Part 18

¶ My seruauntes knowen me for hir lady. þei comen wiþ me {and} dep{ar}ten whan I wende. I dar wel 856 affermen hardyly. þat yif þo þinges of whiche þou pleynest þat þou hast forlorn hadde ben þine. þou ne haddest not lorn he{m}.

¶ shal I þan only be defended to vse my ryȝt.

¶ Certis it is leueful to þe heuene to 860 make clere dayes. {and} after þat to keuere þe same dayes wiþ derke nyȝtes.

¶ Þe erþe haþ eke leue to apparaile þe visage of þe erþe now w{i}t{h} floures {and} now wiþ fruyt. {and} to confounde he{m} so{m}tyme wiþ raynes {and} 864 wiþ coldes.

¶ Þe see haþ eke hys ryȝt to be somtyme calme {and} blaundyshing wiþ smoþe water. {and} somtyme to be horrible wiþ wawes {and} wiþ tempestes.

¶ But þe couetyse of men þat may not be staunched 868 shal it bynde me to be stedfast. syn þat stedfastnesse is vnkouþ to my maneres. ¶ Swyche is my strengþe.

{and} þis pley. I pley co{n}tinuely. I tourne þe whirly{n}g whele wiþ þe tournyng cercle ¶ I am glade to chaunge 872 þe lowest to þe heyeste. {and} þe heyest to þe loweste.

worþe vp yif þou wilt. so it be by þis lawe. þat þou ne holde not þat I do þe wronge þouȝ þou descende dou{n} whanne resou{n} of my pleye axeþ it.

Wost þou 876 not how Cresus kyng of lyndens of whiche kyng Cir{us} was ful sore agast a litel byforne þat þis rewlyche Cresus was cauȝt of Cirus {and} lad to þe fijr to be brent. but þat a reyne desce{n}ded dou{n} from heuene 880 þat rescowed hym ¶ And is it out of þi mynde how þat Paulus consul of Rome whan he hadde take þe kyng of p{er}ciens weep pitouly for þe captiuitee of þe self kyng.

What oþer þinges bywaylen þe criinges of 884 Tragedies. but only þe dedes of fortune. þat wiþ an vnwar stroke ouert{ur}neþ þe realmes of grete nobley ¶ Glose. Tragedie is to seyne a dite of a p{ro}sp{er}ite for a tyme þat endiþ in wrechednesse.

Lernedest nat þou 888 in grek whan þou were ȝonge þat in þe entre or in þe seler of Iuppiter þer ben couched two tunnes. þat on is ful of good þat oþer is ful of harme.

¶ What ryȝt hast þou to pleyne. yif þou hast taken more plenteuously 892 of þe goode syde þat is to seyne of my rycchesse {and} p{ro}sp{er}ites. {and} what eke. yif I be nat departed fro þe.

What eke. yif my mutabilitee ȝiueþ þe ryȝtful cause of hope to han ȝit better þi{n}ges.

¶ Naþeles desmaie þe 896 nat in þi þouȝt. and þ{o}u þat art put in comune realme of alle: ne desijr nat to lyue by þine oonly p{ro}pre ryȝt.

SI Q{UA}NTAS RAPIDIS.

++ÞOuȝ plentee þat is goddesse of rycches hielde adou{n} wiþ ful horn. {and} wiþdraweþ nat hir hand. ¶ As 900 many recches as þe see turneþ vpwardes sandes whan it is moeued wiþ rauysshing blastes. or ellys as many [[pg 36]] rycches as þer shynen bryȝt sterres on heuene on þe sterry nyȝt. Ȝit for al þat mankynde nolde not cesce to 904 wope wrecched pleyntes.

¶ And al be it so *þat god receyueþ gladly her p{ra}yers {and} ȝeueþ hem as ful large muche golde {and} app{ar}aileþ coueytous folk wiþ noble or clere hono{ur}s. ȝit semeþ hem haue I-gete noþing. 908 but alwey her cruel ravyne deuourynge al þat þei han geten shewiþ oþer gapinges. þat is to seye gapen {and} desiren ȝit after moo rycchesse.

¶ What brideles myȝten wiþholde to any certeyne ende þe desordene 912 coueitise of men ¶ Whan euere þe raþer þ{a}t it fletiþ in large ȝiftis: þe more ay brenneþ in hem þe þrest of hauyng.

¶ Certis he þat quakyng {and} dredeful weneþ hym seluen nedy. he ne lyueþ neu{er}e mo ryche. 916

HIIS IGITUR SI PRO SE.

++Þerfore yif þat fortune spake wiþ þe for hir self in þis manere. For soþe þou ne haddest what þou myȝtest answere. and if þou hast any þi{n}g wherwiþ. þou mayist ryȝtfully tellen þi co{m}pleynt. ¶ It 920 byhoueþ þe to shewen it. {and} .I. wol ȝeue þe space to tellen it.

¶ Certeynely q{uod} I þan þise ben faire þinges {and} enoyntid wiþ hony swetnesse of rethorike {and} musike. {and} only while þei ben herd þei ben 924 deliciouse.

¶ But to wrecches is a deppere felyng of harme. þis is to seyn þat wrecches felen þe harmes þat þei suffren more greuously þan þe remedies or þe delites of þise wordes mowe gladen or comforten hem. so þat 928 whan þise þinges stynten forto sou{n} in eres. þe sorwe [[pg 37]] þat is inset greueþ þe þouȝt.

Ryȝt so is it q{uod} she. ¶ For þise ne ben ȝit none remedies of þi maladie. but þei ben a manere norissinges of þi sorwe ȝit rebel 932 aȝeyne þi curac{i}ou{n}.

¶ For whan þat tyme is. I shal moue swiche þinges þat p{er}cen hem self depe.

¶ But naþeles þ{a}t þou shalt not wilne to leten þi self a wrecche. ¶ Hast þou forȝeten þe nou{m}bre {and} þe 936 manere of þi welefulnesse.

I holde me stille how þat þe souerayn men of þe Citee toke{n} þe in cure {and} kepynge whan þou were orphelyn of fadir {and} modir. {and} were chosen i{n} affinite of p{r}inces of þe Citee. 940 ¶ And þou bygu{n}ne raþer to ben leef {and} deere þan forto ben a neyȝbo{ur}. þe whiche þing is þe most p{re}ciouse kynde of any p{ro}pinquitee or aliau{n}ce þat may ben. ¶ Who is it þat ne seide þou nere ryȝt weleful 944 wiþ so grete a nobley of þi fadres in lawe.

¶ {And} wiþ þe chastite of þi wijf. {and} wiþ þe oportunite {and} noblesse of þi masculyn children. þat is to seyne þi sones {and} ou{er} al þis me lyst to passe of comune þinges. 948 ¶ How þou haddest in þi þouȝt dignitees þat weren warned to olde men. but it deliteþ me to comen now to þe singuler vphepyng of þi welefulnesse. ¶ Yif any fruyt of mortal þinges may han any weyȝte or price of 952 welefulnesse.