821 adoune—adown
somtyme—whilom
825 ydred (MS. ydredde)—ydrad
humble—vmble
827 reccheþ—rekkeþ
wrecched[e]—wrecchede
harde—hard
828 lauȝeþ—lyssheth
wepyng—wepynges
830 strengþe—strengthes
PROSPERITY DOES NOT CONSTITUTE FELICITY.
[VELLEM AUTEM PAUCA.]
CErtis I Philosophy expostulates with Boethius in the name of Fortune. wolde plete wiþ þee a fewe þinges vsynge
þe wordes of fortune tak heede now þi self. yif þat
she axeþ ryȝt. [* fol. 9 b.] Why do you accuse me (Fortune) as guilty? *¶ O þou man wher fore makest þou
me gilty by þine euerydayes pleynynges. what wronges [836]
haue I don þe. What goods or advantages have I deprived you of? what goodes haue I byreft þe þat weren
þine. stryf or plete wiþ me by fore what iuge þat þou
wilt of þe possessioun of rycchesse or of dignites Can you prove that ever any man had a fixed property in his riches? ¶ And
yif þou maist shewe me þat euer any mortal man haþ [840]
receyued any of þese þinges to ben his in propre. þan
wol I graunt[e] frely þat [alle] þilke þinges weren þine
whiche þat þou axest. You came naked into the world, and I cherished you and encompassed you with affluence. ¶ Whan þat nature brouȝt[e] þe
forþe out of þi moder wombe. I receyued[e] þe naked [844]
and nedy of al þing. and I norysshed[e] þe wiþ my
rychesse. and was redy and ententif þoruȝ my fauour to
sustene þe. ¶ And þat makeþ þe now inpacient aȝeins me.
and I envirounde þe wiþ al þe habundaunce and [848]
shinyng of al goodes þat ben in my ryȝt. Now that I have a mind to withdraw my bounty, be thankful and complain not. ¶ Now it
lykeþ me to wiþ drawe myne hande. þou hast had grace
as he þat haþ vsed of foreyne goodes. þou hast no ryȝt to
pleyne þe. as þouȝ þou haddest vtterly lorn alle þi [852]
þinges. whi pleynest þou þan. I haue don þe no wrong.
Riches and honours are subject to me. Ricches honoures and swyche oþer þinges ben of my
ryȝt. They are my servants, and come and go with me. ¶ My seruauntes knowen me for hir lady. þei
comen wiþ me and departen 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 hem. Shall I alone be forbidden to use my own right? ¶ shal I þan only be defended
to vse my ryȝt. Doth not heaven give us sunny days and obscure the same with dark nights? ¶ Certis it is leueful to þe heuene to [860]
make clere dayes. and after þat to keuere þe same dayes
wiþ derke nyȝtes. Is not the earth covered with frost as well as with flowers? ¶ Þe erþe haþ eke leue to apparaile
þe visage of þe erþe now with floures and now wiþ
fruyt. and to confounde hem somtyme wiþ raynes and [864]
wiþ coldes. The sea sometimes appears calm, and at other times terrifies us with its tempestuous waves. ¶ 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.
Shall I be bound to constancy by the covetousness of men? ¶ 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.
I turn my rolling wheel and amuse myself with exalting what was low, and bringing down what was high. and þis pley. I pley[e] continuely. I tourne þe whirlyng
whele wiþ þe tournyng cercle ¶ I am glade to chaunge [872]
þe lowest to þe heyeste. and þe heyest to þe loweste.
BE SUBJECT TO FORTUNE’S CHANGES.
Ascend if you will, but come down when my sport requires it. worþe vp yif þou wilt. so it be by þis lawe. þat þou
ne holde not þat I do þe wronge þouȝ þou descende
doun whanne resoun of my pleye axeþ it. Know you not the history of Crœsus and of Paulus Æmilius? Wost þou [876]
not how Cresus kyng of lyndens of whiche kyng Cirus
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 descended[e] doun from heuene [880]
þat rescowed[e] hym ¶ And is it out of þi mynde how
þat Paulus consul of Rome whan he hadde take þe
kyng of perciens weep pitouly for þe captiuitee of þe
self[e] kyng. What else does the weeping muse of Tragedy deplore but the overthrow of kingdoms by the indiscriminate strokes of Fortune? What oþer þinges bywaylen þe criinges of [884]
Tragedies. but only þe dedes of fortune. þat wiþ an
vnwar stroke ouerturneþ þe realmes of grete nobley
¶ Glose. Tragedie is to seyne a dite of a prosperite for
a tyme þat endiþ in wrechednesse. Did you not learn whilst a youth, that at the gates of Jove’s palace stand two vessels, one full of blessings, the other of woes? 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 if you have drunk too deep of the first vessel? ¶ 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
prosperites. and what eke. yif I be nat departed fro þe.
My mutability gives thee hope of happier days. What eke. yif my mutabilitee ȝiueþ þe ryȝtful cause of
hope to han ȝit better þinges. Desire not to be exempted from the vicissitudes of humanity. ¶ Naþeles desmaie þe [896]
nat in þi þouȝt. and þou þat art put in comune realme
of alle: ne desijr[e] nat to lyue by þine oonly propre ryȝt.