The fourth bough of pride is foolish desire, which one calls in book-learning ambition; that is, an evil desire to climb high. This sin is the devil’s pan of hell, wherein he makes his fryings. This bough spreads in many ways right and left. For he that desires to climb high, (to) some he will please, and therefrom grow many sins, as on the right hand to wit, deceit, simulation, giving foolishly, in order that one shall esteem him courteous and liberal. (To) others he will harm, and therefrom comes the sin on the left side, as to slander them whom he will harm in order to exalt himself, and raises up blame for him and desires the death of that (man), who holds what he weens to come into, and frauds, and evil counsel, conspiracies, strife, and many other sins, that grow out of this evil bough.
THE FIFTH BOUGH OF PRIDE.
The fifth bough of pride is idle bliss; that is, foolish liking of foolish praise, when he feels in his heart knowingly that he is, or weens to be, praised for something that he has in him, or weens to have, and will be praised therefore, for which he should praise God. And therefore idle bliss robs God, and steals what is His. For of all our goods He shall have the honour and the praise, and we the gain.
Idle bliss is the great wind that throws down the great towers and the high steeples, and throws to the ground the great beeches in woods, and makes the great hills to quake, which are the high men and (those) that are most worthy. That is the devil’s penny, wherewith he buys all the fair pennyworths in the market of this world, which are the good works. And because there are three kinds of goods that man hath of God, and that the devil wall buy with his pence, therefore this bough divides into three kinds of small boughs, whereof grows every kind of sin, which no clerk can tell. The same three kinds of goods that one has of God are the gifts of nature, the gifts of hap, the gifts of grace. The natural gifts are those that one calls ‘by nature,’ either as to the body or as to the soul; as regards the body, as health, fairness, strength, prowess, nobility, good tongue, good speech; as regards the soul, as clear wit to understand well, and subtle wit to devise well, good memory to retain well, and the virtues of nature, whereby one is more natural than another, or more liberal, or meeker, or more gracious, or contented and well ordered. For all these gifts one shall thank and serve God, because they all come from Him. Nevertheless the proud sells them to the devil for the false penny of idle bliss, and often wars against God for all His gifts, for which he should thank God. And whoever takes good heed [may see that] in all these gifts of nature that I have briefly told, it is sin by idle bliss in too many ways, which each may better see in himself, if he will study well, than others can tell him.
The gifts of hap are exalted stations, riches, delights, and prosperities, whereof one thinks in many ways. For when the lady of hap has turned her wheel to the man, and raised and set (him) to the height of her wheel, like the mill to the wind, and (he has) climbed high there, there blow all the twelve winds of idle bliss. For when he that is arisen so high in prosperity thinks in his heart first of the dignity, afterwards of his prosperity, after that of his riches, afterwards of his lusts that his body has, after that of the great fellowship that follows him, afterwards of the fair company that serves him, after that of his fair manner, afterwards of his fair ridings, afterwards of the plenty of fair robes, after that of the adorning of his house with lustful ease and other kinds of equipment, (so) that so much is fair and noble, afterwards of the great presents and of the great feasts that one makes him everywhere, after that of his good fame, and of his praises, that fly everywhere. Thus the wretch rejoices and glories in his heart, so that he knows not where he is. These are the gifts that come of idle bliss, (that is) to wit, twelve kinds of temptation of idle bliss, which those in high estate have, either in the world or in religion, either cleric or layman.
The gifts of grace are virtues and good works. And against these gifts idle bliss often blows the more strongly, and often fells the great trees and the highest, which are the best men. And [thou] shalt know that in virtues and in good works the devil tempts by idle bliss in three ways. The one is within in the heart, when one hears of the good things that one does privily, as of prayers or of privy works, and the man thinks that he is better with God than he is. The second is when he has a foolish bliss in him because he hears or sees of his good renown, and that he is praised and holden for a good man. The third is when he desires and seeks and obtains fame and renown, and in such understanding doth his good deeds, not for God properly, but for the world.
THE SIXTH BOUGH OF PRIDE.
The sixth bough of pride is hypocrisy, which is a sin that makes one show the good without that is not within. Those, then, are hypocrites who pretend to be good men and are not, who pretend to have more strength than name of good man, than truth and holiness. And this (bough) divides (herself) in three. For there is an hypocrisy foul, and another foolish, and the third subtle. Those are foul hypocrites who do their foul deeds in corners and show themselves good before the people. Such our Lord calls painted and gilded sepulchres. Those are foolish hypocrites who keep themselves cleanly enough as regards the body, and do many and good penances principally for the fame of the world, because one holds them to be good men. Those are indeed fools, for of good metal they make false money. Those are subtle hypocrites who subtlely will climb up and steal the dignities and the kingdoms. They do all that a good man shall do, so that no man can know them until (then that) they are full grown and climbed high in dignities. And then show they the evils that were hidden and rooted in the heart, to wit, pride, avarice, malice, and other evil deeds, whereby one knows openly that the tree never was good, and that it was all deceit and hypocrisy, all that he had before showed. Therefore it is truly said: ‘Thou shalt never know what man is, until he is where he wishes to be.’
THE SEVENTH BOUGH OF PRIDE.
The seventh bough of pride is foolish dread and foolish shame, when one ceases to do well because of the world, that one be not held a hypocrite or a canter, where one dreads the world more than God. The same shame comes of sinful pleasing, by which one wishes to please the sinful. And therefore chiefly is she daughter of pride and the seventh bough, and often makes (men) cease to do the good and do the evil, in order sinfully to please the world.