Part 14

¶ For 467 þei trowen þat .I. haue had affinite to malyfice or enchau{n}tementȝ by cause þat I am replenissed {and} fulfilled wiþ þi techynges. {and} enformed of þi maners. ¶ And þus it sufficeþ not only þat þi reuerence ne auayle me not. but ȝif þat þou of þi fre wille raþer be blemissed 472 wiþ myne offensiou{n}. ¶ But certys to þe harmes þat I haue þere bytydeþ ȝit þis encrece of harme.

þat þe gessinge {and} þe iugement of myche folk ne loken no þing to þesertys of þinges but only to þe aue{n}t{ur}e 476 of fortune.

¶ And iugen þat only swiche þinges ben p{ur}ueied of god. whiche þat temporel welefulnesse co{m}mendiþ. Glosa. ¶ As þus þat yif a wyȝt haue prosperite. he is a good man {and} worþi to haue þat 480 p{ro}sperite.

and who so haþ aduersite he is a wikked man. {and} god haþ forsake hym. {and} he is worþi to haue þat aduersite. ¶ Þis is þe opiniou{n} of so{m}me folke.

*{and} þer of comeþ þat good gessyng. ¶ Fyrste of 484 al þi{n}g forsakeþ wrecches certys it greueþ me to þink ryȝt now þe dyuerse sentences þat þe poeple seiþ of me. ¶ And þus moche I seye þat þe laste charge of contrarious fortune is þis.

*þat whan þat ony blame is 488 laid vpon a caytif. men wenen þat he haþ deserued þat he suffreþ.

¶ And I þat am put awey fro{m} goode men {and} despoiled from dignitees {and} defoulid of my name by gessyng haue suffred torment for my goode dedis. 492

¶ Certys me semeþ þat I se þe felonus couines of wikked men abounden in ioie {and} in gladnes. ¶ And I se þat euery lorel shapiþ hy{m} to fynde oute newe fraudes forto accusen goode folke. and I se þat goode 496 men ben ou{er}þrowen for drede of my p{er}il. ¶ and euery luxurious to{ur}mentour dar don alle felonie vnpunissed {and} ben excited þerto by ȝiftes. and i{n}nocentȝ ne ben not oonly despoiled of sykernesse but of defence 500 {and} þerfore me list to crien to god in þis manere.

O STELLIFERI CONDITOR ORBIS.

++O þou maker of þe whele þat bereþ þe sterres. whiche þat art fastned to þi p{er}durable chayere. {and} turnest þe heuene wiþ a rauyssyng sweigh{e} {and} {con}streinest [[pg 22]] þe sterres to suffren þi lawe. ¶ So þ{a}t þe 505 mone somtyme schynyng wiþ hir ful hornes metyng wiþ alle þe bemes of þe sonne.

¶ Hir broþer hideþ þe sterres þat ben lasse. {and} somtyme whan þe mone 508 pale wiþ hir derke hornes approcheþ þe sonne. leesith hir lyȝtes.

¶ And þat þe euesterre esperus whiche þat in þe first tyme of þe nyȝt bryngeþ furþe hir colde arysynges comeþ eft aȝeynes hir vsed cours. {and} 512 is pale by þe morwe at þe rysynge of þe sonne. and is þan cleped lucifer. ¶ Þou restreinest þe day by schorter dwellyng in þe tyme of colde wynter þat makeþ þe leues to falle. ¶ Þou diuidest þe swifte tides of þe 516 nyȝt when þe hote somer is comen.

¶ Þi myȝt attempre[þ] þo variau{n}tȝ sesons of þe ȝere. so þat ȝepherus þe deboneire wynde bringeþ aȝein in þe first somer sesou{n} þe leues þat þe wynde þat hyȝt boreas 520 haþ reft awey in autu{m}pne. þat is to seyne in þe laste eende of somer. and þe sedes þat þe sterre þat hyȝt arctur{us} saw ben waxen hey cornes whan þe sterre sirius eschaufeþ hym. 524

¶ Þere nis no þing vnbounde from hys olde lawe ne forleteþ hym of hys p{ro}pre estat.

¶ O þou gouerno{ur} gouernyng alle þinges by certeyne ende. why refusest þou oonly to gouerne þe werkes of men by dewe manere.

¶ Whi suffrest þ{o}u þat slidyng 528 fortune turneþ to grete vtter chaungynges of þinges. so þat anoious peyne þat scholde duelly punissh{e} felouns punissitȝ innocentȝ.

¶ And folk of wikked man{er}es sitten in heiȝe chaiers. {and} anoienge folk 532 treden {and} þat vnryȝtfully in þe nekkes of holy men. [[pg 23]] ¶ And vertue clere {and} schynyng naturely is hid in dirke dirkenesses. {and} þe ryȝtful man beriþ þe blame {and} þe peyne of þe felowne. ¶ Ne þe forsweryng ne 536 þe fraude couered {and} kembd wiþ a fals colo{ur} ne a-noyeþ not to schrewes. ¶ Þe whiche schrewes whan hem lyst to vsen her strengþe þei reioisen hem to putte{n} vndir hem þe souerayne kynges. whiche þ{a}t 540 poeple wiþ[outen] noumbre dreden.

¶ O þou what so euer þou be þat knyttes alle bondes of þinges loke on þise wrecched erþes. we men þat ben nat a foule party but a faire party of so grete a werke we 544 ben turmentid in þe see of fortune. ¶ Þou gouerno{ur} wiþdraw {and} restreyne þe rauyssinge flodes {and} fastne {and} forme þise erþes stable wiþ þilke [bonde] wiþ whiche þou gouernest þe heuene þat is so large. 548

HIC UBI CONTINUATO DOLORE.

++Whan I hadde wiþ a continuel sorwe sobbed or broken out þise þinges sche wiþ hir chere peisible {and} no þi{n}g amoeued. wiþ my compleyntes seide þ{us}. whan I say þe q{uod} sche sorweful {and} wepyng I wist 552 on-one þat þou were a wrecche {and} exiled. but I wist neuer how fer þine exile was: ȝif þi tale ne hadde schewed it to me. but certys al be þou fer fro þi contre.

þou nart *nat put out of it. but þou hast 556 fayled of þi weye {and} gon amys.

¶ and yif þou hast leuer forto wene þan þou be put out of þi contre. þan hast þou put oute þi self raþer þen ony oþer wyȝt haþ.

¶ For no wyȝt but þi self ne myȝt neuer haue don 560 þat to þe. [[pg 24]]

¶ For ȝif þou remembre of what contre þou art born. it nis not gou{er}ned by emp{er}oures. ne by gouernement of multitude. as weren þe contres of hem of athenes. ¶ But o lorde {and} o kyng {and} þat is god 564 þat is lorde of þi contree. whiche þat reioiseþ hym of þe dwellyng of hys Citeȝenis. {and} not forto putte hem in exile. Of þe whiche lorde it is a souerayne fredom to be gouerned by þe bridel of hym and obeie to his 568 iustice.

¶ Hast þou forȝeten þilke ryȝt olde lawe of þi Citee. in þe whiche Citee it is ordeyned {and} establissed þat what wyȝt þat haþ leuer founden þer i{n}ne hys sete or hys house. þen ellys where: he may not be exiled 572 by no ryȝt fro þat place. ¶ For who so þat is co{n}tened in-wiþ þe paleis [{and} the clos] of þilke Citee. þer nis no drede þat he may deserue to ben exiled. ¶ But who þat letteþ þe wille forto enhabit þere. he forleteþ 576 also to deserue to ben Citeȝein of þilke Citee.

¶ So þat I seye þat þe face of þis place ne amoeueþ me nat so myche as þine owen face. Ne .I. ne axe not raþer þe walles of þi librarie apparailled {and} wrouȝt 580 wiþ yvory {and} wiþ glas þan after þe sete of þi þouȝt.

In whiche I putte nat somtyme bookes. but .I. putte þat þat makeþ bookes worþi of p{ri}s or p{re}cious þat is to sein þe sentence of my books. ¶ {And} certeinly of 584 þi dec{er}tes by-stowed in co{m}mune good. þou hast seid soþe but after þe multitude of þi goode dedys. þou hast seid fewe. {and} of þe vnhonestee or falsnesse of þinges þat ben opposed aȝeins þe. þou hast remembred þinges 588 þat be{n} knowe to alle folk.

and of þe felonies {and} fraudes of þine accuso{ur}s. it semeþ þe haue I-touched it forsoþe ryȝtfully {and} schortly. ¶ Al myȝten þo same þinges bettere {and} more plentiuousely be couth [[pg 25]] in þe mouþe of þe poeple þ{a}t knoweþ al þis. ¶ Þou 593 hast eke blamed gretly {and} compleyned of þe wrongful dede of þe senat. ¶ And þou hast sorwed for my blame.