably by generacioun.
  95  And the thinges eek that men wenen ne haven none sowles,
      ne desire they nat ech of hem by semblable resoun to kepen
      that is hirs, that is to seyn, that is acordinge to hir nature in
      conservacioun of hir beinge and enduringe? For wher-for elles
      bereth lightnesse the flaumbes up, and the weighte presseth
  100 the erthe a-doun, but for as moche as thilke places and thilke
      moevinges ben covenable to everich of hem? And forsothe
      every thing kepeth thilke that is acordinge and propre to him,
      right as thinges that ben contraries and enemys corompen hem.
      And yit the harde thinges, as stones, clyven and holden hir
  105 parties to-gider right faste and harde, and deffenden hem in
      withstondinge that they ne departe nat lightly a-twinne. And
      the thinges that ben softe and fletinge, as is water and eyr,
      they departen lightly, and yeven place to hem that breken or
      devyden hem; but natheles, they retornen sone ayein in-to
  110 the same thinges fro whennes they ben arraced. But fyr fleeth
      and refuseth al devisioun. Ne I ne trete nat heer now of
      wilful moevinges of the sowle that is knowinge, but of the
      naturel entencioun of thinges, as thus: right as we swolwe the
      mete that we receiven and ne thinke nat on it, and as we
  115 drawen our breeth in slepinge that we wite it nat whyle we
      slepen. For certes, in the beestes, the love of hir livinges ne
      of hir beinges ne comth nat of the wilninges of the sowle, but
      of the biginninges of nature. For certes, thorugh constreininge
      causes, wil desireth and embraceth ful ofte tyme the deeth
  120 that nature dredeth; that is to seyn as thus: that a man may
      ben constreyned so, by som cause, that his wil desireth and
      taketh the deeth which that nature hateth and dredeth ful sore.
      And somtyme we seeth the contrarye, as thus: that the wil



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      of a wight destorbeth and constreyneth that that nature desireth
  125 and requereth al-wey, that is to seyn, the werk of generacioun,
      by the whiche generacioun only dwelleth and is sustened the
      long durabletee of mortal thinges.
        And thus this charitee and this love, that every thing hath
      to him-self, ne comth nat of the moevinge of the sowle, but
  130 of the entencioun of nature. For the purviaunce of god hath
      yeven to thinges that ben creat of him this, that is a ful
      gret cause to liven and to duren; for which they desiren
      naturelly hir lyf as longe as ever they mowen. For which
      thou mayst nat drede, by no manere, that alle the thinges
  135 that ben anywhere, that they ne requeren naturelly the ferme
      stablenesse of perdurable dwellinge, and eek the eschuinge of
      destruccioun.'
        Boece. `Now confesse I wel,' quod I, `that I see now wel
      certeinly, with-oute doutes, the thinges that whylom semeden
  140 uncertain to me.'
        `But,' quod she, `thilke thing that desireth to be and to
      dwellen perdurably, he desireth to ben oon; for yif that that
      oon were destroyed, certes, beinge ne shulde ther non dwellen
      to no wight.'
  145    `That is sooth,' quod I.
        `Thanne,' quod she' `desiren alle thinges oon?'
        `I assente,' quod I.
        `And I have shewed,' quod she, `that thilke same oon is
      thilke that is good?'
  150    `Ye, for sothe,' quod I.
        `Alle thinges thanne,' quod she, `requiren good; and thilke
      good thanne mayst thou descryven right thus: good is thilke
      thing that every wight desireth.'
        `Ther ne may be thought,' quod I, `no more verray thing.
  155 For either alle thinges ben referred and brought to nought,
      and floteren with-oute governour, despoiled of oon as of hir
      propre heved; or elles, yif ther be any thing to which that
      alle thinges tenden and hyen, that thing moste ben the soverein
      good of alle goodes.'
  160    Thanne seyde she thus: `O my nory,' quod she, `I have



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      gret gladnesse of thee; for thou hast ficched in thyn herte
      the middel soothfastnesse, that is to seyn, the prikke; but this
      thing hath ben descovered to thee, in that thou seydest that
      thou wistest nat a litel her-biforn.'
  165    `What was that?' quod I.
        `That thou ne wistest nat,' quod she, `which was the ende
      of thinges; and certes, that is the thing that every wight
      desireth; and for as mochel as we han gadered and compre_hended 
      that good is thilke thing that is desired of alle, thanne
  170 moten we nedes confessen, that good is the fyn of alle thinges.

      METRE XI.

      Quisquis profunda mente uestigat uerum.

        Who-so that seketh sooth by a deep thoght, and coveiteth
      nat to ben deceived by no mis-weyes, lat him rollen and trenden
      with-inne him-self the light of his inward sighte; and lat him
      gadere ayein, enclyninge in-to a compas, the longe moevinges
   5  of his thoughtes; and lat him techen his corage that he hath
      enclosed and hid in his tresors, al that he compasseth or seketh
      fro with-oute. And thanne thilke thinge, that the blake cloude
      of errour whylom hadde y-covered, shal lighten more cleerly
      thanne Phebus him-self ne shyneth.
  10     Glosa. Who-so wole seken the deep grounde of sooth in his
      thought, and wol nat be deceived by false proposiciouns that goon
      amis fro the trouthe, lat him wel examine and rolle with-inne him_self 
      the nature and the propretees of the thing; and lat him yit
      eftsones examine and rollen his thoughtes by good deliberacioun, or
  15  that he deme; and lat him techen his sowle that it hath, by natural
      principles kindeliche y-hid with-in it-self, alle the trouthe the whiche
      he imagineth to ben in thinges with-oute. And thanne alle the
      derknesse of his misknowinge shal seme more evidently to sighte of
      his understondinge thanne the sonne ne semeth to sighte with-oute_forth
  20  .
      For certes the body, bringinge the weighte of foryetinge, ne



|p86


    hath nat chased out of your thoughte al the cleernesse of your
    knowinge; for certeinly the seed of sooth haldeth and clyveth
    with-in your corage, and it is awaked and excyted by the winde
  22 and by the blastes of doctrine. For wherfor elles demen ye of
    your owne wil the rightes, whan ye ben axed, but-yif so were that
    the norisshinge of resoun ne livede y-plounged in the depthe of
    your herte? this is to seyn, how sholeden men demen the sooth of
    any thing that were axed, yif ther nere a rote of soothfastnesse that
  30 were y-plounges and hid in naturel principles, the whiche sooth_astnesse 
    flived with-in the deepnesse of the thought. And yif so be
    that the Muse and the doctrine of Plato singeth sooth, al that
    every wight lerneth, he ne doth no-thing elles thanne but
    recordeth, as men recorden thinges that ben foryeten.'

      PROSE XII.

      Tum ego, Platoni, inquam.

       Thanne seide I thus. `I acorde me gretly to Plato, for thou
    remembrest and recordest me thise thinges yit the secounde
    tyme, that is to seyn, first whan I loste my memorie by the
    contagious coniunccioun of the body with the sowle; and
   5 eftsones afterward, whan I loste it, confounded by the charge and
    by the burdene of my sorwe.'
       And thanne seide she thus. `yif thou loke,' quod she, `first
    the thinges that thou hast graunted, it ne shal nat ben right fer
    that thou ne shalt remembren thilke thing that thou seydest that
  10 thou nistest nat.'
       `What thing?' quod I.
       `By whiche governement,' quod she, `that this world is
    governed.'
       `Me remembreth it wel,' quod I; `and I confesse wel that I
  15 ne wiste it naught. But al-be-it so that I see now from a-fer
    what thou purposest, algates, I desire yit to herkene it of thee
    more pleynly.'
       `Thou ne wendest nat,' quod she, `a litel her-biforn, that men
    sholden doute that this world nis governed by god.'



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  20     `Certes,' quod I, `ne yit ne doute I it naught, ne I nel never
      wene that it were to doute; as who seith, but I wot wel that god
      governeth this world; and I shal shortly answeren thee by what
      resouns I am brought to this. This world,' quod I, `of so manye
      dyverse and contrarious parties, ne mighte never han ben
  25  assembled in o forme, but-yif ther nere oon that conioignede so
      manye dyverse thinges; and the same dyversitee of hir natures,
      that so discorden that oon fro that other, moste departen and
      unioignen the thinges that ben conioigned, yif ther ne were oon
      that contenede that he hath conioined and y-bounde. Ne the
  30  certein ordre of nature ne sholde nat bringe forth so ordenee
      moevinges, by places, by tymes, by doinges, by spaces, by
      qualitees, yif ther ne were oon that were ay stedefast dwellinge,
      that ordeynede and disponede thise dyversitees of moevinges.
      And thilke thing, what-so-ever it be, by which that alle thinges
  35  ben y-maked and y-lad, I clepe him "god"; that is a word that
      is used to alle folk.'
        Thanne seyde she: `sin thou felest thus thise thinges,' quod
      she, `I trowe that I have litel more to done that thou, mighty of
      welefulnesse, hool and sounde, ne see eftsones thy contree.
  40  But lat us loken the thinges that we han purposed her-biforn.
      Have I nat noumbred and seyd,' quod she, `that suffisaunce is in
      blisfulnesse, and we han acorded that god is thilke same blisful_nesse
      ?'
        `Yis, forsothe,' quod I.
  45      `And that, to governe this world,' quod she, `ne shal he never
      han nede of non help fro with-oute? For elles, yif he hadde
      nede of any help, he ne sholde nat have no ful suffisaunce?'
        `Yis, thus it mot nedes be,' quod I.
        `Thanne ordeineth he by him-self al-one alle thinges?' quod she.
  50     `That may nat be deneyed,' quod I.
        `And I have shewed that god is the same good?'
        `It remembreth me wel,' quod I.
        `Thanne ordeineth he alle thinges by thilke good,' quod she;
      `sin he, which that we han acorded to be good, governeth alle



|p88


  55  thinges by him-self; and he is as a keye and a stere by which
      that the edifice of this world is y-kept stable and with-oute
      coroumpinge.'
        `I acorde me greetly,' quod I; `and I aperceivede a litel her_biforn 
      that thou woldest seye thus; al-be-it so that it were by
  60  a thinne suspecioun.'
        `I trowe it wel,' quod she; `for, as I trowe, thou ledest now
      more ententifly thyne eyen to loken the verray goodes. But
      natheles the thing that I shal telle thee yit ne sheweth nat lasse to
      loken.'
  65     `What is that?' quod I.
        `So as men trowen,' quod she, `and that rightfully, that god
      governeth alle thinges by the keye of his goodnesse, and alle thise
      same thinges, as I have taught thee, hasten hem by naturel
      entencioun to comen to good: ther may no man douten that they
  70  ne be governed voluntariely, and that they ne converten hem of
      hir owne wil to the wil of hir ordenour, as they that ben acordinge
      and enclyninge to hir governour and hir king.'
        `It mot nedes be so,' quod I; `for the reaume ne sholde nat
      semen blisful yif ther were a yok of misdrawinges in dyverse
  75   parties; ne the savinge of obedient thinges ne sholde nat be.'
        `Thanne is ther nothing,' quod she, `that kepeth his nature,
      that enforceth him to goon ayein god?'
        `No,' quod I.
        `And yif that any-thing enforcede him to with-stonde god,
  80  mighte it availen at the laste ayeins him, that we han graunted to
      ben almighty by the right of blisfulnesse?'
        `Certes,' quod I, `al-outrely it ne mighte nat availen him.'
        `Thanne is ther no-thing,' quod she, `that either. wole or may
      with-stonden to this soverein good?'
  85  `I trowe nat,' quod I,
         `Thanne is thilke the soverein good,' quod she, `that alle
      thinges governeth strongly, and ordeyneth hem softely.'
      Thanne seyde I thus: `I delyte nwe,' quod I, `nat only in the
      endes or in the somme of the resouns that thou hast concluded
  90  and proeved, but thilke wordes that thou usest delyten me moche
      more; so, at the laste, fooles that sumtyme renden grete thinges



|p89


      oughten ben ashamed of hem-self;' that is to seyn, that we fooles
      that reprehenden wikkedly the thinges that touchen goddes govern_aunce,
      we oughten ben ashamed of our-self: as I, that seyde that 
  95  god refuseth only the werkes of men, and ne entremeteth nat of
      hem.'
        `Thou hast wel herd,' quod she, `the fables of the poetes,
      how the giaunts assaileden the hevene with the goddes; but for_sothe,
      the debonair force of god deposede hem, as it was worthy;
  100 that is to seyn, destroyede the giaunts, as it was worthy. But wilt
      thou that we ioignen to-gider thilke same resouns? For per_aventure,
      of swich coniuncioun may sterten up som fair sparkle
      of sooth.'
        `Do,' quod I, `as thee liste.'
  105    `Wenest thou,' quod she, `that god ne be almighty? No man
      is in doute of it.'
        `Certes,' quod I, `no wight ne douteth it, yif he be in his
      minde.'
        `But he,' quod she, `that is almighty, ther nis nothing that he
  110 ne may?'
        `That is sooth,' quod I.
        `May god don yvel?' quod she.
        `Nay, forsothe,' quod I.
        `Thanne is yvel nothing,' quod she, `sin that he ne may nat
  115 don yvel that may don alle thinges.'
        `Scornest thou me?' quod I; `or elles pleyest thou or deceivest
      thou me, that hast so woven me with thy resouns the hous of
      Dedalus, so entrelaced that it is unable to be unlaced; thou that
      other-whyle entrest ther thou issest, and other-whyle issest ther
  120 thou entrest, ne foldest thou nat to-gider, by replicacioun or
      wordes, a maner wonderful cercle or environinge of the simplicitee
      devyne? For certes, a litel her-biforn, whan thou bigunne at
      blisfulnesse, thou seydest that it is soverein good; and seydest
      that it is set in soverein god; and seydest that god him-self
  125 is soverein good; and that god is the fulle blisfulnesse; for which



|p90


      thou yave me as a covenable yift, that is to seyn, that no wight
      nis blisful but-yif he be god also ther-with. And seidest eek,
      that the forme of good is the substaunce of god and of blisfulnesse;
      and seidest, that thilke same oon is thilke same good, that is
  130 requered and desired of alle the kinde of thinges. And thou
      proevedest, in disputinge, that god governeth all the thinges of
      the world by the governements of bountee, and seydest, that alle
      thinges wolen obeyen to him; and seydest, that the nature of yvel
      nis no-thing. And thise thinges ne shewedest thou nat with none
  135 resouns y-taken fro with-oute, but by proeves in cercles and hoom_lich 
      knowen; the whiche proeves drawen to hem-self hir feith and
      hir acord, everich of hem of other.'
        Thanne seyde she thus: `I ne scorne thee nat, ne pleye, ne
      deceive thee; but I have shewed thee the thing that is grettest
  140 over alle thinges by the yift of god, that we whylom preyeden.
      For this is the forme of the devyne substaunce, that is swich that
      it ne slydeth nat in-to outterest foreine thinges, ne ne receiveth
      no straunge thinges in him; but right as Parmenides seyde in
      Greek of thilke devyne substaunce; he seyde thus: that "thilke
  145 devyne substaunce torneth the world and the moevable cercle of
      thinges, whyl thilke devyne substaunce kepeth it-self with-oute
      moevinge." that is to seyn, that it ne moeveth never-mo, and yit it
      moeveth alle othre thinges. But natheles, yif I have stired resouns
      that ne ben nat taken fro with-oute the compas of thing of which
  150 we treten, but resouns that ben bistowed with-in that compas,
      ther nis nat why that thou sholdest merveilen; sin thou hast
      lerned by the sentence of Plato, that "nedes the wordes moten
      be cosines to the thinges of which they speken."

        METRE XII.

      Felix, qui potuit boni.

      Blisful is that man that may seen the clere welle of good; blis_ful 
      is he that may unbinden him fro the bondes of the hevy erthe.



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      The poete of Trace, Orpheus, that whylom hadde right greet sorwe
      for the deeth of his wyf, after that he hadde maked, by his weeply
   5  songes, the wodes, moevable, to rennen; and hadde maked the
      riveres to stonden stille; and hadde maked the hertes and the
      hindes to ioignen, dredeles, hir sydes to cruel lyouns, for to herk_nen 
      his songe; and hadde maked that the hare was nat agast of the
      hounde, which that was plesed by his songe: so, whan the moste
  10  ardaunt love of his wif brende the entrailes of his brest, ne the
      songes that hadden overcomen alle thinges ne mighten nat
      asswagen hir lord Orpheus, he pleynede him of the hevene goddes
      that weren cruel to him; he wente him to the houses of helle.
      And there he temprede hise blaundisshinge songes by resowninge
  15  strenges, and spak and song in wepinge al that ever he hadde
      received and laved out of the noble welles of his moder Calliope
      the goddesse; and he song with as mochel as he mighte of wep_inge,
      and with as moche as love, that doublede his sorwe, mighte
      yeve him and techen him; and he commoevede the helle, and
  20  requerede and bisoughte by swete preyere the lordes of sowles
      in helle, of relesinge; that is to seyn, to yilden him his wyf.
      Cerberus, the porter of helle, with his three hevedes, was caught
      and al abayst for the newe song; and the three goddesses, Furies,
      and vengeresses of felonyes, tkat tormenten and agasten the sowles
  25  by anoy, woxen sorwful and sory, and wepen teres for pitee.
      Tho ne was nat the heved of Ixion y-tormented by the overthrow_inge 
      wheel; and Tantalus, that was destroyed by the woodnesse
      of longe thurst, despyseth the flodes to drinke; the fowl that
      highte voltor, that eteth the stomak or the giser of Tityus, is so
  30  fulfild of his song that it nil eten ne tyren no more. At the laste
      the lord and Iuge of sowles was moeved to misericordes and
      cryde, "we ben overcomen," quod he; "yive we to Orpheus his
      wyf to bere him companye; he hath wel y-bought hir by his song
      and his ditee; but we wol putte a lawe in this, and covenaunt in



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  35 the yifte: that is to seyn, that, til he be out of helle, yif he loke
    behinde him, that his wyf shal comen ayein unto us."
        But what is he that may yive a lawe to loveres? Love is
    a gretter lawe and a strenger to him-self than any lawe that men
    may yeven. Allas! whan Orpheus and his wyf weren almest at the
  40 termes of the night, that is to seyn, at the laste boundes of helle,
    Orpheus lokede abakward on Eurydice his wyf, and loste hir, and
    was deed.
        This fable aperteineth to yow alle, who-so-ever desireth or
    seketh to lede his thought in-to the soverein day, that is to seyn,
  45 to cleernesse of soverein good. For who-so that ever be so over_omen 
    cthat he ficche his eyen into the putte of helle, that is to
    seyn, who-so sette his thoughtes in erthely thinges, al that ever he
    hath drawen of the noble good celestial, he leseth it whan he
    loketh the helles,' that is to seyn, in-to lowe thinges of the erthe.
    Explicit Liber tercius.

      BOOK IV.

      PROSE I.

      Hec cum Philosophia, dignitate uultus.

        Whan Philosophye hadde songen softely and delitably the
    forseide thinges, kepinge the dignitee of hir chere and the
    weighte of hir wordes, I thanne, that ne hadde nat al-outerly
    foryeten the wepinge and the mourninge that was set in myn
   5 herte, forbrak the entencioun of hir that entendede yit to seyn
    some othre thinges. `O,' quod I, `thou that art gyderesse of
    verrey light; the thinges that thou hast seid me hider-to ben so
    clere to me and so shewinge by the devyne lookinge of hem, and
    by thy resouns, that they ne mowen ben overcomen. And
  19 thilke thinges that thou toldest me, al-be-it so that I hadde
    whylom foryeten hem, for the sorwe of the wrong that hath ben



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      don to me, yit natheles they ne weren nat al-outrely unknowen to
      me. But this same is, namely, a right greet cause of my sorwe,
      so as the governour of thinges is good, yif that yveles mowen ben
  15  by any weyes; or elles yif that yveles passen with-oute punissh_inge.
      The whiche thing only, how worthy it is to ben wondred
      up-on, thou considerest it wel thy-self certeinly. But yit to this
      thing ther is yit another thing y-ioigned, more to ben wondred
      up-on. For felonye is emperesse, and floureth ful of richesses;
  20  and vertu nis nat al-only with-oute medes, but it is cast under and
      fortroden under the feet of felonous folk; and it abyeth the
      torments in stede of wikkede felounes. Of alle whiche thinges
      ther nis no wight that may merveylen y-nough, ne compleine,
      that swiche thinges ben doon in the regne of god, that alle thinges
  25  woot and alle thinges may, and ne wole nat but only gode
      thinges.'
        Thanne seyde she thus: `Certes,' quod she, `that were a greet
      merveyle, and an enbasshinge with-outen ende, and wel more
      horrible than alle monstres, yif it were as thou wenest; that is to
  30  seyn, that in the right ordenee hous of so mochel a fader and an
      ordenour of meynee, that the vesseles that ben foule and vyle
      sholden ben honoured and heried, and the precious vesseles
      sholden ben defouled and vyle; but it nis nat so. For yif tho
      thinges that I have concluded a litel her-biforn ben kept hole
  35  and unraced, thou shalt wel knowe by the autoritee of god, of the
      whos regne I speke, that certes the gode folk ben alwey mighty,
      and shrewes ben alwey out-cast and feble; ne the vyces ne ben
      never-mo with-oute peyne, ne the vertues ne ben nat with-oute
      mede; and that blisfulnesses comen alwey to goode folk, and
  40  infortune comth alwey to wikked folk. And thou shalt wel
      knowe many thinges of this kinde, that shollen cesen thy pleintes,
      and strengthen thee with stedefast sadnesse. And for thou hast
      seyn the forme of the verray blisfulnesse by me, that have
      whylom shewed it thee, and thou hast knowen in whom blisful_



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  45 nesse is y-set, alle thinges y-treted that I trowe ben necessarie to
    putten forth, I shal shewe thee the wey that shal bringen thee
    ayein un-to thyn hous. And I shal ficchen fetheres in thy thought,
    by whiche it may arysen in heighte, so that, alle tribulacioun
    y-don awey, thou, by my gydinge and by my path and by my
  50 sledes, shalt mowe retorne hool and sound in-to thy contree.

      METRE I.

      Sunt etenim pennae uolucres mihi.

        I have, forsothe, swifte fetheres that surmounten the heighte of
      hevene. Whan the swifte thought hath clothed it-self in tho
      fetheres, it despyseth the hateful erthes, and surmounteth the
      roundnesse of the grete ayr; and it seeth the cloudes behinde his
   5  bak; and passeth the heighte of the region of the fyr, that
      eschaufeth by the swifte moevinge of the firmament, til that he
      areyseth him in-to the houses that beren the sterres, and ioyneth
      his weyes with the sonne Phebus, and felawshipeth the wey of
      the olde colde Saturnus; and he y-maked a knight of the clere
  10  sterre; that is to seyn, that the thought is maked goddes knight by
      the sekinge of trouthe to comen to the verray knowleche of god.
      And thilke thoght renneth by the cercle of the sterres, in alle
      places ther as the shyninge night is peinted, that is to seyn, the
      night that is cloudeles; for on nightes that ben cloudeles it semeth as
  15  the hevene were peinted with dyverse images of sterres. And
      whanne he hath y-doon ther y-nough, he shal forleten the laste
      hevene, and he shal pressen and wenden on the bak of the
      swifte firmament, and he shal ben maked parfit of the worshipful
      light of god. Ther halt the lord of kinges the ceptre of his
  20  might, and atempreth the governements of the world, and the



|p95


    shyninge Iuge of thinges, stable in him-self, governeth the swifte
    cart or wayn, that is to seyn, the circuler moevinge of the sonne.
    And yif thy wey ledeth thee ayein so that thou be brought thider,
    thanne wol thou seye now that that is the contree that thou
  25 requerest, of which thou ne haddest no minde: "but now it
    remembreth me wel, heer was I born, heer wol I fastne my
    degree, heer wole I dwelle." But yif thee lyketh thanne to loken
    on the derknesse of the erthe that thou hast forleten, thanne
    shalt thou seen that thise felonous tyraunts, that the wrecchede
  30 peple dredeth, now shollen ben exyled fro thilke fayre contree.'

      PROSE II.

      Tum ego, Papae, inquam.

        Than seyde I thus. `owh! I wondre me that thou bihetest me
      so grete thinges; ne I ne doute nat that thou ne mayst wel
      performe that thou bihetest. But I preye thee only this, that
      thou ne tarye nat to telle me thilke thinges that thou hast
   5  moeved.'
        `First,' quod she, `thou most nedes knowen, that goode folk
      ben alwey stronge and mighty, and the shrewes ben feble and
      desert and naked of alle strengthes. And of thise thinges, certes,
      everich of hem is declared and shewed by other. For so as
  10  good and yvel ben two contraries, yif so be that good be stede_fast,
      than sheweth the feblesse of yvel al openly; and yif thou
      knowe cleerly the frelenesse of yvel, the stedefastnesse of good is
      knowen. But for as moche as the fey of my sentence shal be the
      more ferme and haboundaunt, I will gon by that oo wey and by
  15  that other; and I wole conferme the thinges that ben purposed,
      now on this syde and now on that syde. Two thinges ther ben
      in whiche the effect of alle the dedes of mankinde standeth, that
      is to seyn, wil and power; and yif that oon of thise two fayleth,
      ther nis nothing that may be don. For yif that wil lakketh, ther



|p96


  20  nis no wight that undertaketh to don that he wol nat don; and
      yif power fayleth, the wil nis but in ydel and stant for naught.
      And ther-of cometh it, that yif thou see a wight that wolde geten
      that he may nat geten, thou mayst nat douten that power ne
      fayleth him to haven that he wolde.'
  25      `This is open and cleer,' quod I; `ne it may nat ben deneyed
      in no manere.'
         `And yif thou see a wight,' quod she, `that hath doon that he
      wolde doon, thou nilt nat douten that he ne hath had power to
      don it?'
  30  `No,' quod I.
         `And in that that every wight may, in that men may holden
      him mighty; as who seyth, in so moche as man is mighty to don a
      thing, in so mochel men halt him mighty; and in that that he ne
      may, in that men demen him to be feble.'
  35      `I confesse it wel,' quod I.
         `Remembreth thee,' quod she, `that I have gadered and
      shewed by forseyde resouns that al the entencioun of the wil of
      mankinde, which that is lad by dyverse studies, hasteth to
      comen to blisfulnesse?'
  40  `It remembreth me wel,' quod I, `that it hath ben shewed.'
         `And recordeth thee nat thanne,' quod she, `that blisfulnesse
      is thilke same good that men requeren; so that, whan that
      blisfulnesse is requered of alle, that good also is requered and
      desired of alle?'
  45      `It ne recordeth me nat,' quod I; `for I have it gretly alwey
      ficched in my memorie.'
        `Alle folk thanne,' quod she, `goode and eek badde, enforcen
      hem with-oute difference of entencioun to comen to good?'
        `This is a verray consequence,' quod I.
  50  `And certein is,' quod she, `that by the getinge of good ben
      men y-maked goode?'
        `This is certein,' quod I.
        `Thanne geten goode men that they desiren?'
        `So semeth it,' quod I.



|p97


  55      `But wikkede folk,' quod she, `yif they geten the good that
      they desiren, they ne mowe nat be wikkede?'
         `So is it,' quod I.
         `Thanne, so as that oon and that other,' quod she, `desiren
      good; and the goode folk geten good, and nat the wikke folk;
  60  thanne nis it no doute that the goode folk ne ben mighty and
      the wikkede folk ben feble?'
         `Who-so that ever,' quod I, `douteth of this, he ne may nat
      considere the nature of thinges ne the consequence of resouns.'
      And over this quod she, `yif that ther be two thinges that
  65  han oo same purpose by kinde, and that oon of hem pursueth
      and parformeth thilke same thing by naturel office, and that
      other ne may nat doon thilke naturel office, but folweth, by other
      manere thanne is convenable to nature, him that acomplissheth
      his purpos kindely, and yit he ne acomplissheth nat his owne
  70  purpos: whether of thise two demestow for more mighty?'
         `Yif that I coniecte,' quod I, `that thou wolt seye, algates yit
      I desire to herkne it more pleynly of thee.'
        `Thou wilt nat thanne deneye,' quod she, `that the moevement
      of goinge nis in men by kinde?'
  75     `No, forsothe,' quod I.
        `Ne thou ne doutest nat,' quod she, `that thilke naturel office
      of goinge ne be the office of feet?'
        `I ne doute it nat,' quod I.
        `Thanne,' quod she, `yif that a wight be mighty to moeve and
  80  goth upon his feet, and another, to whom thilke naturel office of
      feet lakketh, enforceth him to gon crepinge up-on his handes:
      whiche of thise two oughte to ben holden the more mighty by
      right?'
        `Knit forth the remenaunt,' quod I; `for no wight ne douteth
  85  that he that may gon by naturel office of feet ne be more mighty
      than he that ne may nat.'
        `But the soverein good,' quod she, `that is eveneliche purposed
      to the gode folk and to badde, the gode folk seken it by naturel
      office of vertues, and the shrewes enforcen hem to geten it by



|p98


  90  dyverse coveityse of erthely thinges, which that nis no naturel office
      to geten thilke same soverein good. Trowestow that it be any
      other wyse?'
        `Nay,' quod I; `for the consequence is open and shewinge of
      thinges that I have graunted; that nedes gode foIk moten ben
  95  mighty, and shrewes feeble and unmighty.'
        `Thou rennest a-right biforn me,' quod she, `and this is the
      Iugement; that is to seyn, I iuge of thee right as thise leches ben
      wont to hopen of syke folk, whan they aperceyven that nature is
      redressed and withstondeth to the maladye. But, for I see thee
  100 now al redy to the understondinge, I shal shewe thee more thikke
      and continuel resouns. For loke now how greetly sheweth the
      feblesse and infirmitee of wikkede folk, that ne mowen nat comen
      to that hir naturel entencioun ledeth hem, and yit almost thilke
      naturel entencioun constreineth hem. And what were to demen
  105 thanne of shrewes, yif thilke naturel help hadde forleten hem, the
      which naturel help of intencioun goth awey biforn hem, and is so
      greet that unnethe it may ben overcome? Consider thanne how
      greet defaute of power and how greet feblesse ther is in wikkede
      felonous folk; as who seyth, the gretter thing that is coveited and
  110 the desire nat acomplisshed, of the lasse might is he that coveiteth it
      and may nat acomplisshe. And forthy Philosophie seyth thus by
      soverein good: Ne shrewes ne requeren nat lighte medes ne veyne
      games, whiche they ne may folwen ne holden; but they failen of
      thilke somme and of the heighte of thinges, that is to seyn,soverein
  115 good; ne thise wrecches ne comen nat to the effect of soverein
      good, the which they enforcen hem only to geten, by nightes and
      by dayes; in the getinge of which good the strengthe of good folk
      is ful wel y-sene. For right so as thou mightest demen him mighty
      of goinge, that gooth on his feet til he mighte come to thilke
  120 place, fro the whiche place ther ne laye no wey forther to ben
      gon; right so most thou nedes demen him for right mighty, that
      geteth and ateyneth to the ende of alle thinges that ben to desire,
      biyonde the whiche ende ther nis nothing to desire. Of the
      which power of good folk men may conclude, that the wikked



|p99


  125 men semen to be bareine and naked of alle strengthe. For-why
      forleten they vertues and folwen vyces? Nis it nat for that they
      ne knowen nat the goodes? But what thing is more feble and
      more caitif thanne is the blindnesse of ignoraunce? Or elles they
      knowen ful wel whiche thinges that they oughten folwe, but
  130 lecherye and coveityse overthroweth hem mistorned; and certes,
      so doth distemperaunce to feble men, that ne mowen nat wrastlen
      ayeins the vyces. Ne knowen they nat thanne wel that they
      forleten the good wilfully, and tornen hem wilfully to vyces? And
      in this wyse they ne forleten nat only to ben mighty, but they
  135 forleten al-outrely in any wyse for to ben. For they that forleten
      the comune fyn of alle thinges that ben, they forleten also ther_with
      -al for to ben.
      And per-aventure it shoIde semen to som folk that this were
      a merveile to seyen: that shrewes, whiche that contienen the more
  140 partye of men, ne ben nat ne han no beinge; but natheles, it is so,
      and thus stant this thing. For they that ben shrewes, I deneye
      nat that they ben shrewes; but I deneye, and seye simplely and
      pleinly, that they ne ben nat, ne han no beinge. For right as
      thou mightest seyen of the carayne of a man, that it were a deed
  145 man, but thou ne mightest nat simplely callen it a man; so graunte
      I wel forsothe, that vicious folk ben wikked, but I ne may nat
      graunten absolutly and simplely that they ben. For thilke thing
      that with-holdeth ordre and kepeth nature, thilke thing is and
      hath beinge; but what thing that faileth of that, that is to seyn
  150 that he forleteth naturel ordre, he forleteth thilke thing that is set
      in his nature. But thou wolt seyn, that shrewes mowen. Certes,
      that ne deneye I nat; but certes, hir power ne descendeth nat of
      strengthe, but of feblesse. For they mowen don wikkednesses;
      the whiche they ne mighte nat don, yif they mighten dwellen in
  155 the forme and in the doinge of good folk. And thilke power
      sheweth ful evidently that they ne mowen right naught. For so
      as I have gadered and proeved a litel her-biforn, that yvel is
      naught; and so as shrewes mowen only but shrewednesses, this
      conclusioun is al cleer, that shrewes ne mowen right naught, ne
  160 han no power.



|p100


      And for as moche as thou understonde which is the strengthe
      of this power of shrewes, I have definisshed a litel her-biforn, that
      nothing is so mighty as soverein good.'
        `That is sooth,' quod I.
  165    `And thilke same soverein good may don non yvel?'
        `Certes, no,' quod I.
        `Is ther any wight thanne,' quod she, `that weneth that men
      mowen doon alle thinges?'
        `No man,' quod I, `but-yif he be out of his witte.'
  170    `But, certes, shrewes mowen don yvel,' quod she.
        `Ye, wolde god,' quod I, `that they mighten don non!'
        `Thanne,' quod she, `so as he that is mighty to doon only but
      goode thinges may don alle thinges; and they that ben mighty to
      don yvele thinges ne mowen nat alle thinges: thanne is it open
  175 thing and manifest, that they that mowen don yvel ben of lasse
      power. And yit, to proeve this conclusioun, ther helpeth me this,
      that I have y-shewed her-biforn, that alle power is to be noumbred
      among thinges that men oughten requere. And I have shewed
      that alle thinges, that oughten ben desired, ben referred to good,
  180 right as to a maner heighte of hir nature. But for to mowen don
      yvel and felonye ne may nat ben referred to good. Thanne nis
      nat yvel of the noumbir of thinges that oughte ben desired. But
      alle power oughte ben desired and requered. Than is it open and
      cleer that the power ne the mowinge of shrewes nis no power; and
  185 alle thise thinges it sheweth wel, that the goode folke ben cer_teinly 
      mighty, and the shrewes douteles ben unmighty. And it is
      cleer and ofen that thilke opinioun of Plato is verray and sooth, that
      seith, that only wyse men may doon that they desiren; and
      shrewes mowen haunten that hem lyketh, but that they desiren,
  190 that is to seyn, to comen to sovereign good, they ne han no power
      to acomplisshen that. For shrewes don that hem list, whan, by
      tho thinges in which they delyten, they wenen to ateine to thilke
      good that they desiren; but they ne geten ne ateinen nat ther-to,
      for vyces ne comen nat to blisfulnesse.



|p101


      METRE II.

      Quos uides sedere celsos.

        Who-so that the covertoures of hir veyne aparailes mighte strepen
    of thise proude kinges, that thou seest sitten on heigh in hir
    chaires gliteringe in shyninge purpre, envirouned with sorwful
    armures, manasinge with cruel mouth, blowinge by woodnesse of
   5 herte, he shulde seen thanne that thilke lordes beren with-inne hir
    corages ful streite cheines. For lecherye tormenteth hem in that
    oon syde with gredy venims; and troublable ire, that araiseth in
    him the flodes of troublinges, tormenteth up-on that other syde
    hir thought; or sorwe halt hem wery and y-caught; or slydinge
  10 and deceivinge hope tormenteth hem. And therfore, sen thou
    seest oon heed, that is to seyn, oon tyraunt, beren so manye
    tyrannyes, thanne ne doth thilke tyraunt nat that he desireth, sin
    he is cast doun with so manye wikkede lordes; that is to seyn, with
    so manye vyces, that han so wikkedly lordshipes over him.

      PROSE III.

      Videsne igitur quanto in coeno.

        Seestow nat thanne in how grete filthe thise shrewes ben
    y-wrapped, and with which cleernesse thise good folk shynen? In
    this sheweth it wel, that to goode folk ne lakketh never-mo hir
    medes, ne shrewes lakken never-mo torments. For of alle thinges
   5 that ben y-doon, thilke thing, for which any-thing is don, it semeth
    as by right that thilke thing be the mede of that; as thus: yif
    a man renneth in the stadie, or in the forlong, for the corone,
    thanne lyth the mede in the corone for which he renneth. And
    I have shewed that blisfulnesse is thilke same good for which
  10 that alle thinges ben doon. Thanne is thilke same good pur_osed 
    pto the workes of mankinde right as a comune mede; which



|p102


      mede ne may ben dissevered fro good folk. For no wight as by
      right, fro thennes-forth that him lakketh goodnesse ne shal ben
      cleped good. For which thing, folk of goode maneres, hir medes
  15  ne forsaken hem never-mo. For al-be-it so that shrewes wexen
      as wode as hem list ayeins goode folk, yit never-the-lesse the
      corone of wyse men shal nat fallen ne faden. For foreine shrewed_nesse 
      ne binimeth nat fro the corages of goode folk hir propre
      honour. But yif that any wight reioyse him of goodnesse that he
  20  hadde take fro with-oute (as who seith, yif that any wight hadde
      his goodnesse of any other man than of him-self), certes, he that yaf
      him thilke goodnesse, or elles som other wight, mighte binime it
      him. But for as moche as to every wight his owne propre bountee
      yeveth him his mede, thanne at erst shal he failen of mede whan
  25  he forleteth to ben good. And at the laste, so as alle medes ben
      requered for men wenen that they ben goode, who is he that
      wolde deme, that he that is right mighty of good were part-les of
      mede? And of what mede shal he be guerdoned? Certes, of
      right faire mede and right grete aboven alle medes. Remembre
  30  thee of thilke noble corolarie that I yaf thee a litel her-biforn;
      and gader it to-gider in this manere:-so as good him-self is
      blisfulnesse, thanne is it cleer and certein, that alle good folk ben
      maked blisful for they ben goode, and thilke folk that ben blisful,
      it acordeth and is covenable to ben goddes. Thanne is the mede
  35  of goode folk swich that no day shal enpeiren it, ne no wikkednesse

      ne shal derken it, ne power of no wight ne shal nat amenusen it,
      that is to seyn, to ben maked goodes.
      And sin it is thus, that goode men ne failen never-mo of hir mede,
      certes, no wys man ne may doute of undepartable peyne of the
  40  shrewes; that is to seyn, that the peyne of shrewes ne departeth nat
      from hem-self never-mo. For so as goode and yvel, and peyne and
      medes ben contrarye, it mot nedes ben, that right as we seen
      bityden in guerdoun of goode, that also mot the peyne of yvel
      answery, by the contrarye party, to shrewes. Now thanne, so as



|p103


  45  bountee and prowesse ben the mede to goode folk, al-so is
      shrewednesse it-self torment to shrewes. Thanne, who-so that
      ever is entecched and defouled with peyne, he ne douteth nat,
      that he is entecched and defouled with yvel. Yif shrewes thanne
      wolen preysen hem-self, may it semen to hem that they ben with_outen 
  50  party of torment, sin they ben swiche that the uttereste
      wikkednesse (that is to seyn, wikkede thewes, which that is the
      uttereste and the worste kinde of shrewednesse) ne defouleth ne
      enteccheth nat hem only, but infecteth and envenimeth hem
      gretly? And also look on shrewes, that ben the contrarie party
  55  of goode men, how greet peyne felawshipeth and folweth hem!
      For thou hast lerned a litel her-biforn, that al thing that is and
      hath beinge is oon, and thilke same oon is good; thanne is this
      the consequence, that it semeth wel, that al that is and hath beinge
      is good; this is to seyn, as who seyth, that beinge and unitee and
  60  goodnesse is al oon. And in this manere it folweth thanne, that al
      thing that faileth to ben good, it stinteth for to be and for to han
      any beinge; wherfore it is, that shrewes stinten for to ben that
      they weren. But thilke other forme of mankinde, that is to seyn,
      the forme of the body with-oute, sheweth yit that thise shrewes
  65  weren whylom men; wher-for, whan they ben perverted and
      torned in-to malice, certes, than han they forlorn the nature of
      mankinde. But so as only bountee and prowesse may enhaunsen
      every man over other men; thanne mot it nedes be that shrewes,
      which that shrewednesse hath cast out of the condicioun of man_kinde,
  70  ben put under the merite and the desert of men. Thanne
      bitydeth it, that yif thou seest a wight that be transformed into
      vyces, thou ne mayst nat wene that he be a man.
        For yif he be ardaunt in avaryce, and that he be a ravinour by
      violence of foreine richesse, thou shalt seyn that he is lyke to the
  75  wolf. And yif he be felonous and with-oute reste, and exercyse
      his tonge to chydinges, thou shalt lykne him to the hound. And



|p104


    yif he be a prevey awaitour y-hid, and reioyseth him to ravisshe
    by wyles, thou shalt seyn him lyke to the fox-whelpes. And yif he
    be distempre and quaketh for ire, men shal wene that he bereth
  80 the corage of a lyoun. And yif he be dredful and fleinge, and
    dredeth thinges that ne oughten nat to ben dred, men shal holden
    him lyk to the hert. And yif he be slow and astoned and lache, he
    liveth as an asse. And yif he be light and unstedefast of corage, and
    chaungeth ay his studies, he is lykned to briddes. And if he be
  85 plounged in foule and unclene luxuries, he is with-holden in the
    foule delyces of the foule sowe. Thanne folweth it, that he that for_eteth 
    lbountee and prowesse, he forleteth to ben a man; sin he may
    nat passen in-to the condicioun of god, he is torned in-to a beest.

      METRE III.

      Vela Neritii dulcis.

        Eurus the wind aryvede the sailes of Ulixes, duk of the contree
      of Narice, and his wandringe shippes by the see, in-to the ile
      ther-as Circes, the faire goddesse, doughter of the sonne,
      dwelleth; that medleth to hir newe gestes drinkes that ben
   5  touched and maked with enchauntements. And after that hir
      hand, mighty over the herbes, hadde chaunged hir gestes in-to
      dyverse maneres; that oon of hem, is covered his face with forme
      of a boor; that other is chaunged in-to a lyoun of the contree of
      Marmorike, and his nayles and his teeth wexen; that other of
  10  hem is neweliche chaunged in-to a wolf, and howleth whan he
      wolde wepe; that other goth debonairely in the hous as a tygre
      of Inde.
        But al-be-it so that the godhed of Mercurie, that is cleped the
      brid of Arcadie, hath had mercy of the duke Ulixes, biseged with
  15  dyverse yveles, and hath unbounden him fro the pestilence of
      his ostesse, algates the roweres and the marineres hadden by this
      y-drawen in-to hir mouthes and dronken the wikkede drinkes.



|p105


      They that weren woxen swyn hadden by this y-chaunged hir
      mete of breed, for to eten akornes of okes. Non of hir limes ne
  20  dwelleth with hem hole, but they han lost the voice and the
      body; only hir thought dwelleth with hem stable, that wepeth
      and biweileth the monstruous chaunginge that they suffren. O
      overlight hand (as who seyth, O feble and light is the hand of
      Circes the enchaunteresse, that chaungeth the bodyes of folkes in-to
  25  bestes, to regard and to comparisoun of mutacioun that is maked by
      vyces); ne the herbes of Circes ne ben nat mighty. For al-be-it
      so that they may chaungen the linies of the body, algates yit
      they may nat chaunge the hertes; for with-inne is y-hid the
      strengthe and vigor of men, in the secree tour of hir hertes; that
  30  is to seyn, the strengthe of resoun. But thilke venims of vyces to_drawen 
      a man to hem more mightily than the venim of Circes;
      for vyces ben so cruel that they percen and thorugh-passen the
      corage with-inne; and, thogh they ne anoye nat the body, yit
      vyces wooden to destroye men by wounde of thought.'

      PROSE IV.

      Tum ego, Fateor, inquam.

        Than seyde I thus: `I confesse and am a-knowe it,' quod I;
      `ne I ne see nat that men may sayn, as by right, that shrewes ne
    ben chaunged in-to bestes by the qualitee of hir soules, al-be-it so
    that they kepen yit the forme of the body of mankinde. But I
   5  nolde nat of shrewes, of which the thought cruel woodeth al-wey
    in-to destruccioun of goode men, that it were leveful to hem to
    don that.'
        `Certes,' quod she, `ne is nis nat leveful to hem, as I shal wel
    shewe thee in covenable place; but natheles, yif so were that thilke
  10 that men wenen be leveful to shrewes were binomen hem, so that
    they ne mighte nat anoyen or doon ahrm to goode men, certes, a
    gre partye of the peyne to shrewes sholde ben allegged and
    releved. For al-be-it so that this ne seme nat credible thing,
    per-aventure, to some folk, yit moot it nedes be, that shrewes ben



|p106


  15  more wrecches and unsely whan they may doon and performe:
      that they coveiten, than yif they mighte nat complisshen that they
      coveiten. For yif so be that it be wrecchednesse to wilne to don,
      yvel, than is more wrecchednesse to mowen don yvel with-oute
      whiche mowinge the wrecched wil sholde languisshe with-oute
  20  effect. Than, sin that everiche of thise thinges hath his
      wrecchednesse, that is to seyn, wil to don yvel and mowinge to don
      yvel, it moot nedes be that they ben constreyned by three
      unselinesses, that wolen and mowen and performen felonyes and
      shrewednesses.'
  25     `I acorde me,' quod I; `but I desire gretly that shrewes
      losten sone thilke unselinesse, that is to seyn, that shrewes weren
      despoyled of mowinge to don yvel.'
        So shullen they,' quod she, `soner, per-aventure, than thou
      woldest; or soner than they hem-self wene to lakken mowinge to
  30  don yvel. For ther nis no-thing so late in so shorte boundes of
      this lyf, that is long to abyde, nameliche, to a corage inmortel;
      of whiche shrewes the grete hope, and the hye conipassinges of
      shrewednesses, is ofte destroyed by a sodeyn ende, or they ben
      war; and that thing estableth to shrewes the ende of hir
  35  shrewednesse. For yif that shrewednesse maketh wrecches, than
      mot he nedes ben most wrecched that lengest is a shrewe; the
      whiche wikked shrewes wolde I demen aldermost unsely and caitifs,
      yif that hir shrewednesse ne were finisshed, at the leste wey, by
      the outtereste deeth. For yif I have concluded sooth of the un_selinesse 
  40  of shrewednesse, than sheweth it cleerly that thilke
      wrecchednesse is with-outen ende, the whiche is certein to ben
      perdurable.'
        `Certes,' quod I, `this conclusioun is hard and wonderful to
      graunte; but I knowe wel that it acordeth moche to the thinges
  45  that I have graunted her-biforn.'
        `Thou hast,' quod she, `the right estimacioun of this, but
      who-so-ever wene that it be a hard thing to acorde him to a
      conclusioun, it is right that he shewe that some of the premisses
      ben false; or elles he moot shewe that the collacioun of proposi_



|p107


  50  ciouns nis nat speedful to a necessarie conclusioun. And yif it
      be nat so, but that the premisses ben y-graunted, ther is not why
      he sholde blame the argument.
        For this thing that I shal telle thee now ne shal nat seme lasse
      wonderful; but of the thinges that ben taken also it is necessarie;'
  55  as who seyth, it folweth of that which that is purposed biforn.
        `What is that?' quod I.
        `Certes,' quod she, `that is, that thise wikked shrewes ben
      more blisful, or elles lasse wrecches, that abyen the torments that
      they han deserved, than yif no peyne of Iustice ne chastysede
  60  hem. Ne this ne seye I nat now, for that any man mighte
      thenke, that the maners of shrewes ben coriged and chastysed by
      veniaunce, and that they ben brought to the right wey by the
      drede of the torment, ne for that they yeven to other folk
      ensaumple to fleen fro vyces, but I understande yit in another
  65  manere, that shrewes ben more unsely whan they ne ben nat
      punisshed, al-be-it so that ther ne be had no resoun or lawe of
      correccioun, ne non ensaumple of lokinge.
        `And what manere shal that ben,' quod I, `other than hath be
      told her-biforn?'
  70  `Have we nat thanne graunted,' quod she, `that goode folk
      ben blisful, and shrewes ben wrecches?'
        `Yis,' quod I.
        `Thanne,' quod she, `yif that any good were added to the
      wrecchednesse of any wight, nis he nat more weleful than he that
  75   hath no medlinge of good in his solitarie wrecchednesse?'
        `So semeth it,' quod I.
        `And what seystow thanne,' quod she, `of thilke wrecche that
      lakketh alle goodes, so that no good nis medled in his wrecchednesse,
      and yit, over al his wikkednesse for which he is a wrecche, that
  80  ther be yit another yvel anexed and knit to him, shal nat men
      demen him more unsely than thilke wrecche of whiche the unse_liesse 
      is releved by the participacioun of som good?'
        `Why sholde he nat?' quod I.
        `Thanne, certes,' quod she, `han shrewes, whan they ben
  85  punisshed, som-what of good anexed to hir wrecchednesse, that is



|p108


      to seyn, the same peyne that they suffren, which that is good by
      the resoun of Iustice; and whan thilke same shrewes ascapen
      with-oute torment, than han they som-what more of yvel yit over
      the wikkednesse that they han don, that is to seyn, defaute of
  90  peyne; which defaute of peyne, thou hast graunted, is yvel for
      the deserte of felonye.' `I ne may nat denye it,' quod I. `Moche
      more thanne,' quod she, `ben shrewes unsely, whan they ben
      wrongfully delivered fro peyne, than whan they ben punisshed by
      rightful veniaunce. But this is open thing and cleer, that it is
  95  right that shrewes ben punisshed, and it is wikkednesse and
      wrong that they escapen unpunisshed.'
        `Who mighte deneye that?' quod I.
        `But,' quod she, `may any man denye that al that is right nis
      good; and also the contrarie, that al that is wrong is eikke?'
  100 `Certes,' quod I, `these thinges ben clere y-nough; and that
      we han concluded a litel her-biforn. But I praye thee that thou
      telle me, yif thou acordest to leten no torment to sowles, after that
      the body is ended by the deeth;' this is to seyn, understandestow
      aught that sowles han any torment after the deeth of the body?
  105     `Certes,' quod she, `ye; and that right greet; of which sowles,'
      quod she, `I trowe that some ben tormented by asprenesse of
      peyne; and some sowles, I trowe, ben exercised by a purginge
      mekenesse. But my conseil nis nat to determinye of thise peynes.
      But I have travailed and told yit hiderto, for thou sholdest knowe
  110 that the mowinge of shrewes, which mowinge thee semeth to ben
      unworthy, nis no mowinge; and eek of shrewes, of which thou
      pleinedest that they ne were nat punisshed, that thou woldest
      seen that they ne weren never-mo with-outen the torments of hir
      wikkednesse: and of the licence of the mowinge to don yvel,
  115 that thou preydest that it mighte sone ben ended, and that thou
      woldest fayn lernen that it ne sholde nat longe dure: and that
      shrewes ben more unsely yif they were of lenger duringe, and
      most unsely yif they weren perdurable. And after this, I have
      shewed thee that more unsely ben shrewes, whan they escapen
  120 with-oute hir rightful peyne, than whan they ben punisshed by
      rightful veniaunce. And of this sentence folweth it, that thanne



|p109


      ben shrewes constreined at the laste with most grevous torment,
      whan men wene that they ne be nat punisshed.'
        `Whan I consider thy resouns,' quod I, `I ne trowe nat that
  125 men seyn any-thing more verayly. And yif I torne ayein to the
      studies of men, who is he to whom it sholde seme that he ne
      sholde nat only leven thise thinges, but eek gladly herkne
      hem?'
        `Certes,' quod she, `so it is, but men may nat. For they han
  130 hir eyen so wont to the derknesse of erthely thinges, that they ne
      may nat liften hem up to the light of cleer sothfastnesse; but
      they ben lyke to briddes, of which the night lightneth hir lokinge,
      and the day blindeth hem. For whan men loken nat the ordre of
      thinges, but hir lustes and talents, they wene that either the leve
  135 or the mowinge to don wikkednesse, or elles the scapinge with_oute 
      peyne, be weleful. But consider the Iugement of the
      perdurable lawe. For yif thou conferme thy corage to the beste
      thinges, thou ne hast no nede of no Iuge to yeven thee prys or
      mede; for thou hast ioyned thy-self to the most excellent thing.
  140 And yif thou have enclyned thy studies to the wikked thinges, ne
      seek no foreyne wreker out of thy-self; for thou thy-self hast
      thrist thy-self in-to wikke thinges: right as thou mightest loken by
      dyverse tymes the foule erthe and the hevene, and that alle other
      thinges stinten fro with-oute, so that thou nere neither in hevene
  145 ne in erthe, ne saye no-thing more; than it sholde semen to
      thee, as by only resoun of lokinge, that thou were now in the
      sterres and now in the erthe. But the poeple ne loketh nat on
      thise thinges. What thanne? Shal we thanne aprochen us to
      hem that I have shewed that they ben lyk to bestes? And what
  150 woltow seyn of this: yif that a man hadde al forlorn his sighte
      and hadde foryeten that he ever saugh, and wende that no-thing
      ne faylede him of perfeccioun of mankinde, now we that mighten
      seen the same thinges, wolde we nat wene that he were blinde?
      Ne also ne acordeth nat the poeple to that I shal seyn, the which
  155 thing is sustened by a stronge foundement of resouns, that is to



|p110


      seyn, that more unsely ben they that don wrong to othre folk
      than they that the wrong suffren.'
        `I wolde heren thilke same resouns,' quod I.
        `Denyestow,' quod she, `that alle shrewes ne ben worthy to
  160 han torment?'
        `Nay,' quod I.
        `But,' quod she, `I am certein, by many resouns, that shrewes
      ben unsely.'
        `It acordeth,' quod I.
  165      `Thanne ne doutestow nat,' quod she, `that thilke folk that ben
      worthy of torment, that they ne ben wrecches?'
        `It acordeth wel,' quod I.
        `Yif thou were thanne,' quod she, `y-set a Iuge or a knower of
      thinges, whether, trowestow, that men sholden tormenten him
  170 that hath don the wrong, or elles him that hath suffred the
      wrong?'
        `I ne doute nat,' guod I, that I nolde don suffisaunt satisfac_cioun 
      to him that hadde suffred the wrong by the sorwe of him
      that hadde don the wrong.'
  175    `Thanne semeth it,' quod she, `that the doere of wrong is
      more wrecche than he that suffred wrong?'
        `That folweth wel,' quod I.
        `Than,' quod she, `by these causes and by othre causes that
      ben enforced by the same rote, filthe or sinne, by the propre
  180 nature of it, maketh men wrecches, and it sheweth wel, that the
      wrong that men don nis nat the wrecchednesse of him that
      reyveth the wrong, but the wrecchednesse of him that doth the
      wrong. But certes,' quod she, `thise oratours or advocats don al
      the contrarye; for they enforcen hem to commoeve the Iuges to
  185 han pitee of hem that han suffred and receyved the thinges that
      ben grevous and aspre, and yit men sholden more rightfully han
      pitee of hem that don the grevaunces and the wronges; the
      whiche shrewes, it were a more covenable thing, that the
      accusours or advocats, not wroth but pitous and debonair, ledden



|p111


  190 tho shrewes that han don wrong to the Iugement, right as men
      leden syke folk to the leche, for that they sholde seken out the
      maladyes of sinne by torment. And by this covenaunt, either the
      entente of deffendours or advocats sholde faylen and cesen in al,
      or elles, yif the office of advocats wolde bettre profiten to men,
  195 it sholde ben torned in-to the habite of accusacioun; that is to
      seyn, they sholden accuse shrewes, and nat excuse hem. And eek
      the shrewes hem-self, yif hit were leveful to hem to seen at any
      clifte the vertu that they han forleten, and sawen that they
      sholden putten adoun the filthes of hir vyces, by the torments of
  200 peynes, they ne oughte nat, right for the recompensacioun for to
      geten hem bountee and prowesse which that they han lost,
      demen ne holden that thilke peynes weren torments to hem; and
      eek they wolden refuse the attendaunce of hir advocats, and
      taken hem-self to hir Iuges and to hir accusors. For which it
  205 bitydeth that, as to the wyse folk, ther nis no place y-leten to
      hate; that is to seyn, that ne hate hath no place amonges wyse men.
      For no wight nil haten goode men, but-yif he were over-mochel a
      fool; and for to haten shrewes, it nis no resoun. For right so as
      languissinge is maladye of body, right so ben vyces and sinne
  210 maladye of corage. And so as we ne deme nat, that they that ben
      syke of hir body ben worthy to ben hated, but rather worthy of
      pitee wel more worthy, nat to ben hated, but for to ben had in
      pitee, ben they of whiche the thoughtes ben constreined by
      felonous wikkednesse, that is more cruel than any languissinge of
  215 body.

    METRE IV.

    Quid tantos iuuat excitare motus.

        What delyteth you to excyten so grete moevinges of hateredes,
    and to hasten and bisien the fatal disposicioun of your deeth with
    your propre handes? that is to seyn, by batailes or by contek. For
    yif ye axen the deeth, it hasteth him of his owne wil; ne deeth
   5 ne tarieth nat his swifte hors. And the men that the serpent and
    the lyoun and the tygre and the bere and the boor seken to sleen
    with hir teeth, yit thilke same men seken to sleen everich of hem



|p112


    other with swerd. Lo! for hir maneres ben dyverse and descord_unt
    a, they moeven unrightful ostes and cruel batailes, and wilnen
  10 to perisshe by entrechaunginge of dartes. But the resoun of
    crueltee nis nat y-nough rightful.
        Wiltow thanne yelden a covenable guerdoun to the desertes of
    men? Love rightfully goode folk, and have pitee on shrewes.'

    PROSE V.

    Hic ego uideo inquam.

        `Thus see I wel,' quod I, `either what blisfulnesse or elles
      what unselinesse is establisshed in the desertes of goode men and
      of shrewes. But in this ilke fortune of poeple I see somwhat of
      good and somwhat of yvel. For no wyse man hath lever ben
   5  exyled, poore and nedy, and nameles, than for to dwellen in his
      citee and flouren of richesses, and be redoutable by honour, and
      strong of power. For in this wyse more cleerly and more witnes_fully 
      is the office of wyse men y-treted, whan the blisfulnesse and
      the poustee of governours is, as it were, y-shad amonges poeples
  10  that be neighebours and subgits; sin that, namely, prisoun, lawe,
      and thise othre torments of laweful peynes ben rather owed to
      felonous citezeins, for the whiche felonous citezeins tho peynes
      ben establisshed, than for good folk. Thanne I mervaile me
      gretly,' quod I, `why that the thinges ben so mis entrechaunged,
  15  that torments of felonyes pressen and confounden goode folk, and
      shrewes ravisshen medes of vertu, and ben in honours and in
      gret estats. And I desyre eek for to witen of thee, what semeth
      thee to ben the resoun of this so wrongful a conclusioun? For I
      wolde wondre wel the lasse, yif I trowede that al thise thinges
  20  weren medled by fortunous happe; but now hepeth and en_creseth 
      myn astonyinge god, governour of thinges, that, so as god
      yeveth ofte tymes to gode men godes and mirthes, and to shrewes
      yveles and aspre thinges: and yeveth ayeinward to gode folk hard_nesses,
      and to shrewes he graunteth hem hir wil and that they



|p113


  25 desyren: what difference thanne may ther be bitwixen that that
    god doth, and the happe of fortune, yif men ne knowe nat the
    cause why that it is?'
        `Ne it nis no merv,aile,' quod she, `though that men wenen that
    ther be somewhat folissh and confuse, whan the resoun of the
  30 ordre is unknowe. But al-though that thou ne knowe nat the
    cause of so greet a disposicioun, natheles, for as moche as god,
    the gode governour, atempreth and governeth the world, ne doute
    thee nat that alle thines ben doon a-right.

    METRE V.

      Si quis Arcturi sidera nescit.
      Who-so that ne knowe nat the sterres of Arcture, y-torned neigh
      to the soverein contree or point, that is to seyn, y-torned neigh to
      the soverein pool of the firmament, and wot nat why the sterre
      Bootes passeth or gadereth his weynes, and drencheth his late
   5  flambes in the see, and why that Bootes the sterre unfoldeth his
      over-swifte arysinges, thanne shal he wondren of the lawe of the
      heye eyr.
        And eek, yif that he ne knowe nat why that the hornes of the fulle
      mone wexen pale and infect by the boundes of the derke night;
  10  and how the mone, derk and confuse, discovereth the sterres that
      she hadde y-covered by hir clere visage. The comune errour
      moeveth folk, and maketh wery hir basins of bras by thikke
      strokes; that is to seyn, that ther is a maner of oeple that highte
      Coribantes, that wenen that, whan the mone is in the eclipse, that it
  15  be enchaunted; and therefore, for to rescowe the mone they beten her
      basins with thikke strokes.
        Ne no man ne wondreth whan the blastes of the wind Chorus
      beten the strondes of the see by quakinge flodes; ne no man ne
      wondreth whan the weighte of the snowe, y-harded by the colde,
  20  is resolved by the brenninge hete of Phebus the sonne; for heer
      seen men redely the causes.



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        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
  25 errour of our ignoraunce departede fro us, so that we wisten the
    causes why that swiche thinges bi-tyden, certes, they sholden cese
    to seme wondres.'

    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
   5  it; for this miracle or this wonder troubleth me right gretly.'
        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 suffi_sauntly 
  10  anything to answere parfitly to thy questioun. For the
      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
  15  tho doutes by a right lyfly and quik fyr of thought; that is to
      seyn, by vigour and strenghte of wit. For in this manere men
      weren wont to maken questions of the simplicitee of the pur_viaunce 
      of god, and of the order of destinee, and of sodein
      happe, and of the knowinge and predestinacioun divyne, and of
  20  the libertee of free wille; the whiche thinges thou thy-self
      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
  25  al-thogh the norisshinges of ditee of musike delyteth thee, thou
      most suffren and forberen a litel of thilke delyte, whyle that
      I weve to thee resouns y-knit by ordre.'



|p115


        `As it lyketh to thee,' quod I, `so do.' Tho spak she right as
      another biginninge, and seyde thus. `The engendringe of
  30  alle thinges,' quod she, `and alle the progressiouns of muable
      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
  35  many maner gyses to thinges that ben to done; the whiche
      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,
  40  yif that any wight loketh wel in his thought, the strengthe of that
      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 pur_viaunce 
      disponeth alle thinges. But destinee is the disposicioun
  45  and ordinaunce clyvinge to moevable thinges, by the whiche
      disposicioun the purviaunce knitteth alle thinges in hir ordres;
      purviaunce embraceth alle thinges to-hepe, al-thogh that they
      ben dyverse, and al-thogh they ben infinite; but destinee de_parteth 
      and ordeineth alle thinges singulerly, and divyded in
  50  moevinges, in places, in formes, in tymes, as thus: lat the
      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 ben called destinee. And al-be-it so that thise thinges
  55  ben dyverse, yit natheles hangeth that oon on that other, for-why
      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
  60  and presently, by temporel ordinaunce: certes, right so god
      disponeth in his purviaunce, singulerly and stably, the thinges
      that ben to done, but he aministreth in many maneres and in



|p116


      dyverse tymes, by destinee, thilke same thinges that we hath
      disponed.
  65      Thanne, whether that destinee be exercysed outher by some
      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,
  70  or elles by hem alle, the destinal ordinaunce is y-woven and
      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,
  75  that is destinee. For which it is, that alle thinges that ben put
      under destinee ben, certes, subgits to purviaunce, to whiche pur_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
  80  firste godhed; they surmounten the ordre of destinal moevabletee.
      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 tomen a-bouten him, and thilke that is
  85  outterest, compassed by larger envyronninge, is unfolden by
      larger spaces, in so moche as it is forthest fro the middel sim_plicitee 
      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
  90  to be shad and to fleten dyversely: right so, by semblable resoun,
      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.
  95  And yif the thing clyveth to the stedefastnesse of the thoght of god,
      and be with-oute moevinge, certes, it sormounteth the necessitee of



|p117


      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
  100 ordre of moevable destinee to the stable simplicitee of purviaunce.
        Thilke ordinaunce moeveth the hevene and the sterres, and
      atempreth the elements to-gider amonges hem-self, and trans_formeth 
      hem by entrechaungeable mutacioun; and thilke same
      ordre neweth ayein alle thinges growinge and fallinge a-doun, by
  105 semblable progressiouns of sedes and of sexes, that is to seyn,
      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 bigin_ninges 
      of the unmoevable purviaunce, it mot nedes be that they
  110 ne be nat mutable. And thus ben the thinges ful wel y-governed,
      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
  115 to ben confus and trouble to us men, for we ne mowen nat con_sidere 
      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
  120 shrewes, as I have shewed ful plentivously, seken good, but
      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,
  125 and shrewes also now han thinges that they desiren, and now
      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
  130 this manere the domes of men discorden, that thilke men that
      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



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      and seen thilke innereste atempraunce of corages, as it hath ben
  135 wont to be seyd of bodies; as who seyth, may a man speken and
      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
  140 swete thinges ben covenable to some bodies that ben hole, and to
      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,
  145 ne merveileth of it no-thing. But what other thing semeth hele
      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
  150 heye tour of his purveaunce, he knoweth what is covenable to
      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,
  155 as who seyth, but for to comprehende and telle a fewe thinges of the
      divyne deepnesse, the whiche that mannes resoun may under_stonde,
      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
  160 "the victorious cause lykede to the goddes, and the cause over_comen 
      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,
  165 that the divyne Iugement and the Iugement of mankinde acorden
      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 wiche he ne may nat with-holden
      fortune. Thanne the wyse dispensacioun of god spareth him, the



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  170 whiche man adversitee mighte enpeyren; for that god wol nat
      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
  175 that he wol nat suffre that swich a man be moeved with any
      bodily maladye. But so as seyde a philosophre, the more excel_lent 
      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
  180 the malice haboundaunt of shrewes sholde ben abated. And god
      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
  185 with harde thinges, for that they sholden confermen the vertues
      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
  190 aspre and sorwful thinges. And many othre folk han bought
      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 over_comen 
      by adversitees; and of alle thinges ther nis no doute, that
  195 they ne ben don rightfully and ordenely, to the profit of hem to
      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
  200 wenen that they han wel deserved it, and that they ben of
      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



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      sheweth a greet argument to gode folk, what thing they sholde
  205 demen of thilke welefulnesse, the whiche prosperitee men seen
      ofte serven to shrewes. In the which thing I trowe that god
      dispenseth, for, per-aventure, the nature of som man is so over_throwinge 
      to yvel, and so uncovenable, that the nedy povertee of
      his houshold mighte rather egren him to don felonyes. And to
  210 the maladye of him god putteth remedie, to yeven him richesses.
      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
  215 sorwful to him; and therfor he wol chaunge his maneres, and, for
      he dredeth to lese his fortune, he forleteth his wikkednesse. To
      othre folk is welefulnesse y-yeven unworthily, the whiche over_troweth 
      hem in-to distruccioun that they han deserved. And to
      som othre folk is yeven power to punisshen, for that it shal be
  220 cause of continuacioun and exercysinge to gode folk and cause of
      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
  225 ofte tyme thinges, the whiche thinges, whan they han don hem,
      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
  230 felonyes of othre shrewes, they wexen eschaufed in-to hate of hem
      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 miglit, to the whiche might yveles ben thanne
      gode, whan it useth tho yveles covenably, and draweth out the
  235 effect of any gode; as who seyth, that yvel is good only to the might
      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



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      him, algates yit he slydeth in-to another ordre, so that no-thing
  240 nis leveful to folye in the reame of the divyne purviaunce; as who
      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 dis_posiciouns 
  245 of the divyne entente. For only it oughte suffise to
      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,
  250 he chaseth out al yvel fro the boundes of his comunalitee by the
      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
  255 the weighte of the questioun, and wery with the lengthe of my
      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.

      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,
   5  y-moeved by his rody fyr, ne distorbeth nat the colde cercle of
      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,
  10  al-thogh he see othre sterres y-plounged in the see. And Hesperus



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      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
  15  sterres. This acordaunce atempreth by evenelyk maneres the
      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
  20  same causes the floury yeer yildeth swote smelles in the firste
      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
  25  atempraunce, ravisshinge, hydeth and binimeth, and drencheth
      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
  30  that he stereth to gon by moevinge, he withdraweth and aresteth;
      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
  35  departen from hir welle, that is to seyn, from hir biginninge and
      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
  40  the cause that hath yeven hem beinge, that is to seyn, to god.

      PROSE VII.

      Iamne igitur uides.

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



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        `Certes,' quod she, `al-outrely, that alle fortune is good.'
        `And how may that be?' quod I.
   5     `Now understand,' quod she, `so as alle fortune, whether so it
      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
  10  elles profitable.'
        `Forsothe, this is a ful verray resoun,' quod I; `and yif I con_sider 
      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
  15  thinges, of whiche thou seydest a litel her-biforn, that they ne were
      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.'
  20  `Wiltow thanne,' quod she, `that I aproche a litel to the wordes
      of the poeple, so that it seme nat to hem that I be overmoche de_parted 
      as fro the usage of mankinde?'
        `As thou wolt,' quod I.
        `Demestow nat,' quod she, `that al thing that profiteth is good?'
  25     `Yis,' quod I.
        `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.
  30  `But this is the fortune,' quod she, `of hem that either ben put
      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
  35  folk in guerdoun? Demeth aught the poeple that it is wikked?'
        `Nay, forsothe,' quod I; `but they demen, as it sooth is, that it
      is right good.'



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        `And what seystow of that other fortune,' quod she, `that,
      al-thogh that it be aspre, and restreineth the shrewes by rightful
  40  torment, weneth aught the poeple that it be good?'
        `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
  45  that is unable to be wened to the poeple.'
        `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
  50  the purchasinge of vertu, that thilke fortune is good; and that alle
      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.'
  55      `Why so?' quod she; `for right as the stronge man ne semeth
      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
  60  the matere; to that oon man, of encres of his glorious renoun,
      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, hy hise strengthes, that it nis nat
      overcomen by adversitees. Ne certes, thou that art put in the
  65  encres or in the heighte of vertu, ne hast nat comen to fleten with
      delices, and for to welken in bodily luste; thou sowest or plauntest
      a ful egre bataile in the 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.
  70  For al that ever is under the mene, or elles al that overpasseth the
      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



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    seyn, good or yvel. For alle fortune that semeth sharp or aspre,
  75 yif it ne exercyse nat the gode folk ne chastyseth the wikked folk, it
    punissheth.

      METRE VII.

      Bella bis quinis operatus annis.

        The wreker Attrides, that is to seyn, 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
   5  ayein Eleyne, that was Menelaus wyf his brother. In the mene
      wyle that thilke Agamenon desirede to yeven sayles to the
      Grekissh navye, and boughte ayein the windes by blood, he un_clothede 
      him of pitee of fader; and the sory preest yiveth in
      sacrifyinge the wrecched cuttinge of throte of the doughter; that
  10  is to seyn, that Agamenon let cutten the throte of his doughter by the
      breest, 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,
  15  hadde freten and dreynt in his empty wombe. But natheles
      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
      Polophemus that stood in his forehed, for which Ulixes hadde Ioye,
      whan he say Polophemus wepinge and blinde.
  20  Hercules is celebrable for his harde travailes; he dauntede the
      proude Centaures, half hors, half man; and he birafte the di_spoylinge 
      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 dra_goun,
  25  and his hand was the more hevy for the goldene metal.
      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,



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  30  and brende the venim. And Achelous the flood, defouled in his
      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,
  35  hidde him in his river. And he, Hercules, caste adoun Antheus
      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
  40  shuldres of Hercules, the whiche shuldres the heye cercle of
      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
  45  grete ensaumple ledeth yow. O nyce men, why nake ye youre
      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
  50  maked worthy to the hevene.

      BOOK V.

      PROSE I.

      Dixerat, orationisque cursum.

      She hadde seyd, and torned the cours of hir resoun to some
      othre thinges to ben treted and to ben y-sped. Thanne seyde I,
        `Certes, rightful is thyn amonestinge and ful digne by auctoritee.
      But that thou seidest whylom, that the questioun of the divyne
   5  purviaunce is enlaced with many other questiouns, I understonde
      wel and proeve it by the same thing. But I axe yif that thou
      wenest that hap be any thing in any weys; and, yif thou wenest
      that hap be anything, what is it?'
        Thanne quod she, `I haste me to yilden and assoilen to thee



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  10  the dette of my bihest, and to shewen and opnen the wey, by
      which wey thou mayst come ayein to thy contree. But al-be-it
      so that the thinges which that thou axest ben right profitable to
      knowe, yit ben they diverse somwhat fro the path of my purpos;
      and it is to douten that thou ne be maked wery by mis-weyes, so
  15  that thou ne mayst nat suffyce to mesuren the right wey.'
        `Ne doute thee ther-of nothing,' quod I. `For, for to knowen
      thilke thinges to-gedere, in the whiche thinges I delyte me greetly,
      that shal ben to me in stede of reste; sin it is nat to douten of
      the thinges folwinge, whan every syde of thy disputacioun shal han
  20  be stedefast to me by undoutous feith.'
        Thanne seyde she, `That manere wol I don thee'; and bigan
      to speken right thus. `Certes,' quod she, `yif any wight diffi_nisshe 
      hap in this manere, that is to seyn, that "hap is bitydinge
      y-brought forth by foolish moevinge and by no knettinge of
  25  causes," I conferme that hap nis right naught in no wyse; and I
      deme al-outrely that hap nis, ne dwelleth but a voice, as who seith,
      but an ydel word, with-outen any significacioun of thing submitted
      to that vois. For what place mighte ben left, or dwellinge,
      to folye a nd to disordenaunce, sin that god ledeth and con_streineth 
  30  alle thinges by ordre? For this sentence is verray and
      sooth, that "nothing ne hath his beinge of naught"; to the
      whiche sentence none of thise olde folk ne withseyde never; al-be_it 
      so that they ne understoden ne meneden it naught by god,
      prince and beginnere of werkinge, but they casten [it] as a manere
  35  foundement of subiect material, that is to seyn, of the nature of
      alle resoun. And yif that any thing is woxen or comen of no
      causes, than shal it seme that thilke thing is comen or woxen of
      naught; but yif this ne may nat ben don, thanne is it nat possible,
      that hap be any swich thing as I have diffinisshed a litel heer-biforn.'
  40  `How shal it thanne be?' quod I. `Nis ther thanne no-thing
      that by right may be cleped either "hap" or elles "aventure of
      fortune"; or is ther aught, al-be-it so that it is hid fro the peple,
      to which these wordes ben covenable?'



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        `Myn Aristotulis,' quod she, `in the book of his Phisik, dif
  45  finissheth this thing by short resoun, and neigh to the sothe.'
        `In which manere?' quod I.
        `As ofte,' quod she, `as men doon any thing for grace of any
      other thing, and an-other thing than thilke thing that men
      entenden to don bitydeth by some causes, it is cleped "hap."
  50  Right as a man dalf the erthe by cause of tilyinge of the feeld,
      and founde ther a gobet of gold bidolven, thanne wenen folk that
      it is bifalle by fortunous bitydinge. But, for sothe, it nis nat of
      naught, for it hath his propre causes; of whiche causes the cours
      unforeseyn and unwar semeth to han maked hap. For yif the
  55  tilyere of the feld ne dolve nat in the erthe, and yif the hyder of
      the gold ne hadde hid the gold in thilke place, the gold ne hadde
      nat been founde. Thise ben thanne the causes of the abregginge
      of fortuit hap, the which abregginge of fortuit hap comth of causes
      encountringe and flowinge to-gidere to hem-self, and nat by the
  60  entencioun of the doer. For neither the hyder of the gold ne the
      delver of the feeld ne understoden nat that the gold sholde han
      ben founde; but, as I sayde, it bitidde and ran to-gidere that he
      dalf ther-as that other hadde hid the gold. Now may I thus
      diffinisshe "hap." Hap is an unwar bitydinge of causes assembled
  65  in thinges that ben don for som other thing. But thilke ordre,
      procedinge by an uneschuable bindinge to-gidere, which that
      descendeth fro the welle of purviaunce that ordeineth alle thinges
      in hir places and in hir tymes, maketh that the causes rennen and
      assemblen to-gidere.

      METRE I.

      Rupis Achemenie scopulis, ubi uersa sequentum.

        Tigris and Eufrates resolven and springen of oo welle, in the
    cragges of the roche of the contree of Achemenie, ther-as the
    fleinge bataile ficcheth hir dartes, retorned in the brestes of hem
    that folwen hem. And sone after tho same riveres, Tigris and



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   5  Eufrates, unioinen and departen hir wateres. And yif they comen
      to-gideres, and ben assembled and cleped to-gidere into o cours,
      thanne moten thilke thinges fleten to-gidere which that the water
      of the entrechaunginge flood bringeth. The shippes and the
      stokkes arraced with the flood moten assemblen; and the wateres
  10  y-medled wrappeth or implyeth many fortunel happes or maneres;
      the whiche wandringe happes, natheles, thilke declyninge lownesse
      of the erthe and the flowinge ordre of the slydinge water governeth.
      Right so Fortune, that semeth as that it fleteth with slaked or
      ungovernede brydles, it suffereth brydles, that is to seyn, to be
  15  governed, and passeth by thilke lawe, that is to seyn, by thilke
      divyne ordenaunce.'

      PROSE II.

      Animaduerto, inquam.

        `This understonde I wel,' quod I, `and I acorde wel that it is
      right as thou seyst. But I axe yif ther be any libertee of free wil
      in this ordre of causes that clyven thus to-gidere in hem-self; or
      elles I wolde witen yif that the destinal cheyne constreineth the
   5  movinges of the corages of men?'
        `Yis,' quod she; `ther is libertee of free wil. Ne ther ne was
      nevere no nature of resoun that it ne hadde libertee of free wil.
      For every thing that may naturely usen resoun, it hath doom by
      which it decerneth and demeth every thing; thanne knoweth it,
  10  by it-self, thinges that ben to fleen and thinges that ben to desiren.
      And thilke thing that any wight demeth to ben desired, that axeth
      or desireth he; and fleeth thilke thing that he troweth ben to
      fleen. Wherfore in alle thinges that resoun is, in hem also is
      libertee of willinge and of nillinge. But I ne ordeyne nat, as who
  15  seyth, I ne graunte nat, that this libertee be evene-lyk in alle
      thinges. Forwhy in the sovereines devynes substaunces, that is
      to seyn, in spirits, Iugememt is more cleer, and-wil nat y-corumped,



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      and might redy to speden thinges that ben desired. But the
      soules of men moten nedes be more free whan they loken hem in
  20  the speculacioun or lokinge of the devyne thought, and lasse free
      whan they slyden in-to the bodies; and yit lasse free whan they
      ben gadered to-gidere and comprehended in erthely membres.
      But the laste servage is whan that they ben yeven to vyces, and
      han y-falle from the possessioun of hir propre resoun. For after
  25  that they han cast awey hir eyen fro the light of the sovereyn
      soothfastnesse to lowe thinges and derke, anon they derken by
      the cloude of ignoraunce and ben troubled by felonous talents; to
      the whiche talents whan they aprochen and asenten, they hepen
      and encresen the servage which they han ioyned to hem-self; and
  30  in this manere they ben caitifs fro hir propre libertee. The whiche
      thinges, nathelesse, the lokinge of the devyne purviaunce seeth,
      that alle thinges biholdeth and seeth fro eterne, and ordeineth
      hem everich in hir merites as they ben predestinat: and it is seyd
      in Greek, that "alle thinges he seeth and alle thinges he hereth."

      METRE II.

      Puro clarum lumine Phebum.

        Homer with the hony mouth, that is to seyn, homer with the
    swete ditees, singeth, that the sonne is cleer by pure light; natheles
    yit ne may it nat, by the infirme light of his bemes, breken or
    percen the inwarde entrailes of the erthe, or elles of the see. So
   5 ne seeth nat god, maker of the grete world: to him, that loketh
    alle thinges from an heigh, ne withstondeth nat no thinges by
    hevinesse of erthe; ne the night ne withstondeth nat to him by
    the blake cloudes. Thilke god seeth, in oo strok of thought, alle
    thinges that ben, or weren, or sholle comen; and thilke god, for
  10 he loketh and seeth alle thinges alone, thou mayst seyn that he is
    the verray sonne.'



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      PROSE III.

    Tum ego, en, inquam.

        Thanne seyde I, `now am I confounded by a more hard doute
      than I was.'
        `What doute is that?' quod she. `For certes, I coniecte now
      by whiche thinges thou art troubled.'
   5      `It semeth,' quod I, `to repugnen and to contrarien greetly,
      that god knoweth biforn alle thinges, and that ther is any freedom
      of libertee. For yif so be that god loketh alle thinges biforn, ne
      god ne may nat ben desseived in no manere, than mot it nedes
      been, that alle thinges bityden the whiche that the purviaunce of
  10  god hath seyn biforn to comen. For which, yif that god
      knoweth biforn nat only the werkes of men, but also hir conseiles
      and hir willes, thanne ne shal ther be no libertee of arbitre; ne,
      certes, ther ne may be noon other dede, ne no wil, but thilke
      which that the divyne purviaunce, that may nat ben desseived,
  15  hath feled biforn. For yif that they mighten wrythen awey in
      othre manere than they ben purveyed, than sholde ther be no
      stedefast prescience of thing to comen, but rather an uncertein
      opinioun; the whiche thing to trowen of god, I deme it felonye
      and unleveful. Ne I ne proeve nat thilke same resoun, as who
  20  seyth, I ne alowe nat, or I ne preyse nat, thilke same resoun, by
      which that som men wenen that they mowen assoilen and
      unknitten the knotte of this questioun. For, certes, they seyn
      that thing nis nat to comen for that the purviaunce of god hath
      seyn it biforn that is to comen, but rather the contrarye, and that
  25  is this: that, for that the thing is to comen, therfore ne may it
      nat ben hid fro the purviaunce of god; and in this manere this
      necessitee slydeth ayein in-to the contrarye partye: ne it ne
      bihoveth nat, nedes, that thinges bityden that ben purvyed, but
      it bihoveth, nedes, that thinges that ben to comen ben y-porveyed:
  30  but as it were y-travailed, as who seyth, that thilke answere
      procedeth right as thogh men travaileden, or weren bisy to enqueren,
      the whiche thing is cause of the whiche thing:-as, whether the



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      prescience is cause of the necessitee of thinges to comen, or elles
      that the necessitee of thinges to comen is cause of the purviaunce.
  35  But I ne enforce me nat now, to shewen it, that the bitydinge of
      thinges y-wist biforn is necessarie, how so or in what manere
      that the ordre of causes hath it-self; al-thogh that it ne seme nat
      that the prescience bringe in necessitee of bitydinge to thinges to
      comen. For certes, yif that any wight sitteth, it bihoveth by
  40  necessitee that the opinioun be sooth of him that coniecteth that
      he sitteth; and ayeinward also is it of the contrarye: yif the
      opinioun be sooth of any wight for that he sitteth, it bihoveth by
      necessitee that he sitte. Thanne is heer necessitee in that oon
      and in that other: for in that oon is necessitee of sittinge, and,
  45  certes, in that other is necessitee of sooth. But therfore ne
      sitteth nat a wight, for that the opinioun of the sittinge is sooth;
      but the opinioun is rather sooth, for that a wight sitteth biforn.
      And thus, al-thogh that the cause of the sooth cometh of that
      other syde (as who seyth, that al-thogh the cause of sooth comth
  50  of the sitting, and nat of the trewe opinioun), algates yit is ther
      comune necessitee in that oon and in that other. Thus sheweth
      it, that I may make semblable skiles of the purviaunce of god
      and of thinges to comen. For althogh that, for that thinges ben
      to comen, ther-fore ben they purveyed, nat, certes, for that they
  55  ben purveyed, ther-fore ne bityde they nat. Yit natheles,
      bihoveth it by necessitee, that either the thinges to comen ben
      y-purveyed of god, or elles that the thinges that ben purveyed of
      god bityden. And this thing only suffiseth y-nough to destroyen
      the freedom of oure arbitre, that is to seyn, of oure free wil. But
  60  now, certes, sheweth it wel, how fer fro the sothe and how up-so_doun 
      is this thing that we seyn, that the bitydinge of temporel
      thinges is cause of the eterne prescience. But for to wenen that
      god purvyeth the thinges to comen for they ben to comen, what
      other thing is it but for to wene that thilke thinges that bitidden
  65  whylom ben causes of thilke soverein purvyaunce that is in god?
      And her-to I adde yit this thing: that, right as whan that I wot



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      that a thing is, it bihoveth by necessitee that thilke selve thing be;
      and eek, whan I have knowe that any thing shal bityden, so
      byhoveth it by necessitee that thilke thing bityde:-so folweth it
  70  thanne, that the bitydinge of the thing y-wist biforn ne may nat
      ben eschued. And at the laste, yif that any wight wene a thing
      to ben other weyes thanne it is, it is nat only unscience, but it is
      deceivable opinioun ful diverse and fer fro the sothe of science.
      Wherfore, yif any thing be so to comen, that the bitydinge of hit
  75   ne be nat certein ne necessarie, who may weten biforn that thilke
      thing is to comen? For right as science ne may nat ben medled
      with falsnesse (as who seyth, that yif I wot a thing, it ne may nat
      be false that I ne wot it), right so thilke thing that is conceived by
      science ne may nat ben non other weys than as it is conceived.
  80  For that is the cause why that science wanteth lesing (as who
      seyth, why that witinge ne receiveth nat lesinge of that it wot; for
      it bihoveth, by necessitee, that every thing be right as science
      comprehendeth it to be. What shal I thanne seyn? In whiche
      manere knoweth god biforn the thinges to comen, yif they ne be
  85  ant certein? For yif that he deme that they ben to comen
      uneschewably, and so may be that it is possible that they ne
      shollen nat comen, god is deceived. But nat only to trowen that
      god is deceived, but for to speke it with mouth, it is a felonous
      sinne. But yif that god wot that, right so as thinges ben to
  90  comen, so shullen they comen-so that he wite egaly, as who
      seyth, indifferently, that thinges mowen ben doon or elles nat
      y-doon-what is thilke prescience that ne comprehendeth no
      certein thing ne stable? Or elles what difference is ther bitwixe
      the prescience and thilke Iape-worthy divyninge of Tiresie the
  95  divynour, that seyde: "Al that I seye," quod he, "either it shal be,
      or elles it ne shal nat be?" Or elles how mochel is worth the
      devyne prescience more than the opinioun of mankinde, yif so be
      that it demeth the thinges uncertein, as men doon; of the whiche
      domes of men the bitydinge nis nat certein? But yif so be that
  100 non uncertein thing ne may ben in him that is right certein welle



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      of alle thinges, thanne is the bitydinge certein of thilke thinges
      whiche he hath wist biforn fermely to comen. For which it
      folweth, that the freedom of the conseiles and of the werkes of
      mankind nis non, sin that the thoght of god, that seeth alle
  105 thinges without errour of falsnesse, bindeth and constreineth
      hem to a bitydinge by necessitee. And yif this thing be ones
      y-graunted and received, that is to seyn, that ther nis no free wille,
      than sheweth it wel, how greet destruccioun and how grete
      damages ther folwen of thinges of mankinde. For in ydel ben
  110 ther thanne purposed and bihight medes to gode folk, and peynes
      to badde folk, sin that no moevinge of free corage voluntarie ne
      hath nat deserved hem, that is to seyn, neither mede ne peyne; and
      it sholde seme thanne, that thilke thing is alderworst, which that
      is now demed for aldermost iust and most rightful, that is to seyn,
  115 that shrewes ben punisshed, or elles that gode folk ben y-gerdoned:
      the whiche folk, sin that hir propre wil ne sent hem nat to that oon
      ne to that other, that is to seyn, neither to gode ne to harm, but con_streineth 
      hem certein necessitee of thinges to comen: thanne ne
      shollen ther nevere ben, ne nevere weren, vyce ne vertu, but it
  120 sholde rather ben confusioun of alle desertes medled with-outen
      discrecioun. And yit ther folweth an-other inconvenient, of the
      whiche ther ne may ben thoght no more felonous ne more wikke;
      and that is this: that, so as the ordre of thinges is y-led and
      comth of the purviaunce of god, ne that no-thing nis leveful to
  125 the conseiles of mankinde (as who seyth, that men han no power to
      doon no-thing, ne wilne no-thing), than folweth it, that oure vyces
      ben referred to the maker of alle good (as who seyth, than folweth
      it, that god oughte han the blame of oure vyces, sin he constreineth us
      by necessitee to doon vyces). Thanne is ther no resoun to hopen in
  130 god, ne for to preyen to god; for what sholde any wight hopen to
      god, or why sholde he preyen to god, sin that the ordenaunce of
      destinee, which that ne may nat ben inclyned, knitteth and streineth
      alle thinges that men may desiren? Thanne sholde ther be doon
      awey thilke only allyaunce bitwixen god and men, that is to seyn,



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  135 to hopen and to preyen. But by the prys of rightwisnesse and of
      verray mekenesse we deserven the gerdoun of the divyne grace,
      which that is inestimable, that is to seyn, that it is so greet, that it
      ne may nat ben ful y-preysed. And this is only the manere, that is
      to seyn, hope and preyeres, for which it semeth that men mowen
  140 speke with god, and by resoun of supplicacioun be conioined to
      thilke cleernesse, that nis nat aproched no rather or that men
      beseken it and impetren it. And yif men wene nat that hope ne
      preyeres ne han no strengthes, by the necessitee of thinges to
      comen y-received, what thing is ther thanne by whiche we mowen
  145 ben conioined and clyven to thilke soverein prince of thinges?
      For which it bihoveth, by necessitee, that the linage of mankinde,
      as thou songe a litel her-biforn, be departed and unioined from
      his welle, and failen of his biginninge, that is to seyn, god.

    METRE III.

    Quenam discors federa rerum.

        What discordable cause hath to-rent and unioined the bindinge,
    or the alliaunce, of thinges, that is to seyn, the coniunccioun of god
    and man? Whiche god hath establisshed so greet bataile bi_wixen 
    tthise two soothfast or verray thinges, that is to seyn,
   5 bitwixen the purviaunce of god and free wil, that they ben singuler
    and devyded, ne that they ne wolen nat be medeled ne coupled
    to-gidere? But ther nis no discord to the verray thinges, but they
    clyven, certein, alwey to hem-self. But the thought of man, con_ounded 
    fand overthrowen by the dirke membres of the body, ne
  10 may nat, by fyr of his derked looking, that is to seyn, by the vigour
    of his insighte, whyl the soule is in the body, knowe the thinne
    subtil knittinges of thinges. But wherfore enchaufeth it so, by so



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      greet love, to finden thilke notes of sooth y-covered; that is to
      seyn, wherfore enchaufeth the toght of man by so greet desyr to
  15  knowen thilke notificacions that ben y-hid under the covertoures of
      sooth? Wot it aught. thilke thing that it, anguissous, desireth to
      knowe? As who seith, nay; for no man travaileth for to witen
      thinges that he wot. And therfore the texte seith thus: but who
      travaileth to witen thinges y-knowe? And yif that he ne knoweth
  20  hem nat, what seketh thilke blinde thoght? What is he that
      desireth any thing of which he wot right naught? As who seith,
      who so desireth any thing, nedes, somwhat he knoweth of it; or
      elles, he ne coude nat desire it. Or who may folwen thinges that ne
      ben nat y-wist? And thogh that he seke tho thinges, wher shal he
  25  finde hem? What wight, that is al unconninge and ignoraunt,
      may knowen the forme that is y-founde? But whan the soule
      biholdeth and seeth the heye thoght, that is to seyn, god, than
      knoweth it to-gidere the somme and the singularitees, that is to
      seyn, the principles and everich by him-self.
  30  But now, whyl the soule is hid in the cloude and in the derke_nesse 
      of the membres of the body, it ne hath nat al for-yeten
      it-self, but it with-holdeth the somme of thinges, and leseth the
      singularitees. Thanne, who-so that seeketh soothnesse, he nis in
      neither nother habite; for he noot nat al, ne he ne hath nat al
  35  foryeten: but yit him remembreth the somme of thinges that he
      with-holdeth, and axeth conseil, and retreteth deepliche thinges
      y-seyn biforn, that is to seyn, the grete somme in his minde: so that
      he mowe adden the parties that he hath for-yeten to thilke that he
      hath with-holden.'

      PROSE IV.

      Tum illa: Vetus, inquit, hec est.

        Thanne seide she: `this is,' quod she, `the olde question of
      the purviaunce of god; and Marcus Tullius, whan he devyded the
      divynaciouns, that is to seyn, in his book that he wroot of divynaciouns,
      he moevede gretly this questioun; and thou thy-self has y-sought



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   5  it mochel, and outrely, and longe; but yit ne hath it nat ben
      determined ne y-sped fermely and diligently of any of yow. And
      the cause of this derkenesse and of this difficultee is, for that the
      moevinge of the resoun of mankinde ne may nat moeven to (that
      is to seyn, applyen or ioinen to) the simplicitee of the devyne
  10  prescience; the whiche simplicitee of the devyne prescience, yif
      that men mighten thinken it in any maner, that is to seyn, that yif
      men mighten thinken and comprehenden the thinges as god seeth
      hem, thanne ne sholde ther dwellen outrely no doute: the whiche
      resoun and cause of difficultee I shal assaye at the laste to shewe
  15  and to speden, whan I have first y-spended and answered to tho
      resouns by which thou art y-moeved. For I axe why thou wenest
      that thilke resouns of hem that assoilen this questioun ne ben
      nat speedful y-nough ne sufficient: the whiche solucioun, or the
      whiche resoun, for that it demeth that the prescience nis nat cause
  20  of necessitee to thinges to comen, than ne weneth it nat that
      freedom of wil be destorbed or y-let by prescience. For ne
      drawestow nat arguments from elles-where of the necessitee of
      thinges to-comen (as who seith, any other wey than thus) but that
      thilke thinges that the prescience wot biforn ne mowen nat un_bityde
  25  ? That is to seyn, that they moten bityde. But thanne, yif
      that prescience ne putteth no necessitee to thinges to comen, as
      thou thy-self hast confessed it and biknowen a litel her-biforn, what
      cause or what is it (as who seith, ther may no cause be) by which
      that the endes voluntarie of thinges mighten be constreined to
  30  certein bitydinge? For by grace of positioun, so that thou mowe
      the betere understonde this that folweth, I pose, per impossibile,
      that ther be no prescience. Thanne axe I,' quod she, `in as
      mochel as apertieneth to that, sholden thanne thinges that comen
      of free wil ben constreined to bityden by necessitee?'
  35     Boece. `Nay,' quod I.
        `Thanne ayeinward,' quod she, `I suppose that ther be pre_science,
      but that it ne putteth no necessitee to thinges; thanne
      trowe I, that thilke selve freedom of wil shal dwellen al hool and



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      absolut and unbounden. But thou wolt seyn that; al-be-it so that
  40  prescience nis nat cause of the necessitee of bitydinge to thinges
      to comen, algates yit it is a signe that the thinges ben to bityden
      by necessitee. By this manere thanne, al-thogh the prescience
      ne hadde never y-ben, yit algate or at the leeste weye it is certein
      thing, that the endes and bitydinges of thinges to comen sholden
  45  been necessarie. For every signe sheweth and signifyeth only what
      the thing is, hut it ne maketh nat the thing that it signifyeth. For
      which it bihoveth first to shewen, that no-thing ne bitydeth that it
      ne bitydeth by necessitee, so that it may appere that the prescience
      is signe of this necessitee; or elles, yif ther nere no necessitee,
  50  certes, thilke prescience ne mighte nat be signe of thing that nis
      nat. But certes, it is now certein that the proeve of this,
      y-sustened by stidefast resoun, ne shal nat ben lad ne proeved by
      signes ne by arguments y-taken fro with-oute, but by causes
      covenable and necessarie. But thou mayst seyn, how may it be
  55  that the thinges ne bityden nat that ben y-purveyed to comen?
      But, certes, right as we trowen that tho thinges which that the
      purviance wot biforn to comen ne ben nat to bityden; but that
      ne sholden we nat demen; but rather, al-thogh that they shal
      bityden, yit ne have they no necessitee of hir kinde to bityden.
  60  And this maystow lightly aperceiven by this that I shal seyn. For
      we seen many thinges whan they ben don biforn oure eyen, right
      as men seen the cartere worken in the torninge or atempringe or
      adressinge of hise cartes or charietes. And by this manere (as
      who seith, maystow understonde) of alle othere workmen. Is ther
  65  thanne any necessitee, as who seith, in oure lokinge, that con_streineth 
      or compelleth any of thilke thinges to ben don so?'
        Boece. `Nay,' quod I; `for in ydel and in veyn were al the
      effect of craft, yif that alle thinges weren moeved by constreininge;'
      that is to seyn, by constreininge of oure eyen of of oure sight.
  70  Philosophie. `The thinges thanne,' quod she, `that, whan men
      doon hem, ne han no necessitee that men doon hem, eek tho



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      same thinges, first or they ben doon, they ben to comen with-oute
      necessitee. For-why ther ben somme thinges to bityden, of which
      the endes and the bitydinges of hem ben absolut and quit of alle
  75  necessitee. For certes, I ne trowe nat that any man wolde seyn
      this: that tho thinges that men doon now, that they ne weren to
      bityden first or they weren y-doon; and thilke same thinges,
      al-thogh that men had y-wist hem biforn, yit they han free
      bitydinges. For right as science of thinges present ne bringeth in
  80  no necessitee to thinges that men doon, right so the prescience of
      thinges to comen ne bringeth in no necessitee to thinges to
      bityden. But thou mayst seyn, that of thilke same it is y-douted,
      as whether that of thilke thinges that ne han non issues and
      bitydinges necessaries, yif ther-of may ben any prescience; for
  85  certes,they semen to discorden. For thou wenest that, yif that
      thinges ben y-seyn biforn, that necessitee folweth hem; and yif
      necessitee faileth hem, they ne mighten nat ben wist biforn, and
      that no-thing ne may ben comprehended by science but certein;
      and yif tho thinges that ne han no certein bitydinges ben purveyed
  90  as certein, it sholde ben dirknesse of opinioun, nat soothfastnesse
      of science. And thou wenest that it be diverse fro the hoolnesse
      of science that any man sholde deme a thing to ben other-weys
      thanne it is it-self. And the cause of this erroure is, that of alle
      the thinges that every wight hath y-knowe, they wenen that tho
  95  thinges been y-knowe al-oonly by the strengthe and by the nature
      of the thinges that ben y-wist or y-knowe; and it is al the
      contrarie. For al that ever is y-knowe, it is rather comprehended
      and knowen, nat after his strengthe and his nature, but after the
      facultee, that is to seyn, the power and the nature, of hem that
  100 knowen. And, for that this thing shal mowen shewen by a short
      ensaumple: the same roundnesse of a body, other-weys the sighte
      of the eye knoweth it, and other-weyes the touchinge. The
      lokinge, by castinge of his bemes, waiteth and seeth from afer al
      the body to-gidere, with-oute moevinge of it-self; but the touchinge
  105 clyveth and conioineth to the rounde body, and moeveth aboute



|p140


      the environinge, and comprehendeth by parties the roundnesse.
      And the man him-self, other-weys wit biholdeth him, and
      other-weys imaginacioun, and other-weys resoun and other-weys
      intelligence. For the wit comprehendeth withoute-forth the
  110 figure of the body of the man that is establissed in the
      matere subiect; but the imaginacioun comprehendeth only the
      figure withoute the matere. Resoun surmounteth imaginacioun,
      and comprehendeth by universal lokinge the comune spece that
      is in the singuler peces. But the eye of intelligence is heyere; for
  115 it surmounteth the environinge of the universitee, and looketh,
      over that, by pure subtilitee of thoght, thilke same simple forme
      of man that is perduably in the divyne thoght. In whiche this
      oughte greetly to ben considered, that the heyeste strengthe to
      comprehenden thinges enbraseth and contieneth the lowere
  120 strengthe; but the lowere strengthe ne aryseth nat in no manere
      to heyere strengthe. For wit ne may no-thing comprehende out
      of matere, ne the imaginacioun ne loketh nat the universels
      speces, ne resoun taketh nat the simple forme so as intelligence
      taketh it; but intelligence, that looketh al aboven, whan it hath
  125 comprehended the forme, it knoweth and demeth alle the thinges
      that ben under that forme. But she knoweth hem in thilke manere
      in the whiche it comprehendeth thilke same simple forme that
      ne may never ben knowen to none of that other; that is to seyn,
      to none of tho three forseide thinges of the sowle. For it knoweth
  130 the universitee of resoun, and the figure of the imaginacioun,
      and the sensible material conceived by wit; ne it ne useth nat nor
      of resoun ne of imaginacioun ne of wit withoute-forth; but it
      biholdeth alle thinges, so as I shal seye, by a strok of thought
      formely, withoute discours or collacioun. Certes resoun, whan it
  135 looketh any-thing universel, it ne useth nat of imaginacioun, nor
      of witte, and algates yit it comprehendeth the thinges imaginable
      and sensible; for resoun is she that diffinisseth the universel of hir
      conseyte right thus:-man is a resonable two-foted beest. And



|p141


      how so that this knowinge is universel, yet nis ther no wight that
  140 ne woot wel that a man is a thing imaginable and sensible; and
      this same considereth wel resoun; but that nis nat by imaginacioun
      nor by wit, but it looketh it by a resonable concepcioun. Also
      imaginacioun, al-be-it so that it taketh of wit the beginninges to
      seen and to formen the figures, algates, al-thogh that wit ne were
  145 nat present, yit it environeth and comprehendeth alle thinges
      sensible; nat by resoun sensible of deminge, but by resoun
      imaginatif. Seestow nat thanne that alle the thinges, in knowinge,
      usen more of hir facultee or of hir power than they doon of the
      facultee or power of thinges that ben y-knowe? Ne that nis nat
  150 wrong; for so as every Iugement is the dede or doinge of him
      that demeth, it bihoveth that every wight performe the werk and
      his entencioun, nat of foreine power, but of his propre power.

      METRE IV.

      Quondam porticus attulit.

        The Porche, that is to seyn, a gate ot the town of Athenes ther-as
      philosohpres hadden hir congregacioun to desputen, thilke Porche
      broughte som-tyme olde men, ful derke in hir sentences, that is to
      seyn, philosophres that highten Stoiciens, that wenden that images
   5  and sensibilitees, that is to seyn, sensible imaginaciouns, or elles
      imaginaciouns of sensible thinges, weren empreinted in-to sowles
      fro bodies withoute-forth; as who seith, that thilke Stoiciens wenden
      that the sowle hadde ben naked of it-self, as a mirour or a clene
      parchemin, so that alle figures mosten first comen fro thinges fro
  10  withoute-forth in-to sowles, and ben empreinted in-to sowles: Text:
      right as we ben wont som-tyme, by a swifte pointel, to ficchen
      lettres empreinted in the smothenesse or in the pleinnesse of the
      table of wex or in parchemin that ne hath no figure ne note in it.
      Glose. But now argueth Boece that opinioun, and seith
  15  thus: But yif the thryvinge sowle ne unpIeyteth no-thing,that is
      to seyn, ne doth no-thing, by his propre moevinges, but suffreth and
      lyth subgit to tho figures and to tho notes of bodies withoute-forth,



|p142


      and yildeth images ydel and veyn in the manere of a mirour,
      whennes thryveth thanne or whennes comth thilke knowinge in
  20  our sowle, that discerneth and biholdeth alle thinges? And
      whennes is thilke strengthe that biholdeth the singuler thinges;
      or whennes is the strengthe that devydeth thinges y-knowe; and
      thilke strengthe that gadereth to-gidere the thinges devyded; and
      the strengthe that cheseth his entrechaunged wey? For som-tyme
  25  it heveth up the heved, that is to seyn, that it heveth up the enten_cioun 
      to right heye thinges; and som-tyme it descendeth in-to
      right lowe thinges. And whan it retorneth in-to him-self, it re_proeveth 
      and destroyeth the false thinges by the trewe thinges.
      Certes, this strengthe is cause more efficient, and mochel
  30  more mighty to seyn and to knowe thinges, than thilke cause that
      suffreth and receiveth the notes and the figures impressed in
      maner of matere. Algates the passioun, that is to seyn, the
      suffraunce or the wit, in the quike body, goth biforn, excitinge and
      moevinge the strengthes of the thought. Right so as whan that
  35  cleernesse smyteth the eyen and moeveth hem to seen, or right so
      as vois or soun hurteleth to the eres and commoeveth hem to
      herkne, than is the strengthe of the thought y-moeved and
      excited, and clepeth forth, to semblable moevinges, the speces
      that it halt with-inne it-self, and addeth tho speces to the notes
  40  and to the thinges withoute-forth, and medleth the images of
      thinges withoute-forth to tho formes y-hidde with-inne him-self.

      PROSE V.
 
      Quod si in corporibus sentiendis.
 
        But what yif that in bodies to ben feled, that is to seyn, in the
      takinge of knowelechinge of bodily thinges, and al-be-it so that the
      qualitees of bodies, that ben obiecte fro withoute-forth, moeven
      and entalenten the instruments of the wittes; and al-be-it so that
   5  the passioun of the body, that is to seyn, the wit or the suffraunce,
      goth to-forn the strengthe of the workinge corage, the which



|p143


      passioun or suffraunce clepeth forth the dede of the thoght in him_self,
      and moeveth and exciteth in this mene whyle the formes that
      resten withinne-forth; and yif that, in sensible bodies, as I have
  10  seyd, our corage nis nat y-taught or empreinted by passioun to
      knowe thise thinges, but demeth and knoweth, of his owne strengthe,
      the passioun or suffraunce subiect to the body: moche more
      thanne tho thinges that ben absolut and quite fro alle talents
      or affecciouns of bodies, as god or his aungeles, ne folwen nat in
  15  discerninge thinges obiect fro withoute-forth, but they accom_plisshen 
      and speden the dede of hir thoght. By this resoun
      thanne ther comen many maner knowinges to dyverse and
      differinge substaunces. For the wit of the body, the whiche
      wit is naked and despoiled of alle other knowinges, thilke wit
  20  comth to beestes that ne mowen nat moeven hem-self her and
      ther, as oystres and muscules, and other swiche shelle-fish of the
      see, that clyven and ben norisshed to roches. But the imagina_cioun 
      comth to remuable beestes, that semen to han talent to
      fleen or to desiren any thing. But resoun is al-only to the linage
  25  of mankinde, right as intelligence is only [to] the devyne nature:
      of which it folweth, that thilke knowinge is more worth than thise
      othre, sin it knoweth by his propre nature nat only his subiect, as
      who seith, it ne knoweth nat al-only that apertieneth properly to his
      knowinge, but it knoweth the subiects of alle other knowinges.
  30  But how shal it thanne be, yif that wit and imaginacioun stryven
      ayein resoninge, and seyn, that of thilke universel thing that
      resoun weneth to seen, that it nis right naught? For wit and
      imaginacioun seyn that that, that is sensible or imaginable, it ne
      may nat be universel. Thanne is either the Iugement of resoun
  35  sooth, ne that ther nis nothing sensible; or elles, for that resoun
      wot wel that many thinges ben subiect to wit and to imaginacioun,
      thanne is the concepcioun of resoun veyn and false, which that
      loketh and comprehendeth that that is sensible and singuler as
      universel. And yif that resoun wolde answeren ayein to thise
  40  two, that is to seyn, to witte and to imaginacioun, and seyn, that,
      soothly she hir-self, that is to seyn, resoun, loketh and compre_



|p144


      hendeth, by resoun of universalitee, bothe that that is sensible
      and that that is imaginable, and that thilke two, that is to seyn,
      wit and imaginacioun, ne mowen nat strecchen ne enhansen hem_self 
  45  to the knowinge of universalitee, for that the knowinge of
      hem ne may exceden ne surmounte the bodily figures: certes, of
      the knowinge of thinges, men oughten rather yeven credence to
      the more stedefast and to the more parfit Iugement. In this
      maner stryvinge thanne, we that han strengthe of resoninge and
  50  of imagininge and of wit, that is to seyn, by resoun and by imagina_cioun 
      and by wit, we sholde rather preyse the cause of resoun; as
      who seith, than the cause of wit and of imaginacioun.
        SemblabIe thing is it, that the resoun of mankinde ne weneth
      nat that the devyne intelligence bi-holdeth or knoweth thinges to
  55  comen, but right as the resoun of mankinde knoweth hem. For
      thou arguest and seyst thus: that yif it ne seme nat to men that
      some thinges han certein and necessarie bitydinges, they ne
      mowen nat ben wist biforn certeinly to bityden. And thanne
      nis ther no prescience of thilke thinges; and yif we trowe that
  60  prescience be in thise thinges, thanne is ther no-thing that it ne
      bitydeth by necessitee. But certes, yif we mighten han the Iuge_ment 
      of the devyne thoght, as we ben parsoneres of resoun, right
      so as we han demed that it behoveth that imaginacioun and wit
      be binethe resoun, right so wolde we demen that it were rightful
  65  thing, that mannes resoun oughte to submitten it-self and to ben
      binethe the divyne thoght. For which, yif that we mowen, as
      who seith, that, yif that we mowen, I counseyle, that we enhanse us
      in-to the heighte of thilke sovereyn intelIigence; for ther shal
      resoun wel seen that, that it ne may nat biholden in it-self. And
  70  certes that is this, in what maner the prescience of god seeth alle
      thinges certeins and diffinisshed, al-thogh they ne han no certein
      issues or bitydinges; ne this is non opinioun, but it is rather the
      simplicitee of the sovereyn science, that nis nat enclosed nor
      y-shet within none boundes.



|p145


      METRE V.

      Quam uariis terris animalia permeant figuris.

        The beestes passen by the erthes by ful diverse figures. For
      som of hem han hir bodies straught and crepen in the dust, and
      drawen after hem a tras or a foruh y-continued; that is to seyn, as
      nadres or snakes. And other beestes, by the wandringe lightnesse
   5  of hir winges, beten the windes, and over-swimmen the spaces of
      the longe eyr by moist fleeinge. And other beestes gladen hem_self 
      to diggen hir tras or hir steppes in the erthe with hir goings
      or with hir feet, and to goon either by the grene feldes, or elles to
      walken under the wodes. And al-be-it so that thou seest that
  10  they alle discorden by diverse formes, algates hir faces, enclined,
      hevieth hir dulle wittes. Only the linage of man heveth heyeste
      his heye heved, and stondeth light with his up-right body, and
      biholdeth the erthes under him. And, but-yif thou, erthely man,
      wexest yvel out of thy wit, this figure amonesteth thee, that axest
  15  the hevene with thy righte visage, and hast areysed thy fore-heved,
      to beren up a-heigh thy corage; so that thy thoght ne be nat
      y-hevied ne put lowe under fote, sin that thy body is so heye
      areysed.

    PROSE VI.

    Quoniam igitur, uti paullo ante.

        Therfor thanne, as I have shewed a litel her-biforn, that al
      thing that is y-wist nis nat knowen by his nature propre, but by
      the nature of hem that comprehenden it, lat us loke now, in as
      mochel as it is leveful to us, as who seith, lat us loke now as we
   5  mowen, which that the estat is of the devyne substaunce; so that
      we mowen eek knowen what his science is.  The commune Iuge_ment 
      of alle creatures resonables thanne is this: that god is eterne.
      Lat us considere thanne what is eternitee, for certes that shal
      shewen us to-gidere the devyne nature and the devyne science.
  10  Eternitee, thanne, is parfit possessioun and al-togidere of lyf



|p146


      interminable; and that sheweth more cleerly by the comparisoun
      or the colIacioun of temporel thinges.  For al thing that liveth in
      tyme it is present, and procedeth fro preterits in-to futures, that is
      to seyn, fro tyme passed in-to tyme cominge; ne ther nis no-thing
  15  establisshed in tyme that may enbracen to-gider al the space of
      his lyf.  For certes, yit ne hath it taken the tyme of to-morwe, and
      it hath lost the tyme of yisterday.  And certes, in the lyf of this
      day, ye ne liven no more but right as in the moevable and
      transitorie moment.  Thanne thilke thing that suffreth temporel
  20  condicioun, al-thogh that it never bigan to be, ne thogh it never
      cese for to be, as Aristotle demed of the world, and al-thogh that
      the lyf of it be strecched with infinitee of tyme, yit algates nis
      it no swich thing that men mighten trowen by right that it is
      eterne. For al-thogh that it comprehende and embrace the space
  25  of lyf infinit, yit algates ne embraceth it nat the space of the Iyf
      al-togider; for it ne hath nat the futures that ne ben nat yit, ne it
      ne hath no lenger the preterits that ben y-doon or y-passed.  But
      thilke thing thanne, that hath and comprehendeth to-gider al the
      plentee of the lyf interminable, to whom ther ne faileth naught of
  30  the future, and to whom ther nis naught of the preterit escaped
      nor y-passed, thilke same is y-witnessed and y-proeved by right to
      be eterne.  And it bihoveth by necessitee that thilke thing be
      al-wey present to him-self, and compotent; as who seith, al-wey
      present to him-self, and mighty that al be right at his plesaunce;
  35  and that he have al present the infinitee of the moevable tyme.
      Wher-for som men trowen wrongfully that, whan they heren that
      it semede to Plato that this world ne hadde never beginninge
      of tyme, ne that it never shal han failinge, they wenen in this
      maner that this world be maked coeterne with his maker; as who
  40  seith, they wene that this world and god ben maked togider eterne,
      and that is a wrongful wenige.  For other thing is it to ben y-lad
      by lyf interminable, as Plato graunted to the world, and other
      thing is it to embrace to-gider al the present of the lyf interminable,
      the whiche thing it is cleer and manifest that it is propre to the
  45  devyne thoght.



|p147


         Ne it ne sholde nat semen to us, that god is elder thanne
      thinges that ben y-maked hy quantitee of tynie, but rather by
      the propretee of his simple nature. For this ilke infinit moevinge
      of temporel thinges folweth this presentarie estat of lyf unmoevable,
  50  and so as it ne may nat countrefeten it ne feynen it ne be even_lyke 
      to it for the inmoevabletee, that is to seyn, that is in the
      eternitee of god, it faileth and falleth in-to moevinge fro the sim_plicitee 
      of the presence of god, and disencreseth in-to the infinit
      quantitee of future and of preterit: and so as it ne may nat han
  55  to-gider al the plentee of the lyf, algates yit, for as moche as it
      ne ceseth never for to ben in som maner, it semeth som-del to us,
      that it folweth and resembleth thilke thing that it ne may nat
      atayne to ne fulfillen, and bindeth it-self to som maner presence
      of this litel and swifte moment: the which presence of this litel
  60  and swifte moment, for that it bereth a maner image or lyknesse
      of the ay-dwellinge presence of god it graunteth, to swiche maner
      thinges as it bitydeth to, that it semeth hem as thise thinges han
      y-ben, and ben.
        And for that the presence of swich litel moment ne may nat
  65  dwelle, ther-for it ravisshed and took the infinit wey of tyme, that
      is to sey, by successioun; and by this maner is it y-doon, for that
      it sholde continue the lyf in goinge, of the whiche lyf it ne mighte
      nat enbrace the plentee in dwellinge. And for-thy, yif we wollen
      putten worthy names to thinges, and folwen Plato, lat us seye
  70  thanne soothly, that god is eterne, and the world is perpetuel.
      Thanne, sin that every Iugement knoweth and comprehendeth by
      his owne nature thinges that ben subiect un-to him, ther is soothly
      to god, al-weys, an eterne and presentarie estat; and the science
      of him, that over-passeth al temporel moevement, dwelleth in the
  75  simplicitee of his presence, and embraceth and considereth alle
      the infinit spaces of tymes, preterits and futures, and loketh, in
      his simple knowinge, alle thinges of preterit right as they weren
      y-doon presently right now. Yif thou wolt thanne thenken and
      avyse the prescience, by which it knoweth alle thinges, thou ne
  80  shal nat demen it as prescience of thinges to comen, but thou
      shalt demen it more rightfully that it is science of presence or of



|p148


      instaunce, that never ne faileth. For which it nis nat y-cleped
      "previdence," but it sholde rather ben cleped "purviaunce", that
      is establisshed ful fer fro right lowe thinges, and biholdeth from
  85  a-fer alle thinges, right as it were fro the heye heighte of thinges.
        Why axestow thanne, or why desputestow thanne, that thilke
      thinges ben doon by necessitee whiche that ben y-seyn and
      knowen by the devyne sighte, sin that, forsothe, men ne maken
      nat thilke thinges necessarie which that they seen ben y-doon in
  90  hir sighte? For addeth thy biholdinge any necessitee to thilke
      thinges that thou bilholdest presente?'
        `Nay,' quod I.
        Philosophie. `Certes, thanne, if men mighte maken any digne
      comparisoun or collacioun of the presence devyne and of the
  95  presence of mankinde, right so as ye seen some thinges in this
      temporel present, right so seeth god alle thinges by his eterne
      present. Wher-fore this devyne prescience ne chaungeth nat the
      nature ne the propretee of thinges, but biholdeth swiche thinges
      present to him-ward as they shullen bityde to yow-ward in tyme
  100 to comen. Ne it confoundeth nat the Iugement of thinges; but
      by o sighte of his thought, he knoweth the thinges to comen, as
      wel necessarie as nat necessarie. Right so as whan ye seen
      to-gider a man walken on the erthe and the sonne arysen in
      the hevene, al-be-it so that ye seen and biholden that oon and
  105 that other to-gider, yit natheles ye demen and discernen that that
      oon is voluntarie and that other necessarie. Right so thanne the
      devyne lookinge, biholdinge alle thinges under him, ne troubleth
      nat the qualitee of thinges that ben certeinly present to him-ward;
      but, as to the condicioun of tyme, forsothe, they ben future. For
  110  which it folweth, that this nis noon opinioun, but rather a stede_fast 
      knowinge, y-strengthed by soothnesse, that, whanne that god
      knoweth anything to be, he ne unwot nat that thilke thing wanteth
      necessitee to be; this is to seyn, that, whan that god knoweth any
      thing to bityde, he wot wel that it ne hath no necessitee to bityde.
  115 And yif thou seyst heer, that thilke thing that god seeth to
      bityde, it ne may nat unbityde (as who seith, it mot bityde), and



|p149


      thilke thing that ne may nat unbityde it mot bityde by necessitee,
      and that thou streyne me by this name of necessitee: certes,
      I wol wel confessen and biknowe a thing of ful sad trouthe, but
  120 unnethe shal ther any wight mowe seen it or come ther-to, but-yif
      that he be biholder of the devyne thoght. For I wol answeren
      thee thus: that thilke thing that is future, whan it is referred
      to the devyne knowinge, thanne is it necessarie; but certes, whan it
      is understonden in his owne kinde, men seen it is outrely free,
  125 and absolut fro alle necessitee.
        For certes, ther ben two maneres of necessitee. That oon
      necessitee is simple, as thus: that it bihoveth by necessitee, that
      alle men be mortal or deedly. Another necessitee is conditionel,
      as thus: yif thou wost that a man walketh, it bihoveth by necessitee
  130 that he walke. Thilke thing thanne that any wight hath y-knowe
      to be, it ne may ben non other weyes thanne he knoweth it to be.
      But this condicioun ne draweth nat with hir thilke necessitee
      simple. For certes, this necessitee conditionel, the propre nature
      of it ne maketh it nat, but the adieccioun of the condicioun
  135 maketh it. For no necessitee ne constreyneth a man to gon,
      that goth by his propre wil; al-be-it so that, whan he goth,
      that it is necessarie that he goth. Right on this same maner
      thanne, yif that the purviaunce of god seeth any thing present,
      than mot thilke thing ben by necessitee, al-thogh that it ne have
  140 no necessitee of his owne nature. But certes, the futures that
      bityden by freedom of arbitre, god seeth hem alle to-gider present.
      Thise thinges thanne, yif they ben referred to the devyne sighte,
      thanne ben they maked necessarie by the condicioun of the
      devyne knowinge. But certes, yif thilke thinges be considered
  145 by hem-self, they ben absolut of necessitee, and ne forleten nat ne
      cesen nat of the libertee of hir owne nature. Thanne, certes,
      with-oute doute, alle the thinges shollen ben doon which that
      god wot biforn that they ben to comen. But som of hem comen
      and bityden of free arbitre or of free wille, that, al-be-it so that
  150 they bityden, yit algates ne lese they nat hir propre nature in
      beinge; by the which first, or that they weren y-doon, they
      hadden power nat to han bitid.'
        Boece. `What is this to seyn thanne,' quod I, `that thinges ne



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      ben nat necessarie by hir propre nature, so as they comen in alle
  155 maneres in the lyknesse of necessitee by the condicioun of the
      devyne science?'
        Philosophie. `This is the difference,' quod she; `that tho
      thinges that I purposede thee a litel heer-biforn, that is to seyn,
      the sonne arysinge and the man walkinge, that, ther-whyles that
  160 thilke thinges been y-doon, they ne mighte nat ben undoon,
      natheles, that oon of hem, or it was y-doon, it bihoved by ne_cessitee 
      that it was y-doon, but nat that other. Right so is it
      here, that the thinges that god hath present, with-oute doute they
      shollen been. But som of hem descendeth of the nature of
  165 thinges, as the sonne arysinge; and som descendeth of the power
      of the doeres, as the man walkinge. Thanne seide I no wrong,
      that yif these thinges ben referred to the devyne knowinge, thanne
      ben they necessarie; and yif they ben considered by hem-self,
      thanne ben they absolut fro the bond of necessitee. Right so as
  170 alle thinges that apereth or sheweth to the wittes, yif thou referre
      it to resoun, it is universel, and yif thou referre it or loke it
      to it-self, than is it singuler. But now, yif thou seyst thus, that
      yif it be in my power to chaunge my purpos, than shaI I voide the
      purviaunce of god, whan that, peraventure, I shal han chaunged
  175 the thinges that he knoweth biforn, thanne shal I answere thee
      thus. Certes, thou mayst wel chaunge thy purpos; but, for as
      mochel as the present soothnesse of the devyne purviaunce bi_holdeth 
      that thou mayst chaunge thy purpos, and wether thou
      wolt chaunge it or no, and whiderward that thou torne it, thou ne
  180 mayst nat eschuen the devyne prescience; right as thou ne mayst
      nat fleen the sighte of the presente eye, al-though that thou torne
      thy-self by thy free wil in-to dyverse acciouns. But thou mayst
      seyn ayein: "How shal it thanne be? Shal nat the devyne
      science be chaunged by my disposicioun, whan that I wol o thing
  185 now, and now another? And thilke prescience, ne semeth it nat
      to entrechaunge stoundes of knowinge; " ' as who seith, ne shal it
      nat seme to  us, that the devyne prescience entrechaungeth hise dyverse
      stoundes of knowinge, so that it knowe sum-tyme o thing and sum_tyme
      the contrarie of that thing?



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  190    `No, forsothe,' quod I.
        Philosophie. `For the devyne sighte renneth to-forn and seeth alle
      futures, and clepeth hem ayein, and retorneth hem to the presence
      of his propre knowinge; ne he ne entrechaungeth nat, so as thou
      wenest, the stoundes of forknowinge, as now this, now that; but
  195 he ay-dwellinge comth biforn, and embraceth at o strook alle thy
      mutaciouns. And this presence to comprehenden and to seen
      alle thinges, god ne hath nat taken it of thinges
      to come, but of his propre simplicitee. And her-by is assoiled
      thilke thing that thou puttest a litel her-biforn, that is to seyn,
  200 that it is unworthy thing to seyn, that our futures yeven cause of
      the science of god. For certes, this strengthe of the devyne
      science, which that embraceth alle thinges by his presentarie
      knowinge, establissheth maner to alle thinges, and it ne oweth
      naught to latter thinges, and sin that these thinges ben thus,
  205 that is to seyn, sin that necessitee nis nat in thinges by the devyne
      prescience, than is ther freedom of arbitre, that dwelleth hool and
      unwemmed to mortal men. Ne the lawes ne purposen nat
      wikkedly medes and peynes to the willinges of men that ben
      unbounden and quite of alle necessitee. And god, biholder and
  210 for-witer of alle thinges, dwelleth above; and the present eternitee
      of his sighte renneth alwey with the dyverse qualitee of oure
      dedes, despensinge and ordeyninge medes to goode men, and
      torments to wikked men. Ne in ydel ne in veyn ne ben ther nat
      put in god hope and preyeres, that ne mowen nat ben unspeedful
  215 ne with-oute effect, whan they ben rightful.
         Withstond thanne and eschue thou vyces; worshipe and love
      thou virtues; areys thy corage to rightful hopes; yilde thou
      humble preyeres a-heigh. Gret necessitee of prowesse and vertu
      is encharged and commaunded to yow, yif ye nil nat dissimulen;
  220 sin that ye worken and doon, that is to seyn, your dedes or your
      workes, biforn the eyen of the Iuge that seeth and demeth alle
      thinges.' To whom be glorye and worshipe by infinit tymes. AMEN.
