Chapter VIII

But lest thou shouldst think that I am at implacable war with Fortune,
there is a time when this thy goddess ceasing to deceive deserveth of
men, to wit, when she declareth herself, when she discovereth her face
and showeth herself in her own colours. Perhaps thou understandest not
yet what I say. I would utter a wonderful thing, insomuch as I can
scarcely explicate my mind in words. For I think that Fortune, when she
is opposite, is more profitable to men than when she is favourable. For
in prosperity, by a show of happiness and seeming to caress, she is ever
false, but in adversity when she showeth herself inconstant by changing,
she is ever true. In that she deceiveth, in this she instructeth; in
that she imprisoneth the minds of men with falsely seeming goods, which
they enjoy, in this she setteth them at liberty by discovering the
uncertainty of them. Wherefore, in that thou shalt alway see her puffed
up, and wavering, and blinded with a self-conceit of herself, in this
thou shalt find her sober, settled, and, with the very exercise of
adversity, wise. Finally, prosperity with her flatterings withdraweth
men from true goodness, adversity recalleth and reclaimeth them many
times by force[120] to true happiness. Dost thou esteem it a small
benefit that this rough and harsh Fortune hath made known unto thee the
minds of thy faithful friends? She hath severed thy assured from thy
doubtful friends; prosperity at her departure took away with her those
which were hers, and left thee thine. How dearly wouldst thou have
bought this before thy fall, and when thou seemedst to thyself
fortunate! Now thou dost even lament thy lost riches; thou hast found
friends, the most precious treasure in the world.

[120] Literally, "pulleth them back with a hook."