Chapter XIV: Book II: Prose I (2)

But what thing is it that a man may don to another man, that
he ne may receyven the same thing of othre folk in him-self: 45
_or thus, what may a man don to folk, that folk ne 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
many men of Affrike and cast hem in-to feteres; but sone after 50
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,
yif it so were that thise dignitees or poweres hadden any propre 55
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
han dignitees ofte tyme, than sheweth it wel that dignitees and 60
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
the whiche yiftes, I trowe that it oughte ben considered, that no 65
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
his propretee, ne it is nat entremedled with the effects of the 70
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
cheynes that ne mowen nat be unbounden. And dignitees that 75
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;
the whiche names ben ful ofte reproeved by the effecte of the 80
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.

And at the laste, I may conclude the same thing of alle the 85
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.

PR. VI. 1. A. seyne. 2. A. _om._ ye. 5. C. flawmbe; A. fla_m_me (_twice_). 6. A. _ins._ wit (!) _bef._ walweth. 7. C. crwel. // C. remenbryth. 8. A. thilke; C. thikke. // A. emperie; C. Imp_er_iye. 11. A. conseilers. 13. A. kyng; C. kynge. 15. Ed. selde; C. A. zelde. // C. A. Ed. thinges; _read_ thing (Lat. _quid placet_). 19. A. _om._ thilke. 22. C. mus[gh]; A. myse; Ed. myce. 23. C. mys[gh]; A. myse; Ed. myce. 26. C. shalthow. 27. A. mannes kynde. // A. whiche ben ful ofte slayn. 29. A. mennes bodyes. 33. C. Maysthow. 34. C. Maysthow remwen. 35. A. cleuyng. // C. stidefast; A. stedfast. 40. Ed. caste; C. A. cast. 42. C. crwelte. 45. C. resseyuen; A. receyue. 48. A. herburghden. 52. C. _om._ he. // C. whylom; A. somtyme. // C. weenesthow. 53. C. thinge; A. thing. 54. A. _om. 1st_ in. // A. to (_for 2nd_ in). 63. Ed. I (_after_ may); C. A. _omit_. 67. C. _om._ it. 68. _So_ A.; C. musuciens, phisissiens. 70. A. effect_is_; C. effect. // A. _om._ the. 72. C. A. to it ben. 73. A. _om. 2nd_ ne. 81, 82. A. rycchesse (_twice_). 82, 83. A. whiche (_for_ swich; _twice_). 87. C. I-seene; A. sene.

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
his moder; _that is to seyn, he leet sleen and slitten the body of 5
his moder, to seen 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
ceptre alle the poeples that Phebus the sonne may seen, cominge 10
from his outereste arysinge til he hyde his bemes under the
wawes; _that is to seyn, he governed alle the poeples by ceptre imperial
that the sonne goth aboute, from est to west_. And eek _this
Nero governed by ceptre_ alle the poeples that ben under the
colde sterres that highten "septem triones"; _this is to seyn, he 15
governede alle the poeples 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 poeples in the south_. But yit ne
mighte nat al his hye power torne the woodnesse of this wikked 20
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_.'

ME. VI. 2. C. let; A. letee (!). 3. C. crwel. // C. whylom; A. somtyme. 5. C. lette (_wrongly_); A. let. 6. C. conseyued; A. conceiued. 7. A. half. // C. wecte; A. wette. 9. A. [gh]itte neuertheles. 11. A. hidde. 12. C. sceptre; A. ceptre. 15. C. vii. tyryones (_sic_); A. the seuene triones; Ed. the Septentrions. 16. A. parties. 18. C. Ed. scorklith; A. scorchith. 19-21. A. _om._ But yit ... Nero; Ed. _retains it, omitting_ hye. // _For_ Allas ... it is, A. _has_--But ne how greuous fortune is; C. _om._ a _bef._ greuous, _but_ Ed. _retains it_. C. _repeats_ it is. 22. C. crwel; crwelte.

PROSE VII.

_Tum ego, scis, inquam._

Thanne seyde I thus: 'Thou wost wel thy-self that the coveitise
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,
stille, ne sholde nat elden;' _that is to seyn, that [him] leste that, 5
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
may drawen to governaunce swiche hertes as ben worthy and 10
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 administred
the comune thinges or don gode desertes to profit of the
comune. For see now and considere, how litel and how voide of 15
alle prys is thilke glorie. Certein thing is, as thou hast lerned by
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
comparisoun of the erthe to the greetnesse of hevene, men wolden 20
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
thy thought fro thilke ferthe partye as moche space as the see and 25
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
closed with-in the leste prikke of thilke prikke, thinken ye to 30
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,
dyverse of tonge and of maneres and eek of resoun of hir livinge, 35
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 the fame of citees ne may nat strecchen. At 40
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
the Parthes and eek of other folk enhabitinge aboute. Seestow 45
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
name of Rome may nat climben ne passen? And eek, seestow nat
that the maneres of dyverse folk and eek hir lawes ben discordaunt 50
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
spreden his name to many maner poeples. There-for every man 55
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
foryetinge of wryteres put out of minde and don awey! Al be 60
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
natheles, yif thou wolt maken comparisoun to the endeles spaces 65
of eternitee, what thing hast thou by whiche thou mayst reioysen
thee of long lastinge of thy name? For yif ther were maked comparisoun
of the abydinge of a moment to ten thousand winter,
for as mochel as bothe the spaces ben ended, yit hath the
moment som porcioun of it, al-though it litel be. But natheles, 70
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
ende, to thinges that han ende, may be maked no comparisoun. 75
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
nothing a-right, but-yif it be for the audience of poeple and for 80
ydel rumours; and ye forsaken the grete worthinesse of conscience
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
pryde and veine glorie, how a man scornede festivaly and merily 85
swich vanitee. Whylom ther was a man that 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
of_ thoughte he wolde assaye, wher he, thilke, were a philosophre 90
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 reioysinge
of him-self, seyde at the laste right thus: "understondest 95
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
glorie with vertu? What is it?' quod she; 'what atteyneth fame 100
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
ben_, whan he, of whom thilke glorie is seyd to be, nis right naught 105
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 occupacioun;
and, being in hevene, reioyseth that it is exempt fro alle
erthely thinges? _As who seith, thanne rekketh the sowle of no 110
glorie of renoun of this world._

PR. VII. 4. A. desired. 5. _I supply_ him (_to make sense_). // Ed. leste; C. A. list. 6. A. wex; C. wax. 7. C. p_er_ise; A. perisshe. // Ed. vnexercysed; C. A. vnexcercised. 17. A. _om. 1st_ the. // C. _om._ of. 21. A. that erthe helde. 26. A. and mareys. // C. spaces (_for_ space). 28. C. vel; A. wel. 32. C. narwh; A. narwe. 36. A. cloos. 37. C. deficulte; A. difficulte. // C. deficulte (_repeated_); A. Ed. diuersite. 38. A. _om._ and _after_ vnusage. 39. Ed. synguler; C. A. syngler. // A. _om._ nat (_bef. 1st_ strecchen). 41. C. marchus; A. Marcus. // Ed. Tullius; C. A. Tulius. // C. writ; A. writeth. 43. C. _om._ yit. // A. hy[gh]t. 44. C. thikke; A. thilk. // A. wexen. 45. C. sestow; A. Sest thou. 48. Ed. synguler; C. singler; A. singlere. // A. strecchen; C. strechchen. 49. C. seysthow; A. sest thou; Ed. seest thou. 51. C. thinge; A. thing. 56. A. paied. // Ed. publysshed; C. publyssed; A. puplissed. 57. A. ney[gh]bores; Ed. neyghbours; C. nesshebours. 59. A. nedy and wrecched. 63. A. autours; Ed. auctours; C. actorros (!). // A. Ed. ye men semen; C. yow men semeth. 64. A. thenke; C. thinken. // A. comyng (_om._ to-). 65. A. space (Lat. _spatia_). 69. C. A. Ed. _insert_ for _bef._ yit (_wrongly_). 70. A. it a litel. 73. C. -durablyte; A. -durablete. // A. eenles (_for_ endeles). 74, 75. A. _om._ but of ... comparisoun. 77. A. by (_for 2nd_ to). 82. C. A. gerdouns; Ed. guerdones. 84. A. whiche (_for_ swich). 89. A. speke. 90. C. weer_e_ he; A. where he; Ed. wheder he. 91. A. _om._ that. 94. C. resseyuyd; A. receiued. 95. C. vnderstondow. 97. A. _om._ it. 98. C. _glosses_ it _by_ s. fama. 102. A. _om._ it. 103. C. deffendeth; A. defendith. 105. A. for (_for_ whan). 107. C. _glosses_ erthe _by_ i. corporis. 108. C. _glosses_ it _by_ i. anima. 110, 111. A. _om._ As who ... 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
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
name, that may nat fulfille the litel compas _of the erthe_. O! 5
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;
yit, natheles, deeth despyseth alle heye glorie of fame: and deeth 10
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
marked with a fewe lettres; but al-though that we han knowen 15
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,
whan o cruel day shal ravisshe yow, thanne is the seconde deeth 20
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._

3. C. cyte (_for_ site); A. sete (_error for_ site; Lat. _situm_). 6. A. liften vpon hire nekkes in ydel and dedely. 7. A. _om._ that. 9. A. _om._ that. // C. cler; A. clere. 13. A. stiern; Ed. sterne. 17. A. Ed. consumpt. 18. A. vtterly. 21. Ed. to (_for_ un-to); A. in. // A. Ed. the; C. _om._ (_after_ heer).

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
frount, and sheweth hir maneres. Peraventure yit understondest 5
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
Fortune debonaire. For alwey, whan Fortune semeth debonaire,
than she lyeth falsly in bihetinge the hope of welefulnesse; but 10
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
folk that usen hem; the contrarie Fortune unbindeth hem by the 15
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
with hir flateringes draweth miswandringe men fro the sovereyne 20
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
trewe freendes? For-why this ilke Fortune hath departed and uncovered 25
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
woldest thou han bought the fulle knowinge of this, _that is to seyn, 30
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.

PR. VIII. A. _omits to end of_ bk. iii. pr. 1. 3. C. desseyuable. // C. desserueth. 7. _So_ C.; Ed. vnplyten. 13. C. desseyueth. 17. C. maysthow. 30. C. woldesthow.

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 commaundement
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
covere al the erthe_:--al this acordaunce of thinges is bounden with
Love, that governeth erthe and see, and hath also commaundements 10
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.
This Love halt to-gideres poeples ioigned with an holy bond, and 15
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!'

ME. VIII. 6. C. hat. 7. C. lueful; Ed. leful. 8. erthes; Lat. _terris_.

EXPLICIT LIBER SECUNDUS.