Part 55

¶ þilk man þat þou wenest 4000 to ben ryȝt Iuste {and} ryȝt kepyng of eq{u}ite. þe contrarie of þat semeþ to þe deuyne p{ur}ueaunce þat al woot. ¶ And lucan my familier telleþ þat þe victories cause liked to þe goddes {and} causes ouercomen liked to 4004 cato{u}n.

þan what so euer þou mayst seen þat is don in þis [world] vnhoped or vnwened. certys it is þe ryȝt ordre of þinges. but as to þi wicked oppiniou{n} it is a co{n}fusiou{n}.

but I suppose þat som man be so wel yþewed. 4008 þat þe deuyne Iugement {and} þe Iugeme{n}t of mankynde accorden hem to gidre of hym. but he is so vnstedfast of corage [þat] yif any aduersite come to hym he wolde for-leten p{er}auenture to continue i{n}nocence by þe 4012 whiche he ne may nat wiþholden fortune.

¶ þan þe wise dispensac{i}ou{n} of god spareþ hym þe whiche man{er}e adu{er}site *myȝt enpeyren. ¶ For þat god wil nat suffren hym to trauaile. to whom þat trauayl 4016 nis nat couenable.

¶ An oþ{er} man is p{er}fit in alle uertues. {and} is an holy man {and} neye to god so þat þe p{ur}ueaunce of god wolde demen þat it were a felony þat he were touched wiþ any aduersites. so þat he ne 4020 wil nat suffre þat swiche a man be moeued wiþ any [[pg 140]] manere maladie. ¶ But so as seide a philosophre [the moore excellent by me]. þe adu{er}sites comen nat (he seide in grec[;]) þere þ{a}t uertues han edified þe bodie 4024 of þe holy man.

and ofte tyme it bitideþ þat þe so{m}me of þinges þat ben to don is taken to good folk to gouerne. for þat þe malice habundaunt of shrewes sholde ben abatid.

{and} god ȝeueþ {and} dep{ar}tiþ to oþer 4028 folk p{ro}spites {and} aduersites ymedeled to hepe aftir þe qualite of hire corages {and} remordiþ som folk by adu{er}sites.

for þei ne sholden nat wexen proude by longe welefulnesse.

{and} oþer folk he suffreþ to ben 4032 trauayled wiþ harde þinges. ¶ For þat þei sholden conferme þe vertues of corage by þe vsage {and} ex{er}citac{i}ou{n} of pacie{n}ce.

and oþer folke dreden more þen þei auȝten þe wiche þei myȝt wel beren. {and} þilke folk god 4036 lediþ in to exp{er}ience of hem self by aspre {and} sorweful þinges.

¶ And many oþer folk han bouȝt honorable renoune of þis worlde by þe pris of glorious deeþ.

and som men þat ne mowen nat ben ouer-comen by 4040 tourment han ȝeuen ensample to oþer folk þat vertue ne may nat be ouer-comen by aduersites.

¶ and of alle þise þinges þer nis no doute þ{a}t þei ne ben don ryȝtfully {and} ordeinly to þe p{ro}fit of hem to whom we 4044 seen þise þinges bitide.

¶ For certys þat aduersite comeþ some tyme to shrewes. {and} some tyme þat þei desiren it comeþ of þise forseide causes

{and} of sorweful þinges þat bytyden to shrewes. Certys no man ne 4048 wondreþ. For alle me{n} wenen þat þei han wel deserued it.

{and} þei ben of wicked m{er}ite of whiche shrewes þe to{ur}ment som tyme agasteþ oþer to done [[pg 141]] folies. {and} som tyme it amendeþ hem þat suffren þe 4052 to{ur}mentis.

¶ And þe p{ro}sp{er}ite þat is ȝeuen to shrewes sheweþ a grete argument to good folk what þing þei sholde demen of þilk wilfulnesse þe whiche p{ro}sperite men seen ofte serue to shrewes.

in þe whiche 4056 þing I trowe þat god dispensiþ. for p{er}auenture þe nature of som man is so ouerþrowyng to yuel {and} so vncouenable þat þe nedy pouerte of hys house-hold myȝt raþer egren hym to done felonies.

and to þe maladie 4060 of hym god puttiþ remedie to ȝiuen hym rychesse.

{and} som oþer man byholdiþ hys conscience defouled wiþ synnes {and} makiþ co{m}parisou{n} of his fortune {and} of hym self ¶ and drediþ p{er}auenture þat hys blisfulnesse 4064 of whiche þe vsage is ioyful to hym þat þe lesynge of þilke blisfulnesse ne be nat sorweful to hym. {and} þerfore he wol chaunge hys maneres. and for he drediþ to lese hys fortune. he forletiþ hys wickednesse. 4068

to oþer folk is welefulnesse yȝeue{n} vnworþily þe whiche ouerþroweþ hem in to destrucc{i}ou{n} þat þei han deserued.

and to som oþer folk is ȝeuen power to punisse{n}. for þat it shal be cause of continuac{i}ou{n} {and} 4072 ex{er}cisinge to good folk. {and} cause of to{ur}ment to shrewes.

¶ For so as þer nis none alyaunce bytwixe good folke {and} shrewes. ne shrewes ne mowen nat accorde{n} amo{n}ges hem self

{and} whi nat. for shrewes 4076 discorde{n} of hem self by her vices þe whiche vices al to renden her consciences. {and} don oft tyme þinges þe whiche þinges whan þei han don hem. þei demen þat þo þinges ne sholde nat han ben don.

for whiche þinge 4080 þilke souereyne p{ur}ueaunce haþ maked oft tyme [fair{e}] miracle so þ{a}t shrewes han maked oftyme [[pg 142]] shrewes to ben good men.

for whan þat som shrewes *seen þat þei suffren wrongfully felonies of oþer shrewes 4084 þei wexen eschaufed in to hat of hem þat anoien hem. {and} retournen to þe fruit of uertue. when þei studien to ben vnlyke to he{m} þat þei han hated.

¶ Certys þis only is þe deuyne myȝt to þe whiche myȝt 4088 yueles ben þan good. whan it vseþ þo yueles couenably {and} draweþ out þe effect of any good. as who seiþ þat yuel is good oonly by þe myȝt of god. for þe myȝt of god ordeyneþ þilk yuel to good. For oon ordre enbrasiþ 4092 alle þinges. so þat what wyȝt [þ{a}t] dep{ar}tiþ fro þe resou{n} of þe ordre whiche þat is assigned to hym. algates ȝit he slideþ in to an oþ{er} ordre.

so þat noþing nis leueful to folye in þe realme of þe deuyne p{ur}ueaunce. 4096 as who seiþ no þing nis wiþouten ordinaunce in þe realme of þe deuyne purueaunce.