[QUID AUTEM DE DIGNITATIBUS ET CETERA.]
But what shal But why should I discourse of dignities and powers which (though you are ignorant of true honour and real power) you extol to the skies? I seyne of dignitees and of powers.
þe whiche [ye] men þat neiþer knowen verray dignitee [1356]
ne verray power areysen hem as heye as þe
heuene. When they fall to the lot of a wicked man, they produce greater calamities than the flaming eruption of Ætna, or the most impetuous deluge. þe whiche dignitees and powers yif þei come
to any wicked man þei don [as] greet[e] damages and
distruccioun as doþ þe flamme of þe Mountaigne [1360]
Ethna whan þe flamme wit walwiþ vp ne no deluge
ne doþ so cruel harmes. You remember that your ancestors desired to abolish the Consular government (the commencement of the Roman liberty), because of the pride of the Consuls; as their ancestors before for the same consideration had suppressed the title of King. ¶ Certys ye remembriþ wel
as I trowe þat þilke dignitee þat men clepiþ þe emperie
of consulers þe whiche þat somtyme was bygynnyng [1364]
of fredom. ¶ Ȝoure eldres coueiteden to han
don a-wey þat dignitee for þe pride of þe conseilers.
HONOURS NOT INTRINSICALLY GOOD,
¶ And ryȝt for þe same pride ȝoure eldres byforne þat
tyme hadden don awey out of þe Citee of rome þe [1368]
kynges name. þat is to seien. þei nolden haue no
lenger no kyng ¶ But now yif so be þat dignitees
and powers ben ȝeuen to goode men. þe whiche þing
is ful ȝelde. what agreable þinges is þer in þo dignitees. [1372]
or powers. but only þe goodenes of folk þat vsen hem.
FOR THEY FALL TO THE LOT OF THE WICKED.
Virtue is not embellished by dignities, but dignities derive honour from virtue. ¶ And þerfore it is þus þat honour ne comeþ nat to
vertue for cause of dignite. but aȝeinward. honour
comeþ to dignite by cause of vertue. But what is this power, so much celebrated and desired? but whiche is [1376]
ȝoure derworþe power þat is so clere and so requerable
What are they over whom you exercise authority? ¶ O ȝe erþelyche bestes considere ȝe nat ouer whiche
þing þat it semeþ þat ȝe han power. If thou sawest a mouse assuming command over other mice, wouldst thou not almost burst with laughter? ¶ Now yif þou
[* fol. 13 b.] say[e] a mouse amongus *oþer myse þat chalenged[e] to [1380]
hymself ward ryȝt and power ouer alle oþer myse. how
gret scorne woldest þou han of hit. ¶ Glosa. ¶ So
fareþ it by men. þe body haþ power ouer þe body.
What is more feeble than man, to whom the bite of a fly may be the cause of death? For yif þow loke wel vpon þe body of a wyȝt what [1384]
þing shalt þou fynde moore frele þan is mannes kynde.
þe whiche ben ful ofte slayn wiþ bytynge of smale
flies. or ellys wiþ þe entryng of crepyng wormes in to
þe priuetees of mennes bodyes. But how can any man obtain dominion over another, unless it be over his body, or, what is inferior to his body,—over his possessions, the gifts of Fortune? ¶ But wher shal [1388]
men fynden any man þat may exercen or haunten any
ryȝt vpon an oþer man but oonly vpon hys body. or
ellys vpon þinges þat ben lower þen þe body. whiche
I clepe fortunous possessiouns Can you ever command a freeborn soul? ¶ Mayst þou euer haue [1392]
any comaundement ouer a fre corage Can you disturb a soul consistent with itself, and knit together by the bond of reason? ¶ Mayst þou
remuen fro þe estat of hys propre reste. a þouȝt þat is
cleuyng to gider in hym self by stedfast resoun. ¶ As
somtyme a tiraunt wende to confounde a freeman of [1396]
corage ¶ And wende to constreyne hym by tourment
to maken hym dyscoueren and acusen folk þat wisten
of a coniuracioun. whiche I clepe a confederacie þat
was cast aȝeins þis tyraunt Have you not read how Anaxarchus bit off his tongue and spat it in the face of Nicocreon? ¶ But þis free man boot [1400]
of hys owen tunge. and cast it in þe visage of þilke
woode tyraunte. ¶ So þat þe tourmentȝ þat þis
tyraunt wende to han maked matere of cruelte. þis
wyse man maked[e it] matere of vertues. What is it that one man can do to another that does not admit of retaliation? ¶ But what [1404]
þing is it þat a man may don to an oþer man. þat he
ne may receyue þe same þing of oþer folke in hym
self. or þus. ¶ What may a man don to folk. þat folk
ne may don hym þe same. Busiris used to kill his guests, but at last himself was killed by Hercules, his guest. ¶ I haue herd told of [1408]
busirides þat was wont to sleen hys gestes þat herburghden
in hys hous. and he was slayn hym self of
ercules þat was hys gest Regulus put his Carthaginian prisoners in chains, but was afterwards obliged to submit to the fetters of his enemies. ¶ Regulus had[de] taken in
bataile many men of affrike. and cast hem in to fetteres. [1412]
but sone after he most[e] ȝiue hys handes to
ben bounden with þe cheynes of hem þat he had[de]
somtyme ouercomen. Is he mighty that dares not inflict what he would upon another for fear of a requital? ¶ Wenest þou þan þat he be
myȝty. þat may nat don a þing. þat oþer ne may don [1416]
hym. þat he doþ to oþer. If powers and honours were intrinsically good, they would never be attained by the wicked. and ȝit more ouer yif it so
were þat þise dignites or poweres hadden any propre
or naturel goodnesse in hem self neuer nolden þei
comen to shrewes. An union of things opposite is repugnant to nature. ¶ For contrarious þinges ne ben [1420]
not wont to ben yfelawshiped togidres. ¶ Nature refuseþ
þat contra[r]ious þinges ben yioigned. But as wicked men do obtain the highest honours, it is clear that honours are not in themselves good, otherwise they would not fall to the share of the unworthy. ¶ And so
as I am in certeyne þat ryȝt wikked folk han dignitees
ofte tymes. þan sheweþ it wel þat dignitees and powers [1424]
ne ben not goode of hir owen kynde. syn þat þei suffren
hem self to cleuen or ioynen hem to shrewes.
The worst of men have often the largest share of Fortune’s gifts. ¶ And certys þe same þing may most digneliche Iugen
and seyen of alle þe ȝiftis of fortune þat most plenteuously [1428]
comen to shrewes. We judge him to be valiant who has given evidence of his fortitude. ¶ Of þe whiche ȝiftys I
trowe þat it auȝt[e] ben considered þat no man doutiþ
þat he nis strong. in whom he seeþ strengþe. and in
whom þat swiftnesse is ¶ Soþe it is þat he is swyfte. [1432]
So music maketh a musician, &c. Also musyk makeþ musiciens. and fysik makeþ phisiciens.
and rethorik rethoriens. The nature of everything consists in doing what is peculiar to itself, and it repels what is contrary to it. ¶ For whi þe nature
of euery þing makiþ his propretee. ne it is nat
entermedled wiþ þe effectis of contrarious þinges. [1436]
POWER DOES NOT CONFER GOODNESS.
¶ And as of wil it chaseþ oute þinges þat to it ben
contrarie Riches cannot restrain avarice. Power cannot make a man master of himself if he is the slave of his lusts. ¶ But certys rycchesse may nat restreyne
auarice vnstaunched ¶ Ne power [ne] makeþ nat a
man myȝty ouer hym self. whiche þat vicious lustis [1440]
holden destreined wiþ cheins þat ne mowen nat ben
vnbounden. Dignities conferred upon base men do not make them worthy, but rather expose their want of merit. and dignitees þat ben ȝeuen to shrewed[e]
folk nat oonly ne makiþ hem nat digne. but it sheweþ
raþer al openly þat þei ben vnworþi and vndigne. [1444]
Why is it so? ’Tis because you give false names to things. You dignify riches, power, and honours, with names they have no title to. ¶ And whi is it þus. ¶ Certis for ȝe han ioye to
clepen þinges wiþ fals[e] names. þat beren hem al in
þe contrarie. þe whiche names ben ful ofte reproued
by þe effect of þe same þinges. [* fol. 14.] so þat *þise ilke rycchesse [1448]
ne auȝten nat by ryȝt to ben cleped rycchesse.
ne whiche power ne auȝt[e] not ben cleped power. ne
whiche dignitee ne auȝt[e] nat ben cleped dignitee.
In fine, the same may be said of all the gifts of Fortune, in which nothing is desirable, nothing of natural good in them, since they are not always allotted to good men, nor make them good to whom they are attached. ¶ And at þe laste I may conclude þe same þinge of [1452]
al þe ȝiftes of fortune in whiche þer nis no þing to
ben desired. ne þat haþ in hym self naturel bounte.
¶ as it is ful wel sene. for neyþer þei ne ioygnen
hem nat alwey to goode men. ne maken hem alwey [1456]
goode to whom þei ben y-ioigned.
1355 seyne—seye
1358 come—comen