3749 boore—boor
teþe—teth
3750 swerde—swerd
3751 her—hir
3752 wilne—wylnen
3753 enterchaungynge—entrechaungynges
THE OPERATIONS OF CHANCE.
[HINC EGO UIDEO INQUAM. ET CETERA.]
Þus see I wel B. I see plainly the nature of that felicity which attends the virtues of the good, and of the misery that follows the vices of the wicked. quod I. eyþer what blisfulnesse or ellys
what vnselinesse is estab[l]issed in þe desertys of
goode men and of shrewes. But in Fortune I see a mixture of good and evil. The wise man prefers riches, &c., to poverty, &c. ¶ but in þis ilke fortune
of poeple I see somwhat of goode. and somwhat of [3760]
yuel. for no wise man haþ nat leuer ben exiled pore
and nedy and nameles. þan forto dwellen in hys Citee
and flouren of rychesses. and be redoutable by honoure.
and stronge of power And wisdom appears more illustrious, when wise men are governors and impart their felicity to their subjects; and when imprisonment, torture, &c., are inflicted only upon bad citizens. for in þis wise more clerely and [3764]
more witnesfully is þe office of wise men ytretid whan
þe blisfulnes and [the] pouste of gouernours is as it
were yshad amonges poeples þat ben neyȝboures and
subgitȝ. syn þat namely prisoun lawe and þise oþer [3768]
tourmentȝ of lawful peynes ben raþer owed to felonous
Citeȝeins. for þe whiche felonous Citeȝeins þo peynes
ben establissed. þan for goode folk. Why, then, should things undergo so unnatural a change? ¶ þan I merueile
me gretly quod I. whi [þat] þe þinges ben so mys [3772]
Why should the worthy suffer and the vicious receive the reward of virtue? entrechaunged. þat tourmentȝ felounes pressen and
confounden goode folk. and shrewes rauyssen medes of
vertue and ben in honours. and in grete estatis.
I should like to hear the reason of so unjust a distribution. and I desire eke to witen of þe. what semeþ þe to ben þe [3776]
resoun of þis so wrongful a confusioun I should not marvel so much if Chance were the cause of all this confusion. ¶ For I wolde
wondre wel þe lasse yif I trowed[e] þat alle þise þinges
were medeled by fortuouse hap. But I am overwhelmed with astonishment when I reflect, that God the director of all things thus unequally distributes rewards and punishments. ¶ But now hepeþ
and encreseþ myne astonyenge god gouernour of þinges. [3780]
þat so as god ȝeueþ ofte tymes to good[e] men goodes
and myrþes. and to shrewes yuel and aspre þinges.
and ȝeueþ aȝeynewarde to goode folk hardnesse. and to
shrewes [he] graunteþ hem her wille and þat þei desiren. [3784]
What difference is there, then, unless we know the cause, between God’s proceedings and the operations of Chance? what difference þan may þer be bitwixen þat þat
god doþ. and þe hap of fortune. yif men ne knowe nat
þe cause whi þat [it] is. P. It is not at all surprising that you think you see irregularities, when you are ignorant of that order by which God proceeds. it nis no merueile quod she þouȝ
þat men wenen þat þer be somwhat folysche and confus [3788]
whan þe resoun of þe order is vnknowe. But, forasmuch as God, the good governor, presides over all, rest assured that all things are done rightly and as they ought to be done. ¶ But alle
þouȝ þou ne know nat þe cause of so gret a disposicioun.
naþeles for as moche as god þe good[e] gouernour attempreþ
and gouerneþ þe world. ne doute þe nat þat [3792]
alle þinges ne ben doon aryȝt.
3760 goode—good
3761 haþ—MS. haþe
nat—omitted
leuer—leuere